"Where did he go?!"
The scar-faced thug's eyes bulged wide. Just a heartbeat ago, a living person had been standing right in front of him—and then suddenly, he was gone.
And it wasn't just him. Even the Kusagakure shinobi, who had been calmly standing with his arms crossed as if nothing could shake him, felt his composure falter.
In his entire life, he had never witnessed speed like this.
A golden flash…
For an instant, the Kusagakure ninja couldn't help recalling the legendary title: The Fourth Hokage.
But shock was one thing—he and the traffickers still immediately whipped their heads around, scanning every direction for Senju Haruto, fearful of a surprise attack.
Yet Haruto had no intention of wasting effort on these people.
Instead, he simply flickered across space, reappearing right at Karin's side.
He quickly checked her injuries, and then without hesitation, lifted her gently into his arms.
On the surface, her wounds looked horrifying.
But in truth, the attackers had carefully avoided her vital points. Their goal was profit—they planned to sell Karin for a high price, ensuring Kusagakure's shinobi could exploit her ability.
So the injuries weren't fatal.
Even so, pain was pain.
Tears welled up in Karin's swollen eyes, her small body trembling as though she couldn't understand what crime she had committed to deserve a life like this—why she had been made to suffer since birth.
Seeing this, Haruto sighed faintly and pressed his chakra into her body.
The Uzumaki Clan were born with extraordinary vitality. So long as their chakra was replenished, their wounds could heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
As the pain dulled, Karin's consciousness slowly returned.
Her eyelids, swollen and heavy, gradually opened—until a handsome boy's face came into focus above her.
"It's all right now."
Haruto's voice was soft, almost soothing. He slowly set Karin back down.
The traffickers couldn't comprehend what Haruto had just done, but there was one thing they did understand—they couldn't just let him walk off with their merchandise.
"This is your final warning. Leave now, or don't blame me for what happens next."
The Kusagakure shinobi's tone was low, almost threatening.
It wasn't that he cared about the traffickers—but Karin was far too important.
And having just witnessed with his own eyes how quickly she could recover from injuries, his desire for her had only deepened.
With someone like her, Kusagakure's combat power would skyrocket.
And in an age as chaotic as this, any means of survival was justified.
The scar-faced man and his companions sucked in sharp breaths, but still forced themselves to step toward Haruto.
Yet Haruto ignored them entirely. He didn't even bother to lift his gaze.
Instead, he focused only on Karin.
"How are you feeling?"
Karin froze. The warmth of his concern made her heart pound nervously. She instinctively shuffled back half a step before timidly nodding.
That was all the traffickers could take. With roars of rage, they charged from different angles, weapons raised high.
Boom!
Just as they lunged, a crushing wave of chakra thundered down from above, slamming into them with the weight of a mountain.
Their legs buckled instantly. With dull thuds, they crashed to their knees.
It wasn't only their bodies—an invisible pressure, suffocating and absolute, pressed down on their minds as well. Sweat poured from their foreheads. Their arms hung heavy, like they weighed a thousand pounds each.
Even the Kusagakure shinobi was left stunned.
Never in his life had he felt chakra like this.
This… this man… Is he even human?
Even among the jōnin he had fought before, none could project such overwhelming force.
A monster…?
But what he didn't realize was that Haruto wasn't even trying.
He was simply controlling his vast chakra with meticulous precision—suppressing the thugs' ability to move.
If he wished, with a single thought he could erase them from existence.
But creatures as filthy as these didn't even deserve the honor of being crushed beneath his chakra.
He didn't even want to waste a glance on them.
Instead, Haruto reached calmly into his pouch, pulled out a kunai, and handed it to Karin.
"You can stay here—let them use you, torture you, treat you as a plaything."
"Or you can come with us, leave this village behind. But understand this…" His tone hardened, sharp as steel. "I don't need useless people. If you want to follow me, then prove your worth."
From every perspective, Karin was valuable.
But Haruto never lowered himself before anyone. That was his principle.
Even Karin had to understand:
It isn't that I need you. It's you who needs me.
He was the only one who could pull her from this living hell.
But first—she had to prove her value.
Karin froze.
Never in her life had anyone spoken to her this way.
Never had anyone given her the power to choose.
Her gaze shifted to the kunai gleaming in his hand. Her throat bobbed nervously as she swallowed hard. Deep down, she realized what this meant.
But…
Though she had been hurt countless times, she had never once harmed another. She didn't know if she had the courage.
Her voice was small, trembling.
"M-my body…"
Haruto's eyes flickered knowingly.
"The Uzumaki bloodline is unique. By letting others bite you, they can heal their wounds. But that isn't what I need."
He paused, his voice steady.
"You can live as a shinobi. Not as a tool."
It wasn't a lie. It was the simple truth.
To others, Karin's body might only serve that purpose.
But Haruto had no use for it.
After all—he was beyond injury.
Even if he took a Tailed Beast Bomb head-on, he would emerge unscathed.
So what need would he ever have for such an ability? None.
"…A shinobi?"
Karin's eyes widened in disbelief.
What kind of man was this?
Not only had he given her a choice—he had offered her the chance to become something more.
Not an object.
Not a tool.
A shinobi.
He was nothing like the others. He didn't see her body as her only worth.
Faced with the hell she had known her whole life, what reason did she have to stay?
And what reason did she have to refuse him?
In that instant, Karin summoned every last scrap of courage inside her.
Her small hand darted out, gripping the kunai tightly.
Then, trembling but determined, she forced her bruised body upright, standing tall for the first time in her life.
When she turned to face the traffickers again, her legs shook and her arms quivered—but her eyes burned with a newfound resolve.
And it was the traffickers, not her, whose hearts quailed in fear.
"Go on."
Haruto's hand rested lightly on Karin's shoulder as he leaned close and whispered into her ear.