Chapter 24: The Leader Appears

Raiga laughed over the crater that his lightning created, laughing at having destroyed four people, not feeling an ounce of regret for what he'd done. Thinking he'd blown them to smitherings.

"They're still alive.." Ranmaru said behind him, and Raiga looked forwards in anger, 

"That's not possible, my lightning hit them… Sorry, if you say they're alive,there's no doubt." Raiga said glancing back 

"Two of them are troublesome…" Ranmaru commented from his back, 'This is strange, someone out there is able to block the byakugan… Hinami was able to hear the enemy while I couldn't see them.' Neji thought as they hid in some bushes created by Hinami, sitting within the hidden mists jutsu. Hinami continued to listen to their surroundings, while Neji looked forwards, discerning multiple people at least 10 of them. The group jumped out of the bush and running towards what Neji had seen, Noting they were just trees, or rocks, and not actual people. 

"They can trick the byakugan?" Hinami said in question after throwing 8 wood shuriken towards what she thought were three enemy ninja, noting that it was infact, rocks. Naruto missing with his barrage attack, while Lee found himself hanging upside down from another tree, the enemy having disappeared. 

"Heelp!" He said as he swung upside down, Hinami lengthening the branch to put him on the ground, which the boy was thankful for. As Raiga stood overhead, Ranmaru told him the leaf ninja's positions. Hinami trying to pinpoint their location, but there was an echo effect on their voices, like she was in a cave of somesort. 'Thunder Funeral! Feast of Lightning!' Raiga thought as he clicked the swords together before stabbing them into the ground, 

"Hey! Neji! They're planning another…" Hinami started as she ran over, Neji being the closest to where she'd been before the lightning hit her in the back, sending her to the ground, the same happening to Neji a moment later as he ran up to her, Lee and Naruto were also hit in the same moment knocking them back and knocking them out. Before Raiga jumped down, going to kill Lee. Talking about Ranmaru's strength as he informed the man they weren't dead, only unconsious. Lee kicking him in the side, with Ranmaru feeling the strength behind the attack. Which sent Raiga stumbling back. The boy should have been unconscious, so how..

"Ranmaru! Are you okay!" Raiga said before being forced back by Lee's constant attacks, Raiga surprised that Lee was fighting unconscious while fighting. Ranmaru trying to read his movements but finding it impossible. Naruto was the first one to wake from the lightning, looking over, he tried to walk over to help, only to fall back to the ground. He looked over, his entire body aching and his outfit singed as he tried to stand once more from the ground. Panting as he looked around at the others,

"Hey! You guys! Wake up!" He said looking over, Hinami remained unconscious, while Neji opened his eyes slowly before getting back to his feet. Noting the voice calling to Raiga, and he questioned where it'd come from. Lee twisted in his sleep, kicking a bag off of the mans back, the boy inside yelling for Raiga as he did the same for Ranmaru. Who landed not too far from Neji. 

"I knew I should've gone home… What's going on?" Hinami said from the ground, before getting to her feet. Raiga turning his rage on Lee, going to stab him while the boy, now conscious, remained on the ground, Naruto moving quickly, kicking the man away. Raiga stabbed his swords into the ground as he slid back, his brown hair flying up behind his head.

"You're dealing with me now, pal." Naruto said as he stood in front of Lee

"You little rat!" Raiga yelled over, 

"I've got a question for you! Are you one of the seven ninja swordsmen from the mist village." Naruto said as he pointed over,

"And if I was?" he asked in return

"You know Zabuza, right? And Kisame?" Naruto questioned

"I've nothing but loathing for those two." Raiga continued before running forwards, intent on taking down Raiga as he was for Naruto. Naruto using the shadowclone jutsu to get behind the enemy, holding a Kunai to his neck, Raiga hummed, impressed by the kids abilities. He went to click his swords together, the lightning traveled over his body and knocked Naruto from his back. Raiga lifted the swords over his head, sending a lightning ball towards the boy, which hit Naruto headon, sending him flying back, Naruto getting up from the ground. 

"Your a tough kid." Raiga commented, looking over, sending another lighting ball forwards

"Waterstyle! Water ring." Hinami said from the side, the water blocking the lightning from reaching Naruto, swinging it around, Hinami sent the now amplified attack back towards Raiga, the man using his swords to block the lightning, while the water soaked his clothing. 

"Well well, another one. Don't mind if I do." Raiga said sending lightning ball towards both Naruto and Hinami who was now standing on the side, Hinami moved vines to block the lightning as it hit Naruto headon, bypassing the vines placed in front of him. Before it did the same to her, causing both to yell out, falling to the ground, causing Raiga to laugh. Before gasping as Naruto stood once more, Hinami doing the same. 

"Hinami! Are you okay?" Naruto said and Hinami glanced over, 

"Just a little fried." She said in return, as she ran up, blocking the guy from hitting Naruto with another lightning ball as she put vines up in front of herself, the vines coming up from the rock, stray lightning still hit the two, sending Naruto to the ground once more as he scraped across the rock. While Neji was looking into the bag, which emitted a red dust that was blocking the Chakra network in it's entirety. While also creating chakra networks in illusions. 

"Naruto! Use the shadowclone jutsu!" Neji yelled over and Naruto looked confused, his clones hadn't worked before, 

"His eyes are over here right now, do it!" Neji said and the boy nodded while Raiga tried getting to Ranmaru, he knew he had to take down the ninja first. Naruto using the shadowclone jutsu, surrounding the guy with 100 clones, Raiga turning and hitting him with lightning ball, missing the original and only getting clones. 

"Man! If you're aim is this bad it must have just been pure luck before." Naruto said as Raiga looked around at him, 

"Laught it up while you can, kid. I'll just take all of you down." He said sending lightning ball after lightning ball towards Naruto's clones who jumped forwards to take him down. 'My chakra is almost depleted, which means…. The mist jutsu is starting to fade. Gotta finish this quickly.' Raiga thought looking towards the mist that was covering the rocky mountain where they stood. Raising his twin blades one more time, he created a lightning ball that striked most of the clones, before he stapped them in the ground, sending lightning behind himself. Following said lightning up the cliff with Naruto chasing after him. Raiga creating handsigns as he ran, using his ninja art, boulder avalanche against Naruto. Who moved his hands quickly, 

"Earthstyle. Mudwall." He said calmly as the clones placed their hands on the ground, the boulders coming towards him quickly a few clones jumping over the walls, and continuing forwards, some avoiding the rocks while most of the clones were hit away. Poofed from existence, Neji looking over in concern. Naruto's clones being taken out as Lee stood from the ground, needing to help his friend. Raiga made it to the cliffside, looking at the avalanche.

"You see that?" he questioned, 

"Yeah I saw it! I hope your ready pal!" Naruto's voice sounded from behind him, creating a rasengan using a shadowclone.

"STOPP!" Ranmaru yelled from the sleeping bag, worried for Raiga, causing the ninja to look towards the bag a moment, Naruto was already holding a fully formed Rasengan, as he reached Raiga,

"It's too late now!" Naruto said, hitting Raiga in the center of his chest with the jutsu, which sent him spiraling off the cliff. Naruto jumping back down where the group were all standing over the sleeping bag.

"Must be some pretty big eyeballs.." Naruto said, 

"I always forget your not good with figures of speech." Hinami said as she looked over towards him

"Huh?" Naruto said 

"You idiot. She's saying it's a person." Neji said unzipping the bag. A boy with purple hair reaching his shoulders, holding vermillion eyes as he looked towards the sky. 

"When I slept walk earlier, was it you that I was fighting?" Lee questioned, and Ranmaru denied it,

"It was Raiga and I together." He said in response, 

"Together?" Lee asked, 

"Always. Since he found me." Ranmaru said, telling of when Raiga and Ranmaru met, the boy unable to walk on his own, being born a sickly child. The two unable to find meaning in their lives, where Raiga decided to save him instead, rather than kill him as planned. Raiga becoming his hands and feet while Ranmaru was his eyes and ears. Talking about his bond with the man, being there with him everywhere he went. They went together, no matter the weather, fights, everything. Trying to find meaning by living for eachother. The two having found their answer. The ninja listened to his story as they stood over his sleeping bag. 

"So that's why, if Raiga's gone, I've no reason to live. I have no purpose otherwise" Ranmaru continued 'To live without a purpose is the same as being dead.' Haku had said during the bridge mission, 'To allow your enemies free when you could strike them down is not compassion, it's a betrayal of your life's purpose. What reason do you have to exist then? Your life has no meaning, and your of use to no-one. A mere existence' He'd said while fighting Naruto, the boy denying such calling the boy blind. With Haku confirming he was speaking of himself, as he was no longer a use to Zabuza.

"There's no need for me to be here any longer." Ranmaru spoke, Naruto shaking his head,

"Don't be ridiculous. Don't talk like that." he said as he looked at the kid, 'Naruto, please kill me. Put an end to my life.' Haku asked Naruto, a memory that he thought of as Ranmaru asked them to end his life.

"My arms and legs are crippled, I cannot resist you, why hesitate to kill me?" Ranmaru questioned his voice monotonous and soft. 

"It's part of your mission, right, so finish it." He continued, and Naruto looked away, 

"Our mission. Was to drive the Korosuke family out of the Katabami mine. With Raiga out of the way, he's no longer a threat." Hinami said with the other three nodding, 

"What we're tasked with now, is figuring out what to do about the Korosuke family…Take the head off a beast and it's hard to know what it'll do." Neji said in return as he stood, Hinami humming from the ground 

"But once we figure that out, our mission here will be done." Lee said from the ground, 

"But what about him?" Naruto questioned, looking towards Ranmaru, Hinami hummed, looking at the boy, they decided to tie him up, 

"You think he's dangerous enough, to tie up?" Lee questioned and Hinami shook her head, 

"The only danger he poses… is to himself." She said in return, 

"We'll come back for you when the mission is completed, okay?" Naruto said to the boy who was tied to a post, unable to move, closing the barn door and placing a chakra sealing tag on the door. 

"A tag as well?" Lee questioned, 

"We don't have a choice here, Lee. He's still our enemy." Neji commented

"This is only a precaution since we don't know the range of his abilities." Hinami said as she looked towards the ground, the four running towards the town from the barn.