A/N: Finishing this chapter is my birthday present to myself! lol.
Hope you guys enjoy!
Genma stifles a yawn behind his hand, and Raido seems to be having trouble not doing the same.
It's well into the afternoon, but standing guard outside the Intel Division's holding cells can be...tedious, for lack of a better word, particularly for a seasoned jounin duo like them. But still, they know this job is important, and they know why they were chosen specifically, so they can deal with the boredom in light of that faith.
All the same, it doesn't mean they wouldn't appreciate a little excitement to break up the monotony.
And lo and behold, just seconds later, Genma spies a familiar bright blond head coming their way. He blinks a few times, rubs his eyes, even takes a step closer for good measure before he brightens with a delighted laugh. He waves a wide arc. "Hey, Naruto!"
At his side, Raido also breaks out into a grin and waves both arms like he's trying to signal a messenger bird. "Long time, no see, kid!"
Naruto lights up when he sees them and lightly jogs the last few yards, Shikamaru close behind. "Hey, Genma, Raido! It's been a while!"
Genma nods in looking him over slowly, up and down. "Lady Tsunade told us you were finally awake and recovering, in physical therapy and everything." His smile softens. "You look a lot better than I thought you would." He lets out a relieved sigh. "That's good. I'm glad to see it."
Raido nods, relieved hand at his chest, his smile bright and warm. "Yeah, seriously! You sure know how to give your comrades a heart attack!"
Naruto rubs the back of his head sheepishly. He guesses he should have expected the third degree from his older comrades, too... "S-sorry about that..." He fixes them with a determined stare. "But it won't happen again, at least not like this! I promise!"
There's something different about him suddenly, in the way he holds himself, the shine to his eyes. It's all...freer, less burdened, and so much...better for it somehow...and they're confused, but happy as hell to see it, too. Thank God, honestly. Shikamaru gives them a look that says he'll explain everything later, and they nod imperceptibly. They'll be waiting.
For now, though...
"Well, we appreciate it, but you know, as punishment for scaring the crap out of us..." Naruto blinks, a small "Hmm?" leaving him, and then Genma smirks and reaches over to pull him against his chest for a good, old-fashioned noogie, "...it's only fair you get one o' these! Come 'ere!"
Naruto squawks and laughs out loud, even more so once Raido joins in by tickling him. They're all cracking up by now, all smiles and fun, Naruto reaching up to hold Genma's wrist and curl his other fist lightly in Raido's shirt (always with the physical affection, that one), and Shikamaru is glad for it. He thinks they all needed this.
After a minute or so, Naruto has tears streaming down his face from laughter, and he reaches out toward his friend. "S-Shikamaru, help!"
Snorting, Shikamaru takes his hand. "As adorable as this is," and really, geez, he might need a minute after this; he pulls Naruto out of their gentle holds to be by his side again, giving him a moment to collect himself, "I'm sure you already figured we didn't come here just for friendly recreation."
Clearing their throats and schooling their features, Genma and Raido nod. "Yeah, of course. So, what's the occasion?" Genma almost snorts, a tiny smirk coming. "Don't tell me you've disobeyed Lady Tsunade enough to be put in a time out or something, Naruto?"
Naruto pshaws and sticks his tongue out at him. "No, nothing like that!" He points below their feet with a wide, toothy grin. "We're here to meet Karin!" He folds his hands behind his head, excitedly rocking on the balls of his feet. "Granny Tsunade finally said it was okay! Isn't that great?"
Both men's mouths drop open, Genma nearly losing his signature senbon.
"H-hold on, are you serious?" Raido asks, wanting to make sure he heard right.
"Lady Tsunade really gave you permission?" Genma gawks. "I never thought she actually would..."
Naruto just laughs. "I know, right? Me neither! I guess she was totally against it at first, but Shizune, Mr. Inoichi, and Kakashi-sensei all helped change her mind, so it's okay!" He points over at Shikamaru. "She's still a little worried, though, and that's why she sent Shikamaru, too, just in case!"
They know what that means: in case things go wrong. And now that Naruto mentions it, they can clearly see how dead serious Shikamaru's being. Decked out in full Chunin gear, the shadows mere playthings at his fingertips. There's a different look in his eyes, clearly spelling pain and (eventually, when he's good and ready) death for anyone who threatens Naruto in any capacity. It nearly sends a shiver down the veteran duo's spines. A motivated Shikamaru truly is a sight to behold.
Of course, hearing all this just raises their own protective hackles, too, and they know they won't be the only ones. When the others downstairs see that it's Naruto that might come to harm if Karin steps out of line... Not that they think she will, she seems like a nice enough kid, but with her history and their service, they know not to judge a book by its cover. And if things do take a turn, well—she'd best watch herself.
Because the Naruto Protection Squad doesn't hesitate.
Once that's squared away between the three brunets in a silent conversation of eyes, the jounin turn their attention back to Naruto. "Well, I'm glad you're excited, but don't go in there expecting too much."
Genma nods. "Raido's right. She's not very talkative when left to her own devices." He bites his senbon. "'Course, that could just be because she doesn't trust us, which is fair," he shrugs, "but still."
Naruto hums. He knows all about that. It just makes him even more determined to do what he can to help her. He offers them a smile. "I appreciate that, but I think I'll be okay. You know I have a way of getting people to talk," he chuckles, "even if it's just to tell me to shut up."
They both snort and smile fondly. "Believe me, we know." Unlocking the door to the stairs leading down, they wish Naruto luck.
"Be careful down there, ya hear?" Genma cautions.
"If you need anything, just yell," Raido presses.
Naruto nods, heart warming at their concern. "Really, guys, I think I'll be okay. But thanks! You're the best!"
The two flush a bit at the sudden compliment as Naruto starts heading down, and Shikamaru winks and waves their way in following him. He totally gets how they feel. "Thanks, guys!"
Just as Genma and Raido suspected, once Izumo and Kotetsu see it's Naruto coming to meet Karin, they're thrilled and protective in the same breath.
They ruffle Naruto's hair in a way that looks like it should be painful, but Naruto just laughs. "Geez! You really are an idiot, you know that, runt?" Kotetsu chides, though the relief in his voice overpowers his exasperation tenfold, and he smirks at the way Naruto's ears perk at the old nickname.
"Seriously! We're not even thirty, and you're fit to send us to early graves!" Izumo whines.
Despite himself, Shikamaru rolls his eyes and snorts. "Yeah, well, lucky for you, you won't have to worry about him anymore." They blink, and he's only too happy to explain. "We've decided he's stuck with me for life." He beams and winks an absolutely preening Naruto's way. "Frankly, I'm looking forward to it!"
The two throw their heads back to laugh. "You've found yourself a good one, Naruto!" Kotetsu praises, patting Shikamaru hard on the back in friendly teasing.
"Yeah, you'd better take care of him! Partners like him don't come around every day!" Izumo agrees.
The older duo shares a soft look over the teens' heads. They know what they're talking about. They've been best friends ever since the Academy, and even when they're pissed at each other, they've always felt blessed to be in each other's life. Looking at Shikamaru and Naruto now, they can't help but see themselves in them. In their opinion, it just goes to show that sometimes, friendships like theirs are meant to be.
When they look back down, they're nearly blinded by Naruto's beam. "Oh, don't worry!" There's something thick in his voice, and Shikamaru doesn't miss the way the hands behind his head tremble with emotion. Naruto nearly chokes on all the pride and gratitude and adoration swirling inside him like sunlight trying to burst from his chest. "He's mine now," he makes an 'x' over his heart, "and I don't plan on letting him go anywhere I can't follow!"
Touched heat rises to Shikamaru's cheeks and eyes, and he breathes a laugh. Giving Naruto a dry-fond look, he says, "Pretty sure that's my line, number one knucklehead."
They all have a good laugh at that, and then Naruto and Shikamaru explain why they're here. Like Genma and Raido before them, the older two are shocked, but happy for him. "Just so ya know, they weren't kidding when they said not to expect a chatterbox."
Izumo nods. "She must like Inoichi or something because she supposedly talked to him all the time," he shrugs; Naruto's interest piques, "but with us, it's like she's a pipe that's been done up too tight. Kotetsu and I've tried asking her questions like her favorite color or food, just to make conversation, but she barely says a word."
They start leading the way to her cell. "But then again, she did ask for you, Naruto, so maybe you'll have better—"
"It really is like the sun."
A soft voice cuts through Kotetsu's words and everything else like Raido's precious Kokuto, saturating the air as deftly as its poison.
All eyes move at once to the cell's sole occupant, and Naruto nearly starts out of his skin.
Because a perfect stranger, someone he's never met in his life, is smiling at him. (And doesn't it say a lot about his life growing up that he can't remember a single time that's happened?) It's small, but it's…warm, relieved and glad in ways he doesn't understand, but wants to.
Her curious words come back to him, and Naruto can't help his need to know.
"What…" his quiet voice matches hers, and he tilts his head, "…what's that mean? What's like the sun?"
"Your chakra signature." There's something about the look in her eyes, sad and hurt and resigned, but tentatively hopeful, too, that Naruto recognizes. He knows he's felt that himself, exactly that feeling. Something in him grows too big in his chest. She breathes a little laugh. "It hasn't changed at all. Actually…" her smile softens, "…I think it's gotten brighter."
Naruto flushes at the same time he raises an eyebrow. Now he's even more confused. She can…see his chakra signature? He knows there are people who can sense them, but…
It's silent for a beat, a few. Then, Shikamaru steps forward.
Honestly, Shikamaru is at a loss. It doesn't take a genius to know this is exactly the girl they came to see. Even without the red hair, with the way she's looking at Naruto and how she describes his chakra signature, something Shikamaru may never have seen himself, but is sure he'd know blind, never mind the way Naruto's reacting to her…
Inwardly, he sighs. And here he was all too ready to intimidate the shit out of her, just on principle. Damn. Oh, well.
Trading a glance with Kotetsu and Izumo to let them know they'll be all right alone, Shikamaru moves to sit cross-legged on the floor, taking Naruto down with him. "So, you're a sensory type. A rare one, my guess." Looking her up and down, he narrows his eyes a fraction. "Karin Uzumaki, isn't that right?"
She drags her gaze away from Naruto for the first time, and the moment she finds Shikamaru, her eyes widen. Glancing between them, she cracks a wider smile and snorts behind her hand.
Such a curious reaction makes Shikamaru raise an eyebrow. "What's up?"
She clears her throat. "N-nothing, never mind." Bowing her head low, she replies, "Yes, I'm Karin Uzumaki. It's nice to meet you."
Naruto brightens tenfold at the confirmation, eyes lighting up. He and Shikamaru bow their heads as well. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" He points to his left. "And this is Shikamaru Nara! He's a really good friend of mine!" He practically bounces in his seat. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Karin! I've been waiting so long!"
A tiny laugh escapes. "Me, too. I had no idea if the Hokage would even allow us to meet, given how protective she is of you," she shrugs, softening, "but I'm really happy she did. To be honest, I've been curious about you for a while."
Shikamaru sits up a little straighter, eyes narrowing, but he doesn't say anything yet. He'll just wait and listen.
Naruto nods, a few times. "Same here!" He's not sure what she means by that last part, though. Why would anybody want to meet him? He's never had that happen before… It seems like she might be someone he'll have a lot of 'firsts' with. The very idea excites him like nothing else! "Granny Tsunade didn't really tell me much about you 'cause she wanted me to talk to you myself," he scratches his cheek and laughs at himself a bit, "but I have so many questions, I don't know where to start!"
Shikamaru hums in consideration. "Getting her life story would probably answer a lot of them."
Naruto perks up, snapping his fingers. "Hey, yeah, okay! So, would you mind telling us where you came from and how you got here?" Curling light fists on his knees, determination sharpens bright blue eyes. "If it's okay, I wanna know everything leading up to Danzo's death. I know most of what happened after that."
There's the tiniest wince in Karin at the last bit, so small it's more like a micro-expression, and Naruto's heart pangs. He bets he knows exactly what she's thinking of (Sasuke) and knows better than anyone how that feels – when it hurts, but you don't want to let anyone know how much. That's one of the main things he desperately hopes he can help her with.
Karin nods. "Yeah, I can do that." She's done it about a thousand times at this point, the more emotional portions just with Inoichi. She doesn't mind one more time. She moves chakra-cuffed hands over to a bunch of herbs, flowers, other minced and powdered ingredients, beakers, small containers, and a mortar and pestle Naruto's just noticed arranged around her. "You don't mind if I work while we talk?"
The Hokage tasked her with making medical elixirs and healing ointments in return for letting her meet Naruto and to keep her skills sharp, knowing how important that is for a medical ninja. Karin doesn't mind the work. She prefers to keep her mind and hands busy. And right now, she's more than grateful. It'll be a welcome distraction.
Naruto, while a little confused, just shakes his head. He's sure he'll find out what all this stuff's for eventually. "Mm mm. Do what ya gotta do."
A small smile comes to Karin's face. Naruto can't help but notice how tired and almost wistful she looks all of a sudden. It reminds him of how Kakashi-sensei looked when he told him about his old team. "Thank you."
She takes a breath. Nerves aside, she has to admit, she's excited, too. Outside the Intel Division's interrogations, she's never gotten to talk about her homeland and her mother, and this will be the first time she's ever gotten the opportunity to share her story with another Uzumaki.
Taking another deeper breath for good measure, in through her nose and out through her mouth, a calming exercise her mother taught her long ago (appropriate for the occasion, she feels), she begins her tale.
"I grew up in the Hidden Eddy Village, a small island nation to the east. I was so young and so much has happened since, I don't remember much from back then anymore." Her hands selecting ingredients slow a bit as a soft, nostalgic smile slips onto her face. "But…I remember the smell of sea salt in every breath and the roar of the sea in my ears like a calming lullaby. The sun was always so bright and warm. It felt so close, like it was right above my head. I've never seen or felt it quite like that anywhere else." She works the pestle in a steady rhythm around the mortar, crushing a few herbs and a flower into a paste. "Our people were strong and formidable. We specialized in sealing, and our naturally boosted chakra reserves and vitality kept us alive where others would have surely died. Alongside traditional ninja disciplines, all children were taught sealing, more and more the older they got. It was seen as our birthright."
Her movements slow a little more, and the smile slips from her face. Shadows overtake her eyes as her grip on the pestle tightens. A tight frown forms. Naruto's breath catches in anticipation, and Shikamaru's expression turns grim.
"But then, one day…everything changed." Her voice lowers and shakes slightly, something Naruto was expecting, and he can't help the way his heart goes out to her. She looks the same way he does when a bad memory takes hold of him. "I think I was…eight or nine. Everything happened so fast, most of it's a blur now. All of a sudden, everything was on fire, everyone was screaming, buildings and bridges were collapsing left and right, and I remember my mother dragging me away. She told me the village wasn't safe anymore, that we had to run while we had the chance. I didn't understand what she meant at the time, and I was worried about my family and friends, but I knew I wanted to be with her more than anything. So I held her hand as tightly as I could and ran."
She swallows, mixing some water with the medicinal paste until it's a green liquid, and then she carefully pours it into five beakers. Corking them, she starts on the next batch. Some might find this kind of work boring, but it's familiar and calming to her. A thought occurs to her, and she almost smirks. She wonders if the Hokage gave her this assignment on purpose because she knew it would help her through this talk… From what she's heard, she wouldn't put it past her. In any case, she appreciates it.
"I only found out a few years later what really happened. Other villages grew to fear my people's power, so they banded together and took it upon themselves to take out the nonexistent threat." The last two words are forced out through clenched teeth, and she's not all that surprised when heat threatens behind her eyes. She forces it back. Her glare could melt the ceramic tools she's working with no problem. "The bastards practically wiped out a whole race based on fears and suspicions they created in their minds. They were fucking cowards—" Her voice breaks, and she has to take a second to rein herself in. "On the bright side, I've been told they're all dead now, have been for a while, so," she shrugs, moving a few finished elixirs to the side, "it's something, I guess."
Taking a moment to steady her hands, she clears her throat. "Anyway, once we escaped, we walked for I don't know how many days and nights until we eventually made it to the Hidden Grass. We were given a run-down, one-room hut on the outskirts of the village." She sneers. "But they didn't let us stay out of the goodness of their hearts. My mother and I were special, even among our clan. Our chakra could be shared with others to heal them at exponential rates," holding up her arm, she pulls down her sleeve to reveal several nearly-healed teeth marks, "through bites like these."
Shikamaru pales, covering his mouth. He has to look away. Geez, that's vile…! Naruto reels back in shock, wide eyes going from her to her arm and back, and Karin is shocked when, after a moment, his expression turns…not only commiserating, but also protective. Realizing what he must be thinking, she waves her hands. "O-oh, no, don't worry! No one here's done anything! These are from me! From when…" She looks away and gestures vaguely to her chest, voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "From Sasuke."
Shikamaru winces. It catches Naruto off guard enough for the fight to leave him in a startled rush, but a second later, fists clench, and the fierce empathy in his eyes steals Karin's breath. "I'm sorry," he whispers.
Karin isn't ashamed to say she has to swallow back tears more insistently this time. She doesn't really know what to say to that, doesn't think she wants to derail their conversation to talk about this quite yet, so she just nods. "Y-yeah… Me, too."
Given a moment and another calming, if shaky, breath, she goes on. "A-anyway, I'm guessing my mother used this ability of ours as a bargaining chip out of desperation because starting at dawn the next day and every day after that, she went to the hospital to heal the wounded." Her grinding speeds up as she clutches the pestle so hard, her knuckles turn white and crack. "The shinobi in charge of us said it was our duty, that we had to earn our keep. But they…" she grits her teeth, "…they were merciless. Those bastards drained my mother of so much chakra every day that she could barely make it back to our hut. I found her collapsed outside more often than not. I don't know how she kept it up. It was taking such a toll on her, I begged her not to go every morning," her voice cracks, and she can't stop a tear from falling, "tried to tell her we could run away, find someplace else that wouldn't work her worse than a dog. But…" she presses trembling lips into a thin line, "…she always said it was fine, that she could handle it, even though she was smiling so sadly. I knew she was lying..."
She squeezes her eyes shut as another few tears escape. "E-eventually, after a year or two of being treated like dirt, she—" her voice breaks, and she raises her wrist to wipe her eyes, has to take a few breaths before she can go on, "—she died. No, she was murdered." Naruto's stomach drops, and a few tears of his own fall. He's only keeping back the rest because he wants to hear. Shikamaru's face is grim, fury smoldering in his eyes. "The bastard in charge came to our hut and literally dragged me to the hospital, and that's where..." She shudders. "We passed a room that was empty except for a single body covered by a sheet, and I recognized the clothes and the hair and the marks on her arm… I-it was my mother…!" A few more tears rain down. "I broke down right there. I couldn't help it. I knew something didn't feel right when she left that morning, but she didn't listen to me when I practically screamed myself hoarse begging her to stay..."
Naruto's given up the battle against his tears, now flooding his face, but he keeps his hand screwed tight over his mouth to keep his sobs inside. He knew her past would probably get him, but…damn…! Those heartless bastards…! Shikamaru, blinking back tears himself, squeezes Naruto's trembling hand. Damn it…! Reminds him of Asuma…!
Filling three small containers with ointment this time, Karin grits her teeth until they groan. "The asshole didn't let me stay with her two seconds before he was dragging me away again. He said her death was 'unfortunate, but necessary,' that they had no other choice to save the village. Obviously, that was fucking bullshit!" She almost shouts the last word in her rage, echoing off the walls and leaving her breathing hard for a good several seconds, but no one minds. Naruto uses the reprieve to try to gather himself, sniffing as he wipes his eyes and face. Shikamaru is doing his best to keep his own emotions in check, keeping tight hold of Naruto's hand as an anchor. "We were just like cattle to them, only good for what we could offer. From the thousands of bite marks on her body, I knew…I knew what they had in store for me. They were going to put me through the same torture she did her best to shield me from. I was terrified…but it was nothing compared to the fear I felt once I saw the shinobi I'd be healing."
The memories send shivers down her spine, though she does her best to keep her hands as still as she can. "I'd never seen anything like it before. There were so many bodies, so many bloody, screaming people, more and more everywhere I looked. I can still hear their screams in my nightmares." Naruto shudders, paling. He understands, intimately. He still hears the villagers' hateful names and cruel shouts and gaining footsteps in his own. "They worked me to the bone day in and day out, biting anywhere they could. Not a single one of them gave a damn that I was just a little kid. Hell, I don't think they saw me as a person at all. I was a walking, talking chakra dispenser, nothing more."
Naruto's breath stutters as his heart twists, tears stinging his eyes again. A distinct memory of yelling at Iruka-sensei as a child, insisting he wasn't just a nuisance or a germ, that he was a person, too, voice breaking and all, flashes in his mind's eye. Goosebumps rush over his skin. He and Karin have so much in common, it's scary. Shikamaru's hand in his is a warm, grounding weight he holds on to like a lifeline.
"Things went on like that, day after day. I had so many bite marks all over, I'd lost count a long time ago. Even with my advanced healing, they never seemed to fade. Not long after that, they sent me to the middle of a warzone." She pales, hands trembling, at the memories, though she reins that in as best she can. She fills four more beakers and puts them aside. "I'd never been on a real battlefield before. I was so scared, I could barely keep my feet under me, but the bastards just dragged me on. Once they got me to the makeshift hospital, I could barely keep up with all the wounded. They didn't even try to hold back either. They drained me of nearly every drop of chakra I had every single day. I was kept alive, but just barely. It got to the point where I was just going through the motions, so much that I barely even felt the pain from their bites anymore."
Naruto's face is awash with tears again, even worse than before, heart beating a painful rhythm in his chest. He knows exactly what that feels like. He's been there, too, was there for years, his whole life, before Iruka-sensei opened the world for him. God, he wants to hug her so badly…
"Then, when I was about to turn thirteen, I was ordered to participate in the Chunin Exams, which were to be held in the Hidden Leaf that year."
She looks up to meet Naruto and Shikamaru's eyes for the first time in a while, planning to tease them and throw them for a loop, but instead, she's shocked and concerned when she sees the state Naruto's in. Izumo and Kotetsu, having been listening and noticed, too, silently drop off a box of tissues and throw a blanket over his shoulders. He flashes them a tiny smile while Shikamaru offers a grateful nod, threads his fingers through Naruto's, and then waves Karin on with a gentle smile.
Taking it as a sign not to worry, that this is normal for Naruto, Karin pushes her curiosity aside to go ahead with her plan. Poking fun might help lighten the mood a bit, and it seems like Naruto could use it. A small smirk paints her lips. "You know, all of us must have been in that Academy classroom and the Forest of Death together, but somehow, we never met or even crossed paths. And yet, years later, here we are."
Shocked, Naruto's mouth drops open, and he trades a look with Shikamaru, who sighs and rubs the back of his head. "Sheesh… This is too weird…"
Naruto nods, a few times. When he thinks that they probably just missed each other who knows how many times... Fate really is a funny thing. He sniffs, wiping his face with a tissue. "W-wow… Talk about coincidence…"
Breathing a laugh, she nods. "Yep… I was especially nervous about the Exams because my warden never allowed me to practice any jutsu, afraid it would 'affect my performance' at the hospital." She rolls her eyes. "But luckily—or unluckily, depending on how you look at it—that didn't seem to matter to my 'teammates,' if you could even call them that." She spits out the word, and Naruto bets she feels the same way about them as he does about the village kids who used to chase him and beat him up as a kid. "Those ungrateful bastards didn't even care to learn my name. I was worth less than scum to them, only good for my chakra."
Filling six small containers with ointment, she organizes them in the pile with the rest. Naruto's eyes widen at the probably fifty or so different kinds of medicinal something-or-others she's done already (which he only recognizes from watching Sakura, Shizune, and Granny Tsunade work). Damn, she's quick! She must know exactly what she's doing! He wonders how, but he's sure she's getting to that, so he forces himself to stay quiet for now. Shikamaru is similarly impressed and intrigued. Ino and Sakura would have a field day watching her work!
Starting on the next batch, Karin bites her lip, and Naruto can't help but think she looks caught between smiling and grimacing. "Actually, come to think of it, the only Leaf shinobi I met face-to-face that day was…Sasuke…"
Naruto and Shikamaru go stock-still. "Wait, seriously?!" Naruto sputters. "When? How? He never told me about that!" Shikamaru sits back to listen.
Chuckling at his antics, she shrugs. "I don't know why he would have. It was a five-second interaction, really. We didn't even talk. It was during the Survival Trial in the Forest of Death. A giant bear the size of a building came after me while my teammates were off looking for a Heaven Scroll to pair with our Earth Scroll, and Sasuke came out of nowhere and took it down like it was nothing. He left once he realized which scroll I had." She flushes brightly and buries her face in her hands with a groan. "I can't believe I found him attractive. It's so embarrassing…"
The boys can't help it. The second they hear that, they burst out laughing.
"Hey, don't worry about it! Just about every girl who got within a hundred yards of that guy had a crush on him at one point or another!" Shikamaru reassures, mirthful tears sticking to his eyelashes.
"That's an understatement!" Naruto throws in, holding his stomach. "I'd say more like a thousand!"
Karin sighs, appreciating their efforts for what they are. "I can imagine…"
Once they calm down, Naruto blinks. "But wait, I never saw you fight in the Preliminaries. Does that mean you guys got disqualified 'cause you couldn't find both scrolls?"
Karin nods. "Yep. I got a whole lecture about it, too. My stupid teammates blamed it on me, even though there was no way it could've been my fault because they didn't let me do a damn thing in the first place." She glares at the elixir she's making like it's her warden's face. "My bastard keeper called me an 'outsider' and everything…" She spews the word like it's the cause of all her strife, angry tears welling in her eyes. Her voice falls, turns melancholy. "Besides physical threats, that was…how they got me to do things. Whenever they called me that, it…felt awful, like a knife slashing my heart open. It made me feel guilty for something that wasn't my fault, that I couldn't even control, which just made me feel even more alone and adrift than I already did... I…" her grip on the pestle tightens, she bites her lip, and she curls into herself a little more as a tear falls, "…I hate that damn word…"
A heartbeat.
"I hate it, too."
Karin snaps up at Naruto's soft, slightly raspy voice, and her eyes widen and heart squeezes at the bittersweet smile on his face and the pain in his eyes. "When I was a kid, the villagers used to call me that all the time. I didn't know about the Nine Tails back then, so I had no idea what they meant till later, but it didn't matter." He curls a fist over his heart. "It still cut straight to my heart every time. They already hated me for reasons I could never figure out, what seemed like just being alive, and then to have that on top of everything else… It hurt so much." He breathes a broken laugh. "Back then, I used to cry myself to sleep over it. Well, that and the rest. I always wanted to know why they even said it when I'd never lived anywhere else my whole life, but…I thought they'd just punish me for asking like they always did for everything else, so I kept quiet." He squeezes Shikamaru's hand, and his smile turns more genuine. "It's all okay now, though! These days, I have a whole lot of people I love who'd never dream of calling me anything like that—or let anyone else call me it either!"
Shikamaru just smirks, all teeth. "Damn straight."
"You got that right!" Izumo and Kotetsu cheer from their corner.
"Hear, hear!" Genma and Raido call from upstairs, having left the door cracked so they can hear.
Naruto beams and flushes at the enthusiastic confirmations, and Karin can't help but soften. This kid… "I'm really happy for you, Naruto," she says, quiet and warm.
Looking back at her, he almost offers something he shouldn't. It's a little early for that, and he wants to ease her into it. He melts a little more, all the same. "Me, too. Thank you."
Karin opens her mouth to ask about the Nine Tails' role in his life, but hesitates. She doesn't want to ruin the moment now. Plus, she wants to know more about Naruto himself before she gets too chummy. She knows better than to trust what people are like in a first meeting, no matter how calming and cathartic his mere chakra signature is for her.
Clearing her throat, she sets seven new beakers to the side and sighs a bit. They're probably about halfway or so through now. "To 'prove my loyalty' after my 'failure of a showing' in the Exams," she rolls her eyes hard, "I was sent to help out in a warzone in the northern part of the country. But…when I got there…" She shudders violently at the memories. "I'd never seen so many injured, dying people before. I'd never been so scared in my life. I knew I couldn't help them all, but if I didn't, I'd be cast out at best." She sighs again, heavier this time. "So, I did the best I could every day. As always, turned out my gut feeling wasn't wrong. These guys were more merciless than any I'd helped before. It seemed like they were draining me as fast as they could. More than once, they found me passed out in the middle of the chaos, so spent, I could barely open my eyes. It only took a few weeks before I knew I'd die if I stayed there." Her voice shakes. "I'd never survive it. I'd…I'd end up just like my poor mother…"
Raising her hand to wipe her eyes, she takes a few deep, shaky breaths to calm herself. She still remembers exactly how terrified she'd been, viscerally so. No child should ever have to suffer like that.
"Then, one day not long after that, I sensed a huge number of people coming toward the village. I knew we were about to be attacked, so I pretended to go to the bathroom and hid right before they showed up and kept quiet," she births a dark smirk, "while those bastards got what they deserved. In all the chaos, I finally managed to run away." A small smile sneaks onto her face. "That was the freest and happiest I'd felt since leaving the Hidden Eddy Village. I ran and ran until I couldn't run anymore. I found myself in a small, poor town full of thugs of one kind or another." She fills five more containers with ointment and moves on to more. "That was when I figured out why my mother never ran away, no matter how much I begged. I don't know if it's still like this, but at least back then, the Hidden Grass was basically just one big warzone with stretches of cesspool territory in between. So even if my mother and I did get away, we would have been accosted just as quickly." She grimaces. "I found that out the hard way."
Her eyes flick up to the boys. "That is when I first met Orochimaru."
As expected, they both stiffen something fierce, pale and furious at once, and it doesn't escape her notice that Izumo and Kotetsu's chakra signatures also spike with anxiety and shock, while Raido and Genma's sharpen with a rage she'd go so far as to call personal. Curious. She'll have to ask about that at some point. Frankly, though? She doesn't blame any of them one bit.
"A couple of bastards ended up recognizing my hair color and tried to kidnap me to sell me to the highest bidder. I tried to fight back, but they were grown men, and I was weak and starving at the time, so I didn't stand a chance. But then, this massive snake came out of nowhere and ate them," Naruto has to wonder if it was Manda, Orochimaru's Chief Summon, "and then he showed up."
Every listener gulps.
"Orochimaru said I had a choice to make. He told me I could have a place to belong and no one would ever lay a hand on me again if I went with him…" absently, she rubs her arm, the bite marks just underneath the fabric, "…and after everything I'd been through, I…I wanted that, more than anything. I also didn't think I had much of a choice, to be honest. I knew there was no way I'd ever make it out of the Hidden Grass on my own. I'd be right back to forced healings or put in the slave trade or worse." She looks away, a small, sad smile on her face. "Still…it all…must sound pretty pathetic to you…"
"Not at all."
For the second time today, Karin snaps up, wide red locking with determined blue. Of all things, Naruto laughs, rubbing the back of his head. "You know, the similarities between us are kinda freakin' me out." Karin blinks, tilts her head. Did she…miss something? Naruto's gaze drops to his open palm, and Karin's breath catches at the shadows in his eyes. Just like hers… "When I was younger, before I found out about the Nine Tails, and even then, I had a crazy hard time controlling my chakra. I always accidentally overdid it, no matter how hard I tried not to. I didn't realize at the time that I was tapping into the Nine Tails' reserves on top of my own. It threw everything off every time, but my Clone jutsu was the worst. Any clones I made were awful, totally pathetic, and it made passing the Clone jutsu portion of the Academy's final exam impossible. I tried three times, gave it my all, but it was never enough, and I just couldn't understand why.
"Then, just when I was about to give up for good, Mizuki, one of the exam proctors, told me I could finally pass if I read a sacred scroll containing a forbidden Clone jutsu kept in a weapons stronghold here in the village." He grinds his teeth and clenches his fist. "I knew stealing it was wrong, but I was so fed up and heartbroken and desperate, knew I'd never be able to learn the jutsu without help that, so far, not a single person had been willing to give..."
Shikamaru winces, and Naruto squeezes his hand, tossing him a warm smile. He knows he doesn't mean it like that. "So, I ended up stealing the Scroll of Sealing in the dead of night and read the whole thing, end to end. The forbidden jutsu ended up being the Shadow Clone jutsu." Karin's eyes widen. Sasuke didn't talk about Naruto much, but she specifically remembers him mentioning that Naruto's specialty was the Shadow Clone jutsu. Naruto chuckles, running a hand through his hair. "It was so weird. Nothing about training had ever come easily to me, but something about that one jutsu just…clicked."
Realizing he's going off on a tangent, he waves a hand. "A-anyway, in the end, it turned out Mizuki was a traitor who used me to get the scroll for himself, but still!" He can't help falling tender, empathy practically bleeding from him. This must be what Granny Tsunade meant when she told him Karin had her reasons for doing what she did. "My point with all this is, you saw going with Orochimaru as the only way you could survive, just like stealing the scroll was the only way I could graduate. And just looking at the facts, you really didn't have any other choice." His smile grows. "So, don't beat yourself up so much. You did what you had to do to live another day. No one can fault you for that, and no one here's gonna judge you for it. Okay?"
Karin can only stare, has to try a few times to swallow the lump trying to form in her throat. She's never…been talked to or treated like this before, so gently, with so much…understanding… No one's ever…tried to comfort her, empathize with her, before… It's…new and strange, but…she's surprised by how eerily good it feels, too. For the first time since losing her mother, she almost feels, the tiniest bit…like she's not alone…
The smile she offers in return is slightly wobbly, but almost obscenely grateful. It still doesn't feel like enough. "T-thank you, Naruto. I appreciate that, more than you know."
Naruto, for his part, just nods. He can tell how much this is affecting her, in a good way, and he can't be happier. "Of course. Any time."
She takes a slow, deep breath, and Naruto takes that as a cue to prepare himself. He's no idiot. He might not know too much about Orochimaru's 'experiments' sans Kimimaro and those Sound Ninja they fought, the Curse Mark itself...but he knows enough about Orochimaru himself and what he was after that he can piece together the kinds of things Karin must have helped with. Not that he really blames her. He can guess what crap that snake fed her, all the lies he put in her head and the countless twists to her arm. In his opinion, it speaks volumes about her character that she's still as sane as she is. (Hell, just look at Kabuto, Kimimaro, and Sasuke, never mind the Sound Four...)
"Remember how Orochimaru said no one would lay a hand on me again? Well, he must have meant anyone besides him and Kabuto because they ended up using me for the exact same thing as everybody else." She glowers down at her mortar and pestle like they've cut her. "They'd kidnapped or otherwise captured hundreds of people from all over the ninja world as test subjects for experiments, and they asked me to help out." She rolls her eyes. "No, 'asked' is too nice a word. Orochimaru dumped me on Kabuto the first chance he could, who told me that if I didn't do as I was told, I'd end up an experiment myself. I'm not sure if that's what Orochimaru told him to say or if he was just doing whatever he wanted, but," she shudders, "there was always something…off about him that scared me, so…I did whatever he asked."
"I don't blame you for being scared of 'im." Naruto clenches a fist, holds Shikamaru's hand tighter. "I fought Kabuto once before, back when Pervy Sage and I brought Granny Tsunade home, and trust me, he's not an opponent you wanna mess around with. He severed the chakra network around my heart with a single hit to my chest, even managed to cut me off from the Nine Tails. If Granny Tsunade hadn't been there, I'd be dead right now."
A chill goes down Karin's spine, and she can't help but breathe a wry laugh. "You don't have to tell me. I learned firsthand exactly how dangerous he was over the next few years. I appreciate the outside confirmation, though."
Naruto offers a like smirk. "No problem."
She adds seven more beakers to the pile. "So, after studying my healing abilities for about six months, Kabuto brought me to their Northern Hideout to help with experiments on Jugo and Kimimaro."
Naruto jolts like he's been shocked, and he points at her. "Wait, did you say Kimimaro?" She nods. Eyes the size of saucers, he waves his hands all around from his body outward. "You mean the freak of nature with the Kekkei Genkai that let him use his own bones as weapons?!"
It's Karin's turn to be shocked. Adjusting her glasses, she leans forward, jaw about on the ground. "You met him? No, you fought him? And survived?"
Naruto nods so hard, it almost makes him dizzy. "Uh-huh, uh-huh! When—" he grimaces, "—when Sasuke left the village, that Kimimaro guy was the last line of defense separating me from Sasuke. I fought him for a long time, but my clones got nowhere. He was like some kind of machine! It was insane!" Karin winces. Yeah, that sounds like him, all right. Naruto jerks a thumb over his shoulder. "One of my friends, Rock Lee, a taijutsu master, took over for me so I could go after Sasuke, and he told me later that even with Gaara's help—" Karin blinks at such a casual mention of the current Kazekage, "—they only survived thanks to pure luck! Kimimaro's illness took him out just as he was going for the killing blow!"
Karin shudders. "Ugh. I couldn't stand that guy. He was so creepy. Full offense, I'm really glad he's gone."
A surprised laugh bubbles out of him, and Naruto nods, a hand to his chest in relief. "Believe me, me, too!"
Moving back to her work, Karin breathes a laugh as she starts on more elixirs. Call her crazy, but she swears she feels like part of a weight's been lifted from her shoulders. "During my time working alongside the medical core in the Hidden Grass, I picked up on some basic medical ninjutsu. I couldn't do much, but considering I was entirely self-taught with no one to help me, I wasn't bad at all. Orochimaru must have figured that out at some point because it wasn't long before he instructed Kabuto to teach me medical ninjutsu when he had the time."
Naruto's breath catches, he goes a little pale, and given his experience being on the receiving end of Kabuto's skills, Karin can't blame him one bit. "I could tell Kabuto wasn't fond of the idea, but that didn't surprise me. Kabuto's never trusted anyone but himself. Still, he did as Orochimaru asked, and it didn't take long—" she smirks and slices the air to mimic chakra scalpels; they don't actually work due to the chakra cuffs, of course, but her meaning comes across regardless, "—before I was nearly as skilled as he was." She shrugs. "I say 'nearly' because Kabuto didn't teach me everything he knew. Of course not. Besides his incurable trust issues, there was his need to always have an edge over everyone else, especially those he thought could pose a threat someday. He could probably sense that I wouldn't stay loyal to Orochimaru forever, and, well," she shrugs again, bigger this time, and the grin that lights her face could rival Naruto's most mischievous, "turns out, he was right!"
Naruto chuckles, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, that sounds about right for Kabuto..."
Shikamaru sighs in relief. "So, now we have one on our side, too. Good." Naruto raises an eyebrow and tilts his head, and Karin doesn't miss the patient fondness that washes over Shikamaru's expression as he explains. "Someone like Kabuto, I mean. If the bad guys have him, I'm glad we at least have someone of equal skill with us. Evens the shogi board a little more, you know?" He shrugs.
Understanding now, Naruto nods. "Oh, yeah!" He turns back to Karin, an excited smile springing to his face. "It's been a while, too, so I'm sure you've taught yourself even more since then, right?"
She lets loose a devious smirk. "Naturally."
"Oh, man!" Naruto's practically vibrating with excitement, stars in his eyes. Shikamaru can't help wheezing with laughter. "Karin, you're so cool!"
A wide-eyed Karin sits back, glasses slipping down her face. Shikamaru smirks. Apparently, that reaction isn't what she was expecting. "That's Naruto for ya," he says, drawing Karin's attention. "You never really know what to expect with him." He beams. "That's part of what makes 'im so much fun to be around."
A happy flush colors Naruto's cheeks. "S-Shikamaru, you're embarrassing me…"
Shikamaru just shrugs and rubs under his nose, peeking at him out of the corner of one eye. His grin is as self-satisfied as they come. "Shouldn't embarrass ya since it's true."
That just makes Naruto blush harder, and Karin can't help but snort. Oh, God…they're cute…!
Sticking eight more full beakers in their slots, Karin's smile dims a bit as she reflects on the last stretch of her tale. Seeing it, both boys sober up to tune back in. "About two years into my time at the Northern Hideout, just before I turned fifteen, Orochimaru appointed me head of the Southern Hideout. It was mostly just a fancy title for warden of the prison, but still." She shrugs, a frown tugging at her lips. "By then, I was…more robot than person. It was the only way I knew to stay sane. Otherwise, I couldn't stomach the experiments, the awful things I was forced into. 'Course, it came back to bite me in the ass in the form of nightmares, but…I didn't know what else to do…" Her gaze flicks to Naruto's. "I'm sure you've noticed, that it's just the opposite with Orochimaru and Kabuto. They're basically emotionless unless they're masquerading as someone else or being cruel. It's like…inflicting pain is the only way they feel anything at all. It's…creepy. Disturbing, more like."
Naruto nods, a few times. "I get it. I really do. When I was really little and the villagers were awful to me, I used to cry like a baby. It hurt so much, I couldn't help it. But eventually, I realized that only gave them what they wanted, so I learned to hide everything I was feeling behind a smile. I called it a mask, too." He rubs the back of his head, chuckling. "Hell, I even started pranking everybody not long after that for attention because it was…" he looks down at his open palm, "…better than being ignored and forgotten, you know? Even if it only made them hate me more, it was still better. It probably wasn't the healthiest way I could have handled things, but…it was the best I had at the time." His gaze shifts back to Karin, warm and kind, so much that it gives her pause. "You were protecting yourself the only and best way you knew how. You did what you had to do to survive that Hell. No sane person can blame you for that. So, if anybody ever takes issue with it," he drives a fist into his palm with a fierce grin, "you send 'em right to me!"
Mouth agape, Karin stares. She can't help it. This is the second time he's gotten protective of her in as many hours, and he keeps empathizing with her like it's his job. He doesn't even know her, and yet… Shikamaru catches her eye, and he shrugs, rolling his eyes all too fondly in a way so they come right back around to Naruto. She hums. So, this is his usual M.O., even with people he's just met, huh? Interesting… Shaking herself out of her stupor, she nods, a tiny, confused smile blooming. This is the first time that talking about this hasn't left her feeling...dirty. Tainted. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."
Naruto nods, and she swallows, getting back to the task at hand. "Orochimaru claimed it was my choice to accept the position, but I knew it was all a lie. I didn't have any real say in the matter. I either accepted or faced his wrath. In a way, though…I really did want it, if only because then I wouldn't have to wear the mask anymore, but even more than that, I wouldn't be forced to share my healing unless Orochimaru asked himself. If I got lucky, I wouldn't have to suffer like that ever again. The pain would finally stop. So, I said yes. And for the first time since leaving the Hidden Eddy Village, I…I finally…" her voice shakes all of a sudden, surprising, yet not, even less so when a few tears sneak out, "…I was free…"
Naruto's getting choked up just listening. It reminds him of the broken-open feeling that flooded him when Iruka-sensei accepted him, the first of many to open their arms and hearts to him. Shikamaru strokes the back of his hand with his thumb.
"A year or so after that, Sasuke killed Orochimaru, and then he came looking to recruit me to join his team to take down Itachi. Of course, we all know how that turned out." Everyone in the general vicinity winces, including Genma and Raido upstairs. "Yeah… It was after that that Sasuke had us officially join up with the Akatsuki in an effort to make his dream of destroying the Hidden Leaf a reality, and Madara sent us to the Hidden Cloud to capture the Eight Tails." Naruto and Shikamaru's breaths hitch, Naruto paling and clenching a fist besides, and she sighs. "It went about as well as you'd expect. He was insanely strong, and we all almost died, Sasuke more than once, so once we thought we'd defeated him, we grabbed his body and got the hell out of there as fast as we could." She pouts a bit. "We only realized later that we'd been tricked into taking just a piece of the beast disguised as his body while the real Eight Tails escaped."
Naruto sighs in relief, and Karin wonders at how…personally he seemed to take the Eight Tails' potential capture. It hasn't escaped her that he keeps mentioning the Nine Tails, too… Hmm…
Opting to sate her curiosity later, though, she gets back on topic. She's sure these boys have better things to do than listen to her rambling all day.
"After that, Sasuke hatched that insane plan to attack the Kage Summit. I still don't think it was actually his idea, though. At least, not entirely."
Shikamaru sits up straighter, and Naruto tilts his head. "What do you mean?" Shikamaru asks.
Karin hums, setting aside more ointments. "As you can imagine, Sasuke was insanely vulnerable at the time, given everything that just went down with his brother and all, and Madara was always whispering to him in corners, talking with him late into the night. I'm almost sure he was the real mastermind behind everything that was happening, that he was just using Sasuke as a means to his end. Sasuke outright admitted he was using him, too, but still."
Understanding now, Shikamaru nods his thanks, and Karin keeps going. "All of us—Jugo, Suigetsu, and me—told Sasuke how crazy that was, that it would be like knowingly walking into the trap of all traps. But by that point, he couldn't be reasoned with anymore. Honestly, I was really scared we were losing the Sasuke we knew, if we hadn't lost him already. He just…hadn't been the same since Itachi's death." She sighs. "Predictably, just like when we tried to talk him out of capturing the Eight Tails, he didn't listen to a word we said. But I never signed up for any of that shit, and so while he attacked the Kage with Jugo and Suigetsu, I doused my chakra and hid. Sasuke was just getting worse and worse, his chakra had turned so cold and so dark, and I had no idea where it all went wrong or why I was even mixed up in that mess anymore. I just prayed and waited for it to be over, for better or worse."
Adding more elixirs to the pile, she rolls her eyes. "Of course, as usual, 'worse' was what it landed on for me. Madara found me and sent Sasuke and me into the pseudo-space—think of it like another dimension he has control over—so I could heal Sasuke. I swear I blinked, and then we were on the Samurai Bridge and Sasuke and Danzo were fighting each other. The next thing I knew, Danzo was using me as a hostage, a human shield."
At this point, she pauses, hesitates, hands stilling. Every time she tells this story, this is the hardest part. She takes a slow, deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth, then another, then one last time.
Clearing her throat, her voice is softer and quieter than it was before, sadder, but resigned, too. She's long accepted what happened, but that doesn't mean she's forgiven him. She doesn't think she'll ever be able to do that. "I was weak and exhausted from saving Sasuke, so I couldn't have fought back even if I wanted to. But Sasuke just told me not to move, to hold still, and I thought…despite all the signs, despite everything, I…I really thought…he was going to save me… I smiled at him, so relieved, so sure everything would turn out all right…"
A heartbeat.
"And this is how he repaid me."
She pulls the collar of her shirt down to reveal a pink, gnarled scar right in the middle of her chest, about six inches long and five inches wide. Both boys gasp and pale, Naruto recoiling to clutch his own chest opposite his heart. Shikamaru barely bites back a curse. Karin doesn't hold it against them. She understands. It would probably be hard for anyone to take, but especially kids in their position. Healing abilities or no, this scar will probably never fade. Honestly, though, Karin almost prefers it that way. It'll serve as a physical reminder of who not to trust. Never again.
"Sasuke said that if I was slow enough to get taken hostage, I was just a burden. I was tossed aside and left to bleed out and die like the broken tool Sasuke thought I was." Naruto flinches, knuckles white and cracking. "After that, I faded in and out of consciousness a few times, putting what little energy I had toward keeping myself alive. But I saw Danzo use a Reverse Tetragram Sealing jutsu he'd attached to his own body as a last resort, which is ultimately what killed him. Once you activate that seal, it explodes, and afterward, there's nothing left of you. Not even a chakra signature."
Her story finally done, it's silent for several long seconds as they take it all in.
"Wow…" Naruto leans back against the wall. "I'm gonna need a minute…" he tells her, sounding awed and weary at once.
"You can say that again," Shikamaru agrees. "I feel like I just reviewed ten thousand team formations at once…"
Karin snorts, setting seven more ointments to the side. These two sure are funny, and they play off of each other well. She gets it, though. Like she said, it would be a lot for anyone, but hearing all this must be especially difficult for them. Particularly, as she understands, for Naruto, even if she's a little fuzzy on the details.
It takes them a good few batches of ointments and elixirs to peel themselves off the wall, and Karin gets the impression that they still have questions, but they've resolved to hold themselves back for now. She's grateful. She thinks they've all shared more than enough for one day.
"I'm sorry you went through all that, Karin."
Karin freezes at that soft, rough voice, breath catching in her throat. Wide reds snap to blue, and she's struck speechless by the tears and sheer, genuine feeling shining there. Her mouth drops open. No one's ever… She adjusts her glasses, unable to tear her eyes away. She can tell he really means it—hell, he's crying—but…she just doesn't understand why…
"No one should have to suffer like that. No one should have to be alone like that." Naruto clenches tight, white-knuckled fists in his lap until they quake and crack. "It's the most painful feeling in the world, isn't it? Being so damn lonely even when you're surrounded by so many people." His nails puncture skin, but he can't bring himself to care. "It crushes you slowly, like a shroud you can't shake that just gets heavier and heavier. It's almost worse at night, in the dark, like a living weight on your chest that'll swallow you whole if you let it." The smile he cracks is small, shadowed, broken. "Other days, it's like a wild animal, gnawing and clawing at your heart until it's nothing but shreds, till you feel like you're barely alive. When that happens, you swear even the lightest breeze will leave you in ruins."
Karin can only stare, mouth still hanging open, but sue her. He just… How did he…? It's like he's…looking straight into her heart… She can't say she's surprised when a few tears fall, and she reaches up to wipe them away so they don't get in her mixture. "But…how…?"
Shikamaru curses at the way his heart twists, and the rest of their friends aren't much better. Damn it, Naruto…!
Because Naruto just grins, all teeth and pain and every last shred of empathy he can muster. "Because I know exactly what that kind of pain and loneliness are like, Karin. Believe me, I understand. Better than anyone you've talked to so far ever could." Based on everything he's said, Karin doesn't disbelieve him. Can't. Wouldn't dare. He rests a hand over his seal. "That's how it is for Jinchuuriki, too, Karin. I have the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside me."
A slow, silent gasp fills Karin's lungs, eyes widening, realization dawning, all the pieces coming together at once. Her gaze slowly drifts to his seal, she concentrates for all of a second, two—
CRASH!
The mortar and pestle crash to the floor. The sound makes everyone jump, and Karin rushes to check them over. She sighs in relief when she sees nothing spilled or broke. Her hands are still shaking, but sue her. It's been…a long day.
"Well…" she reaches to push up her glasses and pass a cursory wipe over her eyes for good measure, "…that explains a lot."
Naruto breathes a laugh. "I bet!"
"The Nine Tails' chakra is so…dark and cold…" Naruto's smile shrinks a bit, and Karin's surprised and even more curious when his grip at his seal turns almost…protective. "But there's…light there, too." Naruto's ears perk, blue eyes filling with hope. "It's faint, but…I can tell it's gotten brighter a few times recently, and it's pulsing," leaning forward, she cups a hand near her mouth to give the illusion of privacy, "which means something's making it grow." Leaning back, she winks. "Keep doing what you're doing, kid."
Blinking, Naruto glances down at his seal and back, a light flush coming at having been found out so easily. "H-how'd you know it was me?"
She smirks with the best of them. "Call it an educated guess."
Naruto chuckles. Then, remembering what got them on this topic in the first place, he grins her way. "You know, I didn't really know what to expect when we were coming to meet you today," he folds his hands behind his head, "but I think you're pretty great!"
Karin's eyes widen, and it's her turn to blush. "R-really?" She can't remember the last time she heard that… "T-thank you, Naruto…" Unable to help herself, she softens. "You seem pretty special yourself."
Shikamaru sends her an appreciating look. So, she's noticed, huh?
"Thanks a lot!" Naruto flushes contently before continuing on his train of thought. "I'm sure the rest of my friends will love you, too! I know Granny Tsunade can be pretty scary sometimes, but I swear she's really, really nice once you get to know her, so as long as you do whatever she tells you, I'm sure she'll eventually let you out of here! Then…" curling light fists, he works his fingers against his palms as he thinks about how exactly to word this, blue eyes steadfast and full of promise, "…maybe you can even…start over here, you know? You can have friends and people who really, truly care about you for you, not what you can give them, and we'll all make sure no one ever hurts you like you've been hurt again!" A heartbeat, and his voice gentles some. "And if you want, if you'll let me, I'll even help you. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you're happy here. That's a promise." He jabs a thumb at his heart, a beam to end them all. "And it's my Ninja Way to never go back on my word!"
Suddenly realizing he might be coming on a little strong, color rises to his cheeks, and he waves placating hands. "B-but only if you want to! If you have somewhere else you're headed or someplace you'd rather be, by all means! I'd never try to stop you! I just mean…" he shrugs, rubbing the back of his neck, "…you have options and people like Shikamaru and me who're more than willing to lend you a hand, so…"
Karin blinks and looks over at Shikamaru for confirmation, and he winks, a warm smile on his face. Naruto wouldn't speak for him unless he was absolutely sure he felt the same way. She's (at least mostly, you know – gotta leave some room for error) won him over, too. Karin ends up even more dazed than before.
Naruto's flush deepens, his eyes dart all over, and he fiddles with his thumbs in a way Shikamaru's seldom seen, and he's immediately determined to find out why. Luckily, he doesn't have to wait long. Naruto's voice is barely above a whisper when it makes a reappearance. "Plus, I've…never had blood family around, have no idea what that's even like, so, you know…" he shrugs, scratching his cheek, a shy smile lighting his face, "…it could be nice…?"
Shikamaru's pretty sure he's never wanted to hug anyone more in his entire life. He swears that's the very first thing he's doing once they're out of here.
Karin, for her part, is very stubbornly pursing trembling lips as tears rush to crowd her eyes. She was wondering exactly how much the Hokage told them about what she said to Inoichi, and now she knows she must not have shared any of her ideas about a future here. That means Naruto thought this up all on his own, drew on everything she told him to present her with the best possible scenario he could, even going so far as to stake his Ninja Way on helping her achieve it, all without asking for anything in return. She might not know much about him yet, but from what she's heard today about how it was for him growing up, she knows he's had it really hard, heartrendingly so—
And yet…this is what it comes down to? This is how it turns out? With this grinning, blushing boy the Hokage and Kakashi and Inoichi and Ibiki and so many others she's met and so many she hasn't, Shikamaru especially, think the world of? Who wears his heart on his sleeve and offers it up, everything he has, to anyone he feels deserving…?
And to think…she's…that she will be...one of them…?
A few tears slip past, but she doesn't mind. Not right now. She swears she'll work as hard as she can to earn that right.
"Y-yeah… I think…I'd really like that…"
Naruto beams like the sun.
And sue her if the only thing she can think in the face of it is:
How the hell did you leave him, Sasuke?
A/N: Genma, Raido, Kotetsu, and Izumo are some of my absolute favorite side characters, so I had to include them given the opportunity! I've never written any of them before, though, so hopefully their characterizations were okay! (Izumo-Kotetsu (chunin) is the first line of defense in case Karin gets out, and Genma-Raido (jounin) is the second! Just FYI in case you were curious why I put who where!) :D
If you're wondering why they're all so friendly with Naruto, too, it's personal headcanon time! lol. After seeing how fiercely all the older shinobi defended and protected Naruto during the Pein fight, not budging an inch on giving his location even if it meant their deaths, I always just kind of headcanoned that Naruto was actually quite quick to win them over (namely these four and Aoba, Hayate, and Ebisu, but that's really only because they're just the ones with names, haha) and made friends with them all during his short time between the Chunin Exams and now (evidenced further in post-Pein fight filler, which I know is filler, but the way the older shinobi so clearly adored the hell out of Naruto in those made me weak, and I've never forgotten it, lol)! So, I just couldn't resist adding in at least my fave older shinobi to the fic for some appropriate Naruto adoration! ;A;
Important Notes on Karin's Backstory: I know that Karin growing up in the Hidden Eddy Village technically makes zero sense if you go by Kishimoto's hand-waved, vague-ass timeline for the Hidden Eddy's destruction (general consensus seems to be sometime just before or after Kushina comes to the Leaf), but Kishimoto didn't care to expand on her background enough to flesh things out, and in my defense, Karin's backgound on every wiki and even her backstory episode itself (Shippuden episode 431, "To See That Smile, Just One More Time") starts off with "Karin and her mother were allowed to take refuge" (if not the Eddy's destruction, then from what?), so if you ignore the timeline BS, that part can work! lol. (To be fair, Kishimoto's version doesn't work for Nagato being alive/there for the destruction either, so... Hell, a ton of his ages/timeline shit doesn't make sense in general! LMAO)
As for Karin having medical ninjutsu and all points relating to it, as mentioned would be fleshed out here last chapter, that was my idea. In the anime (only, I believe), Karin uses medical ninjutsu to heal Sasuke after the Kage Summit in Shippuden episode 208, "As a Friend", and I've always loved the potential there, so I decided to incorporate and foster that in this fic! It will be very, very relevant in future chapters, so stay tuned! :D
All of the rationalizations for Karin's 'behavior,' shall we say, while with Orochimaru are taken from my own interpretation of their interactions in her background episode and based on what we know about Kabuto and Orochimaru as people, so hopefully it's believable and makes sense, but also makes her character appropriately sympathetic (I'm not trying to say she was an angel, lol, just that she had very valid reasons for doing what she did, and even then, she still pays for it to this day).
(And yes, I know that Danzo's body was actually left semi-intact after he used the Reverse Tetragram Sealing jutsu, but I spaced while writing that part, and I actually kinda like my version of what happens to him better, so...keeping it! lol.)
Thanks so much for reading!