The air in the classroom seemed to freeze.
Sasuke's question was like a small pebble tossed into an already rippling pond.
Brother?
Karin's mind went completely blank. She couldn't connect this arrogant little boy in front of her with the imposing, taciturn black-haired teen from earlier.
She had no idea why he was asking her this.
"Hey! You jerk!"
An angry roar shattered the stagnation.
Uzumaki Naruto—the blond kid who'd just suffered shattered hopes—now bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
He shoved Sasuke aside, forcing his way to Karin's desk and planting himself between them.
"I was talking to her first, you bastard Sasuke!" Naruto's face flushed red as he bellowed.
Sasuke stumbled from the push, his carefully maintained cool expression crumbling into open irritation.
"Get lost, dead-last." Sasuke hissed through gritted teeth. "This doesn't concern you."
"What did you say?!" Naruto exploded like a lit firecracker. "With me—a fellow 'Uzumaki'—here, it absolutely concerns me! You're the Uchiha snob who should get lost!"
He emphasized "Uzumaki" deliberately, as if claiming some uncertain right.
The class's two most notorious troublemakers suddenly faced off in front of everyone, without warning.
The other children stared, stunned.
Some excited, some fearful, most just eager for the show.
At the eye of the storm, Karin was utterly overwhelmed.
She curled up in her chair, trembling uncontrollably.
The boys' argument, the unfamiliar words, the gawking stares—everything turned into immense, invisible pressure, suffocating her.
This place... wasn't so different from the black market after all.
People stared, whispered.
She was once again the strange "thing" being fought over.
"Enough!"
A roar laced with fury finally came from the podium.
Umino Iruka—this patient teacher's limit had clearly been reached.
He used Body Flicker to appear between Naruto and Sasuke, then grabbed both by the collar—one in each hand.
"Both of you—back to your seats!" Iruka's forehead veins bulged as he practically lifted the two brats.
"But sensei, he started—" Naruto struggled defiantly.
"Shut it!" Iruka cut him off. "Uzumaki Naruto, my office after class! Uchiha Sasuke—you too!"
"Tch." Sasuke turned away, silent but visibly displeased.
The farce finally subsided under Iruka's iron grip.
After dealing with the troublemakers, Iruka turned to the red-haired girl nearly shrinking into the wall, sighing inwardly.
He forced a gentle smile.
"Don't be afraid, Karin. They mean no harm."
Karin only buried her head deeper.
...
The long day finally ended.
For Karin, it was more grueling than being bitten in the Land of Grass.
She understood none of Iruka's lessons.
No classmates spoke to her.
During breaks, they clustered in groups, pointing and whispering about her.
The blond kid called Uzumaki Naruto had been punished with toilet cleaning and vanished all afternoon.
The black-haired boy, Uchiha Sasuke, spent the whole day watching her from afar—with scrutinizing, hostile eyes.
The dismissal bell rang.
Children cheered, packed their bags, and rushed out.
Soon, the lively classroom emptied.
Only Karin remained in her seat, lost and unsure.
Would Brother Sora really come pick her up?
He'd said so this morning.
But... what if he'd forgotten?
Or it was just empty words?
Like those adults who once promised to take her away, only to sell her to the black market.
She stood, slinging her new but empty backpack, and dawdled toward the door.
Evening sunlight spilled from the hallway's end, painting the floor orange-red.
The empty corridor echoed only her footsteps.
As she reached the door, about to step into that lonely glow,
A figure leaned against the frame, blocking her path.
Akashi Sora.
He'd been there who knows how long, wearing the same dazzling smile as morning.
"Let's go, Karin."
He extended his hand to the frozen girl.
"Time to head home."
Home?
Karin stared at the offered hand—clean, warm, well-defined knuckles.
Utterly unlike the memories of arms grabbed by bloodied mouths.
She hesitated briefly, then placed her small, cool hand in his.
Sora's fingers closed gently around it.
"Home we go."
His tone was light, as if stating the obvious.
He led her out the school gates.
Evening glow bathed the village in warm orange-red; streets bustled with dismissed children and welcoming parents, filled with laughter.
Karin kept her head down, watching her feet and Sora's ninja sandals—shadows stretched long on the ground.
"How was it?"
Sora's voice came from above.
"Getting used to school yet?"
Karin shrank, silent.
"I saw them—the blond kid and the black-haired brat." Sora continued casually, emotion unreadable.
"They seem pretty interested in you."
Interested was an understatement.
One acted like finding long-lost family; the other like spotting a rival stealing a favorite toy.
Future Team 7: Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke.
Troublesome variables.
"Big brother wants you to make some friends your age." Sora kept his gentle "brother" tone.
"But..." He shifted, stopping to crouch eye-level with her.
"If you don't like it, that's fine too."
Karin's head snapped up, red eyes confused.
"I can use shadow clones to teach you at home." Sora grinned. "From basic chakra control to the Three Fundamental Jutsu, even sealing theory—I can cover it all."
The offer sounded caring, tempting.
For a child tormented in a strange place, retreating to the only safe "home" was ideal.
Karin's lips moved—she wanted to nod.
To flee the suffocating classroom, the pointing stares.
But meeting Sora's smiling amber eyes, the "yes" stuck in her throat.
Those eyes held no true warmth.
The smile was bright, but the depths calm as still water.
"I..." She managed one syllable.
"Or," Sora stood without waiting, taking her hand again and walking on.
"You could choose another way."
His voice regained lazy lightness.
"You're Akashi Sora's little sister, after all."
Casual words, yet they rippled through Karin's heart.
"If anyone at school bullies you or makes you unhappy..."
Sora glanced sideways, winking with a mischievous grin.
"Just punch them."
Karin's steps halted.
She stared at Sora, thinking she'd misheard.
P... punch someone?
"It's fine." Sora waved dismissively, reading her doubt. "Whatever happens, I'll back you up."
"Don't forget—my master's one of the Legendary Sannin, Lord Jiraiya."
He emphasized the title.
"Even if you beat up the Hokage's son—as long as you don't kill him—Master can fix it."
"So, what's there to fear?"
He tugged the stunned Karin forward.
"Your bloodline, your power—they're not reasons to be bullied."
"They're your capital to stand tall and live."
"Remember, Uzumaki Karin—from now on, you're no blood pack for biting. You're a Konoha shinobi, Akashi Sora's sister."
Light words, yet thunder in Karin's chaotic mind.
Her small hand trembled in his—not from fear.
An intense, indescribable shock she'd never felt.
So... I can fight back?
I don't have to be afraid?
I can... protect myself like a normal person?
This boy called "Akashi Sora"—the "demon" claiming to be her brother—was brutally, directly shattering years of her worldview.
No comfort, no pity.
Just a choice—and: go hit back.
I've got your back.
Karin's eyes reddened without warning.
But this time, she didn't cry.
She bit her lip hard, swallowing all emotion.
Then gripped his hand with all her strength.
Sora felt the pressure.
Smoother than expected.
The Uzumaki blood indeed carried unyielding spirit.
Just needed a spark to reignite.
They walked silently, soon reaching the apartment building.
As they neared the entrance,
An orange figure darted from a corner, blocking them.
Uzumaki Naruto.
Bruised and dusty—like fresh from a fight—but his blue eyes shone brightly.
"Hey!"
He faced Karin, tense, expectant, a bit reluctant.
"Uh... sorry! I got too excited in class today."
He scratched his head sheepishly.
"I just... never met anyone with my surname before."
Karin instinctively moved to hide behind Sora.
But as she stepped, Sora's words echoed.
"Just punch them."
"I'll back you up."
Her foot stopped.
She looked at the grinning blond boy.
He seemed... harmless.
Seeing her not flee, Naruto grew bolder.
"Even if our hair's different colors, we share the Uzumaki name, right?"
"So from now on—we're friends!"
He flashed a big, gap-toothed grin and extended his hand again.
Karin eyed the hand, then Sora's amused "good show" expression.
She hesitated.
Just then,
"Dead-last, what are you doing here?"
A cool, arrogant voice from the side.
Uchiha Sasuke emerged from the shadows, hands in pockets.
Scrapes on his face too—courtesy of Naruto, no doubt.
"Snob Sasuke! Mind your own business!" Naruto snapped back instantly.
Sasuke ignored him.
His gaze pierced past Naruto, fixing on Karin.
"Will my brother come tomorrow?"
He asked.
Tone carrying tiny, unnoticed expectation.
The two brats squared off again.
Sora watched, entertained.
Quite the show.
Karin trapped between, flushed and flustered.
She looked pleadingly at Sora.
He merely shrugged, mouthing "handle it yourself."
Karin took a deep breath.
Recalling Sora's words, she summoned her life's greatest courage.
"You guys..."
Her voice tiny, mosquito-like.
But enough for Naruto and Sasuke to pause and turn to her in unison.
"You're... too noisy."