The next morning, when Naruto carried Tsunami out for breakfast, Yukimi's gaze was clearly filled with a hint of resentment.
Although she had anticipated that there would be many women around Naruto in the future.
But she had only been with Naruto for a few days, and he had already found a second one. She really didn't know how many there would be in total.
Could it be that he really wanted to build a huge clan on his own?
Thinking of the clan, Yukimi couldn't help but ask, "I remember there used to be a Land of Whirlpools. It seemed like they had the surname Uzumaki, right? It doesn't seem to be too far from here."
"Yeah." Naruto nodded, eating his breakfast, and answered casually: "It's a pity that a man is innocent, but his wealth is his crime. Because of the fear of several major ninja villages, they joined forces to destroy the Uzumaki Hidden Village in the Land of Whirlpools."
"My mother escaped from there, and I also took my mother's surname. Now, there are not many Uzumaki clan members left in the ninja world..."
Speaking of which, he suddenly froze, then slapped his forehead.
I forgot about her!
"What's wrong?" Yukimi looked at his strong reaction, feeling a little surprised.
"I have to go to the Land of Grass!" Naruto slammed his chopsticks on the table and stood up to leave.
The only surviving members of the Uzumaki Clan were Nagato and Karin.
Naruto wasn't interested in Nagato, but Karin was a must-have. Perhaps they could produce a few pure-blooded Uzumaki descendants.
But Karin was currently suffering in the Land of Grass, and he didn't know if her mother was dead or not.
"Are you leaving now? Do you want me to come with you?" Yukimi also stood up.
Seeing this, Tsunami could only stop eating breakfast and stand up.
She didn't understand much about ninjas, and she pretended not to hear Naruto and Yukimi's conversation.
Now, she just hoped to see Tazuna and Inari. Unfortunately, the timing wasn't right, and it wasn't a good time to bring it up.
"It's urgent; I'll go quickly alone!" Naruto glanced at Tsunami again and said, "You can let her see Inari, but forget about Tazuna."
Tazuna was going to be executed today. Seeing each other would only lead to crying, nothing else.
It was better not to let them meet, saving them from unnecessary worry.
Before Tsunami could say anything, Naruto flashed away, disappearing from the spot.
Tsunami opened her mouth, then turned to look at Yukimi.
"Looking at me won't help."
Yukimi shrugged. "I wish I could help you, but I'm in a similar situation. I can't make any decisions."
Tsunami could only sigh, her sorrow evident.
But she quickly composed herself. If she couldn't see Tazuna, she could still see Inari. She wouldn't let the child see her weakness.
Naruto left the Land of Waves, heading towards the Land of Grass at top speed.
From the Land of Waves to the Land of Grass, he had to cross the entire Land of Fire.
Even with a ninja's speed, it would take four or five days.
To save time, Naruto swapped Chakra with the Nine-Tailed Fox, entering Golden Body Mode to travel.
Without rest and at any cost, it still took him a day and a night to reach the Land of Grass.
Of course, he didn't forget to leave several Flying Thunder God Technique markers along the way.
He wouldn't have to rush so much next time he passed through this area.
The Land of Grass was currently in a state of war, locked in a bitter conflict with a neighboring small country, resulting in countless casualties.
Naruto felt a sense of urgency. The war had caused so many deaths in the Land of Grass, which had depleted Karin's mother's life force, and thus Karin had taken over her mother's medical bag abilities.
"Kid, you're too impatient."
The Nine-Tailed Fox understood Naruto's feelings well, and reminded him, "Rushing like this, without regard for your Chakra consumption, will be troublesome if you encounter an enemy."
Naruto sighed softly. "It's my fault for not remembering sooner. I don't know if I can make it in time, but I'll try to save as much time as possible. I understand what you're saying, so I'll stop and rest before entering Kusagakure."
Karin was the last known female of the Uzumaki Clan, so her importance to Naruto was undeniable.
"If Karin is harmed, I'll sacrifice the entire Kusagakure!" Naruto's eyes flashed with a cold light.
Deep down, he was still hoping for a miracle, like maybe Karin's mother was still alive.
However, no matter how anxious he was, the Nine-Tailed Fox's reminder was necessary.
So, when he arrived outside Kusagakure, he stopped to rest and then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to the town he had passed through earlier to buy some food and water to replenish his supplies.
Fortunately, the Nine-Tailed Fox's consumption wasn't significant. After a simple ten-minute break, Naruto was back in peak condition.
Whoosh!
The orange flash appeared, and with a few blinks, Naruto was in the heart of Kusagakure.
This wasn't Konoha, after all. There wasn't even a protective barrier, and the guards were nothing to Naruto.
He briefly recalled that Karin lived in a secluded area of Kusagakure.
All around was only her small wooden house, if it could even be called a home.
It shouldn't be hard to find, but it wasn't necessary because Naruto had already spotted the Kusagakure hospital.
If Karin's mother wasn't dead, she would definitely be working as a medic in the hospital.
If she was already dead, then Karin would be the medic.
At this early hour, he was sure to find either the mother or the daughter in the hospital.
With Naruto's speed and stealth, he moved through the busy hospital with ease.
Whether it was luck or misfortune, after searching for a while, he finally found his target just as Karin was brought to the hospital by Kusagakure Ninja to replace her mother.
The misfortune was that Karin's mother had already passed away, lying in a small room covered by a gray cloth.
The fortunate thing was that Karin hadn't been tainted by anyone yet.
The Kusagakure Ninja who brought Karin had originally intended to keep it a secret. They only told her that her mother couldn't possibly treat so many injured people alone, so her help was needed.
But as they were talking, they happened to pass by the small room where Karin's mother was, and the door wasn't even closed.
From the outline of the body and the red hair, Karin recognized her mother and immediately broke free from the Kusagakure Ninja's hand.
"Mom!"
Karin ran forward, but before she could even grieve, her mother's arm flopped down, revealing an arm covered in bite marks.
"Ugh!" Karin was terrified and couldn't help but dry-heave.
A Kusagakure Ninja walked over and, without a hint of pity, grabbed Karin by the back of her collar and dragged her along.
"Let go of me! Mama, Mama!!" Karin struggled and cried.
"To protect the village, this is the only way," the Kusagakure Ninja said coldly. "It's unfortunate that you lost your mother, but there are many wounded waiting to be treated."
He dragged Karin to a nearby infirmary, which was filled with severely injured patients who were screaming.
While the Kusagakure Ninja was talking to the head doctor there, Karin turned and tried to run away, but he grabbed her back.
"No! Let go of me, no!" Karin cried helplessly.
The Kusagakure Ninja said coldly, "We took you in when you were homeless. You have to earn your keep!"
"Then, what if you're no longer capable of taking her in?"
A voice, even colder and filled with chilling killing intent, suddenly echoed.