Karin's wounds were mostly healed, though some old scars proved resistant to ordinary medical treatment. This was already the limit of standard medical ninjutsu.
After experiencing that gentle warmth, she finally began developing some trust in the mysterious uncle before her. At least Karin could now speak up to answer some of Naruto's simple questions.
...
"So your name is Karin?"
She nodded.
"And they captured you to exploit your ability to heal others?"
Another nod, this one more vigorous.
"Do you remember where your home is? I can take you back."
This time, no nod came.
Naruto looked somewhat helplessly at Karin, who was gripping his clothes and wouldn't let go, knowing he couldn't force her to speak for the time being.
Looking at the several unconscious Grass ninja scattered around them, after learning of their despicable acts, Naruto's guilt over accidentally injuring someone immediately evaporated.
Should I just kill them?
He glanced at Karin beside him.
Considering there was a child present, Naruto simply covered her eyes and performed a jutsu.
"Earth Style: Yellow Springs Marsh."
The several ninja were swallowed by the mud.
If they were lucky enough, they might still have a chance to crawl out... Otherwise, this would be a massacre caused by a single wooden clog.
When Karin could see her surroundings again, those "companions" who had seemed like demons to her had vanished. Along with them, the despair that had been weighing on her heart seemed to dissipate as well.
Only after handling this did Naruto seem to suddenly notice Karin's fiery red hair, remembering something important.
Red hair, natural healing abilities...
How is this similar to the Uzumaki clan records from Mother's inheritance?
No, it's not just similar. It's exactly the same.
He sensed the chakra within her body. Even though quite a bit had been drained, what remained was obviously not something an ordinary child could possess.
"Are you... called Karin Uzumaki?"
Naruto asked tentatively.
Sure enough, when Karin heard the word "Uzumaki," her body trembled, clearly reminded of some tragic past involving herself and her mother.
She had heard her mother speak of their "background."
Both she and her mother were from the Uzumaki clan of the Land of Whirlpools, but after that nation was destroyed, the Uzumaki clan members were scattered throughout the ninja world.
Some actively hid their identities, while others were divided up by various major powers.
Her mother's lineage was obviously not lucky enough, lacking sufficient power to protect themselves, ultimately becoming healing tools for Kusagakure.
Naruto was too familiar with this kind of trauma response and immediately dropped the topic.
After thinking for a moment, he ultimately dismissed his transformation jutsu, revealing his true appearance.
Indeed, this loose kimono paired with wooden clogs looked much more natural than the formal suit.
After witnessing Naruto change back to his original form, Karin stood frozen in place, even pushing her recent psychological trauma to the back of her mind.
This appearance wasn't unfamiliar to her.
Rather, the impression was too deep.
After all, when Naruto had fought against Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, Karin had also been at the scene.
It's just that at the time, she could only be a spectator like other minor village ninja, unable to even intervene in the smaller skirmishes between Sand and Sound ninja against Konoha forces.
"You..."
Karin was momentarily at a loss for words. She had thought a righteous passerby had come to help, not realizing it was that Konoha ninja who possessed power beyond her imagination.
"Don't be afraid. Speaking of which, we should be considered clansmen."
With that, Naruto gently placed his hand on top of her head.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Naruto Uzumaki."
...
It's not nice to meet you...
Karin opened her mouth, wanting to say something but unable to make a sound.
Naruto assumed she was just still shy and afraid to speak.
That was fine. It wasn't a big problem.
The real problem was how should he handle Karin's situation?
When it came to rescuing people, Naruto was experienced, but he didn't have much experience being a babysitter.
Most of the slaves he had saved returned to their hometowns, while a few went to his friends.
But now in the ninja world, his acquaintances could be counted on one hand.
Jiraiya?
Forget it. He didn't even know where that guy had run off to.
Send her back to Konoha?
The Third Hokage might treat her well for his sake, but Naruto's trust in Konoha had already hit rock bottom. Better not send the little girl there.
Orochimaru?
Naruto didn't know why he thought of that guy, but no, that snake was obviously not a good person.
"Do you know where the Land of Whirlpools is?"
Naruto didn't know why he ultimately asked this question.
Perhaps he should go see this homeland that truly belonged to him, even if it was just ruins.
But seeing Karin's confused expression, Naruto realized he had obviously asked a stupid question.
Based on age, Karin should be about the same as him, born after the Uzumaki clan had been scattered.
So it seemed he could only rely on the clog-pointing method again?
Until he could locate a reliable guardian, Naruto resolved to keep Karin by his side. She needed to learn fundamental survival skills before he could leave her anywhere safely.
Growing up in Kusagakure, Karin had been denied any offensive techniques. She was treated as nothing more than a living instrument, one that was supposed to sit quietly until someone required her services.
Looking at her weak body, Naruto knew this probably wouldn't be achievable in a short time.
No...
Speaking of which, he really knew of a method that could quickly give someone without the strength to harm a fly sufficient combat power.
Devil Fruits.
Coincidentally, he had originally planned to experiment after leaving the village to see if he could bring fruits from that world back to the ninja world through sealing jutsu or summoning jutsu.
He had just been delayed for a day due to lack of sufficient alcohol for the transmigration process.
"Come on, let's find a place to rest properly first."
With that, Naruto very naturally patted Karin's head.
Speaking of which, Karin should only be one or two years younger than Naruto.
But just looking at appearances, Naruto was completely an adult.
This also left Karin with a wrong impression... of course, neither side intended to bring up the topic of age right now.
After rubbing her red hair for a while, Naruto continued:
"And get you cleaned up properly..."
Hearing this, even Karin couldn't help but blush, inevitably feeling somewhat embarrassed.
But she didn't dare speak up.
Years of oppression had almost carved this silence into her bones.
This scene was also witnessed by Naruto.
Originally, he had said this to stimulate this withdrawn little girl.
But now it seemed that compared to her physical wounds, Karin's psychological wounds would need much more time to heal.
Since he was traveling with a little girl, Naruto could only walk slowly together, immediately reducing their journey's pace.
But that was fine. He wasn't in a hurry to complete the village's mission anyway.
It was just a pretext, like searching for a three-legged golden toad.
Grumble...
A stomach growling sound came.
It was Karin.
Given the little girl's status in Kusagakure, naturally she couldn't expect to eat anything good. Keeping her alive was the limit of their care.
But before she could feel embarrassed, an even louder and more exaggerated rumbling sound came from Naruto's stomach.
Naruto scratched his head and laughed sheepishly.
"Haha, let's find something to eat first."
Karin was first stunned, then seemed to understand his kindness.
For the first time since they met, a genuine smile appeared on Karin's face.
"Yes!"