After packing some spare clothes and the relics left by her mother, Karin followed Naruto to an izakaya in Kusagakure. They sat by the window on the second floor, looking down at the busy street below.
Seeing this scene, Karin—who was stuffing her face with pork cutlet rice—grew even more curious about Naruto.
This "big shot" from her clan had not only changed his hair color and body shape with the Transformation Technique, but had even altered his chakra signature, making himself feel like a completely different person.
Just how strong did someone have to be to pull off something like that?
As if reading her mind, Naruto smiled and said,
"This is just a basic application of sealing techniques. When we get back to Uzushiogakure, an old man will teach you fuinjutsu properly."
Karin nodded, then asked,
"Mianma-sama… how many Uzumaki are left?"
Naruto thought for a moment before replying,
"At the moment, probably fewer than five whose whereabouts are known. But with time, the Uzumaki clan will rise again sooner or later."
"Less than five…" Karin's expression dimmed, but she was still genuinely happy to have found even one clansman.
At that moment, a large number of Kusagakure ninja suddenly appeared on the streets below, searching house by house with tense expressions. One squad even came up to the second floor, making Karin's heart jump straight to her throat.
But after casually glancing at them, Naruto didn't even move.
The squad froze for a moment… then quietly turned around and left, rushing toward the next building.
Karin blinked.
"…Are they looking for me?" she asked nervously, hugging her arms as old memories resurfaced.
Naruto glanced at her and nodded calmly.
"Yes. Your healing ability and physique are too valuable to ignore. Of course Kusagakure won't let you go so easily."
Karin suddenly remembered something and quickly said,
"Mianma-sama, did you take me in because of my ability? I can only let people bite me three times a day at most. If it's more than that, it will damage my vitality…"
Naruto looked at her like she'd just said something incredibly stupid.
"Do you think I lack that kind of ability?" he said flatly.
"If my life were really in danger, I could drain most of your vitality in one bite."
Karin froze.
Naruto continued calmly,
"Don't do something that stupid again. Unless it's for someone truly important, don't waste your life force like that."
Karin lowered her head slightly, then asked,
"Then… what do you want me to do?"
After being treated as a tool by Kusagakure for years, she instinctively felt she needed to be "useful" to survive.
Naruto didn't hesitate.
"You're interested in medical ninjutsu, right? Then specialize in it. Uzushiogakure lacks medical ninja—you can fill that gap."
Just like that, Naruto casually decided Karin's future.
Then he looked into the distance and said thoughtfully,
"In this era, every major ninja village is rotten to the core. Kusagakure is no exception. Just your disappearance alone has already triggered internal conflict."
He paused, then added,
"Actually, even without you, their internal contradictions would've exploded sooner or later."
In the original timeline, Konoha had gone through the Hyūga incident and the Uchiha massacre, weakening itself significantly.
So why didn't the other villages attack?
On one hand, the Third Great Ninja War had been too brutal—no village came out as a true winner.
On the other hand, every village had its own internal problems. Some isolated themselves, others suppressed internal factions. Even Kumogakure, which seemed stable, had issues with its Jinchūriki.
Even the so-called "Konoha Crush" ended up more like a chaotic mess than a proper war.
Naruto had no interest in getting involved in Kusagakure's internal struggles.
Even if he supported one faction, he wouldn't be able to fully control the village. Managing Uzushiogakure, the Land of Waves, and influencing Kirigakure was already pushing his limits.
Still…
Kusagakure's ninjutsu were worth collecting.
Even if most of them were just imitations, they could still fill the current gap in Uzushiogakure's arsenal and save time on development.
As Naruto was thinking, he suddenly sensed something—and a faint, meaningful smile appeared on his face.
A familiar chakra had entered his range.
It didn't belong to Akatsuki.
It belonged to Konoha.
Jiraiya… the "Toad Sage" searching for the Child of Prophecy… had also arrived near Kusagakure.
Which meant—
Things were about to get a whole lot messier.
Karin noticed Naruto's expression and was slightly surprised.
But one thing was certain—
The unlucky ones this time definitely wouldn't be her.
It would be Kusagakure.
Thinking of this, she subconsciously copied Naruto's expression and revealed a faint smile.
…
Outside Kusagakure.
Jiraiya was trailing behind Tsunade and Shizune with an awkward grin, racking his brain about how to bring up the topic of joining forces against the Third Hokage.
Ever since he "coincidentally" ran into Tsunade and helped pay off her gambling debts, he'd been trying to find the right moment.
Too bad that moment never came.
So now… he was just awkwardly following them like a shameless stalker.
Shizune finally couldn't take it anymore and said helplessly,
"Jiraiya-sama, if you have something to say to Tsunade-sama, just say it directly. Don't keep asking me about her. Besides drinking, gambling, and healing, what else does Tsunade-sama even do?"
Tsunade instantly appeared in front of her.
Shizune panicked and waved her hands.
"Tsunade-sama! I didn't mean you're useless! It's just that Jiraiya-sama is too annoying—"
Tsunade shot her a glare, then turned to Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya, stop acting like a creep and just say what you want. You've been following us all the way from the Land of Fields to the Land of Grass."
She crossed her arms.
"If this is a confession, I refuse."
"If the old man sent you, go back. I have no intention of returning to the village. Konoha is the Hokage's village—it has nothing to do with me, just a mere jōnin."
Rejected before he even opened his mouth…
Jiraiya felt his heart crack a little.
Still, seeing her serious expression, he cleared his throat and said:
"Tsunade… I came to ask you to join me in dealing with the Third Hokage."
Both Tsunade and Shizune froze.
This was the first time Jiraiya had ever openly talked about opposing the village leadership—and the target wasn't even Danzo, but the Third Hokage himself.
For a moment, they seriously wondered—
Was he under a genjutsu?
Or was this guy some imposter?
After a long pause, Tsunade looked at Jiraiya with a serious expression.
"…Do you even realize what you're saying?"
"You want me to go against the Third Hokage—the leader of Konoha?"
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