Through the thick dust, a massive claw blocked Karin's attack.
Her gaze was ice-cold, and her right hand was already torn and bloody. But in just a single breath, her injuries completely healed.
"Scum like you, who treat life as worthless, don't deserve to exist in this world."
"Why do people like you get to live while others' lives mean nothing?"
Karin's voice was full of fury.
Why? Why did trash like this get to live? That cold, indifferent gaze that saw others as nothing more than objects—it was disgusting.
Karin's life had been saved because her mother sacrificed herself. The way those ninjas looked at her and her mother was the same as looking at tools.
To them, they were nothing more than living medicine.
Because of their special ability, anyone who bit their skin could recover chakra and heal injuries.
Karin's only purpose was to be a walking medicine jar for the other ninjas.
That cold gaze, the way they didn't even see her as a person, the way they looked at her like she was just an object.
"It's disgusting. People like you, who treat life so lightly, should just die."
In Kusagakure, Karin never received any special treatment. But over the past few months, Orochimaru had been secretly developing her potential.
Even Karin herself hadn't realized it. She only knew that during these past few months, she had faced countless life-or-death situations and somehow crawled her way back from the brink every time.
Through these repeated battles, constantly struggling between life and death, she had pushed her Kagura Shingan to the limit and unlocked a new ability—reverse perception.
She completely sealed off her life force and chakra, unleashing the full extent of her body's strength.
That so-called medicine jar had been growing stronger and stronger. To the point where even Kusagakure could no longer contain her.
And yet, this guy dared to look at her with those eyes!
*Boom!*
In that instant, the chakra she had sealed away flooded into her body, pushing her beyond her limits.
The terrifying power packed into that punch was released once again.
The ground cracked open.
Gaara's sand moved to defend him. Another claw emerged from the sand, reaching for Karin.
But it was too slow. Far too slow.
No, it wasn't just slow. Karin had already predicted all of Gaara's attacks before he even made them.
Orochimaru's "training" for Karin had followed the methods given by "Madara" for Shanks.
He forged her body, tempered her will, and whenever she was on the verge of death, he dragged up her most painful memories from the depths of her mind.
She remembered everything from her childhood—the moment her mother was taken away, the cold stares of the ninjas who only saw her as a medicine jar.
Time and time again, when she was at death's door, those painful memories pulled her back.
She had to survive. Even if it meant sacrificing her own life, she had to defeat the enemy in front of her. She had to live!
*Boom!*
She dodged the sand attack, her terrifying fist punching straight through the sand claw, sending shockwaves rippling through the air.
Every time Gaara's sand tried to gather, Karin disrupted it. And every time Gaara's sand touched her, the seal on her body interfered.
Karin had locked her chakra and life force entirely within herself. Any physical contact would spread this "lock" onto others.
Because of this, Shukaku inside Gaara couldn't be fully unleashed.
Gaara lost consciousness from Karin's first punch. At the same time, the enraged Shukaku tried to take over his body.
But it couldn't. It simply couldn't.
Trying to instantly take full control of the body was impossible now, because Karin's "lock" seal was interfering with Shukaku's chakra through the sand.
If Shukaku didn't use the sand to defend Gaara, Gaara would definitely die.
"Damn it, why did I have to run into an Uzumaki... and such a terrifying one at that?"
"I can't touch her, not even a little. What the hell is this monster?"
Shukaku was losing it. Because of the seal, he couldn't break free completely, and now he had to deal with a lunatic like her.
Meanwhile, the battle had already caught Konohagakure's attention.
There was no helping it—the impact of the fight was too massive.
The entire village could feel the tremors coming from this direction. The ground was cracked for hundreds of meters around, making it look like a Tailed Beast attack had just hit.
Temari and Kankuro couldn't get close because of the shockwaves from the battle.
Meanwhile, Naruto was taken away by Karin's two companions. Only they knew how terrifying she could be once she entered that state.
"Karin… is she okay?"
Naruto stared blankly at the scene in front of him. The power Karin was showing right now was beyond frightening.
An overwhelming force… and on top of that… Observation Haki?
"She's not okay. She can't keep this up for long. Her fighting style is all about risking her life, putting everything on the line."
"But… we can't interfere. Karin won't hold back against someone who treats life so lightly. That guy… he never should've made a move."
The two Kusagakure ninjas spoke. They hadn't been with Karin for long, but they knew exactly what kind of person she was.
That guy was terrifying—strong, determined—but also kind. Because to Karin, every life deserved respect.
"Will… will she die?"
Naruto watched in shock. The sand was already stained with blood—all of it Karin's. She was pushing her body beyond its limits, using her own life as the cost.
At that moment, memories from the Land of Waves surfaced in Naruto's mind—Zabuza and the pirates had told him something back then.
"You have no idea what she's carrying on her shoulders."
"The name 'Uzumaki' carries a weight too heavy to bear, Naruto."
"......."
Naruto had grown up in Konoha. Before going to the Land of Waves, he hadn't even known the Land of Whirlpools existed.
But now, through Karin, he saw what it truly meant to bear the Uzumaki name—the will of the Uzumaki clan.
"I can't just stand here and watch her sacrifice herself."
Naruto charged forward.
Seeing this, Kakashi silently walked over to the Third Hokage.
"That girl… she's from the Uzumaki clan, isn't she? If this keeps up, she'll die."
"Hmph. If she dies, she dies. She came causing trouble in Konoha, so it's not our responsibility," Mitokado Homura, one of Konoha's elders, said coldly. They had no intention of interfering.
Kakashi wasn't surprised. He kept his usual relaxed tone, his eyes half-lidded.
"Well, that makes sense. After all, Konoha treated the Land of Whirlpools the same way back then."
"Kakashi, you—"
The elders' faces twisted in reaction to his words, one expression more complicated than the next. The Third Hokage's face, in particular, darkened.
Kakashi had just ripped open an old wound—one Konoha would rather keep buried.
"Move in," the Third ordered.
His expression was troubled, but he still led the Konoha shinobi into action.
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