The Konoha ninja who emerged from the forest was momentarily stunned when he saw Sasuke.
"What, it turned out to be Sasuke," he muttered before walking toward him.
"He's the Uzumaki I told you about," Sasuke said to Karin, who stood beside him.
The newcomer was none other than Naruto Uzumaki.
Upon hearing Sasuke's words, Karin looked at Naruto with doubt in her eyes. "But… the Uzumaki clan all have red hair, don't they? Why is his hair yellow?"
Sasuke thought for a moment and replied, "It's probably because his father's genes are too dominant. His mother is from the Uzumaki clan, but his father—Minato Namikaze—is not."
Among the descendants of Uzumaki and non-Uzumaki pairings, nearly all inherited red hair—except Naruto. Only he inherited Minato's golden hair. Sasuke had to admit, the Fourth Hokage's genes were incredibly strong.
Karin nodded, still half-skeptical, but she didn't show much enthusiasm toward Naruto, despite him being an Uzumaki like her. After all, the Uzumaki clan had long since scattered, and their bonds weren't what they used to be.
"Why are you so relaxed? Don't you need to grab scrolls? And who's that teammate with you?" Naruto asked, eyeing Karin curiously. He hadn't yet realized who she was, but something about her red hair felt strangely familiar—warm, like his mother's.
"She'll be the final member of our Class 11. As for scrolls, there's still time. But what about you? Why are you out here alone?" Sasuke replied nonchalantly, then tossed the question back. His strength had grown steadily, and whatever vague hostility he used to feel when facing Naruto had mostly faded—perhaps due to Indra's chakra within him beginning to settle.
"I'm out here trying to grab a scroll, obviously. If you don't reach the tower with both types of scrolls in five days, you're disqualified. And what are you even doing here… grilling coal?" Naruto glanced suspiciously at the black lump sizzling on the rack, confused. It looked like a huge chunk of coal.
"No rush. There are plenty of teams to hunt down, so what's there to panic about? With your strength, you'll manage. And for the record, that's bear paw—a rare delicacy," Sasuke replied with a faint smirk.
Although technically competitors during the Chūnin Exams, same-village shinobi rarely engaged in serious fights. After all, they'd still need to see each other back in the village. No point making it awkward.
As he spoke, Sasuke took a bite from the roasted bear paw. But the moment it entered his mouth, he grimaced and quickly spat it out.
Who the hell said bear paw was delicious? Come out—I swear I won't kill you!
Honestly, Sasuke thought even simple stir-fried potatoes tasted better than this.
Naruto burst into laughter at the sight of Sasuke's disgusted expression.
"Hahahaha! This is your so-called delicacy? You can't even swallow it yourself?"
Sasuke didn't respond. He silently vowed never again to believe in the myth of strange 'delicacies.' It was probably just culinary propaganda created by shady peddlers.
Seeing all this, Karin couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Once Naruto calmed down, Sasuke asked, "How's Aunt Kushina?"
At that, Naruto wiped the tears from his eyes and answered, "Still the same. Dad transmits Kurama's chakra into her residual chakra every day to stabilize her spiritual form. She can't fully manifest, but she talks with Dad often."
Sasuke speculated that Kushina's soul was anchored in the chakra she left behind before her death. If that were the case, perhaps there was a chance she could be revived.
"Can I see her?" Sasuke asked.
Karin raised her head at this point. She had just heard from Sasuke that Naruto's mother was also an Uzumaki, and now Sasuke wanted to see her. Maybe… it had something to do with her.
Karin was moved. Ever since the fall of Uzushiogakure, only her mother had cared for her. But now, there seemed to be someone else.
"Sure! She was just talking about you the other day, actually. Said she wanted to see Aunt Mikoto too," Naruto agreed readily.
With Naruto's consent, Sasuke reached out and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, channeling his chakra toward the seal on Naruto's abdomen.
The next moment, Sasuke's consciousness entered the space deep within Naruto's inner world.
Unlike the cage-like environment where Kurama once dwelled, this realm was now a forest of cherry blossoms, with a small wooden cabin nestled within.
Sasuke recalled hearing from his mother, Mikoto, that Minato and Kushina had once solidified their relationship amidst a grove of cherry blossoms. This must be Naruto's ideal internal world.
Naruto's consciousness also appeared beside him.
"Let's go," he said, walking toward the cabin with Sasuke.
As they approached the door, it creaked open. Kushina stepped out, smiling warmly as she laid eyes on Sasuke.
"Sasuke! You've grown so much taller since I last saw you," Kushina greeted cheerfully.
"Hello, Aunt Kushina," Sasuke responded with a rare smile and polite nod.
Then Kushina turned toward Naruto, her expression sharpening.
"You haven't been eating instant ramen again, have you?"
Naruto looked away guiltily, scanning the trees. "No…"
Kushina had always warned Naruto not to eat too much cup ramen. But it was difficult for Naruto to resist.
The three of them stepped into the cabin, and Sasuke quickly got to the point. "Aunt Kushina, I'm here today because I found another member of the Uzumaki clan."
Kushina blinked, surprised. Naruto perked up as well.
"You found another Uzumaki? Where is she? What's her name?" Kushina asked excitedly.
Taken from Uzushiogakure as a child, Kushina missed her clan deeply. She'd always dreamed of reuniting with other survivors, to keep the Uzumaki lineage alive.
Before her death, she believed Naruto would be the final link in their bloodline. That's why he bore the Uzumaki surname—to preserve the legacy.
Now, hearing that another clanswoman existed filled her with unexpected joy.
"She's with me now. Her name is Karin Uzumaki. But currently, she's a ninja from Kusagakure. Years ago, she and her mother were hunted down. Left with no choice, she used the special bloodline of the Uzumaki clan to survive—serving as a medical-nin in Kusa. She was sent to participate in the Chūnin Exams," Sasuke explained.
Upon hearing this, Kushina's joy turned to anger and sympathy. She knew exactly what it meant to rely on Uzumaki vitality for healing—it meant draining your own life force to save others. Fortunately, Uzumaki vitality was abnormally strong, and if used sparingly, wouldn't kill the user.
"…Her mother died in Kusagakure because of it."
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