Naruto's teammates didn't appreciate him bringing her along with them through The Forest of Death, the pink-haired girl especially. Sakura, as she learned her name was, was rather hostile to the idea of her tagging along, adamant about the redhead possibly having malicious intentions. Karin didn't blame her, she was a foreign shinobi, after all, her being a good one or not seemed redundant. Naruto vouched for her because no member of his family would be untrustworthy. His words threw Sakura for a loop. The cute but rather frigid boy called Sasuke shrugged apathetically, not caring either way, telling her only to not slow them down; his words seemed to calm the other girl down.
Naruto again made sure Karin didn't lag behind, carrying her on his back all the way to the tower.It was good to have a friend if she would call Naruto that. He definitely would. The blond boy nearly talked her ear off the whole way there. Annoying to a degree, but pleasant to have actual human contact where scowls and silence weren't the main way of communication.
Karin couldn't help herself from divulging in Naruto's chakra on the way to the tower. His chakra was already overflowing without using her sensory capabilities. She shut her eyes and let her mind wander on into his coils.
The Uzumaki girl fell into a comforting trance, staying half-conscious on his back the whole way to the tower. Whatever he said to her in those hours were lost to the girl.
"So, Naruto, who's your girlfriend?" His silver-haired sensei asked the moment he spotted his student carrying the girl. Karin hid her carmine face in Naruto's bright orange coat "The shy ones really seem to like you, don't they?"
"Huh? Shy ones?" Naruto asked. "Anyway, she ain't my girlfriend Kakashi-sensei, she's part of my family."
"My name's Karin." She answered.
"Family huh? Didn't expect you to get hitched that fast." Kakashi teased. He was happy his mask hid the smug grin plastered underneath.
The blond boy could feel his ears burning up as Sakura giggled and Sasuke probably smirked at him. Karin wasn't any better. She wanted to just curl up into his jacket and make the world go away right now.
"Looks like she's a cuddler."
"I'm gonna kick your one-eyed ass!" Karin shouted as she threw herself at the Jounin. Kakashi stopped her with a single hand to hold her in place while she flailed her arms with wild punches.
'Just like Kushina, feisty as all hell.' The older man sighed, remembering the other redhead he knew.
"Now, now. It's just a little teasing. No need to tear my head off." Kakashi mocked playfully. "Any other reason you brought her along?"
Naruto spoke up. "Her team abandoned her and when I found her, she was about to be eaten by a huge bear. Then I killed it with a kick."
His chest swelled with a little pride at the end.
"How gallant, saving maidens from monsters." His sensei couldn't help but add.
Again Naruto blushed, trying to suppress a smile. A beet-red Karin started swinging again before Kakashi flicked her forehead protector.
"Alright, enough playtime. You three need to go on ahead, the time limit is almost up."
"What about her?" Sakura inquired. "Her team is gone and she isn't with us."
"Don't worry about that, I'll handle it. Get a move on now, my cute little genin." He said with an eye smile.
Sasuke shrugged and left, his team followed.
Kakashi stared down at the girl with his singular visible eye. He didn't know what to think about her and this interesting situation his student wrapped himself in. If Karin was what she said she was, Naruto wasn't going to let her go without a fight and a massive headache. The Jounin sighed.
Karin shrunk under the silent gaze of Kakashi Hatake, The Copy Ninja. His reputation was legendary and struck fear into enemy shinobi and now he stared directly at her, still and quiet. Her mind raced a million miles a minute about what he could possibly be thinking about. What was he gonna do with her?
The Jounin broke his silence. "So Naruto saved you eh?"
The girl nodded slowly.
"What's your name again?"
"Karin."
"Last name?"
"Uzumaki."
'Should've figured that's what Naruto meant.' He concluded.
"You can talk y'know, I'm not gonna bite."
"Sorry." The Kusa Genin apologized. "My home village usually didn't let me talk a whole lot."
"Yet you yelled about kicking my ass without a thought.
Karin suddenly found the ground became a whole lot more interesting.
"You don't have the scrolls so you still fail but, you can stay and watch if you want. Unless you wanna run back through the forest on your own." Kakashi turned to leave. "I won't stop you but I think Naruto would want you to stay."
Staying was a no-brainer. Karin almost died in that forest and she wasn't eager to return anytime soon. Besides, she had to stick close to possibly her only living relative, however tentative the relation. It was better than being alone, that was most certain.
Blood and pale blonde hair covered the floor of the ring where the prelims for the third part of the Chunin exams were held. Blood from the beat down Sasuke gave Yoroi with the move he copied from his earlier fight with Lee a few days ago and the exploded arms of Zaku courtesy of Shino's bugs. The hair from Ino, who in a moment of brilliance, cut her long platinum hair and used it in tandem with her clan's jutsu to take control of Sakura's body.
"Next, Kiba Inuzuka versus Naruto Uzumaki." Anko announced through the microphone.
"Alright Akamaru, we got an easy fight!" Kiba said to the puppy poking its pale furred head out of his jacket. The dog barked in response before his owner leaped over the railing to the battle arena. "Chunin promotion here we come!"
"Like hell you do, dog breath!" Naruto taunted back as he followed his opponent down. "I'm gonna kick your ass first!"
"You? Kick my ass? Weren't you the dead last of our class?" Kiba laughed derisively. "I don't even think you'll land a single punch."
"Just watch! I'll have you running home to your mama! Then you'll see I ain't that dead last any more!"
Akamaru jumped out from his master's jacket, growling in excitement at the prospect of a fight. The two boys stared each other down. Neither would break away from the other's squinted eyes, to show the first sign of weakness and concede the psychological battle they silently waged against each other. Naruto clenched his hands into fists. He was ready to fight, ready to win, and show everyone he wasn't as weak as he once had been.
Hayate Gekko, the referee, looked at each of the participants.
"Are you both ready?" he coughed out through his hand.
They nodded in unison.
"Begin!"
Without any hesitation, Naruto and Kiba dashed at each other, Akamaru following closely behind. They traded blows, knocking spit and blood from each other's mouths. Kiba held the advantage with his natural physical prowess, hitting harder and faster than Naruto could. Pressing his advantage, Kiba increased his aggression and knocked his opponent away with a more focused punch and a roar.
Naruto crashed against the stone wall, leaving a small crater behind, and landed on the cold floor. Dust kicked up, covering the area the blond Genin landed in.
"You're still the dead last." Kiba spat. "Stay down if you know what's good for ya."
Suddenly, Naruto sprinted forth from the beige dust cloud at the Inuzuka who blocked his kick with his arm. Kiba roared and clawed at his enemy's chest. As his long nails landed, Naruto poofed into a thick cloud of smoke.
'A clone?' The Inuzuka thought.
Akamaru barked and caught his master's attention. There stood another Naruto at the opposite end of the battleground. The dog charged forward on his own accord.
"Wait Akamaru, it's probably a clone!" His master's order hit his ears too late. When the white canine snapped his jaws closed around his target's leg, it too poofed into smoke.
"See? I told you boy."
"Didn't tell him quick enough!"
The real Naruto dropped an ax kick on the unaware Kiba's skull with a loud crack. A few teeth could be heard hitting the floor. Kiba hit the ground like a sack of bricks. Akamaru whimpered, licking his unconscious master's face in an attempt to stir him awake. Kiba's body twitched a little with every lick to his face.
'Holy crap, that worked?' Naruto was surprised his hastily put-together plan worked. He was sure the Inuzuka would have caught on before the plan even started.
Kiba groaned. He blinked his brown eyes as he returned to the waking world. His head ached with a capital A. Akamaru yipped in excitement as his master climbed back to his feet.
"What the hell man‽ That was a cheap shot!" Kiba shouted as he rubbed the back of his head.
"That's what happens when you get too cocky, mutt!" Naruto retorted back.
"Sorry to interject but I'm gonna call the match." The referee coughed. "Kiba was rendered unconscious. He lost."
"No!" The Jounin looked to Naruto. "If he's standing now then I want to continue. There's no shortcuts on the road to Hokage and I won't take this one!"
Hayate sighed, then coughed again. 'He has a easy win and decides to not take it, this kid just has to make everything complicated.'
"Fine but the next person to be knocked out will lose, understand? We still have entrants that haven't fought and I don't wanna be here all day."
Karin watched quietly as Naruto's match started again. The blond boy already displayed his power enough for her to surmise he was strong, but he faced down an Inuzuka in taijutsu and wasn't immediately crushed! There weren't many who could say they have done that. She winced at the kick the other Uzumaki landed on Kiba's head. He was gonna feel that one for a while.
"I think I saw teeth fly!" a scuffed-up Sakura said.
"I sure did." Ino added. "Kiba's gonna need a dentist after this."
"If The Inuzuka wants to win, he better watch Naruto's kicks." Karin calculated, adjusting her glasses. "They're really powerful."
Ino cocked an eyebrow. Sakura said this girl had been with her team for the last few days because Naruto liked her or something, she honestly didn't care enough to pay much attention. The pain Sasuke suffered was more important than the dumb antics that loud idiot got up to.
"Karin right?" Ino bowed. "Nice to meet you."
"Ah, sure, y-you too." Karin awkwardly bowed back. Formalities pleasantries weren't an interaction she knew all that well.
"So how powerful are Naruto's kicks exactly?"
"He killed a bear with a single strike."
Ino blinked, then blinked again. What? Did she hear that right?
"R-really?"
Karin nodded. "I wouldn't be here if he didn't."
The blonde girl said nothing now, not even a peep. Just how strong had that blaring moron gotten since the academy?
Karin turned her attention back to the fight down below. Naruto was taking another beating courtesy of Inuzuka Clan Ninpo. Kiba had enhanced his own already superior physicality and transformed his dog into a clone of himself with a soldier pill. The corkscrew-like attacks the two threw at her clanmate left him spitting blood on the cold floor.
"Get up Naruto!" She caught herself yelling. "Don't let this mongrel stop you!" Karin was unsure where the excitement she expelled came from.
Hinata's chest was alight with feelings of butterflies, Naruto had vocal support! If only she had such confidence. Perhaps then she wouldn't be seen as a shy weirdo. And Naruto would be her's already.
With a deep breath and gathering of his resolve, the blond pushed himself up to his feet. He stood bloodied and bruised but still defiant in the face of defeat.
"Come on!" Naruto shouted. "That all you got‽"
Optimistic anxiety ran through her body the longer the match went on. Her limbs grew heavy, her eyes dry and her lungs empty. Kiba could be beaten, that was certain, but Naruto almost eagerly took every hit the Inuzuka offered. Another Piercing Fang stuck Naruto and as he flew through the air, he transformed into Kiba.
"That was the stupidest way you could've won that fight." Karin chided. "He has to be embarrassed after that."
"It isn't like I planed to rip one in his face! Besides, it'll teach him some humility." Naruto defended.
"Please, you're the last person who needs to preach humility." Sakura replied.
"Now now Sakura, maybe Naruto has grown up a little." Kakashi said. "I mean I doubt it, but it's possible."
Naruto squinted and frowned. "Ah come on Kakashi-sensei, don't I deserve a little credit?"
"I'll give you a little credit when you win fight without dumb luck." His sensei smiled. Naruto rolled his eyes.
"N-Naruto." A timid voice interrupted.
"Oh, hey Hinata."
The bashful girl offered him a small container. Kurenai watched bemusedly at what was going to unfold.
"What's that?" Naruto asked.
"Medicinal cream." Hinata said softly. "It's m-made from an ancient Hyuga r-recipe."
He squinted. "Why for me?"
Hinata blushed and said nothing. Kurenai sighed.
"Just take it Naruto." The red-eyed woman said.
"Holy crap this stuff is great!" Naruto exclaimed as his cuts and wounds healed themselves away in a cloud of clear vapor. "Thanks Hinata!"
The poor girl would've fainted had Kurenai not been standing so close as her motivator.
Karin watched the whole exchange. It didn't take a genius to figure out the Hyuga girl had a crush on the boy. The redhead smirked at her timidity and almost laughed at her blush. The cream Hinata gave Naruto brought her mood down. Karin couldn't help herself from rubbing her arm unconsciously.