Red Hair... Bite Marks... The Past

Seeing more than a dozen Kusagakure chunin racing toward the explosion site, Uchiha Sanpo's lips curled up unconsciously. He was certain of it: this was in the bag. If that Iwagakure jonin pursuing him did not retreat quickly, then even if he survived by luck, he would be seriously injured.

Just as he was preparing to slip away quietly, he detected three more ninja rapidly approaching.

So, he continued hiding and pondered, Judging by their chakra levels, two of them should be chunin. The last one has an absurd amount of chakra—could she be Kage-level? But... how could Kusagakure have someone like that? ...Red hair... bite marks on her arm... Could she be... Karin Uzumaki's mother!

Karin Uzumaki's Mother

Karin Uzumaki and her mother both possessed the Uzumaki Clan's special physique. Their vitality and chakra were immense; a single bite could restore injuries and chakra.

At that thought, a hint of greed rose in Uchiha Sanpo's heart. I'm taking this woman!

As the three gradually approached, he suddenly leaped out from his hiding place.

Using the two heads he had gained after the God-Demon Transformation, he activated Sharingan: Genjutsu twice at once, instantly taking control of the two Kusagakure chunin.

Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Uzumaki Huiyi was startled as well. She instinctively tried to assume a defensive stance, only for one of the Kusagakure chunin beside her to knock her out directly.

Next, Uchiha Sanpo controlled the two Kusagakure chunin and prepared to question them for intelligence. After all, it was a ninja's basic rule: obtain as much information as possible to increase the mission's chance of success.

"What are your names?"

"Maono."

"Muto."

"What changes have there been in Iwagakure's deployment on the eastern battlefield these past two days?"

"Iwagakure's attacks on Konoha strongholds... have increased somewhat..."

Uchiha Sanpo had intended to keep gathering information, but four more Kusagakure ninja appeared in the distance, one of whom seemed to be a jonin.

Time was tight, leaving him no room to continue probing for information. He immediately cast genjutsu again, controlling Maono and Muto as they walked toward a dense patch of grass.

There, he made them slash open their own throats with kunai.

The pain... instantly woke the two of them. Their eyes were full of terror and struggle, as though they wanted to say something, but blood gushed endlessly from their necks like a spring, quickly staining the grass beneath them red.

After doing all that, Uchiha Sanpo did not pause for even a moment. He quickly walked over to the unconscious Uzumaki Huiyi.

He crouched down, lifted her arm, and gently took a bite.

In an instant, a warm force poured into his body. The weakness in him rapidly dispersed like morning mist, his chakra began recovering without end, and even some of his ocular power returned.

He hurriedly checked the system panel.

Host: Uchiha Sanpo

Vitality: 520/520

Chakra: 996/996

Ocular Power: 598/958

...

More than ten seconds later, four Kusagakure ninja passed by. The Kusagakure jonin among them twitched his nose slightly, seeming to catch the scent of blood in the air. His expression sharpened, and he immediately leaped onto a treetop, his keen gaze sweeping the surroundings.

However, before he could find the source of the bloodstains, a series of explosions in the distance drew his attention. After weighing his options, he could only lead his team swiftly toward the blast zone.

More and more Kusagakure ninja were gathering here, and their strength was increasing. It was no longer safe to remain.

Two minutes later, Uchiha Sanpo disguised himself as an ordinary Kusagakure genin. Then he picked up Uzumaki Huiyi and rapidly moved east.

The Land of Grass was only a small country. Faced with the war between the two great powers, Konoha and Iwagakure, it had no ability to stop them.

With no other choice, they could only temporarily cede the eastern region of the Land of Grass as a battlefield for Konoha and Iwagakure. That was precisely why Uchiha Sanpo had chosen to head east. Comparatively speaking, there would be fewer Kusagakure ninja there, making his movements safer.

After carrying Uzumaki Huiyi and running wildly for more than five minutes, the surroundings gradually quieted down. The sounds of explosions from battle could no longer be heard. He slowed down and woke Uzumaki Huiyi in his arms. After all, fleeing with someone would be extremely inconvenient if an unexpected battle broke out.

He gently patted Uzumaki Huiyi's cheek and said, "Wake up... Stop pretending."

Uzumaki Huiyi opened her eyes. There was not only wariness and hostility in them, but an even stronger disgust.

She stared at Uchiha Sanpo and said coldly, "Let me go, Konoha bastard! I will never trust you. Your Konoha betrayed the alliance, leading to the destruction of our country and the deaths of countless clansmen. Sooner or later, we will settle this debt!"

Seeing how agitated she was, Uchiha Sanpo frowned slightly and patiently said, "I understand how you feel. If you want to hate someone, hate Sarutobi Hiruzen and those Konoha higher-ups. Konoha did not wrong the Uzumaki Clan. At the very least, your in-laws, the Senju Clan, nearly got wiped out because of you."

Uzumaki Huiyi was somewhat angered. "Hmph, I don't believe a single word Konoha people say. Do you think you can trick me with that? Dream on!"

Uchiha Sanpo looked into her eyes and said seriously, "The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, died under unusual circumstances. Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others, as the Hokage's guards, could not escape responsibility. Later, Sarutobi Hiruzen took Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya as disciples. Only then did he gain the Senju Clan's support and become the Third Hokage. But as time passed and Tsunade and the others grew up, they became a threat to Sarutobi Hiruzen's position as Hokage!"

Uzumaki Huiyi did not quite understand, and her face showed a trace of disdain. "What does that have to do with our Uzumaki Clan?"

Uchiha Sanpo continued looking into her eyes. Uzumaki Huiyi grew a little embarrassed under his gaze and lowered her head slightly.

"Before your country was destroyed, you came to Konoha for help. Sarutobi Hiruzen refused to provide support in his capacity as Hokage, greatly angering the Senju Clan. They organized more than a thousand people on their own and went to support the Land of Whirlpools, but all of them died. This made the Senju Clan desperate to reclaim the position of Hokage."

"Then, the Second Shinobi World War broke out. Using insufficient achievements as an excuse, Sarutobi Hiruzen had Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya lead the Senju Clan against Amegakure. In that battle, the Senju Clan suffered devastating casualties. This reminded the surviving Senju clansmen of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju's strength. Thus, Sarutobi Hiruzen proposed a human experimentation plan involving Hashirama Cells. The test subjects were Senju clansmen from the Anbu, and all of them died. The Senju Clan's influence among Konoha's higher-ups was completely cleared away."

Hearing of the Senju Clan's tragic fate, Uzumaki Huiyi became curious. She asked in a low voice, "What happened after that?"

"At the time, the person leading the Senju Clan was Mito Uzumaki. She was Hashirama Senju's wife and also a princess of your Uzumaki Clan. The destruction of the Land of Whirlpools and the Senju Clan's enormous losses dealt her a severe blow, causing her to lose the will to live. Yet she still left a safeguard for your Uzumaki Clan: the new Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Kushina Uzumaki."

"But a Jinchuriki would die if separated from their Tailed Beast, so Mito Uzumaki died. What she did not expect was that with her death, the Senju Clan also lost its greatest deterrent. On August 10th of that same year, Nawaki, the young heir of the Senju Clan, 'died in an accident.' In December of the same year, Dan Katō, Tsunade's lover, 'died in an accident.' Soon after, Tsunade left Konoha, citing Hemophobia, and only then were the remaining Senju clansmen preserved."

Uzumaki Huiyi fell silent for a moment. She seemed to understand that he was telling the truth, but years of hatred made it difficult for her to yield so easily.

After a while, she gritted her teeth and said, "You! Why are you telling me this?"

Uchiha Sanpo wore a solemn expression. "I want you to understand that your true enemy is Sarutobi Hiruzen. The Uchiha Clan's relationship with him is not good either, so we have a common enemy. That gives us a basis for cooperation. I believe you know how powerful the Uchiha Clan is. If you want revenge, you cannot do without us!"

The Land of Whirlpools had been destroyed for over fourteen years. The Uzumaki Clan had scattered across many places, barely surviving by relying on other forces. After suffering so much, she truly could not think of anything they possessed that the Uchiha Clan would covet.

Thinking of that, Uzumaki Huiyi asked uncertainly, "What do you want us to do?"

Uchiha Sanpo smiled faintly. "I want you... to become my woman..."

Become... his woman... This was too fast...