Naruto looked at Hinata's gentle yet determined expression, and a strange feeling stirred within his heart at that very moment.
Suddenly, Hinata's expression changed.
"Naruto-kun, Sasuke… I think I found something."
"Really? Where?!" Naruto asked immediately.
Hinata raised her hand and pointed toward a shabby, nearly hidden straw hut standing alone in the distance.
"There."
At that instant, the girl inside the hut suddenly lifted her head and stared directly at Hinata with wide eyes filled with shock.
Then, without hesitation, she turned and ran.
"Quick, after her!" Hinata shouted.
Naruto and Sasuke instantly burst forward at full speed.
Whether consciously or not, the two were always competing with one another, and this time was no different.
Naruto gritted his teeth and accelerated with all his strength.
Sasuke refused to fall behind and matched his speed perfectly.
Although Karin possessed powerful sensory abilities and exceptional medical ninjutsu, her physical strength was far inferior to Naruto and Sasuke's. She had no chance of escaping them.
Within moments, the two boys appeared beside her simultaneously, one on each side, completely cutting off her path.
Karin's face immediately turned pale.
Her eyes darted nervously between Naruto and Sasuke before suddenly widening in disbelief.
"T-that…"
"The one who saved me during the Chunin Exams…"
"Uchiha Sasuke!"
Sasuke looked at her carefully and frowned slightly.
"So it really was you."
Naruto let out a relieved sigh.
"Alright! Target confirmed. Mission accomplished!"
The moment he said that, Karin's entire body trembled.
"Why… why are you helping the Grass Ninja Village capture me?!"
Naruto blinked in confusion.
"Why?"
"This is a mission requested by the Grass Ninja Village. Team 7 is only carrying out our assignment."
Karin laughed bitterly.
"A mission? Does that automatically make it right?!"
By then, Hinata had arrived as well. The three of them surrounded Karin from different directions, making escape impossible.
Tears suddenly streamed down Karin's cheeks.
"You have no idea what kind of life I've lived in the Grass Ninja Village…"
Without warning, she raised her sleeves and exposed both of her arms.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata were instantly horrified.
"What… what happened to your arms?!"
Her once pale and delicate skin was now covered in countless bite marks. Some scars were old and dark, while others looked fresh and raw. The horrifying sight was enough to make anyone shudder.
Karin lowered her head as her voice trembled.
"I possess the ability to restore chakra and heal wounds if people bite me…"
"So those bastards from the Grass Ninja Village treated me like nothing more than a healing tool. They bit me over and over again until my entire body became covered in wounds."
"I've been living a life worse than death."
"My mother suffered the same fate. In the end, she was tortured until she died."
"If I hadn't escaped, I would've ended up exactly like her."
Her voice broke completely.
"At first, I thought I could rely on my sensory abilities to avoid capture. But I never imagined that Konoha would cooperate with them and help drag me back into that hell…"
"If that's the case…"
"I'd rather die here!"
Suddenly, Karin pulled out a kunai and aimed it directly at her chest.
"Stop!"
Naruto shouted in alarm.
But Sasuke moved even faster.
A shuriken flashed through the air and struck the kunai out of Karin's hand with a sharp clang before it could pierce her heart.
The weapon spun across the ground.
Karin stared at Sasuke with tear-filled eyes.
There was sadness in them… but also relief.
"Uchiha Sasuke…"
"Ever since you saved me during the Chunin Exams, I've wanted to see you again."
"You've been in my thoughts ever since that day."
"I never expected to meet you like this."
"But maybe this is fine…"
"At least before dying, I got to see the person I admired most."
Her words were practically a confession.
Hinata's heart skipped a beat upon hearing them.
Meanwhile, Naruto clenched his fists tightly as he stared at Karin's scarred arms. His entire body trembled with anger.
"Those bastards…"
"I can't believe the Grass Ninja Village would do something this cruel!"
"What do they think human life is?!"
"You're still just a child!"
Karin gave a hollow laugh.
"My mother and I weren't originally from the Grass Ninja Village."
"We were refugees after our clan was destroyed. We just happened to end up there."
"There's nowhere left for us to go anymore."
Sasuke's expression changed instantly when he heard the words "clan destroyed."
"You mean… clan extermination?"
Karin nodded weakly.
"But none of that matters anymore. I'm going to die anyway."
"My mother and I belonged to the Uzumaki Clan. Because of our clan's strong life force, we awakened this special healing ability."
"But the Uzumaki Clan was destroyed long ago…"
"Now we're nothing more than wandering survivors."
Naruto's eyes widened in shock.
"The Uzumaki Clan?!"
"I'm from the Uzumaki Clan too!"
Karin froze.
Then she slowly raised her head and stared at Naruto in disbelief.
"You…"
Almost immediately, she activated her Mind's Eye of the Kagura and sensed Naruto's chakra.
The moment she did, her expression changed dramatically.
"T-this chakra…"
"It's unbelievably powerful!"
"It feels almost like a Tailed Beast's chakra…"
"But at the same time, it's completely different."
"There's no hatred or malice in it."
"It feels warm… bright… comforting…"
"T-this really is the chakra of an Uzumaki…"
Tears poured from her eyes once more, but this time they carried a different emotion.
"On what I thought would be the last day of my life…"
"I got to meet the person I admired…"
"And another surviving member of the Uzumaki Clan…"
"Maybe… that alone makes everything worth it."
Naruto suddenly shouted angrily.
"What kind of last day is that supposed to be?!"
"I'm not letting you die!"
"Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered softly.
Naruto gritted his teeth fiercely.
"Forget the mission!"
"There's no way we can help those monsters drag you back!"
He turned toward his teammates.
"Hinata! Sasuke! What do you think?!"
Hinata nodded without hesitation.
"I agree."
Sasuke crossed his arms and snorted softly.
"Do I even need to answer?"
Besides the connection he already had with Karin, her story of clan destruction had deeply resonated with him. He understood that pain better than anyone.
Naruto clenched his fists tightly.
"Good!"
"I don't care about the mission anymore!"
"We're helping you escape!"
Karin looked at the three of them in complete disbelief.
"You… you're serious?"
"Aren't you going to be punished for this?"
Naruto snorted loudly.
"Who cares?!"
"We decide for ourselves what's right and wrong!"
Hinata smiled gently but firmly and nodded.
Even Sasuke allowed a faint smile to appear on his face.
Karin looked at the three of them silently, unable to find the words to speak.
"Who… who exactly are you people…?"
At that moment—
Several shadows suddenly descended from above.
In an instant, seven or eight figures surrounded the group from every direction.
They were ANBU from the Grass Ninja Village.
One of them stepped forward and spoke coldly.
"Brats from Konoha Village, your mission is complete."
"Thank you for your assistance."
"Now leave the rest to us."
"Hand over that woman."
Naruto immediately stepped forward and blocked Karin protectively.
"Not happening!"
The expressions of Nanaki and Mushi, who had warmly welcomed Team 7 the previous night, completely changed.
"So you intend to sabotage the mission?"
"Even Konoha cannot act recklessly without consequences!"
Naruto glared at them furiously.
"You killed Karin's mother!"
"You treated Karin like a tool for healing injuries!"
"You let countless people bite her until her entire body was covered in scars!"
"She's still just a kid!"
Nanaki sneered coldly.
"Uzumaki Naruto, spare us the childish nonsense."
"In the ninja world, what difference does age make?"
"When war begins, do enemies spare children?"
"Ninjas are merely tools of war."
"She is."
"So are we."
Naruto's anger exploded instantly.
"If that's how you see things…"
"Then let's settle this with force!"
Mushi's face darkened.
"Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're Konoha ninja."
"Yes, you helped us."
"But if you intend to betray the mission and interfere with Grass Village affairs…"
"Then even if you're just children, we won't show mercy."
Naruto laughed coldly.
"Oh, I can already tell how little mercy you people have."
"In that case…"
"Let's fight!"
Nanaki burst into laughter.
"Uzumaki Naruto, do you really believe a few little brats can stand against the ANBU of the Grass Ninja Village?"
"How arrogant!"
Sasuke stepped forward with a cold expression.
"No."
"I think the arrogant ones are you."
Hinata quickly spoke up before the battle could begin.
"Naruto-kun, Sasuke, I understand how you both feel, and I agree that we must protect Karin."
"But we should avoid killing them if possible."
"Otherwise, it could damage the relationship between Konoha and the Grass Ninja Village."
Naruto nodded seriously.
"I know, Hinata."
"We just need to defeat them."
"Right."
Naruto grinned confidently.
"Then let's do this!"
Immediately afterward, Hinata moved protectively to Karin's side while Naruto and Sasuke stepped forward together to face the enemy.
The battle was about to begin.
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