Karin gestured wildly, trying to describe what she was sensing.
"The thing inside Naruto… it feels so warm! Like the sun in the middle of winter! Radiant and blazing!"
"No— even warmer than the sun! More embracing! More… inclusive!"
"Just feeling it makes me… makes me tremble with excitement!"
She really was trembling— but from the exhilaration of discovering a priceless treasure.
Kabuto's guarded expression instantly dissolved into astonishment—then into blazing scientific hunger.
"You mean… Naruto, like Sasuke, also houses some kind of existence inside him?" he blurted out. "And its nature is completely opposite to the one inside Sasuke?"
"Yes! Absolutely!" Karin nodded vigorously, her face flushed red with excitement.
"One is the ultimate 'Yin'—cold and dark. The other is the ultimate 'Yang'—warm and bright!"
"Like night and day! Like… like two sides of the same coin!"
"This cannot be a coincidence!"
"There's a massive secret hidden here—there has to be!"
For the first time, Karin felt she had brushed against something buried deep within the shinobi world's foundations.
Kabuto's eyes gleamed.
"Then we have to capture them," he said immediately.
"We must capture them both."
"Only by studying them side by side can we truly uncover the nature of this 'opposing' or perhaps even 'resonant' power."
Karin nodded fiercely. Her eyes shone with a mix of research mania and destructive curiosity.
"Yes! Capture them! Two completely opposite forces—this is too interesting!"
"I especially want to see whether the 'sun' inside Naruto… has any darkness hidden in its core."
"If even the sun can be stained black… or if it already casts its own shadow…"
"How fascinating would that be? Hahaha!"
For a fleeting moment, Sasuke seemed less compelling to her.
Now she longed to use her so-called "Devil's Whisper" to probe—perhaps even corrupt—that incomparably warm and pure power she sensed within Naruto.
The urge to test an "absolute" thrilled her to the brink of losing control.
Kabuto, equally electrified, had already forgotten Pain and Konoha entirely.
"To think that one trip to Konoha would present not one—but two—irreplaceable specimens."
"This is a gift from fate."
"We must devise a plan. At the right moment… we retrieve them both."
Konoha – Ninja Academy (Present Timeline)
Naruto and Sasuke had also heard everything.
Naruto scratched his head, looking confused.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed sharply.
"Opposing forces…"
When they heard Karin speak of testing Naruto's inner darkness—and Kabuto suggest "retrieving" them both for experimentation—anger flared in both of them at the same time.
"Those creeps!" Naruto clenched his fists.
"Delusional fools," Sasuke said coldly.
For the first time, faced with a shared threat, the two boys felt a subtle flicker of common ground.
Hokage's Office – Present Timeline
When Tsunade heard Karin describe the stark contrast between the "sun-like warmth" within Naruto and the "cold darkness" within Sasuke, her instincts as a top-tier medical ninja and researcher stirred.
"Two completely opposing forces… existing within two specific individuals… and possibly linked…"
She muttered thoughtfully, then turned to Jiraiya.
"If… there were an opportunity to place them both in a controlled observation environment, it might be possible to uncover the truth."
Jiraiya scratched his head awkwardly.
"In theory, sure. Naruto might cooperate if it's for the village. But Sasuke…"
He sighed.
"That kid won't take it well. He'll think we're scheming against him again."
Tsunade's eyes sharpened.
"If the time comes, I'll speak to him personally. But it must be voluntary. No coercion."
Jiraiya nodded.
"As long as it's handled carefully. That boy carries too much darkness already."
Orochimaru's Hideout – Present Timeline
The younger "Devil Child" Karin was bouncing in place, pointing at the Tenkai excitedly.
"Did you hear that?! That future me and ugly Kabuto noticed it too! Naruto and Sasuke both have something special inside them—and they're opposites!"
"Orochimaru! Kabuto! Let's go to Konoha right now and grab them!"
"I haven't even gotten to see or touch it myself! I want to study them up close!"
Kabuto adjusted his glasses, his mouth twitching slightly.
Marching into Konoha—guarded by Tsunade and Jiraiya—would be suicide.
But arguing logic with Karin rarely worked.
Orochimaru, however, let out a low, amused chuckle. His golden eyes slid toward Karin.
"Karin… compared to the entire shinobi world, your value is far more… intriguing than Naruto and Sasuke combined."
He paused meaningfully at her confused expression.
"You possess a higher-order ability. They are merely 'vessels' or 'inheritors.'"
"They cannot compare to you."
"Better to observe carefully. The Tenkai may yet reveal their secrets."
Karin puffed her cheeks.
"Orochimaru! You're too cautious! If there's something good, you grab it! Watching is boring!"
Orochimaru merely smiled, his long tongue sliding across his lips.
"Relax, Karin. Opportunities for 'research' always arise."
"I know Konoha very well."
"When the time is right… I can take you inside."
"Then you may observe—up close—those two little boys to your heart's content."
Only then did Karin nod reluctantly.
"Fine… that's more like it."
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