Naruto: I, Shikotsumyaku, Byakugan Princess

Chapter 208 Funeral
The Land of Waves, a brand new circular plaza.

The dark clouds that filled the sky parted slightly, and strands of golden light poured down from them, landing right in the center of the square. There, what should have been a bridge-shaped memorial model had been replaced by a makeshift, simple judge's bench.

Dressed in a solemn black kimono, Raiga Kurosuki sat upright in a chair, his twin swords stuck on either side of the chair. His signature serrated teeth were faintly visible in the light, and his eyes were filled with a manic yet excited look.

The boy Ranmaru, wrapped in bandages with only his strange red eyes showing, stood beside him, scanning the terrified crowd below. The Kurozumi, dressed in uniform black clothes, stood behind the crowd, holding steel swords, forming an arc as if they were about to massacre these civilians at any moment!

"Is such a grand gesture necessary, Raiga?"

Ranmaru glanced at the seated Raiga Kurosuki, feeling slightly helpless. His companion's penchant for holding funerals was truly incomprehensible.

"Of course it's necessary. I've never held such a grand funeral before. Just thinking about it will be an unforgettable memory!" Tears welled up in his eyes, and Raiga Kurosuki's eyes widened nervously, his emotions a mixture of madness and sorrow almost spilling out of his pupils.

"Do as you please!"

Unable to stop him, and not wanting to spoil his best friend's fun, Ranmaru simply kept quiet.

Morton, who was able to stand beside Raiga thanks to his achievement in capturing Tazuna, subtly curled his lip. He had already seen through Raiga's crazy nature, but no one could stop him because the other party possessed godlike power.

Joining the enemy is the only way to have a chance to survive, and you might even learn how to become a ninja.

Boom!

Boom!

In the blink of an eye.

Another group of Black Hoeers slowly entered the center of the square, carrying rough, huge wooden coffins on their shoulders. The coffins made a dull thud when they were placed on the ground, stirring up tiny dust particles.

The people of the Land of Waves were filled with fear and uncertainty. They didn't know what the other side was going to do, and dared not ask any questions. Deathly silence once again enveloped the square, with only suppressed breathing and the endless sobbing of the distant waves.

Black Hoe Raiya grinned, a chilling smile spreading across his face, and casually waved his hand. The men in black moved in unison, violently yanking open the heavy coffin lids, sending dozens of coffin doors swung open simultaneously.

The onlookers from the Land of Waves were momentarily speechless.

Inside the coffin lay Keisha, the captain of the Self-Defense Force of the Land of Waves, bound by ropes and covered in wounds, his face smeared with black blood, but his eyes still burning with an indomitable flame.

In the coffin beside him.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid..."

Young Inari bit her lip tightly, trying to hold back her tears of fear. Her body trembled slightly. Inari's mother, Tsunami, though pale as a sheet, held her child tightly, her eyes filled with unfathomable fear and hatred.

The elderly bridge-building expert, Dazner, glared at the judge's bench, his white beard trembling with anger.

He was fooled by Morton!

After canceling the mission to Konoha, he followed Morton to find Raiga Kurosuki, but unexpectedly he was captured by the other party.

Relying on the fact that the bridge couldn't do without his maintenance, he thought he could negotiate with Raiga Kurosugi, but he didn't expect that the other party wouldn't play by the rules at all!
"You led Konoha ninjas to kill my subordinates, and you still want to negotiate with me? Lock this old man up too, and the day after tomorrow... no, today, I'm going to hold a grand funeral for him."

When Kurosuki Raiga spoke, his eyes were slightly red and his tongue kept licking the corners of his mouth. It was as if he was not going to a solemn and sad funeral, but to have a big meal at a hotel.

"You...you can't kill me, Bridge of Heroes..."

"A broken bridge? So what if it's gone! What does it matter to me whether the Land of Waves becomes rich or not?"
Even if we just destroy it... well, I've never tried holding a funeral for a country before! Good idea, we'll need to prepare coffins big enough to fit everyone in..."

Listening to Raiga Kurosuki's neurotic ramblings, the confident Tazuna was dumbfounded on the spot!
This person is mentally ill!

The other party's barren mind had no concept of things like exchanging benefits, ruling a country, or accumulating wealth.

Just as he had no concept of dealing with mental illness.

The two types of ninjas he encountered were: Zabuza, who would complete any mission he accepted no matter what, and who was taciturn but at least communicable and would not kill innocent people indiscriminately.

Then there's Team 7. Except for Gray, who can be a bit ruthless when he takes action, the others are all very sunny and kind. In his understanding of the world, the worst people are like Gato, who want to control the wealth and power of the Land of Waves.

He simply couldn't understand the mindset of a terrifying ninja like Raiga Kurosuki, who wasn't after fame or fortune but only wanted to rule by violence and hold funerals for the living.

Dazner looked at Morton in disbelief, only to find the other man with his head down, silent.

Previously, he claimed that he was doing this for the Land of Waves, but now that he hears that the other party wants to destroy this place, he chooses to bow his head and play dead!

Morton wasn't after the Land of Waves at all. He already knew Raiga Kurosuki's personality. He only joined the Kurosuki Clan to survive!

Regret, anger, and indescribable emotions brewed within him.

Believing Morton and his traitorous gang's lies and driving away the powerful ninjas from Konoha who came to help, he can't even save his own life and that of his family, and the Land of Waves is in imminent danger!
The more he thought about the foolish things he had done, the more tears of regret welled up in his eyes. He lowered his head, not daring to look at the people of the Land of Waves who were watching.

It's not just Tazna's family.

Among the dozen or so coffins were the once arrogant but now ashen-faced villainous businessman, Gato, and his cronies; members of the Self-Defense Force who dared to speak out for freedom and resist Gato's tyranny and the oppression of the Black Shovel Clan; and even a few officials from the Land of Waves...

They were roughly confined to the cramped space of the coffin.

His face was a mixture of dirt, exhaustion, fear, and anger. The once clear-cut positions were now blurred in the cold coffin, leaving only the tragic fate of being swallowed up by the powerful.

Raiga Kurosuki, dressed in an elegant black kimono, gazed at the coffin standing below, as if admiring his own masterpiece.

"Boss, it's almost time."

Morton glanced at his watch and whispered a reminder.

Raiga Kurosuki, who was engrossed in his art, was startled awake. Looking at Morton, who was like a lapdog, a look of satisfaction appeared in his eyes:
"Hmm, you're not bad."

"Hehe, thanks for the compliment, boss!" Morton lowered his head even further, as if overwhelmed by Lei Ya's praise, his face beaming with uncontrollable joy.

See this.

Ranmaru turned his head away in disgust, too lazy to look at this trash who abandoned the people.

"Pah! Traitor!"

"Rubbish!"

"His heart is blacker and more rotten than a fish that's been pickled for three years!"

The Self-Defense Force members inside the coffin continued to spit and curse. Knowing they could not escape death, they were naturally even less afraid of the Black Hoshinobu. Some civilians from the surrounding Wave Country also began to curse, and the once deadly square was now filled with fervent emotions.

Morton, bowing and scraping, completely ignored the insults directed at him.

He believed he had already allied himself with Raiga Kurosuki and would become the future ruler of the Land of Waves. The more fiercely these lowly people cursed him, the more it proved his loyalty.

Raiga Kurosuki frowned; the quiet atmosphere of the funeral had been broken!
"Quiet!"

He pulled out the Thunder Blade and pointed it at the civilians below. The crackling electricity made the enraged people dare not speak out, but the Self-Defense Force inside the coffin was not afraid at all and continued to curse.

A palpable killing intent emanated from his eyes as Kurozumi Raiga, wielding Raiga, swung it fiercely at the Self-Defense Force member who had been shouting the loudest. Boom!
A blinding bolt of lightning ripped through the sky, instantly piercing the man's body and burning his flesh to a crisp.

"Hexiao!"

A woman below suddenly screamed, tears streaming down her face, but a man behind her with hatred in his eyes covered her mouth, and she could only make muffled sounds.

The scene finally quieted down.

Ranmaru frowned as he looked at the charcoal in the coffin, feeling uncomfortable with his brutality. Morton, standing to the side, shrank back, his gaze towards Raiga Kurosuki burning with desire, clearly having long coveted the extraordinary power of a ninja.

Tazuna's face was full of pain. If it weren't for his stupidity and filial piety, he wouldn't have died at all. It was all his fault!
Kurozuki Raiga looked at the quiet crowd below with satisfaction, grinning and saying with a mouthful of sharp teeth:

"Quiet down, everyone. We'll now begin the first part of the funeral." He suddenly looked at Morton, who was staring at the black knife with drooling desire.
"You, go and kill all those people down there!"

"me?"

Morton was stunned for a moment, and when he looked at the group of Dazna, Keisha and the others who seemed to want to devour him alive, he felt a chill run down his spine.

"Don't go?"

"No, no! Boss, I'm going right now!" Morton panicked and dared not hesitate any longer. He drew his short knife and walked towards the many coffins below.

Seemingly fearing that Kurosuki Raiga would misunderstand, his first target was Self-Defense Force Captain Keisha.

"team leader……"

"You traitor!" Kesha struggled and twisted his strong body, but he couldn't break free of the ropes. He could only watch Morton approach little by little with his blade in hand.

Despair crept into his eyes.

Raiga Kurosuki's power is too great, and Zabuza, whom they relied on, has mysteriously disappeared. These ordinary people are powerless to resist him, and now that their father has also been captured, their last hope has been extinguished.

The Land of Waves is finished!
“Don’t blame me, Keisha.” Morton watched as his former captain raised his blade. The coffin’s shape wasn’t suitable for chopping, so he pointed the tip of the blade at Keisha’s chest.

"father!"

"Keisha!"

Ina screamed wildly, and Tsunami held him tightly in his arms. Tazuna, immersed in remorse, had red eyes and tried to rush out of the coffin, but the Black Hoe members next to him held his shoulders down, making it impossible for him to escape.

Keisha held immense prestige in the Land of Waves, and as he was about to be executed by the traitor Morton, the common people below could no longer contain themselves and began to riot.

But they couldn't stop Morton's actions.

The sharp blade plunged fiercely towards Keisha's heart. Some of the timid women had already closed their eyes in fear. Tazuna, who was being held down by the Black Hoe members, watched the scene before him in despair, his anger and regret overwhelming him.

Tears streamed down his face, blurring his vision, when he suddenly heard a familiar voice.

It was a piercing buzzing sound, like wild bees flying around!
Immediately afterwards, a distorted ripple suddenly swept past him, accurately hitting Morton who was committing the crime, and then without any pause, it pierced through and slashed towards Black Hoshino Raiya on the judge's bench!

"Raiga!"

The red-eyed boy's voice was as sharp as a whistle, and Raiya, who was sitting high on the judge's platform, was sent flying like a cannonball.

A thin, blood-red line appeared on Morton's狰狞 face, as if a skilled painter were drawing it down from his brow with a paintbrush, or as if the most skilled tailor were quickly cutting along the line with scissors.

Stab it!

Strands of blood oozed out along the lines, revealing smooth flesh and still-wriggling internal organs before him.

"Naruto, Sasuke, you two go deal with the Kurosuki gang, Hairi and I will go deal with Raiga!"

His usually lazy voice was now surprisingly decisive. Tazna stared blankly at the black heart that had stopped beating in Morton's chest. The ninjutsu that had once filled him with immense fear now... seemed so reassuring.

……

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

Naruto, with his sword pointed and hands clasped together, roared as he released his chakra.

In an instant, hundreds and thousands of orange figures filled the empty square, waving their fists and clashing with the Black Hoe gang.

They hadn't realized what was happening yet.

With a single buzz, the Black Hoe boss on the judge's bench was sent flying by an invisible attack, followed by an overwhelming horde of enemies.

These ordinary people had no ability to resist such a charge. In just one contact, the seemingly fierce Black Hoshinobi were beaten to a pulp by the sudden attack of Naruto.

Some of the Black Sumik members who had fought Team 7 on the bridge recognized Naruto and tried to threaten him by grabbing a child. However, before they could even speak, Sasuke, who was hiding in the crowd, locked onto them with his Sharingan and stabbed them through the heart from behind.

Screams echoed throughout the land, yet not a single citizen of the Land of Waves was harmed.

"A-are you?"

The people of the Land of Waves were equally dazzled and bewildered by the identical boys before them.

"We are Konoha ninjas invited by Uncle Tazuna!" Naruto knocked a member of the Kurosuki clan to the ground, and seeing that he was still struggling and brandishing his sword, he kicked the man's calf and shattered it.

"Ahhh!"

The man clutched his bent calf and roared, unable to speak.

He hadn't intended to use harsh methods against ordinary people, but Morton's existence taught him a harsh lesson.

Bad guys are just bad guys, regardless of strength. The correct way to fight is to completely incapacitate them, to the point that they can't even speak.

"So they're Konoha ninjas!"

"Great! The Konoha ninja have come to our rescue!"

Upon hearing Tazuna's and Konoha's names, those who knew that the other party had gone to the Land of Fire to seek reinforcements immediately understood and shouted to explain to the other uninformed people.

"thank you!"

The sobbing woman held the kidnapped child in her arms, bowed to Sasuke to thank him, and Sasuke waved his hand dismissively, looking somewhat embarrassed. Then, as if fleeing, he charged towards the still-resisting Black Hoogers!
the other side.

Ranmaru, his eyes bloodshot, lay on Raiga Kurosuki's back. Raiga had his twin swords crossed in front of his chest, his arms, chest, and abdomen covered in tiny bloodstains—wounds inflicted by the dissipated wind chakra after he had shattered the wind blade.

With no time to deal with these minor injuries, Raiga and Ranmaru stared intently at the two figures slowly approaching them.

The two men had silver-white hair and covered their eyes and faces. The fear of having a knife to their throats intensified as they approached!

(End of this chapter)