Konoha Hospital
Sakura walked down the hospital corridor, observing the ninja from various villages. She couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. The Third Hokage was right; the Chunin Exams were truly a microcosm of war between nations. If a real war broke out, there would probably be even more ninja here than there were now.
"No... don't... please... ah... ugh..."
"Shut up... you damn brat!"
Sakura had just left Hinata's room when she vaguely heard a pained cry from the adjacent room. Out of curiosity, she glanced through the glass window on the door as she passed.
The scene presented through the window showed a red-haired girl with someone's hand clamped over her mouth. Another person was holding the girl's arm, forcing it towards the mouth of someone lying in a hospital bed. The girl's eyes were filled with terror.
With a bang, Sakura kicked the door open. The gazes of the four people inside instantly focused on her.
"Let her go," Sakura said, aiming water droplets formed at her fingertips at the two Grass-nin holding the girl.
"......." The two Grass-nin didn't speak, but the girl's eyes lit up with surprise and hope at the sight of Sakura, and she struggled again.
Struggling with all her might, she managed to free herself from the hand covering her mouth. The girl cried out to Sakura, her voice choked with sobs, "Help me... please... help me... They want to kill me..."
"Let her go," Sakura repeated, still pointing at the two Grass-nin.
"Are Konoha ninja always this nosy...?" Finally, one of the Grass-nin spoke. "This is an internal matter of our Grass Village. We ask that Konoha not interfere."
"Let her go," Sakura said again, her expression unchanging. "If you don't let her go, then you'll remain in this hospital forever."
The Grass-nin were in a difficult position, seeing that Sakura wouldn't budge. It wasn't that they couldn't defeat Sakura; she looked about the same age as the red-haired girl.
The problem was, they were currently inside Konoha. No matter what reason they had for fighting, they would be the ones to suffer. Konoha would certainly not take their side, even if the Konoha ninja had provoked them first.
This was the confidence of a great nation. If they were from another great nation, the Grass-nin wouldn't be afraid, and Konoha would be in the wrong. But the Land of Grass was just a small country; they didn't even have the power to threaten war.
After weighing the situation, the Grass-nin decided to back down for now. They would remember this girl and get their revenge later.
With that in mind, one of the Grass-nin gave a subtle nod to the other, and they released the girl.
The red-haired girl stumbled towards Sakura, but after only a few steps, she fell to the ground.
Only then did Sakura notice that the girl was covered in bandages. Her vision had been blocked earlier, so she hadn't seen. The exposed parts of her skin were covered in bruises and cuts, and one of her legs was in a splint, likely broken.
Seeing such a miserable sight, Sakura's anger towards the Grass-nin intensified.
Sakura went over and helped the girl up, ignoring the venomous glares of the Grass-nin. She helped her out of the room.
"What's your name?" Sakura asked.
"Karin... Thank you..." Karin said softly.
"What's your last name?" Sakura continued.
"......." Karin didn't answer this time, remaining silent.
Sakura helped Karin to the door of Hinata's room and stopped.
"If you don't tell me, I can't help you," Sakura said.
"...Uzumaki..." Karin bit her lip and softly uttered the two syllables.
"Okay, got it. Come in, my friend is in here," Sakura said, pushing open the door and entering.
"Sakura?" Hinata looked at the bandaged girl with confusion. "Who is she?"
"She's Karin. She was being bullied by some thugs. Let her stay with you for now. I see there's an extra bed in here. You don't mind, do you...?" Sakura gave Hinata an apologetic smile.
"Ah... It's no problem..." Hinata looked curiously at the red-haired girl.
Red hair was quite rare, especially since the girl's eyes were also red.
Sakura helped Karin lie down on the bed and then used her chakra to examine her body.
As expected, her actual condition was even worse than it looked. It was truly impressive that she was still conscious, a testament to being an Uzumaki. An ordinary person would have fainted long ago.
Using the Mystical Palm Technique, Sakura began to heal Karin's internal injuries. The external injuries weren't a big deal, but internal injuries were difficult to treat and required quiet rest.
No wonder Karin had been so terrified. She was already injured like this, and they still wanted her to heal others. One wrong move, and she could die.
"How did you get injured...?" Sakura asked while healing Karin, making small talk.
"The Chunin Exams, in the Forest of Death," Karin answered obediently.
"The Forest of Death... Speaking of which, I'm also a participant this time. Who hurt you like this?" Sakura asked curiously.
"........" Karin was silent for a moment before speaking. "I was attacked by a bear..."
Sakura was instantly speechless. Talk about a twist of fate. Her actions had changed Team 7's route, causing Karin to be left without rescue, and then she was attacked by a bear.
"You couldn't beat a bear?" Sakura absolutely couldn't admit it was her fault, so she quickly changed the subject.
In truth, unless Karin knew the events that were supposed to happen in the original timeline, she would never connect it to Sakura. And Karin definitely wouldn't know.
"I... I'm not a ninja..." Karin's voice was low, as if she had recalled something unpleasant.
"...Just focus on recovering. I'll figure something out..." Sakura quickly ended the topic. If they continued, Karin would likely remember those sad memories again.
"...I... If I go back, they won't let me go..." Karin said to herself. "By the way... What's your name? Thank you for helping me."
"I'm Sakura Haruno, a genin of Konoha," Sakura replied.
"I... I want to ask you for a favor... Sakura..." Karin said, as if she had made up her mind.
"Tell me," Sakura said.
"...Could you... could you help me... kill those people...?" Karin's pupils constricted as she stared at the ceiling, waiting for Sakura's answer.
Karin could sense that Sakura was kind to her. From the moment Sakura kicked open the door, Karin had felt it.
Karin didn't remember ever meeting Sakura, and the strong sense of kindness Sakura showed towards her made Karin feel very confused.
But it didn't matter. Karin saw a chance to escape being treated as a human healing potion. If it had been someone else, someone who merely intervened out of a sense of justice, Karin wouldn't have followed that person without hesitation.
Because after the incident, she would face even crueler treatment. But Sakura gave Karin the feeling that she was genuinely kind to her as a person, so Karin decided to take a gamble.
A chance to completely escape her current situation. Karin trusted her instincts; her instincts had never been wrong.
Karin had never felt any attachment to the Grass Village. Now, meeting someone in Konoha who showed her kindness, she would rather ask for help to stay in Konoha than return to the Grass Village.
But those three from the Grass Village had to die. If they returned to the village, they would certainly not let her go. And if they couldn't get her back, they might leak the information about her abilities to Konoha.
That would just be jumping into another cage. Although Karin trusted Sakura, she hadn't seen anyone else in Konoha show her the same kindness as Sakura.
Success or failure hinged on this. Karin lay in bed, quietly awaiting the answer that would determine her fate.
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