At the ti, after Haku’s mother, i, settled in the Sand Village, he would arrange for other mbers to help persuade Honoka, and the incident with the ultimate Summoning Beast rampage would give him an opportunity to save her life.
That favor would naturally create a sense of obligation that he could appeal to later. If even after that Honoka still did not wish to co to the Sand Village, he would not force her further.
In short, as a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, Honoka’s value, ability, and overall talent were considerably inferior to Karin’s mother and Kushina.
Karin’s mother had been forced by the chaos of war into exile, wandering through the ninja world and enduring trendous hardship over the years. For soone who had lived through that kind of darkness, there was one key condition that determined how effectively she could be integrated.
If the Sand Village could sincerely accept her and offer genuine warmth in the midst of the darkness she had lived through, she would naturally feel gratitude toward the village, making assimilation straightforward. Loyalty would not be a concern.
Honoka’s situation was different. She had already ford a genuine attachnt to the Land of the Sea, and severing those ties would be considerably more difficult.
Not everything could be obtained through force. Forcibly taking people, while simple in execution, was also the thod most likely to create lasting problems. Treating different people required different thods of approach. One had to understand how to apply them flexibly.
And frankly, the fact that he had personally made this trip himself was already a significant gesture toward soone of Honoka’s standing.
Upon returning to the Sand Village, he was imdiately intercepted by Chiyo.
The old woman’s expression was far from pleasant. She had clearly understood during this period that Yuji had not actually been traveling outside to manage village resources or negotiate with small kingdoms.
He had gone alone without guards, doing sothing entirely unknown.
However, before she could even finish delivering her reprimand, she imdiately understood when she saw the unfamiliar faces he had brought back. Although the four Kaguya clan mbers were in disguise, their expressions were completely stiff, identical in quality to Kimu and the others who had been brought back previously.
They looked exactly the sa.
Only the woman standing beside him appeared relatively normal.
"These four are from the Kaguya clan of the Land of Water," Yuji introduced them to Chiyo.
The bloodline limit that allowed complete control over one’s own skeletal structure. Chiyo had naturally heard of this particular ability. It was clear from the context that Yuji’s excursion had involved taking people from soone else’s territory.
"Her na is i. She possesses the Ice Release bloodline limit," Yuji introduced Haku’s mother.
"This is our village’s Lady Chiyo."
"Lady Chiyo," i was clearly frightened and imdiately bowed deeply.
Only after officially entering the Sand Village had she truly understood that this young man had not been joking with her. He really was the Sand Village’s Kazekage. But the aura and authority emanating from this elderly woman, for soone like her who had spent her entire life at the bottom of society, was deeply intimidating and filled her with instinctive awe.
"Fourth Kazekage, this kind of thing cannot happen again," Chiyo said, her voice controlled given the presence of outsiders.
She could not make a scene with newcors standing right there. Chiyo still understood her own limits and the importance of maintaining dignity in front of others.
Yuji, sensing her genuine worry for him beneath the reprimand, chuckled softly to ease the awkwardness.
He then handed the four Kaguya clan mbers over to Chiyo to manage. As for i, he had already identified a suitable person to receive her: Karura.
Being a woman herself, he believed that Karura’s gentle personality would be ideal for soothing the anxiety and nervousness of soone newly arrived, and for helping her understand that the Sand Village genuinely wanted to welco her.
Karura and Rasa’s first child, Temari, had been born the previous year. Kankuro would arrive next year. For now, Karura showed no signs of another pregnancy.
An hour later, Karura walked along the Sand Village road with i, speaking warmly as they moved together.
"Lord Kazekage told about your situation. Although you have always lived in the Land of Water, the environnt there is extrely unfavorable for soone like you. At least here in our village, you can live the life you actually want without fear."
"There is no need to worry about being threatened here either. Our Kazekage is not only extrely capable but also genuinely kind."
She guided her to a tailor’s shop and presented her with a new set of clothes as a welcoming gift for their first eting.
"The village provides you with a monthly allowance, enough to live comfortably. A residence will also be allocated for you, though that will take a little ti to arrange. In the anti, if you do not mind, you are welco to stay at my ho. I happen to enjoy having soone to talk to."
Karura said it with genuine warmth.
i looked around at the scene unfolding around her in the Sand Village, and sothing stirred in her heart.
Was this the Sand Village?
It was not only bustling. It possessed a kind of vitality and prosperity she had never encountered before. The streets were filled with people everywhere.
Construction sites were visible throughout the village. And on the faces of almost everyone she could see, there was a particular quality.
A cheerful spirit and a genuine smile, as though every person here was brimming with hope for what was coming.
Familiar people greeted each other on the streets without any hint of awkwardness or distance. Even soone from the lowest strata of the Land of Water knew that the ninja world was currently in a period of intense war, with the Five Great Ninja Villages fighting fiercely across multiple fronts.
But the Sand Village showed not the slightest trace of war’s shadow. On the contrary, it radiated a powerful sense of life and forward montum. This feeling was sothing even she, an outsider who had just arrived, could genuinely sense.
"i, I understand that you ca to our village in circumstances that were not entirely your choice, and you may have complicated feelings about it. But I want you to know that your freedom will not be restricted here.
Even if you wished to leave right now, I believe Lord Kazekage would not stop you. If you truly cannot let go of your previous life and the feelings attached to it, at least stay for a while. Think of it as a vacation. When you eventually want to leave, the village will escort you back safely."
Karura took i’s hands in hers, her expression warm but her eyes completely sincere.
"We all have the right to pursue happiness. Is that not true?"
Having heard from i about the conditions of life in the Land of Water, the gentle woman felt a genuine pang of sympathy for everything she had endured.
Karura’s words left i montarily stunned.
After recovering herself, she raised her arm to shield her eyes from the bright sunlight pouring down around them.
"Thank... thank you."
After a long silence, those two words finally ca out.
A few days later, Yuji received Karura’s report.
It indicated that i’s emotions had settled considerably and that she had accepted her current situation and was preparing to begin integrating into the Sand Village.
This speed of resolution left even Yuji genuinely astonished.
He had not fully appreciated Karura’s ability to comfort and connect with people. It was extraordinary. That natural warmth and the charm of her personality appeared to have a profound effect on people who encountered it.
Even he could not help but feel a deep admiration thinking about it.
She was truly remarkable in her own right.
He had originally estimated it would take at least several months before i gradually adapted and stopped being guarded. The result had taken only days.
He found himself thinking with genuine regret, "When I went to the Land of the Sea, if I had brought Karura along, Honoka might already be in the village right now."
After this experience, he suddenly realized sothing important.
The village was not without talent in this dinsion. It was simply that his perspective had been too narrow until now, causing him to overlook key individuals and fail to fully utilize them.
With Karura’s particular gift for connecting with people added to the talent recruitnt plan, the entire initiative would beco considerably more reliable and effective.
"The director of the orphanage and the head of the small school branching from the education system," he thought to himself.
"Besides her, there could be no one else more suitable."
...
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