?￢ﾜ ? ~ Interlude Three — Roses' Bloody Thorns ~ ?￢ﾜ ?ￂﾠ
The girl walked. She had no reason to run; there was nobody near. Dirt crunched beneath her steps. Tall grass towered above her, sprouting long shadows. The black shadows struck out against the overcast red of the setting sun, creating a pattern of a bloodstained tiger's coat.
Evening's rose red matched her hair, the frames of her glasses, her irises. Red was a beautiful color. It was a shame that roses didn't grow in the Land of Grass. One of the things she wanted to do before she died was to hold a rose.
She'd let a thorn draw blood, she'd smell the pleasant aroma, she'd pick the petals and hold them to her heart. Rumor told that roses grew where it was hotter. Grass was on the colder side. So, she headed east, toward the Land of Fire.
Roses weren't her only draw to that land, however.
Her blood ran cold at the recollection of heat. Fires burned, roaring in her ears and drowning out the screams. She could sense every single person's chakra. She could feel the utter terror—the horror of the Shinobi who faced it. She felt every time a chakra went out; the world became just that little bit colder.
It was a crimson conglomerate of hatred and rage. Despite that, it was just as scared as everyone else… as scared as she was. It was a different breed of fear; it was desperate, not for itself. For something else—someone else, as she came to find out.
Shinrai Uzumaki.
She only heard that surname whenever she was called by someone who needed her. More than likely to either heal injured or to update the guards on any suspicious activity. Now she heard it in reference to someone other than herself. That hadn't happened since her mother was alive.
She didn't know if this 'Shinrai' was alive or not. They could be dead, captured, or in a coma… though if it was the last possibility, she could do something about it. If there were more Uzumaki out there, then she needed to find them.
Even if it was just one.
No ideas came when the matter of how Konoha Shinobi came to be involved, especially the Kyuubi Jinchuriki. She was not complaining, however. Freedom came at last from Blade's grasp.
However, since she was a Blade affiliate, she was considered a fugitive by Seed. She'd be killed on-the-spot if found. Her headband was hidden alongside her Grass Cutter in a seal on her wrist. The seal itself was covered by the long sleeve of her sweater.
As she exited the forest, and entered into a town, she shouldn't be spotted as a Shinobi. The civilians here were silent, poor, depressed. They weren't happy that Blade fell. It didn't matter to her. She was quite happy that Blade burned.
She just needed Seed to follow, and all would be well.
Blade took her mother from her. They abused and overused her talent until even her Uzumaki vitality met its end. Each passing day, she was forced to watch the bite marks on her body scar her more and more. She had to see her muscles atrophy, her bones protrude from her skin. She had to feel her once powerful chakra deteriorate and rot…
She had the same talent. If she didn't learn how to use it, she would've been next. She was only bitten once; it never happened again. She learned how to properly use her chakra, an opportunity her mother never had.
All her mother wanted was for her daughter to live a normal life, one far away from the lifestyle that took her father from her before she was even born. She never wanted to use her talents, she simply wanted peace.
Seed didn't allow that.
The moment her history as an Uzumaki was revealed, Seed stopped at nothing to hunt her down. Of course, a young child had no place away from her mother. She was brought along. In her attempt to flee, she was found by Blade. They promised safety… but look how that ended.
She couldn't simply be Karin.
She needed to be Karin Uzumaki.
Karin let out a sigh. She brought her index finger up to the bridge of her nose and slid her glasses up back into place. The man attempting to follow her through the crowd was obviously no Shinobi. His chakra was weak, yet his presence was loud. It yelled out with lust and perverted desire.
It was disgusting.
The town was small and poor. There were plenty of dark alleyways she could take advantage of. Calmly, Karin swerved into one on her right. As expected, the man followed.
He giggled as Karin stopped at the end of the alley. The relatively tall building to the west blocked the light of the setting sun. Barely an ounce of light entered.
Karin looked back at the man. Her floral irises beamed in the darkness. "Come closer and you'll get what you want."
He grew a sick grin in response. His pace quickened as he approached Karin.
He was mere feet away from her and his hand reached out. A cloud of smoke popped out from under Karin's wrist. Gargled, blood-filled screams filled the quiet alleyway. He fell to the floor, but his torso levitated above the concrete. The blade embedded in his neck prevented him from falling completely.
Karin glared, yanking her stuck blade out of his neck. Her bloodied Grass Cutter had a guardless hilt of rose red. The bloodstained silver of the blade curved like a vine, protruding with thorns which dripped with blood and held onto the flesh of the corpse beneath her.
She swiped, and the gore flicked off the blade onto the wall of the building. Another cloud of smoke appeared and her blade was gone. Her face remained neutral as she exited the alleyway.
The town was poor, small, and she'd be leaving soon. On top of that, no trace of her presence would be left. Hell had a better chance of freezing over before she was caught.
Karin Uzumaki melted into the crowd like a drop into the ocean.
She simply continued her journey to the east.
Toward the Land of Fire.
Toward her fellow Uzumaki.
?￢ﾜ ? ~ Interlude End ~ ?￢ﾜ ?