Chapter 42: Senju Tobirama: "No Problem, I'll Handle It"
The moment he saw Karin, Yumesaki immediately realized who the red-haired woman was. If his memory served him right, this woman had to be Karin's mother.
Yumesaki remembered from the Naruto storyline that after the destruction of Uzushiogakure, Karin and her mother had drifted until they reached Kusagakure to seek refuge. In exchange, Karin's mother became a living blood bag for the village. Because she possessed the same ability as Karin—Heal Bite.
In the end, she had died after being bitten to exhaustion by the Kusagakure ninja. After her death, the role of the village "blood bag" passed from the mother to Karin herself.
However, in this timeline, the Uchiha clan had only recently been massacred. Uchiha Sasuke was about seven years old, and Karin was roughly the same age. So, Karin's mother was currently still alive.
It was obvious that when Orochimaru and Tsunade went to Kusagakure to find Karin, they found the woman still alive and brought her back along with the child. In a sense, this had completely changed the woman's fate.
Seeing Yumesaki enter, Tobirama immediately gave a brief introduction.
"Lord Yumesaki, Brother—you've arrived at the perfect time. This is Lady Kanae, Karin's mother, and the child beside her is Karin."
Yumesaki hummed an "oh." So Karin's mother's name was Kanae; that was a detail never mentioned in the original story.
Tobirama continued, "Lady Kanae, this is Lord Yumesaki. From today onward, you and Karin will be by his side to ensure his safety. As for the two individuals beside Lord Yumesaki, one is my older brother, Senju Hashirama, and the other is Nico Robin. They are all Lord Yumesaki's guardians."
Kanae immediately bowed to Yumesaki. "Greetings, Lord Yumesaki."
As for Karin, she hid shyly behind her mother, stealing several glances at Yumesaki. Whenever their eyes met, she would quickly tuck her head back. It was unexpected to see that young Karin was so timid and fearful—a far cry from the loud, abrasive woman she became in the original series.
"Just call me Yumesaki."
Yumesaki looked at the red-haired woman. He could clearly see that the exposed skin on her body was covered in bite marks. It was obvious the Kusagakure ninja hadn't treated this woman as a human being at all.
But then again, this fit the role of a ninja. Ninja were, fundamentally, a collection of killing tools. Many didn't even value their own lives, let alone the lives of others.
"Can the wounds on her body not be healed?" Yumesaki asked.
If he were to carry a woman like this around, anyone unaware of the situation would definitely take him for some kind of creep.
Tobirama spoke up. "I've checked Kanae's body. Because she was used as a blood bag for so long, a massive amount of her vitality has been drained, causing her body to suffer from a severe deficit. That's why these bite marks have never faded. However, as long as that deficit is restored, with the Uzumaki clan's natural vitality, she should recover in no time."
Yumesaki nodded. "How do we restore it?"
"Tsunade and Orochimaru are currently mixing medicine inside the laboratory," Tobirama answered. "With the help of those drugs, I believe her condition will improve shortly."
In the middle of their conversation, Tsunade pushed open the door and walked in.
"Eh? When did you get here?" Seeing Yumesaki, Tsunade asked with curiosity.
"Just arrived," Yumesaki replied.
Tsunade gave a soft hum and then said to Kanae, "The materials are ready. Follow me."
Kanae nodded and led Karin as they followed Tsunade. Feeling curious, Yumesaki followed along as well.
The group arrived at the underground laboratory. Inside, there was an oval-shaped bathtub. Orochimaru was filling the tub with a light-blue liquid. The liquid was thick, almost glowing, though the light was very faint—more like the bioluminescence of algae.
"Take off your clothes and get in," Tsunade told Kanae.
Hearing the instruction to strip, Yumesaki felt a bit awkward. He didn't think he should be there. Just as he was about to turn and leave, Tsunade noticed his hesitation, waved her hand, and said:
"There's no need. I'm sure you won't be interested in her body."
At first, Yumesaki was confused, but he quickly understood what Tsunade meant. After Kanae removed her outer layers, she was still wearing undergarments. However, her arms, thighs, and torso were covered in dense, jagged scars. Not a single inch of skin on her body was whole.
As long as a person was normal, their first reaction upon seeing Kanae's body would be horror, not attraction. Unless, of course, that person was a complete deviant.
"Those Kusagakure people really deserve to die," Yumesaki couldn't help but curse.
Orochimaru didn't argue and said calmly, "In a world like this, human life is the least valuable thing there is."
Yumesaki fell silent for a moment, then changed the subject. "What is that glowing liquid in the tub?"
"A nutrient solution created by me and Orochimaru," Tsunade answered.
Orochimaru added, "This liquid can provide a massive amount of nutrients, allowing a cloned embryo to develop into an adult body in just a few months. After the adjustments Tsunade and I made, it can rapidly fill the nutritional deficit in this woman's body and restore her health."
Tsunade continued, "However, this nutrient solution has one weakness. It can only restore physical nutritional deficits; it cannot bring back lost vitality. Although Kanae can recover her health quickly, the vitality she's lost will never return. Her lifespan will be only half that of a normal person—perhaps even less."
In other words, if a normal person could live to a hundred, Kanae might only live to fifty. And that was the ideal scenario. The harsh reality was that she would likely enter old age in her forties and pass away before reaching fifty.
There was no other way. She had been bled too dry by the ninja of Kusagakure. Tsunade and Orochimaru had already done their absolute best to restore her health.
Tobirama spoke calmly, "It doesn't matter. I'll handle the vitality issue."
While researching the Devil Fruits earlier, Tobirama had discovered that Zoan-type fruits could grant their users incredibly strong vitality and recovery abilities. This was also shown in the manga. Yakushi Kabuto, after eating a version of the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu, saw a massive boost in both his physique and vitality.
Therefore, as long as they found a Zoan-type Devil Fruit for Kanae to eat, it would be enough to compensate for the drained vitality and extend her life. If it were a Mythical Zoan, the effect would be even better.
If that still didn't work, he could also research the Giant Race from the One Piece world. The lifespan of a Giant was three times that of a human. Once the secret of their longevity was cracked, age would no longer be an issue.
Thus, Tobirama didn't care at all about Kanae's squeezed-out vitality. He only cared if she could recover her health quickly to ensure Yumesaki's safety.
As long as they had Yumesaki, everything was possible. If they lost him, all their hopes would be nothing more than a crumbling castle of sand.
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