Three days had passed since Karin arrived in Konoha.
On the surface, everything seemed fine. She had a place to sleep, food to eat, and no one treated her badly. This was basically the kind of life she had dreamed of back in Kusagakure.
But deep down, she knew things weren't that simple.
Karin was a powerful sensor. Even though no one said it out loud, she could feel them—several shinobi trailing her every day. Always nearby, always watching. Their chakra signatures followed her like shadows. Of course, she understood why. Her background was unclear.
However, this constant monitoring didn't let her relax even after finding a good place to stay. It didn't feel great to be constantly watched.
What made her pout the most was that Sukuna hadn't come to see her, not even once. Not a single "hi" or a secret visit using that weird teleporting trick he had.
A big pout appeared on her face. He's a liar; he promised he'd come see me...
She wasn't stupid, though. From the chakra patterns around her, she could tell why. If he came close, he'd risk being discovered. That's why she remembered his words clearly: "Blend in as much as possible."
Just yesterday, the Hokage had summoned her and told her she would be officially joining the Ninja Academy starting today. Karin had simply nodded. If it helped her stay in Konoha, she would do it.
And so here she was, standing just outside the classroom, waiting for her cue.
Inside, the students were chatting, throwing paper balls, or just relaxing before class began.
Then the door slid open, and everyone went quiet.
Iruka-sensei walked in holding his clipboard. His voice was firm but kind.
Big head no Jutsu...
"Quiet down, you brats..." he said.
"Ah... it's Iruka-sensei..."
"Yeah, definitely. Only sensei has such a big head. Did you see the size of his nose? It was enough to store my kunai..." someone snickered.
Iruka suppressed his irritation before his blood pressure spiked.
"Alright, everyone. We have another new student joining us today."
Whispers began to spread. Another one? Already?
"This time, please let it be a handsome guy," some girls murmured, dissatisfied that the last new student had been a girl.
Iruka turned to the door. "Come in."
Karin stepped inside nervously. Her red hair was tied up, and her glasses sat awkwardly on her nose. She tried to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"My name is Karin… I'm from the Uzumaki clan," she said quietly.
Naruto, who was sitting beside Sukuna and not paying much attention, almost jolted in his seat.
Did someone call me?
Almost instantly, the room began to whisper and giggle.
"Red hair?" "Looks like a tomato!" "What's with that hair?"
Karin's shoulders dropped. She clenched her hands. It felt just like Kusagakure all over again. Her hair color had always been a source of problems for her. There were many who teased and bullied her back then just because her red hair made her stand out.
Sakura saw this and pursed her lips. She knew the feeling. Her pink hair wasn't that different in this regard.
Boom...
But before anyone could say more, a loud BANG echoed in the room.
Sukuna had slammed his desk with his hand, his eyes sharp as he stood up from the back row.
"Anyone got a problem with red hair?" he asked, voice cold and annoyed. "Because if so, I've got pink hair. You gonna say something about that too? Let's have a nice talk after academy—outside."
The room went silent. Everyone remembered what had happened when Sukuna first joined. A few kids had made fun of his hair too. He'd looked annoyed at first, but it was when they started teasing Sakura that he punched a boy right in front of Iruka, breaking the kid's nose on the very first day.
Since then Iruka knew Sukuna Haruno would be the death of him. And after Sukuna's reminder, no one dared to cross him.
Karin blinked. Identifying someone out of a whole bunch of new faces was hard. She didn't notice him either until Sukuna spoke up.
She scanned the room and spotted him. Her face instantly brightened like a child seeing candy.
He wasn't covering his face; he had glasses on and his pink hair was on full display.
Then her eyes lit up.
"Sukuna!" she called happily, completely forgetting herself.
Without waiting for permission, she ran straight to the back and plopped down in the empty seat next to him.
This girl... Sukuna was speechless.
What part of "we don't know each other" do you not understand? Truly Naruto's relative. He had only spoken earlier because he had a beef to pick with those boys in the class. But this girl...
Iruka blinked in surprise but sighed. "Alright then… Karin, you can sit there. Everyone else, quiet down and take out your books."
"Hey... Sukuna, how do you know her?" Naruto asked from the side.
Sukuna cursed internally. It was easy enough to distract Naruto, but others would ask—especially his good-for-nothing sister.
However, the real troublesome guy here was... Sukuna's eyes unconsciously went to Shikamaru, who was acting as if he were taking a nap but whose eyes had flicked to Karin and then closed again.
Good thing Nara are lazy people. If not, then forget Madara, Zetsu, or the Otsutsuki; they'd have taken over the planet long ago, Sukuna grumbled to himself.
Karin leaned closer to Sukuna and whispered, "I thought you weren't gonna talk to me."
This bastard... how come he already knows the new girl? Many boys sent hot glares at him. While Karin's red hair was unusual, they had to admit she was pretty cute.
Sakura on the side narrowed her eyes threateningly, already plotting something.
Kiyomi, just by the fact that this involved Sukuna, looked interested too. But when she sensed no curse energy from the girl, she lost interest.
Sukuna shrugged, keeping his face forward. "When did I say that, and why did you have to make a scene?" he grumbled.
Karin stuck out her tongue, relishing his uncomfortable look.
"Alright, everyone! Today's class will be all about taijutsu. We'll be training outside. Get moving!" Iruka called.
The class cheered and rushed out to the training field behind the academy.
Once everyone was lined up, Iruka began explaining the rules of sparring.
Sukuna, as always, wasn't interested. There was no one in the class who could give him a good match. He had long since lost any interest in taijutsu matches at the academy.
"Naruto and Sasuke, you two are up first."
Oh, finally something like canon. They are destined to fight each other or what?
Sasuke raised an eyebrow but walked forward with confidence. Naruto, on the other hand, looked surprised but grinned wide. "Alright! Let's go! Today I'll beat Sasuke and show everyone how strong I am."
They stood across from each other in the ring. Iruka gave the signal. "Begin!"
Sasuke dashed in first, quick and clean, throwing a sharp kick toward Naruto's side. Naruto blocked with both arms, grunting but holding his ground. He then ducked low and tried to sweep Sasuke's legs.
Sasuke jumped and twisted in the air, landing behind Naruto and aiming a jab at his back, but Naruto turned just in time to grab Sasuke's arm and pull him forward, trying to throw him.
Everyone was stunned. Naruto's movements were clumsy but strong, and he moved faster than usual.
"That Uzumaki kid's not bad…" one student muttered.
"Uzumaki?" Karin heard and perked up. However, she didn't find any red-haired guy around. Didn't her mother say that all Uzumaki people have red hair?
Sasuke gritted his teeth. His technique was perfect—every move sharp and clean. But Naruto was just so stubborn; he simply wouldn't stay down. Even when he got knocked down, he jumped right back up.
They kept clashing—fists flying, kicks blocked, knees dodged. It was fast, intense, and almost even.
"Ah, so all those morning exercises weren't for nothing. Though Naruto at this level needs actual taijutsu training over pulling more reps," Sukuna muttered.
He didn't have time, but perhaps Lee might agree to help Naruto out a little. Maybe... there was nothing wrong with asking.
In the end, Sasuke landed a spinning kick to Naruto's chest, sending him rolling back.
Naruto groaned, holding his ribs but smiling. "I'm not down yet...!" he said as he once again got up.
"Winner is Sasuke."
"Eh, why, Iruka-sensei? I can still fight," Naruto whined.
"Look at your feet. You're out of bounds. It's your loss, Naruto." Iruka didn't budge.
Naruto, dejected, sent a glare at Sasuke before backing off. Next time... next time for sure.
Sasuke stood over him, panting, sweat on his brow. "Tch… barely."
He had no other option but to use rules like this; he found that no matter what he did, Naruto kept getting back up. For the first time, he felt such pressure from Naruto.
If this were a real fight, then the match could have gone either way.
Iruka nodded in approval. "Winner: Sasuke. But good job, Naruto."
Sasuke looked at Naruto, and something inside him clicked. The urgency to grow stronger burned hotter now.
Sukuna just nodded as he watched the fight. He had expected as much.
The next few fights didn't interest him until Iruka called two familiar names.
"Next match—Sakura Haruno vs. Kiyomi Uchiha."
A strange pairing. Both girls stepped into the ring, stretching.
A glint shone in Sukuna's eyes. He knew the conditions for both of these girls, so he was interested in seeing who would come out on top. Both showed physical conditions like pre-awakened Maki.
Sakura looked nervous but determined. Kiyomi looked calm and focused.
"Begin!" Iruka called.
The moment they moved, the ground cracked under Kiyomi's first step. Sakura rushed in with a punch, and Kiyomi blocked; her arm barely shook.
Only Kiyomi knew that her hand had felt almost numb for a moment.
"She's like Maki." her eyes widened in surprise.
Sakura was the same—up to this point, aside from Sukuna, she could take down almost anyone from the academy easily. This was the first time she had faced someone who could take her attack head-on, besides Sukuna.
Kiyomi then countered with a palm strike, and Sakura jumped back.
Hmm, both their speed and physical power are almost similar... Sukuna smirked.
For the first time, both had reason to go all out, and their display left the rest of the student body speechless. Their sheer speed baffled the other kids.
Both girls, for the first time, faced someone who pushed them to their limits. Neither wished to give up.
"Go on, Sakura-chan... you win," Naruto shouted.
"Shut up, dobe. Kiyomi will beat that girl. Stop wasting time," Sasuke called.
Punches, kicks, dodges—both girls had raw strength, but it was clear Kiyomi had better control.
Sakura used wide swings while Kiyomi moved with precision. She ducked, countered, twisted, and kept her cool.
The fight went on for several minutes. Iruka was most impressed. He had taught for some time and had never seen a fight between kunoichi this wild before.
In his estimation, Sakura was stronger than expected, but Kiyomi was just more polished.
Finally, Kiyomi caught Sakura's punch and flipped her over, pinning her gently to the ground.
"Winner: Kiyomi," Iruka announced.
The class clapped, surprised at how strong both girls were.
"Hmm... I see what he meant—me, him, Naruto, and his sister..." Kiyomi said with understanding after she fought Sakura.
Sakura was much like herself and Maki.
What she didn't understand was why that guy's sister had no fighting skill.
Tsk... that guy had the gall to lecture her when his own sister doesn't train, she scowled.
xxx
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