Chapter 124: Uncle Inabi, Please Bite Me Too
After that small incident, Inabi's attitude immediately softened considerably. He no longer ignored Karin's questions but occasionally replied.
Uchiha favor was just this easy to obtain.
Circling around, Karin asked back to the earlier question.
"Hey, Uncle, I see you haven't eaten or rested. Aren't you hungry? Tired?"
"Hehe..." Inabi awkwardly scratched his head. "I'm already dead. I don't need to eat or rest."
"What?" Karin opened her mouth wide in shock, calling out in disbelief: "You're lying! You're clearly alive!"
"No, it's a technique's effect that allowed me to return from the Pure Land."
"But dead is dead—cannot revive."
"I cannot exist long in the shinobi world. Sooner or later, I must return to the Pure Land."
"How can this be?" Karin covered her mouth in disbelief, tears rolling in her eyes, about to cry.
After only slight hesitation, she extended her arm, offering it to Inabi's mouth.
"Hey, Uncle, I saw those shinobi lords—after severe injuries, just biting us once and they recovered."
"So, Uncle, please bite me too!"
"Maybe you'll revive?"
"What?" Inabi paused. Looking down, he saw Karin's young tender arm covered in tooth marks—countless large and small, new wounds over old ones, layer upon layer, densely packed, simply innumerable.
Inabi's heart stirred. He immediately grew angry. His steps halted as he called loudly: "Clan Head!"
"Look at Karin's arms!"
"Let's go back!"
"Kill all those bastards in the Land of Grass!"
After Yashiro and Teppka saw, the Sharingan in their eyes spun wildly as they joined the clamor.
"Right, Clan Head! We can't let little Karin suffer this wrong!"
"We Uchiha cannot let friends suffer such grievances. Must take revenge!"
Yasushi actually knew long ago about the Karin mother and daughter's experiences. But knowing was one thing—seeing personally was another.
Moreover, before, the Karin mother and daughter were just his subordinates. But now, little Karin had become the Uchiha's friend. The attitude was naturally different.
"Fine, then let's go back and kill all those bastards in the Land of Grass!"
Yasushi said nothing more, just turned around and walked back. The three Uchiha also followed excitedly behind, looking eager to fight.
"Um..." Karin didn't expect this result. She didn't know Yasushi and company had already caused havoc in the Land of Grass. In her young heart, those Kusagakure shinobi were practically villain demon kings she didn't dare provoke.
"Uncle, it stopped hurting long ago. I'm fine. You don't need to go!"
Karin's frightened, worried expression—afraid of implicating others because of her—made several Uchiha's emotions surge even higher.
"Little Karin, don't be afraid. Mere Kusagakure—we... uh, our Clan Head can easily flatten them!"
Inabi ultimately retained some rationality, knowing just them couldn't defeat Kusagakure. They'd still have to rely on their Clan Head, so he didn't boast too much.
But in their eyes, their new Clan Head truly was invincible. That's why they willingly served him, even after death.
"Little Karin, later I'll also get you a pair of Sharingan to install. Make you also become our Uchiha clan, okay?" Yasushi stroked Karin's little head, asking cheerfully.
"Huh? Can I?" Karin was both surprised and delighted, eyes widening, asking eagerly.
"Of course!" Yasushi patted his chest, guaranteeing: "In my name as Uchiha Clan Head, I agree to make you our clansman."
"Mm, and fix your nearsightedness too."
"Don't know what's up with Uzumaki clan bloodline. Such strong recovery yet can't cure nearsightedness."
Surprise descended. Karin had already ignored Yasushi's complaint, beaming as she extended her arms, tightly hugging Inabi's neck, cheering: "That's wonderful! From now on, I also have a clan!"
"Uncle, from now on we're family!"
"Haha... Right, from now on we're all Uchiha clan!" Inabi was also very happy.
"If not for that beast Itachi, maybe in a few years I could have had a daughter as cute as Karin born."
Mentioning Itachi, all the Uchiha's faces darkened.
"Don't mention that beast. Wait until we destroy Konoha—see his expression then!"
Seemingly sensing the wrong atmosphere, Karin blinked, asking: "Who is that Itachi person?"
Yasushi stroked Karin's head, snorting coldly:
"Itachi is the Uchiha clan's traitor, worse than an animal. Inabi and them were killed by Itachi, for the shitty Konoha."
"Ah!" After hearing this, Karin immediately grew angry. Her little face puffed up as she waved her small fists, shouting loudly:
"Uncle, please teach me how to be a shinobi too!"
"After I grow up, I'll definitely kill that guy called Itachi and avenge you all!"
Inabi and the others went crazy with joy, all applauding and praising: "Well said, little Karin!"
"This is our Uchiha way!"
"Little Karin, rest assured. Whatever you want to learn, we'll teach! Definitely cultivate you into a powerful shinobi!"
Yasushi looked at Hiruko beside him with an unwilling expression, calling loudly:
"Hiruko, this is our Uchiha clan's group activity. No absences allowed. You must come too!"
"What Uchiha clan? What's that got to do with me!" Hiruko shouted with flushed face and thick neck.
"How doesn't it!" Yasushi immediately shouted back loudly. "I'm saying this now—if you don't help little Karin take revenge, you're not our Uchiha clan. I'll expel you!"
"Who cares about your Uchiha clan registry! I don't need any clansmen!"
Hiruko shouted loudly, but his steps didn't slow at all, following tightly behind Yasushi.
"I'm not doing this for anyone's revenge. I don't do meaningless things!" Hiruko stretched his neck, calling: "I'm going to Kusagakure because those trash don't treasure materials. Maybe they're hiding even better ones."
"Yeah yeah, you're right, dead tsundere."
Yasushi immediately threw back Hiruko's earlier label, making Hiruko furious.
"You're the dead tsundere!"
"Right, right, we Uchiha are all dead tsunderes."
"I'm not Uchiha!"
"Open your Sharingan and ask everyone who's seen it whether they acknowledge you're not Uchiha."
"I don't need others' acknowledgment! I don't need companions or clansmen either!"
The two bickered noisily, heading back toward Kusagakure.
Behind them, Karin's mother lay on Teppka's back, watching the two arguing ahead. The corners of her mouth couldn't help curling into a smile. Suddenly she felt changing her surname to Uchiha might not be so bad after all.
****
70+advance chapters at patreon.com/Eatinpieces