While Hinata was finishing off the enemies, Izayoi also crouched down, but he didn't show any concern for Karin.
Instead, he rolled up his sleeve, extended his forearm in front of her, and smiled.
"Bite me. That way, the bite mark on your hand will disappear."
Hearing this, Karin—who already had tears streaming down her face—suddenly widened her eyes. In disbelief, her gaze also showed a deep sense of joy.
"You mean… you also…"
"Mm."
Izayoi nodded slightly and told a kind lie.
"Although our hair colors are different, our ancestors were probably from the same clan. That's how I recognized your uniqueness at a glance."
"That's… that's wonderful…"
Karin suddenly bit her lower lip, lowered her head, and choked out a few words.
Then her shoulders began to tremble slightly.
Tears, like rain, soaked her glasses and dripped onto the ground.
She… was no longer an orphan.
She… still had clan members!
At that moment, Karin wanted to cry out loud.
But afraid of being disliked by her newly found clan member, she could only sob quietly.
Izayoi didn't say anything, just smiled as he watched Karin vent her emotions.
Hinata stood silently nearby.
Not wanting to disturb the clan's reunion, Shino Aburame went over to the two corpses and searched for their scrolls.
At the same time, thoughts were racing through Shino's mind.
Red hair, special healing ability, same clan…
These key traits—why did they feel so familiar? Like something his father once told him…
Suddenly, it was as if something clicked in Shino's mind, and his steps halted for a moment.
Then, he continued walking toward the corpses and adjusted his sunglasses with his hand.
It seemed… he now understood why Izayoi had such vast chakra reserves.
Turns out, Izayoi possessed the bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan!
Historical records stated that the Senju Clan and the Uzumaki Clan were distant relatives.
Before the founding of Konoha, the Uzumaki Clan lived on the continent of the ninja world, also within the Land of Fire.
After Konoha was established, the Uzumaki didn't join but instead left the continent to build Uzushio Village on an island.
Konoha and Uzushio were eternal allies.
From the looks of it, Izayoi's ancestors were either direct members of the Uzumaki Clan or had intermarried with them during the Warring States era, before Konoha's founding.
Over generations, the bloodline became diluted, with surnames and physical traits vanishing—until in Izayoi's generation, it reawakened.
The more Shino thought about it, the more he felt this explanation made sense.
In fact, it was likely the only reasonable explanation.
He seemed to understand now why Izayoi had recruited that girl.
Kagura Mind's Eye—Izayoi had probably awakened this unique Uzumaki ability!
Karin cried for several minutes before she seemed to realize something and slowly calmed down.
"Here, wipe your tears."
Hinata bent down and handed her a handkerchief.
"Th-thank you…" Karin took the handkerchief and softly thanked her.
Once she had dried her tears, Izayoi once again extended his forearm and smiled.
"Go on, bite me. That way, your wounds will heal."
"N-no need, I'll be fine after some rest." Karin shook her head repeatedly.
Faced with this clan member, she was even more timid than she had been in front of her teammates.
Just like how Naruto Uzumaki, Haku, and Kimimaro reacted when they first received love and acceptance—for these tragically fated orphans, acknowledgment, care, and inclusion were the light that shattered their darkness.
And once they had seen light, they could no longer bear the dark.
She had hesitated to cry loudly before, and now she couldn't bring herself to bite Izayoi either.
Karin was terrified that this newfound clan member would come to dislike her.
Izayoi naturally noticed her fear and couldn't help but smile.
"Just bite already, don't worry. My chakra is strong. Hurry up and recover—otherwise, I'm afraid you might drop dead at any moment. Go on!"
His tone turned a little firmer at the end.
"Y-yes!"
Frightened, Karin quickly cupped Izayoi's forearm in her hands. She nervously glanced at him, then at Hinata—whose gentle smile showed no signs of displeasure—before whispering,
"T-then… pardon me."
With that, she gently bit into Izayoi's forearm, not daring to use too much strength.
"Harder. It's okay," Izayoi encouraged her with a smile.
Seeing his reassuring eyes, Karin blinked, then slowly bit down with a little more force.
Immediately, her eyes widened in shock.
Her body, which had been severely weakened, now felt like it had just taken a sip of ice-cold spring water in a desert… or like a starving soul suddenly feasting on a banquet… or someone returning to a warm fireplace after freezing in the cold.
Warmth surged through her body and spread to every corner.
The bite marks on her arm began to fade visibly.
Her malnourished skin began to show some color.
Her pale face regained a healthy flush.
Even her nearsighted eyes could now see more clearly.
It was… on a completely different level.
Karin was stunned.
She had healed herself before using physical vitality, and when she was little, she'd absorbed chakra from her mother.
But neither her own chakra nor her mother's could compare to Izayoi's.
To put it simply, if she wanted to heal someone who was gravely injured, she might have to exhaust all her chakra—or even burn her own life force.
But Izayoi? Healing the same person would only take a tiny bit more chakra than what he just gave her.
What kind of quality chakra was this?
If Izayoi knew what she was thinking, he would've chuckled to himself.
This was the value of combining noble Ōtsutsuki bloodline and physical vitality healing.
Once Karin had recovered, Izayoi stood up and extended his hand with a smile.
"My fellow clanswoman, would you like to follow me from now on?"
"C-can I?" Karin asked, her voice trembling with excitement.
"Of course."
Izayoi nodded with a smile.
"But that means you can't be a ninja anymore. I also don't know if I'll be able to get you into Konoha."
"I'm willing! I'm totally willing!"
Karin nodded eagerly, thrilled.
Whether or not she could stay a ninja didn't matter to her.
Becoming a ninja had never been her dream. All she wanted… was a home.
When her mother was alive, her home was in the Grass Village.
After her mother died, she had no home.
Now that she'd found a clan member, she had family again.
"Good. Then go with my shadow clone—he'll take you to a safe place."
Izayoi formed a seal with one hand and created a shadow clone, then helped Karin to her feet. He patted her shoulder gently and said,
"I'll come find you after I finish the exam."
"Okay, okay…"
Karin nodded repeatedly, not afraid in the slightest that Izayoi might sell her off.
At this rate, with her goodwill skyrocketing, if Izayoi really did sell her one day, she might even help him count the money.
Such is the loyalty of orphans in this world!