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Azure Moon Island.
Karin had learned everything the previous night. At dawn, she went to Orochimaru. She chose to have those 'Blood Dragon Eyes'—the ones that housed the Evil God—transplanted into her.
No one knew why she had changed her mind.
But Sasuke and Orochimaru had already reached an agreement. The final say on where those eyes would end up wasn't theirs. It was Karin's choice. Hers alone.
Kabuto Yakushi performed the transplant.
Sasuke and Orochimaru waited outside, Sasuke's expression deeply conflicted.
"This is Karin's choice," he muttered. "Respecting it is the only thing I can do. But this way… my debt to her only grows. How do I repay it?"
Orochimaru patted Sasuke's shoulder, his words laden with meaning. "Perhaps, Sasuke-kun, you need not be so bound by the bonds of your past life. That person you hold dear… is it the one from your past life? Or the one in this one? Think on that clearly. Many things will fall into place."
Sasuke was still pondering the depth of Orochimaru's words when the sliding door opened. Karin walked out, Kabuto at her side. The transplant was complete.
In their dormant, inactive state, the Blood Dragon Eyes didn't alter Karin's appearance or aura.
Orochimaru smiled. "Your eyes were already red. They are an unexpectedly good match for these."
Karin shielded her eyes gently with a hand. "For some reason… I don't feel any burden from these eyes. Or the so-called malevolent power of the Evil God."
"The reason lies in a 'seal'," Orochimaru explained with authority. "From the moment you actively use these eyes, the seal will begin to loosen. The strain from the Evil God's power will increase. But this is not entirely a bad thing. At the very least, your Uzumaki constitution will accelerate its growth to adapt to the burden."
"Is that so…" Karin fell into thought. "The Uzumaki clan. I know I'm a descendant, but I know very little about it. Orochimaru… do I truly have the potential you speak of?"
Sasuke didn't doubt Karin's potential for a second. But he, too, was intensely curious about the Uzumaki.
Seeing the moment was ripe, Orochimaru revealed the fruits of his future research into the Uzumaki clan.
"The world says the Uzumaki are distant relatives of the Senju. Not wrong, but not the whole truth. From what I know, the Uzumaki are indeed a branch of the Sage of Six Paths' lineage. But unlike the Senju, their abnormally powerful life force does not come from the Sage himself. It comes from—the Outer Path Statue."
"The… Outer Path Statue?" Karin was confused.
The shocking truth hit him. Sasuke's fist clenched tight.
The Outer Path Statue… He knew it all too well. It was the husk of the Ten-Tails!
Orochimaru continued. "The Sage of Six Paths was once the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki. The statue is the Ten-Tails' empty vessel. As the container that sealed the beast for so long, the statue's genetic essence naturally fused with the Sage's. His younger son, Ashura, carried the latent genes of the Outer Path. They did not manifest in him, but appeared in some of his descendants through heredity. Those descendants who inherited the Outer Path genes… became the Uzumaki clan."
"It is the genes from the Outer Path Statue that grant the Uzumaki their overwhelming capacity for and affinity with tailed beast power. They are, in fact, even more suitable as tailed beast containers than the Senju, who inherited the Sage's physical prowess!"
Sasuke's eyes widened in realization. "I see… So that's how it is."
Orochimaru chuckled. "Therefore, no matter how powerful the Evil God's pressure is, it cannot surpass that of the Ten-Tails. So, Karin, have no doubt about your own capabilities. The day your Uzumaki constitution fully awakens, you will perfectly wield the power of these eyes!"
Lacking many key pieces of information, Karin didn't fully understand. But she confirmed one thing for sure.
—In this life… she could do so much more for Sasuke!
"Hehehe…"
Karin took her glasses from her pocket and put them on. She playfully leaned against Sasuke's shoulder, her gaze soft and beseeching. "So, Sasuke… do my new eyes look good?"
Sasuke grew flustered, his eyes darting away. "Uh… they're… they're fine."
Hehehehe~!
Karin watched his reaction with a bit of mischief. She understood the hidden truth now. Freed from doubt and the need for answers, she could face her own heart more honestly.
Sasuke, thank you. In this life, I don't need you to repay me for anything. You just need to be yourself.
But these thoughts… she couldn't bring herself to say them out loud.
They rested on Azure Moon Island for a few more days.
Early one morning, after breakfast, Orochimaru produced the scroll Kakuzu had left behind at his death.
"Kakuzu's accumulated wealth. It's time to claim it."
Neither in his past life nor this one was Sasuke particularly interested in wealth. But it was tied to Orochimaru's latest experimental equipment. If they wanted it operational, they needed the funds. Curiosity got the better of him. "Where did Kakuzu store his fortune?"
Orochimaru's tone was playful. "You'll never guess, Sasuke-kun. Care to try?"
Sasuke swirled his teacup, answering without thought. "The Land of Lightning?"
"Wrong."
"The Land of Earth?"
"Still wrong."
Sasuke shook his head. "How would I know how a mind like his works? Stop with the games and just tell us."
Orochimaru revealed the answer. "Kakuzu hid the wealth of the Akatsuki—accumulated over more than a decade, enough to rival a nation—in the most resource-poor of the Five Great Nations. At the very edge of the desert… in the Land of Wind."
Sasuke took a slow sip of his tea. "I see. That does have a certain dark humor to it."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "That works out perfectly. We were delayed in conveying Sasori's last wishes to Lady Chiyo by the attack on the northern outpost. We can accomplish that task along the way."
Orochimaru nodded. "No time to waste. Let's depart."
Sasuke frowned. "I have to go? Can't you two handle this?"
"The third match isn't for another twenty days, Sasuke-kun. Keeping your mind and body wound tight for so long is counterproductive to your growth. Consider it a trip to clear your head. What do you think, Karin?"
I'd really love to just stay on this island with Sasuke, hehehe… But Orochimaru is doing this for Sasuke's good, right? Besides, as long as I'm with Sasuke, anywhere is fine!!
So, Karin put on her most pleading face. "Sasuke, let's go…"
Sasuke sighed. "You people are impossible."
Resigned, he downed the rest of his tea in one go.
None of the four could have imagined it then. This journey to the Land of Wind, initiated to claim Kakuzu's legacy, would trigger an event that would change the Land of Wind, Sunagakure, and the future course of the entire shinobi world
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