บท 349: Chapter – 345 A Mother’s Last Breath

Translator's Note: From this chapter onwards, most of the Jutsu and techniques will now be used in their Japanese Translations, except for the ones that do not have their Japanese names on Narutopedia (Naruto Fandom).

Also, we are changing the Rein Wheel techniques into the official names.

That is to say, Rein Wheel Push will be Shinra Tensei.

And Rein Wheel Pull will be Bansho Ten'in.

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Hearing the words of this Kusagakure shinobi who just walked out of that hut, Kuroto squinted, upon observing carefully, Kuroto noticed that there were traces of foreign chakra present in his body, and this chakra is exactly the same as one of the two chakras Kuroto is sensing coming from inside the hut.

After this Kusagakure shinobi walked away, Kuroto quietly made his way inside the dilapidated hut.

The house was extremely small with only two rooms, one being the sanitary section while the other room is being used for all other purposes.

The first thing that greeted Kuroto's eye in the second room was a little girl probably around six or seven years old with a small bowl in one of her little hands, holding a spoon in the other through which she was feeding the adult lady with pale and faded red hair.

The lady wore disheveled clothes and looking at the parts that were uncovered with clothing all Kuroto saw were bite marks… large and small, of all sizes probably hundreds if not thousands of bite marks.

In fact, some bite marks still had traces of blood indicating that they were not healing.

Moreover, if Kuroto did not guess wrong, the age of this lady is probably in her thirties but looked much older… her face was pale and sickly, her eyes sunken inside, large dark circles under the eyes, and even her red hair that symbolizes her Uzumaki descent were pale and faded nearly white, her body was clearly malnourished as bones were protruding from her body…

Even Kuroto who has seen many kinds of scenes was left shocked looking at the state of this lady. The mere fact that she is still alive after suffering such horrendous treatment is already a big surprise.

Then Kuroto's eyes turned on the bowl held by the little girl with bright red hair… the bowl contained basic porridge that the poorest class eats, and the worst thing is that the porridge contained very few grains of cereals, directly showcasing the cause of malnutrition that the lady is suffering from.

Looking at the girl with spectacles trembling and controlling her tears Kuroto finally reacted and understood the entire situation.

Kuroto was curious previously, why is Kusagakure lowering the commission fees so much, and still maintaining their completion without sustaining heavy losses in the number of their shinobi… the reason is all too clear now.

This dying woman who is an Uzumaki, and also (most likely) Oka-san of Karin is giving Kusagakure the confidence to be able to do so.

Those bite marks are a clear indication that Karin probably inherited 'Heal Bite' from her Oka-san.

Karin's Oka-san's ability to heal other's injuries through 'Heal Bite' readily decreases the cost of medical care... as well as decreases the amount of time required by Shinobi to heal generally making it possible for Kusagakure to be able to maintain their task completion records even at such low commission fees.

'Sigh, they really are being a bit too extreme… rather than using her, they are exploiting her down to the death… Idiots, Kusagakure shinobi do not even understand the value of talent… no to be exact, they do not even regard her as a human being… but I suppose this is nothing new in this shinobi world, using and exploiting others is a common thing.' – thought Kuroto.

Even if Kuroto is already used to it, looking at the state of this woman Kuroto really felt pity for her…

While Kuroto stood there, the two Uzumaki did not even react to his arrival, they were already used to such intrusion… such a thing was nothing new…

But Kuroto could see fear in the eyes of the girl and indifference in the eyes of the lady…

Kuroto sighed and walked forward, he came by the bed, stood by the side of the little girl, and while lightly patting her shoulder he whispered little, "Let me see the condition of your Oka-san…"

Karin was visibly surprised and looked at Kuroto with widened eyes. She tried to speak something… but for some reason, she did not try to oppose Kuroto… perhaps it was because she could sense a very calm and gentle chakra she has ever felt from this person… And for some reason, it soothed her.

Kuroto went closer to the lady lying on the bed, and carefully checked her condition with Byakugan from up close. After a bit of observation… Kuroto finally shook his head.

Karin's Oka-san's vitality has almost run out… if anything, it wouldn't even be wrong to say that she is alive only by sheer will… all her body functions are on the verge of stopping.

If anything the most she can live is probably a day… or two at most, and that too if she doesn't heal others through 'Heal Bite', if she heals others with 'heal bite' then there is no telling how early she will die.

'If overused, 'Heal Bite' overdraws vitality from the source…' – If 'Heal Bite' is used properly then there is no problem considering Uzumaki Descent but otherwise, it will only lead to death.

At this time, a shinobi walked inside the house. He has black hair of shoulder length that was combed backward, with grey pupilless eyes, and he wore a Kusagakure forehead protector along with a Black Kimono.

He did not even bother to knock on the door, just walked inside as if he was in his own house… while walking into the room that Kuroto, Karin, and her mother were, he spoke, "Come on Katsumi (Assumed as Karin's mother's name.)… it's time… we have suffered heavy losses in a war… you have t-…" – and he suddenly came to a stop midway as he noticed a stranger.

And because the stranger was not dressed as a Kusagakure Shinobi but as a normal civilian, Zosui (name of this Kusagakure Shinobi) asked with a frown while he raised his guard against the other party, "Hey, who are you? What are you doing here, civilians are not allowed here!"

Kuroto who was currently in a civilian's disguise did not bother to answer, as he just stretched out his hand towards Zosui and muttered, "Bansho Ten'in!"

Even before Zosui could make out the situation or put up a resistance, all he saw was a stinging coldness in those eyes looking at him with indifference before his neck was crushed with so much force that his head twisted backward… hanging. He was dead.

Plop…

After killing him, Kuroto released him and Zosui's corpse fell on the floor.

Both Karin and her mother were extremely surprised and shocked by what suddenly happened, the mother even pulled out a Kunai that was hidden beneath the pillow and got up to protect her daughter from this dangerous person. Positioning the Kunai over Kuroto's neck she asked vigilantly, "What do you want to do with us…?"

Kuroto did not try to resist and while raising his hands upwards in surrender, he said, "Don't be afraid, I am no one dangerous… and I am certainly not here to hurt either of you…"

"Says the guy who is in a disguise and killed a Jonin Class shinobi in less than two seconds that too without breaking any sweat. I am the one who decides whether you are dangerous to us or not… answer me… who are you? And what do you want from us?" – questioned Katsumi. Although she was on verge of death, when it came to her daughter's safety she was nothing short of the fiercest and dangerous tigress out there…

However, Kuroto did not panic, he just lifted off his disguise to show his true appearance and said, "My name is Kuroto. And I was here to save your daughter… I did not expect that I would find a mother here too if only I had come a few days earlier… maybe…"

Before Kuroto could complete his sentence, Uzumaki Katsumi interrupted her midway, "Why would a Konoha Shinobi, more so of the Hyuga Clan come here to save us? No, the better question is, how in the world did you even figure out about us being here in Kusagakure?"

Kuroto said, "Obtaining intelligence about Uzumaki being present was just a coincidence, as for the purpose of saving her… well, it has nothing to do with Konoha, for now at least. It is my selfish reason… and you should be very clear that if your daughter stays in Kusagakure any longer, she will end up just like you…"

Hearing Kuroto's words, Katsumi's hand that held a Kunai trembled and it started to cut through Kuroto's skin, but she regained her composure, and said, "No, she… Karin is much more talented compared to me… The leader of Kusagakure has promised that he would allow Karin to enter the shinobi academy… and she wouldn't end up like me… she will get to live… better… cough-cough… she will live a well enough life."

Kuroto laughed hearing her, "Hahaha… I wonder what's more funny, whether it is the fact that you decided to believe him, or the fact that you are not trying to convince me here but yourself…"

Hearing Kuroto's words she was suddenly silent, and her hand started trembling more and more, so much the Kunai in her hand further started to cut through Kuroto's skin and blood started to flow out, but Kuroto still did not panic, he was still standing there composed.

Now Katsumi was silent, she did not know how to retort anymore. For her who is on the verge of death, securing a home for her only daughter is the reason why she is doing everything. She knows that she would die within a few days anyway, if her death could ensure her daughter's safety, then she would give up everything to ensure that her daughter lives on.

This is the only thought that has been pushing her to stay alive as long as possible. Her daughter will become part of Kusagakure in exchange for her life, it is not a bad deal, right?

Kuroto sighed.

From a certain perspective, Uzumaki Katsumi did achieve her goal. Uzumaki Karin did become part of Kusagakure, but whether she was accepted within was another matter altogether.

Even after Katsumi's death, Karin's status did not change, she was treated as nothing more than a tool that only existed to be used by Kusagakure to heal their shinobi. Karin did not receive any formal Kunoichi training… nothing at all… stunting her growth and thwarting her potential.

The home Katsumi always wanted to give her daughter in Kusagakure was never given to her.

While Katsumi was busy thinking whatever, Kuroto looked at the little girl who looked completely helpless and asked, "So your name is Karin, right? Do you want to stay here forever or would you like to come with me? At the very least, I can guarantee that you will never be treated the way you are being treated here."

Normally, these words all sound too sweet and hardly believable, but because Kuroto was speaking the truth so there were no fluctuations in his chakra, as such Karin knew that this person named Hyuga Kuroto was indeed speaking the truth.

Besides, from beginning to end he did not attack either of the two, not even when the Kunai her mother put over his neck had already started to cut through his neck and was reaching up to the bone, which further reassured her, that he did not mean any harm to either of the two. After all, this person was able to kill a Jonin with little to no effort, so Karin knew that if he wanted he could have forcefully taken her away and neither she nor her mother would have been able to put up any resistance, there was no need to ask her.

But before she decides on anything, Karin asked one thing, "Will you take my Oka-san with you?"

Kuroto doesn't really have any problem with it and nodded without a second thought, "Of course, she can come."

Hearing a positive reply, Karin immediately urged Katsumi, "Oka-san, please let's go with him… you should also be able to sense that he is not lying… please, let's just leave from here…"

Katsumi looked at Karin with a tangled expression, firstly because she did not expect that her daughter hated Kusagakure so much, perhaps it was not surprising considering that this village has already killed her, and the second reason was that Katsumi knows that she is going to die soon…

This person may have been honest to both of them, but even Katsumi realizes that he knows that she would not live more than a few days…

'And if we really go, then all my life was meaningless… I did everything for-… no that's not the right way of thinking… before my death, I can still do one thing for Karin…' – thought Katsumi with a determined expression.

Kuroto noticed that change in expression and he was really curious what the dying mother is going to do.

Katsumi stared at Kuroto and asked with a serious expression, "Can you assure my daughter's safety until she is strong enough to protect herself?"

Kuroto nodded, "I can assure you… I can also assure you that after following me, she will get to live as a human being, not like a tool…"

Hearing Kuroto's reply, Katsumi nodded as her hand loosened and the Kunai in her hand dropped to the ground.

Next, she turned around and slowly walked towards Karin, then kneeled down to be at the same height as her daughter.

At this time, she had light tears flowing down her eyes. She held her daughter's cheek and said, "Oka-san is sorry Karin-chan, but she won't be able to stay with you any longer while alive, but you do not need to worry… Oka-san will always remain in your heart… she will always watch over… she will always protect you…"

Karin was confused for a while, she couldn't understand what Katsumi was speaking… after all, this person has said that they both can come with him… so why can't Oka-san stay with her?

And before she knew it Karin's eyes became wet, she did not want this… her Oka-san could finally live but-… but why… why always her?

Katsumi smiled gently and wiped away Karin's tears as she said, "Remember, strong Kunoichi do not cry…"

Karin nodded as he tried her best to hold her tears from flowing out of her eyes.

Katsumi nodded in approval, "That's my girl…" and caressed Karin's head. Then she hugged her daughter with all her strength, burying Karin's head in her bosom while Karin did everything she could to not cry.

While continuing to carcass her daughter's back, Katsumi tapped on Karin's neck with her index and middle finger immediately following which an Uzumaki Clan symbol appeared at the back part of Karin's neck.

Katsumi's action did not go unnoticed by Kuroto, and he was surprised to find that Katsumi's entire chakra and whatever lifeforce she had left was flowing inside that Uzumaki Clan symbol.

After a full two minutes of transfer, the Uzumaki Symbol glowed with a crimson light similar to Karin's hair, then soon vanished as if it did not exist at all.

Immediately, after which, all of Katsumi's hair turned pure white, and her hollow eyes lost the color of life, indicating that she was now dead, but just before her death, Katsumi whispered to Kuroto, 'Please protect my daughter.'

From Karin's reaction, Kuroto was sure that the little girl did not notice what her mother did.

Karin may have not felt what her mother did, but she did notice the loss of life from her mother's body. And with Katsumi's death, Karin broke down… but she did not cry… she is a strong Kunoichi. But… But… even if she had long expected that this day would come soon, she never expected that it would come so soon… just as things were going to change.

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