In the dense forest leading to the central tower, Naruto walked ahead, while the red-haired girl he protected behind him seemed preoccupied.
Finally, unable to hold back any longer, Karin mustered her courage, looked up at the figure in front of her, and asked with a hint of uncertainty in her voice, "Um, why?"
Naruto paused slightly and turned around: "Why what?"
"Why are you willing to protect me?" Karin's voice was soft. Through her glasses, she could see Naruto's side profile and those azure blue eyes, "Aren't we supposed to be competitors? Besides, I'm a Kunoichi from Kusagakure."
In her understanding, strangers among Shinobi only ever used or betrayed one another. Unconditional protection like this was a luxury she had never experienced.
Naruto didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned around with his usual somewhat goofy smile and asked in return, "What's your name?"
"Huh?" Karin was taken aback, not expecting this question, but she answered honestly nonetheless, "Karin. Uzumaki Karin."
"I knew it!" Hearing this surname, Naruto grinned, his smile even brighter than before, "My surname is Uzumaki too! I'm Uzumaki Naruto!"
He pointed at himself, then at Karin, his tone full of matter-of-fact closeness.
"We must be from the same clan! I knew it… when I met you earlier, I felt something pulling me toward you. It all makes sense now!"
"S-same clan?" Karin's eyes filled with disbelief. The word felt too distant for her.
She subconsciously pointed at Naruto's striking blond hair and stammered, "B-but... your hair..."
"What about my hair?" Naruto rubbed his spiky blond hair in confusion, completely missing her point.
Karin's voice softened, "Our Uzumaki clan usually has red hair, but yours is blond."
"I don't know why it's like this either," Naruto scratched his head, equally puzzled, "But this connection through bloodline can't be fake!"
She wanted to ask more, but Naruto's smile unexpectedly faded.
His gaze fell on Karin's arm, and his tone suddenly turned serious.
"What happened to your arm?"
Naruto had noticed. From the very beginning, she had been subconsciously hiding her arm behind her back. And by chance, he had caught a glimpse of some shocking bite marks, clearly not something she could have inflicted on herself.
Karin's body stiffened abruptly, and she instinctively hid her arm even further.
"It's nothing..." She avoided Naruto's gaze.
"Naruto, you grew up in Konoha, right?" Karin's voice carried a hint of bitterness, "It's different for me in Kusagakure."
She paused, looking into Naruto's clear eyes, and finally chose to confide in him.
"After the fall of Uzushiogakure, our Uzumaki Clan lost our homeland..."
She slowly recounted her experiences.
How her mother and she had lived under someone else's roof in Kusagakure, and the Uzumaki Clan's unique constitution, which are both a 'blessing' and a 'curse'.
"Just by biting our skin, one can quickly recover Chakra and heal injuries..."
Medical-nin were a rare strategic resource.
And they had become endlessly abused 'mobile blood bags'.
Karin's voice grew softer, and her emotions sank deeper.
When she spoke of how her mother had been bitten to death by so-called 'companions' during a mission, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Naruto listened quietly, the smile long gone from his face.
He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deeply into his palms, a raging fire burning in his heart.
When Karin finished her story, he took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil within.
"Is that how that village treated you?"
Karin didn't turn around, only burying her head deeper, her thin shoulders trembling slightly.
Naruto looked at her vibrant red hair, and something soft in his heart twisted painfully.
He stepped forward, standing in front of her, and said word by word, "I'll find a way to save you from that village."
Karin jerked her head up, staring at the boy before her.
"At worst..." Naruto scratched his cheek, seeming a little embarrassed, "At worst, I'll go ask Sasuke for help!"
"Sasuke?" Karin repeated the unfamiliar name.
At the mention of Sasuke, Naruto's eyes instantly lit up. He grinned, his face full of admiration.
"He's a really cool, super strong Shinobi! You'll definitely like him!"
However, Karin only shook her head, not convinced.
In her eyes, this blond boy before her was her sun at this moment.
Those azure blue eyes were clearer than any sky she had ever seen.
The brief exchange with Karin left Naruto in high spirits.
She was willing to accept him.
And just like him, she was eagerly longing for a family.
It was truly wonderful!
Naruto grinned, laughing silently, 'I have family now too!'
For the rest of the journey, Naruto was more talkative than ever, chattering incessantly to Karin about all sorts of things in Konoha.
From the deliciousness of Ichiraku Ramen to Sasuke's perpetually grumpy face, and even Kakashi's strange little book that he never went anywhere without.
Karin mostly listened quietly, occasionally responding with an 'mm', but her eyes, hidden behind her glasses, never left the figure walking ahead of her.
Finally, after passing through the last stretch of dense forest, a magnificent tower appeared at the edge of their vision.
"We're here, that's the central tower!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly, pointing ahead.
Karin looked at the towering structure, then at Naruto beside her. Her steps faltered slightly, and a trace of unease flickered in her eyes.
"I should leave you here." She said softly, "I don't have a scroll. I can't enter."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Naruto didn't hesitate, grabbing her wrist with a warm grip, "If we're family, of course we're going in together! Leave the scroll to me!"
He pulled the still-dazed Karin along, rushing straight to the massive doors of the tower.
"Hey, everyone inside! We've got the Heaven and Earth scrolls! Open up!"
The heavy stone doors rumbled and began to rise slowly.
Blinding sunlight streamed in from outside the dense forest, casting long shadows behind the two figures.
Naruto turned his head and grinned at Karin, then tugged her hand, leading her across the threshold together.
A golden figure and a red figure stood side by side.
Sunlight poured down upon them, bathing the golden spikes and the long red hair in a warm, glowing halo.
Inside the tower's main hall, Hiruzen, who had been waiting for some time, watched this scene unfold...
His smoking pipe trembled slightly in his hand, and his gaze grew distant.
'That dazzling blond hair... that striking red hair...'
His thoughts seemed to pierce through time, returning to many years ago.
Two familiar figures seemed to overlap, in this moment, with the two young children before him.
"Minato... Kushina..." Hiruzen murmured subconsciously, his eyes growing slightly moist.
The other Konoha's Genin who had already arrived in the hall looked on in surprise as Naruto entered, holding the hand of an unfamiliar girl.
"Congratulations, Naruto, on passing the second exam." Kakashi was the first to snap out of it, stepping forward with a gratified smile.
He glanced at Karin, and though he didn't recognize her, he asked kindly, "And this is...?"
"She's my family!" Naruto announced proudly, thumping his chest.
This response left everyone present stunned.
Hiruzen also recovered from his brief reverie. He took a deep draw from his pipe, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions.
He looked at Naruto, then at the clearly uncomfortable red-haired girl, and spoke slowly, his voice much gentler.
"Alright, Naruto, let her go rest for now. Come here, I have something to discuss with you."
In the time that followed, Hiruzen announced the official conclusion of the second exam.
He informed all the successful candidates that the final matches, which would determine promotion to chunin, would be held one month later.
This news caused a considerable stir and wave of anticipation among the crowd.
Naruto clenched his fists, 'The final exam...'
He instinctively searched the crowd for a familiar figure but didn't find him.
'That's right, Sasuke hadn't participated.'
At this thought, the fire in Naruto's eyes burned even brighter.
'I have to win!'
'I had to show Sasuke, Grandpa Hokage, and the entire village just how powerful Uzumaki Naruto could be!'
'I had to become someone my family could be proud of!'
Thinking this, he looked back at the red-haired girl being led away to rest by a Medical-nin, and a brilliant smile once again spread across his face.
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