"What? You said your name is Karin Uzumaki? Was Karin this cute and adorable when she was little?"
Upon hearing this, Li Xing was greatly surprised and couldn't help but blurt out the question he had intended to keep to himself.
Karin was startled by Li Xing's outburst, but hearing him call her cute made her blush slightly.
"No wonder I scared you unconscious last night. Karin Uzumaki, with the Kagura Shingan, must have sensed my soul. Having killed countless demons and now having killed so many people here, your killing intent must be heavy. It's normal for a little girl to be scared unconscious," Li Xing mused.
With a harmless smile, Li Xing extended a hand. "Karin, will you wander with me? Your teammates are already dead by my hand, and you'll be punished if you go back. Why not follow me?"
At this moment, Karin sensed the warmth within Li Xing, a warmth like sunshine. She slowly reached out and took his hand.
"It must have hurt a lot," Li Xing said, gently touching the wounds on Karin's hands. The people of Kusagakure were truly beastly, using a little girl as a tool.
Then, Li Xing used his Heavenly Dao power to slowly heal Karin's injuries. Wherever his hand touched, the skin became as pure white and flawless as a newborn's.
The comfortable sensation made Karin a little shy, and she couldn't help but let out a soft cry, causing Li Xing to repeatedly chant a purification mantra in his mind.
After staying at an inn for a few days, Li Xing prepared to leave the Land of Grass with Karin. Originally, Li Xing had planned to leave a grand gift for Kusagakure before departing, but Karin, remembering the kindness of her adoptive parents, asked Li Xing to spare the village's elders.
...
Two and a half years had passed since Li Xing had "intercepted" Karin. Li Xing had now grown into a handsome young man, or rather, the most handsome man in the ninja world, given his evolved state.
Long ago, Li Xing had assimilated Karin, much like how one would turn a human into a demon. However, Li Xing himself was no longer a mere demon; he was something far more advanced, a being that Muzan himself would call the ultimate lifeform.
They had traveled the ninja world together, visiting many places. Li Xing had also taken on the role of Karin's teacher, instructing her in ninjutsu. However, this disciple was rather disobedient, often contemplating turning against her master.
In the Land of Wind, Li Xing and Karin encountered a sandstorm. Li Xing, unwilling to be coated in sand, created a small sand shelter for them to rest.
"Star-kun~ It's perfect right now. We can do something we should do," Karin said, having completely let go of her inhibitions. She lay on Li Xing's chest, tracing his chest with a finger.
In truth, Li Xing also wanted to do something, but Karin was not yet sixteen. He simply couldn't bring himself to act. However, he was also helpless against Karin. Her personality was somewhat peculiar, so he could only let her act out her whims.
"Stop fooling around, Karin. Once the sandstorm passes, we'll leave this godforsaken place. It's all desert, and it's boring," Li Xing said.
By the time the sandstorm subsided, several days had passed. Li Xing and Karin left and arrived at a barren wasteland. From afar, Li Xing spotted two people fighting, one in green and one in yellow, with four others watching.
"Star-kun, there are ninjas fighting ahead. It looks like someone from Konoha and someone from Suna."
"I think I recognize those people. Let's go, we'll join them."
...
"It's wonderful to spar with a taijutsu master like you, I'm very happy, Lee!"
Zoro lay on the ground, and Rock Lee extended a hand, attempting to help him up.
"Me too!"
"Eight Trigrams Palms, Rotation!"
Just as the two were about to display their camaraderie, Neji Hyuga instantly appeared beside them, unleashing the Hyuga clan's ultimate technique, a defensive taijutsu.
However, Li Xing merely threw a stone. This genius of the Hyuga clan was somewhat superfluous.
"Who are you? You don't look like candidates for this Chunin Exam."
After using Rotation, Neji adopted a fighting stance, staring fiercely at Li Xing and Karin. Rock Lee and Tenten also stood by his side.
"We are merely wandering ronin. We saw you fighting earlier, so I wanted to spar with you all as well," Li Xing stated, making it clear he was there for a friendly match. Whether they believed him was another matter.
However, Karin couldn't stand others speaking to Li Xing in such a manner. She stepped forward, standing in front of Li Xing.
"How dare you speak to my Star-kun like that! I'm going to beat you all up!"
Li Xing, of course, wouldn't let Karin fight these roughnecks. They all practiced taijutsu. It would be better to let him test the Konoha Twelve Shinobi for his master Tsunade.
"Karin, stand down. Let me handle this!"
"Summoning, Rock Wall!"
Li Xing immediately created a擂台-like arena and jumped onto it.
"So, who will come up and fight me?"
Neji didn't understand Li Xing's intentions. Li Xing wasn't a participant in the exam and didn't have a scroll, so there was no need to fight. Neji was about to leave.
"Summoning, Flame Net!"
"Hey, Hyuga boy with the Byakugan, I didn't say you could leave yet. At least one of you should come fight me, or you can all come at me together and kill me."
"I'll fight you. You guys go complete the exam!" Zoro jumped onto the stage. Despite his injuries, Zoro believed he could hold Li Xing off long enough for Neji and the others.
After all this effort, only an injured person showed up. Li Xing was disappointed and lost interest. This ninja world was too boring.
"Forget it, forget it. I'm not interested in injured people. You can go. Karin, we're leaving too."
Li Xing then dispelled the summoning and led Karin in a direction, figuring they might encounter other Konoha ninjas.
Neji stared at Li Xing's departing figure, lost in thought. This person was too strange, giving him the feeling of facing a ferocious beast.
...
"Hmph! It's only because Star-kun stopped me, otherwise I would have made them suffer." While walking in the desert, Karin clung to Li Xing's arm, constantly complaining about the people they had just encountered.
Coincidentally, just as Li Xing was about to leave the desert, he sensed a group of people ahead fighting a monster.
"Karin, do you sense anyone ahead? Come on, let's go let you blow off some steam."
To save time, Li Xing directly gave Karin a princess carry and took to the air, flying directly towards the front.
Karin was instantly mesmerized, her eyes filled with hearts, and she murmured, "Star-kun is carrying me~ Star-kun is carrying me~"
...
Ahead, the Ino-Shika-Cho team had just defeated a giant scorpion and were resting. However, Sai had been replaced by Sakura Haruno from Team 7.
Suddenly, Li Xing descended from the sky with Karin in his arms, kicking up a cloud of sand.
"Hey! Karin, here's a punching bag for you."
Li Xing put Karin down and shook her gently. However, Karin was still lost in the moment of the princess carry and didn't react, still muttering about how comfortable Star-kun's embrace was.
"Sigh! Such a pervert."
"Yo! Konoha ninjas, my name is Li Xing. I'm a ronin passing through your exam grounds, and now I'm here as a senior brother to test your teacher's students."
Li Xing turned to the three people present, casually ignoring Choji Akimichi and Ino Yamanaka, and looked at the pink-haired Sakura Haruno.
(I don't want to write novels anymore! I don't want to write novels anymore! I don't want to write novels anymore! My writing and imagination are both lacking. Let's end this quickly!)