While Hinata delivered her finishing blow, Izayoi also crouched down, but rather than expressing concern for Karin, he simply rolled up his sleeve and extended his forearm in front of her, smiling as he said:
"Take a bite here. That way, the teeth marks on your arm will disappear."
At these words, Karin—tears already streaming from the corners of her eyes—once again stared wide-eyed, her expression disbelieving yet filled with a trace of obvious delight as she looked at Izayoi. Her voice trembled:
"Could it be that you're also…"
"Mhm."
Izayoi nodded, weaving a small lie of goodwill:
"Though our hair color is different, our ancestors were probably clanspeople. So I recognized your uniqueness right away."
"Th-That's wonderful…"
Suddenly biting her lower lip, Karin lowered her head, choking back sobs. Immediately, her slender shoulders began to quake, and teardrops, like raindrops, pattered onto her glasses, falling to the ground.
At that moment, she realized—
She was no longer alone in this world.
She...still had living kin.
For the first time since her mother's passing, Karin wanted to break down and cry, but was too afraid of repulsing this newly found "relative." She only allowed herself to sob quietly instead.
Izayoi said nothing, patiently watching Karin vent her emotions while wearing a gentle smile.
Hinata silently stood at his side.
Not wanting to disturb this "family reunion," Shino headed over to the two corpses. As he searched for their scroll, he mused inwardly:
Red hair, a special healing ability, "clanspeople"…
The words kept circling in his mind as though they were terribly familiar. It was something his father might have mentioned.
Suddenly, Shino paused, then continued rummaging. He adjusted his sunglasses slightly.
So that's why Izayoi has such a vast supply of chakra.
It turned out he possessed the Uzumaki bloodline!
History recorded that the Senju and the Uzumaki were distant kin. Before Konohagakure was founded, the Uzumaki clan had lived on the ninja continent, presumably in the land that became the Land of Fire.
After Konoha was established, the Uzumaki clan did not join but instead departed and found the hidden Uzushio Village. Konoha and Uzushio were considered eternal allies.
It seemed Izayoi's ancestors were once part of the Uzumaki line or, back in the Warring States era (pre–Konoha), had intermarried with them.
Over the generations, that blood got diluted, and the surname and signature traits vanished—until at Izayoi's generation, they reawakened.
Yes, that had to be it.
At length, Karin at last stopped crying, as though realizing something.
"Here."
Hinata bent down, offering her a handkerchief.
"Th-Thank you."
Karin accepted the handkerchief quietly.
Once she had finished wiping her eyes, Izayoi again extended his forearm with a smile:
"Go on, take a bite. That'll fix your injuries."
"N-No, it's fine. I'll recover if I rest a bit."
Karin hastily waved her hands. In front of this relative she'd only just met, she was even more timid than with her harsh teammates. She was like a child who, for the first time, had glimpsed a ray of love—and feared losing it if she overstepped.
Izayoi could see right through her apprehension, so he laughed lightly:
"Don't worry, my chakra is pretty strong. Hurry and recover. If your condition stays like this, you might just drop dead at any moment. No more wasting time!"
His tone turned a little forceful at the end.
"Y-Yes!"
Startled, Karin quickly cupped Izayoi's forearm in her hands. She looked at him, then at Hinata, who gazed on gently without the slightest displeasure. Her voice trembled:
"Th-Then… sorry if this hurts."
With that, she lowered her head and gingerly bit into Izayoi's forearm, trying her best not to clamp down too hard.
"It's okay—bite down a bit more," Izayoi reassured with a smile.
Seeing the encouragement in his eyes, Karin blinked, adding slightly more force. In that instant, her eyes flew open wide.
Where before her body felt precariously weak, it now felt like quenching one's thirst with cool, pure water in a scorching desert—or a starving person devouring a gourmet feast in winter. A balmy current coursed through her entire body.
All the old teeth marks on her arm faded before her very eyes, and her pallid skin gained a faint rosy glow. Her drained face was suffused with fresh color. Even her poor eyesight sharpened a little.
Completely on another level.
Karin stared in shock. She'd done similar "body healing" for herself before, and in her childhood, she'd absorbed her mother's chakra as well. But whether it was her own or her mother's chakra, neither compared at all to Izayoi's.
If she wanted to save a gravely wounded person, she'd have to drain every ounce of her chakra—maybe even her life. But Izayoi might be able to do the same using only a fraction more than this.
What kind of chakra quality is this?
Izayoi didn't ask about her thoughts; if he knew, he would have only grinned.
That's the advantage of having noble blood from the Ōtsutsuki clan—plus Body Healing.
After restoring Karin's health, Izayoi stood and held out a hand, smiling:
"My clanswoman, why don't you come with me from now on?"
"C-Can I really?" Karin asked, eyes full of excitement.
"Of course." Izayoi grinned, nodding. "But that means you can't be a ninja. I can't guarantee you'll be accepted into Konoha, either."
"I'm fine with that, I really am." Karin was too thrilled to contain herself.
Whether or not she could be a ninja didn't matter at all. Her dream never centered on being a kunoichi—she just wanted a home. When her mother was alive, that home was Kusagakure. After her mother died, she had none.
And now, meeting her "relative," she'd gained a new family.
"Good. Then go with my clone. He'll take you somewhere safe."
Izayoi formed a single seal, and a shadow clone popped out, striding toward her. He patted Karin gently on the shoulder:
"I'll come find you once this exam is over."
"Mm-hm!"
Karin nodded again and again, zero trace of wariness, with no fear at all she might be sold off. If she stayed with him for a few more days and built up trust, she'd probably even help Izayoi collect the payment if he actually did sell her.
Such was the devotion of an orphan starved of kindness.
~~~
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