Shinsei covered his mouth and nose; the basement reeked of blood mixed with the smell of decay and mold, a truly indescribable stench.
Piles of white bones lay on both sides of the corridor, and Sakura couldn't help but lean over and gag.
The group made their way to the underground hall. Tsunade frowned and smashed the glass jars around her. Sasuke also used his Ninjutsu Without Hand Seals Lightning Sword to rescue the people inside the glass jars.
"Have you seen the mastermind here?" Shinsei asked the group of Naruto.
Everyone shook their heads.
Another Naruto carried a red-haired girl out of a nearby cage.
The girl, wearing black-rimmed glasses, clung tightly to Naruto's neck.
"What's your name?" Shinsei asked the girl.
" Karin," the girl answered, somewhat timidly.
"Are you from the Uzumaki Clan?" Shinsei asked, looking at the girl's red hair.
The girl hesitated, unable to speak.
Shinsei thought to himself, "I knew it!" No wonder the face seemed familiar; they had met briefly during the Chunin Ninja Exams.
" Naruto Uzumaki," Shinsei deliberately called out Naruto's name, "She's in your hands now."
"Ah? Okay." Naruto nodded.
Karin glanced at Naruto and hugged him even tighter.
Tsunade walked over, glanced at the girl in Naruto's arms, stretched out her palm, and green Chakra emerged from it to heal the injury on her arm.
The numerous, blood-stained wounds were a horrifying sight.
Few villagers survived; only seven or eight remained. However, according to the siblings, there were over 200 people in the village, and including the bandits on the mountain, more than 300 people died in this basement.
Kakashi and Sasuke found clothes piled up in the corner and gave them to the villagers to wear.
Shinsei bit his finger and pressed it to the ground. A puff of smoke dissipated, and a giant Katsuyu appeared in the room.
" Lord Shinsei, oh my, Lady Tsunade is here too, Lord Sasuke, Sakura- sama!" The Katsuyu greeted them cheerfully, waving its antennae.
" Lady Katsuyu, please treat them." Shinsei pointed to the villagers lying on the ground.
"No problem, Lord Shinsei." The Katsuyu split into many smaller Katsuyu, which then lay on the villager and began to treat him.
Kakashi approached Naruto and asked the girl in his arms:
" Karin, do you know who's behind this?"
Hatred flashed in the girl's eyes:
"I know, he's Orochimaru's subordinate, Kabuto Yakushi!"
The name successfully caught Naruto's attention. "Kabuto-senpai?"
"His name is Kabuto Yakushi?" Shinsei asked, somewhat surprised. Wasn't he long ago?
He killed himself with his own sword, his heart cut in two.
Shinsei extended his palm, and Water Release Chakra Water Release Chakra rose from it, gathering to form a young man wearing glasses:
Is this what it looks like?
"No, he's a woman." Karin Uzumaki looked at her hair. "A red-haired woman."
A woman? This is quite different from Kabuto Yakushi's old image. But as Orochimaru's subordinate, it's not surprising that she looks like this.
I cut open his heart and chopped off his arm back then. If he also underwent Living Corpse Reincarnation, then it would be understandable that he became a woman.
Since Orochimaru can transform into a woman, it's only natural that his subordinates would follow suit.
There was nothing left to search in the underground space. Several instruments had been destroyed, and the data had been corrupted by Kabuto Yakushi. It was completely unknown what he was experimenting with here.
Naruto's Shadow Clone, carrying the remaining survivors, followed the others out of the underground space.
The group arrived at the mountain village. The sensible siblings used the food they had found to cook porridge for the surviving villagers, while Sakura checked their health.
Karin began to recount her story in response to Kakashi's question.
Her name is Karin Uzumaki, and she was originally a ninja from the Land of Grass. She was captured by Orochimaru's men when she participated in the Konoha Exams.
Later, a woman named Kabuto Yakushi brought her here and subdued the bandits in the mountain stronghold.
They were forced to arrest these villagers to provide material for their human experiments, while Karin was coerced into providing them with treatment.
No one knows what that woman named Kabuto Yakushi is experimenting with, but a lot of people are dying every day.
Naruto heard the words of his clanswoman, clenched his fists, stood up, and shouted:
"I must catch up with Senior Dou!"
Shinsei didn't doubt that Naruto couldn't defeat Kabuto Yakushi; it was just that Orochimaru's subordinates were highly skilled at self-preservation, and even with so many ninjas present, they hadn't managed to capture him.
Shinsei was unaware that Kabuto Yakushi possessed this ability; otherwise, he wouldn't have nearly killed him before.
It seems that after obtaining a new body, he developed new abilities.
Shinsei took out the remaining wild boar meat from the storage scroll. Upon seeing the fresh, red meat, Karin immediately turned away and vomited.
Shinsei now feels nauseous at the sight of meat, so he simply puts it away.
A large pot of vegetarian porridge was fed to the surviving villagers, which finally restored some of their energy.
The villagers were sent back to their village, and everyone chipped in some money to leave for them.
Sakura helped Karin wash up, took out a change of clothes from her backpack, and helped her change.
When she reappeared, Karin surprised everyone; she turned out to be a pretty young woman.
The mission was finally over. Kakashi looked at the little girl named Karin Uzumaki and asked:
What will happen to her?
Karin huddled behind Naruto, looking pitiful.
Naruto looked at Tsunade and tugged at Tsunade sleeve. " Granny Tsunade, shall we take her with us?"
Tsunade frowned, pushed him away, and said:
"I'll leave it to you from now on."
"Yeah!" Naruto jumped over, waving his fist.
The group set off again, and without any further incidents, they arrived at the seaside.
The Land of Water is a large island surrounded by the sea.
People on the dock were asking if there were any boats going out to sea.
Due to the previously closed and terrifying policies of Kirigakure, it was also known as the Kirigakure of Bloody Mist Village.
Many ships used to sail around the Land of Water until the last two years, Mei Terumi became the Fifth Generation Mizukage and made great changes to Kirigakure, finally allowing Kirigakure to regain its vitality.
After finally finding a ship bound for the Land of Water, and discussing matters with the captain, the group settled down for the night in a small town that had formed on the dock.
In Konoha of the Land of Fire, Tsunade sat behind her desk, looking at the three young men and women before her:
"I agree to your request, and please give my regards to Elder Chiyo."
Since Shinsei's disappearance, Konoha has launched an attack on Sunagakure, and Sunagakure has sent Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro to Konoha as hostages.
However, after Shinsei returned last time, Tsunade also found an excuse to keep the three of them in Konoha.
The main reason was to help them build better relationships with the next generation of Konoha, not because Tsunade wanted to withhold their mission rewards.
This idea worked, and Temari and Shikamaru have been fighting hard lately.
Now, news has arrived from Sunagakure that Elder Chiyo is unwell and wishes to take the three of them back.
Tsunade had no reason to keep Gaara any longer.
As the three of them left the office, Tsunade said to Shizune:
"Go and bring Tenzo here."