Naruto did not show himself and continued hiding in the shadows, quietly observing Karin.
Seeing that her call was ignored, Karin sighed inwardly, then began thinking about how to avoid the Kusagakure ninja's surveillance and safely escape from the Hidden Grass Village.
First of all, forcing her way out was definitely impossible. Her bright red hair was basically a walking "catch me" sign.
She was only a Ninja Academy student—she couldn't even beat a random genin, let alone a trained shinobi.
That left only one option: disguise and sneak out.
But then came the biggest problem—how the hell was she supposed to get out of the hospital?
After thinking for a while, Karin's gaze fell on the corpse of the high-ranking Kusagakure official.
A plan slowly formed in her mind.
First, disguise the corpse to look like it was still alive. Then transform it into her appearance. After that, she would use the Transformation Technique to disguise herself as the high-ranking official.
Simple plan… risky as hell.
After about ten minutes of preparation, Karin transformed into a senior Kusagakure official, slung a sack over her shoulder, and calmly walked out of the medical room.
Along the way, she attracted quite a bit of attention.
Some Kusagakure ninja even noticed the medical room was empty.
But when they saw the "high-ranking official's" face, they all suddenly understood and chose to step aside.
Clearly, the higher-ups were "doing something" to the red-haired girl again.
Unfortunate… looks like no free healing for the next few days.
After leaving the hospital smoothly, Karin quickly made her way to the outskirts of the village and exited Kusagakure without much trouble.
Dropping the heavy corpse, Karin gasped for breath while looking back at the village—the place that had been nothing but a nightmare for her.
Even now, it still felt like a dream.
She escaped… just like that?
No way it was this easy.
Karin knew better.
Those grass ninja weren't idiots. The only explanation was that someone had been helping her from the shadows—and that person was far stronger than anyone in Kusagakure.
Thinking of this, Karin activated her sensory ability and searched her surroundings.
Soon, she found Naruto standing on a tree branch, following her perception.
Her face lit up with excitement.
"You finally showed yourself! Thank you for helping me… you should be from my mother's clan, right?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Why do you think that?"
"Because your chakra feels warm… no one in Kusagakure has that kind of chakra. Only my mother did."
Naruto was slightly surprised.
So young, yet her sensory ability was already this sharp?
Impressive.
Still, he kept a calm expression and said with a faint smile:
"I am indeed a shinobi of the Uzumaki clan. I was passing by Kusagakure, sensed a clansman's chakra, and came to take a look."
After a pause, he asked:
"Do you want to stay in Kusagakure… or come with me?"
"I want to leave with you!"
Karin didn't hesitate for even a second.
In her mind, there wasn't even a real choice.
After killing a high-ranking official, staying here would basically be suicide.
Following Naruto was her only way out.
The process of accepting Karin was surprisingly smooth.
After realizing Naruto was a massive "golden thigh" (a big shot worth relying on), she immediately chose to join Uzushiogakure.
Along the way, she also learned Naruto's name.
Naruto had long gotten used to the title "Mianma-sama."
Honestly, he was kind of looking forward to the moment Karin realized they were actually the same age.
That reaction would be priceless.
With hope for a new life, Karin asked:
"Mianma-sama, are we heading straight back to the Land of Whirlpool… or traveling somewhere else first?"
Naruto shook his head slightly.
"We're going back to Kusagakure first."
"Take back what belongs to you… and watch a good show while we're at it."
Karin blinked in confusion.
Going back to pack her things made sense—she also wanted to retrieve her mother's belongings.
But… what did he mean by "a good show"?
Was something big about to happen?
Seeing her confusion, Naruto didn't bother explaining. He simply looked toward the distant buildings of Kusagakure, a faint smile forming on his face.
…
Inside the Kusagakure administrative building, the village leader and elders from various factions had gathered.
Like most villages, Kusagakure was divided into two factions:
The pro-war faction and the anti-war faction.
The former dreamed of making Kusagakure dominate the ninja world.
The latter just wanted to survive without getting wiped out.
However, both sides had one thing in common—they depended heavily on Karin.
After waiting for a while, the village leader frowned and looked at the pro-war elders.
"Why hasn't Uzumaki Karin been brought here yet? Don't tell me you're trying to monopolize her ability."
The pro-war elders' expressions darkened slightly, but they replied:
"There might have been a delay. Leader-sama, we should first discuss how to deal with the pressure from Iwagakure."
"They've been deploying far too many ninja along the border recently. We need to act first and prepare for a counterattack."
At this moment, an anti-war elder stood up and said:
"Iwagakure's strength is more than ten times ours. We must seek help from other villages. We cannot fight them alone."
"The last Great Ninja War already proved this—we only survived because of Konoha's support."
The pro-war elder snorted coldly.
"And what did we gain in the end?"
"The war was fought on our land, and all we got was one-third of our territory reduced to scorched earth."
He sneered.
"And you still think Konoha can protect us?"
"Then we shouldn't start a war—"
The anti-war elder's voice weakened noticeably.
He enjoyed the current peaceful life, but if Iwagakure attacked, that peace would vanish instantly.
Seeing this, the pro-war faction pressed further.
"I've already contacted the mercenary organization Akatsuki."
"If Iwagakure launches an attack, Akatsuki will intervene and stop their advance."
"Their leader possesses power comparable to the Five Kage!"
"What if Akatsuki betrays us?" someone questioned.
The pro-war elder waved it off dismissively.
"Have you forgotten the Box of Bliss?"
"As long as we inject enough chakra, we can make a wish."
"That Uzumaki girl is a perfect sacrifice."
"We could even use members of Akatsuki as sacrifices if needed."
The room erupted into chaos.
That plan was insane—basically dancing on a knife's edge. One mistake, and Kusagakure would be wiped off the map.
At that moment, an ANBU member entered and whispered something into the leader's ear.
The leader's face immediately turned ugly.
He turned to the elders and said:
"This meeting is temporarily adjourned."
"The ninja assigned to capture Uzumaki Karin has disappeared… along with Karin herself."
"It appears someone in the village has already made a move on her."
Hearing this, the elders exchanged suspicious glances.
None of them believed an outsider was responsible.
Compared to outsiders, it was far more likely that someone from a rival faction had acted—trying to strike a political blow from the shadows.
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