Looks Like a Storm Tonight!

On a tree-lined path in the royal palace, beneath the cold moonlight, a little red-haired girl wept timidly.

"Mommy, I want my mommy."

A burly Grass Ninja shoved the stumbling girl to the ground and cursed in irritation.

"Shut up! If you keep crying, I'll kill you!"

Then he kept muttering under his breath. "Fuck, the boss and those guys eat, drink, and have fun in the palace every day, while I'm stuck doing patrols. And now I have to deliver them a blood bag too!"

Hearing the red-haired girl still crying, the big man irritably slapped her across the head.

"If you want to see your mother, shut up and follow me!"

The little girl's eyes lit up for a moment. Then she wiped away her tears and struggled to keep up with the big man on unsteady feet.

"Heh heh heh!" The burly Grass Ninja sneered.

"But don't think seeing your mother in a place like this is going to be a good thing."

The burly Grass Ninja knew all too well what kind of bastards the ninja of his village were. Every day, they used their status as ninja to burn, kill, and plunder among the commoners alongside those equally disgusting nobles, committing every kind of evil. Of course, their boss, Horii Tarō, was the biggest bastard of them all.

Horii Tarō had used his skills to seize an opportunity during the Shinobi World War, killing the previous leader and taking his place. When the daimyō questioned him, he took the opportunity to offer up survivors of the Uzumaki Clan whom he had captured by chance. Once members of a great clan renowned throughout the Shinobi World, they had been abandoned by their allies in Konoha. He used their special bloodline to provide the daimyō and nobles with blood bags for recovery and a means of restoring their youth, securing his position.

Still, the thought of a once-lofty ninja clan, distant relatives of great figures like the First Hokage, being brought to heel by small fry like him felt satisfying.

At that thought, the big man shoved the red-haired girl again. Watching her struggle as she lay on the ground, he burst out laughing.

The little girl paid no attention to the scrapes on her body. All she wanted was to reach her mother as quickly as possible.

My name is Karin Uzumaki. Mommy once told me the Uzumaki Clan used to be respected by everyone, but I don't really understand that stuff!

All I know is that, for as long as I can remember, Mommy and I have lived in that cold dungeon.

In that dark, damp place, the happiest part of my day was when a ray of sunlight came through the tiny window.

When I touched the warm light with my fingers, Mother would always smile and tell me how wonderful the world outside was.

The bad people brought us very little food each day, but as long as I was with Mommy, I was happy.

But every so often, something happened that worried me a lot.

Those people would take Mommy away and leave me alone in the dungeon. I was scared every time!

Mommy always came back very late, but she would laugh and secretly give me tasty things she'd tucked into her clothes.

My favorite was the cold pork cutlet.

But even though Mommy always smiled, I could see the bleeding wounds on her body and the bite marks all over her, as if some beast had been gnawing on her.

Mommy always said it didn't hurt, but I would blow on her wounds anyway. Mommy said that could blow the pain away.

Tonight, Mommy was taken away again, just like always.

But afterward, I was taken out of the dungeon too.

None of that matters, though. As long as I can be with Mommy, I don't care if the beasts bite me too.

That was what the young Karin Uzumaki thought, but suddenly she raised her head and looked in a certain direction.

At some point, dark clouds had quietly covered the moon. The wind began to rise, and the trees around them swayed, rustling constantly.

The vast courtyard was dim, and the brightly lit palace in the distance only made it seem darker still.

"Kid, what are you looking at?"

The Grass Ninja tightened his cloak and looked back in surprise at the little girl. He followed her gaze, but there was only the sound of the wind whimpering through the night.

"So warm!" Karin murmured. In her perception, a source of Chakra that made people want to draw close was giving off a warm presence. Other than from her mother, this was the first time she had felt such a presence.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Hearing the little girl's mysterious muttering, the burly Grass Ninja felt a trace of chill. It was as though something that reached into his very bones had provoked him into a rage.

The man raised his fist high again. Seeing the little girl, who would normally have cowered in fear, staring dreamily behind him instead, he forced down the fear in his heart and struck viciously at Karin's head.

As if a sudden gust of night wind had swept past, the Grass Ninja found that the frail little girl had vanished from before his eyes. In her place, a boy swept an icy gaze over him for an instant.

The gaze merely passed over him, yet the man felt as though he had been enveloped by a thousand-year-old icy wind circling the polar regions. Every muscle and nerve in his body froze, and he could scarcely move even his little finger.

Move! Move!

The man screamed desperately in his head, trying to rouse his body. At last, he felt it move under the force of his will, but his only thought was to get away from the boy while hoping a companion would come to save him.

But he discovered that no sound came from his open mouth, only a hoarse, rasping gasp. When his hand instinctively reached for his throat, warm liquid stained his entire palm.

Ignoring the Grass Ninja as he fell lifelessly to the ground, Dōmeki looked down at the little girl in his arms. Her short red hair burned like flames in the night wind.

The next moment, eyes that seemed to reflect the starlight of the entire universe entered Karin's perception, and the warmth where their bodies touched made her burn all over.

"You've been very good, Miss Karin!"

Dōmeki set the little girl on the ground and reached out to ruffle her hair. It did feel quite nice.

Karin's eyes narrowed under the boy's touch. She made no move to ask who he was, but after enjoying the gentleness for a moment, she suddenly cried out in urgency.

"Mommy!"

Dōmeki took the little girl's hand, and a voice that seemed to Karin to hold boundless power rang beside her ear.

"Come on. Let's bring her home!"

Meanwhile, inside the hall, the lively feast continued without pause. Having drunk their fill of Uzumaki clanspeople's blood, the nobles grew even more restless.

But then-

A violent night wind suddenly blew the tightly shut doors open. At once, the candles throughout the hall flickered wildly, and the cluttered cups and plates fell to the floor and shattered. Some of the more timid guests were so startled that they fell to the ground.

Horii Tarō paid no attention to those disheveled "great figures." Instead, he stared fixedly at the open space in the center of the hall.

The red-haired woman, who should have been lying on the ground in despair, had been covered with a coat. A red-haired boy who had appeared at some unknown point stood there, holding the hand of the little Uzumaki girl.

The red-haired boy paid no attention to Horii Tarō's wary gaze. He merely looked up at the night sky through the open doors and spoke softly, as though in reflection.

"Looks like a storm tonight!"