Son Goku's Disciple Naruto

*Bang!*

The door flew open with a violent kick. A drunken man stumbled into Karin's room, a bottle of wine clutched in his left hand, his right arm wrapped in bandages.

"Get the hell out now!" he roared, his eyes scanning the empty corners of the small room. The air instantly filled with the sour stench of old blood, cheap alcohol, and stale sweat. "Can't you see I'm injured?"

He kept cursing, grabbing whatever was in reach and smashing it against the floor. "Ungrateful brat... never learned any loyalty, just like your dead mother. If Kusagakure hadn't taken you in, you'd have starved out there long ago."

It was a twisted sort of logic, the kind the Kusa-nin always used. They treated Karin and her mother like animals, yet expected gratitude for the 'work' that kept them barely alive. They were never seen as people. In the eyes of the village, they were nothing more than two walking, breathing Blood Bags.

Some of the ninja were even worse. They talked about breeding more. After all, a Blood Bag eventually wore out, just like the one before Karin had. They needed a continuous supply.

If Karin hadn't been too young, if they hadn't been afraid of 'using her up' too quickly, her fate might have already been sealed. The thought was always there, lurking in the back of her mind, that in a few more years, something far more tragic awaited her.

"Takeda-sama." Karin struggled to her feet, suppressing her hunger, and forced a smile at the man.

If summoned and she didn't appear, that meant a beating.

Not answering promptly meant a beating.

Not using honorifics meant a beating.

Getting the name wrong meant a beating.

Not smiling meant a beating.

These were the lessons Karin had learned from a young age in Kusagakure. A single mistake could lead to a brutal beating. And even if she followed all the rules, she sometimes still got beaten. For example, whether she stepped in with her left or right foot first when entering a room.

"Didn't you see I was injured?" Takeda squinted his drunken eyes and repeated himself. Then he pointed to his feet. "Crawl here in front of me."

Karin knew she had been half a beat slow in answering. Another beating was inevitable later. Drunks like this hit much harder than usual. Once, Karin had been beaten so badly she almost passed out.

'It's okay, it's okay.' Karin trembled uncontrollably, trying to comfort herself inwardly. Now, she had no one else to rely on. The only one she could rely on was herself.

"Takeda-sama, I haven't eaten in a long time." Ignoring the nauseating smell coming off the drunkard, Karin came to his side and pleaded pitifully. Acting pitiful was something she had learned from a young age. Although it couldn't always save her, sometimes it could lessen the suffering. Showing a disgusted expression would also result in a beating.

"Could you please give me some-"

"Shut up!"

The drunkard grabbed Karin's fiery red hair, ignoring her struggles, and slammed her head onto the ground. Karin's forehead hit the floor hard, making a dull thud.

Once. Twice. Thrice.

*Thump. Thump. Thump.* The drunkard chuckled, clearly enjoying it. He bared his black and yellow rotten teeth, spraying spittle on her without restraint. "You haven't even done your job, and you want a reward? No food for you today."

Pain. Her scalp felt like it was being torn from her skull. The sharp impacts against the floor sent waves of agony through her, bringing her close to blacking out.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I'm sorry."

Her apologies didn't bring mercy, only fueled his cruelty. Karin tried to struggle, but her weakened body was powerless against him. She could only endure. The physical pain was nothing, though, compared to the ache inside.

'Why...?'

'Why are you doing this to me?'

'I didn't do anything wrong.'

'I didn't do anything at all...'

'I just wanted to survive...'

'Is that wrong?'

'Is it wrong to want to live?'

'Is it wrong just to survive?'

Karin didn't understand why this village held such malice towards her and her mother, nor why they suffered such inhuman treatment.

When the drunkard released his hand, thin red threads dripped from between his fingers. He let out an incredibly foul-smelling burp, and the stench filled the room.

"Time to work," he grunted. He grabbed her slender arm, hauled her up, and ripped her collar open. He leaned down, his mouth open, aiming for the soft skin of her neck.

"No..."

Karin desperately pushed against him. She understood that in her current physical condition, if she was bitten again, she would surely die from chakra exhaustion, just like her mother.

"Bitch!" Enraged by her weak resistance, he slapped her hard across the face.

Her head rang, the world spinning as she collapsed to the floor. She had no strength left to even try to stand. Her eyelids grew heavy, her consciousness blurring at the edges as her breathing grew faint.

The drunkard staggered over her, his hand reaching for her again.

'Am I... dying?' she thought distantly. 'Maybe... that's better.'

She slowly closed her eyes.

*Thump.*

A dull, heavy sound broke the silence.

A moment later, Karin felt herself being lifted. Not with the rough, bruising grip she was used to, but with a gentleness that felt alien. A warm current flowed into her body, soothing and impossibly comfortable. She was pulled into a warm embrace, one that felt like being in her mother's arms.

'Mother?' She struggled to open her eyes, but her heavy lids would only part a sliver. Through the gap, she saw a spiral mask.

'Who...?' she tried to ask, but no sound came out. 'Who are you?', being able to open her eyes even a tiny bit was already her limit.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, my lord... Please spare me." Karin heard a voice trembling with fear. It was a voice she was very familiar with...

It was Takeda...

It was Takeda-sama...

No... the demon, Takeda.

"Was it this hand that did it?" a new voice asked, calm and low. The man in the mask.

"AHH!?" A scream, followed by the sickening crunch of bone. Takeda's shrieks filled the room, punctuated by desperate pleas for mercy.

"Does it hurt?" the calm voice said. "It's supposed to hurt. This is just the beginning."

"Does it hurt here?"

"Here... here and here..."

Bones crunched continuously. Takeda's pained screams echoed in the room. Finally, the pleas for mercy and screams faded, leaving only faint whimpers, and then, into silence.

A profound sense of relief washed over Karin in the darkness.

'Angel or devil... it doesn't matter.'

The vow formed in her fading consciousness, a single point of light in the quiet dark.

'I will follow you. Forever.'

--**--**

Narrator:

When Naruto finds the lines that shouldn't have crossed... what happens when that line extends across a map covering whole village?

Can a single scream of mercy be louder than a lifetime of abuse?

How fast will Kusagakure go from "We're just doing our job!" to "He's inside the village walls!"?

When Naruto's hand reaches for you-

Will it be to help you up?

...or to tear your spine out?

Find out next time on:

"The Uzumaki Massacre: Population Control, One Corpse at a Time."

===============

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