After Karina stubbornly—almost with the solemn expression of someone offering a sacrifice—extended her arm a little farther forward, the Kusagakure shinobi hesitated. Though full of doubt, curiosity ultimately won out.
Slowly, he opened his mouth and bit down on her slender arm.
"Mm—" Karina let out a pained gasp, her body trembling slightly.
She bit her lower lip hard and forced herself not to pull away.
The instant the shinobi's teeth pierced her skin and he felt the warmth of her blood, his expression changed drastically.
He jerked his head up, eyes wide with disbelief.
"How is this possible?! My wound… it's actually getting better?! How did you do this?!"
He could clearly feel the burning pain in his injury fading rapidly. With each swallow, a warm current flowed into his body, accelerating the healing of the wound.
It completely overturned everything he thought he knew about medical treatment.
Karina quietly withdrew her arm, pressing her other hand against the clear bite marks and the beads of blood welling up. She simply shook her head, offering no explanation.
The shinobi stared at her. The shock on his face gradually gave way to something more complicated—gratitude, confusion… and deeper still, an indescribable stirring.
He didn't question her further. After a moment of silence, he lowered his head again—this time cautiously, almost experimentally—and took another bite.
The effect was even clearer.
The next few days passed in rapid montage.
Perhaps out of gratitude—or perhaps for other reasons—the shinobi brought back more food, showing what appeared to be considerable care for Karina and her daughter.
Innocent and grateful, Karina gradually lowered her guard, sensing nothing amiss.
Outside the Heavenly Curtain, however, the viewers' emotions were the complete opposite.
Experienced shinobi—those who had long since seen the darker sides of human nature—had already reached a cold conclusion the moment they witnessed the healing effect of biting Karina.
"These two… are finished."
"That kind of ability… it's like a walking elixir."
"A treasure invites disaster. There's no way they can protect a power like that."
And whenever the scene briefly shifted to the red-haired baby babbling in her mother's arms, the image overlapped seamlessly with that of the "Demon Child" who had destroyed Kusagakure.
"That baby… she must be the Demon Child."
"She wiped out Kusagakure… that's revenge."
"Kusagakure must have discovered their secret—imprisoned them, used them as tools to heal injuries. That's what led to the bloody retaliation later!"
All the pieces seemed to fall into place.
A tragic story was taking shape: a mother and daughter coveted for a special ability, subjected to inhuman exploitation, and eventually pushed into despair—until the child became a "Demon Child" and slaughtered her tormentors in vengeance.
As they watched the Heavenly Curtain, saw Karina still unaware of her fate and filled with gratitude, and the innocent baby Karin smiling in her arms, a complicated chill crept into their hearts.
They could already see the inevitable descent into darkness and bloodshed.
The kindness she offered would not bring salvation.
It would draw the curtain on tragedy.
A few days later, the scene shifted again.
The Kusagakure shinobi's injuries seemed mostly healed. He approached Karina with a proposal—one that would change their fate.
"Karina, you're a woman wandering the wilderness with a child. That's no way to live. How long can this go on? The world isn't peaceful. One day, who knows what might happen…"
He left the sentence unfinished, but the implication was clear.
Holding little Karin close, Karina's face filled with hesitation and struggle.
He was right. She knew better than anyone how difficult and dangerous it was to survive in the wild with a child.
"I know… but joining a hidden village…" she said quietly, her voice heavy with concern. "I'm not sure I'm ready for that."
If it were an ordinary village, perhaps she wouldn't hesitate so much. But a hidden village meant missions, conflict, and unpredictable danger.
The shinobi did not grow angry at her reluctance. Instead, he remained patient.
"The world is chaotic. No one knows when the next war will break out. When that happens, what can you—a civilian woman with a child—do? Where will you run?"
Those words pierced her deeply.
She recalled the horrifying rumors of war she had heard during her travels, the displaced civilians she had seen.
She nodded bitterly. "You're right… We civilians can't protect ourselves."
Sensing her wavering, the shinobi pressed further. His gaze fell on little Karin, and his tone grew softer—almost persuasive.
"Even if you have doubts, you should think about your daughter."
"Don't you want her to grow up safely in a stable environment? To make friends like other children? To have a proper home?"
"For my daughter…"
Karina murmured the words as she looked down at Karin, whose wide eyes blinked curiously as she tugged at her mother's hair.
Her daughter's pure, innocent smile shattered the last of her hesitation.
As a mother, her greatest weakness was her desire for her child to live a better life.
After a long silence, she lifted her head. There was a trace of desperation in her eyes, as though she were staking everything on a single choice.
"…All right. I'll go with you."
The shinobi immediately broke into a delighted smile.
"Welcome, Karina! Kusagakure will be your new home!"
At last, Karina smiled too—relieved, hopeful, as though she could finally glimpse a peaceful future.
"Oh, right," the shinobi added with a chuckle, gesturing toward the baby. "After all these days, I still don't know this little one's name."
Karina nuzzled her daughter's cheek lovingly.
"Karin. Her name is Karin… my most precious treasure."
As if responding to her mother's voice, little Karin let out a bright giggle, waving her tiny hands.
The shinobi reached out and gently pinched her soft cheek in what appeared to be an affectionate gesture.
"Karin, huh? That's a lovely name," he said with a smile before turning away. "Then let's head back to the village."
He walked ahead.
Karina followed behind, carrying the laughing child who knew nothing of what awaited her.
Step by step, they walked toward what they believed would be their new home—
But was, in truth, the entrance to their future prison.
Kusagakure.
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