NARUTO: Starting with Hinata

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"That was not within the scope of the commission." Konan shook her head and said.

"I'll pay more."

Shiki held up two fingers and said, "Two hundred thousand ryo."

Konan's eyes narrowed slightly.

Without thinking too long, she nodded and agreed. She couldn't pass up the chance to make an extra two hundred thousand ryo.

"Can you make it back in half a day?" Shiki asked again.

"I can." Konan replied after a moment's thought.

The Kusagakure Village was located northwest of the Land of Fire. At full speed, she could reach it in about an hour or two.

"Then, without further delay, let's set off now."

Shiki stood up and reminded, "Oh, and your orange juice."

"I don't drink." Konan said curtly. Although Shiki seemed harmless, she was used to being cautious.

After leaving the izakaya, the two arrived at a secluded alley. Konan reached out and grabbed his shoulders, while countless pieces of paper flew out from her, forming a pair of white wings on her back.

"Wait." Shiki quickly said, "I'm your employer—you can't take me flying in such a rough way."

Konan frowned slightly but, for the sake of her payment, released his shoulders. Then, under Shiki's surprised gaze, she bent down, lifted him, and carried him in a princess hold.

With her white wings spread, Konan took off into the sky. Shiki quickly held onto his hair and sunglasses as the strong wind buffeted him, making it difficult to keep his eyes open.

[Achievement unlocked: "Who is not a princess?" Reward: Big Belly Frog.]

[Big Belly Frog: A second-level poisonous insect with secrets hidden in its belly, capable of storing items.]

[Note: It cannot store poisonous insects or toxic items. It makes a sound each time it releases an item.]

"Is this even real?" Shiki muttered to himself.

"What did you say?" Konan glanced down at him.

"The wind is too strong—I couldn't hear you." Shiki replied, waving his hand dismissively.

After some time, Konan finally landed and put Shiki down. She began forming hand seals, and soon a paper clone appeared beside her. Without a word, she transformed into a tiny piece of paper and flew toward the nearby Kusagakure Village.

Shiki adjusted his hairstyle and glanced at the calm and cold Konan, thinking to himself that Tsunade's arms had been warmer and softer.

"There will be news soon." Konan said, noticing his gaze.

Shiki nodded in acknowledgment.

A few minutes later, the tiny piece of paper returned and merged with Konan, who then grabbed his shoulders, and they took off again, landing behind a house in Kusagakure Village.

"They're inside." Konan said, pointing toward the building.

They?

Shiki was a bit startled. Could it be that Karin's mother was still alive?

He recalled the details from the original story. It wasn't clear when Karin's mother had died, but judging from the timeline, she should be around six or seven years old. Karin, being the same age as Uchiha Sasuke, was six this year.

Shiki opened the door and stepped inside.

In the room, a young woman with long red hair lay on the bed, her exposed skin covered with bite marks, her body frail and almost devoid of vitality. As a member of the Uzumaki clan, she possessed immense chakra and impressive self-healing abilities. Kusagakure had used her as a "blood bag," draining her chakra to heal others, resulting in the marks on her body.

In the original story, she died tragically from excessive chakra depletion, a fate her daughter Karin would later share.

As Shiki entered, both the woman and the young girl were startled.

"Please, no!" Karin stepped in front of her mother, stretching out her small arms, "If you need to bite someone, bite me! This is my first time—it'll work better than Mom's!"

"Karin… Karin." Her mother struggled to sit up, pulling her daughter into her arms. She looked at Shiki and pleaded, "She's still so young, please spare her."

She knew the consequences of losing too much chakra—it cost lives. Already weakened, she was determined to protect Karin for as long as she could.

How pitiful.

Shiki sighed inwardly and stepped forward, "I'm not a ninja from Kusagakure."

The woman blinked, startled by his words.

"I'll heal you." Shiki said, extending his hands.

With Konan guarding outside, there was little risk.

Using his palm healing technique, he channeled chakra to treat her injuries. Fortunately, most of her injuries were external, and her inability to recover stemmed from severe chakra depletion that had damaged her foundation.

As Shiki's glowing green chakra flowed over her, Karin watched him, captivated by the warmth it brought.

"Can you walk?" Shiki asked, retracting his hands.

"Yes." The woman said gratefully. She had a sense of hope that she and Karin might finally escape this wretched place.

"Then let's go." Shiki said, not lingering. Now was not the time for conversation; the priority was getting out of Kusagakure.

"Can you take one more person?" Shiki asked, turning to Konan.

Karin was the only one listed on the commission.

"It'll cost extra." Konan replied, nodding.

She raised her gaze to the woman, noticing her red hair and bruised state. The sight made her think of Nagato, and she couldn't help feeling a pang of sympathy.

"Deal." Shiki agreed.

The mission in Kusagakure had gone surprisingly smoothly. If they managed to bring Karin and her mother back, they'd have access to invaluable sealing techniques.

Konan formed seals, creating two paper clones.

Today's commission was almost too easy. If all employers were like Shiki, missions would be much more pleasant.