Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji followed Uzumaki Karin and her group out of Kusagakure. After leaving the village, Sasuke glanced back at the low houses and grayish-yellow walls. The confusion in his eyes didn't dissipate; instead, it deepened.

Uzumaki Karin walked at the forefront, her pace brisk, her red ponytail swaying back and forth.

She didn't look back, but as if sensing Sasuke's expression, she spoke up.

"What, do you find it strange that someone as young as me became the administrator of Kusagakure?"

Her voice wasn't loud, and her tone was casual.

Sasuke looked at her back and nodded. He didn't hide his thoughts, waiting for her answer.

Karin didn't turn around, just curled her lips up slightly.

"I was born in Kusagakure."

Her tone was normal, simply recounting a story from long ago.

"It's just that when I was very young, my mother was persecuted by the people of this village."

She paused, as if recalling something.

"Later on, for whatever reason, the people here ousted their village leader and wanted to invite my mother back."

Her tone was flat, so flat it sounded like she was talking about someone else's affairs.

"My mother refused."

She raised a hand and scratched her head.

"As for me, I got kicked out by my teacher, so I just decided to come here. Yep, that's about it."

She finished her story.

Sasuke and Neji exchanged bewildered glances, both seeing the utter confusion in each other's eyes.

What kind of reason was that?

Was there something seriously wrong with the people of Kusagakure?

Regardless, the two found it incredibly hard to comprehend the village's logic. Truthfully, it was a bit absurd.

But Karin offered no further explanation. That was just how things happened.

After a few more steps, she turned around, walking backward as she looked at the two boys and spoke again.

"Why are you looking for my teacher?"

At this point, the two had no intention of hiding anything.

Sasuke pursed his lips, and Neji furrowed his brow. They exchanged a look before Neji spoke.

"I want to find Uchiha Taiga to resolve the Caged Bird curse mark."

He kept it brief, without any unnecessary words.

Sasuke remained silent for a moment before speaking as well.

"I need to find Uchiha Itachi."

He paused, seemingly hesitating whether to add the next part, but eventually did.

"And find Uchiha Taiga while I'm at it."

Hearing this, Karin nodded in understanding. She didn't press further, though her gaze lingered on Sasuke for a moment.

"Little Sasuke."

Her voice carried a distinct hint of amusement.

"You must be pretty popular with the girls back in Konoha, huh?"

Speechless, Sasuke didn't reply.

The three subordinates walking behind Karin exchanged helpless glances upon hearing her words.

The tall man shook his head, the short-haired woman sighed, and the short man remained expressionless, though his mouth twitched slightly.

They didn't say much about it.

After all, Uchiha Sasuke was indeed very handsome, with refined features and pale skin. His cold demeanor certainly gave him a certain charm.

Among the peers they had seen, he was only slightly inferior to that particular lord.

It was only natural that he would be popular with young girls.

As for Uzumaki Karin, she had grown up in an environment with very few boys her age. Every day, she faced people several years older than her, or ordinary people much older than that. Suddenly seeing a peer of a similar age who was quite good-looking, it was normal for her to be curious.

They continued west toward the Land of Rain, and Sasuke and Neji gradually felt more at ease.

At the very least, they knew they weren't in any immediate danger, which allowed them to relax more than when they were first bound by the chains. They were no longer constantly on guard and occasionally even initiated a few words with Karin.

When night fell, the group stopped in a forest.

Karin's three subordinates scattered to keep watch over the perimeter, while Karin leaned against a large tree, closing her eyes to rest. Sasuke and Neji sat not far from her, unguarded and unbound.

The two sat very close, their shoulders almost touching.

The night was deep. The canopy above obscured most of the sky, allowing only a few stars to peek through the gaps. The wind rustled the leaves, and insects chirped in the grass.

Sasuke glanced at Karin. Seeing her eyes closed and breathing steady, she seemed to have fallen asleep. He then scanned the surrounding woods. He couldn't see the three subordinates, only sensing their faint presences scattered in the distance.

He lowered his voice and spoke.

"What should we do next?"

His voice was so quiet that only Neji could hear it.

Neji didn't answer immediately. He also swept his gaze around to ensure no one was approaching before replying in an equally hushed tone.

"We'll wait until we meet that person."

He paused.

"Since she's willing to take us, it shouldn't be a trick."

Sasuke remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

"What if it's a trap?"

Neji looked at him, his white eyes devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

"There's no point in discussing that now. Personally, I don't think there will be any issues regarding this matter."

His voice was calm.

"Since we've already followed her, we can only see it through to the end."

Sasuke didn't say anything else, just giving a subtle nod.

Neither of them noticed that the corners of Karin's mouth had faintly curled up, her eyes still closed.

Just then, an alert rang out from outside.

"Who's there? Come out!"

It was the tall man's voice—urgent and carrying obvious vigilance.

The shout came from the eastern side of the forest, shattering the tranquility of the night.

Sasuke and Neji stood up simultaneously.

Their movements were swift, transitioning from sitting to standing with almost no delay, springing up like coiled springs. Their hands reached for their ninja tool pouches at the exact same time; Sasuke's fingers gripped the handle of a kunai, while Neji's fingers rested on the hilt of his blade.

Both looked toward the direction of the shout.

In the woods over there, footsteps echoed—dense and clearly belonging to more than one person. The footsteps drew closer, rustling against dry leaves and snapping twigs with sharp cracks.

Then, figures emerged from the trees. There were a full dozen of them.

They filed out from between the trunks, moving swiftly like a well-trained unit.

From their positioning, it was obvious they were divided into three squads. They were spread out but highly coordinated, maintaining the perfect distance between each squad to support one another without getting in each other's way.

The three squads fanned out, completely surrounding Karin, her subordinates, Sasuke, and Neji.

The attire of the three squads differed.

The first squad of four wore white robes with dark vests over them. Their forehead protectors were worn on their foreheads, and each of them had white eyes with faint veins bulging around the corners.

These were ninjas from the Hyuga clan.

The second squad of four wore dark ninja outfits under their vests. Their forehead protectors were also on their foreheads, and each had sharp, vigilant eyes.

Sasuke's expression changed, as he recognized these four. They were clearly ninjas from the Uchiha clan.

The third squad also consisted of four people. They wore black tight-fitting suits and animal masks on their faces—a cat, a dog, a bird, and a snake.

These were Konoha ANBU ninjas.

Three squads, twelve people in total, fanned out and immediately locked down every direction.

Upon seeing these people, Sasuke and Neji's expressions instantly darkened.

Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply, and the three tomoe in his eyes spun rapidly.

His lips parted slightly, his breathing growing heavier. His grip on the kunai tightened.

Neji's expression also shifted. His brows knitted tightly together, his body leaning slightly forward as his hands assumed the starting stance of the Gentle Fist, his posture solemn.

Three squads: one from the Hyuga clan, one from the Uchiha clan, and one from the ANBU.

It was blatantly obvious that these people were here for the two of them.

Standing in front of the boys, Karin looked at the twelve newcomers. Her expression didn't change much; instead, she looked rather curious.

"People from Konoha? And so many of you. Are you planning to take them away?"

The leader of the Hyuga squad was the first to speak. "Step aside. We are here only to take back the traitor."

Karin ignored him and looked at the Uchiha squad instead. "And you?"

The leader of the Uchiha squad glanced at Sasuke and gave a slight nod. "We are here to take back Young Master Sasuke."

Karin nodded, not asking anything else. Instead, she turned around. "Do you want to go back with them?"

Sasuke and Neji looked grim, but they both shook their heads without hesitation.

"I see," Karin said, understanding dawning on her. "Then it can't be helped. This is the Land of Grass, and you came here without notifying me. That's going to be a problem."

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