After the Genin teams assessed the situation and understood what had happened, they silently began dispersing into the Forest of Death once more, keeping a fair distance from this spot.
No one wanted to fight in such an open area with so many eyes on them. A battle here would only spell disaster for both sides, as other teams could easily ambush them while they were distracted.
While the other teams scattered, Naruto was busy listening to Karin's life story how she had grown up in the Hidden Grass Village.
The two sat facing each other on a high tree branch. Naruto was still recovering from his injuries, wincing in pain whenever he moved even slightly. But when he learned that Karin was an Uzumaki like him, he sprang up in surprise.
His spirits soared at the news the joy of knowing he wasn't the only one left of his clan outweighed the pain that flared when he leapt up.
But as Karin began to speak, he quickly settled down again, with a serious expression etched on his face. Her voice quivered slightly as she spoke, recalling those memories.
"I don't remember much from my early childhood," she began softly. "My mother and I used to wander the world. We didn't have a home, but I was happy traveling with her."
"One day, we passed through the Grass Village. As usual, we stayed there for a few days, planning to move on. But while I was playing outside, I fell and struck my head on a stone.
The injury was serious. My mother panicked when she saw me like this and, in her fear, secretly used her ability to heal me. She was too worried to care about hiding it."
Karin's voice softened with emotion as she spoke of her mother, then hardened again as she continued with what had happened afterward.
"But a ninja from the village saw her heal me and reported it to the authorities.
Soon after, they offered us a place to stay on the condition that my mother would use her ability to heal their shinobi. I later learned they were forcing her to remain there."
Her hands trembled and her fists clenched, anger breaking through her voice.
"When war broke out between the nations, there were countless injured shinobi in the Grass Village. My mother died from the overuse of her abilities."
Her tone grew hollow, tears streaming down her cheeks as she recalled the last time she saw her mother.
"After her death, they set their sights on me, and when they discovered I had the same ability as my mother, they began using me as the village's medical aid."
Karin reveled the bite marks covering her hands, each one a reminder of the pain she had endured.
Naruto remained silent as he listened, but a deep ache welled up inside him when his eyes fell on the bite marks she bore. His heart sank at the sight.
"Karin," he asked quietly, "are there any Grass Village ninja who came with you to the Chūnin Exams?"
He closed his eyes, clearly making up his mind about something.
"Yes," she replied softly. "Actually, two squads came from the Grass Village this time, but my teammates were killed in your earlier attack."
She pointed toward the distant debris where her teammates lay buried, a flicker of relief passing through her at having exacted some measure of revenge.
Hearing this, Naruto forced himself to suppress his emotions for a moment and think. He remembered how, before launching his jutsu, he had instinctively checked the surroundings—he never wanted to risk harming anyone unnecessarily. Karin's team must have entered the danger zone at the very last moment.
The realization stunned him. Without meaning to, he had played a part in their deaths. But he pushed the thought aside; there were still things he needed to do before he could reflect on it.
From what Karin had said, she might now be the sole survivor from the Grass Village. Naruto recalled that Orochimaru had also disguised himself as a Grass shinobi during the exams, which meant that perhaps both squads from the Grass Village had perished in the Chūnin Exams.
If he let Karin return now, she would have to go back to the Grass Village and face all of this again. He began to wonder what he could do to prevent that, but his options were painfully limited.
His own identity was a special one, and although no one was observing him now, he knew that once he left the Forest of Death, ANBU would be following him.
Deep in thought, Naruto began to consider ways he could at least save her from returning to the Grass Village. Staying in the Hidden Leaf wasn't possible for now, but she might be able to remain until the end of the Chūnin Exams that was his current plan.
If he came up with a better plan in the meantime to let her stay permanently, that would be even better.
But if not, he could arrange for her to live in a city closer to Konoha. Ichiraku Ramen had recently begun opening branches across the Land of Fire, and although they were still new, Ayame might be able to help Karin settle in one of those cities—perhaps even provide her with an ID under Ayame's name so she could live there without trouble.
Before acting, he had a question for Karin.
"Umm… Karin, is the healing-bite ability common among everyone in the Uzumaki clan?" he asked curiously.
Karin shook her head.
"I don't know much about it," she admitted. "But according to my mother, it's quite rare in the Uzumaki clan."
Naruto nodded, glancing down at his hand before rubbing the back of his head. Then his eyes widened as he remembered something important, sweat trickling down his temple.
'Damn… why am I such an idiot? I completely forgot why I ended up here in the first place.'
He had been so absorbed in Karin's story that he'd momentarily forgotten Sasuke and Sakura were still in danger.
"Karin, stay here. I'll be back in a few moments," Naruto said, quickly creating a shadow clone. "The clone will stay with you for now, so follow it until I get back. I have somewhere I need to be."
Naruto pushed himself to his feet, wincing from his injuries. He had to get back to help Sasuke there was still a chance they were fighting. Anything darker than that, he didn't want to think about.
Without wasting another moment, he sprinted toward their previous position, silently praying they were safe.
"Naruto, let me come too! I can help!" Karin called after him. She could see how worried he was, and since Naruto himself was injured, she thought she might be able to heal him further.
Before she could follow, the shadow clone stepped in front of her.
"I don't think you'd be much help there," the clone said gently. "It might be dangerous, and they could target you as well. As for me don't worry. I can survive almost anything."
Hearing the confidence in the shadow clone's voice, Karin paused. The shadow clone even tried to lighten the mood, offering her a reassuring smile as he shared a few funny moments from his life.
As Karin began talking with Naruto, she felt a genuine sense of relief for the first time in many years. Something about the air around him gave her a sense of calm and peace she had longed for. Talking to him was like breathing in a renewed energy.
It took a moment, but she gradually calmed down, and then a sudden thought came to her.
"Hey, Naruto… can we go back to my previous spot?" Karin asked. "I left something there that I really need."
She pointed toward a location a short distance away. She had dropped it earlier in fright during Naruto's attack and forgotten to pick it up.
"Can't you use a shadow clone to get it?" the clone asked, wary of possible ambushes from teams lying in wait.
"They never taught me the shadow clone technique," Karin admitted.
Naruto immediately understood why but chose not to comment. After a brief pause, he turned to her.
"How about I teach you the Shadow Clone Jutsu? It's easy if you've got good chakra control."
"I do have good chakra control, as Healing Bite works better the more control you have. So, they did teach me chakra control," Karin said, nodding upon hearing Naruto's explanation of the jutsu's prerequisites.
Naruto smiled upon hearing this. He then began to explain how the Shadow Clone Jutsu was performed and everything required to use it.
It didn't take long before she was able to use it herself, easily creating her own clone.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu"
"See? That was easy, right? I'm a great teacher!" Naruto grinned, running a hand through his hair and striking what he thought was a stylish, cool pose. "I'm sooo cool~."
Karin's lips trembled as she tried to hold back her laughter.
(꒪⌓꒪)
Naruto frowned. 'Is there something wrong? ' he thought, watching karen's eyes water as she struggled not to burst out laughing. But seeing her smile, he simply shook his head.
Karin's shadow clone took off toward the spot she had mentioned earlier, while the real Karin stayed behind with Naruto, chatting idly.
Meanwhile, the real Naruto was racing through the forest, moving as fast as his battered body would allow. He'd already spent too much time talking to Karin Sasuke and Sakura could be in trouble.
Inside a hollow tree trunk its massive interior shaped like a cave Sakura was tending to Sasuke. His fever was rising fast, his skin burning hot ever since Orochimaru had bitten him.
She wrung out the damp cloth on his forehead and replaced it with a fresh, cooler one in a desperate attempt to lower his temperature.
A faint noise from outside caught her attention. Grabbing a kunai, she stepped out cautiously to investigate.
Standing in the distance were the Sound Trio, fresh from receiving Orochimaru's orders. They had followed his directions with precision, arriving exactly where they needed to be. Dosu scanned the area, his keen senses locking onto their target.
"They're just ahead of us about two hundred meters," Dosu said after closing his eyes briefly to pinpoint their location. He glanced toward the hollow tree where Sakura and Sasuke were hidden.
"Let's go. Lord Orochimaru said the faster we finish this mission, the better."
He led the group forward, and moments later, they spotted Sakura emerging from the tree.
"That makes it easier. Let me handle her," Kin said smugly, gripping her weapon.
Dosu shook his head.
"We don't have time for that. We go together."
All three advanced quickly, closing the distance.
Sakura's heart pounded as she watched them approach, panic written across her face at the sight of them coming so close together.
But as they entered the final fifty meters, a knowing smile escaped her lips.
She yanked a kunai from the ground where she had hidden it earlier, pulling a concealed wire taut. With a sharp metallic click, a mechanism activated, and a massive tree trunk swung toward the Sound Trio at dangerous speed.
They had no time to dodge.
Sakura smirked, certain she had caught them off guard. But just as the log was about to slam into Dosu, he lifted his hand. A single motion tore the trunk apart, splinters scattering in the air.
Sakura's smirk vanished.
Her heart sank as they closed the distance, now completely surrounding her.