Karin

A steaming meat bun was held out before the child.

"Do you want to eat it?"

"Mm."

"What's your name?"

Uchiha Thirteen Nights was drawn to this child with wolf-like eyes. She could sense the child's intense desire to survive.

"I... don't have a name."

"Is that so... Then, are you willing to come with me? Gain the strength to survive in this world. If you are, follow me!"

With that, Uchiha Thirteen Nights turned and walked away. Watching her retreating back, the child with wolf-like eyes chased after her.

Similar scenes played out in many places, especially along the borders where several countries met. The Uchiha Clan carried out Fugaku Uchiha's orders, leading these people toward Crow Mountain.

The village's population had doubled, and its expansion was in full swing. Watching the village develop so rapidly, Fugaku Uchiha revealed a pleased smile.

Fugaku Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan possessed the power to see through people's hearts. With a single glance, he could see a person's nature, so spies from other ninja villages trying to infiltrate the village were dealt with immediately.

"Teacher Thirteen Nights!"

Uchiha Thirteen Nights looked helplessly at the girl following right behind her. She had thought the child with wolf-like eyes was a boy, but she turned out to be an adorable girl.

"Hey~! Thirteen Nights, looks like you've been wrapped around a child's finger too."

"Yeah... aren't you the same..."

Uchiha Thirteen Nights looked at the child cautiously peeking out from behind Kaito Uchiha, who had greeted her.

"I just feel like I can't leave this child alone..."

"You're right..."

Uchiha Thirteen Nights and Kaito Uchiha exchanged a glance and sighed together.

Having arrived somewhere new, the children naturally saw the people who had brought them here as their last source of support. It was understandable that they did not want to leave them even for a moment.

If Naruto knew the Uchiha Clan had developed like this, who knew what he would think? He would probably sigh and say, "Did you all learn this from Orochimaru?"

The Number One Goldfish Guy of the Hokage world was about to change from Orochimaru to the Uchiha Clan.

Karin (1/2)

♂ 　　At the Akatsuki Organization's base, Deva Path Pain saw Konan returning from outside, weary from travel. ÷÷

"Konan, how did the investigation go?"

"The ones recently adopting homeless children everywhere are the Uchiha Clan that broke away from Konohagakure. They've also taken in many homeless people and brought them to their village."

"Oh? The Uchiha Clan would be so kind-hearted?"

"I was thinking... could they be planning to establish their own ninja village?"

"Crow Mountain truly is a good place to establish a ninja village. Leave them alone for now."

"Konan, who do you think we can invite to join the Akatsuki Organization?"

"Nagato, we can invite them to join."

There was no one else here, so Konan naturally called Deva Path Pain by his true name.

"Good. Once we have a grasp of their movements, we can invite them." On the long list in Deva Path Pain's hand, Naruto Uzumaki's name stood prominently among the entries.

After a long journey, Naruto's group arrived in the Land of Grass. The Third Shinobi World War had once taken place here, leaving the Land of Grass unable to recover ever since. Traces of the devastating ninjutsu from that time could still vaguely be seen across its lands.

The ninja world's largest prison had also been built in the Land of Grass, and major criminals from every ninja village were sent there.

It was an enormous fortress-prison called Hozuki Castle. According to Yakushi Nonō's introduction, its lord was Mui, a Jonin from Kusagakure. Because the ninjutsu he wielded could restrain prisoners, he had become Hozuki Castle's lord.

"Hozuki Castle?"

It was never mentioned in the anime!

Naruto listened to Yakushi Nonō talk about Hozuki Castle with a blank expression. His pink lips parted slightly, and his entire being embodied the phrase "dumbstruck."

"Hozuki Castle's lord, Mui, can use Fire Style: Heavenly Prison to seal a ninja's Chakra, turning Chakra into something like gunpowder. Once someone whose Chakra has been sealed tries to gather Chakra, their entire body will suffer severe burns. If they move too far away from the caster, they will spontaneously combust and die."

Mui? I've got purpose too...

Naruto mocked Hozuki Castle's lord's name in his heart, then widened his eyes upon hearing what Fire Style: Heavenly Prison could do.

"Wouldn't anyone hit by that ninjutsu be screwed?"

Wasn't that ninjutsu way too overpowered?

"No. Although his ninjutsu is powerful, it has a fatal weakness: it is ineffective underwater." Seeing Naruto's shocked expression, Yakushi Nonō smiled and pinched his cheek.

"Oh, right. If it didn't have even one weakness, that ninjutsu would be too powerful."

Having once gathered intelligence in the Land of Grass as a spy, Yakushi Nonō was naturally very familiar with the country. Under her guidance, the group arrived at Kusagakure.

Kusagakure could be described as small but fully equipped.

Yakushi Nonō and Mikoto Uchiha disguised themselves as a married couple, so Naruto could only pretend to be their child. Still, he always felt these two women were taking their act a little too seriously. They treated him like their actual child! That maternal affection practically overflowing from them felt a little heavy to Naruto.

After transforming into Shinobu Oshino, Naruto was carefully dressed up by the two women. The three disguised themselves as traveling merchants wandering the land with their child and easily slipped into Kusagakure.

At a barbecue restaurant, they ordered three portions of meat and sat together.

Watching the slices of meat sizzle on the grill, Mikoto Uchiha looked up at Shinobu Oshino. After Naruto transformed into Shinobu Oshino, Mikoto Uchiha and Yakushi Nonō naturally changed how they addressed him from "Naruto" to "Little Shinobu."

"Little Shinobu, what is your purpose in coming to Kusagakure this time?"

"I came to see someone from the Uzumaki Clan, just like me, and see how she's doing." Shinobu Oshino picked up a piece of grilled meat, dipped it in sauce, and stuffed it into her mouth.

The anime had only given a few minutes of flashbacks about Karin, but it was clear from those memories that she had not lived well. Kusagakure's ninja treated her like a living blood bag.

However, Karin should still be studying at the Ninja Academy now. Her blood's ability to heal injuries had not yet been discovered.

Karin was living well enough in Kusagakure. She probably wouldn't come with me, would she?

If only I had Orochimaru's talent for sweet-talking children. Damn Goldfish Guy, he succeeded every time, only to stumble when it came to Uchiha Sasuke.