Karin was in despair.
At this time, her arms and legs were covered in bite marks, and even the skin on her neck was no exception.
The culprits were several other Ninjas from Kusagakure, the same village she belonged to.
…If she could even be considered a Ninja, that is.
This wasn't an exaggeration.
Because in Kusagakure, Karin and her mother were treated less like people and more like medical tools.
Due to the special physique of the Uzumaki Clan, both she and her mother possessed the ability to heal others' injuries.
The price is that their Chakra would be absorbed, which is the source of the bite marks on her body.
"Tch, who would've thought we'd run into something like this this time?"
"Hmph, and Konoha calls itself one of the great Ninja Villages? They still let enemies strike right at their doorstep."
"So, what do we do now?"
"Let's just head back to the village."
Listening to the two Kusagakure's Ninjas walking ahead of her, Karin felt as though her life might as well be over.
She knew all too well what fate awaited her upon returning to Kusagakure.
Just like his mother, she would be treated as a blood bag and her Chakra would be drained until she died.
But there was nothing Karin could do about it. She had no strength to resist, and even the will to fight back seemed to have vanished along with her mother's death.
Right now, Karin was like a puppet, completely at the mercy of others.
Bang!
Suddenly, a hard object fell from the sky, smacking the leader of the Kusagakure's team square on the head.
The man's head immediately started bleeding as he staggered and collapsed to the ground.
'An ambush!?'
The other two Genin immediately drew their weapons in panic and looked around vigilantly.
The injured Kusagakure's Jonin clutched his bleeding forehead as he stood up, holding the 'projectile' that had hit him.
"Who… who the hell threw a sandal!?"
In his hand was a single wooden clog.
It was clear that the Jonin of Kusagakure were on a completely different level compared to those from the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Aside from a rare few exceptions, their overall strength was far below that of Ninja from great Ninja Villages.
This wasn't just due to a lack of resources in smaller villages… more than anything, it was because these villages lacked systematic training methods, leaving their Ninja more like self-taught amateurs.
"Ah, my bad, my bad…"
A rustling sound came from a nearby bush, and then a tall figure in a crisp white suit emerged.
The man had an elongated face, afro hair, and, most bizarrely, while he wore neatly pressed suit pants, only one of his feet had a wooden clog on.
Obviously, the clog just now belonged to him.
The guy stood over two meters tall, and his imposing presence alone was enough to put immense pressure on the Kusagakure's Ninjas.
However, this intimidating, afro-haired man didn't immediately attack. Instead, he began apologizing.
Seeing the stranger's non-hostile demeanor and the complete lack of any Ninja's markings on him, the two Genin instantly flew into a rage.
"Bastard! How dare you ambush us?!"
"You got a death wish or something!?"
On the contrary, the Jonin remained silent, his eyes locked onto the newcomer.
Something told him this guy wasn't as simple as he seemed.
On the other side, Naruto, the 'not-so-simple' man in question, felt a little awkward.
After leaving the village and traveling quite a distance, it suddenly hit him that he didn't actually have a clear destination in mind.
However, for someone who had spent years drifting randomly across the seas, this was nothing new.
So, he simply raised his leg high and kicked off one of his wooden clogs, planning to let it land and then follow the direction its toe pointed to decide where to go next.
In order to prevent himself from being 'spoiled' by himself, he deliberately suppressed his Observation Haki.
As a result, not long after the wooden clog flew out, he heard a startled 'ouch'.
It was obvious someone had been hit.
When wandering the world, having a backup identity is crucial.
Naruto instinctively activated the Transformation Technique without hesitation, morphing into a 'shrunken-down' version of Aokiji… After all, the real guy was nearly three meters tall, and fully replicating that would be way too conspicuous.
Judging by how smoothly he pulled it off, this clearly wasn't his first time doing something like this.
When he pushed through the trees and bushes onto the main road, he was met with the hostile glares of several Ninjas.
Since he was the one at fault, Naruto immediately apologized.
But given their attitude, it didn't seem like this would be resolved easily-
Just as Naruto was scratching his head in frustration, he saw the Ninja who had been struck by his shoe suddenly grab the red-haired girl beside him.
Then, as if handling an object, he carelessly yanked open her collar and bit down on her shoulder.
The red-haired girl just had a blank look in her eyes. Even the pain from being bitten didn't cause her eyes to fluctuate in the slightest.
This scene made Naruto feel a little unhappy.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!"
His voice was accompanied by his massive hand.
Before anyone could react, he had already appeared in the middle of the group.
With one hand, he gripped the Jonin's head, and with the other, he pulled the girl aside, even adjusting her clothes for her.
Naruto was always a man who followed his impulses, or, to put it another way, he always acted recklessly.
As long as there is something he doesn't like, he will often take action before thinking about the consequences.
This was probably why he'd earned the title of [Great Hero].
"It's an enemy!"
Though they couldn't sense any Chakra, the stranger's speed was clearly beyond that of an ordinary person.
The two reckless Kusagakure's Ninjas immediately hurled shuriken at Naruto.
But their aims were a little bad, and half of the shurikens went in the direction of Karin and the Jonin.
Karin didn't even flinch, as if she hadn't registered the danger.
Naruto simply flicked his fingers, deflecting the shuriken midair.
As for that Jonin, he wasn't so lucky.
With Naruto gripping his head, his vision was blocked, and he wanted to resist but couldn't break free.
Before he could use any Ninjutsu, he was stabbed by his own subordinates' shuriken and blood gushed out.
"Ah… sorry, I forgot about you for a moment."
Naruto's apology this time was half-hearted at best. He tossed the Jonin aside and released his Conqueror's Haki, instantly knocking out the remaining Ninjas.
The precise burst of Haki didn't affect Karin at all.
Therefore, she witnessed firsthand as the people she had believed were inescapable tyrants collapsed in an instant.
Once the deed was done, Naruto turned his attention to Karin.
The wounds exposed on her body were horrifying, making Naruto frown deeply.
"Why were they treating you like this?"
In response to Naruto's question, Karin fell silent for a moment, unsure whether she should trust this stranger with the truth about her special ability to heal others.
If she revealed it, would this powerful shinobi just take her away and use her as a living blood bag like the others?
Seeing that the little girl didn't speak for a while, Naruto thought that she had become autistic due to such long-term abuse.
Many of the slaves he rescued back then had similar situations, so it was nothing new to him.
A greenish glow enveloped Naruto's hand, and the Medical Ninjutsu, fueled by his monstrous Chakra reserves, quickly took effect, helping Karin heal her external injuries.
However, her Chakra, that was absorbed by the Jonin just now, would take longer to recover.
'So warm...'
Karin felt the heat spreading across her wounds, and before she knew it, tears were rolling down her cheeks.