Chapter 162

Getting new information streaming into his head about a fight going on with a huge fucking snake, Naruto nearly misses the question. "Huh? Oh, uh, no. I was born in Konoha," he answers as he figures the clone by Gate 12 is hopping the fence to alert the proctors of Orochimaru now.

"Well, that doesn't have to mean anything," she mumbles to herself before she implores him, "but your family name. It's one of the prominent clans from Uzushiogakure."

"Really," Naruto asks then recalls Naru-nii mentioning his clan. "Well, I was named after kaa-chan's family, Uzumaki Kushina."

Quickly growing wide-eyed, the redhead retorts, "That's- You're kidding!"

"Uh, no," Naruto slowly assures her. "I wouldn't joke about that."

"Uzumaki Kushina," she pronounces slowly in thought. "She's apart of the most honored family in Uzushiogakure! Your whole family were so masterful at Fūinjutsu, it was practically the village's Kekkai Genkai!" Realization widens as she outwardly verbalizes her running thoughts. "Kami… your mother, and I think one of your grandmothers, were sacred members of service."

With squinted eyes, Naruto asks, "how do you know so much about my clan?"

"Your clan?" the red-haired girls retorts before realizing, "I suppose you do have a better claim than me… oh well, at least I look like an Uzumaki," she answers him with a smirk with a flick of her vibrant red hair. At his confusion, she informs him, "my name is Uzumaki Karin. I'm-well, my mother, actually, was one of the branch members of the Uzumaki clan."

"REALLY!" Naruto yells in a tall dark forest filled with many predators hunting for easy prey. She looks around nervously as she fearfully shushes his excited, "we're family!? Really! Really!"

Karin couldn't understand his level of exuberance, but she was reading a wonderful energy radiating from his chakra, and it's not like she dislikes the idea of discovering family, even if they are only second cousins.

"My mother was a survivor of the Last Days," Karin tells him.

"The Last Days…" Naruto repeats mournfully. "Is that what they call it?"

"No," Karin answers. "That's just how she'd always refer to it. 'In those last days,' she would often say. Her mind lived in the past pretty often."

"So, your kaa-san knows a lot then," Naruto asks.

"She used to," Karin answers with a nod. "She… passed away."

"Oh," Naruto mouths with sympathetic eyes. "I'm sorry. My parents passed too," he admits to her, and Naruto only then realizes he's never really admitted that aloud. Though already down, he's happy to confess as much to family.

"So, we're the Last of the Last Days," Karin morbidly jokes.

"Maybe," Naruto softly tells her. "But maybe not! I was thinking of restarting the Uzumaki clan in Konoha, and with a stupid name like the Last Days, I definitely will now. The Uzumaki clan is not gone, and now you have family and home here, Karin-chan!"

Trying to decipher between simple excitement and genuine offer, Karin asks, "wait, are you asking me to live in Konoha?"

"Hell yeah I am," he exclaims. "We're blood! Aside from being Hokage, family means everything to me!"

Though his chakra feels like ocean waves of honesty, she can't truly believe it, offhandedly commenting, "your village would never allow it."

"They will!" He readily assures her with clenched fists and stern eyes. "And Ji-chan'll help. I know he will."

"…I need to think about this," Karin weakly answers. With her past, he's simply offering her too much hope for her to easily accept.

Tilting his blond head curiously, he genuinely asks, "what's there to think about?"

"You're asking me to leave everything I know to come to a strange place," Karin reasons. "That's not such a simple thing people immediately say yes to."

"Hehe, I guess you're right," Naruto chuckles as he agrees. "We should definitely get some ramen and talk some more. I can show you how amazing Konoha is and I just know you'll love it."

"You had me at ramen," Karin smirks.

"Haku's ramen is the next best right after Ichiraku's," Naruto happily informs her before wondering, "do you think all Uzumaki's love ramen?"

"No, not at all," Karin flatly states, shaking her head. "I just love it because it's cheap and my mother hated it. Ramen is actually pretty bad for you."

"You take that back!" Naruto gripes affronted. "Ramen is Kami's gift to humankind!"

Karin laughs before stating, "my mother would've definitely smacked some sense into you, but only because she loved serving the main branch. She was a primary caregiver and would've hunted you like a yōkai if she learned a member of the main family was shortening their lifespan like that."

"What?! Ramen doesn't do that," Naruto defends.

Karin looks at him in amused surprise, listing for him, "you might get away with making homemade ramen healthier but that instant stuff lacks fiber, protein, and other crucial vitamins and minerals. Not to mention the high sodium content negatively impacts your health."

"…We were doing so well, Karin-chan," Naruto mumbles with disingenuous disappointment. "Oh well, I still love you."

"Y-You don't even know me," Karin retorts, shocked by how fast he seems to be accepting her. Ignoring her as he happily hums, "I have family, I have family," Karin calls out, "hey, will you listen to me-" She's cut off when they both hear screams, and in her case, familiar screams.

"That sounded close by," a serious Naruto notes.

"Shigeri!" Karin calls, searching for his chakra. When Naruto asks if he's her teammate, she nods and they both sprint toward the source of her teammate's cry.

TEAM EIGHT

"Hey," Naruto drops in behind Team 8, startling them. "… uh, are you guys okay?"

"Idiot," an irate Kiba calls, settling a shaking Akamaru down. "Obviously we're okay."

"Why aren't you with your team," Shino's monotone voice asks.

"I am," Naruto answers Shino before smiling at Hinata-chan. "Hey, Hinata-chan. I bet your Byakugan is super useful here huh? You can probably even see what scroll they have without having to get close!"

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