The wounds on Karin's body had been mostly healed, but some of the older scars were not so easily treated.
This was already the limit of ordinary Medical Ninjutsu.
However, after feeling that warmth, Karin seemed to have developed a bit of trust in the uncle before her.
At the very least, Karin was finally able to respond to Naruto's simple questions with words.
…
"So, your name is Karin?"
Nods.
"And they captured you to exploit your ability to heal others?"
Nods nods.
"Do you remember where your home is? I'll take you back."
This time, there was no nod.
Naruto sighed helplessly as he watched Karin clutch his clothes tightly, refusing to let go. It seemed he wouldn't be able to get her to speak for the time being.
Glancing at the unconscious Kusagakure's Ninjas, Naruto's initial guilt over accidentally injuring them vanished completely after learning of their despicable actions.
'Should I just kill them outright?'
He looked at Karin, who was standing beside him.
Considering there was a child present, Naruto simply covered her eyes and performed a Ninjutsu.
[Earth Release: Mud River]
These Ninjas were swallowed by the mud.
If they were tough enough, they might still have a chance to crawl out-
Otherwise, this would be a bloody incident caused by a single shoe.
When Karin could see again, the 'companions' she had once seen as demons had disappeared without a trace.
It felt as though the weight of despair pressing on her heart had also vanished.
Only after finishing all this did Naruto suddenly seem to notice Karin's fiery red hair, as if recalling something
'Red hair, born with the ability to heal-'
'Didn't that match the records of the Uzumaki Clan he'd seen in the scrolls left by my mom?'
'No, not just similar… they are practically identical.'
Sensing the chakra within Karin's body, even though much of it had already been drained, what remained was far beyond what an ordinary child should possess.
"Are you… Uzumaki Karin?"
Naruto tentatively asked.
Sure enough, the moment Karin heard the word 'Uzumaki', her body trembled, clearly recalling some painful memories of her and her mother's past.
She had heard her mother speak of their 'heritage' before.
Both she and her mother were from the Uzumaki Clan of the Land of Whirlpools. However, after the destruction of Uzushiogakure, the Uzumaki Clan's survivors had scattered across the Ninja World.
Some had hidden themselves willingly, while others had been divided among the major powers.
Her mother's lineage had clearly been unlucky, as they lacked the strength to protect themselves and had ultimately become nothing more than medical tools for Kusagakure.
Naruto was all too familiar with this kind of traumatic reaction and immediately stopped pressing further.
Then, he pondered for a moment, and finally dispelled the Transformation Technique, revealing his true appearance.
'Sure enough, this loose yukata looks much better when paired with the wooden clogs.'
After seeing Naruto return to his real appearance with her own eyes, Karin stood there in a daze, even forgetting her earlier psychological scars.
His face was not unfamiliar to her.
In fact, it was far too memorable.
After all, Karin had been present when Naruto fought Itachi and Kisame.
But at that time, she had been just another spectator among the small Ninja Village, unable to even intervene in the small-scale battles between Sunagakure, Otogakure, and Konoha's Ninja.
"You…"
Karin was momentarily at a loss for words. She had thought her savior was just a passing powerhouse. But she never expected it to be that Konoha's Ninja, whose power was beyond her comprehension.
"Don't be afraid. After all, we are still considered members of the same clan."
As he said this, Naruto gently placed a hand on her head.
"It's nice to meet you. My name is Uzumaki Naruto."
…
'It's not our first meeting…'
Karin opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound came out.
Naruto simply assumed she was still too shy to speak.
That wasn't a big deal.
The real question is… what should he do about Karin's future?
When it came to saving people, Naruto was practically an expert, but he had almost no experience being a babysitter.
Most of the slaves he rescued had returned to their homelands, while a handful had sought refuge with his friends.
But in the Ninja World, the number of people he knew well could be counted on one hand.
Jiraiya?
Forget it, he himself had no idea where he was running off to.
Send her back to Konoha?
Hiruzen might treat her well out of respect for Naruto, but Naruto's trust in Konoha had long since hit rock bottom. It was better not to send the poor girl into that place.
Orochimaru?
Naruto wasn't sure why this guy came to mind, but he knew that definitely wouldn't work. The man was clearly no good.
"Do you know where the Land of Whirlpools is?"
Naruto didn't know why he ended up asking this question.
Perhaps he should visit what was, in a sense, his true homeland… even if it was just ruins now.
But the moment he saw the blank look in Karin's eyes, he realized he'd asked something stupid.
Judging by age, Karin was probably around the same age as him, and she was born after the Uzumaki Clan had already scattered.
'So… was the wooden clog navigation method our only option now?'
Until he found someone trustworthy to entrust her to, Naruto decided to let Karin tag along as his little follower.
At the very least, he needed to teach her some basic self-defense.
Karin, who grew up in Kusagakure, had never learned any offensive Ninjutsu... After all, she was just a tool, and tools only needed to wait quietly to be used.
Looking at her frail physique, Naruto knew this wouldn't be something he could accomplish overnight.
'Wait…'
'Come to think of it, I actually knew a way to quickly give a powerless person enough combat ability.'
Devil Fruits.
It just so happened that Naruto had originally planned to test whether he could bring those fruits back to the Ninja World through Sealing Technique or Summoning Technique after leaving the village this time.
The only reason he hadn't done so yet was the lack of enough alcohol to facilitate the process.
"Let's go find a place to rest first."
As he said that, Naruto casually patted Karin's head.
Come to think of it, Karin was probably around the same age as Naruto's current body.
But based on appearance alone, Naruto looked like a full-grown adult.
This gave Karin a completely mistaken impression... though neither of them brought up the topic of age right now.
After ruffling her red hair for a bit, Naruto added, "And let's get you cleaned up too…"
Hearing this, even Karin couldn't help but blush slightly, feeling a bit resistant.
But she didn't dare say it out loud.
Years of oppression had ingrained this silence deep into her bones.
Naruto noticed this as well.
Originally, he had said it to provoke a reaction out of this quiet little girl.
But now it seemed that, compared to her physical wounds, the scars in Karin's heart would take much longer to heal.
With a little girl in tow, Naruto had no choice but to slow his pace, which drastically extended their travel time.
But that was fine… he wasn't in any hurry to complete the mission the village had assigned him anyway.
After all, it was just an excuse.
Growl...
There was a sound of stomach growling.
It was Karin's.
Given her status in Kusagakure, there was no way she had ever eaten anything decent… the limit is to ensure that she doesn't die.
But before she could feel embarrassed, an even louder, exaggerated growl erupted from Naruto's stomach.
Naruto scratched his head and laughed sheepishly, "Haha, I guess we should find something to eat first."
Karin was stunned at first, then seemed to understand.
For the first time since they met, a smile appeared on Karin's face.
"Yeah!"