"Good luck."
Not long after Kiyoshi and Ringo left, he noticed something was off.
In front of him was a field of light yellow grass, with a few scattered houses.
Each house had a low wall made of stacked stones as a fence, and the houses were shaped like cones.
These were the signature buildings of Kusagakure.
Perhaps because it was near the outskirts of the village, it was quite desolate.
"This way."
Kiyoshi walked to the left.
Ringo quickly followed, thinking about what Kiyoshi was going to do.
Looking up, she saw a young girl surrounded by several large men in the distance.
The closer he got, the more Kiyoshi could sense a special chakra fluctuation.
As his chakra control improved, Kiyoshi's understanding of Yang Release chakra also increased. The result was an enhancement of his sensory mode.
"You... who are you?"
A somewhat haggard-looking girl was wearing a headscarf that covered her hair.
"The village is strictly checking for enemy ninja. We hope for your cooperation."
A ninja wearing a Kusagakure headband seemed to want to reach out and remove the headscarf wrapped around the girl's head.
The girl hurriedly backed away and closed the door.
The ninja exchanged glances with his colleagues and forcibly tore the door down.
Ninjas possess chakra. Even the lowest genin can use chakra to increase their strength, completely separating them from ordinary people.
As the girl retreated in panic, she bumped into a simple table, and the headscarf tied on her head shifted slightly, revealing red strands of hair.
"Red hair?"
A look of pleasant surprise flashed in the eyes of the three Kusagakure ninjaa simultaneously.
Reporting this information to the village would surely earn them a reward.
People with red hair often had another moniker in the ninja world.
While not absolute, ninety percent of people with red hair were from the Uzumaki clan.
"Are you a refugee after the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools?"
"Why waste words with her? Just take her away."
"Exactly. I heard that some Uzumaki clan members have a physique where biting their skin can quickly restore chakra and heal injuries."
Upon hearing this, the other two ninjas' expressions of surprise grew even stronger.
In the current era of war, what was needed was something that could heal people.
"No..."
The red-haired girl frowned, huddled in a corner.
However, in her despair, she waited for a while but felt no pulling sensation.
Faintly, she heard the sound of a man and a woman talking.
"Oh, changing your taste?" Ringo teased.
So Kiyoshi liked the innocent type.
Kiyoshi asked, "In your eyes, am I that kind of person?"
"Otherwise?" Ringo crossed her arms.
Wasn't Kiyoshi a demon?
His twisted sense of humor even extended to trying her sharp teeth.
Ringo once doubted Kiyoshi's mental state. If his skin hadn't been hard and impossible to bite through, Ringo would have thought she'd met an idiot.
Now her thought was that Kiyoshi was a pure and evil Uchiha. He fit the stereotype of evil Uchiha held by her and the ninja world.
"Is that so?"
Kiyoshi didn't dwell on Ringo's sharp tongue.
There was still plenty of time.
Let her bounce around a bit more first, and then he would properly correct this sharp tongue and give her a good grilling.
The red-haired girl opened her eyes in confusion, finding that the three ninjas from earlier were completely stiff and unable to move.
Their faces were pale, and they were drenched in sweat.
Body Paralysis Technique?
This was her first reaction.
This technique was also called "Binding Technique."
It was a technique that could render enemies immobile, quite common among ninja.
Then she overturned her idea. The crimson in the man's eyes was clearly the Sharingan.
"Don't be afraid, I'm a ninja from Konoha. Konoha and Uzushiogakure in the Land of Whirlpools are allies."
Kiyoshi took off his black robe, revealing the Uchiha clan crest.
He hadn't disguised his appearance much, just wore an outer coat for cover.
"Konoha... We didn't see any Konoha ninja when our country was destroyed."
Upon hearing the name Konoha, the red-haired girl felt a natural aversion.
But the man in front of her had saved her and was her benefactor.
Complex emotions surged in her heart, making her unsure how to view Kiyoshi.
"I deeply regret what happened to the Land of Whirlpools, but you still have clan members in the village. Instead of continuing to wander, why not come back with me?" Kiyoshi extended his hand.
"..."
She lowered her eyes. Not expressing her stance immediately was a form of refusal.
Seeing this, Kiyoshi withdrew his hand.
Across the ninja world, countless Uzumaki clansmen had abandoned the surname "Uzumaki" and lived under assumed names just to hide.
Interestingly, apart from Kushina being brought back, no other Uzumaki clansmen had voluntarily come to Konoha.
Nagato's parents hadn't even told Nagato about the past, only wanting to live under assumed names.
This must be because they didn't trust their ally, Konoha. Otherwise, why would they wander?
Kiyoshi said, "If you stay here, you will be used by them, especially your 'healing power.'"
"!"
Yukari's heart skipped a beat. She had never revealed this secret.
Her lowered eyes were raised again. Her purple eyes gazed at Kiyoshi's crimson Sharingan.
The slowly rotating tomoe made her clench her fingers.
In front of this young man, she inexplicably felt a sense of inferiority. Kiyoshi's words seemed to contain some inexplicable power.
His dark eyes reflected her figure, as if seeing through her heart.
"Think about it, being bitten by the countless injured in Kusagakure every day. Pain will turn them into demons, greedily gnawing at you." Kiyoshi said lightly.
This was not an exaggeration. In fact, this was how Karin's mother died in the original story.
In the anime, Karin watched helplessly as her mother was forcibly taken to the hospital.
When Karin went there, there was only a body covered with a cloth in the corner.
A hand hanging down from the shroud was covered in shocking bite marks.
As for Karin, because her performance in the Chunin Exams was not good, she was assigned to the Northern Hideout. If she hadn't met Orochimaru, her fate would have been the same as her mother's.
The Uzumaki clan's vitality and chakra were limited. Unlimited use would only lead to death.
For example, Hashirama, who could 'heal without hand seals,' how old was he when he died?
Upon hearing this, Yukari's heart gradually sank. Her parents had died this way.
Therefore, she had desperately hidden her identity, fearing being recognized.
"You don't have to return to Konoha. I will build a base in the Land of Grass. When you have nothing to do, you can just help me manage it." Kiyoshi said.
Yukari's brows were still tightly furrowed after hearing this.
She hesitated for a moment, then asked, "And what else?"
Nothing comes for free.
With her ability, managing a base would only mean cleaning. Such a simple mission couldn't possibly earn her protection.
"Of course, I'm also very interested in your ability. Being bitten by just me is better than being bitten by hundreds of men, right?" Kiyoshi spread his hands.
Ringo let out a chuckle and said, "Kiyoshi, don't force her."
"...No, I agree."
Upon hearing Kiyoshi's condition, Yukari's brows relaxed considerably instead.
Thinking about potentially being touched by the three men from earlier, and even more disgusting men in the future, she felt a surge of resistance and revulsion in her heart.
She secretly glanced at Kiyoshi a few times. He had the demeanor of an Uchiha, tall and handsome.
If it weren't for the complicated relationship between Konoha and the Land of Whirlpools, she would have called him her benefactor.
If it was just Kiyoshi alone, it wouldn't matter.
"My name is Uchiha Kiyoshi. And yours?" Kiyoshi smiled when he saw this.
He planned to try interacting with her to see if he could get traits similar to Kagura Mind Eye or Physical Healing.
"I... My name is Uzumaki Yukari."
"Yukari, is it? A very good name." Kiyoshi nodded.