Chapter 40: Aftermath
"I… I'm okay. My glasses… I lost them. They might be in the bag. Can you find them for me?" Karin blinked her large, unfocused eyes, her freed hands unconsciously gripping Naruto's arm for support.
Naruto gave a slight nod. He released her, picked up the discarded bag, and gave it a shake. A pair of black-rimmed glasses tumbled out.
"Found them." He picked them up, wiped the lenses clean on his sleeve, and handed them over. "See if they're broken."
Karin snatched them and slid them onto her face.
Instantly, the blurry world snapped into sharp focus. Her gaze locked onto the boy before her—bright blue eyes, spiky blond hair, a kind but assessing expression. A grateful smile bloomed on her face. "Thank you for saving me. I'm Karin. What's your name?"
"Uzumaki Naruto," he replied with a faint smile. Assured she was unharmed, he turned his attention back to the three Oto-nin.
One was still groaning at his feet. The other two, standing a safe distance away, wore expressions of deep wariness. When Naruto finally finished with Karin and turned his full focus on them, a fresh wave of primal fear washed over them. The pressure radiating from this genin was something they'd only felt from their village's elite Jonin. Just who is this kid?! The overwhelming urge to flee took hold.
"Let me ask you," Naruto's voice cut through their panic. "Why did you kidnap Karin?"
"We, we…" The two stammered, their bodies trembling. They exchanged terrified glances, unable to form a coherent answer.
The leader on the ground, however, found his voice through the pain. "You two useless cowards! Attack him! Kill him! What are you waiting for?!"
"B-boss… he's too strong! We can't win!" they chorused. "We should retreat! We'll come back for you later!" True to their word, they each flung a smoke bomb to the ground and turned to bolt.
But Sakura and Sasuke, who had been waiting on the flanks, were already moving. Sasuke, itching for action after her earlier frustration, took down the two fleeing thugs with swift, efficient taijutsu, tossing them unceremoniously beside their leader.
Sasuke and Sakura moved to stand beside Naruto, looking down at the three captives with cold contempt.
The color had drained from their faces. "W-we were wrong! We have eyes but didn't see Mt. Tai! Please, spare us! We'll give you all our scrolls! Just let us live…!" the leader begged.
Sasuke scoffed. "We'll take the scrolls ourselves. Now talk. Why capture her?"
Naruto, however, seemed to lose interest. He waved a dismissive hand and turned away. "Forget it. Hand them over to Karin. Karin, they're yours to deal with."
Karin froze for a second, looking from Naruto to the three trembling men. A flicker of resolve hardened her features. She walked over to them, hesitated for only a moment under Naruto's watchful gaze, then raised her hand and slapped the leader hard across the face.
Smack!
It wasn't just one slap. Dozens followed in a furious, rhythmic storm, her pent-up terror and rage exploding outward. She kept going until their cheeks were swollen grotesquely and their lips were split and bloody. By the time she stopped, panting, the three men were barely conscious, thoroughly brutalized.
Team 7 watched this display with identical expressions of stunned bemusement.
Vicious. The thought crossed Naruto's mind. The intellectual-looking girl had a seriously violent streak. Then again, he reasoned, the Karin sent by Orochimaru in the future to manage a prison full of Curse Mark-obsessed lunatics couldn't have been all quiet intellect. It took a certain ruthlessness.
Finally, Karin seemed to calm. She took a deep breath, smoothed her clothes, and turned back to Naruto and his team, bowing deeply. "Thank you again. Without you, I…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at Naruto, her inner thoughts whispering, His chakra… it's so warm. Like soaking in sunlight.
Sakura, however, immediately picked up on the shift in Karin's demeanor. A protective, wary instinct flared. She tugged on Naruto's sleeve. "Naruto! We should, um, check them for the scrolls now!"
"Right," Naruto agreed. The four of them quickly searched the incapacitated Oto-nin, finding a total of three scrolls: two Heaven scrolls and one Earth scroll. Their haul wasn't insignificant; they'd been busy.
"These creeps already had a complete pair!" Sakura exclaimed, disgusted. "And they still wanted to rob more? They deserve worse than a beating!"
Naruto shook his head. "Actually, it's a logical strategy. The more scrolls you control, the fewer other teams can pass. Eliminating competition in the second exam also means less competition in the finals."
"Oh… right. Of course." Sakura felt a bit foolish, but her admiration for Naruto's strategic mind grew. She'd been thinking with her emotions; he was thinking like a shinobi.
Scene Seven: Parting Ways
Team 7, who needed an Earth scroll, took one of the Heaven scrolls. Naruto then picked up the remaining pair—one Heaven, one Earth—and offered them to Karin.
Karin stared, stunned. "You… you're giving these to me?"
"We already have a pair. These are yours," Naruto said simply. "Is there a problem?"
"N-no, it's not that…" Karin met his clear, guileless gaze and quickly looked down, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. But she shook her head firmly. "I can't accept them. I got separated from my teammates. They're much stronger than me. They've probably already secured a pair. You should keep these."
"But what if they haven't? You should have a set, just in case," Naruto pressed.
"I really can't…" Karin insisted, her voice growing quieter, laced with a guilt she couldn't explain.
Naruto's eyes flicked to the Oto-nin forehead protector on her head, and understanding dawned. Orochimaru's orders. In the original timeline, the Sound ninja were pitted against them. He gave a slow, accepting nod. "Alright. If that's your decision."
"Mm," Karin murmured, the weight of her hidden allegiance making her feel unexpectedly wretched. Sasuke and Sakura exchanged another curious glance at the girl's strange behavior.
With the minor skirmish over, Team 7 resumed their journey, now munching on the leftover hare as they walked. The distraction had broken Sasuke's stubborn hunger strike; she quietly accepted a piece of meat and ate. Karin, ravenous herself, also joined them, and for a short while, the four of them walked together, sharing food and sparse conversation.
Karin explained her capture—the three brutes had been captivated by her looks and planned far worse than theft. Hearing this, the shared fury of the two kunoichi flared again.
Sasuke's hand went to her kunai pouch, murder in her eyes. "I'm going back to finish them."
Even Sakura, less violent by nature, didn't object.
Naruto intervened with a calm smile. "Let it go. They're probably long gone by now, if they ever woke up. They're just small-time thugs. Not worth the energy."
Sasuke's glare snapped to him. "You're defending them? Trying to stop me? Fine. Fight me now. If you win, I won't go."
The familiar, challenging fire was back in her eyes, but this time it felt personal, directed squarely at him.
Naruto felt a familiar headache coming on. Does she ever let up?
Seeing the tension escalate again, Sakura quickly stepped between them. "Sasuke, we really need to focus on reaching the tower. We can deal with… all this later."
Hearing Sakura take Naruto's side, a sharp, unexpected pang shot through Sasuke's chest. It felt like a betrayal, a ganging up that left her feeling strangely isolated and wounded. But she was Uchiha Sasuke. Pride was her armor. She would never show weakness, especially not over something as trivial as… feelings. She was an Avenger. Such distractions were luxuries she couldn't afford. Love, jealousy, pettiness—these were for people with futures, not for someone whose path was paved with vengeance.
With a conscious effort, she walled the hurt away. Her expression smoothed into one of icy detachment, her eyes growing colder, emptier. She was resolving to bury these inconvenient emotions, to focus solely on her goal.
Deep down, however, in a place even she wouldn't acknowledge, a seed of profound, aching bitterness took root.
Unaware of this internal shift, Naruto was just relieved to see her anger subside. He offered an olive branch. "Sasuke, if you really want to fight me, it's not impossible. Once this Chunin Exam is over, I'll accept your challenge."