Sheathing the blade.
Naruto was still the same Naruto.
The ominous power hadn't brought about any negative change in him.
Sakura let out a sigh of relief.
Sasuke lifted his head, his tone heavy and filled with longing:"Naruto, what kind of power did you just use?"
"And that blade—what's the deal with it?"
He wanted it too.
As he spoke, his gaze paused at Naruto's waist.
There was still another sword there.
To be placed alongside the "dark red blade"—It must hold a similar power, or perhaps, something even stronger.
Naruto had only used it after transforming into that ominous, more powerful state.
"Have you heard the rumor?" Naruto placed his hand on his stomach.
Sasuke froze.
Sakura immediately recalled:"You mean the one about you?"
Naruto nodded calmly."Inside my body is sealed a demon fox called the Nine-Tails. What I used just now was its power."
The two of them opened their mouths but didn't know what to say.
That power had been the source of his tragic childhood.
Comfort?
Naruto didn't seem to need it.
And this kind of attitude—
Sasuke realized that he himself could never say something so painful, something that had tormented him for so many years, in such a calm and matter-of-fact tone.
Naruto looked up, ending the topic, and glanced at a tree not far away:"Let's go."
"That man probably won't return."
"Looks like the exam won't be canceled either."
Where he looked—the huge tree crown and thick branches—concealed two ANBU agents in masks.
"He's noticed us."
"That's not surprising. Jinchūriki have an extremely strong sense of perception."
"That look in his eyes… what presence. Even from this distance, it gave me chills."
"Let's go find Anko and report back to the Hokage."
"What a hassle..."
The Chūnin Exam had triggered such a serious incident.
An S-rank rogue ninja—Orochimaru—had infiltrated the village.
But compared to something else—"the Jinchūriki secretly mastering the power of the Nine-Tails"—The latter would definitely cause even more panic for the village.
They might even have to begrudgingly thank Lord Orochimaru.
If not for him, they wouldn't have uncovered this information.
While hidden currents surged, the Chūnin Exam carried on, mostly unaffected.
The "Forest of Death" had become a bloody hunting ground.
The strong roamed with impunity.
The weak found their own ways to survive.
Behind a towering cliff—
Three Grass Ninja sat together.
"They're seriously too slow!" one of them complained, chewing on a blade of grass."We agreed to meet up after entering. Where the hell are those three?"
He was referring to another Genin team from their village.
The person next to him frowned:"They might've already been taken out."
"It's not impossible," said the first one, sighing."I'm not worried about the others, they'll survive somehow. But if they ran into that red-haired kid from the Sand Village, then they're screwed."
"Forget it, we're not waiting for them."
"Let's change tactics."
"Waiting like this is just wasting time."
"Karin," he called out.
The red-haired girl answered nervously:"Yes, I'm here."
The Grass Ninja took out a scroll marked with the kanji for "Heaven":"Hold onto this."
Karin froze, letting out an "ah" of confusion, unsure what to do.
This thing was so important—and they were giving it to her?
She didn't want it.
Nothing good ever came from situations like this.
"You're going to be the bait," the ninja said coldly, shoving the scroll toward her."If people see you alone carrying a scroll, they'll definitely attack."
"We'll be hiding nearby and ambush them."
"This will definitely work!"
Karin pursed her lips.
Sounds great—"definitely succeed."
If they encountered a weaker team, she might just get a few injuries.
But if they ran into someone really strong, there was no doubt they'd abandon her instantly.
"Hurry up!" the Grass Ninja snapped impatiently, roughly forcing the scroll into her hands.
Karin reluctantly reached out.
Just as her fingers were about to touch the scroll—
"This is a bit troublesome. Let us hold onto it instead."
A voice suddenly rang in their ears.
A flash of golden light.
The scroll vanished from the Grass Ninja's hand in an instant.
A not-so-tall boy had appeared out of nowhere before them and taken it.
All three were stunned.
How did he get here?That speed!
Damn it—
This was clearly not someone they could deal with.
Their bodies froze. None of them dared to move.
Naruto was soon joined by the other two members of Team 7.
Sakura looked at Karin:"Is this the girl you were looking for?"
Girl?
Are they talking about me?
Karin looked up, and through her glasses, locked eyes with Naruto. Her red eyes were full of confusion.
What's going on?
I'm just an ordinary Grass Genin. Why would such strong Konoha ninja be looking for me?
"What's your name?" Naruto asked.
Karin replied honestly:"Karin. Uzumaki Karin."
"Just as I thought." Naruto beamed brightly."I'm an Uzumaki too."
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
"We're probably from the same clan."
Same clan?
"But your hair..." Karin began to point, but before she could finish, her eyes filled with alarm and she shouted,"Watch out!"
Her two teammates had suddenly attacked.
They didn't dare confront a powerful enemy head-on—
But now...
This blonde brat had turned his back to them.
Too arrogant.
Did he really look down on them that much?
One of them grabbed a kunai and leapt forward, aiming straight for Naruto's throat.
Shouting viciously:"You arrogant brat, go to hell!"
But before the kunai could strike, even as the attacker landed—
It was stopped by a single finger.
A tiny chakra sphere concentrated on Naruto's fingertip—So resilient, the kunai couldn't pierce it.
"Bakudō #8: Repulse."
A technique to block physical attacks.
"Interrupting a clan reunion is very rude," Naruto said, tossing the scroll to Sakura.
He raised his left hand and pointed at the attacker's forehead:"Stay put."
As he spoke, another spell activated:
"Bakudō #1: Restrain."
The Grass Ninja's arms twisted back uncontrollably and were bound tightly behind him.
He collapsed in terror.
The other Grass Ninja was also subdued instantly—pinned to the ground by Sasuke.
With the pests out of the way, Naruto turned back to Karin.
"So, what about my hair?"
"Most of us in the Uzumaki clan have red hair," Karin said, still shaken."But yours is golden..."
Naruto answered patiently:"I got my hair color from my dad."
"So I guess my mom probably had red hair too?"
"Must have been beautiful."
Even though Naruto was clearly complimenting her hair, Karin still blushed faintly.
She was about to speak—
But Naruto's tone suddenly shifted, becoming more serious:"What happened to your hands?"
He had noticed the numerous bite marks covering them—new and old, large and small.She clearly didn't do this to herself.
"Naruto, you're in Konoha," Karin said, looking at the forehead protector on his left arm."That's very different from where I live in Grass Village."
She paused, then began explaining her past.
After the fall of the Land of Whirlpools, the Uzumaki Clan lost their homeland.Those who survived scattered across the world.
Karin's mother was one of them, eventually settling in the Grass Village.
The Uzumaki's unique body constitution—Was why the Grass Village had taken them in, and also why they suffered.
By biting an Uzumaki, others could recover chakra and heal wounds.
Medical ninjas were rare and valuable.
They were exploited.
Karin's mother had literally been bitten to death by people from the Grass Village.
After quietly listening to everything—
Naruto took a deep breath."So that's how the Grass Village treated you?"
Karin didn't reply. She lowered her head, visibly downcast.
"I'll get you out of there," Naruto said, looking at her red hair."I promise you!"
Karin looked up at him.
He smiled at her:"Just hold on a few more days, until the exam ends."
"Then you'll be free from that prison."
Karin was stunned, eyes fixed on him.
To her, it seemed—
Naruto was glowing, the color of his hair spreading across his whole body—
Golden and radiant.
(End of Chapter)