Sasuke wasn't sure what to think when his weird, creepy, and ridiculously strong teammate came back to their makeshift camp with a vibrant redhead girl trailing behind him. She moved with the nervous energy of an excited puppy, all wide eyes and restless limbs. Naruto, in stark contrast, landed in the middle of their camp with the light, silent grace of a ghost, his presence a sudden, unannounced arrival. The girl, however, landed with a noticeable stumble, panting slightly, her round glasses askew on her nose.
Sakura, who had been trying to rest with her back against a tree, immediately sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Who—?" she began, her voice a mix of confusion and alarm.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, a silent demand for an explanation. "Naruto. Explain."
Naruto plopped down by the fire, his movements as fluid and unburdened as ever. He grabbed a ration bar from his pouch and bit into it with a loud crunch, his answer muffled by the food. "This is Karin. She's an Uzumaki. She's with us now. Dattebane."
Sakura blinked, her brain struggling to process the information. "Excuse me?" she asked, her voice incredulous.
Karin, who was still trying to catch her breath, shot Naruto a look that was a perfect mixture of disbelief and offense. "That's how you introduce me?!" she huffed, her voice full of indignation.
Naruto tilted his head, chewing thoughtfully. "Should I have said more?"
"Yes!" Karin huffed, dramatically placing a hand on her chest. "Like, 'Hello, my name is Karin, I am an incredibly talented and skilled kunoichi from Kusagakure who happens to be the last known female Uzumaki in existence!' And that I am now generously offering my superior abilities to you peasants!"
Sasuke let out a long, slow breath through his nose, a sound of profound exasperation. "Great. Another loud one."
Sakura stood up, planting her hands on her hips, her posture radiating a defensive fury. "Hold on—just because she's an Uzumaki doesn't mean she can just join our team! We're a squad of three, not a revolving door for people with red hair!"
"Why not?" Naruto asked, blinking at her with a baffling sincerity. "She doesn't have a team anymore. And we're still down a person, aren't we?"
Karin crossed her arms, her expression hardening into one of disinterest. "They're dead. Rip. Too bad. Oh well."
Sakura flinched, her outrage momentarily replaced by shock. "Oh well?"
"They sucked anyway," Karin said bluntly, her tone flat and emotionless. Then she waved a hand in the air, a dismissive gesture. "They only ever tried to use me. Besides, Naruto literally just saved my life, so I owe him."
Naruto frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. "You don't owe me anything. I just helped because you were in trouble."
Karin squinted at him, a flicker of something resembling fondness in her eyes. "You do realize that's how making friends works, right? Someone helps you, and then you stick around because you appreciate it? It's a transaction. A bond."
Naruto hummed, his mind connecting the dots in a way that only he could. "So… like a pack?"
Karin grinned, a sharp, knowing smile. "Exactly."
Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice a low, pained groan. "I hate everything about this conversation. The ridiculousness. The weirdness. The absolute lack of logic."
Naruto ignored him, his focus entirely on Karin.
Sakura groaned, her exasperation reaching new heights. "Okay, fine. Let's pretend we accept this for now. But how do we know she's not gonna betray us? For all we know, she could be another one of those weird snakes from before."
Karin gasped, clutching her chest with a melodramatic flair. "Betray my own blood? How dare you! I am an Uzumaki, for goodness sake! We're known for our loyalty!"
Sakura deadpanned, her eyes completely devoid of emotion. "You just said you didn't care about your dead teammates like, five seconds ago."
Karin's theatrical performance faltered. She paused, her mind scrambling for a defense. "…That's fair. But still!" She turned to Naruto, pointing a finger at him. "You trust me, right?"
Naruto tilted his head, his face a mask of serene honesty. "I don't trust anyone."
The silence that followed was thick and awkward. Karin's eye twitched. "…Okay, ow. That hurt a little."
Naruto blinked, genuinely confused by her reaction. "But I don't distrust you either. So it's fine."
Karin considered his words for a moment, then a slow, thoughtful smile spread across her face. "I'll take it. That's a good enough start for me."
Sasuke crossed his arms, glaring into the fire. "This is stupid. Everything about this is stupid."
Karin smirked at him, a predatory glint in her eyes. "Aww, what's wrong? You mad that I might steal your spot as Naruto's favorite?"
Sasuke scoffed, a single, derisive sound. "Naruto doesn't have favorites. He's too dense for that kind of emotional complexity."
"Wrong," Naruto said instantly, his voice firm and unwavering.
Everyone turned to him, their expressions a mix of surprise and confusion.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, a flicker of unease entering his gaze. "…Who?"
Naruto swallowed the last bite of his ration bar, a small, knowing smile on his face. He stared Sasuke dead in the face, his sapphire eyes holding a challenge. "Ramen."
Sasuke sighed, a sound that carried the weight of a thousand battles and the frustration of a hundred team meetings.
Karin burst out laughing, a genuine, uninhibited sound that broke the tension.
Sakura groaned, her head falling back against the tree in utter defeat.
Naruto, satisfied that the conversation was over and his point had been made, stretched with a long, contented yawn. "Anyway, she's staying with us now. Dattebane."
Karin grinned, her smile wide and triumphant. "Hell yeah, I am."
Sasuke muttered something under his breath about idiots attracting idiots, a familiar refrain that by now was more a tired acceptance than a true argument. He didn't argue further, though, his posture now one of reluctant resignation.
Sakura just shook her head, a sigh of weary acceptance escaping her lips. "Fine. But if you screw us over, I will personally make sure you regret it."
Karin smirked, a flash of arrogance returning to her face. "Aw, you do care."
Sakura simply rolled her eyes, her mind already moving on to the more pressing matter of getting some much-needed sleep.
Naruto, his mission of finding a new pack member complete, curled up against a tree and closed his eyes, his breathing evening out into a slow, steady rhythm. Karin sat down next to him, her body a restless contrast to his serene stillness. Sasuke stared into the fire, his expression unreadable, but his shoulders had relaxed, the tension bleeding out of his body. Sakura sighed and leaned back against the tree, her eyes fluttering closed.
And just like that, without fanfare or ceremony, their pack got a little bigger.