My unwavering faith shimmered, an electric light dancing at my fingertips.
Ki was a truly wondrous thing. In Dragon Ball-verse, it could give rise to incredible abilities. In the Frieza Arc, for instance, Goku could simply touch Krillin's forehead and instantly grasp everything they'd endured on Namek. After Naruto's innate malice-sensing ability intertwined with Ki, a unique synergy occurred, granting him a similar power.
As his hand rested on Karin's forehead, he saw everything. Not just felt it, but saw it all as if he had been there himself.
He saw Karin's entire past.
In that moment, a wave of unprecedented malice radiated from Naruto.
"I thought Konoha was rotten," he snarled, as he let out a low growl. "but this... this is a whole new level of disgusting!"
With his left foot, Naruto began to grind the bones of the Kusa-nin, the one who called himself 'Takeda-sama'. One by one, he felt them give way. He fed the man just enough of the Nine-Tails' chakra to keep him from dying, to make sure he felt every single bone shatter. What the corrosive chakra did to the man's body afterward didn't concern him. He just couldn't let him die so easily.
Now, only Takeda's grotesque head remained intact.
"He's here! He's here!" The shouts of Kusa-nin echoed from outside the house, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps.
"Help! Save me!"
Hearing his comrades, a desperate will to live surged through Takeda, and he screamed for the men outside.
*CRUNCH*
A single stomp crushed his neck, and he fell eternally silent.
"That was Takeda's voice," one of the Kusa-nin said. "What do we do? He's still in there."
"Forget about him!" Yuichi shouted angrily. "Damn it, that monster is after our tool! All of you, be careful not to hurt her!"
Normally, they would have attempted negotiations, fighting only if no agreement could be reached. But relations between Kusagakure and Hozuki Castle were already frayed. Kusagakure had recently experienced a rebellion, and Mui had close ties to the former rebels.
Furthermore, their secret treasure, the Box of Ultimate Bliss, remained unretrievable, locked away in Hozuki Castle. And now, this stranger, Mui's 'honored guest,' was eyeing their 'healing tool' from Kusagakure. So, Yuichi bypassed negotiations entirely. Kill first, talk later.
Coincidentally, Naruto had no intention of negotiating either.
At Yuichi's command, a squad of Kusa-nin stormed the house. The rest surrounded the building, kunai and shuriken drawn, ready for their target to be flushed out.
"Once we kill this guy, I'm going to Hozuki Castle myself," Yuichi said, his teeth grinding with rage. "I'll make that bastard Mui give me an explanation."
Whether he actually had the power to confront Mui was another matter. Tough words had to be said to boost morale.
Jiro, the man who had led Naruto here, had seen which way the wind was blowing and vanished long ago.
After the squad rushed into the house, there was only silence. It was as if they'd been swallowed by the sea.
"Captain!" a ninja called out, his voice wavering. The men exchanged uncertain glances, unsure whether to attack or hold their position.
"What's going on?" Yuichi's face flushed, then paled, indecision warring within him. Finally, with a grit of his teeth, he ordered, "Use ninjutsu! Attack!"
His voice was laced with a twisted resolve. "She's an property of Kusagakure. Even if we have to destroy her, we can't let him have her!"
Hearing the order, the Kusa-nin unleashed their techniques.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
"Lightning Release: Lightning Strike Jutsu!"
"Lightning Release: Lightning Bomb Jutsu!"
Lightning and flames continuously hammered the house. Moments later, with a *rumble*, the house finally buckled under the sustained ninjutsu assault, collapsing in a crash of debris and a cloud of dust.
"Is he dead?" Yuichi looked at the half-collapsed, still burning walls, unsure.
*Tzzt!*
A red beam, no thicker than a thumb, shot out from the ruins.
A searing pain erupted in Yuichi's chest. He looked down to see the beam had already punched clean through him. He opened his mouth to say something, but only a hoarse gurgle escaped before he collapsed, dead before he hit the ground.
"Yu-Yuichi-san is dead!" one of the Kusa-nin screamed in terror.
The Kusa-nin present scurried like ants on a hot pan, instantly thrown into chaos.
*Tzzt! Tzzt! Tzzt!*
More beams lanced through the air, and with each one, another Kusa-nin fell. The survivors couldn't take the pressure. They broke and ran, scattering in every direction. But their speed was no match for the beams of light that pursued them, striking faster and faster until every last one of them was dead.
"No wonder Frieza liked this move," Naruto's voice echoed from the wreckage. "It's pretty effective, even for a first-time user."
Only then did the dust and smoke from the house's collapse begin to dissipate. Naruto emerged slowly from the ruins, carrying Karin in a princess hold.
The tip of his finger still pulsed with a faint red light. A Death Beam: Ki condensed to the index finger, then fired as a lightning-fast, crimson laser. Frieza's signature technique.
Ki, often, responded to the user's state of mind, hence the concept of 'Evil Ki.' And just like Frieza, Naruto, consumed by fury and a desire to obliterate everything connected to the Kusagakure, unleashed burning, hateful red Death Beam.
"Since you're awake, you can get up now," Naruto said softly. The Ki he'd transmitted into Karin's body had already replenished her stamina. What's more, the girl's chaotic thoughts were already starting to give Naruto a headache.
Karin hurriedly opened her eyes, gazing timidly up at Naruto.
He gently set Karin down, then reached out to stroke her soft, fiery red hair. "Your hair is beautiful," he said with softer tone. "From now on, you're with me."
"Mhm." Karin nodded vigorously, a sweet, genuine smile breaking across her face. It was the first time anyone besides her mother had ever said something kind about her hair. She was overwhelmed with happiness, a lump forming in her throat.
As if sensing her thoughts, Naruto added, "It's alright. I'm here now."
She just nodded again. "Mhm."
Despite it being their first meeting, an unspoken understanding settled between them. Neither asked, nor explained.
*Grrr.*
The sudden sound made Karin's face flush bright red. Ki could restore stamina, but it couldn't fill an empty stomach.
"Hungry?" Naruto asked. "Let's get something to eat."
"Mhm." Blushing fiercely, Karin wished she could dig a hole and vanish into it.
As for where to eat, it was naturally within Kusagakure. Not only had he just decimated their villagers, he was now planning to dine in their midst.
"You filthy, ill-omened brat-" a villager snarled the moment they stepped inside restaurant, pointing at Karin. He moved to drive them out, but before he could finish his sentence, Naruto casually flicked his wrist. An energy blast shot out, and the man vanished without a scream, leaving not even a speck of ash behind.
Naruto dusted his hands off as if he'd done nothing more than swat a fly. He glanced at the trembling manager.
"The best you have," he said, keeping his voice flat. He tapped the table once. "Do you understand?"
"Understand! I understand!" the manager stammered, nodding his head like a pecking chicken.
Karin wasn't scared. She looked at Naruto with open admiration. He had only seen what she'd been through, she had lived it. She felt nothing for the people of this village.
Soon, two steaming bowls of Katsudon were swiftly served. Karin, truly famished, devoured two large portions of Katsudon herself. It was fortunate for the miraculous effects of chakra, otherwise, Naruto wouldn't have dared let Karin eat so much. Those who've starved for too long risk severe stomach damage from overeating.
"Are you full?" Naruto asked, stroking her head again. He had to admit, her fiery hair felt surprisingly pleasing.
Karin reluctantly put down her bowl. "I'm full." It had been so long since she'd eaten a proper meal. She patted her slightly bulging stomach, her cheeks flushing as she stole a glance at Naruto.
By now, a crowd of villagers had gathered outside the shop, peering in but not daring to enter. The sheer intensity of the malice they directed at Karin was almost unbelievable, even to Naruto, who had spent his entire life bathed in it.
'ill-omened one,' 'Tool', 'property', these were the names the Kusagakure villagers used for Karin. How similar to the Demon Fox's moniker.
'Did they really want her dead so badly? Had Karin killed their fathers, stolen their wives, desecrated their ancestral graves? She was the village's only medical ninja, had healed so many, and simply wanted a quiet life. Yet this was how they treated her.'
He looked from their hateful faces back to the small, red-haired girl beside him.
'This place can't be saved,' he realized with determined certainty. 'It's rotten to the core.'
'And since it can't be saved, it should be destroyed. That was the plan anyway.'
He looked down at Karin and spoke, in a low murmur just for her. "Then let's show them," he continued. "Let's let the whole world feel our malice. We'll start right here."
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Trivia: Karin is older than Naruto and even older than Sasuke.
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