Uzuki Yūgao suddenly felt a headache coming on, knowing that Ryun had made a move to take down the middle-aged ninja before her.
But if that was the case, how was she supposed to handle this?
"Yūgao-san, it's simple, just show Konoha's strength. It's only the Kusagakure Village; surely you're not going to reason with them?"
Ryun condensed his mental energy and used the Formless Wave method to speak directly into Uzuki Yūgao's ear.
If Uzuki Yūgao couldn't do it, he would have to handle it himself.
Konoha-nin had been following Sarutobi Hiruzen for too long; they had lost any awareness that Konoha was currently the strongest of the great ninja villages.
Of course, Konoha's people themselves knew that, right now, Konoha's exterior was glossy but its interior was very weak.
But if that were the case, shouldn't they show a strong front all the more?
After all, they couldn't have been extorted by Kumogakure a few years ago and now be extorted by Kusagakure too, could they?
Uzuki Yūgao seemed to understand. She threw the middle-aged ninja's hand to the ground and said, "You there, carry him back to your lodgings. Remember, you're only here for the Chūnin Exams; you have no right to lay your hands on Konoha's civilians."
"Otherwise, even if you aren't from Konoha, the Konoha Military Police won't go easy on you."
The few Kusagakure-nin immediately rushed up, helped the middle-aged ninja up, and tried to flee.
"And your packages."
Ryun threw the packages from Karin's back one by one, tossing them into their arms.
These thoroughly frightened genin didn't dare say a word. Carrying the middle-aged ninja and the packages, they disappeared in an instant like a puff of smoke.
Seeing this, Karin, who had remained silent until now, panicked and said, "Wait, I'm still here—"
She tried to rush forward to follow her companions, but Ryun held her back.
Then Karin looked at Ryun with terrified eyes. At first, she had truly been grateful to Ryun, but after he had driven away her companions, she no longer knew how to face him.
The Kusagakure-nin had indeed abused Karin, even biting her mother to death.
But at this moment, Karin didn't even have a place to stay. If she left this group from Kusagakure, she had no idea how she would survive. Naturally, she still regarded them as companions.
This was the ninja world, not a peaceful and stable modern world.
A little girl, all alone in the wilderness, unprotected by a group—dying might just be a matter of three to five days.
Faced with Karin, who was so panicked, Ryun knew exactly what to do.
All he had to do was smile.
That was right. As long as Ryun showed a face even more handsome than Sasuke's, combined with an affinity adorned by his mental energy and vibrant life force, it would be enough to move the Karin before him.
"Don't panic. No matter where in Konoha they are, I'll help you find them later."
Ryun chose first to make it clear he hadn't meant to destroy Karin's current greatest support. Then he said, "I just saw you have a lot of wounds on your body. I happen to know a bit of medical ninjutsu, so let me treat you."
Karin was already immersed in Ryun's friendly smile; a faint blush even appeared on her cheeks.
But then, his words made her face turn pale. Remembering the teeth marks covering her arms, a powerful sense of inferiority and humiliation washed over her, making her want to shake off Ryun's arm and run away.
Unfortunately, there was no way she could escape Ryun's grasp. She could only be dragged by him towards his home.
"Ryun-kun."
Uzuki Yūgao couldn't bear to watch anymore and said, "Let her go. She's very unwilling."
"No, Yūgao-san, you're mistaken. She's very willing, isn't she?"
Ryun's fingers moved slightly, and then he infused life force into Karin's body.
Karin, who had always served as a living, breathing "milk cow," felt her body shudder. A warmth, like a mother's embrace, filled her entire being, making the wounds on her arms itch, as if they were already healing.
She looked at Ryun in shock. Ryun made a silencing gesture towards her.
This shocked Karin internally, giving rise to a guess she dared not voice. She stopped struggling and, facing Uzuki Yūgao's inquiring gaze, simply nodded her head.
Uzuki Yūgao was speechless. Ryun really was popular with girls!
For some reason, a ripple stirred in her heart, which had been calm for so long like an ancient well.
It must be because the Chūnin Exams were approaching, and the unease in her heart was growing stronger. She could no longer pretend that dream didn't exist.
"Alright, you can take her away. But if the Kusagakure-nin ask, I will also tell them the location of your house. Is that acceptable?"
"No problem."
Since Ryun had said that, Uzuki Yūgao couldn't say much more. She decided to report this matter to the Third Hokage.
Soon after she submitted her report, the Third Hokage gave her instructions: she was to continue protecting Ryun and not worry too much about these minor issues.
Seeing this reply, Uzuki Yūgao felt a rare surge of anger inside.
If this was a minor issue, then what counted as a major one?
The upcoming Konoha Crush Plan—did that count as a major issue?
However, Uzuki Yūgao still had no intention of reporting her memories, as she still lacked any evidence.
She planned to first find an opportunity to talk to Ryun directly and be open with him, and then decide what she should do.
Meanwhile, Ryun had already brought Karin back to his home.
He sat her down and said, "Can I take a look at your arms?"
Karin bit her lip, her face full of hesitation. Finally, Ryun said, "I can close my eyes. I can still treat you like this."
Only then did Karin relax a little and nod.
Ryun closed his eyes and rolled up Karin's sleeves.
Under Ryun's life force infusion, the teeth marks on Karin's body had already faded significantly, but they still remained, some having even turned into scars.
To remove these scars, medical ninjutsu would first have to break down the scar tissue, and then heal Karin's skin anew.
Generally speaking, for an ordinary ninja, having a few scars didn't matter. No medical ninja would go to the trouble of using the Mystical Palm Technique just for a few scars, and would also have to guide the regenerating cells not to form scars again—this difficulty was almost comparable to the Healing Resurrection Technique. However, Karin possessed an extremely strong regenerative ability, and Ryun had life force he could draw upon. His Mystical Palm Technique was essentially equivalent to the Healing Resurrection Technique itself.
Therefore, Ryun easily completed the scar removal work on Karin's body. The process was a bit painful, but Karin bit her lip and didn't make a sound.
By the time Ryun opened his eyes, Karin was already looking at her arms with sparkling eyes. Not only were the scars gone, but even her skin tone had become as fair as Ino's.
Now, when Karin looked at Ryun's smile again, she had no resistance left whatsoever. Blushing, she shyly murmured a thank you.
Seeing Karin like this made Ryun a bit uncomfortable. Where was the Karin who, comparable to Sakura, was carefree and would even, at the slightest disagreement, punch people?
Indeed, it must be because he had saved her early!
The current Karin had no chance to follow Orochimaru.
Although in the future, following Ryun, she would similarly be doing clone research and such, Ryun wouldn't treat her as mere consumable material, but rather as a wife.
"Is a simple 'thank you' enough?"
"You know, I just used life force to help you recover this quickly."
Ryun put on a straight face, even letting his complexion start to pale.
Seeing this, Karin panicked. Thinking about what she could do, she finally extended her arm and said, "Then bite me to recover your strength!"
Ryun frowned and said, "I just finished healing you, and now I'm going to bite you again? Wouldn't that be a waste?"
"No, it's different!"
Karin quickly explained, saying, "You've healed all my wounds and scars. If you leave just one mark, I won't feel pain, and I definitely won't blame you. I will only... only keep the scar as a souvenir."
Karin lowered her head, fidgeting nervously with her fingers.
She felt she would have to leave soon. After returning, she would still be abused by the Kusagakure-nin. But she would remember everything that happened today. This boy before her would be the most unforgettable person in her entire life.
Ryun saw her anxiety and didn't rush to persuade her. Instead, he continued, "Well, alright then... but I don't want to bite any place that others have bitten."
"Ah!"
Karin was startled. Then she looked down at her body and quickly said, "They only ever bit my arms. I only just started this role recently."
"You can bite me somewhere else—"
Karin looked down at her thighs... that spot would be inconvenient to bite.
Then she looked at her calves and feet... asking Ryun to bite there seemed a bit impolite?
After thinking it over, Karin suddenly pointed to her shoulder and said, "You... you can bite me here! Don't worry, the effect is the same no matter where you bite."
"I'm going to bite, then?"
"Mm!"
Ryun lowered his head. Feeling Ryun's breath getting closer, Karin's face slowly flushed crimson.
She closed her eyes and pulled aside her collar, waiting for the moment Ryun's teeth would sink into her collarbone.
That would probably become an unforgettable sensation for the rest of her life.