Love-Struck Girl, Karin Joins Konoha

Karin did not know how long she had been unconscious.

By the time she woke up, the sky had already gone completely dark.

But the forest was not cold at night, because waves of warmth kept washing over her from beside her.

Turning her head, she saw a campfire burning nearby, with sizzling, oil-dripping grilled meat above it.

"You're awake?"

A gentle voice entered her ears. A hand was turning the grilled meat.

Following that hand upward, Karin immediately saw the handsome face that had kept appearing in her dreams. It told her this was not a dream.

Remembering how she had fainted, Karin's little face flushed red again. Fortunately, it was not obvious beneath the firelight.

Then, Karin hurriedly rose and bowed to Ryusuke. "Thank you for saving..."

Before she could finish, Karin's vision darkened again. Her body swayed as she was about to fall toward the fire.

Ryusuke caught Karin's small hand in time and pulled her into his arms.

Holding the girl, whose figure was about the same as Sakura's, Ryusuke had no intention of taking advantage of her. He quickly set her down beside him and advised, "Your body is too weak. Don't get too emotional. Thank me once you're better."

After saying that, Ryusuke handed Karin a skewer of grilled meat. "Eat something first."

"...Thank you."

Karin accepted the skewer, thanking him in a voice as soft as Hinata's.

Her head was still buzzing.

He smells so nice!

Mm, even better than the grilled meat!

Karin thought as she ate.

Naturally, Ryusuke had no idea what Karin was thinking. Otherwise, his face would have been covered in black lines.

As expected of a love-struck simp!

Ryusuke picked up a skewer and began eating as well, getting straight to the point. "I gave you some simple treatment earlier. What's with the bite marks on your arms?"

"Th-This..."

Karin's mind instantly went blank. The first thing she thought of was not how to explain her ability, but whether the bite marks on her arms would disgust Ryusuke and make the hero who had saved her look at her with nothing but revulsion.

Seeing that Karin could not speak, Ryusuke continued, "I examined those bite marks. Their sizes and shapes are all different, so they clearly weren't left by the same person."

"Your body is also very healthy, but the chakra within you is pitifully low. That completely does not match your constitution."

"Is your ability to provide your chakra to others?"

Hearing no disgust in Ryusuke's voice, Karin finally let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Yes, that is my ability."

Karin nodded, not hiding anything. "But my ability is not to give others chakra. It is to heal injuries."

"Since I was little, I discovered that my body was special. No matter how severe an injury was, as long as someone bit me, that injury would heal very quickly."

"But the price is that the more severe the biter's injury is, the more chakra I consume."

"If my chakra cannot be replenished, it will drain my life force. My mother... she died that way."

As she spoke the last sentence, Karin's eyes dimmed.

Seeing Karin's depressed expression, Ryusuke patted her shoulder and changed the subject. "Come to think of it, we haven't introduced ourselves. My name is Ryusuke. What's yours?"

As though she could feel Ryusuke's concern, Karin, who had long forced herself to be strong, suddenly found her eyes welling up. Her voice choked as she said, "I... I'm Karin."

Like those gifted orphans in the Shinobi World, Karin had never again been cared for or cherished after her mother died.

Those people had simply treated her as a replacement for her mother, using her as a medical tool.

Yet now, from someone from an enemy shinobi village, she felt the warmth that only her mother had ever given her.

At that moment, Karin broke down.

Watching Karin lower her head and cry, Ryusuke knew it was time to begin.

He patted Karin's trembling shoulder again and asked softly, "Karin, do you have a surname?"

"N-No."

"Then do you know what your ability is called?"

Karin raised her little face, tear-streaked like a dirty kitten's, and shook her head at Ryusuke. "N-No, I don't."

"You said your mother had this ability too, right?"

"Mm."

"Then I think I know what your ability is, as well as your ancestors' surname."

Under Karin's puzzled gaze, Ryusuke smiled. "If I'm not mistaken, Karin, you should be a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan. Your ability is called Physical Healing!"

"The Uzumaki Clan? Physical Healing?"

Karin was even more confused.

Kusagakure was merely a small shinobi village. Its cultural heritage could not compare to those of the great villages, so how could it possibly have records of the Uzumaki Clan, which had been wiped out many years ago?

If such records existed, Karin and her mother would not have received such treatment.

Nor would Karin have been sent to Konoha to participate in the Chunin Exams.

Karin clearly knew nothing about this ancient clan that had been wiped out so long ago.

Ryusuke slowly explained, "The Uzumaki Clan is a distant blood relative of the Senju Clan, so Konoha has complete records of them. As far as I know, that clan once lived on an island and established a shinobi village called the Whirlpool Hidden Village. They had always been allies of Konoha."

"But because that clan was exceptionally skilled in Sealing Techniques, many nations in the Shinobi World feared them. Several decades ago, they joined forces to invade the Whirlpool Hidden Village."

"When Konoha's reinforcements arrived too late, Uzushiogakure had already been destroyed. They only managed to save one person: the Fourth Hokage's wife."

Looking at Karin's stunned face, Ryusuke continued, "The Uzumaki Clan's traits are red hair and enormous chakra reserves, along with several unique abilities that have become legends. One of them is Physical Healing."

"That ability is exactly the same as your healing ability."

"If I'm right, Karin, your mother, or perhaps your grandmother and grandfather, should have been survivors of the Uzumaki Clan."

Karin looked dazed. She had clearly never expected her background and ability to have such a remarkable origin.

At that moment, Ryusuke suddenly said, "Karin, do you want to join Konoha?"

"Huh?!"

Karin froze briefly, then her face lit up as she asked nervously, "C-Can I?"

Karin was not particularly interested in Konoha, and she only regarded her lineage and ability as a story.

After all, those things had happened decades ago and no longer had anything to do with her.

But when she thought of joining Konoha and being in the same village as Ryusuke, her heart stirred intensely.

However, remembering her identity, Karin said uneasily, "I'm a shinobi from Kusagakure. Would Konoha accept someone like me?"

"They definitely will."

Ryusuke nodded with certainty. "As long as you are willing to join Konoha, your hair and ability can prove your heritage. I'll also ask my Jonin Instructor to recommend you. I believe Lord Hokage will definitely agree to let you join Konoha."

"I'm willing to join Konoha!"

Hearing that, Karin nodded without the slightest hesitation.

The girl knew this was her only chance to change her fate and get closer to Ryusuke.

Ever since her mother died, she had been trapped in an abyss. She did not want to miss this chance to grasp the light!

"Good. Once the Chunin Exams are over, I'll ask my Jonin Instructor to recommend you to Lord Hokage."

Ryusuke stood and extended his hand to Karin with a smile. "Welcome to Konoha, Karin."

Looking at Ryusuke, who truly seemed to be glowing beneath the firelight, Karin's gaze became entranced again.

At that moment, she suddenly felt grateful toward the Kusagakure she had always hated.

If they had not forced her to come participate in the Chunin Exams, she would never have met Ryusuke in this lifetime!