"Whitebeard-sama!" Realizing the red-haired woman was special, Kakashi quickly stepped forward and said, "Please, show mercy. She might be related to Naruto."
Whitebeard didn't need Kakashi to ask for mercy.
He wouldn't harm this red-haired woman.
Not because he wouldn't hit a woman.
But because he had heard the Hidden Grass ANBU talk to her… She was a woman whose family was held hostage, her family threatened by villains.
Such despicable behavior…
Whitebeard despised the most.
However.
When Kakashi mentioned she might be related to Naruto, Whitebeard's interest piqued: "Oh? This red-haired girl is related to my foolish son?"
"Yes." Kakashi said seriously, "If I'm not mistaken, she's from the Uzumaki clan! I didn't expect to find an Uzumaki here in the Land of Grass."
"Uzumaki clan? Huh! Uzumaki?"
Whitebeard didn't know what the Uzumaki clan was, but he knew his foolish son was named Uzumaki Naruto.
"She's related to me?"
Naruto was confused.
How could a red-haired lady suddenly be related to him?
"I… I'm not from the Uzumaki clan. I don't understand what you're talking about…" Fushi swallowed nervously.
She realized the situation was dire.
Kakashi said, "Your anxiety has already betrayed you."
"Hey!" Naruto gritted his teeth and said, "If you share the same surname, why did you attack my dad?"
Fushi, the name of Karin's mother, faced Naruto's question.
She was stunned.
She looked at Naruto and said, "You have the Uzumaki name, too? But you have blond hair… are you mixed-blood?"
Naruto's striking blonde hair was different from the Uzumaki clan.
She lowered her head and said, "I never attacked you. I've been standing behind the tree the whole time. They wouldn't give me any ninja tools because, to those ANBU, I'm just a walking medical blood bag."
"ANBU?" Kakashi glanced at the bodies on the ground.
He saw no ninja headbands or other distinguishing marks.
"Which village are they from?"
Kakashi asked.
"From the Hidden Grass Village." Under the intense gaze of Whitebeard and Kakashi, Fushi felt immense pressure.
She didn't want to reveal too much.
To avoid implicating her daughter.
But.
The bone-deep fear and the overwhelming scent of blood made it impossible to control her instincts.
So, Fushi replied bitterly, "They're all ANBU from the Hidden Grass Village."
"Damn it! Why would the Hidden Grass Village attack my dad?" Naruto was angry: "We didn't provoke them; we don't even know them."
Fushi weakly said, "On the way here, an ANBU mentioned that the Daimyo of the Land of Grass wants the 'giant's' head as a specimen for his collection."
"And because the Leaf's 'Copy Ninja Kakashi' knows a thousand jutsus, if they can extract these jutsus from him, the Hidden Grass Village's strength will skyrocket."
"So, the leader launched an assassination mission."
"Gurararara! A head?" Whitebeard raised an eyebrow. He could see the red-haired woman wasn't lying.
Laughing loudly, he said, "Didn't expect someone in the Land of Grass would want my head! But they underestimate Whitebeard! A bunch of nobodies thinking they can take my head?"
Kakashi, with his deadpan eyes, was very resigned.
How did this involve him, Kakashi?
"I've heard a bit about the Hidden Grass Village's behavior…"
Kakashi said, "I thought it was just rumors, but it turns out they really do that."
Just passing through the Land of Grass.
They were targeted by the Hidden Grass Village, who wanted to kill him and steal his jutsu knowledge.
This gave Kakashi a headache.
"By the way, as an Uzumaki, why are you in such a messed-up village?" Kakashi couldn't help but ask.
"Where else can the Uzumaki clan go in this world?" Fushi's face was filled with bitterness.
Kakashi suggested, "Isn't the Leaf Village close to the Land of Whirlpools? I remember… the relationship between the Whirlpool Village and the Leaf Village was very good."
"If that relationship mattered, where was the Leaf's support when the Whirlpool Village was attacked and destroyed?"
Fushi was already filled with darkness and despair.
She sat on the ground, filled with the will to die.
She continued, "But that was the old generation's business. I was very young then. After that, I wandered the ninja world for over ten years."
"During that time, I had a child. After she was born, I raised her and came to the Hidden Grass Village. Finally, we were taken in by them."
One could hear the regret in her voice.
She didn't care about being in a hellhole herself.
But.
Putting her daughter in such a place made Fushi deeply regretful.
And filled with guilt towards her daughter.
If she hasn't tried to survive in the Hidden Grass Village. Karin wouldn't be used as a blood bag as long as she lived.
But now…
Living was a luxury.
"Big sister, what happened to your hand?" Naruto noticed Fushi's arm was covered in bite marks.
One bite mark was particularly noticeable, still bleeding.
Fushi touched her scars.
She remained silent.
"I heard the Uzumaki clan not only knew sealing jutsu but also had a special healing ability." Kakashi's deadpan eye darkened.
"Those guys must have used your blood for healing?" Kakashi naturally referred to the Hidden Grass Village: "And they've treated your child as a backup?"
Fushi remained silent.
In this situation…
Silence.
Was acknowledgment!
As Fushi bit her lip, she suddenly felt a small hand grab hers.
She looked up in surprise.
She saw the blond-haired boy had come to her.
"Big sister, you want to bite my hand?"
Naruto seriously said, "I'm an Uzumaki too. If you drink some of my blood, maybe your scars will heal? It's not nice for a girl to have so many scars!"
Naruto was indignant, very angry: "Those guys are so mean! How can they bully a big sister like this?"
Fushi was stunned.
She didn't expect a stranger child to show her such kindness, especially since she had been with the ninjas who intended to harm them.
Her eyes turned red.
Tears streamed down.
Seeing this, Kakashi's deadpan eye cleared, showing surprise.
He muttered, "It seems Naruto hasn't been led astray by Whitebeard. Maybe Whitebeard teaches better than the Third Hokage?"
Whitebeard suddenly said, "Foolish son, do you want to get involved?"
"I…"
Naruto hesitated for less than two seconds: "Dad! I want to! How can those people, as ninjas, act like this!"
His voice was young.
But resolute.
"Gurararara!!!" Whitebeard laughed heartily: "Foolish son! You need to be more confident! Say it like this—The Whitebeard Pirates will take care of this!!!"
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