"So that was how it was!"
Mo Chen couldn't help reflecting to himself. He understood a little more about how fabricating the future could affect reality.
If he'd gone to look for Karin first, her mother might really have been beyond saving.
But when he was thinking about finding Karin, he'd suddenly spotted Kusagakure Hospital and changed his target.
He'd found Karin's mother at the hospital, and while examining her, he'd transferred a trace of vitality to her. That had just barely preserved the last spark of life within her.
That spark would keep her alive for a while longer, until Mo Chen could take Karin and her mother away from Kusagakure.
After all, at this point, Karin and her mother weren't in the same place.
No matter which one Mo Chen rescued first, he'd alert the village, making it difficult to save the other.
Tap, tap, tap!
Footsteps approached from a distance. Mo Chen soon saw a burly man wearing a Grass Village Forehead Protector, dragging Karin this way by her hair.
It was the scene where the story began!
Mo Chen frowned and glanced at the Chat Group.
Tenten was still livestreaming. Team Guy, led by Might Guy, had met with the leader of Kusagakure and was discussing the Chunin Ninja Exams.
Through the livestream, the girls in the group had all learned about the exams, and Tenten was explaining them.
But Karin hadn't said anything in the chat. She hadn't asked Tenten and the others for help.
Mo Chen could more or less guess what Karin was thinking. First, she didn't want to drag Tenten into this. Second, she wanted to see for herself whether the Future videos were genuine.
Since the Future videos showed Mo Chen saving her and her mother, there was no need to complicate things as long as the footage was accurate.
Once he'd figured that out, Mo Chen quietly withdrew into the darkness of the room.
"Mom!!"
When Karin was dragged inside, she saw a 'body' covered with a cloth. A few strands of red hair poked through a gap. She immediately wrenched herself free of the Grass Village ninja and ran over.
In Kusagakure, only she and her mother had red hair.
But before Karin could get close, a slender, pale arm slipped out from under the cloth. It was covered in ugly bite marks.
"Ugh!"
Karin took one look and immediately felt nauseous. She turned to the side and retched uncontrollably.
Tears welled in her eyes. What had her mother been through? It was almost impossible to imagine!
The Grass Village ninja who had brought her over walked up, showed no concern as he grabbed her by the collar, and dragged her back out.
"Let go of me! Mom, Mom!!" Karin struggled and sobbed.
"We have to protect the village. This is the only way," the Grass Village ninja said coldly. "I'm sorry your mother is gone, but there are plenty of wounded waiting to be treated."
He dragged Karin to a ward farther down the hall. It was filled with badly injured patients, their groans rising one after another.
The Grass Village ninja tossed Karin to the ground and went to speak with the doctor in charge.
Karin hesitated for a moment, then immediately turned to run.
Unfortunately, the other man hadn't forgotten about her. He grabbed her and pulled her back.
"No! Let go of me, no!" Karin cried helplessly.
She still couldn't be completely sure that Mo Chen would come to save her.
Even though she knew he would, she was still afraid in a situation like this.
The Grass Village ninja said coldly, "We took in an orphan with nowhere to go. You have to earn your keep!"
But just then, an even colder voice, brimming with murderous intent, suddenly rang out—
"So what will you do if you're no longer able to take care of her?"
Who was that?
The Grass Village ninja's hair stood on end. His whole body froze in place.
He didn't dare move. That icy killing intent had locked onto him completely.
The Grass Village ninja was sure that even the slightest movement would cost him his head.
The temperature in the ward suddenly dropped several degrees. The unexpected change left the room utterly silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Tap. Tap.
Crisp footsteps sounded. Each one was like a tolling death knell, making everyone's heart pound as they forgot how to breathe.
What kind of oppressive presence was this?
Only Karin didn't feel it, but she followed everyone's gaze toward the ward entrance all the same.
A figure—not especially tall, but radiating an overwhelming sense of oppression—strode inside with heavy steps.
His face was hidden behind a white Anbu mask decorated with a pattern. A black cloak covered his body, concealing his appearance and build.
"So this is... Mo Chen?"
A sense of happiness welled up in Karin's heart. She felt a strange closeness to him and couldn't help taking a step forward.
This scene wasn't quite the same as the one in the Future videos.
In the video, Mo Chen had waited until someone was about to bite Karin before appearing, to build up the tension.
But reality was reality, and even the established future could be changed by the butterfly effect.
Mo Chen had already prepared himself, so he wouldn't deliberately waste time and wait until the perfect moment to make a dramatic entrance.
"Stop!"
The doctor in charge suddenly shouted and reached for Karin's hand.
Karin was a strategic resource for Kusagakure. She was crucial to their chances of winning the war. How could they possibly let her leave?
This is bad!
The Grass Village ninja who had brought Karin here felt his heart leap and silently cursed.
It was clear from the stranger's opening words that he had come for Karin.
Whoosh!
Sure enough, before the doctor could touch Karin, a figure flashed past.
Blood sprayed through the air, and the doctor's entire arm flew high into the air.
Mo Chen, posing as a Kusagakure Anbu, had somehow already appeared in front of Karin, shielding her behind him.
He held a short blade in his hand, a drop of blood falling from its tip.
The killing intent still hung over the Grass Village ninja from earlier.
The Grass Village ninja had wanted to use the moment Mo Chen attacked to put some distance between them and prepare for a fight. But Mo Chen had moved too fast, and now he was trapped in that same paralyzing fear.
"Ah!!"
Only then did the doctor let out a shriek like a slaughtered pig. His anguished wail echoed through the entire hospital.
The people in the ward were still paralyzed with terror, but outside, the scream sent everyone into a commotion.
"So warm! This is... Mo Chen!"
Sheltered behind Mo Chen, Karin gazed dreamily at his back.
At that moment, she didn't care about anything around her.
To her, that figure was the first glimmer of hope—and the dream she would pursue for the rest of her life!
"I'll take you away from here," Mo Chen said gently in Karin's ear.
Karin nodded without hesitation and replied softly, "Mm!"
"Wait!" She soon remembered something and pleaded, "My mother is right next door. Can you take her with us?"
"All right," Mo Chen said with a nod.
Thud, thud, thud, thud...
A jumble of footsteps approached from a distance. Soon, a large crowd came rushing over.
After all, this was Kusagakure territory, and their people were everywhere. They were quick to respond.
"What happened?"
"Someone's trying to steal our human-shaped pill! Kill him!"
"That man definitely isn't one of our village's Anbu."
More than a dozen Grass Village ninjas surrounded the ward. After a flurry of questions, they quickly figured out what was happening and glared at Mo Chen with hostility.
The Grass Village ninja who had brought Karin there finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Under the weight of that killing intent, his entire back had been soaked with sweat.
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