Inside the Kusagakure Hospital.
"Hurry up! I almost broke my arm—let me cut the line! I need treatment immediately!"
"Why should you cut the line? I'm injured too—and worse than you!"
"Hmph, your injury will heal after ten days of rest. You don't need treatment here."
"Mind your own damn business! If I stop taking missions for ten days, are you going to pay my losses?"
"I'm thinking about Kusagakure's future! What if that woman dies like her mother? Who's going to treat us then?"
"Future? Screw the future. The higher-ups won't let that happen."
A group of injured Kusagakure ninja argued noisily in the corridor.
Unlike other ninja villages that relied on medical ninjutsu and proper treatment, Kusagakure's method was brutally simple—
Just bite.
And the "medical pack" they were biting… was none other than a living person.
Uzumaki Karin.
Faced with the endless arguing and cursing, Karin had long since grown numb.
She silently stretched out her arms, expressionless, letting the injured ninja bite into her skin.
The wounds on their bodies healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The price?
Her life force.
After finishing the treatment, Karin coldly ordered them to leave. Then she shut the medical room door and stared blankly at the photo on her desk.
The indifference she showed outside was nothing more than a mask.
Without it… she was just a helpless girl.
But in a small ninja village trapped between constant wars, showing weakness was basically begging to be eaten alive.
At least this cold attitude had earned her a small, independent medical room.
As Karin sat there in silence, someone hidden in the corner quietly observed her.
Naruto.
Looking at her, he couldn't help comparing her to the version he remembered.
This Karin… wasn't the loud, obsessive girl he knew.
She was much stronger.
Colder.
More… broken.
"Which one is the real her?" Naruto wondered silently.
After sensing Karin's chakra, Kurama couldn't help but speak up:
"Kid… you told me we came here for sightseeing."
"…But you actually came for this girl, didn't you? Her chakra feels just like yours."
Naruto nodded calmly.
"I did come here for travel. Meeting a clan member was just coincidence."
Then his eyes sharpened slightly.
"But judging from the number of White Zetsu underground… the Akatsuki seem to have their eyes on this place."
Kurama snorted.
"Yeah, yeah, coincidence my ass."
Then he continued:
"What I'm curious about is—why not just take her away? You're just standing here watching her get drained dry like a damn blood bag."
"Isn't your Uzushiogakure short on talent?"
Naruto didn't reply immediately.
He just looked at Karin quietly.
Her life was tragic.
Her mother was a surviving member of the Uzumaki clan.
Her father? Unknown—probably dead or long gone.
And she herself?
Reduced to a living medical tool.
Slowly being consumed.
But…
She wasn't the only one suffering.
There were countless people like her across the ninja world—especially in small countries.
Even if she was from the same clan, Naruto couldn't just save her blindly and dump resources into her.
Saving someone was easy.
Raising them into something useful?
That required observation.
After crying silently for a while, Karin wiped her tears and pulled out medical books from a drawer.
Even though she hated Kusagakure…
Hated being used…
She was still a student at the Ninja Academy.
That was the agreement her mother made with the village.
She wouldn't waste that opportunity.
Even if she couldn't learn combat ninjutsu…
Medical ninjutsu could still kill.
If she mastered it completely, she would at least have the power to protect herself.
Knock. Knock.
Not long after, the medical room door was pushed open roughly.
Karin instantly returned to her cold expression and looked at the incoming ninja.
But when she saw his face—
She frowned.
A high-ranking Kusagakure ninja.
The kind who climbed up through connections.
Weak, but powerful in influence.
One of the people Karin hated the most.
While Karin observed him, the man was also observing her.
He had received orders—
To secretly take Uzumaki Karin away.
In the past, they abused her because the Uzumaki clan was gone.
But recently, news about Uzushiogakure had begun spreading.
Whether true or not, Kusagakure had to take it seriously.
Especially after hearing that the leader of Uzushiogakure possessed Kage-level strength.
The higher-ups initially wanted to win Karin over.
At the very least, they couldn't let her become hostile.
Maybe they could even use her to latch onto Uzushiogakure.
But after months of consideration…
They realized something.
They couldn't let her go.
Karin's ability was like a drug.
Once lost, Kusagakure's cheap medical system would collapse.
Their entire strategy—low-cost missions—would fall apart.
And their already fragile reputation?
Gone.
So they made a decision.
Imprison Karin.
Erase her existence.
Publicly announce that she had "left the village."
And turn her into a permanent medical tool.
A machine.
As their eyes met, Karin sensed something was wrong.
She quietly stepped back and reached for the table.
In the next moment, she pulled out a kunai and pointed it at the man.
But the Kusagakure elite didn't care.
He looked at her like merchandise.
Like she was already owned.
Like she had no way out.
Just as Karin was about to act—
Thud.
The man suddenly collapsed to the ground.
Karin froze.
Then cautiously approached and checked his condition.
Not dead.
Just unconscious.
But on his body… was a mission scroll.
Karin opened it.
As she read, her face turned pale.
Then ugly.
Then cold.
Her grip on the kunai tightened.
Kill him?
If she did…
Her situation might become even worse.
Naruto, hidden nearby using Ryūchi Cave Senjutsu to conceal his presence, had already seen the contents of the scroll.
His expression turned subtle.
He hadn't expected Karin's fate to change because of his creation of Uzushiogakure.
But Kusagakure daring to imprison an Uzumaki…
That was already crossing the line.
And now—
Akatsuki was also watching this place.
If they discovered Karin's existence…
Nagato might not save her.
But he would definitely destroy Kusagakure—
Just to make them "understand pain."
Naruto exhaled slowly.
Then looked at Karin again.
Curious.
What would she choose?
After struggling for a long time…
Karin's eyes hardened.
She raised the kunai—
And stabbed it straight into the man's heart.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
After dragging the corpse into a corner, she wiped her hands and spoke toward the empty air:
"…Whoever you are… thank you for your help."
"Can you come out and meet me?"
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