Uzumakis Unite!

Step 3: Search

Nagato made his way through Ame. He pulled his hood tighter around his head as the rain came down harder. He traveled from the center Ame to the border in about a day. He spent another day traveling from the border to a midway point in Fire Counrty. He stopped at an inn for the night since he was traveling through a rogue infested area. Of course he could fight using his Rinnegan but he was too tired and Taijutsu wasn't an option. He payed for a night went to his room. He took off his rainproof hoodie and hung it on the door. He tossed his bag next to the bed and laid down. Within a few minutes, he fell asleep.
The next morning, he was up early. He looked out his window only to see the hadn't risen yet. He grabbed his backpack and put in his hoodie. He rushed out and returned his key. He passed a teen with glasses on his way out. They acknowledged each other and kept moving. Nagato continued on through the dense forest. He took a break by the time it got dark and slept under one of the many trees. He opened his eyes and was met with crimson ones. The same girl from earlier was crouched in front of him. He back up against the tree more to distance himself. He tilted his head forward so his bangs hid his eyes. He learned to not let strangers learn about his eyes. The girl stood up.
"Are you okay?" She held her hand out.
Nagato eyed her skeptically before taking her hand. "Yes, I'm fine."
"You don't look it." She adjusted her glasses.
"I'm fine." He stated.
"Well, I'm going to keep going if you're okay. I hope your trip goes well." She said.
Nagato nodded as he watched the girl leave. She kept walking off into the distance. Nagato finally stood up and continued walking. He soon caught up to the girl. They walked nearly side by side for ten minutes before noticing they were taking the same path. Neither said anything and continued to walk quietly. After two hours of walking, Karin finally stopped.
"Excuse me. I think we are heading to the same place." The girl stated.
"I agree. I'm going to Konoha. What about you?" Nagato stopped and turned towards her.
"Same. I'm Karin." Karin held her hand out.
Nagato shook her hand. "Nagato."
"We better get going." Karin pointed out.
Nagato and Karin continued to walk. They casually talked and discussed some of the current events. They enjoyed having another person to travel with. Nagato was growing more and more irritated with all of the branches and roots. He kept stumbling over the roots and struggled to recover before he hit the next one. Karin found the low hanging branches annoying. She had hit head on most of them. She knocked her glasses of several times and spent several minutes searching each time. They came up to a river by the time they were about an hour from the village. Karin took off her backpack and walked to the riverbank.
"What are you doing?" Nagato asked.
"I'm swimming across." Karin replied.
Nagato walked to the riverbank. "No need."
"What do you mean?" Karin asked.
Nagato extended his hand and focused on the river. "This is what I mean."
Karin watched in shock as the water parted and Nagato walked through. "H-how!?!"
Nagato used his free hand to motion for Karin to follow. She cautiously followed him through the passage he created. Once they were on the other side, Nagato lowered his hand. The water fell and resumed flowing. Karin walked for the next ten minutes in shock. She was silent the entire time. She couldn't decide if she should trust him or avoid him. He was could be a good ally or powerful enemy. She knew she stood no chance against him if she had fight so she opted to trust him. She kept asking him about how he could force the water apart and water else he could do. His only response was pointing to his eyes.
They traveled the rest of the way and made it to the gates. They checked in with the guards. Nagato quietly chuckled at how low their security. One of them was asleep on the ground, Nagato assumed he had fallen from his chair, and the other one was trying to balance a kunai on his finger. They were given clearance and told to go see the Hokage. They decided to stick together and went to the Hokage's office. Karin knocked and they waited. A woman with black hair opened the door and let them in.