Land of Waves

Rumors about Kintsuchi and Kurotsuchi had spread throughout Iwagakure; some said they were a match made in heaven, others claimed the Tsuchikage was secretly playing matchmaker, and some even insisted they had already pledged their lives to one another.

Jingxin had heard these rumors, as had Kurotsuchi, but neither paid them any mind. Kurotsuchi simply didn't care, while Jingxin didn't know how he was supposed to react.

After browsing the ninja tool shop, Kurotsuchi bought a few shuriken, while Jingxin selected several practice scrolls for sealing techniques.

Just as the two were preparing to head home, a small red-haired figure came running from around the street corner.

"Brother Jingxin! Sister Kurotsuchi!"

It was Karin.

Unlike in the original story, she wore her hair in a red ponytail, and the baby fat had faded from her face.

She held a small bottle in her hand, running up to Jingxin and handing it over, breathless.

"Brother Jingxin... this... for you..."

Jingxin took the bottle; inside was a pale green liquid that emitted a sweet, refreshing fragrance.

Kurotsuchi pursed her lips; the little one was trying to copy her again.

"What is this?" Jingxin asked.

"It's a recovery drink I mixed myself," Karin said softly, a shy blush appearing on her small face. "I consulted the pharmacists in the Medical Corps and added rock honey, grass essence, and just a tiny bit of chakra recovery potion."

Her voice grew quieter, but her eyes remained fixed on Jingxin, filled with cautious anticipation.

Jingxin opened the bottle and took a sip.

The taste was different from what Kurotsuchi gave him; it was less sweet, but the herbal fragrance was stronger. After drinking it, he could feel a warm current spreading from his stomach, and it did indeed have a restorative effect.

"Not bad," he said sincerely.

Karin's eyes lit up instantly, and a happy smile bloomed on her small face.

Kurotsuchi watched from the side, a flash of complex emotion crossing her eyes.

She shook her head to cast aside these stray thoughts and reached out to ruffle Karin's hair. "Little Karin is very thoughtful, but next time, remember to pay attention to the proportions when mixing potions. Adding too much chakra recovery potion can have side effects."

"Mm! I'll be careful!" Karin nodded vigorously, then looked at Jingxin. "Brother Jingxin, are you coming to the training ground tomorrow? I want to ask you about some sealing techniques..."

"I'll be there," Jingxin nodded. "In the afternoon; I have to guide Deidara's training in the morning."

Kurotsuchi reminded Karin once more, "You must be careful with your choice of address in public from now on."

Karin liked to use Jingxin's real name, while Kurotsuchi was more concerned with maintaining secrecy.

Karin nodded obediently. "Mm! I know. From now on, I'll call Brother Jingxin 'Brother Kintsuchi'."

Kurotsuchi: "..."

The three walked back together.

Karin walked on Jingxin's other side, looking up at him from time to time, her eyes full of reliance and adoration.

Kurotsuchi, meanwhile, held Jingxin's arm, her expression natural, as if this were her exclusive right.

Villagers passing by saw this scene and whispered among themselves.

"Look, Lord Kintsuchi and the two young ladies are together again."

"They really are a perfect match... they get along so well."

"I heard the Tsuchikage has even given his tacit approval..."

Kurotsuchi felt a sense of pride upon hearing these comments and went to observe Karin's expression, only to find that the girl's attention wasn't on her at all.

The three returned home, and Jingxin went alone to the Tsuchikage Office to find Ōnoki.

"I need to make a trip to the Great Naruto Bridge."

Ōnoki put down his pen, shifted his gaze to Jingxin, and the corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily. "Are there more good things to be found?"

Over the years, thanks to Jingxin's knowledge of the original plot, every time he requested to go out and reported to Ōnoki, he would return with something valuable.

"Just trying my luck," Jingxin replied. "A ninja with a Kekkei Genkai, though they won't be easy to recruit."

Ōnoki nodded. "Good! Go ahead, but be careful. Your own safety comes first; everything else is secondary."

Jingxin bowed and left the office.

Great Naruto Bridge.

Waves crashed against the bridge piers as the thick fog gradually began to dissipate.

The battle in the center of the bridge had entered its final stage.

Kakashi gripped his Lightning Blade, his single Sharingan locked onto Zabuza, ready to strike.

Haku, who had been fighting Naruto and Sasuke, noticed this and immediately pulled away to rush toward Zabuza.

The Lightning Blade flickered with terrifying blue electricity, and Kakashi shot forward like an arrow from a bow, the distance between them closing rapidly.

But at this critical moment, Kakashi suddenly sensed a trace of danger.

Kakashi's sprinting stride veered sharply to the side, shifting his position by more than three meters.

At the same time, several shuriken descended from the sky, landing in front of Zabuza and Haku.

The sudden turn of events put both sides of the battle on high alert.

"Good thing I arrived in time."

The calm words drifted down from above.

Both sides looked up toward the sky.

At some point, a youth clad in simple black attire and wearing an Anbu mask had appeared, hovering mid-air as a gust of wind whipped his shoulder-mounted sand cloak with a loud snapping sound.

Sakura Haruno, Sasuke, and Naruto hurried to Kakashi's side.

Zabuza and Haku took the opportunity to put some distance between themselves and Team 7.

The Nine-Tails cloak faded from Naruto's body, and as he gasped for air, he laughed at Jingxin: "I don't care who you are, you saved Big Sister Haku, so you can't be a bad guy!"

Sasuke, still in his hedgehog-like state while pulling out senbon one by one, frowned: "Naruto, we don't know his motives yet."

Sakura Haruno's gaze toward Jingxin was filled with wariness.

Kakashi stared at Jingxin, analyzing: "The ability to fly at will—he might be from Iwagakure, and his status is likely special."

"However," Kakashi asked Jingxin, "you shouldn't be a ninja hired by Gato, right?"

The Land of Waves was a hundred thousand miles away from the Land of Earth; how could Gato possibly have gone all the way there to hire a ninja?

"We are not enemies."

After responding to Kakashi, Jingxin descended slowly, positioning himself closer to Zabuza.

At this moment, Zabuza and Haku were observing him intently.

Jingxin spoke directly to Zabuza: "Fifty million ryo, plus I will send you to a safe place far from the Land of Water, where you can have a fresh start."

Zabuza furrowed his hairless brow: "What do you want?"

Jingxin raised a hand and pointed to the person beside Zabuza: "I want him."

Haku's delicate face changed instantly: "I will never leave Lord Zabuza!"

"Shut up, Haku!" Zabuza scolded him sternly.

But due to the angle, Haku could not see the complex emotions hidden deep within Zabuza's eyes.

Zabuza did not agree to Jingxin's offer immediately, instead asking: "Then who are you?"

There was no future for Haku by his side, but Zabuza would not hand Haku over to some inexplicable stranger.

Jingxin revealed his identity: "I am an Anbu from Iwagakure."

"Heh..." Zabuza felt a sense of relief: "Indeed, only the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure possesses that strange ability to fly."

"However, isn't fifty million a bit stingy?"

"You should know, this is a Kekkei Genkai!"

Hearing Zabuza negotiating his own price with Jingxin, Haku felt a sense of profound pain and helplessness in his heart.