Chapter 060: Bai and Xianglin

Having had her thoughts exposed by Karin, Aki felt a bit embarrassed, a blush spreading across her cheeks. Beside her, Hinata looked on with curiosity; she hadn't noticed anything amiss. On the surface, Haku appeared to be a beautiful young girl—who would have thought he was actually a boy?

But then again, when had Naruto become acquainted with these two?

Indeed, the visitors were none other than Haku and Karin.

The letter Naruto had asked Aki to deliver to Kabuto was, in fact, a request for people from Orochimaru. He wanted these two specifically; Naruto had taken them under his wing long ago, entrusting their care to Orochimaru ever since.

Haku was a member of the Yuki Clan, possessing the rare Kekkei Genkai—Ice Release. The Yuki Clan, ostracized by Kirigakure in the Land of Water, had nearly been wiped out by the time Orochimaru found them. Haku was the last of his line capable of wielding the Ice Release.

Orochimaru had coveted Haku, the sole surviving heir of the Yuki Clan, but in the end, he had reluctantly let him return to Naruto—a gesture of sincerity that could hardly be questioned.

Haku himself had long ago resolved to serve Naruto. The two had met before. Haku had been abandoned by his own people, and even within Ryuzokukai, he had been an outcast. Orochimaru, clueless about caring for a child like Haku, only knew how to help others train.

It had ultimately been Naruto, during one of his occasional visits to the Ryuzokukai headquarters, who encountered the empty-eyed Haku and managed to offer him guidance. Though, to be fair, 'guidance' might be too generous—Haku had never known the purpose of his own existence. Now, he simply regarded serving Lord Naruto as his reason for living.

The other visitor, Karin—her red hair was a clear sign that she belonged to the Uzumaki Clan, making her Naruto's kin. Karin excelled at gathering intelligence and possessed an acute sensory ability; in terms of ninjutsu, she specialized in medical and sealing techniques, making her the model of a standard Uzumaki ninja.

“Brother Naruto, it’s been so long,” Karin said, approaching him and giving him a hug.

She, too, had met Naruto before, back when he visited the Ryuzokukai headquarters. In her eyes, Orochimaru was invincible. Yet whenever Orochimaru mentioned Naruto, it was with unreserved praise, which had sparked a deep curiosity in Karin toward this peer of hers.

Later, when Naruto went to Uzushio Village, Karin followed. There, she witnessed only a fraction of Naruto’s true power, which ignited in her a fervent desire to follow him. She wanted to accompany this powerful kinsman and peer, to witness vistas she had never seen before.

“You’re all the people I trust most. There’s no need for empty words,” Naruto said to the four present.

“The reason I called you here is simple: I need help,” he continued. “I need people strong enough, people I can entrust with everything without reservation, to help me—seize the Land of Waves!”

...

A few days later, two squads of ninja set out from the Hidden Leaf Village, one after the other.

The trailing group was Team 7, led by Kakashi. They had been assigned a C-rank mission: to protect the bridge-builder Tazuna of the Land of Waves until the completion of his bridge spanning the sea.

The team ahead was moving at a much faster pace, consisting of only three members: Haku, Aki Uchiha, and Karin. Their task was to reach the Land of Waves first and lay the groundwork for Naruto’s plans.

The difference in speed between teams with and without civilians was astronomical. With no ordinary people to slow them down, Haku’s team traveled at full speed, reaching the coast of the Land of Fire within just a morning and an afternoon.

Gazing at the bustling construction site of the massive bridge, Karin couldn’t help but complain, “They have enough money to build a bridge of this scale, but not enough to commission a higher-ranked mission? Saving a little money here only endangers everyone.”

C-rank missions were only accepted by rookie genin or jaded chunin looking to pass the time. After Naruto’s explanation, they all understood the current situation in the Land of Waves. Sending such complacent ninja into that chaos would almost certainly mean their doom.

Aki snorted coldly but said nothing. She, too, was frustrated with the village leadership.

Aki couldn’t believe the Konoha higher-ups were unaware of the situation in the Land of Waves. In such turmoil, Tazuna’s mission could easily warrant an S-rank, or at the very least an A-rank classification. Yet the leadership had issued it as a C-rank mission—had they even verified the intelligence?

Had Team 7 not taken the mission, Aki shuddered to think how many ninja might have perished because of it. She was also displeased at how readily the leadership had allowed Team 7 to carry out such a mission. Perhaps they intended to use Team 7 for some purpose in the Land of Waves? Or maybe they believed Kakashi could see all his students safely home? Whatever the case, Aki had nothing but contempt for such disregard of human life.

Haku cleared his throat and said, “Alright, you all remember Lord Naruto’s plan. We must act with precision and caution!”

“Yes!” came the response.

Meanwhile, because they had to accommodate Tazuna—a civilian without chakra—Team 7’s pace was little faster than a snail’s crawl. Whether it was guilt over misreporting the mission’s rank or simply his nature, Tazuna was insufferable, chattering endlessly along the way.

At every stop, he would go on and on, spinning tales even about a clump of moss on a tree root by the roadside, weaving it into a tragic story of love and enmity—almost as if the moss had sprung from a spot once graced by the Sage of Six Paths’ own dog.

Of course, this irritation was mostly felt by Sakura Haruno; the other three were far more relaxed. Naruto was in no hurry, treating the journey like a vacation. Whenever Tazuna spoke, he would pause to observe the local scenery and customs, comparing them with Tazuna’s stories. Sasuke simply mirrored Naruto’s actions, treating it as a break. Kakashi, meanwhile… his copy of “Little Liu Bei” seemed endless, his interest in it never waning.

As they passed a puddle, Sasuke shot Naruto a glance. Naruto acted as if he hadn’t noticed, going about his business. Sakura, however, noticed the puddle and felt a twinge of unease. Why was there a puddle here? It hadn’t rained for days.

She scanned their surroundings anxiously but found nothing amiss, though the unease lingered. Seeing Kakashi’s calm demeanor, Sakura suppressed her worry and continued on.

Yet, as Kakashi passed the puddle, two ninjas suddenly emerged from it, clinging to each other in a sight almost painful to behold.

“Hmph, so this is the standard of Leaf shinobi? Such an obvious trap, and they didn’t notice a thing!”

“Your heads will make a fine trophy for the Demon Brothers!”

“Hey—take this!”