"Waaah! Waaah! Waaah..."
As several men wearing Kusagakure headbands roughly dragged the red-haired woman away, the cries of a baby suddenly burst forth from the modest wooden house.
"Waaah-oo! Waaah-oo..."
"Wait!"
"That's Karin's crying!"
"Let me go back first! Let me soothe Karin to sleep!"
Hearing the increasingly sharp and anguished cries, the woman felt as though her heart was being mercilessly squeezed.
She struggled desperately to free herself from the arms of the two Grass ninja, attempting to run back toward her home.
"Huh?!"
"You damned woman!"
"Just come with us already!"
"A big shot has arrived at the hospital, and you need to treat him immediately!"
"If anything happens to him, neither you nor your daughter will leave here alive!"
The fat, ugly man on the left grabbed the woman's hair directly, shouting impatiently.
"Karin must be hungry!"
"Let me go back and feed her first. I'll come with you right after!"
Even as her hair was being pulled, the woman continued to struggle fiercely, completely ignoring the pain of her hair being torn out.
"Why waste so much time talking to her?"
"Just take her away!"
The burly man in green on the right stepped forward, lifting the woman onto his shoulder.
As the woman continued to punch and kick in protest, the man threatened, "If you cooperate and successfully treat the big shot at the hospital, I'll let you return immediately."
"But if you keep this up, I'll knock you out cold, and I won't care when you wake up!"
Hearing this, the woman finally ceased her resistance, lying motionlessly on the man's shoulder while watching her home grow farther and farther away.
Yet the sound of the baby's cries seemed to grow louder and more vivid in her heart.
"Karin..."
Tears streamed down the woman's face, making her look utterly pitiful.
After a long while.
The door to the wooden house opened and closed once more.
The woman, panting heavily, rushed to the bed. When she saw the still-crying baby, the heavy weight pressing on her heart finally lifted.
"Uh... uh..."
The baby's voice had grown hoarse from prolonged crying, yet her little mouth continued to open and close weakly, letting out faint sobs.
"Karin!"
"My poor Karin!"
"It's all Mommy's fault..."
"Mommy didn't take good care of you..."
Seeing this, the woman's face was filled with heartache, and tears began to flow uncontrollably from her eyes.
She quickly pulled up her shirt and began to nurse the baby.
After a short while.
Having eaten her fill, the baby finally fell asleep in her mother's arms.
Perhaps sensing her mother's presence, the baby even smiled blissfully in her sleep.
"Sweet girl..."
"My sweet Karin..."
The woman gently patted the baby's swaddling cloth, humming an ancient lullaby.
Knock, knock, knock...
Suddenly, the sound of knocking came again, though this time it was soft and gentle, unlike the rough pounding from earlier.
"Huh?!"
The woman froze in shock, instinctively holding the baby tightly in her arms.
"Could it be..."
A terrible thought flashed through her mind. After all, her graceful appearance and gentle demeanor often attracted lecherous gazes on the streets.
Having experienced the ways of the world, she understood all too well the meaning behind those looks.
Knock, knock...
The knocking came again, this time seeming to strike directly at the woman's soul, leaving her frozen in place.
Creak...
The sound of the wooden door being pushed open reached the woman's ears, and a shadow entered the room.
The woman's pupils contracted sharply as she stared at the shadow at the door, her mind racing with fearful thoughts.
"Excuse me..."
"Are you Karin's mother?"
Hearing this polite inquiry, the woman was stunned. After all, the Grass ninja would never say such a thing.
Kusagakure had always treated her family with disdain and contempt, refusing even to sell them food...
The villagers were experts at insults and mockery, calling them parasites...
Trash that had drifted into Kusagakure, deserving to be swept away...
When the woman was younger, she hadn't understood these things, and her parents had never explained much, only constantly comforting her.
When the wooden door was fully opened, standing in the doorway was not the lecherous man she had feared, but rather a handsome, tall young man.
He wore a black and red combat outfit and carried a blue-gold rod slung diagonally across his back.
The smile on his face was warm, clearly an effort to appear approachable.
But as a member of the Uzumaki clan, the woman instinctively sensed the immense power contained within the young man.
It was a vast and violent energy, yet it remained completely stable within him.
Who was this man...
The woman had no doubt that this single individual could destroy the entirety of Kusagakure...
The Land of Wind, Sunagakure, Kazekage's Office.
The Kazekage sat behind his desk, reviewing the report submitted by Sōmi.
"Hmm..."
"This tax rate is much lower than what Elder Ebizō suggested. Not bad!"
Seeing the finalized terms of the alliance, a smile appeared on the Kazekage's face.
After all, many of the Land of Lightning's specialties were highly useful to Sunagakure, such as the sap used to make Sealing Scrolls and Chakra paper.
These miraculous trees required high-quality seeds and a unique environment to grow, and their nutrients were equally special.
The best quality naturally came from Konohagakure, but if war broke out with Konoha in the future, these resources would undoubtedly be cut off.
At that time, the materials from the Land of Lightning would serve as an effective substitute.
After finishing his official duties, the Kazekage joked, "You were only gone for five days this time, and you brought back a wife and child with you?"
"Are young people moving this quickly nowadays?"
Sōmi quickly denied, "Not at all!"
"Sensei! I've actually brought back two treasures for the village!"
"That mother and daughter both have red hair. Do you know what that means?"
Sōmi revealed a mysterious smile.
This time, the Kazekage paused for a moment before quickly reacting, "Uzumaki clan survivors?!"
"Of course!"
"Why else would I bring them all the way back?"
Sōmi then fabricated a story about encountering the mother and daughter being bullied in the Land of Grass, discovering the woman's miraculous abilities, and deciding to bring them back.
"I see..."
"While the Uzumaki clan's bloodline is indeed precious, we must remain cautious. What if this is a trap set up by someone?"
The Kazekage's expression turned serious as he spoke.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
Explore More Amazing Fanfiction on My Patreon!
Unlock 30+ Advance Chapters and Enjoy Exclusive Stories Early!
��patreon.com/GoldenLong