The Akatsuki's Internal Turmoil
News of Naruto's pursuit of Itachi quickly spread throughout the Akatsuki organization.
Of the four active members—Sasori, Deidara, Kisame, and Itachi—only Itachi had returned alive.
Although he had survived, he had lost one of his Sharingan. It was a heavy price to pay.
Yet, when questioned, Itachi couldn't give a clear explanation. He couldn't possibly tell them that Naruto had spared him.
Because of this, his position within Akatsuki plummeted.
Nagato and Konan began to suspect him of betrayal.
In the end, with Obito's intervention, Itachi was cleared of suspicion.
But why did Obito help him?
Simple. Itachi had only one eye left—he was no longer a threat.
And as long as he lived, Obito could use him as a pawn.
That was the only reason he stepped in.
Karin's Story
After Karin and her mother were attacked in the Land of Whirlpools, they wandered the ninja world for years before finding refuge in a small village.
But the price of survival was steep.
Karin grew up training in the village's rundown ninja academy and eventually entered the Chūnin Exams.
Unfortunately, her teammates treated her as nothing more than a "walking healing spring," caring little for her life.
Disillusioned, Karin broke away from them—only to be attacked by a massive bear.
At the critical moment, a handsome blond boy appeared and saved her.
He was so dazzling, so heroic… Karin was instantly captivated.
That boy was Naruto Uzumaki.
After the exam, Karin secretly considered sneaking into Konoha, just for the chance to see him again.
But before she could act, she was unexpectedly invited to meet with the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He treated her warmly—almost too warmly.
Years of hardship had taught Karin that there was no such thing as a free meal.
If Hiruzen wanted her to stay and offered her such generous treatment, it had to come with a price.
Yet, he never stated his purpose directly, which made Karin uneasy.
Overwhelmed by fear and suspicion, she fled.
Upon returning to her village, her superiors berated her for her poor performance in the Chūnin Exams.
They stripped her of her ninja rank and planned to turn her into nothing more than a "human healing tool" to aid in war.
But Karin was no longer that naïve, trusting girl.
Taking advantage of a lapse in the village's security, she escaped—becoming a missing-nin.
From that day forward, she lived as a fugitive, constantly pursued.
Her hunters never aimed to kill her, though. They wanted to capture her alive—because her healing ability was too valuable.
Fortunately, with her exceptional sensory abilities, Karin always managed to detect ambushes and slip away.
But even the cleverest prey can be cornered.
One day, surrounded and out of options, she was saved by none other than Orochimaru.
He praised her sensory skills and invited her to join the Sound Village.
Desperate and exhausted, Karin saw him as a savior and accepted.
To her, Orochimaru was like another light in the darkness—just like Naruto once was.
If Orochimaru wanted her to serve the Sound Village, she was willing.
But that faith didn't last long.
Orochimaru's true nature soon revealed itself. His twisted experiments terrified her.
She'd seen the others—his "test subjects."
Monstrous, hollow-eyed things that barely resembled humans. Most of them didn't survive.
Karin knew it was only a matter of time before she became one of them.
So she began secretly planning her escape.
She went over her plan countless times in her mind, waiting for the right opportunity—before Orochimaru decided to use her for experimentation.
Karin's Escape
That day began like any other. Orochimaru had just finished drawing her blood for testing.
Then—
Boom!
The ground trembled violently.
But this was no ordinary earthquake. The vibration carried traces of Chakra.
Being of the Uzumaki clan, Karin instantly sensed it—familiar, powerful, and overwhelming.
It was Naruto's Chakra!
The residual waves from his technique had even reached the Land of Sound.
Without hesitation, Karin made her move.
This was her chance to escape.
If she could just find Naruto, everything would be okay.
However, because she acted earlier than planned, her preparations were incomplete.
And soon—she was discovered.
The bad news: she'd been spotted.
The good news: not by Orochimaru himself.
Three Sound-nin were chasing her.
Karin gritted her teeth and sprinted toward the direction of Naruto's Chakra.
But the pursuers were gaining fast.
She had plenty of Chakra but little combat skill. She couldn't fight them head-on, and she knew she wouldn't last long if they caught her.
By now, Orochimaru had probably already been informed and was on his way.
Leaping between branches, sweat glistened on her forehead as fear clouded her scarlet eyes.
Closer. They were getting closer!
But so was Naruto's Chakra—it was near!
The night sky was clear, the moonlight bright.
Karin ran with everything she had left, her breathing ragged and uneven.
Behind her, the three Sound-nin shouted:
"Uzumaki Karin! Lord Orochimaru already knows you're trying to defect!"
"If you stop now, maybe he'll go easy on you!"
Karin ignored them, her heart pounding.
She had seen what "mercy" meant in Orochimaru's experiments—those people became monsters, neither living nor dead.
She refused to end up like that.
She refused to die before seeing Naruto again.
Her only answer was to keep running.
She extended her sensory ability—Naruto's Chakra was less than a kilometer away!
But before she could reach him—
A blow struck her back.
"Ah!"
She screamed as she fell from a branch, crashing to the ground.
Swish, swish, swish!
Three Sound-nin landed around her, surrounding her from all sides.
"Damn brat! You actually made us chase you this far!" one of them snarled. "You ruined my night's sleep. I'll kill you myself!"
Terror filled Karin's eyes.
Naruto's Chakra was so close—less than a thousand meters away!
For a trained ninja, that distance was nothing.
But for her, wounded and exhausted, it might as well have been an ocean.
"Naruto… please! Help me!" she cried toward the distant Chakra signature.
One of the Sound-nin raised his kunai, ready to strike.
But his companion stopped him.
"Hey! You trying to die or what?"
"Hmph, she deserves it."
"She's Orochimaru-sama's test subject. If you kill her, you'll be the one he experiments on next."
"Tch… fine. We'll wait for him."
"Exactly. Lord Orochimaru will be here soon."
They didn't notice the faint red flicker far away—Kurama's eyes opening within Naruto's mind.
The Nine-Tails stirred, sensing danger.
"Oi, Naruto," Kurama rumbled. "That red-haired girl—you better wake up. She's calling for you."
And with that, Naruto's eyes snapped open.
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