Naruto: Linked to Kaguya, Corrupting the Ninja World

As Toneri led Hiashi Hyuga near the statue of Hamura, he suddenly stopped walking.

With his back facing Hiashi Hyuga, he slowly spoke, "That is the statue of my ancestor Hamura..."

"Hamura?" Hiashi Hyuga timely responded.

"Together with his elder brother Hayato, he saved the world from destruction. To continue guarding Kaguya's seal, he chose to remain on the Moon instead of Earth. He handed over control of the world to his older brother Hayato."

"But Hayato disappointed him. The world Hayato built was a failure. He scattered the 'Tailed Beasts,' causing endless conflicts that never ceased. Everyone became an offender spreading hatred."

"The existence of such humanity has become unnecessary."

"Hyuga Hiashi, will you lend me your strength and help me rebuild this world?"

"This is my ancestor's will—the world must be guided by Hamura."

Toneri turned around, his demeanor completely different from the gentle one he showed before.

He opened his eyes, empty sockets staring directly at Hyuga Hiashi, with a somewhat obsessive expression on his face.

Hiashi Hyuga felt confused and couldn't immediately grasp what Toneri was trying to say.

These few short paragraphs overflowed with information—he hadn't yet sorted it all out.

But just as he prepared to speak, a dozen glowing yellow spheres suddenly shot toward him.

Several strangers appeared abruptly, charging forward and surrounding Hiashi Hyuga.

Silently stepping backward to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, Toneri coldly watched the battle between the puppets and Hiashi Hyuga.

Hiashi Hyuga didn't know exactly how many subordinates Toneri possessed. He defeated them countless times, even destroying their bodies, but replacements always quickly arrived.

His chakra rapidly drained away, and his stamina gradually weakened.

Rather than ordering the puppets to kill Hiashi outright, Toneri simply wanted him seriously injured.

Once Hiashi completely lost his fighting ability, Toneri approached.

"Hinata, we'll meet again soon..." Toneri mentally laughed triumphantly while forming a [green chakra sphere], then stepped forward toward Hiashi who lay battered on the ground.

"Hmph..." Wiping blood from his mouth, Hiashi widened his eyes in disbelief as the [green chakra sphere] surged into his body.

The moment after, he remembered nothing.

In the Country of Hot Springs,

Hiroki found Kimimaro during training.

Upon seeing Hiroki's arrival, light reappeared within Kimimaro's otherwise dull eyes.

He'd feared he was being abandoned... again.

Before Hiroki even spoke, Kimimaro apologetically said, "Sorry, Mr. Hiroki. The Three-Tails still refuses to cooperate with me."

Hiroki nodded calmly without concern.

"Kimimaro, come with me. We are now going to rescue someone—she will become your teammate in the future."

"Teammate?" Kimimaro blinked in surprise.

"That's right, let's go." Hiroki said.

He already decided: once they rescued Karin, he would bring both her and Kimimaro back to Konoha.

After all, Konoha's Twelve Strong had two open positions—they would fit right in.

As for tailed beasts, they definitely weren't lacking either.

Should they head first to the Grass Village or Hozuki Castle?

While reaching the border of the Country of Grass, Hiroki contemplated these very thoughts.

Seeing the hesitation on his face, Kimimaro grew concerned and asked warily, "Hiroki-aniki, did something happen?"

"No." Hiroki suddenly thought of something. "Kimimaro, can you read?"

Kimimaro shook his head gloomily. "Only a little."

Hiroki figured as much—he had been locked away in prison for so long that he probably hadn't come into contact with many things.

"What about when you were at the Palace of the Country of Hot Springs? Did anyone teach you there?"

Kimimaro shook his head again.

Hiroki sighed. People with tragic backgrounds like his seemed to have missed out on so much.

He wouldn't have even thought of this if it hadn't clicked in his head just now.

The people at the Palace of the Country of Hot Springs probably assumed he'd already been educated, so they never gave it a second thought.

"We're looking for Uzumaki Karin, who's probably similar to you," Hiroki said.

He thought of Uzumaki Karin. As a living medical supply, the Grass Village ninjas probably didn't teach her much either.

The more someone knew, the more self-aware they became—and the more likely they were to resist.

Kimimaro couldn't figure out why.

Hiroki strolled slowly into the Country of Grass, Kimimaro right on his heels.

"Hiroki-aniki, aren't we supposed to be on a mission? Why don't we hurry up?"

"No rush, Kimimaro. Besides training, have you ever gone out to play before?"

"No." Kimimaro lowered his head slightly.

Hiroki silently shook his head.

"Hiroki-aniki, what difference does it make?" Kimimaro asked nervously.

"Kimimaro, I plan to make you the team leader. A leader can't act alone—being strong isn't enough. You need to understand your teammates too."

"Hiroki-aniki, who exactly are my teammates?"

"You'll find out soon—they're girls a few years younger than you."

The Country of Grass was a small nation squeezed between major powers, serving merely as a buffer zone. Its environment was already harsh, and with corrupt governance worsening things, the country's social conditions were terrible.

Although Hiroki wanted to show Kimimaro around and help enrich his inner world, there really wasn't anything worth staying for in this place.

They spent the afternoon wandering briefly through the area. As dusk approached, Hiroki led Kimimaro into a town near the Grass Ninja Village.

Since he hadn't bothered disguising himself, many people immediately recognized his Byakugan and looked away uneasily.

Hiroki didn't care.

In front of an inn, five Grass ninjas—one child among them—were checking in.

The four adults consisted of three men and one woman. The child was a red-haired girl, frail and short, clearly malnourished, her face unnaturally pale.

Unlike the adults, who wore their Grass forehead protectors properly, the girl was wrapped in a large black cloak covering her entire body. A Grass forehead protector was sewn onto one part of the cloak, appearing as though branded like livestock.

Under the cloak where nobody could see, the girl's exposed skin was covered in old bite wounds. Worse still, she wore lightweight shackles on her feet.

Seeing this, Kimimaro sighed, "Taking her on missions at her age? She must be some kind of prodigy, huh?"

"Smaller Ninja Villages should value their ninjas more. They should become ninjas much later," Hiroki muttered while stroking his chin.

"Uzumaki Karin is about the same age as Naruto and the others—they should all be eight—but she's awfully thin and doesn't look it."

Suddenly, he turned to Kimimaro and said, "She must be your teammate then."

"But she already has teammates. Are we going to take her away from them?" Kimimaro asked.

"No rush. I need to confirm first."

After the Grass Ninja group had settled into the inn, Hiroki and Kimimaro checked in too.

In his room, Hiroki silently repeated Uzumaki Karin's name and projected his consciousness outward.

In the forest, stars blanketed the sky while fireflies floated all around.

The girl sat on the grass, unmoved by the beautiful scene around her.

Dressed in ragged clothes, she clutched her knees and cried softly into them.

A voice cut through the quiet.

"Beautiful spot for someone all alone... Are lonely people always this deep inside?"

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