Kusagakure, located in the Land of Grass and adjacent to the Land of Rain.
This is a small Ninja Village, not large in scale.
However, it has survived stably to this day by constantly mediating between several surrounding Great Nations, indicating its diplomatic skills are quite sophisticated.
In the past two years, due to obtaining a "special medicine," the Ninja death rate has significantly decreased, showing a trend of vigorous development.
Two Ninja wearing Grass headbands walked out of a small house.
They removed their blood-stained bandages, marveling at the medicine's miraculous properties.
"Fortunately, the Leader brought back such a good thing a few years ago; otherwise, this injury would take who knows how long to heal."
"Yes, it's truly amazing."
"You just need to bite it lightly, and suck a little…"
After they walked past, a figure hidden in the darkness quietly left, stealthily approaching the house they had come out of.
His steps were slightly unsteady, but still silent.
He deftly picked the lock and slipped inside.
There were no medicines or medical tools in the room, only a red-haired girl.
Her body was covered in bite marks and scars.
Her eyes were vacant, and she was curled up on the only straw bed in the room, her ankles still shackled, like an animal waiting to be slaughtered.
Sensing someone else had entered, the girl slowly raised her head.
Before her was a black-haired boy, a few years younger than her, covered in blood and ash.
There was a tear in the fabric on his shoulder, and the blood nearby had already congealed into a dark black.
His Chakra was almost depleted, and he was already unsteady on his feet.
He struggled to suppress his gasps, his eyes weary and shocked.
The girl extended her scarred arm, signaling to him.
He seemed to understand something, hesitating for a long time before stepping closer.
He didn't bite her directly but instead pulled out a relatively clean Senbon from his sleeve.
His hand trembled as he tried to prick her palm.
At the last moment, he stopped, his face filled with an internal struggle.
He's so slow.
The girl thought numbly, dragging her palm across the Senbon's tip.
Instantly, bright red blood gushed from the wound, quickly filling her palm and about to drip down.
Surprised, the black-haired boy quickly brought his mouth to the edge of her palm, carefully sucking the dripping blood.
After a while, the cut on the girl's palm stopped bleeding.
She withdrew her arm and continued to curl up in the center of the straw, as if she had completed a trivial task.
She thought: Now that it's done, hurry up and leave. I want to be alone.
But the other person drew the Ninja Sword from his back.
With one strike, he cut the chain of the shackles on her leg.
"I'll take you out of here."
She heard the boy's hoarse but firm voice.
—
After Naraku escaped the encirclement of the Amegakure Ninja, his direction of travel changed from east to north.
He unknowingly entered the territory of the Land of Grass.
Amegakure probably wouldn't send more pursuers.
But the assassins sent by Danzō Shimura had no such scruples and would certainly not give up until their objective was achieved.
Since that was the case, then my apologies, Kusagakure. Please help delay them for a bit.
He thought without remorse, feigning panic and desperation, and dashed into the village.
He had intended to catch his breath in a corner but overheard the Grass Ninja chatting.
The "medicine" they spoke of was so miraculous that it reminded him of someone.
As a fugitive with depleted Chakra and in urgent need of medical aid, there was no reason for him not to be tempted by medicine; otherwise, it would be too unnatural.
He slipped into the house and, as expected, saw that vibrant red hair.
Karin...'s mother, perhaps?
No wonder.
The girl reached out to him.
Naraku actually didn't really want to do it; after all, drinking blood was a bit abnormal.
But he currently had no other conventional way to naturally and reasonably restore his energy.
Under the girl's accidental action, he decisively went with the flow.
The blood was already flowing; it would be a waste not to drink it.
As the fresh blood entered his stomach little by little, his Chakra began to recover, and his wounds gradually healed.
He finally regained some strength.
Watching the girl curl back into a ball on the straw, Naraku still couldn't bring himself to leave her be.
He sighed heavily in his heart, muttering that a drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring.
He cut the chain that bound the girl.
Forget it, forget it.
This act of repaying kindness should earn him a good amount of popularity points.
He carried the girl on his back and quietly left the shadows…
After a long time since leaving Kusagakure, Uzumaki Kana still couldn't quite believe it.
She occasionally looked back at the village, which had long since become a small black dot, swallowed by the jungle.
Realizing she had truly been rescued, she looked at the boy carrying her.
From her angle, she could only see the boy's profile.
His short black hair was slightly disheveled from the long journey.
But it couldn't hide his handsome features and his weary yet resolute expression.
The boy's body temperature radiated from where their bodies touched, warm and real, like a bonfire on a cold night.
She felt a sense of security she had never experienced before.
Although the other person seemed to be fleeing for his life and might even face a fatal crisis, it couldn't be worse than staying in the village and being bled dry.
At least at this moment, she had regained her freedom.
"What's your name?"
"Naraku, Uchiha Naraku. And you, Sister?"
"Kana, Uzumaki Kana."
"I'm in your care, Sister Kana."
Naraku smiled, exhaled deeply, and continued on his way.
"Actually, it seems I'm still being chased."
"If we encounter enemies, I'll hide Sister Kana before luring them away."
"If I die, Sister Kana, you must live well on your own."
Hearing him say this, Uzumaki Kana felt a little teary-eyed and quickly shook her head.
"That's unlucky. You won't die."
Feeling Kana's arms tighten, Naraku silently smiled bitterly.
This time, he had truly made things difficult for himself; he might actually fail.
As for abandoning Uzumaki Kana or using her as a shield, that option would never be among his choices.
He liked to approach everything around him with a playful attitude, even tricking people without any psychological burden.
But there were some things, ultimately, he just couldn't do.
After fleeing for several hours, Naraku's Chakra, which he had just managed to recover, was depleted again.
He had no choice but to find a secluded cave to rest temporarily.
Taking out the food and water he had pilfered on his way out, the two sat on the ground, eating in silence.
Before they had even finished eating, Kana suddenly looked up.
Her expression was alert, gazing southwest.
"Many people are coming."
Upon hearing this, Naraku quickly stuffed the remaining food into his mouth, marveling at the Uzumaki Clan's terrifyingly strong sensory abilities.
Huh, doesn't that mean I've got a super radar?
He suddenly realized he might have even profited a little.
Kana closed her eyes, sensing carefully.
"It's people from Kusagakure. I remember their Chakra."
"I'll take care of it."
Naraku said, leaving a few Explosive Tags.
He walked out of the cave, drew his Ninja Sword, and chopped down the earth and rocks at the entrance, roughly concealing it.
"If I'm not back in fifteen minutes, Sister Kana, you should leave on your own."
"Go east to Konoha, and someone from the Uchiha Clan will take care of you."
Kana clutched the paper talismans, sitting in the dim cave.
She listened as Naraku arranged her escape route, feeling her heart tremble.
"You must come back, Naraku."
She clasped her hands together, silently praying.
In Kana's perception, Naraku's Chakra was like a flame, slightly weak but still flickering strongly, quickly moving to where the enemies were.
Then, the Chakra signatures surrounding him disappeared one by one.
Naraku's flame diminished again, becoming almost the same as when they first met.
Fortunately, he finally returned safely within fifteen minutes.
The sound of sliding earth and rocks echoed, and the cave entrance gradually widened, with strands of sunlight shining in.
Naraku stood at the cave entrance, silhouetted against the light.
He had many new bloodstains on him, and his Ninja Sword had several chips in its blade.
Even his breathing carried a hint of heaviness.
But his face still held a gentle smile.
He extended his hand to Kana, pulling her out of the darkness…