The Enlightened One Ch.75 (Patreon)

— Karin Uzumaki —

“This was a massive waste of time.” The large, scarred man, her Jonin sensei, sneered as he held her arm tightly. “Fucking trash died to a fucking bear!” 

Karin clutched her heart with her free hand at the thought of that traumatic attack in the Forest of Death. 

— Flashback —

BANG

“Roaaar!” 

Karin jumped backward, narrowly avoiding the large bear’s claws that sliced into the bark of a tree. 

With some distance between her and the bear, she could see the animal’s full size, its salivating maw, and the cold look of a hardened killer in its eyes. 

“Karin!” 

She snapped out of her negative thoughts and looked up to one of her teammates as he descended down on her.

“I need to heal!” He roared at her, forcing the young girl to flinch and pull up her sleeve. Her teammate roughly grabbed her arm and bit his teeth into her skin. She winced in pain, and a green glow of chakra enveloped his body.

“Stay the hell back, and let us handle this!” He glared at her as he jumped back up, ready to fight once more. 

She meekly clenched her fists but kept them down. If they wanted her out of the fight, she’d stay out of the fight. It was her duty to heal them.

Beads of sweat ran down her forehead as she watched her teammates weave around the bear, launching jutsu at it and hurling shuriken to no avail. The longer she watched, the less hope she had that they’d succeed. 

“Rahhh!” 

Her heart ran cold as the massive bear’s claw came down on one of the Grass shinobi. His body was shredded as the claws cut through him. 

“Katu!” Her living teammate shouted as they watched the bloody chunks of Katu drop to the earth. “I’ll kill you!” He roared, launching himself at the back of the bear’s head-

CRUNCH

The bear turned its neck and clamped its jaw, crushing the man between its teeth. Karin watched in fear as her teammate, Shigeri, looked toward her; even on his deathbed, she could see the desperation in his eyes, the need for her flesh to heal him-

CRUNCH

Karin watched in pure horror as the bear began to chew Shigeri, enjoying his meal and swallowing the mangled grass shinobi down its gullet. 

Blood leaked from its maw as it licked its teeth in delight. A moment later, it turned its head toward her, its eyes glinting in hunger as they locked on her.

…Was this where she died?

She didn’t even wait for her mind to answer that question, she crouched down and jumped away as hard and fast as she could. 

She didn’t want to die! Not here, not yet! 

A flash came into her mind of her mother, then her body, lying under a white cloth with bite marks all over her. 

Suddenly, her body slowed and as she landed on a tree branch, she lost her footing and fell forward toward the forest floor. 

What was the point of living here, if that was going to be her fate as well?

As she fell, she brought her hand to her heart as tears streamed toward the ground. 

This…this was better.

“Raaah!” 

Suddenly, her fall ended, but she didn’t hit the ground, instead she was going upward. Karin slowly opened her eyes to see that she was in the arms of a boy, one she quickly recognized as the current Senju head. 

Lei Senju. 

Why was he here? 

“Raaah!”

As she glanced back at the bear chasing them, she realized that she didn’t care why, only that he had come.

He glanced down at her, his face lacking emotion as he landed on a tree branch. 

“Can you stand?” He asked, and she snapped out of her mind to meekly nod. “Good, stay here.” He ordered, looking back at the bear. 

“Wait, are you gonna take that thing on alone?!” Karin asked, the deaths of her teammates fresh in her mind. 

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?” He asked as he looked back at her. The way he eyed her and by the tone of his voice, she could tell that he was genuinely curious. Did he not see the giant man-eating bear?!

He turned around and walked forward, ready to jump off of the tree. Realizing that he was gonna get himself killed like her team, she walked forward and grabbed the back of his shirt gently.

“Please…don’t,” Karin whispered as tears streamed down her face. She couldn’t bear to see another person die today. As she cried, the tears fell down to her glasses. 

Lei looked back at her with a frown. 

Then she felt a weight gently fall on her head. She slowly looked up to see the weight was his hand. It felt… nice and she could feel her blood rushing to her cheeks.

“I’m sorry you went through such a loss, but trust me, I’ll be fine.” He offered her a reassuring smile, but the tears wouldn’t stop falling. She didn’t believe him. He gently took her glasses off her face and wiped them clear using his shirt before handing them back to her. “Leave it to me.” 

With those words he turned around to stare down at the feral bear that had reached the tree they were standing on. 

“Graah!” It roared as it dug its claws into the bark, preparing to scale the tree to reach them. The brown-haired boy held up a hand seal, and within his hand, a wood tanto appeared. A quiet gasp left her as she felt the sheer warmth of his chakra. The wooden blade was coated with green chakra that seemed to burst with life and energy. 

Karin wondered quietly how someone's chakra could be so full of life and vitality, but as Lei hopped off of the tree branch, her thoughts shifted to fear and worry. 

She dropped to her knees and peaked over the edge, watching Lei descend. The large bear noticed his approach and opened its maw, ready to take a bite out of the Senju clan head and end his life-

FWOOOSH

As Lei fell, he planted his feet on the tree's bark and launched himself downward at a speed she couldn’t track. 

SHING

Within less than a second, her eyes locked onto Lei’s form. He stood on the forest floor, looking away from her and the bear. Meanwhile, the bear still had its claws dug into the tree—only it wasn’t moving.

A loud squelch of ripping flesh rang out as the top half of the bear’s head slid off his body. Slowly, its massive body began to fall backward-

CRASH

Karin’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes widened as she looked at the body of the bear that had slain her teammates. 

Lei Senju…he killed it, and she didn’t even see him do it! 

Just how strong was he…? 

“Hey!” He called out from the forest floor, snapping her back to reality as she looked down to where he was standing. “You should probably leave the forest. Your life is not worth continuing this exam!” 

She frowned but nodded as she began to descend the tall tree. 

As she reached the forest floor, she slowly walked over to him, the boy who had saved her life, and bowed her head. “Thank you.” 

Lei didn’t answer. Instead, he offered his hand to her. She took it, and he shook hers. 

“I’m Lei Senju, and you are?” He asked with a knowing smile that convinced her he already knew her name. 

“Karin Uzumaki.” She answered quietly. 

“I wish we could have met under better terms, Karin, but considering we’re technically enemies, these are the best terms we could get.” Lei chuckled, but Karin couldn’t bring herself to laugh after everything that had happened today. He pulled his hand back, crossed his arms, and tilted his head at her. “So, are you heading out of the forest now?”

“...Yeah, I think I will,” Karin answered, her tone filled with defeat.

“Alright, I’ll escort you.” He smiled, making her look up at him in shock. 

“Wait, but I’m an enemy shinobi; why would you do that?!” Karin asked, stepping backward as her hands shook. Did he know about her healing ability? Did he want to capture her in the name of Konoha?

“It’s really no big deal.” Lei shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m a clone you see. The real me is running around the forest with my team, so bringing you outside is no real hindrance to me.” 

His explanation caused her jitters to stop and shock to replace them. He…was a clone?! Her mind began to race as she thought about just how strong this boy was if a mere clone could take out a shinobi-eating bear that easily. 

Her worry about him taking advantage of her slowly began to fade. If he wanted to capture her, he could have already knocked her out and run her back to the village in the time it took him to save her and answer her questions. 

Even if his intentions were wicked, she couldn’t do anything if she wanted to avoid a cruel death. 

“Thank you.” She bowed again, earning Lei's laugh. 

“Seriously, it’s no big deal, hop on.” He waved her off before turning around and crouching down with his arms extended behind him.

She stared at him in confusion before realization set in, a warm blush climbing her face. 

“I-I can move just fine!” She stuttered out, utterly embarrassed by the sudden offer. 

“Yeah, but I’m fast, I’d rather get this done quickly so I can go about the exam in peace.” He responded back after a moment and she began to weigh out her options. 

In truth, he was doing this out of the kindness of his heart, or at least that’s what he wanted her to believe. To force him to take his time bringing her back would be selfish, especially if his intentions were actually pure. 

“...A-Alright.” She stepped forward and mounted his back. His legs gripped her thighs firmly, making her entire face go red as he stood up. 

“Hang on tight.” He glanced back, and she followed his command. 

FWOOOSH

She pressed her head against his back as the wind brushed past them. He was so fast! Her arms wrapped tightly around his torso as the initial shock of his speed began to wear off. 

This boy, or a clone of him at least…She wondered how someone could get chakra this warm. It was hard to not relax when next to him. The sheer amount of life energy he exuded was enough to make her feel as if everything was going to be okay, even though she knew things would likely only get worse when she made it out of the forest. 

But at this moment, she didn’t care about any of that. 

His warmth…it was intoxicating; it felt right. Slowly, she closed her eyes and for the first time since her mother’s death, she felt safe.

— End of Flashback —

Lei had stayed true to his word and escorted her out of the forest before heading back in. She made her way back to the village and told her sensei about what had happened, which had angered the man horribly. 

Now they were leaving the village, and as things stood, she’d never get a chance to take the Chunin exams again. Not after what had happened today.

“Move your ass.” Her sensei, Zosui, glared back at her as he tightly pulled on her wrist. “Fucking embarrassing. Those little shitlings died to a fucking bear of all things. At least it weeds out the trash, filth like that would never have become anything of importance.” 

Tears fell down Karin’s face as she was reminded of the brutal deaths of her team. Shigeri and Katu weren’t nice to her, she didn’t even think they liked her at all, but they were still her team, and their loss saddened her deeply. 

“From now on, you’ll fulfill your duty and stay in the tents to heal our wounded like your mother; I won’t risk anything happening to you.” Zosui-sensei growled as they passed through the gates of Konoha. “We’re going full speed back, so get ready to move your ass!” 

“Mmm.” She hummed out quietly in fear of what would happen if she spoke her mind. 

The thought of her mother, being used for her body and healing abilities until her death, flooded her mind. That was to be her fate as well…a horrible life and then a tragic, sudden death. 

Would anyone even care when that day came? 

As Zosui-sensei began moving at full speed, roughly dragging her behind him, she cringed at the cold chakra the man carried. Cold and full of bad energy. 

She closed her eyes as her mind brightened at the thought of the boy who had saved her. His warm, ever-glowing chakra felt like the warmest blanket imaginable. Energy so full of life it could revitalize a dead garden. 

She’d never feel that warmth again, not where she was going. 

FWOOOSH

Her eyes shot open as Zosui-sensei suddenly came to a stop, landing on a tree branch and pulling her tightly to his chest. 

She looked back, trying to figure out why they had stopped so abruptly, before looking forward and seeing someone standing on a tree branch ahead of them. 

A quiet gasp left her lips as the warmth that she had once felt flooded her body once more. 

“Lei Senju…” She whispered.

Lei stood in front of them with one hand on the bark of the tree he was standing on while the other was in a hand seal; she could tell he was infusing his chakra in preparation for a fight. 

“What the hell are you doing in my way, brat?” Zosui-sensei snarled at the green-eyed boy, who looked back at her sensei with indifference. 

“I’ve come here to make a proposition.” He explained after a moment of silence. 

“Well, I don’t wanna hear you at, Senju.” Her sensei responded back with venom.

“That’s fine; the proposition wasn’t for you.” He shrugged and looked at Karin. 

“Doesn’t matter, I speak for her as well.” Zosui-sensei pulled out a kunai as he began to loosen his grip on her. 

Karin looked at her sensei in confusion and a small amount of worry. He had to know that attacking the Senju head would invoke the wrath of Konoha, even if Lei was the one to initiate a battle. As cold and heartless as Zosui-sensei was, he wasn’t stupid. She could tell he was trying to bluff Lei away, but judging by the boy’s uncaring attitude, he wasn’t succeeding. 

“That’s not how things work,” Lei explained, his chakra growing more lively as it began to spread around the area. Karin watched in fascination as flowers bloomed on the earth beneath them and the stray branches of trees around them lengthened. 

She was right; his chakra was so lively it spread its vitality with others! 

“I don’t give a fuck; I ain’t hearing shit out, so move out of my way or I’ll move you myself.” 

“Big words coming from a man with a bigger forehead.” Lei shot back immediately, making Zosui-sensei narrow his eyes in anger. “Listen, I couldn’t care less about your feelings on the matter. My business is with Karin Uzumaki.” 

Zosui-sensei’s face scrunched as he began to weave through hand seals. “You little-”

“That wouldn’t be wise.” 

Both Karin and Zosui-sensei froze as a kunai was pressed against the older man’s throat. 

“Took you long enough, Anko.” Lei smiled at the woman who had a blade against her sensei’s throat. 

“I’m a busy girl~” The Chunin instructor of the Second Exam, Anko purred out, tightening her grip around the kunai handle. “Now then, why don’t you let go of the girl?” 

Zosui glared at Lei for a long while before throwing Karin away toward the trunk of the tree. Karin grabbed onto it to stabilize herself, maintaining her balance. 

“Good, now get lost,” Anko ordered with a cold tone. Zosui glared back at Anko before looking at Karin, his eyes narrowed at her before his gaze shifted to Lei. 

“My village will not stand for this.” He growled out. 

“Then you can file a complaint.” Lei returned the man’s glare. “Or you can fight and die here, your choice.” 

Zosui scoffed, slowly walking forward before dropping down to the forest floor. He cautiously continued walking for a few dozen meters before hopping away into the trees. 

Karin let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. 

“You look pretty shaken up. Is this your first time being kidnapped?” Anko asked, walking over to her and patting her head. 

“...” Karin didn’t know how to answer that question, so she didn’t.

“Judging by the silence, I would say that’s a yes.” Anko grinned. “Why don’t you come over here and calm her down, you troublemaker.” 

Lei leaped over to the branch they were standing on and slowly walked over to her. As he did, she could feel the same rejuvenating chakra wash over her, soothing her dark thoughts and fears of what was next. 

He placed his right hand on her shoulder and gave her a straight face. “Now that we’re under better circumstances, what do you say we talk?” 

“...Talk?” Karin asked quietly, earning a nod from Lei.

“Your sensei would have interrupted me at every step or threatened you, forcing you to turn deaf ears on my offer.” 

That…sounded like her sensei, and she wouldn’t be surprised if Lei was right about that. 

“Offer?” Karin looked up into the boy’s green eyes as they seemed to sparkle with something she couldn’t place. 

“It’s a simple one.” He grinned. “I want you to stay in Konoha.” 

She blinked at that. 

“Maybe I came on too strong.” Lei chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. “Listen, Karin, we know about your ability to heal people.” 

Karin’s hand tensed and her shoulders began to shake. So it was true; he wanted her ability to use her for the betterment of Konoha. 

“That being said.” Lei continued. “I know how the grass shinobi have been treating you.” 

Karin slowly looked up, hesitance dancing in her eyes, but as Lei slid his hand down her shoulder and over to her wrist, she did nothing to stop him. He gently pulled down her shirt sleeve to reveal the many bite marks that littered her arms. He frowned as he saw it and pulled her sleeve back up. 

“Nobody should have to go through that. Especially not someone our age.” Lei shook his head. “Which is why I want to make you this offer. Come back with me to Konoha and I promise no one will ever use your body without your permission again. You’ll be clothed, fed, and have a place to stay, and should anyone ever threaten you again, they will face my wrath.” 

Karin’s eyes widened at Lei’s offer. It…sounded too good to be true. All her life she had known nothing but servitude, and yet he was promising that she’d be safe and free to live her life. 

She almost didn’t believe him.

Almost.

When she felt his chakra dancing around him like a bright sun shining upon all below it, when she saw his inviting smile that brought a heat to her cheeks that she couldn’t deny…she had to believe him, even if it was a lie, the offer was too good to pass up.

If things didn’t go as planned here, the worst that would happen is her body would be used for another village’s purposes. Nothing would change and her life would slowly wither away until she died, just like her mother. 

But if things did…

Karin bowed low, her fingers digging into her scrawny knees. “P-Please…if you’ll have me.” 

Lei gently grabbed her shoulders, making her return to a standing position then he placed his hand on her head. 

“Of course, trust me, your life is yours from now on.” Lei smiled warmly.

That was the crack that broke the dam of tears that had been on the verge of bursting out. She rammed her head into his chest and began to sob loudly into his shirt. His arms wrapped around her tightly as she let years of pain and suffering out on him.

Minutes went by of her crying, and only when she stopped did Lei offer his hand to her to begin their trip back to Konoha. 

As they hopped through the trees, a feeling that had been foreign to her until recently filled her heart. Anticipation, excitement, and happiness. She didn’t know if she would truly be guaranteed the things Lei promised, but she trusted him if nothing else. He was a beacon of life and hope, and she’d follow him even if it led her to a life of suffering. 

— Lei Senju (Hours Later) —

I walked out of the guest bedroom in my main house and let out a sigh. In truth I hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly in getting Karin to switch sides, but I’m glad things worked out in the end. I’m not going to lie, I forgot most of her lore and even now don’t remember much of it, but merely glancing at the bite marks that littered nearly every inch of her body confirmed how horrible her life has been until now. 

After getting her back to the village, the first thing I did was take her to the Hokage’s office, where Gramps was waiting for us. I had already told him my plan ahead of time to recruit Karin, and he didn’t object. Had Karin been from any village of considerable military might, I doubt he would have let me go through with it, but luckily she was from the Hidden Grass Village. 

Gramps had spoken to her, asking questions about her life until then and the horrible things I heard strengthened my resolve in having her see a better life. 

We didn’t have to go through the long process of creating a Konoha citizenship for her, instead, I signed her on as one of my servants for my clan. It was a quick fix to her problem, allowing her to act as a Konoha citizen under the umbrella of the Senju Clan. She’ll still need actual citizenship if she wants to continue being a shinobi, but until she tells me that’s what she wishes to do, she’ll live her life in my compound, a life of luxury, nothing less than she deserved after the hell that had been her life until now. 

“Looks like it worked out, kiddo~” Anko sing-songed as she stepped forward and elbowed my shoulder. 

“Mhm, it went better than I expected.” I grabbed my shoulder and rolled my arm, trying to loosen it up. The stress of everything that happened in the last day or so was catching up to me now, and I wanted nothing more than to lay in bed and sleep for a few days. 

“You did a good thing, you know that?” Anko said a bit more seriously as she leaned against the wall. 

“It’s not perfect, but it’ll do for now.” I nodded. 

“To her, it’s like she’s in paradise now.” Anko looked up at the ceiling. “Trust me, I would have given anything for this opportunity when I was younger.” 

I frowned as I looked at Anko, her hair shadowing her face. It’s strange, with her bubbly attitude, sometimes I forget that she was Orochimaru’s student and was experimented on. Then, even after she was freed from his grasp, the people of Konoha looked upon her with distrust, all because she was once associated with Orochimaru.

At that moment I realized that there was more than one person in my house that needed some comfort. 

I walked over to her, earning her attention, and stopped just in front of the Tokubetsu Jonin. She eyed me curiously, and I offered her my hand. A few moments passed just like that before she took it. In one quick move, I yanked on her hand, pulling her into my arms, and held her tightly.

A surprised breath escaped her and her hands pressed against my chest. As I looked down at her, I could see that she was in her own head after getting over the initial surprise, deciding whether or not to push away from me. 

Ultimately, she didn’t. 

I held her for a long while, no words leaving either of us as she rested her head against my chest. 

After a couple of minutes, she gently pushed my chest, creating a bit of space as she looked up at me. 

“You’re bold, kid.” She breathed out softly. My eyes widened slightly at the sight of her cheeks tinged red. Our faces were close, mere inches apart. I could feel her hot breath hitting my chin.

I didn’t answer her. I leaned down a bit more so our faces were closer and to my surprise, she maintained eye contact, not moving away in the slightest. 

She wanted this…

I leaned in closer, pressing my lips against her full, supple lips in a chaste kiss. To my surprise, she pushed me away, separating herself from my arms. 

“Anko…” I started before stopping myself. I didn’t even know what the hell to say in this situation. 

She avoided my gaze, tilting her head away. 

“...Perhaps too bold.” With those words, she walked down the hallway toward the exit. 

I stood in place for what felt like minutes as I watched her form disappear around a corner. 

“…Holy shit.” 

— Chapter End —

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