Chapter 163: The Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Duo
"I can be at your disposal, but... I beg you to let my daughter go."
"Calm down. I have no ill will towards either of you."
Looking at Karin's mother's forcefully maintained pleading expression, Menma sighed deeply: "Although I have already treated your body, if any more Grass Ninja come to absorb your chakra and life force during this time, you will inevitably die from excessive life force exhaustion."
"If you are willing to leave with me, I can provide you with shelter."
With that, Menma added: "If you are unwilling, that is also fine. Just pretend I was never here."
This woman was indeed a very great mother, but Menma would never save those who only prayed for a timely rain from heaven.
To obtain something, one must pay a price.
If Karin's mother couldn't trust him, Menma would absolutely turn and leave.
"This..."
Just as Karin's mother showed a hesitant expression, unsure if she should trust this masked man,
"Mom!"
Little Karin beside her suddenly grabbed her mother's arm, sobbing with teary eyes: "Let's go with him! I hate this place, and I don't want you to die either!"
Menma glanced at Karin with some surprise.
Immediately, a smile of appreciation appeared beneath his mask.
According to the original plot development, after her mother's death, Karin would become Kusagakure's "medical supply."
But even so, relying on her own Uzumaki clan bloodline, she awakened the Uzumaki clan's "Kagura Shingan," "Body Heal Bite," and "Adamantine Sealing Chains."
Just with these three sealing, medical, and sensory ninjutsu, it was enough for Karin to become the strongest support-type ninja.
One must know, she had never received ninja training from the Uzumaki clan.
It was only after being taken away by Orochimaru that she received a simple and crude basic education in ninjutsu.
So Menma was now somewhat curious.
After receiving systematic education in the Land of Snow in the future, how far could the outstandingly talented Karin go?
"Karin..."
Karin's mother looked at Karin, and after a moment of silence, finally nodded with a bitter smile.
The leader of Kusagakure had once promised her that he would let Karin become a ninja of Kusagakure.
This was also why she had never resisted.
She placed her hopes on the Kusagakure leader's promise, hoping to let Karin have her own sense of belonging and identity.
But...
The actions of that Grass Ninja just now had completely shattered her illusion.
In the eyes of those bastards, she and her daughter were merely tools all along.
After she died from life force depletion, Karin would walk her old path.
"Rest assured. With me, at least, you can have dignity and a self."
Menma's words paused, then he immediately asked: "Besides you two just now, I also sensed several other special chakra signatures. Are there other Uzumaki survivors in the Land of Grass?"
"..."
Seeing Karin's mother fall silent again, Menma couldn't be bothered to waste more words.
He directly raised his palm, the chakra in his body beginning to surge.
Clatter clatter!
Under Karin's mother's surprised gaze, a small golden chakra chain drilled out from Menma's palm.
"G-Golden... Adamantine Sealing Chains?"
As a member of the Uzumaki clan, she naturally understood what this golden chain meant.
This was an ability only the Uzumaki clan could awaken.
She just never expected that the Uzumaki clan still had such a powerful expert in existence.
Thinking this, the woman's gaze towards Menma instantly gained a bit more closeness and trust.
"Please forgive me. My name is Uzumaki Kana. This is my daughter, Uzumaki Karin."
Uzumaki Kana bowed slightly: "Just as you guessed, there are indeed some other clansmen imprisoned in Hozuki Castle."
"Hozuki Castle..."
Menma was stunned for a moment, then a smile appeared.
Hozuki Castle was a notorious place throughout the Land of Grass and even the ninja world.
After all, the prisoners held inside were all ninja from various countries who had committed heinous crimes.
The Land of Grass, possessing Hozuki Castle, was also considered a semi-neutral country. This was one of the reasons why the Land of Grass could play both sides between the various nations.
If he remembered correctly, the "Box of Ultimate Bliss" should also be in Hozuki Castle. This would save Menma an extra trip.
"However, Kusagakure actually imprisoned most of the Uzumaki clansmen in Hozuki Castle, only leaving behind Karin and her mother to serve as medical supplies?"
"It feels somewhat detached from the original plot development..."
Menma rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment.
Immediately, his hands rapidly formed seals, and a shadow clone appeared beside him.
"This shadow clone will take you to the Land of Snow. That is an organization base I have established."
He then took out two brand-new hoodies from a scroll, as well as an Iris Rainbow Flower-shaped jade talisman, and handed them to Uzumaki Kana.
"You don't have official documents to enter the city. Just show this jade talisman then."
After explaining everything, Menma was about to turn and leave.
But just then,
"Sir, please wait a moment!"
Uzumaki Kana quickly called out to stop Menma.
Immediately, she took out a crystal engraved with the Uzumaki clan emblem from a hidden place.
"When the time comes, please give this token to those clansmen. They will naturally understand my meaning and will also obediently listen to your arrangements."
Menma took the crystal, smiling with satisfaction: "Very good. This will also save me a lot of words."
After saying this, he turned and left the thatched cottage.
...
Menma soon arrived not far from Kusagakure, on an isolated island surrounded by an inland sea and shrouded in mist.
Looking from afar, one could see a tall, castle-like prison looming indistinctly.
This was Hozuki Castle, jointly established by several countries and mainly guarded by Kusagakure.
However, after Menma activated his "Mind's Eye,"
The commotion occurring at the entrance of Hozuki Castle caught his attention.
"Hmph! You clearly invited us here to help, yet you still want to place a technique formula on us?"
A tall man with a shark-like face, wearing a black robe with red clouds, was pointing a large, bandaged sword at the middle-aged man in uniform before him.
"Kisame of the Akatsuki, is it?"
Facing Kisame's threat, the middle-aged man said, neither happy nor sad: "Your power is too great. It must be restricted."
"If you cannot accept this, then it will be considered that the Akatsuki has abandoned this bounty mission."
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere between the two instantly became tense.
"Hehe."
Kisame's cold laugh broke the stalemate between the two.
"Mr. Mui, we can cooperate with you."
He withdrew Samehada, saying meaningfully: "However, the bounty you offered our Akatsuki is twenty million ryō. I hope not a single ryō of that twenty million will be missing in the end."
"Please trust the reputation of our Hozuki Castle," Mui said calmly.
"Heehee, I hope so."
(End of Chapter)
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