It's normal to get a kaleidoscope as a first deposit of six yuan, right?

A red flame formed on the surface of the sword, radiating intense heat that caused the surrounding air to distort.

"It looks pretty good, but I'll probably need to test the sword on something first." Zhi Xue withdrew her chakra, planted the sword in the ground, and took out the map.

The mission location is at a border between two countries nearby. Judging by the time, we should arrive this afternoon. Then we can go to the battlefield and test our swords against the grass ninjas. After all, the organization requires "sweeping" rather than forcing them to retreat.

Just as Zhixue was looking at the map and preparing to go to the surrounding villages to replenish her food supplies, two red lights that she happened to see in the distance caught her attention.

On the road from Kusagakure to the border, a group of Kusagakure ninja escorting provisions traveled along a wide country road with several wagons. However, this was not the place that caught Shisue's attention. Although they were probably also Shisue's target to clear out, it was obviously more efficient to take them out in one go than to do it in two separate operations.

However… strangely enough, among all these ninjas, besides the food supplies, there were also two red-haired women, a mother and daughter, who were traveling along the road with the ninja force.

Even in war, would they use two women who don't seem to have much fighting ability? Wait... red hair?

"Hurry up! How long are you going to wait to get the goods if you keep dawdling like this? If a ninja dies because you're late, you'll be in big trouble!" The ninja guarding the woman shoved the woman, whose hair was already turning grayish-red, and said sternly.

"You bastard..." A little girl with bright red hair, still in the woman's arms, poked a tic-tac-toe mark on her forehead and pointed at the grass ninja as if she wanted to say something, but was stopped by the woman.

Kusanagi scoffed disdainfully at the red-haired little girl with her eyes wide open in anger.

"If it weren't for our Grass Ninja Village taking you in, you and your mother would probably be dead among the refugees by now. Who are you trying to fool with this picky attitude? It's only because your mother protected you that you wouldn't be looking like this, brat..."

The grass ninja pinched and tugged at Karin's cheek. Feeling the pain on her cheek, two tears couldn't help but slide down her cheek. The grass ninjas who were still on their way saw this scene and instead of stopping her, they burst into laughter as if they had hit a funny nerve.

"Alright, that's enough. We still have a long way to go." Karin's mother pried Kusanagi's hand off Karin's cheek and said, swallowing her anger.

"Mother..." Looking at the woman with her head down, Karin wiped away her tears and snuggled into the woman's arms.

The haggard-looking woman rubbed Karin's head and sighed.

She had no choice but to bring Karin along this time, after all, Karin is still young, and this trip is expected to last quite a while. If she didn't keep Karin with her, who knows what those beasts from Kusagakure might do.

Just as the Grass Ninja were advancing towards the border along their route, Shiyuki, who had changed her mind, blocked their path ahead. She used her transformation jutsu to become Obito and put on the tiger-striped mask she had carried when she attacked Konoha.

"Obi-boo, I'll borrow your alternate account again. I hope you don't mind. After all, dead people don't talk..."

Chapter 98, The Uzumaki Clan

"I've heard there's been enemy activity in the south of our country. Is that true?"

"But isn't the Land of Rain to the south? That place has been sealed off for so many years, how could they possibly send troops to invade?" A few grass ninjas chatted idly on the road among the grain transport troops.

"Who knows? Isn't the former demigod Hanzo the Salamander right here? Maybe he's trying to make a comeback."

"Why worry about so much? We're sending grain north. We should just focus on our work up north."

"Makes sense."

While the grass ninjas were still chatting, their journey suddenly came to a halt, and strange, unintelligible noises could be heard ahead.

"Huh? Why did it stop?"

"I don't know, could it be a new order?"

boom!

Just as the ninjas behind were still wondering, an explosion in front alerted them. Seven or eight ninjas ran out from the front with terrified expressions. The grass ninja, who was leading the team, grabbed one of the fleeing ninjas and questioned him.

"Hey, what on earth happened?!"

"A devil! It's a devil! Don't look into his eyes!" The fleeing grass ninja broke free from the Jonin's grasp and ran back, but was stopped by the other ninjas.

Running away as soon as something happens—isn't that creating panic?

The Jonin ordered the escaped ninjas to be captured, but a strong gust of wind blew from the front, and a scarlet light shone from the smoke and dust of the explosion.

Sensing the stench of blood in the air, several grass ninja rushed in, carrying ninja swords and kunai. Then, after hearing a few sounds of sharp weapons cutting flesh, they fell silent.

Several ninjas skilled in sensory perception approached the Jonin with fearful expressions and whispered something in his ear. Instantly, the Jonin's face fell.

This is within the Land of Grass, how could such a powerful chakra reaction occur? What are the ninjas responsible for guarding the border and patrolling the roads for?

After learning the situation inside, the leader of the Jonin gave the order, and hundreds of kunai carrying explosive tags were thrown in, causing a continuous stream of blinding flames to explode. The ninjas still behind also obeyed the order and rushed in.

Feeling the detonation of the tags and the constant trembling of the ground beneath her feet, Karin fearfully clung to her mother's arms.

"Mother, the fighting is so fierce at the front, are we doomed?"

Hearing Karin's frightened trembling voice, the woman tightly protected Karin with her hands.

"Don't worry, we're in the Land of Grass, we'll be fine..." The woman felt the ground shaking more and more violently, so she picked up Karin and hid under the grain cart.

At this moment, the ninja who had pushed the woman earlier saw that the woman and Karin were hiding under the car, so he ran over and fiercely pulled the two of them out.

"Can't you see the fighting ahead? Get over there and treat them right now! Otherwise, neither of you will eat today or tomorrow!"

Seeing that Kusanagi was about to be pulled forward along with Karin, the woman quickly ran out and grabbed Kusanagi's arm, saying, "Wait, I can go alone! She's still young, she can't be like this..."

Snapped!

"We're at war! Your and your child's lives no longer belong to yourselves!"

Karin stared in disbelief as her mother was slapped to the ground. Despair in her eyes gradually turned into anger. She then bit the arm of the grass ninja, causing him to wince in pain and fly away, crashing hard into a car wheel.

"Karin!" The woman got up from the ground, heartbroken, and wanted to run over to pull her child up, but several strong arms pulled her up and dragged her forward.

"Mom!" Karin looked helplessly at her mother walking away and the arms around her reaching out to grab her, hot tears streaming down her face.

Swish!

A flash of cold light appeared, and several grass ninjas who grabbed Karin had bloody marks on their necks, falling to the ground unwillingly.

Seeing Karin's mother being dragged away in the distance, Shiki threw two shuriken in an attempt to save her, but was blocked by several grass ninja.

"Shadow Clone Technique!" Zhi Xue formed hand seals, and a shadow clone was created, carrying Xiang Lin away from the scene. Then, she slammed her hands on the ground, and a wall of earth rose up on both sides to block the incoming fireball.

"Fire Release: Demon Lantern Technique!" A dozen fireballs, each the size of a head, flew from afar and crashed into Zhixue, only to be scattered in mid-air by a burst of red blade light.

"Damn those out-of-town ninjas..." The ninja who had previously dragged Karin and her son away saw that his ninjutsu had missed and gritted his teeth as he charged toward Shiyuki. The surrounding grass ninjas, noticing that Shiyuki had moved there, also rushed over.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Wind Release: Wind Slash Technique!"

"Lightning Release - Thunderclap!"

Using her Sharingan to observe the ninjutsu aimed at her from all around, a bluish-green light rose from Shiki's body and gradually transformed into the shape of a half-giant, deflecting the ninjutsu.

The silver cross-shaped spear was planted into the ground, and the Nine-Tails' chakra spread from the spear shaft into the earth along with Susanoo. Crimson chakra arms emerged from the surrounding ground, slaughtering the numerous grass ninja. Screams and the thick stench of blood filled the entire battlefield.

Meanwhile, the grass ninjas who were about to bite Karin's mother to heal their wounds were also crushed to death by Kurama's chakra arm, their blood gushing into the air like a fountain.

If Shiki was merely testing the waters with the grass ninja before, then now she has used her full power, almost overwhelming the enemy and slaughtering the entire team of over two hundred people, leaving no one alive except for Karin and her child.

"I didn't expect you to be so ruthless. I really underestimated you. I thought you were a well-behaved little sister under your brother's command," the Nine-Tailed Fox, still inside Zhixue's body, sighed.

Shiyuki pulled the Kusanagi Sword from a corpse, shook off the blood, looked at Karin and her child cowering in a corner in the distance, and after deactivating her transformation jutsu, removed her mask and responded to Kurama—

"It's different. I usually don't care much about others. I just want the people around me to be happy. As for everything else, efficiency and the mission come first. Besides, almost all attacks are instant kills, which only looks cruel on the surface. Ah, of course, no matter how important the mission is, you still have to slack off. What's the fun in life if you don't slack off?"

As she spoke, Zhixue wiped the blood off the Kusanagi Sword, put it back into her virtual ring, and walked towards Karin and her child.

Karin, nestled in her mother's arms, heard footsteps approaching from afar, and her heart pounded with anxiety.

Karin's mother, trembling, looked at the ultimate victor of this massacre, hoping that this powerful adult would spare their lives because of their special abilities...

Just as Karin's mother was preparing her words and kneeling to beg for mercy, she was stunned when she saw Shiki's cute and innocent face.

Chapter 99, New Subordinates

Somewhere along the supply line of the Land of Grass, the place had become a scene of devastation. Splattered blood and corpses were everywhere, and the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood. Shiki, wearing the Akatsuki robe, left this hellish place with Karin and her child.

Ten minutes later, in a secluded grassland, Karin's mother tried to kneel on the ground but was stopped by Shiyuki.

"Thank you, sir, for rescuing us from this misery..."

"Don't kneel, it will shorten your lifespan." Zhixue used earth magic to create a chair for her to sit on, while Karin grabbed her mother's arm in fear.

Even though this older sister, who doesn't seem much older than her, appears harmless, she is a ruthless character who has just slaughtered hundreds. Faced with such brutal methods, the young Karin would inevitably feel some physical discomfort and fear.

Shiki smiled as she looked at Karin, who seemed terrified of her.

Karin was quite cute as a child without her glasses; her short red hair gave her a spicy, fiery vibe.

"Don't be afraid. I have no ulterior motives towards you. But that's not quite right. To be precise, saving you was a coincidence. However, I need to pay a reward to repay you. Of course, the reward I ask for is not much."

Karin and her mother were also troubled when they heard the word "reward".

They were originally captured by the Grass Ninja Village to do hard labor. It was good enough if they could get enough to eat, let alone get any money.

As Zhixue spoke, she looked towards Karin's location, causing the little girl's face to turn even paler as she hid behind her mother.

"Excuse me... how much is the reward?" Karin's mother asked Shiyuki with a worried expression.

"Hmm... not much, just 30 years, that shouldn't be a big problem, right?"

Karin's mother: ? ? ?

What does 30 years mean? Could it be... a place like that?

Karin's mother, as a member of the Uzumaki clan who had been exiled in the ninja world for many years, had naturally heard of such colorful places. Looking at Shiki's gaze as she looked at Karin, she shook her head resolutely.

That kind of place... is not a good place. In some ways, it's better to stay in Kusagakure than to become a plaything in the hands of the rich, where at least you can live with a little more dignity.

Seeing the look in Xianglin's mother's eyes, Zhixue understood and then explained, "I am not the kind of person you think I am. The 30 years I mentioned are the time for her to work for me for free."

"Working?" Karin's mother's expression froze.

"It means working for me and earning money, truly belonging to me. Of course, 30 years is a time limit, and at that time I will return her freedom." Zhixue pointed in Xianglin's direction and said.

"Excuse me... what kind of work do you need to do? Actually, I can also take over the child's work." Because she was afraid it was too dangerous, Karin's mother asked cautiously.

"Well, it's all about making money. As long as she can make money, that's fine. I won't restrict her too much. As for you, forget it. Your life force is already severely depleted. You should rest for a few more years. Maybe you can live to 50." Zhi Xue said, channeling a wisp of chakra into Karin's mother's body.

"50 years old? No, Mom will definitely live to be 100!" Hearing Zhixue say that her mother could only live to be 50, Xianglin hugged her mother's waist in disbelief.

Karin's mother, who was well aware of her own physical condition, smiled and shook her head.

She would be very happy if she could live to 50. She would be able to see Karin grow up and live safely in this world, and that would be enough.

"What? Little one, do you want your mother to live a few more years?" Zhixue stepped forward and rubbed Xianglin's head as she spoke.

Hearing what Zhixue said and feeling the comfort emanating from above her head, Karin's fear lessened considerably. She cautiously glanced in Zhixue's direction and asked curiously, "Really? You can extend my mother's lifespan?"

“Of course, it’s not difficult for me,” Zhi Xue said with a smile.