Subduing Karin

The iron gate crashed open, and the ninja teams shot out like arrows from a bow, quickly vanishing into the dense vegetation.

Team 7 also chose a direction and swept in swiftly.

The Forest of Death lived up to its name.

It felt like an entirely different world from the peace of Konoha.

Towering ancient trees blocked out the sky, casting dim light, while the ground was a tangle of gnarled roots and thick layers of decaying leaves.

The air reeked of rotting plants and soil, mixed with the musky stench of various beasts.

Danger lurked everywhere!

In less than half an hour of advancing, Yo and his two teammates had already faced over a dozen waves of beast attacks.

Poisonous pythons lurking in the grass, wild boars charging in packs, and even a massive black bear...

Deeper in the forest, colorful venomous insects rustled and skittered.

All of it underscored the law of survival here: the strong prey on the weak.

But.

For Team 7, this was just an appetizer.

Thanks to the butterfly effect caused by Yo, both Sasuke and Naruto were far stronger than their counterparts in the original timeline.

The two worked in perfect sync, bulldozing their way through and easily neutralizing dangers.

They even had time to observe their surroundings and look for other teams along the way.

"Help!! Help me!"

A shrill, terrified cry for help came from not far ahead.

The voice was filled with despair and fear, enough to make one's scalp tingle.

Then.

Came the roars of beasts and the sound of trees snapping!

"Someone's in trouble!"

Naruto stopped immediately, looking toward the source of the sound, instinctively about to rush over and save them.

Sasuke also snapped into alert mode, his Sharingan quietly activating:

"The voice isn't far. The one calling for help is a woman. The beasts are making a lot of noise—more than one!"

Yo glanced at Sasuke, his expression clear: What do we do? Save them or not?

Second Pillar seemed cold, but he had tacitly accepted Yo as the team leader.

Yo raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed on the direction of the cries.

That voice...

Sounded familiar!

"Let's go! Check it out!"

Yo waved his hand.

Naruto, already impatient, charged ahead toward the sound.

Sasuke followed immediately.

Yo strolled leisurely behind them, completely at ease.

Soon.

A clearing littered with knocked-over trees came into view.

Seeing the scene, Naruto and Sasuke both froze for a moment.

A faint, almost imperceptible smile curled at the corner of Yo's mouth.

"Oh? It's her!"

A red-haired girl wearing glasses was running frantically, looking utterly disheveled.

Behind her, three black bears, each the size of a small elephant, with bloodshot eyes and drool dripping from their maws, were chasing her in a frenzy.

The three-headed black bears had clearly been driven mad by something, relentlessly pursuing the girl.

That girl was Karin!

Watching Karin, Yo couldn't help recalling the relevant plot.

One of the key reasons Karin became utterly devoted to Sasuke, turning into his fangirl.

Was that during this Chūnin Exam, she was saved by Sasuke.

That feeling of gratitude and admiration for strength in the midst of despair eventually twisted into obsessive attachment.

"How could I let such a useful human radar and mobile blood pack go to that foolish younger brother of mine?"

"This one, I'll save!"

Yo suddenly spoke, then quietly vanished from his spot, reappearing between the Three-Headed Black Bear and Karin.

"ROAR!"

The three-headed frenzied black bear bared its fangs and swiped at Yo.

Yo raised his right hand, index and middle fingers together, forming a blade with his hand.

CRACKLE!!!

Blue lightning extended from his fingertips, coalescing into a slender spear of lightning.

Chidori Sharp Spear!

Yo raised his hand and slashed repeatedly.

THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!

Three arcs of blue light precisely carved through the bodies of the three-headed black bear.

The extreme penetration and destructive properties of Lightning Release Chakra were on full display in that moment.

The three-headed black bear, radiating overwhelming menace, suddenly came to an abrupt halt, then split apart and crashed to the ground.

Chunks of flesh slammed into the earth one after another, shattering into dozens of pieces.

No blood flowed; the cuts were clean and smooth, charred black.

Instant kill!

From Yo making his move to the bear's death, the entire process took less than two seconds.

Yo landed lightly, barely stirring up any dust.

The lightning crackling at his fingertips quietly extinguished, as if it had never existed.

He turned around, looking at Karin, who was sitting slumped on the ground with a dazed expression: "Little sister, are you alright?"

Sunlight filtered through the broken canopy, dappling Yo's body and outlining a faint halo around him.

In Karin's eyes, the whole world fell silent and faded to gray.

Only this black-haired youth, descending like a heavenly god, remained.

Karin was a pitiful soul!

Since she was a child, aside from her mother, no one had ever smiled at her, and no one had ever treated her like this.

Not far away.

Sasuke wasn't looking at Karin; his gaze was locked onto Yo's right hand.

His Sharingan had already activated, two tomoe slowly spinning, trying to capture and analyze the Chidori Sharp Spear from just now.

The sharp form, the extreme condensation of Lightning Release, the familiar chirping of Chakra from the Chidori...

Sasuke's throat went dry. Was that just now... Chidori?

No!

It wasn't just Chidori!

It was a more condensed version of Chidori, pushing piercing power to its limit... another form of Lightning Release Chidori!

Yo... not only mastered Chidori, but in such a short time, developed an even stronger application?

Sasuke clenched his fist.

He had always thought that mastering Chidori would let him close some of the gap with Yo, but now...

He was too naive. The gap was far larger than he had imagined!

Yo had no idea what Sasuke was thinking. He extended his hand toward Karin.

Karin snapped back to reality, her face instantly flushing bright red. Flustered, she shook her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum:

"Thank you for saving me!"

She didn't dare meet Yo's eyes, her heart pounding so fast it felt like it would leap out of her chest.

Just then, Naruto also ran over, curiously sizing up Karin:

"Huh? You're from Kusagakure? Where are your teammates? How come you're alone being chased by these big bears?"

At the mention of teammates, the blush on Karin's face quickly faded, her expression dimming as she said quietly:

"They... they're all dead. Not long after entering the forest, we ran into a very strong enemy..."

She didn't show much grief, more confusion and fear.

She had never had much attachment to her Kusagakure teammates; teaming up was just to get through the Chūnin Exams.

Now that her teammates were dead.

As a support-type ninja, she could barely move a step in this perilous Forest of Death.

What now? Could she really walk out of here alive?

Karin felt a flicker of despair.

Yo smiled faintly. "I see. Then you'll come with us."

"Huh?!"

Karin jerked her head up. Behind her thick lenses, her eyes went wide, round with disbelief.

Come with them? These powerful Konoha ninja?

Was that... was that even possible?

Naruto agreed readily enough. He didn't have a bad impression of this timid, red-haired girl.

Sasuke frowned. She was a ninja from another village, her identity unclear. Bringing her along might not only slow them down.

It could also carry unknown risks—a sneak attack, leaked intel, or even an outright trap.

But seeing Yo's unyielding expression, he swallowed the words before they left his mouth.

The two brothers lived together day to day. Sasuke looked cool on the surface.

But in truth, on most matters, Yo had the final say.

Sasuke was used to following.

"So? Interested in coming with us?" Yo asked with a smile.

To Karin, Yo's words were like music from heaven!

The sheer, overwhelming surprise shattered her defenses in an instant. Tears flooded her eyes as she bowed again and again.

"Th... thank you! I swear I won't hold you back!"

"I believe you."

Yo nodded with a smile.

Karin was a pure-blooded member of the Uzumaki Clan—purer even than Naruto!

Her Mind's Eye of the Kagura gave her extraordinary sensory abilities. Bringing her along was like carrying a human radar.

The value was enormous!

Besides, a lot of people in the ninja world were stubborn to the core.

Once you won them over, they'd be utterly devoted, loyal to the death.

Like Kimimaro, Haku, Karin, Neji...

"Thank you!"

Karin was deeply moved. She stood up and bowed repeatedly in gratitude.

The four of them prepared to set out.

Just then.

Yo let out a soft "Oh?" and turned his head toward a patch of shadow off to the side. A smirk curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Finally here..."