The future video begins——
[In the corridor of Kusagakure Hospital, a burly man grabbed a girl by her red hair and dragged her forward. At first, the red-haired girl cried, but soon her expression turned numb.]
[The two passed a small, dark room. Inside, a person lay motionless, covered with a coarse cloth. A few strands of red hair peeked out from underneath.]
[The red-haired girl immediately shook off the burly man and rushed over. Before she could lift the cloth, an arm covered in bite marks slipped out.]
[The girl froze for a moment, then ran to the side and retched violently.]
[The burly man walked in and dragged her away again. No matter how much she struggled or cried, it was useless.]
[Soon, he brought her to a ward filled with wounded soldiers and threw her onto the ground. After a brief exchange with the others, several injured men approached her with grim smiles.]
[One of the wounded grabbed her arm and opened his mouth to bite down.]
[With a loud bang, the ward door was thrown open, knocking the man aside.]
[A Kusagakure ANBU in a black cloak flashed in front of the girl and shielded her. He unleashed Water Style: Waterfall Technique, sweeping away everyone in the room except the girl.]
[The Kusagakure ANBU quickly carried her away, along with the red-haired woman who had been hidden under the coarse cloth.]
[Once outside the village, atop a barren mountain, the ANBU removed his mask.]
[It was Itsuki.]
[Itsuki used the vitality of his Wood Release to infuse into the woman's body—miraculously saving her.]
[It turned out the woman had not completely died. Her chakra and vitality were only drained. Itsuki's chakra nature was able to restore her.]
[At this moment, a memory scene unfolded from Itsuki's perspective.]
[Itsuki had been training with Tenzō for three days and earned his full recognition. The Third Hokage decided his training was sufficient and arranged for him to join the ANBU.]
[Itsuki's first mission after joining was to secretly infiltrate Kusagakure and investigate.]
[During the mission, he stumbled upon the plight of the red-haired mother and daughter. Sympathy overwhelmed him, and he broke from orders to save them.]
…
This concluded the video.
Originally, Itsuki's plan was to quietly take Karin and her mother without alerting anyone.
Unfortunately, the Fabrication System judged this solution invalid.
Itsuki sighed, realizing Karin's mother might not survive if he didn't alter events.
Even if he hurried to Kusagakure, he likely wouldn't find her alive at home.
He had no choice but to push the timeline back and fabricate events more closely to canon.
The System approved.
Still, infiltrating Kusagakure so openly to "steal their human-shaped pills" was risky. If careless, he could be surrounded—and even after escaping, pursuit was certain.
"My head hurts!" Itsuki groaned, rubbing his temples.
Time was too short. If he had longer, he would simply awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan and crush anyone in his way. Was all this really necessary?
But fabricating the future couldn't be random. Right now, even with three tomoe, he couldn't run wild in Kusagakure.
[Yamanaka Ino: This is… Karin, right? @Uzumaki Karin]
[Tenten: Oh my god, is this the life Karin and her mother lived in Kusagakure?!]
[Hyuga Hinata: That's too cruel!]
[Yamanaka Ino: I never imagined such things existed in the ninja world. Or maybe… this is the kind of truth only a ninja can see?]
[Tenten: No! I've never seen it either. But I do know the ninja world has darkness like this. Any of us could face something even worse.]
[Uzumaki Karin: That person… was that the group leader, Itsuki?]
[Yamanaka Ino: That's right. Those two future videos are saved in the group files. Did you see them?]
[Uzumaki Karin: Yeah… but, he'll come and save me and my mom? That can't be true!]
[Tenten: Based on the timeline, Itsuki will join ANBU in two days and take the mission to Kusagakure. Since Konoha is about a two-day journey, he'll reach you in four or five days at most.]
[Yamanaka Ino: Don't worry, Karin. Since you and your mother were saved in the video, it's bound to happen. We already confirmed it with the last two future clips.]
[Hyuga Hinata: I want to help too… but if Itsuki-kun does this, won't it cause diplomatic problems?]
[Tenten: Itsuki considered that. That's why he disguised himself as a Kusagakure ANBU. As long as his identity isn't exposed, it'll be fine. I wish I were stronger—I'd definitely go with him.]
[Yamanaka Ino: Even if we can't join the rescue, we can still help! Let's find a way to leave the village around then. At the very least, we can help Karin and her mother settle somewhere safe. @Tenten @Hyuga Hinata]
[Hyuga Hinata: I can try to prepare some money, but I'm not sure if I'll be allowed to leave.]
[Tenten: You're both still new genin and stuck with your jonin sensei. I have more freedom. I'll try to pick up a mission outside the village in the next few days. Leave it to me!]
[Uzumaki Karin: You guys…]
[Yamanaka Ino: Hinata said it before—everyone in this group is a friend. With this chat group, we'll all become stronger.]
[Yamanaka Ino: Now you need us, and we'll be there. Later, when we're the ones who need help, you'll be there for us.]
[Tenten: It might sound utilitarian, but it's the truth. Karin, remember—our group is the most unique in the ninja world. One day, we'll shock everyone!]
[Hyuga Hinata: Yes… I feel much more confident than before.]
[Uzumaki Karin: Thank you… thank you so much…]
…
"Uzumaki… Karin…"
Sakura read the group chat quietly.
A moment ago, she had been cursing and sulking. Now, she was silent.
Compared to Karin's suffering, her own complaints seemed trivial.
After all, Sakura was selfish and willful, but she was kind at heart. Otherwise, she would never inherit Tsunade's mantle in the original story.
Karin's tragedy struck her deeply.
Though her mindset wouldn't change overnight, some of Sakura's stubbornness faded quietly.