Chapter 74: A Grand Gift
"Izayoi-kun, you're here!"
Izayoi arrived at the villa's exterior with Hanabi.
Before he could even step inside, a youthful voice reached his ears.
With a swift whoosh, Karin's figure materialized before Izayoi and Hanabi.
Her crimson eyes, mirroring her hair color, fixed intently on Izayoi, then, as if noticing something, a joyful smile bloomed across her face.
"Yeah, this time it's the real me."
Izayoi nodded, chuckling. "Thank you for your hard work during this time, Karin."
"It was no trouble at all, not in the slightest." Karin shook her head repeatedly, her face filled with gratitude. "Compared to life in Grass Village, this place is paradise. Even though I only helped Izayoi-kun purchase materials in Sunagakure, I get to live in such a wonderful house and receive so much payment. I truly feel undeserving."
"No, you were a great help."
Under Hanabi's pouting gaze, Izayoi reached out and ruffled Karin's red hair, which had regained its softness and luster compared to its previous dry state. He smiled. "There are very few people in this world I can truly trust, and you are one of them. I am very grateful for Grass Village's shortsightedness. If not for their foolishness, I wouldn't have been able to find my kin during the Chunin Exams."
"Hehe... Karin is also very fortunate to have met Izayoi-kun. I will definitely not let you down."
Karin thoroughly enjoyed Izayoi's head pat, a silly grin spreading across her face as she pledged her loyalty with unwavering determination.
Observing Karin, who seemed ready to tie a headband with the kanji for "loyalty" across her forehead, Hanabi's eyes held a thoughtful glint.
So, this woman was Onii-chan's kin.
It seemed Onii-chan wasn't being unfaithful after all.
That made sense; if he were, he wouldn't have brought Hanabi along.
With this realization, Hanabi's initial hostility towards Karin instantly vanished.
After chatting with Karin at the entrance for a while, Izayoi led Hanabi into the villa.
Along the way, Izayoi introduced Hanabi and Karin to each other.
Upon learning that Hanabi was the younger sister of Hinata, who had been so kind to her in the Forest of Death, Karin's affection for her grew instantly, treating her like a younger sister.
"Hanabi, you can explore the villa with Karin-neechan. If you get bored, you can go out and play." Izayoi stroked Hanabi's head and smiled. "Onii-chan has some things to take care of right now. I'll come and join you both when I'm finished."
"Mmm-hmm..."
The precocious Hanabi was very understanding, nodding repeatedly. "Onii-chan's matters are more important. Karin-neechan can keep me company."
"Then I'll leave Hanabi in your care, Karin." Izayoi smiled at Karin.
"Izayoi-kun, please rest assured. I will definitely take good care of Hanabi." Karin promised with a serious expression.
Thus, Izayoi left Hanabi with Karin and went alone to a locked door.
Opening it, a downward staircase came into view.
Descending the stairs to the end, he found himself in a spacious basement.
However, the basement was currently very crowded.
Rows upon rows of figures stood there, their formation orderly.
A quick glance suggested close to a hundred figures.
And these weren't all of them.
In one corner of the basement, there was a table with several large sealing scrolls placed on it.
All the figures were wearing the same uniform: black cloaks embroidered with red clouds.
Most of the figures had bandages wrapped around their faces, their eyes vacant.
They were mostly ordinary puppets, with a small portion being human puppets created from corpses.
Besides those from the Kurozuki family, there were also some rogue ninjas that his Shadow Clones had hunted down during this time.
Looking at these puppets, Izayoi activated his Tenseigan and walked over, channeling chakra into their chakra cores, as if charging batteries, while muttering softly, "Whether the system has a hidden mechanism depends on you all. Whether the skill upgrades are hellishly difficult or simply challenging also depends on you!"
"But this next grand gift, I believe Akatsuki and 'Lord Danzo' will find it very pleasing."
After fully charging all the puppets in the basement and within the scrolls, Izayoi returned upstairs and spent the day playing with Hanabi and Karin in Sakura Street.
Along the way, Izayoi also showed concern for Karin.
"Karin, how is your health recovering?"
"I'm completely fine now, full of energy." Karin once again showed her gratitude, smiling. "Thanks to Izayoi-kun's treatment and the medicinal cuisine prepared for me by the Shadow Clone."
"Then, what are your plans for the future?"
Izayoi asked, "We have enough materials now, so we won't need to resupply for a long time. Do you plan to continue living here and managing my assets, or do you want to continue the path of a ninja? Of course, whichever you choose, I will teach you ninjutsu and help you become stronger."
"I'll do whatever you say." Karin said firmly. "Whatever Izayoi-kun wants me to do, needs me to do, that's what I'll do."
"I like your answer, but I'd rather know your true thoughts." Izayoi reached out and patted her head, smiling. "After all, you're not just my subordinate, but also my kin, my family. Whatever your choice, I will help you achieve it."
Looking at Izayoi's sincere face, Karin's eyes welled up with tears once more, against her will.
Whether someone is truly good to you is never about what they say or promise, but about what they do.
Karin had fully witnessed the cruelty of Grass Village.
She had even foreseen her own future, likely following her mother's path, suddenly dying one day due to extreme physical weakness.
If life in Grass Village was hell, then her life during this period had been like living in paradise for Karin.
After Izayoi's Shadow Clone took Karin away from Konoha, he brought her to Sakura Street, not only letting her live in a large villa but also giving her the key to the vault, allowing her to freely access the countless riches within.
Knowing she didn't know how to spend the money, the Shadow Clone took the initiative to purchase large quantities of ingredients and medicinal herbs, and even hired a professional chef to prepare medicinal cuisine for Karin, restoring her severely depleted health.
Not only that, but the Shadow Clone also took her to clothing stores and had many beautiful clothes custom-made for her. The fabric of some of these clothes was so expensive that she wouldn't have been able to afford them even after a lifetime of missions.
Even the jewelry in the safe was hers to choose from freely.
Once her health had mostly recovered, the Shadow Clone also taught Karin the ninja basics that Konoha had, which were more comprehensive than those in Grass Village, as well as the training methods for tree climbing and water walking.
He even lent Karin Kurozuki Raiga's lightning blade, guiding her in training her Lightning Release nature transformation.
Once she mastered Lightning Release nature transformation, the Shadow Clone would teach Karin the technique of stimulating cells with lightning chakra.
Such meticulous care and kindness, yet all he asked of Karin was to run an errand to Sunagakure and purchase some materials.
He didn't even follow her afterwards, completely unafraid of Karin running away with the huge sum of money.
This concern and trust often made Karin secretly hide away and cry tears of gratitude.
The young girl had long been captivated by Izayoi, becoming like Haku and Kimimaro Kaguya, ready to give her life if it meant helping him.
Izayoi was her sky, her god, her everything!
So, after lowering her head to wipe away the tears from her eyes, Karin looked up at Izayoi and grinned, showing her teeth. "Izayoi-kun, I want to become a ninja."
Only by becoming an all-rounded ninja could she better assist him!
Izayoi naturally didn't know Karin's thoughts.
Hearing her words, he also grinned. "Alright, then I'll help you become one of the most powerful female ninjas."
Just as the two of them smiled at each other, Hanabi suddenly emphasized her presence.
"Onii-chan, what about Hanabi?"
Looking at his adorable little sister-in-law, Izayoi couldn't help but pinch her cheek and smile. "Hanabi will definitely be the most powerful female ninja in the future too."
"Hehe... I'll remember that. When I go back, I'll tell big sister that Onii-chan said I'm even more powerful!" Hanabi made a face, sticking out her tongue and giggling.
Izayoi hummed a few times,得意地道 ("with a smug tone"), "Onii-chan is talking about the future. Right now, your big sister is definitely the most powerful."
"Eh... why is that!"
Izayoi suddenly imitated Hanabi's behavior from a few days ago, clutching his chest and feigning sadness. "Hanabi actually wants to trick Onii-chan. You've really hurt Onii-chan's fragile heart. It'll take at least ten, no... a hundred massages to make me feel better."
"Onii-chan, I was wrong..."
Hanabi immediately pounced on Izayoi, nuzzling her head against his chest, then looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Hanabi promises you, please forgive me, Onii-chan?"
"Onii-chan was just joking. Come on, let's go see the cherry blossoms!"
Izayoi was once again charmed by his little sister-in-law. He couldn't resist flicking her nose and rubbing her collagen-filled cheeks.
Then, he lifted her by her armpits, turning her around and placing her on his shoulders, expertly entering 'mount' mode, and took his little sister-in-law and Karin to see the cherry blossoms.
(End of this chapter)
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