The night had fallen.
Under the moonlight, the ruins looked desolate. In the midst of the ruins, a small wooden cabin stood out, seeming slightly eerie.
In the clearing before the cabin, a campfire burned fiercely.
Over it hung a golden-brown wolf, skinned and gutted, roasting to perfection.
Golden droplets of oil occasionally dripped from the meat, creating a "sizzle" as they hit the flames, filling the air with an irresistible aroma.
Nearby, Karin sat timidly, her gaze fixed on the roasting meat, unable to stop herself from swallowing in anticipation.
Her stomach grumbled in response, her face turning red with embarrassment as she quickly averted her gaze.
"Hungry, aren't you, Karin?" Kiyoshi tore off a piece of cooked wolf meat.
With a lotus leaf conjured in his palm, he wrapped the meat carefully before holding it out to her with a warm smile.
"Here, eat up! Careful, it's hot."
Inside the cabin, Tsunade and Shizune were tending to a weakened Keiko, thoroughly examining and treating her fragile body.
As such, the dinner preparations fell entirely on Kiyoshi's shoulders.
"Huh? This…" Karin was stunned, unsure of how to react.
She hadn't expected him to offer her the first piece, and she stared in amazement at the gentle expression on Kiyoshi's face.
He held no arrogance, no condescension—just pure warmth. His not-so-tall figure seemed to glow, striking something deep within her.
"Thank you," Karin's nose stung, and her eyes welled up with tears beneath her glasses.
From as long as she could remember, no stranger had ever treated her with such kindness.
Even back in Kusagakure, people only saw her and her mother as outsiders, treating them with disdain and constant scorn.
"You're such a good person." she managed, biting into the savory meat, which tasted richer and more delicious than anything she'd ever had.
Tears flowed down her cheeks as she sobbed uncontrollably.
"There, there… don't cry," Kiyoshi gently patted her head, offering a comforting smile. Yet, deep down, he felt a pang of sympathy.
This world was indeed a harsh one. Some saw Konoha Village as a place of corruption, but for many, it was an unattainable paradise, a land where people could live with peace and stability.
"Kiyoshi, could you help prepare some porridge?" Shizune called from the cabin, instructing, "Keiko's body is too weak right now; she needs something light and easy to digest."
"Leave it to me." Kiyoshi replied with a smile.
Then he turned to Karin, whose face was still streaked with tears as she glanced worriedly toward the cabin.
"Don't worry," he reassured her gently, "Tsunade-sensei is one of the best medical ninjas in the world. Your mom will be fine."
"Thank you," Karin bit her lip, her hands clutching the roasted meat tightly as she nodded, trying hard to keep her tears in check. Yet, they fell stubbornly down her cheeks.
No one had ever treated her and her mother with such kindness.
In Kusagakure, they claimed to offer them shelter, but her mother always returned home utterly exhausted, her body covered in bite marks, unable to rest even for a day.
All they ever received were a few loaves of bread, sometimes even spoiled.
As Karin watched curiously, Kiyoshi took out a scroll and unrolled it, revealing intricate symbols and markings.
With a hand sign, a puff of smoke appeared, and to her amazement, rice, a pot, and seasonings materialized before her eyes.
"Wow…" she whispered, astonished, but still too shy to speak up.
"This is a storage scroll," Kiyoshi explained with a smile when he noticed her curiosity. "It lets you store items inside."
Then, he held his fingers together and summoned a steady stream of water from his fingertips, filling the pot with it.
After washing the rice and adding water, Kiyoshi pressed his right hand to the ground, and a low rumble shook the earth as small walls of earth rose around his hand, creating a makeshift stove to hold the pot.
He transferred some of the burning logs from the campfire, setting them beneath the pot to cook the porridge for Keiko.
His movements were efficient and precise, leaving Karin wide-eyed and speechless, her small mouth slightly open in awe.
"Is that…ninjutsu?" she asked, full of admiration as she looked up at Kiyoshi, who was only a few years older than her yet seemed so skillful.
"And…this cabin, did you make it appear too? You're amazing."
"It's nothing special…" Kiyoshi chuckled, gently patting her head. "I'm Ishikawa Kiyoshi. You can just call me Kiyoshi-nii."
"Kiyoshi-nii," she repeated softly, relaxing a little, her shyness melting away.
"Want to learn it? I can teach you," he offered, seeing her curiosity.
Karin's eyes lit up, but she still hesitated. "Really…? Can I?"
"Once you've eaten, I'll teach you how to control your chakra," he promised with a smile, checking the porridge's progress before tearing off another piece of wolf meat for himself.
In the shinobi world, everyone possessed chakra within them, though most didn't know how to harness it.
This was especially true for the Uzumaki clan, who were born with naturally potent chakra.
Even Keiko, who had never trained in ninjutsu and wasn't even a genin, had enough natural chakra to heal others.
'This girl's potential far surpasses Shizune's…' Kiyoshi mused as he finished the meat, contemplating quietly. 'She could very well be the perfect heir to pass on Tsunade's skills.'
Initially, he had intended for Danzo to take this mother-daughter pair to Konoha Village.
But since Tsunade had snatched them first, convincing Tsunade to take Karin on as her disciple didn't seem like a bad idea.
After all, Karin possessed a rare ability among the Uzumaki clan, making her an invaluable potential healer with excellent chakra control.
Kiyoshi was confident in his ability to master Tsunade's medical skills, but his ambitions extended beyond medicine alone.
Medical ninjutsu was just Root he needed to develop other secret techniques and forbidden jutsu.
In truth, Kiyoshi had a pragmatic outlook, seeing medicine as a means to an end rather than a calling.
He wasn't exactly compassionate. Once he achieved mastery, he had no intention of spending his days in hospital operating rooms treating the wounded and sick.
Compared to himself, Karin was better suited to inherit Tsunade's legacy as a healer—a true medical prodigy.
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