The three of them soon arrived near Kusagakure.
As the war approached, Kusagakure was no longer peaceful.
The village's hospital, if it could even be called that, was just a thatched hut. The so-called doctor was just a red-haired woman.
At this moment, inside the thatched hut, more than a dozen Kusagakure Ninjas had gathered, surrounding Karin and her mother.
"W-what do you want?"
Karin's mother stared at the Kusagakure Ninjas encircling them with her sunken, cloudy eyes. She could sense that these people hadn't come here just to use her for healing. They had other intentions.
However, the Kusagakure Ninjas remained silent, their gazes fixed on the mother and daughter.
Karin's mother glanced at her daughter's small, frail figure beside her and suddenly realized the purpose of their visit. Her eyes, which are already clouded with despair, filled with panic and fear. She stretched out her thin, bite-mark-covered arm to shield Karin behind her.
"Y-you promised me... as long as I provided healing, you wouldn't harm my daughter."
Feeling the predatory gazes of the Kusagakure Ninjas, Karin's expression also turned terrified.
The leader of the Kusagakure grew impatient, his face darkening. 'How dare a mere medical tool defy its master's will?'
The leader spoke in a low, threatening voice: "Uzumaki Kaho, don't forget your place!"
"If it weren't for Kusagakure taking you in, you would have died out there!"
"Kusagakure has given you a chance to live. You should repay us properly. This is your duty!"
The leader's eyes gleamed with danger. With the Fourth Ninja World War on the horizon, he knew that relying solely on Kaho for the village's healing needs would be difficult. They had come today to assess whether she still had any value left.
Seeing the threatening look in the leader's eyes, Kaho's heart tightened. She and her daughter had no one to rely on in Kusagakure. If they decided to take Karin by force, there was nothing she could do.
"I... I can still do it. Y-you can keep biting me. I can still heal everyone!"
Kaho's voice trembled. She could feel the state of her body. Kusagakure was a chaotic place, often plagued by conflicts. Over the years, she felt that the vitality within her had dwindled. She probably... probably didn't have much time left. But at least, as long as she was alive, she couldn't let Karin...
"Mom, I..."
Karin was about to say that she could do it too, but Kaho suddenly hugged her tightly, covering her mouth. Gritting her teeth, Kaho said, "If you need treatment, then keep biting me!"
The leader's expression turned grim. He gave a subtle nod to one of the injured Kusagakure Ninjas beside him.
The Kusagakure Ninja had a shuriken wound on his abdomen, which he got while gathering intelligence on Sunagakure and Konoha. Fortunately, the wound wasn't deep, or he might not have made it back to Kusagakure.
Understanding the leader's signal, the injured Kusagakure Ninja stepped forward to Kaho's side, grabbing her bite-mark-covered arm and sinking his teeth into it like a hyena.
"Ugh!"
Kaho clenched her teeth, but the sharp pain made her let out a muffled cry.
As her vitality drained away, Kaho's vision began to blur. The world around her spun, and her arms, which had been tightly holding Karin, grew weak.
Seeing this, the leader's eyes filled with disappointment. It's because the injured Kusagakure Ninja's wound hadn't healed much. He knew Kaho had lost her value.
Karin, who was still in her mother's arms, immediately noticed the change. Her fear deepened as she saw the outcome she had dreaded.
"Stop biting her!"
Karin broke free from her mother's embrace and pushed the Kusagakure Ninja away. She spread her arms, shielding her mother behind her. Kaho collapsed to the ground, her consciousness fading.
"You damn brat!"
The Kusagakure Ninja who had been pushed away was furious. His wound hadn't healed much, and now this brat had interrupted him.
"If you want to bite someone, bite me!"
Although she was very terrified, Karin still mustered her courage.
"You said it yourself." After hearing this, the Kusagakure Ninja was no longer angry. He sneered and grabbed Karin's thin arm and lifted her up.
"N-no, don't..."
Kaho, whose vitality was no longer being drained, watched this scene blurrily. She wanted to stop it, but she didn't even have the strength to lift her hand.
As Karin stared in fear, the Kusagakure Ninja opened his mouth wide, ready to bite down.
Puff-
"Ah!"
Karin, who closed her eyes tightly, didn't feel the expected pain. Instead, she heard a scream and felt something warm splatter on her face. The hand holding her suddenly let go, and she fell to the ground.
When she opened her eyes, she saw the Kusagakure Ninja clutching his severed arm, howling in pain. His severed arm lay in front of her.
Whoosh!
Three figures appeared simultaneously inside the thatched hut, making the already cramped space even more crowded. The killing intent radiating from the three of them filled the small hut, especially the Kusagakure Ninja who had been clutching his arm. His screams were abruptly cut off, as if someone had grabbed his throat.
"Who are you people?"
No matter what, this leader is the leader of a village. He quickly regained his composure, drew his weapon, and stared at the three of them with vigilance.
His actions also prompted the other Kusagakure Ninjas to react. They all pulled out their weapons, eyeing Naruto and the other two warily.
Naruto ignored them and immediately turned his attention to Karin and her mother. At this time, Karin had already run to Kaho's side, also looking at them with caution.
Naruto hadn't expected to pull off a last-minute rescue like this.
At this time, Kaho's condition was dire. Her vitality was completely drained, and if not replenished soon, she would likely die within a day or two.
Naruto's hand was enveloped in a layer of red, processed Yang Nature Nine-Tails' Chakra. Then, he stepped toward Kaho.
Karin quickly stood up, shielding her mother. She said with tears in her eyes and a trembling voice: "P-please, don't hurt my mom. I-I'll do anything."
Naruto was momentarily speechless. He patted her head and infused her with a bit of Nine-Tails' Chakra, smiling gently: "Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you. But if we don't treat your mother soon, I'm afraid she won't make it."
The warmth made Karin freeze. Naruto then moved to Kaho's side and began channeling Chakra into her body. Under the astonished gazes of the onlookers, Kaho's complexion visibly improved.
"You three, do you really think so little of our Kusagakure?"
The anger in the eyes of the Kusagakure's leader was hard to hide. After all, these three had completely ignored him and were now healing the two Uzumaki women right in front of them.
Although the killing intent they had released earlier was terrifying, making the heart of Kusagakure's leader race, they had the advantage in numbers… fourteen against three. So he believed they will still win. Besides, their Kusagakure couldn't afford to lose those two women.
"Those two are the property of our Kusagakure. Are you trying to steal them?"
"Hehe, treating the Uzumaki Clan like blood bags? What a wasteful way to use them."
Orochimaru glanced at Kaho's bite-covered arms, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes. He hadn't even had the chance to study the Uzumaki bloodline yet, and here Kusagakure was squandering such a treasure.
"Our Kusagakure took them in, so how we use them is our business."
"If you don't return those women to us now, don't blame us for taking action!"
The Kusagakure's leader was ready to attack, and the other Kusagakure's ninjas followed suit. Although the pressure from the three intruders was immense, they had the numbers… fourteen against three. The advantage was theirs.