Kabuto's proposal laid bare his cold logic—he saw Sasuke as nothing more than a rare and precious experimental specimen.
To him, capturing Sasuke was simply the most efficient path to uncovering truth and power.
"—!!"
Across the shinobi world, hearts clenched.
One of them was a self-modified monster who had mastered Edo Tensei.
The other was a so-called "Demon Child" with brainwashing abilities and an alien belief system.
And now they were calmly discussing capturing Uchiha Sasuke alive for human experimentation?
"They're insane!"
"They're treating Sasuke like a lab rat!"
"If Sasuke knew he was being targeted like this, would he still be thinking about revenge?!"
In Orochimaru's Hidden Base
The younger Karin, watching the scene unfold in the sky, grew increasingly excited.
"That's right! Capture him and study him! Why didn't I think of that? Just watching is boring! We should grab him and cut him open to see what's inside!"
She looked as if she'd just discovered the best way to play with a new toy.
Orochimaru, however, shook his head thoughtfully.
"Sasuke and Naruto are both… special," he said calmly. "Yet even Konoha never discovered anything definitive. That suggests conventional methods won't reveal the answer. Dissection alone won't solve it."
In the Heavenly Screen
Karin seemed briefly stunned by Kabuto's suggestion—as if the possibility of simply taking control of her subject had never occurred to her.
Kabuto seized the moment.
"I'll handle the procedures," he said smoothly. "All the techniques I've mastered… I can use them."
"And you, Karin—your unique sensory abilities may allow you to perceive things even I cannot detect during the process."
That sealed it.
Karin's face lit up with a brilliant—dangerous—smile.
"Okay! Let's do it!"
Kabuto smiled in satisfaction.
"No time to waste. Where is Sasuke now?"
Without hesitation, Karin raised her hand and pointed toward a location within Konoha. With her senses fully expanded, she could even feel Sasuke's emotional fluctuations.
"He's over there," she said lightly. "He's feeling sad. His emotions are all over the place."
She paused, then added with bizarre sincerity:
"We'd better hurry and catch him! That way he won't have time to overthink!"
"Always being sad, hating this and that—it's bad for his health! We're going to help him!"
And with that, she shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Kabuto immediately followed, dissolving into a shadow behind her.
Two highly efficient, utterly abnormal individuals—marching in broad daylight toward their chosen "research subject."
Across the Shinobi World
A strange silence fell.
Then came the explosion of collective outrage.
"'Bad for his health'?!"
"So to stop Sasuke from being sad, you kidnap him and dissect him?!"
"What kind of twisted logic is that?!"
"These two are perfect for each other—one dares to say it, the other dares to believe it!"
"What sin did Sasuke commit to deserve this kind of 'concern'?"
Konoha – Ninja Academy
The real Uchiha Sasuke's face had turned pitch black.
Veins throbbed faintly at his temples.
"Idiots," he muttered coldly.
He had absolute confidence in his future power—his Mangekyō Sharingan, and beyond. He did not believe that monster and that madwoman could capture him.
If anything, he almost welcomed the challenge.
Let them try.
He would test his strength on them.
Elsewhere – Uchiha Itachi
Unlike Sasuke, Itachi was not so confident.
His brows were tightly furrowed.
Kabuto, though grotesque in form, had fused with Orochimaru's cells and mastered Edo Tensei. His intellect, his knowledge of forbidden techniques, his utter lack of moral restraint—
All of it made him extraordinarily dangerous.
And Karin—despite her childish behavior—possessed abilities that defied conventional understanding.
If the two coordinated carefully…
If they prepared in advance…
Even Sasuke could be placed in grave danger.
Especially now that they had taken such interest in the secret within his body.
"...Sasuke," Itachi thought silently.
His concern deepened.
The Uchiha District – Ruins of the Clan Compound
The Heavenly Screen followed Karin as she arrived in the devastated remains of the Uchiha clan grounds.
Sasuke stood alone amid the rubble.
His back was rigid, surrounded by suffocating killing intent and a deep, frozen sorrow.
Karin appeared openly before him.
Sasuke sensed her presence and turned coldly.
When he saw who it was, his brow twitched faintly.
"Karin."
His voice was colder than the air.
"Didn't I tell you? Leave me alone. I want to be by myself."
Karin ignored the hostility completely.
Instead, she beamed and skipped two steps closer.
"Sasuke~ don't be so cold!"
"I've got a way to make you stop feeling sad immediately!"
She tilted her head playfully, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Want to guess what I'm going to do?"
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789