The three of them quickly arrived near Kusagakure.
As war drew near, Kusagakure was far from peaceful.
Below them was Kusagakure's hospital. Calling it a hospital was generous—it was really just a thatched hut, and its so-called doctor was merely a red-haired woman.
At that moment, more than a dozen Kusagakure shinobi had gathered inside the hut, surrounding Karin and her mother.
"What... what do you want?"
Karin's mother stared intently with her sunken, clouded eyes at the Kusagakure shinobi surrounding her and her daughter. She could sense that these people had not come merely to use her to treat their wounds. They definitely had some other purpose.
Yet, none of the Grass shinobi spoke. They merely watched the mother and daughter with dark, ominous eyes.
Karin's mother caught sight of her daughter's frail little figure beside her and immediately understood why they were here. Her eyes, already veiled in gray, suddenly filled with panic and terror. She stretched out her gaunt arm, covered in bite marks, and shielded Karin behind her.
"Y-you promised me that as long as I treated you, you wouldn't lay a hand on my daughter."
Feeling the predatory gazes of the Grass shinobi, Karin's expression turned utterly terrified as well.
The Grass Ninja Village Leader was growing impatient, his face darkening. A mere medical tool dared to defy her master's wishes.
The Grass Ninja Village Leader said grimly, "Uzumaki Suika, don't forget who you are!"
"If Kusagakure hadn't taken you in back then, you would have died out there long ago!"
"Kusagakure gave you a chance to live, so you should repay Kusagakure properly. That is your duty!"
A dangerous gleam flickered in the Grass Ninja Village Leader's eyes. The Fourth Shinobi World War was about to break out, and Uzumaki Suika alone would likely