"Karin, right?"
"Yes..."
Karin sobbed as she answered.
Kiyosuke gently asked,
"How about coming back to Konoha with me? No one will bully you there. No one will experiment on you. Whether you want to be a shinobi or just live a normal life—it's entirely up to you.
What do you say? Will you come with me?"
"I... my mom... I..."
Karin could barely speak through her tears.
Losing her mother was simply too cruel for a child to bear.
"They're coming."
Seeing a group of Kusagakure shinobi running toward them, Kiyosuke didn't waste words.
In a flash, he vanished—and before the enemy even realized what was happening, they were all dead.
He turned back to her.
"So? Will you come with me?"
"I'll... go with you."
"Good girl."
He stored Karin's mother's body inside a sealing scroll, then hoisted Karin onto his back.
A single spark set fire to the house she had once called home.
She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say—or maybe no words would come out at all.
It felt like something was stuck in her throat.
Tears fell silently, like pearls from a broken strand.
"Let's go."
With Karin on his back, Kiyosuke headed straight for Konoha.
...
Karin's identity was a special one.
Although she was technically from Kusagakure, the close ties between Konoha and Uzushiogakure in the past gave Konoha a legitimate reason to keep her.
Even if Kusagakure demanded her return, Konoha could easily reject the request—or even accuse them in turn for the death of Karin's mother.
Besides, they would have to seriously consider the consequences.
Kiyosuke would become Karin's guardian.
If they angered him, Kusagakure might very well be reduced to ashes the next day.
Kiyosuke wasn't like Hiruzen Sarutobi—he didn't show mercy.
Though that old man had once been ruthless in his youth, age had mellowed him into someone more pacifistic.
The Land of Grass bordered the Land of Fire, so the distance to Konoha wasn't far.
By traveling overnight, Kiyosuke made it back to the village.
...
At dawn, he returned to Konoha with a sleeping Karin on his back.
Gatekeepers Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki were stunned when they saw the red-haired girl.
"That hair color..."
"No doubt about it—she's from the Uzumaki clan."
"Kiyosuke-sama brought back a member of the Uzumaki clan on this mission?"
"The Third Hokage is probably going to be thrilled."
Kiyosuke ignored them and headed straight for the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had just arrived and was preparing for the day's duties when Kiyosuke pushed the door open, bringing in a little red-haired girl.
"This is..."
The moment Hiruzen saw her hair color, he stood up abruptly.
"She's a descendant of the Uzumaki clan. Her name is Karin. I found her in Kusagakure," Kiyosuke said, setting her gently on the nearby sofa.
"Wait... Kusagakure?"
"Yeah. She and her mother were living there. But because of her special ability, they were treated as nothing more than tools. By the time I arrived, her mother was already dying.
She passed away shortly afterward due to chakra exhaustion."
Hiruzen fell silent.
He knew exactly what "special ability" Kiyosuke meant.
It was a rare trait possessed only by a few members of the Uzumaki clan—once prized and fought over by all the great villages.
As long as the person wasn't dead, just one bite could heal missing limbs, restore chakra...
A living chakra battery.
Of course others would covet that.
To think that this little girl and her mother had that power too...
"Wait—did you take her from Kusagakure?"
"Not really. She chose to come with me.
And what do you mean 'take'? We're shinobi. That's just how things are, isn't it?"
Kiyosuke casually scratched his ear.
"If they've got the guts, they can come and try to take her back. But they're just a bunch of cowards—they don't have the nerve."
He snorted, leaving Hiruzen with a headache.
Too impulsive, too bold.
Still, the Uzumaki were incredibly valuable.
Whether for their ties to Konoha or as potential jinchūriki...
She must stay.
"I understand. This child will remain here.
How about you take care of her?"
"Actually, I'd prefer Rin to take care of her. This girl is very suited to becoming a medical-nin. Even without using her special abilities, she has great potential. Rin would be perfect for the role. But I also want to try reaching out to Tsunade-sama. I wonder if she'd be willing to mentor her distant cousin."
Hiruzen shook his head.
"Forget Tsunade. If Karin lived with her, she'd probably be starving half the time."
As the famous "big spender," Tsunade always blew through money fast.
Even if she earned it quickly, it was gone just as fast.
Shizune's life had been a rollercoaster because of that.
As Tsunade's teacher, Hiruzen knew full well how bad her gambling addiction was.
Too bad she wasn't even good at it!
Well, maybe if she trained more—
Nope. Luck can't be trained. Especially when you've inherited the First Hokage's legendary bad luck.
Absolutely not letting Karin go with Tsunade.
That would be a disaster.
"Alright, forget it. I'll just take her home. Come to think of it, Karin is Naruto's cousin, isn't she?"
In a shinobi clan, everyone was related somehow.
It was just a matter of how close or distant the connection was.
Naruto was Kushina's son, so by lineage, Karin would be his distant cousin.
As for what generation they belonged to... who knew?
"Good. Then Naruto finally has a real relative."
Hiruzen nodded.
Kiyosuke and Haku were considered Naruto's family, but there was no blood relation.
Karin, however, shared a direct bloodline.
That would be a good thing for the boy—at least he wouldn't be alone.
"I'll take her home, then."
Kiyosuke lifted Karin and left.
Hiruzen sat back down and began drafting a report on Karin.
However, when he got to the section about her special ability, he left it blank.
He simply wrote:
[Descendant of the Uzumaki clan. Possesses vast chakra reserves and sensory abilities.]
Only he and Kiyosuke would know the truth.
This was for her protection.
If people learned about her unique ability, even within Konoha, she would become a target.
Kiyosuke couldn't always be in the village.
...
But Kiyosuke wasn't worried about Karin's safety.
Whether it was Hiruzen or Danzō, both of them would make sure Karin was protected.
The Uzumaki were ideal jinchūriki candidates.
With their sealing techniques and massive chakra reserves, they could suppress tailed beasts.
If Kushina hadn't been giving birth—when the seal naturally weakened—Obito would never have had a chance.
If she hadn't given birth, Kurama would have stayed sealed forever.
Hiruzen would protect Karin.
So would Danzō.
They probably already viewed Karin as a backup for Naruto.
If anything happened to him, she would become the next jinchūriki, used to seal the Nine-Tails.
Both of them would be heavily guarded.
Neither would be allowed to fall.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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