Karin Uzumaki

"Ishida, what are you thinking about? Hurry up and keep up. If we delay Lord Yoru's business, both of us will be in serious trouble," the ninja in front said with some displeasure.

"Yes, I'm coming. My stomach is just still a bit painful," Hyuga Gen replied hurriedly. Ishida was the name of the person he had transformed into.

Recalling the events of the past few days, Hyuga Gen couldn't help but sigh. The conflict between the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass was intensifying, with both sides suffering heavy casualties.

The Rain Ninjas were stronger than the Grass Ninjas and had recently received reinforcements. The Land of Grass, having no reinforcements of its own, had managed to hold off the attacks solely by exploiting Karin's mother.

Hyuga Gen had also learned the reason for their war: a mineral vein had been discovered at the border not long ago, located not far from where they were fighting.

The vein was hidden quite deep and had been discovered by a ninja by chance; it was rumored to be very rich. Because the vein lay in the vacuum zone between the two countries, it was difficult to distinguish whether it belonged to the Land of Rain or the Land of Grass, leading the Rain Ninjas and Grass Ninjas to fight over it.

"I hope you remember what you said. You must treat my daughter well," she said, her hand dropping as she finally drew her last breath.

It was no wonder; her health had been poor before she arrived, and she was already a shell of her former self. After being pushed beyond her limits for the past few days, she finally succumbed and passed away in the middle of the night.

Before she died, she told Hyuga Gen that she had left something for Karin and urged him to treat her daughter well.

The reason she trusted Hyuga Gen so much was due to his behavior over the past three days, which she had witnessed with her own eyes.

He had spent three days patiently and gently trying to persuade her without resorting to violence, and combined with her own sensory perception, she felt that perhaps heaven had sent him to save her daughter because they had suffered too much.

She had also told Hyuga Gen where her daughter was, though she did not know that the Grass Ninjas had already secretly moved her to a different location.

Now, the two of them were heading toward the place where Karin was being held, with the goal of taking her to the battlefield to replace her deceased mother.

When they received the order to take Karin to the battlefield, Hyuga Gen couldn't help but be overjoyed; it was as if heaven were helping him.

As for why Hyuga Gen was pretending to have a stomachache and walking behind, it was mainly because he didn't know the way.

After traveling for half a day, they finally arrived at their destination. Looking at the surroundings, Hyuga Gen realized that this place appeared to be a prison.

He hadn't expected the Grass Ninjas to lock Karin in a prison. Hyuga Gen couldn't help but frown, though he unclenched his fists a moment later.

Soon, the two arrived at a relatively clean cell. It was clear that it had been carefully tidied up. Seeing the furnishings inside, Hyuga Gen breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed the Grass Ninjas had given her special treatment.

"This must be Karin," Hyuga Gen thought, seeing a little red-haired girl squatting in the corner with her arms wrapped around her legs. Her red hair, a characteristic of the Uzumaki Clan, was quite conspicuous.

"We are acting under the orders of Lord Yoru to take her to the battlefield for support. Open the cell door quickly; we are taking her now," he said, handing a document-like paper to the jailer.

"Very well, my lord. I will open the cell door at once," the jailer said after glancing at the order, quickly unlocking the door.

The two walked in, but Karin only glanced at them before lowering her head again, sitting there in a daze, lost in her own thoughts.

"Come with us," the guard said, but Karin turned a deaf ear to his words, pretending not to hear him at all.

Without a word, the guard reached out, grabbed Karin by her hair, and yanked. Karin stood up, wincing in pain.

Seeing this, Hyuga Gen's mouth twitched. You're really something, not even showing mercy to a little girl, he muttered to himself.

Of course, now was not the right time to save Karin, and Hyuga Gen was not foolish enough to act here.

"Let go of me! Let go! I'm not going, I'm not going!" Karin screamed in pain.

The guard didn't waste any more breath on her; he delivered a sharp chop to her neck, and Karin fainted in his arms. He didn't have much time; he needed to get her to the battlefield as quickly as possible.

The two then carried Karin out of the prison and headed toward the battlefield. Before long, Hyuga Gen knew the time had come.

"You've been carrying her for a long time. Why don't I take over and carry her for the rest of the way?" Hyuga Gen stopped and said.

"No need. Time is tight, let's keep moving. Lord Yoru is still waiting," the guard said, preparing to leap forward and continue the journey.

"You?"

Hyuga Gen, naturally, would not let this opportunity slip by. He attacked instantly, his sudden strike catching the other man off guard.

But it was already too late. The guard only managed to choke out a single sound before he collapsed, unconscious. Hyuga Gen quickly took Karin from his back.

"Forget it, I'll spare your life. I'm a good person, after all," he said, moving the guard to the side and propping him up against a tree.

Hyuga Gen then summoned Xiaojin. He held Karin, leaped onto the bird's back, and vanished into the horizon in an instant.

"I know you're awake. Come over and eat something. Don't worry, we won't hurt you. You don't need to be afraid," Hyuga Gen said, looking at Karin, who was sleeping not far away.

It was impossible for her not to be afraid. She vaguely remembered being knocked unconscious, and she had no idea what had happened afterward.

When she woke up, she found a man nearby, his hands moving quickly as he seemed to be butchering something. Beside him stood a large bird, which seemed to be chewing on something; blood dripped from its beak, which was stained with gore.

The large bird seemed to notice something and glanced at her, scaring her into closing her eyes tightly.

She felt she must be dreaming, so she pinched herself. Feeling the pain, she realized this was no dream.

Just then, she heard someone say, "It's a pity I don't know Water Style; otherwise, cleaning this would be much easier. Xiaojin, let's go down and wash up." After that, there was silence. Karin knew they might have left, even if only temporarily.

She quickly got up to take a look, and her jaw dropped. Below was a cliff; escape was impossible. Glancing at the blanket that had been covering her, she hurried back to continue pretending to be asleep.

Before long, they returned. When she saw that Hyuga Gen had no pupils, she shuddered. Have I been captured by a monster? It was no wonder she would think such things; anyone who didn't know about the Byakugan would surely be terrified upon seeing it for the first time.

Then they started roasting meat. Soon, the aroma of meat wafted over, and Karin heard her stomach growl uncontrollably.

Then she heard the man without pupils call out to her. It turned out he had discovered she was awake all along. Karin stopped pretending to sleep, sat up, and looked at the man and the beast before her, then at the grilled fish and meat that emitted such an enticing scent.

Her mouth watered; she was truly hungry.