Suzuki Jirō was stern enough, but Naruto's outfit was classic "suspicious individual" attire — mask, hood, completely obscuring his figure. He practically had the words "I'm suspicious" written all over him.
If that didn't draw suspicion, nothing would.
"Lord Yūichi!" Jirō called out to the lead shinobi of Kusagakure.
"Ah, Jirō, what breeze blew you here? If you're not going to hang around Hōzuki Castle, why come back to this poor excuse of a village?" Yūichi recognized him immediately.
But identifying Jirō didn't ease the tension—quite the opposite. Kusagakure's shabby streets stood in stark contrast to the imposing architecture of Hōzuki Castle. Despite being neighbors and Wuwei's history as a jōnin there, the relationship between the two forces was icy at best.
Naruto didn't care about all that.
"And this is...?" Yūichi eyed Naruto warily after surveying him.
Jirō quickly interjected: "This is Lord Wuwei's esteemed guest. He's here at the village seeking someone."
He emphasized "esteemed guest" in the hope Yūichi wouldn't stir trouble — but Yūichi was trouble.
"Seeking someone?" Yūichi arched a brow. "I'll deploy a few people to assist your search."
More like surveillance or giving him a backstab opportunity.
"What I'm after," Naruto said calmly, "I've already found."
His chakra-sensing honed in at that moment.
Before anyone could react, he vanished—leaving a group of stunned Kusagakure shinobi and a very flustered Jirō in his wake.
---
A Windswept Hut in the Northwest
Inside a modest home stood a girl around eleven.
Clad in nothing but a summer tee and thin coverings—even as the season leaned into freezing—she sat shivering. Five days without food had hollowed her withered belly.
Her stomach rumbled painfully—like wildfire licking her insides, each wave was sharper than the last. Clutching her hands to her abdomen, she curled tighter.
So hungry...
Moments later, she weakly stood and fetched a mug of water. Sipping until she felt full—until hunger smothered her again in a flash.
Why am I still hungry? she thought. Mom... you lied to me.
She slid down the wall, rocking in silence. Bruises and bite marks covered her limbs and neck—jagged reminders of harsh abuse.
Mom... I miss you so much… it hurts…
Her mother had died three years prior—starvation exacerbated chakra depletion. Both mother and daughter were survivors of the Uzumaki clan from the Whirlpools, famed for their massive chakra reserves. Like Naruto, this lineage gifted natural chakra.
Uniquely, they carried a rare ability: restoring chakra, stamina, even healing through biting flesh. A blessing, yet cursed by circumstance.
In Kusagakure, they were outsiders. Though they'd lived there for years, the villagers exploited that ability greedily and mercilessly—gratitude was not part of their agenda.
No amount of chakra equaled strength in shinobi society; despite her tremendous chakra, Karin's mother was powerless in Kusagakure. To survive, she endured endless exploitation for meager scraps.
A wretched, impoverished existence.
She never abandoned hope—for her daughter. Escape was dangerous; suicide, unthinkable—for who would care for Karin?
A tragic maternal sacrifice.
---
The Day of Mother's Tragedy
The memory burned in Karin's mind.
Her gentle mother, always encouraging, was carried by a mask-wearing Kusagakure man—and bitten to death.
When villagers realized she was dead, they smiled.
Imagine. Men sinking their teeth deep as they celebrated the violation in grotesque unity.
That horrifying smile haunted Karin's nightmares ever since.
---
Karin's Fate
After her mother's demise, Karin inherited her role: caring for injured villagers day and night—and suffering their abuse in return.
Cowardly villagers would bite hard to hear her agonized screams, and the payment? Little more than stale scraps.
This was their world. A pit worse than hell—no compassion, no humanity.
Author's Note:
Yūichi is an original character (OC) created for this story. As a Kusagakure ninja, he represents the village's distrustful and aggressive stance toward outsiders,especially those connected to Hōzuki Castle. While Kusagakure's leadership remains a mystery in the original Naruto series, Yūichi fills that gap as a minor authority figure to help build the tension between the Grass Village and Mui.
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