Chapter Forty-Eight: As If Veiled in Mist and Rain
On a pleasant morning, Yu Higashino and Kakuzu were strolling down the streets of Kusagakure, planning to sample the village’s specialty breakfast. By now, the entire village was awake, and the streets were fairly crowded. Most people seemed to be in a hurry, as if rushing off to some important task. Leisurely wanderers like Yu and Kakuzu were rare.
In the end, they didn’t manage to find any so-called specialty breakfast, only stumbling upon a ramen shop. Yu suddenly recalled how often ramen appeared in the world of the Hokage—perhaps the author, Masashi Kishimoto, was particularly fond of it.
Soon, their ramen arrived. Yu took a bite and thought it wasn’t as good as Ichiraku Ramen from Konoha. After this mental appraisal, he continued eating.
Not long after, the two finished their meal.
“I have some business to attend to. Are you heading back first, or will you stick with me?” Yu asked Kakuzu.
“Do you want me to go back, or to stay with you?” Kakuzu replied.
“Either is fine.”
“Then I’ll stay with you.”
Yu said nothing more and made his way toward Karin’s house.
After walking for nearly half an hour, the two arrived beneath the large tree from the previous day. Yu carefully extended his spiritual senses and noticed that there was someone at home in the shabby little house nearby—but only one person.
He walked over and knocked on the door.
Soon, the door opened a crack, and a pair of eyes peered out from within.
Just as Yu was about to speak, there was a sudden shriek, and the door was slammed shut.
What a rocky start. Yu hadn’t anticipated this at all.
He glanced at Kakuzu.
“You’ve frightened a child again.”
With that, he knocked again, calling out as he did so, “Hey, we’re not bad people.”
Almost immediately, a voice responded from inside, “Mama says bad people never admit they’re bad!”
Yu fell silent for a moment before replying,
“We’re wandering ninja, the kind who make a living by taking other people’s requests.”
This time, there was no response from inside, perhaps because Karin didn’t quite understand what Yu meant, or maybe she was simply waiting for him to continue.
“Yesterday I noticed you and your mother don’t seem to be living well here in Kusagakure. So I wanted to offer my services—would you like to hire me to take you away from this village?”
Though there were still a few words Karin didn’t quite comprehend, she grasped the general meaning of Yu’s proposal.
Once more, the battered door opened a sliver.
“Are you really not bad people?”
“No, we’re not.”
The door finally swung open.
For reasons unknown, Yu muttered loud enough for Karin to hear, “Kids are so easy to fool.”
Instantly, terror filled Karin’s gaze as she looked at him.
“Ha, just kidding. We’re not lying to you,” Yu explained, but Karin still eyed him warily.
Yu didn’t press the issue further. Instead, he asked, “Where’s your mother?”
“My mother was called away by someone… but she’ll be back soon.” As if to bolster her courage, she added, “She’ll really be back soon.”
“That’s good. We’ll wait here for her, and when she returns, we’ll see if she wants to hire us.”
“Can you really take us out of Kusagakure?” Karin’s attention had shifted to the matter of the request.
“Of course,” Yu replied firmly. Then he asked, “Do you want to leave Kusagakure?”
“Mhm, not a bit of it is good here,” Karin blurted out almost instinctively.
Her eyes seemed dull, as if shrouded by a misty drizzle.
That drizzle settled upon Yu as well, and he too felt the weight of her gloom.
“Then why haven’t you left before?”
“Mother says the shinobi world is dangerous. Leaving here might not mean we find a better place.”
[She’s right.]
“Let’s go to Konoha. Life should be a bit better there.”
Seeing Karin’s confusion, Yu began to explain.
“Your surname is Uzumaki, right?”
“…Yes.”
“The wife of Konoha’s First Hokage was Mito Uzumaki, from your clan. The Uzumaki clan and Konoha used to have a good relationship. If you go there, you should be treated well.”
“Really?” Karin’s eyes brightened.
“Of course,” Yu nodded.
Kakuzu, who had been silently watching their exchange, was anything but calm inside.
[So she’s from the Uzumaki clan? That vivid red hair—of course.]
[So yesterday’s visit wasn’t a coincidence, but purposeful—to send this mother and daughter from the Uzumaki clan to Konoha? But why? Is he one of Konoha’s people?]
[But I’ve never heard of such a person in Konoha.]
While Kakuzu was still puzzling over this, Karin dragged over two chairs and set them before Yu and Kakuzu.
“Big brother… and mister, please have a seat.”
“Thank you.”
Yu sat down and noticed that Karin was about to fetch water.
“No need, I’m not thirsty.”
Karin looked at Kakuzu, who snapped out of his thoughts.
“I’m not thirsty either.”
“All right then.” Karin set aside the water and sat on the bed—the room had only two chairs.
Yu couldn’t help but compare Naruto and Karin in his mind. See, they’re about the same age. One only knows how to play around and constantly interrupts my sleep, while the other is so thoughtful.
“Big brother, what’s Konoha like? Could you tell me about it?” After spending some time with Yu, Karin no longer seemed as afraid of him as before.
“How should I put it?” Yu pondered. “It’s livelier than Kusagakure, and the atmosphere isn’t as harsh or tense…”
Seeing Karin’s puzzled expression, Yu thought again.
“There are dango shops, ramen shops, barbecue places, snack stores—every delicacy you can imagine, plus toy shops with all sorts of fun things. Oh, and there’s even a so-called ‘Anything Shop’ that claims to do it all.”
Yu slipped in a little promotion for his own business.
“There are also lots of children playing together everywhere. Even if you don’t become a ninja, you can still have a good life.”
“Is there really a place like that?” Karin asked, a hint of skepticism in her voice.
It was an ordinary sort of doubt, but Yu paused at the sound of it, then smiled and nodded.
“Of course there is. You’ll see for yourself when you get to Konoha.”
“It sounds wonderful,” Karin said longingly.
“Would you like to hear more about Konoha?” Yu asked.
“Yes.” Karin nodded.