Under the Moonlight
Karin clutched at her clothes, trying to cover herself, head lowered, not daring to meet the eyes of the person before her.
Sakura looked at the girl in front of her, surprise flashing through her heart.
Wasn't Karin supposed to be like Naruto—boisterous and bold?
Why did she seem so soft and timid right now, like a shy little girl?
Sakura had barged into her "bedroom" in the middle of the night, and yet she looked like a bullied kitten. It was hard not to feel something.
Step by step, Sakura walked toward the red-haired girl who kept her head bowed. Then she slowly climbed onto her bed~~~
Karin noticed Sakura's movement and instantly tensed up all over.
At this moment, she couldn't help but glance at the girl who was steadily approaching. Curling up into the corner of her bed, she trembled lightly and asked:
"W-What are you trying to do?"
Looking at the helpless girl before her, Sakura almost blurted out:
"I want your body…"
And truthfully, she did mean it, at least to an extent.
Sakura leaned in, backing Karin into the corner of the bed. With one hand against the wall, she gazed into the red eyes behind those glasses and softly said:
"I need you to do me a favor… is that okay?"
Their faces were so close. As Sakura spoke, her warm breath fanned across Karin's face, making her mind go completely blank.
"W-What kind of favor…?"
Looking at Karin's blank expression, Sakura chuckled softly.
"Just… don't scream later, okay~~?"
"If someone hears us, that'd be troublesome."
???
Sakura's words were so ambiguous that Karin's face flushed instantly.
What is she saying?!
Karin's delicate behavior was throwing Sakura off. She instinctively defaulted to the flirtatious methods she used in her previous life.
Before Karin could react, Sakura had gently pulled aside her own pajama top, revealing her neck and shoulder—covered in faint teeth marks.
Seeing this, Karin's eyes widened with visible tremors.
A warm pressure landed on her shoulder, followed by a light bite. Karin let out a soft gasp, but a smooth, pale hand reached up to cover her mouth.
Even though the pink-haired girl wasn't pressing hard, Karin instinctively closed her lips and didn't resist.
She could feel her chakra flowing out continuously into Sakura's body. It was like pouring water into a bottomless pit.
This was due to Karin's special Kekkei Genkai—her unique genetic ability:
Vitality Healing.
Any seriously injured person, or someone with drained chakra, only needed to bite her and they'd instantly begin to recover—both physically and energetically.
As long as the organs weren't destroyed, even someone with one foot in the grave could be pulled back from death's door.
The countless bite marks across her body were proof of this rare bloodline.
Karin stared at the girl who was holding her, biting her shoulder. She offered no resistance at all.
Minutes passed.
Under normal circumstances, even with severe chakra depletion, the user would've been fully restored by now.
But the girl clinging to her still hadn't stopped.
It was like trying to fill an endless abyss.
And now… Karin had only half her chakra left.
At this moment, Sakura could feel the chakra pouring into her—charging up the Strength of a Hundred Seal on her forehead.
This seal, which was supposed to take six months to complete, was now filling at an astonishing rate.
Just a few minutes had already saved her four whole months of effort.
Glancing at the silent Karin who allowed everything without protest, a flicker of guilt crossed Sakura's emerald eyes.
But she needed the Byakugō no Jutsu, the Strength of a Hundred Technique, for the battle ahead.
And now, a faint purple diamond was beginning to form on her forehead.
The Strength of a Hundred Seal—which normally required five and a half years to master—had completed early thanks to Karin.
Feeling the massive chakra surging within the seal on her forehead, Sakura finally let go of the soft redhead in her arms.
There was a reason Sakura didn't want anyone to notice her seal.
Because it couldn't be hidden.
Headbands, bangs, makeup—none of it worked.
Any Hyūga or sensor-type ninja could instantly feel the terrifying chakra stored in that seal.
Karin panted softly. The significant loss of chakra left her pale and weakened.
Only one-third of her chakra remained now…
"You're such a good girl. You really gave it to me that easily?"
Sakura reached out and gently patted the redhead's head, a relaxed smile playing on her lips.
Karin looked up at her, and as her eyes drifted to Sakura's forehead, her breath caught.
That diamond-shaped seal—had it been there earlier?
So much chakra… was that her chakra on this girl's forehead?
"W-Who… who are you?"
Finally, after being completely drained, Karin managed to ask the question that had been bugging her all along.
"Who I am doesn't really matter, Karin."
"But—would you be willing to follow me?"
"To belong to me alone."
The mysterious pink-haired girl extended a hand toward the red-haired one.
Belong to you? And keep getting my chakra sucked dry?
Karin instinctively wanted to complain, but she lowered her head in silence.
"Worried about the Hidden Grass Village?"
"Don't be. After the Chūnin Exams… you'll be mine."
A flash of sharp determination gleamed in Sakura's eyes.
The Forest of Death—that would be the final resting place of those two Grass ninja.
And after that, Karin would become a Konoha shinobi.
Karin raised her head and softly asked:
"Can you tell me your name?"
Sakura smiled and answered gently:
"Sakura. Haruno Sakura."
Cherry blossoms blooming in the spring wilderness?
What a beautiful name…
Under the moonlight, Karin's trembling hand reached for Sakura's.
"With this… we've formed a pact."
"No backing out."
Sakura pressed her thumb against Karin's in a mock seal of contract.
How childish…
"Tomorrow, the written part of the Chūnin Exams will begin."
"Karin, your team will pass."
"And you'll enter the Forest of Death through Route A4."
"I'll be waiting there—to enter the forest with you."
"So… just bear with it for now."
"Okay?"
Under Sakura's soft, apologetic gaze, Karin nodded dumbly.
"Y-Yeah… okay."
Looking at the soft, dazed Karin, Sakura's smile grew wider.
After the Chūnin Exams, she would return to her rank as a Tokubetsu Jōnin—a Special Jōnin.
And as a Special Jōnin, she had the authority to form her own team.
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End of Chapter 53