While Hinata was finishing off the enemies, Izayoi crouched down but didn't immediately express concern for Karin. Instead, he rolled up his sleeve and extended his forearm to her, smiling as he said, "Take a bite. This will make the teeth marks on your hand disappear."
Upon hearing this, tears that had already been streaming down Karin's cheeks stopped as her eyes widened in disbelief. Her gaze was filled with a mix of shock and overwhelming joy as she looked at Izayoi, her voice trembling as she asked, "Could it be that you…"
"Yes," Izayoi nodded, offering a kind lie. "Although our hair colors are different, our ancestors were likely from the same clan. That's why I recognized your uniqueness at a glance."
"Th-that's… that's wonderful," Karin suddenly bit her lower lip, lowering her head as she choked back a sob. Her shoulders trembled slightly as tears, like rain, blurred her glasses and fell to the ground.
She… was no longer an orphan. She… still had clan members! At this moment, Karin wanted to burst into tears, but fearing that she might be disliked by her newfound kin, she could only sob quietly.
Izayoi didn't say anything, simply smiling as he watched Karin release her emotions. Hinata stood silently by their side.
Meanwhile, Aburame Shino, not wanting to disturb the reunion of clan members, went over to the two corpses to search for their scrolls. As he did so, his mind began to race with speculation.
Red hair, a unique healing ability, clan members… These key details felt oddly familiar, as if he had heard about them from his father before.
Suddenly, Shino's steps paused briefly as if he had realized something. He then continued walking toward the corpses, adjusting his sunglasses as he did so.
It seemed he now understood why Izayoi possessed such an immense amount of chakra. It turned out that Izayoi carried the bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan! According to historical records, the Senju Clan and the Uzumaki Clan were distant relatives.
Before the founding of the Leaf Village, the Uzumaki Clan had resided on the ninja continent, also within the Land of Fire. After the Leaf Village was established, the Uzumaki Clan did not join it but instead left the ninja continent and founded the Whirlpool Hidden Village on a remote island.
The Leaf Village and the Whirlpool Hidden Village remained eternal allies. It seemed that Izayoi's ancestors were either members of the Uzumaki Clan or had intermarried with them during the Warring States Period, before the Leaf Village was founded.
Over generations, the bloodline had diluted, and the surname and distinctive traits had faded, only to resurface in Izayoi's generation as a recessive awakening.
The more Shino thought about it, the more he became convinced that this was the most plausible explanation. In fact, it seemed to be the only logical one.
He also seemed to understand why Izayoi had sought to recruit that girl. The Mind's Eye of the Kagura—Izayoi must have awakened this unique ability of the Uzumaki Clan!
Karin cried for several minutes before she gradually calmed down, as if she had finally realized something.
"Here, wipe your tears," Hinata bent down and handed her a handkerchief.
"Th-thank you," Karin took the handkerchief and whispered her gratitude.
After she dried her tears, Izayoi extended his forearm to her again, smiling as he said, "Take a bite. It'll help your injuries heal."
"N-no, it's fine. I'll recover after some rest," Karin shook her head repeatedly. In the presence of this newfound clan member, she felt even more humble than she had in front of her two former companions.
Just like Uzumaki Naruto, Haku, and Kimimaro Kaguya had just found "love," for these unfortunate orphans, the "love" of recognition, care, and acceptance was the light that tore through the darkness.
Those who have seen the light can no longer endure the darkness.
Just as she dared not cry out loud earlier, Karin now dared not bite Izayoi. She was afraid that Izayoi, her clansman, would dislike her.
Izayoi naturally noticed Karin's fear and couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry, go ahead and bite. My Chakra is strong. Hurry up and recover your condition, or I'm afraid you might collapse at any moment. Quickly!"
By the end, Izayoi's tone had become a bit firmer.
"Yes!"
Startled, Karin quickly held Izayoi's forearm with both hands. She glanced cautiously at Izayoi, then at Hinata, who stood beside him with a gentle smile and showed no displeasure. Softly, she said, "Then... I'll take the liberty."
After saying this, Karin opened her mouth and gently bit Izayoi's forearm, not daring to use too much force.
"Use a bit more force, it's fine," Izayoi reassured her with a smile.
Seeing Izayoi's encouraging gaze, Karin blinked and slowly increased the pressure.
In an instant, Karin's eyes widened.
Her body, which had been extremely weak, felt as if she had just taken a sip of ice-cold pure water in the desert, or like a starving ghost tasting a feast, or returning to the warmth of a fireplace in winter. A warm current surged through her body, spreading to every corner.
The bite mark on her arm disappeared at a visible speed.
Her malnourished skin gradually gained a hint of rosiness.
Her pale face regained its color.
Even her nearsighted eyes saw things more clearly.
This... this was on a completely different level.
Karin was utterly shocked.
She had used Physical Stamina Healing on herself before and had absorbed her mother's Chakra as a child.
But neither her own nor her mother's Chakra could compare to Izayoi's.
For example, if she wanted to save someone critically injured now, she might need to exhaust all her Chakra, even risking her life.
But for Izayoi, saving a critically injured person might only require a bit more Chakra than what he had just used.
What kind of Chakra quality was this? Izayoi didn't know Karin's thoughts, or he would have smiled slightly.
This was the true value of the noble Otsutsuki lineage combined with Physical Stamina Healing.
After replenishing Karin's energy, Izayoi stood up and extended his hand with a smile. "My clansman, would you like to follow me from now on?"
"Can... can I?" Karin asked, her expression filled with excitement.
"Of course."
Izayoi nodded with a smile. "But if you do, you can't be a ninja anymore, and I'm not sure if I can get you into the Leaf Village in the future."
"I'm willing, I'm willing."
Karin nodded repeatedly, her excitement evident.
Whether she could continue being a ninja didn't matter to Karin at all.
Her dream wasn't to be a ninja; she just wanted a home.
When her mother was alive, her home was in the Grass Ninja Village.
After her mother's death, she had no home.
Now that she had found her clansman, she had a new family.
"Good, then follow my Shadow Clone. He will take you to a safe place."
Izayoi formed a hand seal with one hand, creating a Shadow Clone. He then helped Karin to her feet and gently patted her fragrant shoulder, saying, "Once I finish the exam, I'll come find you."
"Mm-hmm…"
Karin nodded repeatedly, not at all worried that Izayoi might betray her.
After spending a few more days together, her affection for him had grown to such an extent that even if Izayoi were to sell her out, Karin would probably still help him count the money.
Orphans in this world were just that loyal!
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