Obtaining Uzumaki Bloodline

The borderlands of the Land of Grass were steeped in even deeper despair and chaos than the Land of Fire. This small nation struggled to survive in the cracks between great powers. Bandits ran rampant, minor conflicts never ceased, and even Kusagakure lacked the strength to maintain order throughout its territory. Many remote villages were like abandoned orphans, left to fend for themselves.

The temporary squad Uchiha Kyohaku was part of had been assigned to clear bandits from a supply route leading to a small town in the Land of Grass. The mission itself was unremarkable: encounters, battles, cleanup. But beyond the mission briefing, Kyohaku had a goal of his own.

Based on vague memories from his previous life and fragmented intelligence, he knew that at this time, Karin, a surviving member of the Uzumaki clan, and her mother should have ended up in some abused little village near the Land of Fire border in the Land of Grass. The Uzumaki clan's formidable vitality and unique chakra were a crucial part of his Completion Plan—the foundation for carrying immense chakra and integrating more bloodlines in the future.

During a break in the mission, he temporarily left the squad under the pretense of scouting the surrounding area and eliminating potential threats. Jing Liang did not suspect a thing; after all, Kyohaku's reconnaissance and stealth abilities had already been plain for all to see.

Using the Mayfly Technique, Kyohaku moved like a ghost beneath the earth, silently traversing the barren land of the Land of Grass. He avoided every possible pair of eyes and, based on the terrain, village distribution, and Kusagakure's sphere of influence, precisely narrowed down several of the most likely locations.

At last, in a dilapidated little village nearly forgotten within a mountain hollow, he sensed that distinctive chakra. It was not especially powerful, yet it carried an unusually vigorous, warm, life-filled quality that closely matched the traits of the Uzumaki clan as he knew them.

Night fell, and the little village sank into dead silence, broken only by the barking of stray dogs and the howling cold wind. Kyohaku emerged from the shadows like a phantom and quietly approached the most rundown thatched hut at the edge of the village. Through cracks in the wall, he saw the scene inside: beneath a dim oil lamp, a haggard woman with dry, grass-like red hair tightly held a frail little girl with equally vivid red hair. Both were covered in a mix of old and fresh wounds, their eyes filled with terror and numbness. Several men who looked like villagers had just left while cursing, apparently having demanded something from them—most likely forcing Karin's mother to heal their injuries with her healing ability, only to repay her with even greater abuse.

The timing was perfect.

Kyohaku did not hesitate. He pushed open the creaking broken door.

The mother and daughter jerked in fright, clutching each other like startled rabbits. The woman instinctively shielded the girl behind her and stared in terror at the pale-faced, cold-auraed stranger who had suddenly barged in.

"Who are you?!" the woman asked, her trembling voice thick with despair.

"Someone here to take you away." Kyohaku's voice was calm without the slightest ripple as he stated his purpose directly. "The Land of Grass is no longer safe. War will reach this place soon. Come with me. I can take you to the Land of Fire, somewhere relatively safe."

The woman froze. A trace of disbelief flashed through her eyes, but it was overwhelmed by suspicion and fear. "The Land of Fire? We... why should we trust you? Are you a Konoha ninja?" She had seen the forehead protector on Kyohaku's head.

"If you stay here, there is only death, or becoming even more miserable tools." Kyohaku's gaze swept over the wounds on their bodies. His tone was cold, but he was simply stating the facts. "Come with me, and at least you'll have a chance to live. I do not have much time to give you to think."

His gaze finally fell on the little girl—Karin. Though frightened, she stared with wide eyes, curiously studying the pale older brother who did not seem like a bad person.

Perhaps Kyohaku's composure, far beyond his age, possessed a strange persuasive power. Perhaps the years of abuse had made them willing to grasp at any possibility of change. Or perhaps they sensed something in the unseen. After a fierce internal struggle, Karin's mother looked at her frail daughter in her arms and finally gritted her teeth.

"...All right! We'll go with you! As long as you can keep Karin alive!"

"A wise choice." Kyohaku nodded. "You do not need to bring anything. Leave immediately."

He stepped forward and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. The woman's body stiffened, and she instinctively tried to resist, but Kyohaku moved faster.

Mayfly Technique!

The three figures instantly sank into the ground and vanished without a trace, leaving behind only the flickering oil lamp and the empty ruined hut.

Traveling underground was an utterly terrifying experience for Karin and her mother, but under Kyohaku's precise chakra protection, they were not harmed. In only a short while, they were far from that village, appearing within a dense forest near the Land of Fire's border.

Kyohaku had long since contacted, through secret channels, a place where Orochimaru could settle people—a small village on the outskirts of Konoha that looked utterly unremarkable. It had basic provisions for living and was sufficiently concealed.

He handed the still-shaken mother and daughter over to a taciturn subordinate of Orochimaru who had been waiting there.

"Settle them down, provide their basic necessities, ensure their safety, and do not let anyone disturb them," Kyohaku instructed, his tone as if he were handling an object.

"Yes," the subordinate answered respectfully.

Only then did Karin's mother seem to relax slightly. She looked at Kyohaku, hesitated, then asked softly, "Th-thank you. What do we have to give?" She did not believe there was such a thing as help without cause in this world.

Kyohaku looked at her calmly. "I need some of your blood for... medical research. I will come to collect it periodically. It will not be much each time, and it will not endanger your life. In exchange, you will receive protection."

Direct and cold, but also a different kind of fairness.

The woman's face paled, but she ultimately nodded. Compared to what they had endured in the Land of Grass, this already seemed like a very good arrangement.

Kyohaku said nothing more. He took out sterile blood-drawing equipment he had prepared in advance and, with practiced professionalism, drew several tubes of bright red blood from the woman's arm. The entire process was swift and precise, carrying the particular indifference of a laboratory.

The blood swayed faintly within the tubes, displaying an extraordinarily vibrant hue under the light and containing astonishing life energy.

The Uzumaki clan's blood was in hand.

After finishing, Kyohaku did not linger for even a moment. He turned and melted into the shadows, disappearing from sight. It was as though he had merely completed a simple resource-gathering task.

Behind him, the red-haired mother and daughter remained in this unfamiliar place, beginning a new life—though one under surveillance—with unease and a faint glimmer of hope.

As for Kyohaku, he held the several tubes of warm blood, felt the surging vitality within, and calmly assessed it in his heart.

The third stage of the plan—one of the key materials—had been successfully obtained.

The path to completion had taken another solid step forward.