From beginning to end, Karin couldn't understand why the two usually reliable men were so despondent after witnessing the Inku Inku no Mi's ability. In her view, it was an incredibly powerful ability.
Anything written would become real.
Not just weapons like swords, spears, and halberds.
But also various natural elements.
Like wind, fire, water, lightning, and so on.
Others needed hand seals, but for Jiraiya, a casual wave of his hand, and the character for [Fire] could turn into pitch-black flames.
It looked somewhat similar to certain someone's Amaterasu flames.
Even beyond items that actually existed in reality, Jiraiya could also write out abstract concepts like sensations, emotions, and states.
This was the most outrageous aspect of this ability.
[Pain]… If this character touched an enemy, the enemy would passively endure pain from head to toe. Unless they removed all the ink marks, the pain would persist.
But getting rid of it wasn't that simple.
In combat, if hit by Jiraiya even once, the opponent would be trapped in an endless vortex.
Because of the pain, they would be unable to react in time and would be hit by Jiraiya again, so in the end, they might even die in pain.
Besides, there were many other characters for Jiraiya to choose from.
[Blind], [Sleep], [Poison], [Paralyze]… even [Death].
Of course, the actual effect of these characters also depended on the strength difference between Jiraiya and his opponent.
If the enemy was of similar strength, the [Death] character would at most give them a near-death experience, not truly take their life.
But if used on weaker individuals with unsteady wills, they might truly believe they had died after being marked by [Death].
If the spirit dies, the body follows.
In short, this fruit's upper limit was quite high. Even Karin could think of many clever uses.
But the two men looked as if their wives had died. They adopted the same leg-hugging, knee-bent posture without saying a word.
This had been going on all morning!
Yes, they had already left New Uzushiogakure and were heading towards the Land of Fire's border.
Due to the Gale Breaker's size, the three couldn't ride together.
But it was fine… wasn't there a more suitable means of transportation?
So, Karin transformed into a giant bird, carrying the two disheartened men on her flight.
But these two grown men had been in this depressive mood since last night, to the point where Karin couldn't stand it anymore.
After some thought, an idea suddenly occurred to Karin.
'That'll teach you guys not to talk!'
She suddenly flapped her wings, changing the direction and speed of the airflow supporting her.
The already fast speed immediately jumped several levels.
At the same time, she deliberately removed the 'wind barrier' in front of the two passengers.
Instantly, the roaring air current blew their hair everywhere, and their faces were distorted by the hurricane-force wind.
"Awawawawa…"
"Bebrebebebe…"
The two were instantly snapped out of their despondency. They tried to say something, but their words were immediately distorted by the wind.
They even had to use Chakra Adhesion to barely avoid being blown off.
"Ahahahaha-"
The young girl's laughter swept across the sky, accompanied by the two men's powerless cries.
It wasn't until they saw the coastline that Naruto and Jiraiya's torture finally came to an end.
In mythology, Garuda had the saying 'soaring ninety thousand miles'. Even though Karin had only eaten the Devil Fruit, her movement speed had gained a terrifying boost.
In her giant bird form, Karin could ride air currents, allowing her to fly at high altitudes without flapping her wings.
At the same time, she wasn't troubled by wind resistance, as the airflow would 'actively' make way.
This allowed Karin to even break the sound barrier in extreme conditions-
Of course, in that case, even if the two guys on her back used Chakra Adhesion firmly, they'd be knocked off by the airflow.
"Whew…"
After landing, Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief.
His old bones had nearly been blown to pieces by the wind just now. He could no longer afford to pretend to be some melancholic pretty boy, frantically rubbing here and there, trying to restore sensation to his numb limbs.
Naruto was in better shape.
Just his hairstyle was a bit messy, but it's no big deal.
"Where is this..."
After fixing his appearance, Naruto finally looked at the surroundings, finding them strangely familiar.
"Do you remember? This is where we set sail from-"
As she spoke, Karin pointed towards the fishing village in the distance… that was where they had bought their first boat.
A journey that originally took two or three days by sea was completed in just one morning thanks to 'Garudamon' super-speed movement.
"Naruto-san, should we continue flying-" Karin turned her head to ask Naruto something, but Jiraiya couldn't take it anymore and immediately raised a hand to stop her.
"Let's walk for a bit first. There's... there's probably no need to be in such a hurry..."
Out of consideration for the elderly, Naruto also agreed.
Two against one, Karin didn't insist and simply followed behind them, walking obediently.
Her steps were light, her expression natural, completely different from the cautious, timid girl she had been over a month ago.
It just goes to show that increased strength and proper education can indeed change a person's character in a short time.
If Karin encountered those Kusagakure's Ninjas now, she would definitely not allow herself to be bullied anymore.
Naruto had given her the ability to resist fate, and Jiraiya had nurtured the courage to do so.
When it came to education, Naruto truly wasn't as good as Jiraiya.
After all, he was the man who had taught the Fourth Hokage… his talent in teaching is unbeatable.
Of course, even though they were walking, Jiraiya didn't forget to practice his ability.
With a casual wave, ink splattered, and a horse-drawn carriage materialized out of thin air.
-Well, they had to ignore the fact that the horse pulling the carriage and the coachman were both pitch black.
The three of them proceeded towards Konoha.
The Land of Rain was situated at the border between the three great nations: Earth, Wind, and Fire, which was why it had suffered from constant war.
To get there, they had to cross the entire Land of Fire.
Naruto also remembered his promise to Sasuke… to let him personally get revenge on the brother who had killed his entire clan. So this time, he would bring him along.
As for strength… well, there was still one more Devil Fruit.
Previously, Naruto had underestimated these fruits from the Celestial Dragons' collection.
'Come to think of it, those guys don't have much else but a lot of money. How could such ordinary Zoan-type Devil Fruits be displayed so openly in the treasure room of those trashes?'
So-
Looking at this black and red fruit, its shape resembling burning flames, Naruto was ninety percent sure this was also a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Naruto's gaze shifted upward, as if seeing through the carriage roof.
"What's wrong?" Jiraiya asked curiously, and Karin also turned to look at him.
"...It's nothing."
Naruto shook his head, then smiled.
'Just some small flies, nothing to worry about.'
High in the sky, a controlled hawk stared intently at the carriage below, which is as small as an ant.
At the same time, a giant pitcher plant slowly emerged from the ground.
"That was close. Good thing I didn't go personally."
Zetsu let out a sigh of relief. Through the summoned creature's eyes, he had clearly felt that tangible pressure.
He really wasn't sure if he would have been discovered if he had personally gone to surveil Naruto.
'This guy... is a variable.'