With Haku supporting her, Karin—her head wrapped in bandages—left the hospital without arousing anyone's suspicions.
Standing at the hospital entrance, Shinji watched the two of them leave and thought, I can get things moving on Yakumo's end, too!
So far, his plan had gone smoothly!
As the last surviving member of the Uzumaki Clan, and someone Lord Jiraiya had personally brought back to the village, Karin had once attracted a lot of attention from the village.
But after Shinji and Sasuke made a splash at the Ninja Academy, and Yakumo's recent meteoric rise eclipsed everyone else, the village's higher-ups gradually stopped paying attention to her.
After all, Yakumo, who had mastered Wood Release—a power of special significance to Konoha—was more worthy of attention than the last surviving member of the Uzumaki Clan.
Especially now that both the Akatsuki Organization and the rogue Orochimaru had set their sights on Yakumo. That only made the village focus on her even more.
That afternoon.
After hearing the news, Jiraiya hurried to Karin's apartment.
"Lord Jiraiya!"
Karin opened the door and warmly welcomed him inside.
Although the Grass Ninja had arranged her encounter with Jiraiya, she was still deeply grateful to him.
Unlike the other Konoha Ninja, Jiraiya hadn't ignored her, the last surviving member of the Uzumaki Clan. He had brought her back to Konoha.
Jiraiya set the fruit he'd brought on the table. "How did you manage to be so careless? Is it serious? I heard you almost injured your eye."
Karin quickly shook her head. "N-no, my eye's fine. The hospital said I just need to rest for a while, until the wound heals completely."
Jiraiya examined the injury on Karin's head.
Karin immediately grew tense, afraid he might see through the ruse.
The wound near her eye had healed long