Kurosaki Ichigo in Konoha

Qinglang City, a ramen shop.

"Let's eat first... Ha... Hahaha, how did you come up with such a sentence? It makes me laugh to death."

Nariko, who had just finished a bowl of ramen sitting in front of the counter, put down her bowl, turned around and glanced secretly at Kakuzu, who was sitting far away from the two of them, and then couldn't help laughing out loud and looked at Kurosaki. Ichigo teased softly.

Kurosaki Ichigo covered his face with a bowl, his face a little red. He didn't know why he said such an outrageous sentence when he was facing Kakuzu before, but now he was teased by Naliko and there was really no way to fight back. The momentum: "You have been talking about this since just now, and you are still talking about it now. When will you say it..."

"I don't want to say it, but it's so funny," Nalike reluctantly put back the smile on her face, but there was still an uncontrollable teasing tone in her voice, "I'll probably remember this for a lifetime."

"Oh, forget it... Just say whatever you want..." Kurosaki Ichigo looked at Nariko with his eyes wide open, but then his momentum dropped and he said listlessly.

"I think you two should have finished enjoying the food." Kakuzu left his chair at some point and came over, knocking on the table in front of Kurosaki Ichigo.

Kurosaki Ichigo was very grateful to Kakuzu for this kind of rescue action. He immediately put down the bowl and stood up: "Yes, it seems that you are so anxious. I guess the time for the mission is very tight. Let's leave quickly. It's better to hurry." .”

Nariko pouted. She still couldn't tell what Kurosaki Ichigo was thinking, but she didn't know if it was because she was almost killed by him when they first met. Nariko always harbored feelings for him. There was a trace of fear, so I didn’t dare to put forward different opinions.

In this way, Kakuzu took Kurosaki Ichigo and Nariko to the pier and boarded the last ferry from Qinglang City to Shirane Castle today.

The Mogami River is the river with the largest runoff, the longest length, and the largest drainage area in the Kawa Country, and even in the entire Shinobi Continent. This river originates from the Country of Rain, the Country of Earth, and the Country of Grass, which are shrouded in rain all year round. There are a large number of tributaries of this river in the Kingdom of Birds, the Kingdom of Birds and the Kingdom of Fire.Not to mention that Kawa no Kuni is a country with many rivers, and almost every river is a tributary of the Mogami River.

It is such a big river that almost divides the entire country of Sichuan into two. It rushes towards the sea in the south with a rolling momentum every day.Such a scene will make everyone who witnesses it involuntarily feel a sense of incomparable reverence and awe for nature. However, if it is coupled with a heavy downpour and fierce winds, then this reverence will be immediately replaced by fear. Replacement, especially those who are on the ship now, this fear is particularly strong in their hearts.

Before setting sail, people were shocked by the huge ship, which was more than 20 meters high. Unfortunately, those emotions have long been wiped away.Because at this time, the ferry that originally looked like a huge ferry on the river was as small as a tea leaf floating on the water. It was caught between the violent and rapid river and the dark clouds covering everyone's head. The waves were swaying like a drunken man.

The hearts of the people in the boat were jumping up and down like a boat teetering in the water. They kept praying in their hearts that the boat would not be overturned by the raging river and then be swept into the rapids and squashed.Even the sailors who had been through the storm for a long time did not dare to stay on the deck for fear that they would be swept away by the waves and feed the fish and turtles underwater.

Facing such a vast and turbulent river, not to mention Nariko who was too frightened to hide in the cabin and did not dare to come out, even Kurosaki Ichigo, who claimed to be experienced in the ninja world for a long time, could not help but turn pale and stood there. At the door of the cabin, you can watch the majestic power of nature outside through the glass on the door.But Kurosaki Ichigo's eyes immediately turned away and looked at the figure standing outside the door.

Perhaps the only two people on the entire ship, the captain who was still steering the helm leisurely in the captain's cabin and Kakuzu who was standing leisurely on the deck, could maintain a normal mind and face such a situation, Kurosaki Ichigo thought to himself. With.The captain has really seen such strong winds and waves because he has grown up on a ship all his life. What is the reason for that?

Just as Kurosaki Ichigo was thinking, Kakuzu turned around and approached Kurosaki Ichigo's cabin. He also lived here, and Nariko's cabin was next door.Speaking of which, Kakuzu originally planned to save money for three people to live in a cabin, but he almost lost his temper and twisted Nariko's nose. In the end, Kurosaki Ichigo paid for it and used the little money he had left to provide for Nariko. Rico bought a ticket for a cabin alone.

Click

Kakuzu opened the door, and the sound of howling wind, rain and rumbling thunder rushed in crazily along the crack of the open door, making Ichigo Kurosaki's ears buzz.However, with the crisp sound of Kakuzu's door closing, those suppressed and breathless sounds immediately subsided.

"The soundproofing is really good." Kurosaki Ichigo said to himself as he patted his chest, and then he looked at his roommate who had just come in.

At this time, Kakuzu looked nothing like a man who had just stood for a long time in the pouring rain and huge waves. His body was so clean that there was no trace of any water. The water stains on the ground were all from the rain that had just slipped in through the crack in the door. .

Kakuzu obviously noticed Kurosaki Ichigo's eyes and thoughts, so he shook his loose robe: "Use chakra to shake off the rain. I learned from the target of my mission when I was doing the mission in the Kingdom of Water." It's a very simple method. Speaking of which, the guy I wanted to kill that time was not simple. Although there was no blood inheritance limit or secret technique, he was able to use the water escape ninjutsu so well that even I almost couldn't. Fell into his hands..."

"The simple method..." Kurosaki Ichigo twitched the corner of his mouth. It is easy to use chakra to shake off the rain, but it needs to cover every part of the body with chakra evenly. Not only does it require extremely demanding inspection Carat control ability, and maintaining such a state also requires a large amount of chakra to be continuously output. Of course, this also made him feel a little impressed by Kakuzu who maintained this posture and stood in the heavy rain for several hours, but then Kakuzu boasted about himself. Recalling his glorious record, he immediately lost some of his good impression of Kakuzu.

I don’t know if he has found someone to talk to. After Kurosaki Ichigo knew that he had a glorious history of assassinating the first Hokage and escaping unharmed, Kakuzu changed his reticence towards others and always liked to be okay. He brags about his past combat experience to Kurosaki Ichigo, and seems to be very proud of it.

Ichigo Kurosaki had long been able to turn a deaf ear to Kakuzu's words. He turned his eyes away and looked out the window at the outside world. Compared to the fear of others, Ichigo Kurosaki felt more intoxicated and enlightened.

"It feels very grand, right? Facing such a power of nature," Kakuzu stopped praising himself at some point and said softly while looking at the wind and waves outside.

Kurosaki Ichigo nodded: "That's right. Don't you think? With such power, who in the world can resist the power of nature? The power of nature is fully demonstrated at this moment."

"Who said that such power is just superficial? Can it be called great power?" Kakuzu sneered at Kurosaki Ichigo's words. Kurosaki Ichigo turned around and found that Kakuzu was looking at The eyes outside were full of disapproval.

"You seem to despise such power."

Kakuzu's eyes showed approval: "Indeed."

"why"

"Because this kind of power is within human reach, it is not impossible to fight against."

"Human power" Kurosaki Ichigo chewed this word carefully in his heart, and for a moment he didn't understand what Kakuzu meant.

Kakuzu glanced at Kurosaki Ichigo: "You are from Konoha... No, I should say you were once a ninja from Konoha."

"how"

"Then don't you know that the first Hokage Senju Hashirama and his lifelong enemy Uchiha Madara are more than just that. Even a storm ten times bigger than this is just a small splash that can be calmed down with a backhand. That’s all. Even if the current second-generation Hokage Senju Tobirama is far different from these two, the water escape he is good at is still more powerful than this. Now do you still think this is a natural power that humans should respect and fear?"

"This..." Kurosaki Ichigo opened his mouth numbly. He remembered the battle between Uchiha Madara and the three-tailed Isobutsu that he had seen when he was young when he first came to the ninja world. It was as huge as a hill at a height of [-] meters. The Susanoo only needs one sword, and its sword wind can easily cut through the mountains in the distance, not to mention the shocking fateful showdown between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, which is simply beyond the scope of human beings, like gods. A desperate battle between them.

Thinking of this, Kurosaki Ichigo looked at the roaring wind and waves outside, and the awe and shock in his heart somehow disappeared.

"But even so," Kakuzu's voice was surprisingly melancholy, "Uchiha Madara, who suppressed the ninja world, and Senju Hashirama, the invincible one who calmed down the troubled world, passed away one after another. Even Senju Tobirama was no longer in his prime. The strength that shocks the continent."

"Time, this is the real power of nature, death, and the real magnificence worth fearing."

"Indeed..." Ichigo Kurosaki recalled Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama with a vague look in his eyes.

But then Kakuzu's voice became passionate again, as if he was showing off or swearing: "In the end, I will defeat time and death and become the one who conquers the power of nature under my feet."

Kurosaki Ichigo was shocked and looked at Kakuzu, but Kakuzu ignored him and walked to his bed, as if all his previous heroic words were an illusion.

"Conquer...time...and death" Kurosaki Ichigo muttered.

Time passed by, and after experiencing a violent storm, the ferry arrived at its destination, Shirane Castle, three days later.