Under the Moonlight
Under the pale moonlight, Karin tried to shield her body, her head bowed, unable to meet the other girl's gaze directly.
Sakura observed the red-haired girl before her, a hint of surprise flickering in her heart.
Wasn't Karin supposed to have a bold and carefree personality, much like Naruto?
Yet now, she seemed like a soft, timid girl. Even though Sakura had barged into her "room" in the dead of night, Karin wore an expression of grievance rather than outrage.
Step by step, Sakura approached the red-haired girl, who sat with her head lowered, and climbed onto her bed.
Noticing Sakura's movement, Karin tensed up, her whole body stiffening.
At that moment, she was forced to lift her gaze toward the pink-haired girl standing before her. Curled up in the corner of her bed, Karin stammered in a barely audible voice,
"W-what do you want to do?"
Sakura couldn't help but smile as she looked at the pitiable girl before her.
What did she want to do?
She wanted her... entirely.
Though, admittedly, it wasn't far from the truth.
Cornering Karin at the edge of the bed, Sakura leaned in, pressing one hand against the wall, her green eyes locking onto Karin's crimson ones behind her glasses. With a soft voice, she asked,
"I need your help with something. Will you agree?"
The two were so close that Sakura's warm breath brushed against Karin's face, causing her mind to go blank momentarily.
"W-what kind of help?" Karin asked, her voice trembling.
Seeing the dazed look in the girl's eyes, Sakura chuckled softly and replied,
"Later, just don't scream, alright?"
"Otherwise, it could get... awkward if someone finds us."
Karin's cheeks flushed a deep red. Sakura's ambiguous words left her too embarrassed to respond.
What am I saying? Sakura thought to herself, feeling a hint of amusement.
Karin's fragile demeanor awakened an instinctive playfulness in Sakura, one she hadn't indulged in for a long time.
Under Karin's wide-eyed gaze, Sakura slowly pulled aside the collar of her nightwear, revealing the bite marks that dotted her shoulder and collarbone.
Karin's crimson eyes trembled at the sight.
When she felt the warmth of Sakura's lips and a gentle nibble on her shoulder, Karin let out a soft gasp, only for a delicate hand to cover her mouth.
Sakura's strength was minimal, yet it was enough to silence Karin instinctively.
As Karin's unique chakra began to flow into Sakura's body, it was absorbed with alarming speed, as though her chakra were feeding an endless void.
This was the nature of Karin's unique Kekkei Genkai.
Her body was a living source of healing.
Anyone severely injured or drained of chakra could recover quickly by biting her.
This ability, capable of snatching lives back from the brink of death, left her body covered in countless bite marks.
Watching the pink-haired girl wrapped around her, draining her chakra, Karin didn't resist in the slightest.
Time passed. Normally, even the most exhausted ninja would've been restored by now. Yet Sakura continued drawing chakra, her seemingly insatiable body consuming it relentlessly.
Karin's chakra reserves had dwindled to half.
At the same time, Sakura felt her forehead seal rapidly absorbing Karin's chakra. What should have taken half a year to complete was nearing completion in a matter of moments.
Though it saved her four months of effort, Sakura glanced at Karin with a tinge of guilt in her emerald eyes.
Still, to face the powerful enemy ahead, she needed the Hundred Healings Technique.
And now, a faint purple diamond shimmered on Sakura's forehead.
After a painstaking five years, the Yin Seal was finally complete, thanks to Karin's ability.
Feeling the immense chakra stored in her seal, Sakura finally released Karin from her hold.
Karin was left pale and breathless from the massive depletion of her chakra reserves, which had dropped to a third of its full capacity.
"Good girl," Sakura murmured, stroking Karin's crimson hair with a soft smile.
Karin looked up at her, her gaze lingering on the now-visible diamond-shaped mark on Sakura's forehead.
Just now, that wasn't there...
"Who are you?" Karin finally asked, her voice trembling as the realization dawned on her.
"Who I am isn't important," Sakura replied gently.
"Karin, will you come with me?"
"Be mine, and mine alone."
The unfamiliar pink-haired girl extended her hand toward Karin, her soft yet commanding tone reverberating in the quiet room.
Karin's gaze fell on the Konoha forehead protector tied around Sakura's neck, glinting under the moonlight.
Go with her? And continue having my chakra drained?
Karin wanted to retort but found herself lowering her head in silence instead.
Be hers... and hers alone.
"Are you worried about Kusagakure?" Sakura asked, her voice calm.
"Don't be. After the Chūnin Exams, you'll belong to me."
A flash of determination crossed Sakura's eyes as she added,
"The Forest of Death will be the end for those other two Grass ninja."
Karin will shed her past and become a ninja of Konoha.
Looking up, Karin softly asked, "Can you tell me your name?"
Sakura smiled warmly at the red-haired girl and replied,
"Sakura. Haruno Sakura."
A cherry blossom blooming in spring...
What a beautiful name.
Under Sakura's gaze, Karin hesitated before placing her trembling hand in Sakura's.
"With this, you've made a pact with me," Sakura said with a playful grin.
"No backing out."
Pressing their thumbs together, Sakura sealed their agreement.
This girl... so childish.
"Tomorrow, the written portion of the Chūnin Exams will begin," Sakura said, stroking Karin's head gently.
"Karin, your team will pass and enter through Gate A4 into the Forest of Death."
"And when that happens, I'll be there to enter with you."
"Until then, bear with it for a little while, okay?"
Karin, dazed and overwhelmed, nodded slowly.
"O-okay..."
Sakura's grin widened as she looked at the soft, submissive Karin before her.
After the exams, she would resume her role as a Special Jōnin of Konoha.
And as a Special Jōnin, she had the authority to form her own team.
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