"My lord, please, come in quickly."
"My place is rather simple. If there's anything lacking in my hospitality, I hope you won't take offense."
Although she was grieving deeply after hearing of her son's death, judging from Ranmaru's attitude, she could already tell that the person before her was no ordinary figure.
Suppressing her sorrow, she opened the door and invited Yuzuru and Ranmaru inside.
Though it was called a shop, it was more like an ordinary residence.
Inside, there was only a long rectangular wooden table that could seat around ten people, with three double benches placed on either side.
Other than that, there was nothing else.
The so-called Curry of Life shop didn't even have a menu.
Yet despite its simplicity, the room was spotless.
Granny Sanshō adjusted her glasses and smiled. "Lord Yuzuru, are you hungry?"
"If you'd like something to eat, I can make you a serving of curry."
Ranmaru quickly added, "Lord Yuzuru, Granny Sanshō's Curry of Life is really delicious. Everyone loves it."
Yuzuru had originally wanted to personally taste the Curry of Life that Rock Lee adored in the original story, so he nodded without hesitation.
And he deliberately instructed, "Make it extra spicy."
"Huh?"
"Extra spicy?"
Granny Sanshō froze for a moment, uncertain. "Lord Yuzuru, can you handle spicy food?"
"Of course." Yuzuru nodded confidently. "I can't live without spice."
In truth, he didn't eat spicy food that often. But since he wanted to taste the authentic Curry of Life, if it wasn't spicy enough, wouldn't this trip be pointless?
Hearing his answer, Granny Sanshō secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Her specialty was precisely the spicy version of the Curry of Life. If Yuzuru couldn't handle spice, that would have been troublesome.
"That's wonderful. I'll prepare it right away."
After saying that, she turned and headed toward the kitchen in the back.
Before long, two steaming plates of curry were served.
"Hiss…"
Just from the smell alone, Yuzuru felt he might have been a little reckless.
But he was not someone who would back down easily. Seeing both Granny Sanshō and Ranmaru watching him, he picked up his spoon and took a big bite.
"The flavor is good, but the spice level is only average."
After carefully savoring the taste, he laughed.
Then he began eating in large mouthfuls.
But the more he ate, the more something felt off.
This thing… why was it getting spicier the more he ate?
Noticing the change in his expression, Granny Sanshō took the initiative to ask, "Lord Yuzuru, is it too spicy?"
"Shall I get you some water?"
Yuzuru wiped the fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead and shook his head.
"Hiss… ha…"
"N-Not spicy."
"Um… do you have milk?"
Granny Sanshō shook her head. "No, but I have chilled sour soup."
It was still early spring, so she had some ice stored away.
After placing ice cubes into the prepared sour soup, she hurriedly brought it to him.
Yuzuru drained it in just a few gulps.
He felt as if his body were on fire, heat surging through him.
"Lord Yuzuru, are you alright?"
Seeing Ranmaru's concerned gaze, Yuzuru forced a relaxed smile. "I-I'm fine. The curry tastes great. It's quite distinctive. If you open a shop in Konoha, it'll definitely be popular."
"I'll send someone later to escort you both to settle in Konoha. Pack your luggage in advance."
"There are still some matters on the battlefield I need to handle. I'll be leaving first."
After speaking, Yuzuru activated Kamui and vanished on the spot.
Seeing this, both Ranmaru and Granny Sanshō couldn't help but stifle their laughter.
Granny Sanshō gently patted Ranmaru's head and said softly, "Ranmaru, forget everything here. From now on, we'll start a new life together."
Ranmaru nodded firmly. "Mm!"
————
————
Inside the Kamui space, Yuzuru took quite a while before the burning sensation in his mouth gradually faded.
"Good thing I ran fast. Otherwise, I would've embarrassed myself."
"But things turned out well enough. The Red Eyes bloodline has been preserved. That's another ability added to the collection."
Muttering to himself, he reappeared directly at the border's main headquarters.
At that moment, Nara Shikaku, Fugaku, Mabuma, and the others were in the middle of a meeting. When they saw him, they immediately stopped.
Yuzuru took the main seat and spoke calmly, "Report the recent battle situation."
Fugaku promptly replied, "Lord Yuzuru, the Land of Rivers has already been occupied."
"The Land of That and the Land of This have also been conquered."
"The Land of Woods, due to its blood feud with Shimura Danzō, surrendered before we even attacked. They said they were grateful that we avenged them."
"Next, once we take the Land of Valleys and the Land of Mountains, there will no longer be any small nations standing between us and the Land of Wind."
After hearing the report, Yuzuru studied the map in thought.
The Land of Valleys… the Land of Mountains…
Those two names sounded somewhat familiar.
His gaze inadvertently swept across the border between the Land of Valleys and the Land of Fire. A mountain range labeled Mount Katsuragi was marked there.
He pointed at it. "If I remember correctly, the Tsuchigumo clan settled here, didn't they?"
"There's no one there anymore," Fugaku replied, then immediately explained, "The Tsuchigumo clan possessed a secret technique called 'Rage of Heaven,' capable of causing extremely terrifying explosions."
"In the first two Ninja World Wars, the Tsuchigumo clan aided Konoha greatly and reached an agreement with Konoha—"
"In times of danger, the Hidden Leaf Village would step forward to protect the members of Mount Katsuragi."
"But during the period when Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō held power, there was no intention of honoring that agreement."
"As a result, the Tsuchigumo clan faced both internal and external strife. Their already small numbers gradually dwindled."
"By now, there are no Tsuchigumo clan members left residing in Mount Katsuragi."
After hearing the explanation, Yuzuru frowned slightly.
According to his memory, 'Rage of Heaven' could accumulate natural energy to unleash a destructive ninjutsu, with a range that supposedly reached hundreds of kilometers.
Though he knew such claims were likely exaggerated, he remained deeply interested.
After all, in the current ninja world, methods of cultivating natural energy were exceedingly rare.
If he could obtain 'Rage of Heaven,' perhaps it might provide some inspiration.
With that in mind, he ordered, "Fugaku, send people to search for them. The Tsuchigumo clan once helped Konoha greatly. We cannot allow them to wander the ninja world in hardship. You must bring the Tsuchigumo clan's successor back to Konoha!"
Fugaku immediately responded in a solemn voice, "Yes!"