They followed Sasuke to the sign, which he passed without even looking at it. Naru stopped momentarily to observe the path he'd chosen. "He's following the other stray sign," she said and looked at his walking figure. "Towards Noroi's Mountain."
"Naturally," Kurama said. "I'd be surprised if the thief would be hidin' in the village."
Naru ignored his sarcastic tone and resumed walking. "I wonder what he's got against pirates," she said after a few moments. "He seemed pretty shaken when I told him we were pirates."
"Maybe it ain't somethin' he's got against pirates. I think he's interested in 'em."
"You think so? A boy from a long family of samurais, archers and whatnot?"
"Just sayin'. He seemed ta feel we weren't living up ta his expectations of pirates. Until, a'course, ya got all worked up and stared him down," Kurama snickered.
"Hmm..." Naru constantly kept her eyes on Sasuke's back as they drew closer and closer to Noroi's Mountain. He seemed to know exactly where to go, not once even turning his head to the sides.
After a good ten minutes of silent walking, they arrived at the base of the mountain. There were no visible trails leading on from here, but Naru could make out a few walkable paths. Sasuke, however, had stopped walking and was busy looking around.
"You're not gonna go?" Naru asked as they walked closer to him.
"You're still following me?" Sasuke sighed, although most of the previous hostility had vanished from his tone. He seemed more impatient than angry.
"Until our debt is payed off, yeah."
Sasuke only shook his head and kept observing his surroundings. Feeling a hint of impatience crawling through her body, Naru crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back on her heels. "Let me guess," she said. "You've got no sense of direction and don't know how to get up there?"
"What?!" Sasuke turned to face her with a defiant expression. "I'll have you know my sense of direction is superior to anyone on this island," he huffed and pointed at himself. "I've sailed to East Blue on my own in a tiny sailboat when I was thirteen, and I made it back without a single scratch!"
Naru arched an eyebrow in surprise, and a grin appeared on her lips. "Really, now," she said slowly. "That's quite impressive." She observed him silently for a few more seconds before raising her voice again. "But then why aren't you going up there?" she asked and nodded towards the mountain.
A slightly embarrassed look flashed over Sasuke's face before he turned his back to them again. "I... that's..."
"Ah, I see."
Naru flinched as Kurama had spoken right into her ear. He was standing right behind her, and she internally both cursed and congratulated him for being able to mask his presence so well.
"That ol' lady from the village said he uses a bow, right?" he said, the spiteful undertone in his voice clear as daylight. "Since his bow's stolen, he ain't got the power ta fight whoever might be hidin' in the mountains. Correct?"
Sasuke didn't answer, but Naru could see him clench his fists. "Oh, that's what it is," she said. She rocked back and forth on her feet a few times before grinning widely. "Alright." She nodded at Kurama before stepping forward, casually walking towards Sasuke.
"Wha—what are you doing?" he asked.
"Nothing, really," Naru hummed as she passed him. "Just got the sudden impulse to climb this mountain, that's all."
As if frozen, Sasuke stood completely still until Kurama strolled past him and offered him a cold smile. "Wait a second." Sasuke raised his voice and took a few steps closer to Naru. "I already said I don't want your help!"
"And I already said I just feel like climbing this mountain," Naru replied with a wide grin. "If there happen to be any... hostile forces, I'll just take them down."
"But—"
"Would ya can it, duckass?" Kurama piped up. "We're doin' ya a favor, ya don't even have ta thank us, so just stop resistin' already."
"Don't you look down on me, you son of a—"
"No one's looking down on anyone!" Naru said loudly and stepped in between Kurama and Sasuke. "Okay, he might be," she added and flickered her head in Kurama's direction. "But he's an ass, so just ignore what he says, okay?"
"That makes me so sad, cap'n."
"Yeah, I can hear you're all heartbroken," Naru frowned and turned to face her first mate. "Stop messing with him, would you? Go ahead and find us a suitable path or something, as long as you make yourself useful."
"Roger that."
"Good." Naru turned back to Sasuke and reached out her hand. "I know you don't want us to help you, and that's completely understandable," she said with a shrug. "But why don't you use us instead?"
"Use you?"
"Yeah, you know, use us to get what you want. Like chess pawns. The king plays the other pawns to defend himself. Not that I'm not declaring you king," Naru added with a crooked smile.
Sasuke hesitated only for a moment before taking her hand and shaking it. "Fine," he said. "But I'm not gonna thank you."
"Like I said, ya don't—"
"I wasn't talking to you, fox face!"
Kurama tilted his head back and laughed. "Touchy, touchy," he snickered and stalked off towards the rocky hill.
"So." Naru released Sasuke's hand and gestured him to follow Kurama. "What can you tell me about the... uh, scenery in this mountain?" she asked in a less than successful attempt to be subtle.
"Alright, you can skip that," Sasuke said. "Now that I'm using you, I might as well tell you what's up." He sped up a little and pointed at the top of the mountain. "You probably figured it out already, but this mountain belongs to Noroi. At first, this place was called Naka Mountain. It was a sacred place for the Uchiwa and Kiryuin clan. But a few weeks ago, this Noroi person showed up and claimed the mountain for herself."
"So Noroi really is a person?" Naru asked sceptically. "Noroi, as in curse?"
Sasuke nodded. "I don't know if that's her real name, but that's what we call her around here."
"Why?"
"Well..." Sasuke scratched his neck, the embarrassed look reappearing on his face. "She's... or that's what they all say... she's a warlock."