"Hyuga? You're a ninja from Konoha?" Upon the stranger's arrival, Juzo and the others immediately became alert.
"Karin is my friend. Can you let her go?" Hiroki asked.
"Brat, who do you think you are?! Don't meddle in other people's business!" Juzo angrily snapped at him.
Although his tone was harsh, he didn't actually intend to fight.
The main problem was that they couldn't gauge this Konoha ninja's strength.
Moreover, if a real battle broke out, Karin and the others might try to escape again, ending up taking the fall for someone else.
When Hiroki fell silent, Karin immediately felt overwhelmed with anxiety.
After glancing at everyone's expressions, she hesitated for quite some time before whispering in a voice barely louder than a mosquito's hum, "Save me!"
Hiroki showed no reaction, as if he hadn't heard. Karin spoke up slightly louder, "Please, save me!"
The female ninja holding Karin tightly clamped a hand over her mouth without regard for whether it hurt, keeping a wary eye on Hiroki and the Grass ninja.
Tears welled up in Karin's eyes.
"Actually, I'm kind of in a hurry. I still need to get back home to cook dinner," Hiroki said after a moment of silence.
Just as the Grass ninja looked completely baffled, he charged straight at Juzo's trio.
Cursing inwardly, Juzo had no choice but to meet his attack head-on.
The female ninja who had been restraining Karin smirked and began to leave, dragging Karin with her.
To prevent Karin from struggling, the woman knocked her unconscious outright.
In despair, Karin slipped into darkness.
Although Hiroki always believed he could only handle Jonin-level opponents, who had he truly faced all along? He had encountered seasoned Jonin like Hiashi and even Kage-ranked experts like Tsunade.
These mediocre Jonin from the Grass Ninja Village posed no real threat to him—they couldn't even keep up with his speed.
A blue Rasengan slammed into Juzo's chest while the other two ninja simultaneously took twin palm strikes to their hearts.
All three died instantly.
Feeling as though she were being pushed by something, Karin suddenly regained consciousness, opened her eyes, and sat up.
"It's okay now," Hiroki stood in front of her and smiled.
Upon hearing this, Karin anxiously glanced around.
The female ninja lay motionless not far away.
"She's dead," Hiroki followed her gaze and added flatly.
Karin appeared dazed, unsure how to react.
"Well then, I'll be going too. See you next time, Karin. Although I don't know what happened between you and those Grass ninja, try not to run into their territory again—it might cause conflicts."
He cast one last glance at Karin before turning to leave.
Leave? Then what am I supposed to do? A sudden wave of helplessness washed over Karin.
She quickly stepped forward and lightly gripped his arm, whispering, "That..."
"What is it?" Hiroki asked, puzzled.
"...I don't know where to go right now. May I follow you temporarily? Just until my body recovers—I promise I won't bother you anymore. I can take care of myself." Karin murmured.
"Hiroki, you must've heard them mention earlier—I'm a ninja from Konoha."
Konoha?
"That's right, a major Ninja Village like that wouldn't just randomly accept outsiders, would they?"
Karin's expression darkened as she loosened her grip. "...Can't I?"
Hiroki sighed, "What I mean is, if you're coming with me, you might have to join Konoha too."
"Okay." Karin answered softly, lips pressed together.
In Hiroki's house in Konoha.
Kaguya hesitated for a moment before deciding to throw away the several plates of food she had made.
They were charred beyond recognition. Definitely didn't look edible at all.
She really needed to practice cooking something like this.
Black Zetsu stopped her. "Mother, leave it here. Maybe it actually tastes good."
At that moment, Hiroki and Karin teleported into the room.
Karin stared at Zetsu for quite a while, feeling uneasy.
Could this two-faced creature even be considered human? Why were there plants growing from his body?
Hiroki's family members were indeed somewhat unusual.
After he brought Karin back, Hiroki left again.
There was still Kimimaro. Might as well bring him back while I'm at it.
Her gaze lingered briefly on Kaguya and Zetsu. Karin snapped out of it and hesitantly stepped forward, wearing a cautious expression.
"Excuse me, are you the mistress of this house?"
She was asking Kaguya.
Hearing that, Kaguya froze.
Before she could answer, Black Zetsu spoke up for her. "No."
Thinking for a moment, he continued, "Karin, welcome to this big family. We've specially prepared a room for you."
Surprise and amazement showed on Karin's face.
Black Zetsu gave a peculiar smile and led Karin into an empty room Hiroki had cleared earlier.
"This will be your living space from now on."
He said this knowing full well it was originally a room prepared for Kaguya.
"Thank you." Karin bowed deeply in gratitude.
Kaguya silently watched their figures entering and exiting, her emotions indescribable.
What was Zetsu trying to do?
After a while, Hiroki returned once more, bringing along Kimimaro.
As soon as he got back home, he started walking toward the kitchen to prepare dinner.
After all, there were so many mouths to feed now.
"Wait a second," Black Zetsu called out to stop him. "White Zetsu has already prepared the meals."
Hiroki looked at him strangely. "Black Zetsu, why are you still here? Don't you worry about Obito getting suspicious?"
"Just for a short while. He won't suspect anything." Black Zetsu replied stiffly.
Not paying much attention, Hiroki walked toward the dining table.
When he lifted the cover off the dishes, his expression immediately froze.
What exactly were these four blackened chunks of solid matter? Were they supposed to represent food?
"Did it seriously burn?"
"Truly amazing work, White Zetsu! Your cooking skills are incredible!"
White Zetsu completely missed the sarcasm, mistaking it for genuine praise. He proudly responded, "Of course! Even Madara was taken care of by me back then."
"And that's why he died." Hiroki shot back without even turning his head.
Kaguya: "..."
"Well then, I'll cook myself." Sighing, Hiroki decided to take matters into his own hands.
"Eh, not even going to taste it?" Black Zetsu interjected.
"Taste this crap? Are you kidding me?"
"Oh hohoho..." Suddenly, Black Zetsu let out an eerie laugh.
Kaguya's gaze shifted slightly before she shot him a cold look. "Zetsu, you eat those things."
Black Zetsu's expression froze for a moment, but he could only comply obediently, dumping everything into his mouth and noisily gulping it down before giving Kaguya a thumbs-up.
Half an hour later, several fresh dishes were served. Kimimaro and Karin helped carry them out and brought some bowls and chopsticks.
Gathering around the dining table, the group began their dinner.
Zetsu also took a seat.
Hiroki couldn't help but ask again, "Is it really alright that you've been missing for so long?"
Black Zetsu didn't respond, sitting stiffly in his seat and thinking bitterly: I'm the true heir to this family—my mother and I belong together. The rest of you? Outsiders!
Once he finished eating, Zetsu set his bowl and chopsticks aside and turned to Kaguya. "Mother, let's head back now."
Mother?
At his words, Karin and Kimimaro both froze simultaneously, staring in shock at Kaguya and Zetsu.
They didn't even look like they were from the same world—could they really be mother and son?
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