Chapter 26
Tamari sat in her room, staring at her left hand. Though the seal was invisible to the naked eye, she could clearly feel its presence. With a bit of chakra, she knew she could activate it at any time.
She clenched the earring in her hand, frustration building inside her. Damn that bastard… Uzumaki Naruto, the so-called genius of his generation. Why had he placed these seals on her, and what did he mean by someone targeting tailed beasts?
She wanted to dismiss his words, or report them to her jonin sensei or even her father. But deep down, she knew they wouldn't believe her, no matter how serious she sounded. In the end, she chose to remain silent.
Letting out a slow breath, she looked up at the night sky through her window. They would be staying in this inn for a month until the third stage of the exams. That gave her time… time to decide what to do.
After thinking for a while, she finally put on the earring and channeled chakra into it.
(Yo, missing me already?) Naruto's voice suddenly echoed inside her mind. Tamari nearly jumped out of her skin, her heart racing from the unexpected intrusion.
(You bastard! What was that? Telepathy? Since when does Konoha have something like this?) she snapped back mentally, trying to regain her composure.
(Correction—it's mine, not Konoha's.) Naruto replied dryly.
(You just handed something like this to an enemy?) Tamari shot back, disbelief evident in her tone.
(Go ahead and show it to someone if you want. If they can recreate it, I'll be impressed.) Naruto said casually. The seals were far too complex—and written in English no one else could decode it.
Tamari fell silent for a moment before asking the real question. (What you said… about someone hunting tailed beasts. Is it true?) Her gaze drifted toward Gaara's room, where he was sleeping peacefully for the first time in years.
(Yeah. And I'm not telling you more for free.) Naruto replied.
(What's the deal?) Tamari asked, narrowing her eyes.
(I have a strange hobby of making talented kunoichi stronger.) Naruto answered lightly. (You, though… not worth it yet. Too weak.)
Tamari's anger flared instantly. She had always been praised as a genius, had trained harder than most—and this bastard had the audacity to call her weak.
(Relax, tomboy princess.) Naruto added lazily.
(Who are you calling a tomboy princess?!) she snapped.
(You, obviously. Is there anyone else here?) Naruto shot back without missing a beat.
(You—!) she started, only to be cut off.
(Forget it. Your next match is against Ino, right? She's one of the girls I trained—and she uses wind style too.)
(Hmph. Let's see how strong your "girl" really is.) Tamari replied.
(Not "girl." My girlfriend.) Naruto corrected calmly.
There was a brief pause before Naruto continued. (Back to business. If you—or your brother—secure the position of Kazekage, I can help you with a lot of things.)
(Like what?) Tamari asked, now fully serious.
(For starters, I can give you seals to solve Suna's water shortage. I can create systems to store sunlight for underground farming… or even help reclaim desert land over time.) Naruto said casually, as if he wasn't offering something revolutionary.
Tamari fell completely silent. Those weren't small promises—those were solutions to Suna's greatest problems.
(And I'm supposed to just believe you?) she asked after a long pause.
(Didn't you already believe me when you used the earring?) Naruto replied calmly.
Silence answered him.
(Yeah, thought so.) Naruto chuckled. (So how about cooperation? You help me, I help you—and Suna.)
Tamari hesitated, then finally responded. (…Fine. I'll believe you. But how do I know you can actually make me stronger?)
(You alone?) Naruto asked.
(Yes, I—) she began, but her words were cut off.
In an instant, Naruto appeared in her room using the Flying Thunder God mark and grabbed her. Before she could react, both of them vanished and reappeared inside Naruto's room leaving a FTG marked kunai in her room.
"W-What?!" Tamari blinked in shock, completely disoriented. Karin looked at her, then at Naruto, her expression turning suspicious.
"Why is she here?" Karin asked, giving Naruto a strange look.
Naruto flicked her forehead. "Stop looking at me like that. I'm not a pervert." His tone was annoyed, but casual.
He tossed a piece of equipment toward Tamari. "This is gravity training gear. Use it for a month while you're in Konoha. After that, you'll understand what I meant."
Before Tamari could even respond, Naruto teleported her back to her room, taking the marked kunai. He returned to his own room just as quickly, as if nothing had happened.
Naruto turned to Karin. "So, ready for your seals?" he asked.
Karin's eyes lit up immediately. "Don't worry, I won't tell Hinata and Ino about the Suna prin—"
Naruto bonked her lightly on the head. "I'm not bribing you, and I'm not hiding anything. I'll tell them everything in the morning."
Karin rubbed her head, pouting slightly, but her expression softened soon after. She couldn't help but feel a little envious of Hinata and Ino… but also grateful.
"Thank you, Naruto… for giving me this chance," she said softly, tears forming in her eyes.
Naruto raised his fist lightly. "No more crying. You've got me, Hinata, and Ino now. So don't worry too much." she nodded wiping her tears and fist bumped him.
After that, Naruto placed a seals on her hands—wrist storage seals and a chakra storage seal on her forehead. "Done. Now just eat, rest, and recover from everything."
"Good night," he added before walking out into the hall.
Naruto laid down on the sofa without hesitation, leaving the bed for Karin. Despite her protests, he ignored her completely.
Karin lay down quietly, staring at the ceiling, her heart finally at ease for the first time in years.