Karin Uzumaki

"Ishida, what are you thinking? Hurry up and keep up. If we delay Lord Yoru's business, neither of us will get away with it," the ninja in front said impatiently.

"Yeah, I'm coming. My stomach still hurts a little," Hyuga Gen replied quickly. Ishida was the name of the person he had transformed into.

Thinking back on what had happened over the past few days, Hyuga Gen couldn't help but sigh. The fighting between the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass had grown increasingly fierce, and both sides had suffered heavy casualties.

The Rain Ninja were a little stronger than the Grass Ninja, and they had received another batch of reinforcements. The Land of Grass, meanwhile, sent no further reinforcements, relying solely on Karin's mother to hold off the attacks.

Hyuga Gen had also learned why they were fighting. Not long ago, they had discovered a vein of ore near the border, not far from where the two sides were battling.

The ore vein was buried quite deep, and a ninja had stumbled upon it by chance. He'd heard that it was rich in minerals. Since it lay in the no-man's-land between the two countries, neither the Land of Rain nor the Land of Grass could claim it outright. So the Rain Ninja and Grass Ninja had started fighting over it.

"I hope you'll remember what you promised. You have to treat my daughter well." With that, her hand fell limp, and Karin's mother breathed her last.

It was no wonder. She hadn't been in good health even before he arrived, and she was already a shadow of her former self. On top of that, she had pushed herself far too hard over the past few days. In the end, she couldn't take it anymore and died in the middle of the night.

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

The reason she trusted Hyuga Gen so much was that she had watched how he behaved over the past three days.

He had patiently and gently tried to persuade her for three days straight without resorting to violence. Combined with what she had sensed through her abilities, she thought perhaps Heaven had seen how much they were suffering and sent him to save her daughter.

She had also told Hyuga Gen where her daughter was, but she didn't know that the Grass Ninja had secretly moved Karin and locked her up elsewhere long ago.

Now the two of them were heading to where Karin was being held. Their mission was to take her to the battlefield to replace her mother, who had died.

When Hyuga Gen received the order to take Karin to the battlefield, he could hardly contain his delight. It was as if Heaven itself had come to his aid.

As for why Hyuga Gen had pretended to have a stomachache and walked behind the other man, it was mainly because he didn't know the way.

After traveling for half a day, they finally reached their destination. Looking around, Hyuga Gen realized this seemed to be a prison.

He hadn't expected the Grass Ninja to lock Karin up in a prison. Hyuga Gen furrowed his brow, his clenched fist relaxing a moment later.

Before long, the two of them reached a relatively clean cell. It was clear that someone had taken care to tidy it up. Seeing the furnishings inside, Hyuga Gen relaxed a little. It seemed the Grass Ninja had given her special treatment.

"That must be Karin." Hyuga Gen spotted a little red-haired girl sitting in the corner with her arms wrapped around her knees. Red hair was a distinctive trait of the Uzumaki Clan, so she was easy to recognize.

"We're here under Lord Yoru's orders to take her to the battlefield as reinforcements. Open the cell door. We're taking her now," the guard said, handing the jailer a document of some kind.

"Yes, sir. I'll open the cell right away." After glancing at the document, the jailer quickly unlocked the door.

The two men went inside. Karin glanced at them, then lowered her head again, sitting there in a daze. No one knew what she was thinking.

"Come with us," the guard said, but Karin ignored him, pretending she hadn't heard a word.

Without another word, the guard grabbed Karin by the hair and yanked her up. She cried out in pain and got to her feet.

Seeing this, Hyuga Gen's mouth twitched. You're really something, picking on a little girl without holding back at all. He silently muttered to himself.

Of course, this wasn't a good time to rescue Karin. Hyuga Gen wasn't foolish enough to make a move here.

"Let go of me! Let go! I'm not going! I won't!" Karin cried out in pain.

The guard didn't bother arguing with her. He struck her with the edge of his hand, and she fainted in his arms. He didn't have much time, and needed to get her to the battlefield as quickly as possible.

Then the two men carried Karin out of the prison and headed toward the battlefield. Before long, Hyuga Gen knew the time was right.

"You've been carrying her for a while. Want me to carry her for the rest of the way?" Hyuga Gen stopped and offered.

"No need. We're short on time, so let's hurry. Lord Yoru is waiting." As he spoke, the guard prepared to leap forward and continue on his way.

"You?"

Hyuga Gen wasn't about to let this opportunity pass. He attacked in an instant, catching the other man completely off guard.

But it was already too late. The guard managed to utter only one word before passing out. Hyuga Gen hurriedly lifted Karin off his back and into his arms.

"Forget it. I'll spare your life. I'm a good guy, after all." He moved the guard aside and propped him against a tree.

Then Hyuga Gen summoned Xiaojin. Holding Karin, he leapt onto the bird, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished into the sky.

"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 to Karin, who was lying some distance away.

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

When she woke up, she saw someone nearby chopping at something. A huge bird stood beside him, apparently chewing on something, with drops of blood falling from its bloodstained beak.

The bird seemed to notice her and looked over. Frightened, she hurriedly closed her eyes.

She thought she must be dreaming, so she pinched herself. When she felt the pain, she knew it wasn't a dream.

Just then, she heard someone say, "It's a shame I don't know Water Release. It would make cleaning up much easier. Xiaojin, let's go down and wash up." After that, everything went quiet. Karin figured they might have left, though probably only for a while.

She quickly got up and looked around. What she saw left her stunned: they were on the edge of a cliff, so escape was impossible. She glanced at the blanket that had been covering her, then had no choice but to run back and pretend to be asleep.

Before long, they returned. When she saw that Hyuga Gen had no pupils, she shuddered. Was I captured by a monster? It was no wonder she'd imagined that. Anyone who didn't know about the Byakugan would be frightened the first time they saw it.

Then they started roasting meat. Before long, the smell drifted over in waves, and Karin heard her stomach rumble despite herself.

Then she heard the man with no pupils call out to her. He had realized she was awake all along. Karin stopped pretending to sleep and sat up. She looked at the person and the beast before her, then at the grilled fish and meat giving off such an enticing aroma.

Her mouth watered. She really was hungry.