Chapter 136: Not Good, I'm Being Clung To
Late at night, a red-haired girl was sprinting through the streets of Konoha.
Looking closely, the girl's clothes were covered in bloodstains, and she held a Kunai in her hand.
After killing the leader of the Hidden Grass Village, "Karin"—Haruko's Shadow Clone—hesitated slightly and did not kill any more Hidden Grass Village Ninjas.
For one, except for that leader, the other Hidden Grass Village were staying at least two to a room, making the risk of acting too high for "Karin."
Secondly, the ones who had directly come looking for trouble had already been dealt with, and he had already found trouble with the high-level officials who gave the orders by abducting Karin.
His anger had mostly dissipated, and Haruko had no real grudge against the other low-level Ninjas, so he let it go.
"Hmm... it should be about time to leave the village."
Sprinting all the way had attracted the attention of many people; there were enough witnesses now.
The Shadow Clone ran all the way out of Konoha, scaled the city walls, and entered the dense forest without making any effort to hide his tracks.
"The main body should be in bed sleeping by now... Damn it, the clone gets all the dirty and tiring work."
Poof.
The white smoke dissipated, leaving only the scent of blood drifting in the wind to prove he had ever been there.
...
Hiss...
Lying in bed, Haruko suddenly shuddered all over.
"Ara, you're not in top form tonight..."
Kaede teased him, but seeing Haruko press his temples and frown, she realized something was wrong.
"Honey, are you okay?"
"Whew... I'm fine... no big deal."
Haruko rubbed his temples, his expression a bit strange.
'This is a bit awkward now..."
According to the original plan, he intended to let Karin take the blame and then just send her away afterward.
But plans can't keep up with changes. Now Tsunade knows about it, and he has promised to take care of the girl; she might even become his junior sister disciple.
If he told her: "I've turned you into a rogue Ninja who murdered her comrades," how would she react?
"How about we get some rest early tonight?"
Kaede held Haruko and whispered in his ear.
'Sigh, it was something I'd decided to do long ago anyway. It's just a small accident, no big deal."
"Hey, are you looking down on me? A man can never say he can't do it."
...
The next morning.
Karin pushed open the door and saw Haruko sitting in the living room drinking tea.
"Karin, there's something I need to tell you."
Seeing Haruko's serious expression, Karin froze in place like a robot that had run out of power.
"Last night, the swap was discovered by the Hidden Grass Village. My Shadow Clone had no choice but to kill the witness and then flee Konoha."
"The situation now is that you've become the killer, and the Hidden Grass Village will definitely list you as a rogue Ninja and hunt you down."
Finishing in one breath, Haruko observed Karin's reaction.
To his surprise, after Karin finished listening, she actually breathed a sigh of relief and calmed down.
"Is that so... it's actually not much."
"Not much?" Haruko raised an eyebrow.
"From the moment I left with you, I was already a rogue Ninja. Adding one more crime..."
She touched her dyed black hair, and the corners of her mouth even curled into a slight arc.
"Oh, oh... I guess that's true..."
Thinking about it, it was indeed the case, but Karin's quick acceptance was still somewhat unexpected.
"In any case, you need to keep a low profile for a while. Although on the surface you've fled Konoha, the Hidden Grass Village people haven't left yet. Try not to show your face if there's no need, to avoid being recognized."
"I understand." Karin walked up to Haruko, "I'll stay right here and won't go anywhere."
Her pupils seemed to be trembling slightly, and Haruko felt a bit uneasy being stared at by her.
"Alright then, since you don't mind, let's leave it at that." Haruko turned to walk out.
"Haruko."
"Hmm?"
"Thank you. I will work hard to be useful, and I won't let you regret saving me."
Haruko waved his hand without looking back.
...
"I still underestimated Karin a bit..."
Walking on the way to the Ramen Shop, Haruko let out a long sigh.
"Should I say she's truly the obsessive girl who fell for Sasuke at first sight? Now I'm the one being clung to."
Thinking carefully, Karin's sensory and healing abilities were indeed good. If cultivated properly, they might come in handy in the future.
And the most suitable teacher would be Tsunade.
"When Tsunade comes back, I have to make her take Karin away no matter what."
...
"Did you hear? In that inn last night, blood was everywhere!"
"I heard it was done by one of their own? Tsk tsk, just how big of a grudge must that be."
While watching the counter at the Ramen Shop, Haruko listened to the diners' idle chatter.
As expected, the most discussed topic was last night's murder case.
The rumors were getting more and more outrageous; the latest version was that "it was internal strife within the Hidden Grass Village Village, and the killer was actually an undercover agent from a rival faction."
'You know, it's actually not impossible."
As a transmigrator, Haruko knew the inside information that Hidden Grass Village was actually divided into the "Grass Flower" and "Grass Fruit" factions; internal strife wasn't just a baseless rumor.
"Yo, Haruko, slacking off again?" Anko sat down at the counter with a swagger, "Two cups of mung bean paste and a plate of dango."
As she spoke, she pulled out several—photos?
"Teacher An-yiji, are you using these to pay the bill?"
"How is that possible!" Anko pushed the photos in front of Haruko, "I wanted to ask if you've seen these people."
Haruko slowly wiped his hands and picked up the first photo.
It was Karin, the red-haired version.
"This was provided by Hidden Grass Village; she's also the prime suspect in last night's assassination case." Anko lowered her voice, "A nine-year-old girl, able to silently slit the throat of an experienced Ninja? What do you think?"
"I'm sitting and watching." Haruko rolled his eyes, "Either the victim was a fool, or the killer was someone else. But what does that have to do with me? Never seen her, next one."
Anko snorted coldly and pushed three more photos over.
"These three are also 'missing persons' reported by Hidden Grass Village Village." Anko crossed her arms, her full chest rising and falling slightly, "Before their leader was killed, he was still clamoring for Konoha to give them an explanation."
Haruko was all too familiar with the people in these three photos—they were the three Hidden Grass Village Genin who had looked for trouble at the Ramen Shop and were later wiped out along with all traces by him in the Forest of Death.
"Aren't these examinees? What other outcome could there be for going missing in the Forest of Death? They should have been hauled out by now."
Anko also shook her head helplessly: "Konoha said the same thing. But Hidden Grass Village insisted on looking for them, so we're just going through the motions."
"Actually, I came to find you today mainly because of this one..." Anko handed the last photo to Haruko, "Look familiar?"
"Shiranami?" Haruko blurted out, "Wasn't this guy..."
"Yes, the person you caught and I escorted." Anko's finger tapped the face in the photo, "This guy escaped from Katsurayama Mountain."
Anko leaned forward and whispered into Haruko's ear:
"He also kidnapped the En no Gyoja, along with the Forbidden Jutsu, Heavenly Fury Eruption."
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