[Uchiha Hospital]
Karin stood by the bedside, looking at Rengoku with some worry.
Although Orochimaru and Tsunade had both declared that there was nothing wrong with Rengoku, and that he had only fainted because of excessive blood loss, she still couldn't rest easy.
In Karin's eyes, Rengoku had always been the strongest person in the shinobi world, and he had never been injured before.
But this time, he had been beaten to the brink of death.
If it hadn't been for the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, bringing him back, Rengoku would've died.
Just thinking about how she had almost lost her master made Karin's heart twist painfully tight.
Karin held Rengoku's hand and rubbed it against her cheek.
"Shishou, hurry up and wake up. You still have to wait for me to grow up."
A "click" sounded, someone opening the door.
Karin, startled like a thief caught in the act, hurriedly shoved Rengoku's hand back under the blanket.
After the door opened, Kasui came in, carrying a large insulated container.
Karin suddenly felt a twinge of guilt.
"Karin, has the clan leader woken up?", Kasui asked naturally, as if she hadn't noticed anything.
Karin let out a small sigh of relief and shook her head slightly.
"No, but Lady Tsunade came by to check. She said he should wake up soon."
Seeing the large insulated container Kasui was carrying, Karin felt puzzled.
"Mom, what are you doing here? The hospital already provides food."
Kasui gave her a playful scolding look, "Today's your birthday."
"Ah!", Karin covered her mouth in surprise.
She quickly opened the insulated container, inside were teriyaki pork, fried cutlets, fried rice cakes, and a pile of takoyaki balls.
All of her favorite foods.
"Thank you, Mom."
Karin was overjoyed. She hugged Kasui's face and gave her a loud kiss.
Kasui, a little helpless, patted her daughter's hair, "Only my child could already be this tall at eleven."
She noticed that in just the past two days, Karin's body had changed again. She was now completely shaped like an adult woman.
In fact, her figure was even better than her mother's.
Kasui already knew this was a "side effect" of the Water of Life.
But compared to the loss of life force, early physical maturity was just a small issue.
Karin stuck out her tongue, "Isn't growing tall a good thing? Mom, look, now I can wear so many beautiful clothes!"
Saying that, she twirled around, showing off her tall, feminine figure.
"All right, all right, I know you're pretty. Eat before it gets cold."
Kasui smiled as she teased Karin, but there was a trace of worry in her heart.
She had already noticed certain signs. When she entered earlier, she'd even seen Karin holding Rengoku's hand.
Kasui, now thirty years old, understood that when the body matures early, the mind is affected too.
So she deliberately said, "The clan leader became Hokage at twenty-one, right? He must be Konoha's youngest Hokage ever."
Karin was currently stuffing a takoyaki ball into her mouth, her cheeks puffed up, completely missing her mother's meaning.
"Of course, Shishou is the best!"
Kasui sighed inwardly. At Karin's age, many emotions were hazy and unformed.
If she were to expose them directly, it might only backfire.
So she changed the subject, "I wonder who the enemy was this time, to injure the clan leader so badly."
"You haven't slacked off in your sealing practice, have you?"
Karin popped a piece of fried rice cake into her mouth, crunching loudly.
"Don't worry, Mom. Shishou was just careless this time. Once he wakes up, he'll take care of everything!"
"I've been practicing every day. I even wrote down all the problems I had these days. When Shishou wakes up, he can teach me sealing again."
Karin waved her chopsticks in the air, tilting her head toward Rengoku with eyes full of longing, admiration, and affection.
"Mom, you should eat too," Karin picked up a takoyaki ball and offered it to Kasui.
"I already ate. You go ahead."
Kasui responded softly, but with her mind full of worry, she couldn't eat anything.
Karin didn't think much of it and immediately turned into a bottomless pit, devouring food nonstop.
The hospital room was filled only with the sound of Karin chewing.
———
After she finished everything, she patted her stomach, wiped her mouth with her hand, and let out a cute little burp.
"Mom, I'm full."
Seeing Karin act so childishly, Kasui pushed her feelings down into her chest.
She decided to wait until Karin grew a bit older before saying anything.
"Then I'll go for now. Happy birthday, sweetheart."
Kasui tidied up, then hugged Karin.
"Hehe! Thanks, Mom. I love you."
Karin was already a little taller than her mother, but she still nestled into Kasui's arms playfully.
Kasui helplessly patted her daughter's head, "All right, I'm going now."
"Mm…"
Karin gave her mother another kiss on the cheek before letting her go.
After her mother left, Karin sat down again beside Rengoku's bed.
Before Rengoku intervened, Kasui had always been forced to act as a "blood bag" just to receive the protection of the Grass Village.
The Grass Village was a small place that never understood the value of Karin and her mother, they only saw them as consumable tools.
Their life had been miserable, barely enough to eat or wear. Birthdays were out of the question.
When Karin first healed Rengoku, she thought she would end up like her mother, becoming another "blood bag."
But to her surprise, after Rengoku returned home and settled clan affairs, he immediately brought them away from the Grass Village.
He gave her a peaceful home, treated Kasui's illness, taught Karin to read, took her as his student, and introduced her to so many companions.
Rengoku's care and affection allowed Karin to truly choose the life she wanted to live.
His tall, imposing figure was like a great tree, holding up her entire heart.
Karin was deeply grateful for everything she had now. She cherished every day spent with Rengoku.
Only now that her body had matured rapidly, a subtle, indescribable feeling toward Rengoku had quietly begun to grow in her heart.
As she gazed at Rengoku's sleeping face, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
She reached out a finger and gently poked his cheek, whispering, "Shishou, I'm one year older again!"
Naturally, the sleeping Rengoku didn't respond.
Karin turned her head left and right like a sneaky little thief, glancing around.
Seeing that the room was empty except for her, she took a light breath, held it, and leaned closer to Rengoku's face.
As the distance grew shorter, her face turned redder, she could even feel the breath from his nose.
Nervously, she swallowed, her heart pounding wildly.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Footsteps sounded outside the door.
Karin's heart almost stopped. She jumped up from the bedside in shock.
Click!
The door opened, and two girls walked in.
"Karin, so you're here."
Karin's bright red hair was impossible to miss. Ryuri recognized her at a glance.
Karin's face was flushed, her words stumbling,
"Ryuri… nee… Kaori-nee, you… came…"
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