"Are you alright?"
Seeing Karin staring blankly at him, Haruma couldn't help but smile awkwardly.
"Ah… I-I'm fine."
Karin, snapped back to her senses by his voice, immediately blushed and lowered her head, replying in a flustered tone.
Then, as though recalling something, she mustered her courage to lift her gaze toward Haruma, eyes filled with gratitude.
"Th-thank you… for saving me."
"You're welcome."
Haruma waved it off as nothing, then looked at her with curiosity. "But I'm really curious, why didn't you run away? Don't they teach you the substitution jutsu in your village?"
At that, Karin's face grew redder. She lowered her head in embarrassment.
"I… I forgot."
You heard that right, she forgot.
Ever since awakening her vitality-based healing, Karin had been treated as nothing but a piece of meat, never once fighting people nor beasts. This was also her first time leaving Kusagakure, her first time facing a life-or-death threat.
That was why she had been so helpless.
"You forgot how to run for your life? And you're decided to enter the chunin exams?"
Haruma clicked his tongue softly, then added, "Judging by your forehead protector, you're a Kusagakure kunoichi, right? With this level of skill, I suggest you hurry back to your teammates."
"I… I got separated from them," Karin said, nearly in tears, "I can't find them, I don't know where they are."
"If you can't find them, then why not wait for them at the central tower…"
Haruma trailed off mid-sentence, pausing as though in helplessness. He sighed and said, "Ah… forget it. Just come with me."
"Eh?"
Karin blinked at him in confusion, not quite understanding what he meant.
"Eh what? Hurry up and follow." Haruma urged.
"O-oh!"
Realizing that Haruma intended to escort her, Karin quickly scrambled to her feet.
Instead of instantly transporting her, Haruma simply walked with her in the direction of the central tower. "My name's Haruma by the way. I'm a genin from Konoha. What's your name?"
"I'm Karin, a genin from Kusagakure," she replied quickly, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with him.
Her timid demeanour rivalled even Hinata's.
In truth, this wasn't Karin's true personality. Normally, she was fiery and stubborn.
But just as Sakura was aggressive in front of Naruto yet docile in front of Sasuke, Karin instinctively behaved like a demure lady in front of her rescuer, Haruma.
Of course, part of it was her genuine shyness too.
"You don't have a surname either?" Haruma asked, giving her a side glance.
"…Mm!"
Karin froze for a moment, then nodded vigorously. Her secretive glance at Haruma grew even gentler.
In this world, those without surnames fell into only two categories. Children of orphans who themselves had no family name to pass down or orphans themselves.
Haruma asking that question left only one possibility.
And upon realising that Haruma was the same as her, Karin felt an instant sense of connection, her affection for him deepened.
After just a few words, Haruma had drawn her closer. Yet he didn't push further, instead carrying on with her toward the tower, vanishing from tree to tree.
"Ah!"
After leaping across countless branches, Karin, just a step behind Haruma, suddenly shrieked.
"What is it?"
Though Haruma already knew what she had seen, he stopped with a look of puzzled concern, turning to Karin, whose wide eyes and hand over her mouth were fixed on the ground below.
"M-my… my teammates!"
Karin looked as though she might burst into tears, pointing at the ground, "They're right there!"
Following her finger, Haruma saw two corpses beneath a tree, their throats slit, forehead protectors the same as Karin's.
"This is bad!"
Haruma's face contorted in surprise. Without another word, he scooped her, retracing his steps at high speed, his face serious yet bored, "There's been fighting here, the enemy could very well be lying in ambush ahead."
"Th-then… what should we do?"
Karin, still a total novice, was utterly lost.
She never could have guessed that Haruma's "act" ran this deep. He had deliberately sent a clone to kill her companions, then controlled a beast with genjutsu to attack her, only to show up and play the hero.
Now completely caught in the trap, Karin clung to Haruma as her only anchor.
"With your companions dead, even if you could pass the second exam, I don't think you'd survive the third."
Haruma spoke calmly, then suggested, "I think… you should forfeit."
Karin thought about it, and found his words made sense. She nodded vigorously.
"Mm-hm… I guess I'll listen to you."
"To avoid further danger, I'll escort you back to the entrance." Haruma said.
Once again, Karin was melted by his words.
Held in his arms, she gazed up at him with an awed expression, murmuring, "Thank you… Haruma-kun."
"You're welcome. I'm glad I could meet such a wonderful girl here in the Forest of Death."
Haruma lowered his head to meet her eyes for a moment, tossing out a direct line.
And that direct line struck her so hard, her mind spun. Over and over, her head replayed his words. By the time Haruma carried her back to the exam's entrance and set her down, Karin finally snapped out of her daze.
Staring at the gateway before her, she looked at Haruma with reluctance. "Haruma-kun, will we… be able to meet again?"
"Of course," Haruma said patting her head lightly, then he pulled out a stack of bills, slipping them into her arms with a smile.
"Now that you're the only one left from Kusagakure, here, this is money for you to get home. But you'll have to pay me back one day."
With that, Haruma turned and sprinted back toward the forest.
But after only a dozen steps, he stopped, glancing back over his shoulder to promise, "If you return to Kusagakure and they mistreat you, if you can't stay there anymore, come to Konoha and find me."
Then, with a few more strides, he vanished from sight leaving Karin staring after his back.