Many years later, facing her beautiful, elegant daughter, Karin would recall that distant afternoon when she ran desperately towards a new life.
In that deep valley, the figure of her husband sped toward her, his crimson eyes like a light of revelation.
"Help!"
Seeing the figures ahead, Karin was ecstatic, as if grasping a life raft.
She shouted with all her might while running forward with every ounce of her strength.
She no longer cared whether the people ahead were good or bad.
After all, no outcome could possibly be worse than being caught by the fierce criminals behind her.
The boy and girl sprinted toward each other and passed by in a flash.
Seiya quietly told her, "Get into the carriage." Karin understood.
Too flustered to thank him, she ran toward the carriage without stopping.
The pursuers followed closely behind.
Seiya looked up. There were four of them, with fierce faces.
The leader was a middle-aged Shinobi with a full beard.
The bearded man's gaze first looked at the sprinting red-haired girl, paused for a moment on the fully loaded carriage, and finally settled on the young boy's eyes, startling him slightly.
Sharingan?!
Wasn't the Uchiha clan wiped out?
The bearded man hesitated for a moment, then his greed overwhelmed everything else.
The female genin from the Grass Village must be silenced!
This large amount of cargo must not be allowed to slip away from under our noses!
A rare Sharingan! It will definitely fetch a good price if I gouge it out!
With his mind set, the bearded man exchanged glances with his three companions.
They channeled their chakra and quickly formed hand seals.
As for the risk of fighting, they never deeply considered it.
In this line of work, there was only life or death.
If they fought and survived, it was a massive profit; if they died, it was just a small scar.
Their luck simply ran out, and they would try again in the next life!
If there's wine, drink it; if there's meat, eat it.
Not taking money when it's there is punishable by heaven!
How much skill could a mere boy with peach fuzz have?
With the combined efforts of us brothers, he'll be easy to catch!
Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!
Earth Release: Earth and Sand Flow!
Although the four bandits with the beard looked down on a ten-year-old child, none of them held back.
They immediately launched a combination jutsu.
In an instant, a massive wave of water mixed with mud and sand, like a landslide, filled the narrow valley and rolled toward Seiya.
Unlike the successive waves of genin-level bandits who had rushed to their deaths earlier, the four bearded bandits were clearly a cut above the rest, and their hand seal speed was fast.
Seiya had no time to interrupt them at close range and could only use a jutsu to defend.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Several colossal fireballs, nearly three meters high, collided head-on with the turbulent flow of water, mud, and sand.
Under the high temperature, the water vaporized into steam, forming a hazy white mist that obscured their vision.
The tomoe spun in Seiya's eyes. Lightning sparks surged around his legs.
He violently threw his sword into the mud and sand to anchor it, then leaped up, using the katana as a foothold for a second jump.
Under the cover of the steam, he quickly closed in on the enemies.
The four bearded bandits were greatly shocked.
This was the first time they had encountered an opponent who was still capable of moving in the face of a combination jutsu!
This brat is not simple!
The bearded men's eyes were grave. They tacitly launched another combination jutsu.
Water Release: Water Prison Technique!
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!
Two enormous water prisons, each about five meters in diameter, appeared in front of the four men, serving as both offense and defense.
On both sides of the water prisons, thick rock walls continuously rose and expanded from the ground, faintly forming an encircling movement.
Seiya could not change direction in mid-air and was forced to crash head-on into the water prison.
The rock walls immediately closed in, leaving no gaps, forming a double restraint in conjunction with the water prison.
The bearded men smiled with satisfaction, waiting for the boy to drown so they could claim the cargo and the Sharingan.
However, before they could even look forward to this bright future, the tightly sealed rock walls shattered with a crash.
Seiya, his body appearing illusory, burst through the water prison and smashed through the rock walls without hindrance.
His right hand, covered in Lightning Release Chakra, fiercely pierced through the chest of the nearby bearded man.
The incident was so sudden that the bandits never expected the Uchiha boy to break through the water prison.
They were unable to react and could only watch helplessly as the bearded man was killed.
In their panic, they wanted to retreat to form hand seals, but it was already too late.
A flash of white light passed.
Seiya, wielding his katana, decapitated all four men, leaving no survivors.
In a short time, Seiya had dealt with four individuals whose strength was close to Chunin level.
Seiya showed no joy; instead, his expression was grave.
Returning to the carriage, he saw the red-haired girl huddled in the corner of a seat.
Even though she was in a safe place, the girl's slender body still trembled almost imperceptibly, clearly still in shock.
"Don't worry, the people who wanted to kill you are dead," Seiya comforted her.
"Ah?"
Karin snapped out of her fear, startled. She quickly concentrated her senses and realized that the chakra of those four people had indeed vanished!
What a powerful boy!
Karin looked at Seiya, her eyes filled with admiration and awe.
We're the same age, yet he's a hundred times more capable than me! He effortlessly dealt with four adult bandits!
Is this the kind of Shinobi trained by the Great Hidden Villages?
He's so strong!
Karin took a long look at the Kumogakure headband, stood up, and bowed deeply with solemn gratitude.
"Thank you for saving my life!"
She wasn't sure how to repay him, so she just stood there, waiting for him to tell her what to do.
Seiya didn't expect any repayment for saving her. It was simply out of sympathy for a peer.
It was truly a pitiful sight to see such a weak girl being chased by four bandits.
However, sympathy aside, the immediate priority was to determine if the girl was a snake.
Seiya offered a smile and motioned for Karin to sit down.
"Please introduce yourself and tell us what happened to you just now."
Karin nodded. Through her glasses, she cautiously glanced at the three adults in the carriage, then began to speak.
Her name was Karin, she was twelve years old, an orphan, and a genin from Kusagakure.
She was currently traveling to Konoha to participate in the Chunin Exams, representing Kusagakure.
However, just as they were about to leave the country, moments ago, they were unfortunately ambushed by bandits.
Her Jonin sensei and her two genin teammates were all killed by the bandits!
She took advantage of the bandits being busy killing and ran away as fast as she could.
But her speed was ultimately no match for adults, and the four bandits were gradually closing in.
Thankfully, she hadn't run far when she encountered Seiya, which was a stroke of luck that saved her life.
Karin finished her story, sitting up straight with her chest out. She tightly clenched her sleeves, meeting her savior's gaze directly to show her sincerity.
Seiya pondered for a moment, sizing up the girl's thin frame, and a hint of suspicion arose in his heart.
"You have very good stamina? Adults couldn't catch up to you."
"Yes, yes." Karin nodded rapidly, like a chick pecking at grain.
"That's why the Village chose me to participate in the Chunin Exams and bring honor to the Village."
Seiya nodded, temporarily accepting this explanation.
Then he asked, "The terrain here is not good. Why didn't you choose a path better suited for running and instead ran into this rugged valley?"
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