"The second phase of the Chunin Selection Exam… officially begins!"
As the start time arrived, Anko Mitarashi's voice blared through the broadcast, reaching every proctor and candidate.
The proctors stationed at the gates promptly unlocked the iron doors, gesturing to the candidates. "Get in."
In an instant, those who'd passed the first exam surged forward—some as fleeting afterimages, others sprinting in the classic ninja run with fists tucked behind, and a few strolling leisurely.
Team 8 was among the latter.
"Izayoi-kun, should we take the initiative?" Hinata asked.
"No rush. First, we're finding someone."
Izayoi activated his Tenseigan, his vision shifting to a godlike perspective. It enveloped the entire Forest of Death, then zoomed in like a surveillance feed, locking onto each team.
Soon, Karin and her two teammates' location lay bare before him.
"Follow me." Izayoi vanished in a Body Flicker.
Hinata and Shino Aburame trailed close behind.
"Izayoi-kun, are you looking for that Grass ninja girl?" Hinata ventured, guessing his intent.
"Mm. Talent like hers can't go to waste," Izayoi said with a nod.
For this exam, Izayoi had come fully prepared, even donning colored contact lenses.
He aimed to alter two people's fates, and Karin was one of them.
His black-market venture had taught him the limits of going it alone.
Had he not cleverly spared Zabuza Momochi and Haku, he'd still lack a single human puppet.
Haku was a useful tool, but loyal only to Zabuza.
Izayoi didn't trust Zabuza enough to recruit a rogue ninja like him.
Since then, he'd resolved to build a team.
Karin was one of his targets.
Despite her clan's extinction, her parents' early deaths, and a lost heritage, she awakened all of the Uzumaki clan's unique abilities by sixteen.
Her talent, even in the Uzumaki's thousand-year history, ranked among the elite.
Though she hadn't yet defied fate, Karin's entries outshone many of the rookies.
[Uzumaki Bloodline (Purple)]
[Chakra Control (Purple)]
[Medical Genius (Blue)]
[Jonin Potential (Blue)]
[Otsutsuki Bloodline (Blue)]
Just as red entries varied in potency, while Karin and Naruto's bloodlines were both purple, her red-haired purity far surpassed his blond, even with his ancestor's chakra sealed inside.
Izayoi was certain five entries weren't Karin's limit.
When he first studied medical ninjutsu, he unlocked the Medical Genius (Blue) entry.
The Uzumaki clan had an innate gift for sealing techniques.
If Karin began learning them, she'd likely unlock Sealing Genius (Blue), just as he had.
Then, she'd be a genius with six entries.
How could Izayoi let Orochimaru claim such talent?
Hinata and Shino, of course, were unaware of his plans.
Shino, however, picked up on something and adjusted his sunglasses. "Izayoi, you're planning to recruit a ninja from another village? That's against the law."
"Would you rat me out, Shino?" Izayoi asked with a smile.
Shino considered it. "If you don't keep her in Konoha, I won't."
Over their time together, Shino had come to see Izayoi and Hinata as comrades.
Unlike Naruto's crew, Izayoi never overlooked him, earning Shino's goodwill.
To him, Izayoi and Hinata were friends.
He'd never betray them.
Unless Izayoi did something to harm the village.
"Imprisoning" a foreign ninja in Konoha would be a severe diplomatic incident.
As the Aburame clan heir, Shino couldn't ignore that.
"Don't worry, I'll handle it," Izayoi said, nodding with a grin.
Seeing Izayoi agree so readily, Shino offered, "If you need help, just say so."
"You and Hinata take care of those two Grass ninja."
Team 8, moving at full speed with Body Flicker, rapidly closed the gap to Karin's team.
Meanwhile, Karin was being ordered by her teammates to set traps.
"Hurry up! If someone spots us, we'll leave you behind."
"Y-Yes!"
"Useless thing. If your healing wasn't somewhat useful, we wouldn't bother dragging you along."
"I-I'm sorry."
Threatened and berated, Karin didn't dare show discontent. She set traps while apologizing in a trembling voice, utterly submissive.
Such was the lot of an outsider.
Though raised in the Grass Village, Karin's mother wasn't native. Even as a ninja, Karin remained an untrusted foreigner.
Despite her and her mother's potent Physical Healing, the Grass Village treated them as mere med-kits.
Injured ninja drained their chakra to heal, exhausting Karin's mother—a woman with the Uzumaki's robust vitality—to an early grave.
Karin herself became malnourished and nearsighted.
Laughably, the Grass Village, skilled at studying foreign ninjutsu, failed to grasp the significance of red hair and Physical Healing.
"Eight Trigrams Air Palm!"
As Karin worked, a girl's shout rang out.
A buzzing hum grew closer.
Before Karin could look up, a boom echoed from her teammate's direction.
Turning, she saw one teammate plastered against a tree like a painting, the trunk cracked around him, blood spilling from his mouth.
The other, before reacting, was swarmed by insects raining from above. A scream, then silence as he collapsed.
Karin crumpled to the ground, her already pale face draining further.
A warm chuckle reached her ears.
"Yo, we meet again."
Following the voice, she saw two boys and a girl standing before her.
Staring at Izayoi in the center, Karin's eyes widened behind her glasses. "It's you!"
"Let me see your arm."
Hinata knelt, grasping Karin's arm and rolling up her sleeve.
Her gaze sharpened instantly.
Karin's forearm was riddled with bite marks of varying shapes.
That wasn't why Hinata was angry.
She and Hanabi absorbed Izayoi's chakra daily for two years, leaving no marks.
Their absorption couldn't outpace his recovery.
Karin, however, had only two teammates, yet her arm bore marks from at least several people—and that was just one arm.
Her recovery clearly couldn't keep up with the chakra drained from her.
"Eight Trigrams Air Palm!"
Hinata stood, firing another shockwave, finishing off the barely breathing Grass ninja on the spot.
From start to finish, she didn't voice concern for Karin.
Yet her actions brought tears to Karin's eyes, misting uncontrollably.
Since her mother's death, after years alone, she felt cared for again.
And that care came from an enemy.
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