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Lest you fade here all alone

Chapter 8

"Mom!" Karin shouted as she sprinted towards the little cottage where the two of them lived.

Outsiders like them were not supposed to live in the village, so two Uzumakis resided in this remote place, surrounded by lush forest.

There was a grin on Karin's face, eyes shining with excitement. She finally saved up enough money to buy sweet buns that everybody had been talking about and her mother even promised to return from work early today.

"Mom?!" the girl called out again as she opened the door with vigor. "You home?!"

The house was as silent and empty as always. Karin pursed her lips, pressing the box with her purchase more securely to her chest, then quickly crossed the kitchen and poked her head into their shared bedroom with a whispered, "Mom?"

Lately, her mother always took a nap after returning home, so Karin was afraid to wake her up. However, the bedding was undisturbed, the bed still made up as neatly as it was in the morning.

Karin's expression fell. It lasted only a moment before her eyes brightened up again. So what that her mom was a bit late? She would definitely come back soon and they could eat these deliciously smelling buns together!

Karin ran out of the cottage, her precious cargo held tightly in her arms, and settled herself under the nearby tree. From this spot, she could clearly see the big stretch of the road, until it curved and disappeared in between the trees.

Karin started to wait.

She waited and waited. Didn't budge when her stomach growled, demanding food. Continued to wait as the sun dipped lower to the horizon. Stayed in the same place even when the light of day drained away and the sky began to grow dark.

And finally, her patience and stubbornness were rewarded with a sight of her mother's hunched figure slowly walking from around the curve.

Karin jumped to her feet and her childish face lit up in happiness. "Mom!" she exclaimed, rushing to meet the older woman half-way.

Kana Uzumaki smiled warmly at her daughter, stroking her head as soon as the latter came close enough. "There was an accident and a lot of people were hurt. I had to stay longer," she said, her voice soft and heavy with exhaustion. "I'm sorry, Karin."

The girl shook her head, unbidden tears gathering in her light red eyes. "It's fine..." she murmured as she sniffled and blinked her tears away. Then she showed the box and beamed. "Look what I—" Karin's voice abruptly cut off and concern replaced her happy expression when her mother's face went ashen and she put a hand over her eyes. "Mom?"

"Sorry, sweetie," Kana apologized. "I—I don't feel well…" She swayed for just a moment before crumpling lifelessly to the ground.

Karin's eyes widened. The box slipped out of her hands as she reached to catch her mother, help her, do something—

A strong wind blew from the side, carrying a cloud of dust, and Karin instinctively covered her head. After a moment, she looked up again and froze.

A stranger in orange cradled her mother. Holding her from falling to the ground with his arm around her shoulders, he carefully moved her head to a more comfortable position and pressed two fingers to her neck. His brow furrowed, but he didn't retract his hand right away. Fingertips brushed across numerous bite marks and his feather-like touch lingered on one of the fresh ones.

Karin watched as the man's expression visibly darkened and something terrifying resurfaced in his blue eyes. Her heart skipped several agonizing beats and she unconsciously took a step back. But before the panic could fully take control, that frightening feeling disappeared without a trace.

The stranger adjusted Kana's position, pushed his other arm under her knees, and effortlessly lifted her up bridal style. Only then he looked at the tiny seven years old, red-haired girl, staring at him with obvious fear written all over her face.

"Hey there," the man said quietly. A smile appeared on his face, one that was unexpectedly friendly and surprisingly reassuring. "Is that your house?"

"Y-Yes…" Karin stammered out. She didn't know this man, couldn't tell if he was going to hurt them or not. Even if she ran to find help, the little Uzumaki wasn't sure if anyone would agree to it. She gulped and managed to whisper, "M-My mom?"

"Just tired, don't worry. After getting enough rest, she should be fine."

The redhead gave a stiff nod, even when relief flooded her system and something loosened up in her chest.

The man's gaze focused on the paper box next to the girl's feet. "It seems you dropped something."

Karin glanced down. Sudden anguish sprouting in her, she muttered, "Oh no…" and quickly picked the box up. She could only hope that the sweet buns inside were still good to eat.

"What's inside?" the man inquired as he walked past the girl and towards the cottage.

Karin hurried to catch up. "Sweet buns."

"Oh? Are they delicious?"

"I don't know yet," she replied, gawking at the stranger absent-mindedly.

Even in the dim evening light, the man's blond hair seemed to glow from within as if beams of sunshine weaved themselves in between its strands. Compassionate eyes and amiable smile, every line in his features radiated kindness and compassion.

It made Karin feel warm and fuzzy inside.

"Careful, watch where you're going," he warned her. "Don't fall down while staring at me."

Karin ducked her head. Hearing a burst of mirthful laughter, her cheeks heated up. It wasn't her fault that she had never seen a person with such a bright shade of yellow hair before!

They were already at the entrance of the Uzumaki's little cottage, so the girl opened the door and let the man carry her mother inside.

The blond scanned the tiny kitchen and moved towards the door on the other side without prompting. "By the way, I'm Rei," he introduced himself, flashing another smile over his shoulder. "What's your name?"

"Karin." The girl closed the door and followed the man into the bedroom, leaving the box of sweet buns on the table as she passed it. "My mom's Kana."

There was no verbal response this time, just a hum of acknowledgment that her words had been heard. Rei laid the woman on the bed and brushed stray red hair out of her face. His eyebrows briefly drew together again at the sight of all the bite marks before he turned away and ushered the kid out of the room to let Kana rest.

Once the two of them were in the kitchen again, Rei lifted his hand, palm up. A moment later, a thread of chakra sparked into a small flame that he tossed into the central fireplace and the flare of fire lit up the room.

Karin observed it in sheer wonder. She startled when the man squatted down in front of her.

Rei's blue eyes examined her neck and then looked straight into those big, innocent eyes. "Can I see your arms?" he asked, his voice gentle and calm.

The girl blinked at such a weird request. Why would he want to see her—

Oh.

The fact that she possessed the same powers as her mother was supposed to be a secret. Could it be that this stranger figured it out? It made Karin nervous. Would he kidnap her and sell her to someone evil?

The silence must have stretched for too long, because the man sighed. "It's alright," he smiled at her. "Just tell me, do you have to go to the hospital as your mother?"

The girl shook her head and mumbled under her breath, "Mom says to stay away from the hospital."

"That's good." Rei paused. His gaze seemed to sharpen. "Do you like living in Kusagakure?"

Unconsciously, Karin fisted her hands until the knuckles became white. She lowered her head, successfully hiding her expression from the stranger. "They took us in," she said, sounding cold and detached. "They took outsiders like us in."

"That's not what I asked."

The redhead bit her lip. "We should be grateful to be allowed to stay here."

"Karin."

At the sound of her name, Karin looked back at Rei's sympathetic expression. Her chin trembled in a vain attempt to hold the tears, but they burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down her face. "They are hurting my mom!" she cried out. "She feels tired all the time, but they never give her enough time to rest!"

Rei watched the little Uzumaki break down into sobs over the injustice the two of them faced in this village. He tightened the lid he forced on his explosive rage. It threatened to crack any second, but this definitely was neither the time nor place to let even the tiniest part of that to leak out.

The blond put a hand on the girl's shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. "I won't let these people hurt you or your mother anymore." He offered a smile when those watery light red eyes fixed on him. "I promise."

Karin sniffled, lifted her glasses up and rubbed her arm across her face.

"Karin?" A quiet voice and a shuffling of feet drew both of their attention to the bedroom door. Soon, Kana came into view, leaning tiredly against the doorframe. "How did I end u—" Whatever she wanted to ask, died at the back of her throat as she saw an unfamiliar man in their home with his hand on her daughter.

A wide range of emotions flashed across the woman's face. Fear, anger, suspicion; her expression plainly reflected all of it until it stopped on the final one—protective ferocity.

Rei straightened up, his arms going up in a placating manner to show that he wished them no harm.

Despite his action, Karin was swiftly pulled back and pushed behind her mother. "Mom?" she asked, utterly confused.

"Who are you?!" Kana demanded.

"I brought you in when you fainted outside your home," Rei answered in honest. Seeing the mother acting so protective, firmly standing in front of her little girl, eyes fierce and body tense, with no sign of the feeble, exhausted person, his respect and admiration for her grew tenfold. "I'm not an enemy."

Kana allowed a bit of tension to seep away, but her guard was yet to go down completely. As she looked at the blond stranger more attentively, she couldn't help a small frown from forming in her brow. Her sensory abilities couldn't quite penetrate this person's invisible deceptive cloak around him, but she instinctively knew that he was a ninja. An immensely strong ninja.

She glanced at her daughter, a mute inquiry for the explanation.

"It's true," Karin said. "Rei-san is not a bad person."

The older Uzumaki's body relaxed, her expression softened, features losing all the previous intensity. The exhaustion also came back with double the force.

"I'm sorry," Kana uttered. Some suspicion still lingered, but she knew that if the stranger wanted to harm them, he could easily do it. "I acted rash and misunderstood your intentions."

"It's okay," Rei waved her worries off, clearly unconcerned. "You were protecting your kid, I understand."

Kana offered a polite smile. "Thank you. And also thank you for your help." She finally felt at ease and at the same time embarrassed about her lack of hospitality. "Rei-san, right?" she asked, quickly crossing the kitchen to put water on the fire. "Would you like some tea?"

"Sure." The blond sat down on a chair by the table.

While her mother busied herself with boiling water and preparing tea for the guest, Karin carried two plates to the table. With her heart thumping anxiously in her chest, she opened the box and peeked inside. Sweet buns seemed fine. A bit squashed, but mostly fine.

"Are you just passing Kusa, Rei-san?" Kana initiated a small talk.

Rei raised an eyebrow at Karin when the girl put two sweet buns out of a total four into his plate. "That's right," he replied, a bit distracted. He picked one bun and placed it into the mother and daughter's plate.

Karin beamed at him. Rei grinned back.

"Where are you from?"

"Uzushiogakure."

The teapot fell down and crashed into a thousand pieces, steaming hot tea spilling all over the floor. As if not realizing that she dropped it, Kana stared at Rei, shocked and disbelieving.

The blond sighed. "My mother was an Uzumaki, so I consider myself part of the clan," he began. "When I arrived here from a faraway land, I had nowhere to go. I visited Uzushio ruins and thought, why not to rebuild it. I have the means to do so and enough strength to create a safe haven for all Uzumaki survivors and their descendants."

As he spoke, Kana stumbled to the chair and sat down, unable to look away from the man who identified himself as one of their own.

"Uzumakis really had hidden deep. Except me and my nephew, I don't really know anyone else. So, once I've heard rumors about the possibility of my people being here, I came to investigate," Rei explained. He paused and added, "And I found you." His lips formed a smooth curve, comforting and full of promises. "I'd like to invite you and your daughter to move into Uzushio."

Kana covered her mouth, eyes glazed with a glossy layer of tears. The swirl of emotions simply overwhelmed her.

Even after so many years, there were still people, greedy and disgusting people, who coveted the unique powers of the Uzumaki bloodline. Kana wasn't a fighter, not really. That was why she put up with Kusa's horrible treatment, hoping against all hope that her service and sacrifice for years would earn her daughter a safe place to grow and live.

This man could be lying, a part of her mind reasoned. Maybe he was trying to deceive her, to lure her into a trap.

And yet, Kana believed him. Maybe, she simply wanted to believe him.

She didn't remember much from Uzushio. The majority of her childhood memories were comprised of the moment her mother placed a kiss on her forehead before pushing her into the boat with other Uzumaki kids; the moment she witnessed the adults fighting to their last breath to allow the boat to leave under the safety of the darkness.

She watched her home burn that night.

Rei stayed silent, letting the woman work through all of that. "You don't have to decide righ—"

"Yes," Kana cut him off, sounding surprisingly confident in her decision. "I accept your invitation."

Rei broke into a happy grin. "Wonderful!" he cheered. "Once you say your goodbyes, we can leave right away."

Kana's lips thinned and her face hardened. "No need. There is no one I wish to say goodbye," she said resolutely. Then, hesitated. "Just… I don't know how the village leader will react to my departure."

"I'll take care of it." Rei's smile shifted from being wide and peppy to a vicious, savage grin. "Uzushio is still not completely habitable, but I know a nice place where you can stay for the time being. I'm not leaving you two in this village."

Kana's heart shuddered. There was the intent, a brief brush of sharp, brutal bloodlust, so light that if not for her innate sensory abilities, she would have easily missed it.

Somehow, it didn't frighten her for it wasn't aimed at her or her child.

"Mom?" Karin tugged the older Uzumaki's sleeve to get her attention. "Are we leaving this place?"

"Yeah, honey," Kana replied, a smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. "We're going home."

The girl tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Home?"

"I'll come to pick you up in the morning, so rest for tonight," Rei suggested, standing up. He gave Karin a gentle hair ruffle. "Take care of your mom, kit."

The little redhead nodded, resolve burning in her eyes.

With the last pat on her head, Rei turned to leave. The moment his hand landed on the door handle, Kana called him again.

"Rei-san?"

He glanced at her. "Yes?"

"The villagers… they, they are not at fault," Kana said. She wasn't quite sure why she had a sudden urge to tell him this, but the man's reaction when he mentioned the village unsettled her. "Their treatment might not have been the best, but they still provided protection for us till now."

Rei's piercing gaze bored into her, searching and assessing, before he shifted it away. "Got it." With that, he opened the door and left.

The room was silent after his departure, filled only with the sound of a crackling fire.

"He'll come back for us, right?"

Kana looked at her daughter's hopeful, yet slightly fearful eyes. "I truly believe he will," she assured without a shadow of a doubt. She couldn't even remember when was the last time she felt this certain of their future as if her chest would burst from happiness. "How about we eat your treat and then go pack our things?"

"Yeah!"

Two men exited the building that was Kusagakure hospital's special wing for ninjas. The shorter one halted his steps, pinched the bridge of his nose, and heaved a heavy sigh.

"What if we used the girl, Jushi-sama?" the second man, the burly guy with black hair and Kusa forehead protector, asked.

"Too young." His companion shook his head. "And did you forget that the mother threatened to kill herself if we exploit her daughter? Besides, we could use the girl later, Zosui, once she matures. We just need to find a good match."

Zosui stayed silent, face cold and indifferent, without any emotion present.

"Are you the village leader?"

An unfamiliar voice startled both men. Their heads whipped to look at the speaker.

A young blond man in a bright orange haori stood in the middle of the street with his hands in the pockets. Blank expression, nonchalant demeanor, and no visible weapons—nothing about him indicated any sort of danger.

Jushi frowned. He had never seen this person and there was no affiliation mark on him. A civilian? "Who are you?"

"Rei Uzumaki," the outsider introduced without batting an eyelash. "So, are you or are you not the Kusagakure's leader?"

"Uzumaki?" Jushi's eyes flashed before they flittered at Zosui. The ninja gave a barely perceptible nod. "Yes, I'm the leader." A sleazy smile appeared on his face. "How can I help you?"

"Oh?" Rei's bared his teeth into a grin that was neither polite nor particularly friendly. His carefree posture, however, didn't change at all. "Lucky me." He shot Zosui a quick look, blue eyes shimmering with mocking laughter. "I came to tell you that Kana and Karin Uzumaki are leaving your… care. Don't even think about going after them."

Jushi's smile vanished, replaced by a dark, stormy expression. "You have no right!"

"I have no right?" Rei scoffed. "As a leader of the newly established Uzushiogakure, I have all the rights to protect my clansmen."

It was the busiest time in the evening, so more and more passersby seemed to take notice of this standoff and gather around. The last declaration of the blond Uzumaki prompted a wave of gossip among the crowd.

Jushi clicked his tongue. "How about we moved this conversation into a more private place?" he suggested, mustering all the patience to act politely with such an overconfident idiot.

"Why?" Rei asked. He casually strolled closer and stopped right in front of the village leader, infuriating smirk on full display. "Are you hiding something? Or maybe trying to get rid of me in private?"

Jushi clenched his teeth. This man seemed to think that he wouldn't dare attack him in the middle in his own village, but he couldn't be more wrong. "Forget catching him!" he yelled as he moved further from the outsider with a burst of chakra. "Kill him!"

Zosui pulled a bundle of explosive tags as he jumped backward and threw them in the air, forming a sequence of handseals soon after.

The tags shined and suddenly flew towards the enemy, attaching themselves onto his body. Rei, on his part, was just standing still. He never tried to avoid them or pull them off. He did absolutely nothing even when the tags covered him from head to toe.

Zosui flared his chakra and all of them exploded, filling the street with black smoke.

"What a waste," Jushi spat, observing the ashes slowly raining down with contempt. "Tsk, all bark and no bite." After a moment, he saw a movement in the smoke at the corner of his eye. He blinked, squinted, then just shook his head. There was no way that the guy survived. He was just being unnecessarily paranoid.

A sudden blast of wind blew all the smoke away. Rei brushed off stray specks of dust from his clothes and looked back at the gaping Kusa ninjas, unimpressed.

Unbelievable! It was totally unbelievable! "Why—Why it did nothing to you?!" Jushi exclaimed.

"What do you mean it did nothing to me?" Rei chuckled, brushing fingers through his golden locks. "It messed up my hair."

"Impossible!"

"Not really," the blond waved his hand in dismissal. "It's funny, though, the fact that you think you can defeat me using seals of all things." He paused and his gaze sharpened. "I guess it's my turn now." He sped through a series of handseals and in the blink of an eye had drawn up a monstrous amount of chakra. It permeated the air around him and sunk into the dirt beneath his feet.

Rei slammed his hands down onto the ground and set it ablaze with a haunting glow. It burned lines upon lines into the surface of the earth and gradually spread around, climbing the walls of the buildings and covering them from the base to the tip of the roof in an instant. A panic arose in the village as the sealing array kept growing farther and farther. Soon, it encompassed almost the whole Kusagakure.

Jushi broke out into a sweat as Rei looked at him again with a cool gaze. "There's no way that this is a real seal!" he denied, furious beyond belief. "You come here demanding to give you that woman, do you even realize where you are?! Do you want to become the enemy of Kusagakure?! We have allies! Konoha is our ally! You think they're going to just sit and do nothing if you bring harm to their ally?!"

The further he talked, the bolder he felt and the more Rei's face darkened until he put his hand over his eyes.

"You wouldn't dare to become an enemy of the whole ninja village for some whore and her offspr—!"

Rei snapped his fingers.

And the hospital's building behind him exploded.

The flames shot up into the sky, bringing forth a rain of debris and ash. Screams and cries rang into everyone's ears, but there was no movement whatsoever for everyone was just too afraid to move.

Rei was a dark silhouette against the bright fiery background, his presence massive, oppressive, and malicious, though at the same time still somewhat restrained. Fire danced wildly behind him and his form cast a colossal shadow on the ground, the shadow which seemed to gain the life of its own. It twisted and morphed into a multitude of appendages, whirling ominously, impossible to count.

Rei's hand dropped. A pair of glowing red eyes glared at Jushi, the thick killing intent overflowing and choking the air out of his lungs.

Rei's lips pulled into a sneer. "You have no idea how much I want to kill you all, to rip apart everyone who left a mark on Kana Uzumaki's body, to raze this village to the ground and wipe it completely off the map." He sounded utterly, terrifyingly genuine in his desire to slaughter them. "Uzumaki clan is not weak. Its people are not for you to use and abuse. Everyone who does will have to face the consequences."

Rei glared at Zosui. The sealing lines under the latter's feet glowed and started to move, quickly winding around his legs, torso, arms, and head. The ninja didn't even have time to realize what was happening, it occurred so fast. A violent flare of chakra and his body exploded, leaving nothing but a cloud of bloody mist.

"There is nothing that I won't do to protect my people," Rei growled, looking down at Jushi, not even trying to disguise his disgust. "You're just flattering yourself."

The giant seal stirred again, black ink lines gliding up the Kusagakure leader's limbs like nimble snakes until they ignited and turned the man into dust.

Rei watched it passively.

A satisfied smirk slowly found its way onto his lips.

On the next blink, he was already gone.

A/N

So, how many readers will stop reading this time and complain about how future Naruto is 'dark! OOC! Something something!'?

Meh. I'm sure someone will like it.

To tell you the truth, this whole thing wasn't supposed to go like this, definitely not turn so dark. But then I watched 431 episode to have better imagery about Karin's background and… Well. This chapter is the result. Honestly, Rei wasn't the only one who had to test his self-control. I wanted to wipe that village off the map, too.