After being forcibly used to heal dozens of people, Karin was carelessly thrown some clothes, dragged out of the tent by a Grass ninja, and tossed into a small tent nearby.
"Stay put in there. I'll bring you food later. Don't even think about running anymore. The war's already over—once this batch of Grass ninja finishes their treatment and we head back to the Hidden Grass Village, won't things be easy for you? Otherwise, if you get caught again… hehe. You may be valuable, but everyone has their limits."
The Grass ninja sneered, dropped the line, then let the curtain fall and left.
Akashō, who had followed along, stepped out from the side of the tent, glanced at the retreating figure, and walked inside.
Inside, Karin lay on the ground like a corpse, her clothes disheveled. Snot, saliva, and tears flowed uncontrollably down her face, dripping onto the dirt—she was practically broken.
When Akashō lifted the curtain, a sliver of moonlight slipped in, landing right on Karin's face. Her lifeless eyes trembled faintly, probably thinking the Grass ninja had come back to drag her off for more "treatment."
A faint smile curled at Akashō's lips. He hooked the curtain open to keep the tent lit, then walked forward and sat cross-legged beside her.
Drawn by the movement, Karin's pupils regained a bit of focus. Her gaze lifted slightly. "It's you…"
"First time meeting—well, no, second time. My name's Akashō."
He greeted her with a smile, but Karin's eyes remained dull, offering no reply.
"Don't be so cold."
Akashō reached out and poked the bite marks on her neck. They were covered in the saliva of Grass ninja, mixed with her blood and pus—disgusting to look at, touch, or smell. After poking them, he immediately wiped his finger on her clothes with a look of distaste.
The touch reopened her wounds, and when his hand brushed against injuries hidden beneath her clothing, the pain finally stirred a change in her numb expression.
"Hey, little girl. Your name's Karin, right? No surname? Something like Uzumaki?"
Seeing her revert to a puppet-like stillness after the pain, Akashō's expression grew slightly impatient.
But then, as if thinking of something, a faint smile returned. He leaned down, close to her ear, and whispered softly:
"Let me put it this way… do you want to escape this hell? Do you want to kill those demons?"
The moment those two temptingly phrased questions left his lips, Karin's expression changed drastically.
Her body began trembling uncontrollably, her face filling with anger and agitation. Her lips quivered as she curled up, struggling with all her strength to lift her head.
"I do… I do… I want to leave… I want them to die…"
"Heh."
Akashō's smile suddenly turned scornful.
"And why should I help you?"
"Why…?"
Karin froze, unable to answer.
"You hesitated. Looks like you're still not suffering enough."
Akashō sighed, shaking his head as if in regret.
"Seems I should give you more time to think it over."
"Wait—wait, please!"
Seeing him stand and walk out, Karin panicked. She reached out, trying to grab him, but his figure felt forever out of reach. In the end, she could only watch as he lowered the curtain, cutting off the light completely and leaving her in endless darkness.
...
"Hurry up and get on your feet, Karin!"
"Don't make me get rough. If you keep lying there pretending to be dead, it won't end well for you!"
As the sun set, after another day of being bitten and drained, Karin was once again being forced by several Grass ninja to continue healing. By now, she had nearly exhausted all her chakra and strength. Even her senses were fading—she could only lie there weakly, letting two Grass ninja curse at her, even kick and beat her, without the slightest reaction.
"By the way, about those guys who died yesterday—did we find out anything?"