The Dragon Vein was located in a long-destroyed country known as Rōran.
It was now part of the Land of Wind.
Karin didn't like the Land of Wind.
The soil was barren, the sandstorms fierce, and it was bad for her skin.
But this time, she came with excitement.
Even though she didn't clearly understand how much a Zanpakutō could enhance one's strength—
Sasuke's hadn't "released" yet.
The Nine-Tails was already extremely powerful, so it couldn't serve as a good benchmark.
Still, anything that both Naruto and the Nine-Tails regarded with such importance had to be something valuable.
Moreover—
Having more "similarities" with Naruto was already enough to make Karin feel a bit of happiness bloom in her heart.
"It's already in ruins like this." The red-haired girl tiptoed as she walked through the ancient country of Rōran, surveying the surroundings. "Orochimaru once said it was a prosperous country just over twenty years ago."
"Human hearts are always greedy," Naruto said calmly.
This land bordered four countries.
Because it was weak and had no shinobi village, transactions made here weren't heavily taxed, making it a bustling marketplace.
But—
Its prosperity stemmed from the fact that it belonged to no nation.
Once it came under the jurisdiction of a single country, it lost its value.
Karin kicked at the fine sand.
It reminded her of the Land of Whirlpools.
"There seems to be something interesting up ahead." Naruto, after scanning with his sensory perception, smiled. "Want to give it a try?"
"An enemy?" Karin tilted her head.
Naruto shook his head. "They're not coming for us."
"It's just a coincidence."
"But he's made us his target."
Karin looked ahead and made a hand sign in front of her chest.
"Kagura Shingan."
Her perception swept forward, scanning the area ahead.
Some objects were buried under the sand, lying directly on their path.
She used Body Flicker and vanished.
The sand billowed as several puppet-like humanoid figures lunged out.
Hand blades, kunai, spears—all razor-sharp and coated with poison.
They attacked from all sides.
Karin's expression remained calm.
She quickly made hand signs.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough."
The jutsu activated, boosted by the already powerful desert wind, turning it into invisible, razor-like blades.
The puppeteer hiding in the shadows realized what she was doing.
Two puppets lunged forward.
But the Wind Release sliced through the barely-visible chakra threads.
The charging puppets instantly lost power and collapsed with a clang.
The remaining two, protected behind the others, stayed mobile.
But—
They didn't persist in fighting and began to retreat.
Karin prepared to pursue, but then her ears twitched—Body Flicker!
There was a sizzling sound.
From within the two retreating puppets came the crackling of Explosive Tags, now activated.
Just as she vanished—
BOOM! A violent explosion erupted, smoke billowing.
Explosive tags weren't particularly useful in high-level battles—too slow, not strong enough.
But when used strategically in jonin-level combat, they could be very effective.
Karin was stopped by the explosion.
By the time the smoke cleared, the puppets had vanished.
She made hand signs again, reopening Kagura Shingan to track the enemy.
But then—unexpected chakra entered her senses.
Karin turned her head.
At the same time, several figures Body Flickered onto a high wall of a nearby ruin.
Two pairs of Byakugan.
A green jumpsuit, and a girl with twin buns.
"The one from the Uzumaki clan who's always near Naruto," said a long-haired girl.
"Leaf shinobi." Karin glanced at their headbands. "Why are you here?"
"On a mission, of course," said a long-haired man with Byakugan, calmly. "Are you alone?"
"Naruto is—"
Karin paused with a strange look.
A soft voice interrupted: "I'm right here. Can't you see me?"
Neji turned sharply toward the voice.
A blond figure in a white cloak—
Standing clearly in the ruins amidst the wind and sand.
He gritted his teeth, chakra flaring, veins bulging at his temples.
Byakugan activated.
But—
He saw nothing.
No chakra. No chakra points. No body.
To him, Naruto was void.
Hinata's expression changed slightly.
She felt the same.
One of the Three Great Dojutsu—said to have the greatest insight—the Byakugan was completely useless on Naruto.
"Naruto," Neji took a deep breath to compose himself. "It's been a long time."
"Of course, I remember you, Hyūga Neji. It's been a while," Naruto replied with a smile.
"And me too, Naruto!" Lee raised his hand joyfully. "Didn't expect to run into you here!"
"Are you also after the Dragon Vein?" Naruto asked directly.
Neji froze.
"A ninja like you... is interested in the power of the Dragon Vein?" said the girl with twin buns—Tenten—seriously.
Naruto nodded. "It's useful to me."
"Our mission is to protect—" Tenten began.
But Neji interrupted firmly: "Tenten, our mission is to apprehend the Sand Village rogue, Mukade."
"The Dragon Vein…"
"Is not under our jurisdiction."
"Though it is Mukade's objective."
Tenten looked up.
Lee scratched his head, confused. According to his memory, the mission was as Tenten had said—
Capture Mukade and protect the Dragon Vein.
His version was not mistaken!
But—
He understood why Neji said that.
To avoid conflict with Uzumaki Naruto.
Even with Hinata added to the team, the four of them could never match Naruto.
Karin tilted her head. Her sensory abilities had tracked the escaping person: "The rogue from the Sand?"
"I've found him."
"He's in a tower underground, more than a kilometer away in the ten o'clock direction."
Hinata turned her Byakugan that way.
Sure enough, a faint chakra signature was visible.
At the very edge of her visual range.
"There's a ninja, but it's too far—I can't identify the chakra," Hinata said softly, glancing timidly at Karin.
"Uzumaki's Kagura Shingan, huh?" Neji looked at her and spoke.
Karin put her hands on her hips.
The leader of this team was Hyūga Neji, but she only looked at Hinata. "Kagura Shingan may not be as helpful in combat as the Byakugan—"
"But in sensing…"
"It's far superior."
Hinata shrunk back behind Tenten.
"Naruto." Neji stayed focused. "After this mission, may I ask you to spare me a bit of your time? There are some matters I'd like to consult you on."
Naruto looked at him.
With Kagura Shingan, he could sense emotions.
Right now, Neji was anything but calm.
His heart was a stormy sea.
"Sure," Naruto nodded.
Neji breathed out in relief and bowed deeply. "Thank you very much."
Lee blinked.
Hinata and Karin. Neji and Naruto. He glanced at Tenten—she looked serious, clearly concerned about Neji.
Oh...
So he was the only outsider here?
"Let's catch Mukade first." Karin waved, exchanged a glance with Naruto, smiled, and vanished.
Lee exclaimed, "Such speed!"
"She already killed a team with our level of strength back in the Land of Lightning," Neji said as he chased after her. "It's been a year since then—she's only gotten stronger."
"After all…"
"She's at Uzumaki Naruto's side."
That sentence made Hinata's expression subtly shift.
Tenten noticed and sighed.
In a ruined underground tower—
Karin landed.
At the center was a floating platform.
Endless sandstorms hadn't affected this place.
The sealing array was still intact.
In the middle of the formation, a small mound rose.
A three-pronged kunai was stabbed into it.
A hunched, skinny man stood before it, looking at Karin. "You don't seem to be from the Sand or the Leaf."
Karin nodded.
"Are you here for the Dragon Vein's power too?" he asked, holding out his hand. His voice was seductive. "If you're not from one of the Five Great Nations, why don't we work together?"
"The Dragon Vein's power is limitless—"
Karin clasped her palms together. "The word cooperation means two people with equal status, power, and ability working together."
"Didn't they teach that in Sand's schools?"
"To make such an unreasonable request—"
She descended.
Golden chains surged forward with a whoosh.
Only four, but overwhelmingly fierce.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!" he shouted, recognizing the technique. "You're from the Uzumaki clan!"
He hadn't realized when he saw her red hair.
After all, red hair wasn't that rare in the Sand.
But now—
A girl from the Uzumaki clan.
He couldn't help but think of one person.
"You're Uzumaki Karin!" His face turned pale, his body trembling. Even before the chains reached him, his chakra was already in chaos. "Why are you here?"
"Is Uzumaki Naruto-sama here too?"
"A ninja like him… wants the Dragon Vein's power?"
The one whose single battle had reshaped the terrain—
His name had spread throughout the ninja world.
Even just hearing the name—without seeing the blond figure—made him tremble at the thought of standing against him.
"To deal with someone like you, Naruto doesn't need to lift a finger."
Karin's voice was calm.
The chains surged faster.
The scrawny man's instincts as a ninja kicked in. He raised both hands, flinging two scrolls from his sleeves.
With a puff of smoke—
Two humanoid puppets landed on the ground.
(End Of Chapter)