At the sa ti, while Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura advanced deeper into the Forest of Death, nma Uzumaki raced through the canopy, moving swiftly toward their position — until sothing interrupted him.
Perched ahead on a thick branch stood a red-haired girl flanked by two shinobi wearing Kusagakure headbands. The mont nma saw the trio, his expression froze in faint disbelief.
"…You've got to be kidding ."
The leader of the group — a tall, sharp-faced man with a crest of dark hair shaped like a cockscomb — grinned smugly. "Well, well… luck must be on our side. Didn't expect a Konoha brat to stroll right into our path." He glanced at the red-haired girl beside him. "Good job, Karin. Your sensory skills actually paid off this ti."
Karin flinched as he reached out and roughly patted her head. Her crimson eyes darted briefly toward nma — and in that instant, nma caught the faintest flicker of apology in her gaze.
"Listen up, Leaf kid," the cockscomb shinobi sneered, stepping forward. "Hand over your scroll and maybe I'll let you walk out alive. That's a rare kindness in this place."
"Yeah," the second Kusa-nin added, smirking coldly. "You don't want to push your luck."
nma simply tilted his head, amusent flickering across his face. "Kindness? You must be joking. You two don't have the strength to back up those words."
Chakra surged.
In a burst of energy, nma's power flared to life — dense, controlled, and oppressive.
"Wh–what!?"
The Kusagakure pair stiffened as nma's form blurred from sight.
"Not good!" one of them shouted, already too late.
nma moved like a shadow, vanishing from one spot and reappearing between them in an instant. His kunai glead silver in the dim light.
"Too slow."
A single clang rang out as his weapon collided with the cockscomb-nin's hurried guard. Sparks scattered. The man's legs trembled violently from the impact — nma's chakra-infused strength was monstrous.
"Aso! Cover !" the leader barked, gritting his teeth.
But before his ally could move—
Shhhk!
nma twisted his wrist, driving the kunai into the man's chest with surgical precision. The Kusa-nin's eyes widened in disbelief as blood erupted from his mouth.
"A—Ahhh!"
nma's expression didn't change. He rotated the blade once — a clean, lethal motion — before pulling it free. The cockscomb-headed ninja collapsed forward, lifeless before he hit the ground.
The second enemy, "Aso," froze where he stood — only to feel sothing cold press against his neck. His eyes darted sideways, horror flooding in as he saw another nma standing beside him.
"Wh—what the—?"
Shadow Clone.
Before he could react, the clone's kunai flashed, and the second Kusa-nin fell, his lifeblood staining the forest floor.
The clearing grew silent again — the only sound was the faint rustle of leaves.
nma exhaled softly, glancing between the two bodies. "You didn't even notice the clone behind you… pathetic."
He crouched, retrieving the scroll from the fallen leader's pouch. The character for "Earth" (地) was etched across the paper. He tucked it away into his vest with little interest before turning his gaze toward the red-haired kunoichi, who was still frozen where she stood.
"You didn't warn them," nma said flatly, eyes narrowing. "You're a sensory-type. You should've felt my clone's chakra."
Karin's lips trembled, but she steadied her breath. "They're not my comrades."
That answer — calm, asured, and full of bitterness — made nma pause.
After a short silence, Karin raised her head. Her eyes t his — sharp yet desperate. "You probably won't believe this, but… from the first mont I saw you in the first round of the exam, I felt sothing different. Sothing… familiar. I don't know why, but I trust you more than I ever trusted them."
nma arched a brow. "Familiar? Because of the hair color?"
She shook her head. "No. It's not that. It's just… intuition."
Her voice was soft but firm.
nma studied her for a mont longer, arms crossed. "You're a Kusagakure kunoichi. You stood by while I killed your teammates. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you next?"
A sad smile tugged at Karin's lips. She rolled up her sleeve, revealing her forearm — littered with rows of deep, crescent-shaped bite marks.
"I'm a sensory ninja, yes," she said quietly. "But I'm also a dical-type. My ability lets others heal by biting — my chakra accelerates their recovery. Those two didn't see as a comrade… just a tool. My mother died the sa way — drained by her own village after they used her too much."
Her voice cracked slightly. "So tell … what's there left to fear? If you kill , at least it won't be by their hands."
For the first ti in the entire encounter, nma's expression softened.
He knew her story. The blood of Uzumaki ran through her veins — just like him.
"…No," nma said quietly. "I believe you."
Karin blinked, startled by the gentleness in his tone.
nma wiped the blood from his kunai and sheathed it. "You're strong to have survived that long in Kusagakure. You don't have to keep living like a tool."
Her eyes widened slightly, emotion flickering in them.
He turned away. "Co with if you want to live through this exam. Stay close, but don't draw attention. Orochimaru's already in the forest — and he's not the type to care who gets caught in the crossfire."
Karin's breath hitched at the na, but she nodded. "Orochimaru…?"
nma's silver eyes glinted beneath the dim light filtering through the trees. "Yes. The real monster in this forest isn't one of us. Stay alert."
With that, the two Uzumaki — bound by fate yet from different worlds — vanished into the forest's shadows.
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