Karin ran to the river with a group of friends to catch fish. They weren't like Naruto, who had to fish because he couldn't afford food. They were just a bunch of kids playing by the river—catching fish was just a bonus.
Karin had never caught fish before. Or rather, she had hardly ever played any of the games normal children did. So, she was wildly curious about all of them.
Every time she went out, she completely lost herself in play, to the point where Yumi had started complaining that the girl wasn't acting very ladylike.
Aoba didn't mind, though. He knew this was Karin making up for all the things she had missed. In fact, it was good for her growth.
Today, the group of kids ran to the river again to play. Karin showed off her tree-climbing skills to the others.
Basic training like tree-walking and water-walking was something Karin had naturally started learning long ago. But she was too playful by nature, completely lacking the relentless drive that Naruto and Sasuke had when they trained. Aoba also wouldn't allow her to push her body that hard.
So, it took her two weeks to complete the tree-climbing training.
Now, of course, she had to show off in front of her little friends.
This little bit of showing off was something Aoba allowed. However, both he and Yumi strictly forbade her from revealing the special nature of her body.
"No matter what happens—even if your best friend is injured right in front of you—you must never let them bite you. Under no circumstances are you allowed to tell anyone about this."
The serious warnings from Aoba and Yumi, combined with the suffering Karin had endured since childhood, made her highly sensitive about this issue. So even when playing around with friends, she could still distinguish between what was important and what wasn't.
But today, Karin seemed distracted.
Her little friends also noticed something was off about her.
"Karin, what's wrong?"
"I... I'm fine. Let's go play somewhere else. I'll teach you how to climb trees."
"Okay."
The group of children noisily left the riverside.
Karin had something on her mind and, before nightfall, said goodbye to her friends and returned home. This surprised both Aoba and Yumi. Normally, the girl would never come back before dark.
"What's wrong, Karin? Did you have a fight with your friends?"
"No, I..." Karin hesitated, unsure how to phrase it. After a moment, she spoke again.
"Brother Aoba, I have a secret to tell you."
"What kind of secret?"
"Well..." Karin seemed to struggle with how to describe it.
"It's just... I can see people even when I close my eyes. It's strange—the more I close my eyes, the clearer I can see. And I can see really far, even behind walls or through the woods."
Aoba smiled. Of course, he knew what this was. Karin must have awakened the Kagura Mind's Eye.
The Kagura Mind's Eye was a unique ability of the Uzumaki clan, considered a special kind of Bloodline Limit.
Once awakened, it granted an incredibly powerful sensory ability. Within a certain range, no living being could evade detection by the Kagura Mind's Eye. It was even comparable to the Byakugan, though its range wasn't as extensive.
"Don't be afraid. You've awakened a power called the Kagura Mind's Eye. This is a good thing—it will give you strong sensory abilities. From now on, no one will be able to ambush or sneak up on you, because you'll always be able to sense hidden enemies around you."
"But... I feel a little uncomfortable."
The discomfort was due to the sudden increase in information her brain had to process after awakening the Kagura Mind's Eye. This wasn't a problem; she would adapt to it over time.
"Is that so? Then... can I see things underground too?"
"I'm not entirely sure. In theory, you should be able to. Why? Did you see something?"
"I saw people underground. No—they don't look like people. I don't know what they are, but they're alive. And they move... They look really scary."
Aoba's expression instantly darkened. Of course, he knew what those things were. Without a doubt, they were White Zetsu—sent by Obito to monitor Konoha.
White Zetsu possessed a special ninjutsu called the Floating Jutsu. This technique allowed them to merge their bodies with the earth and vegetation, enabling high-speed movement. It was the signature infiltration technique of White and Black Zetsu.They appear like the shells of carnivorous plants. Once this technique is activated, they can merge with the earth.
By interfacing with organic networks such as plant roots and underground water flows beneath the surface, they can move rapidly to any location.
During the technique's activation, all traces of their presence are severed. No one can detect their aura. Even the Byakugan would struggle to track them without prior preparation.
Only an overpowered sensory ability like the Kagura Mind's Eye, which directly perceives their life force, can clearly pinpoint their locations.
Aoba crouched down to meet Karin at eye level.
"Can you see those things around our house?"
"No, there aren't any near our home. They're usually around the Hokage Building and the school area."
"That's good, Karin. Listen carefully now. From this moment on, don't actively look for those things, understand? Don't seek them out. But remember their locations when you see them, then report to me. Got it?"
"Understood. Is this a shinobi mission?"
"Of course, it's a mission I'm assigning you. The primary objective is to protect yourself from being noticed by those things. The secondary objective is to memorize their positions. The third objective is to notify me if you see any that come close to the surface."
Aoba had long known that Konoha was under surveillance by the White Zetsu. Though most of them weren't particularly strong in combat, their stealth and escape abilities were unparalleled in the Shinobi World.
With his current strength and technical resources, he was powerless against them.
Karin's early awakening of the Kagura Mind's Eye happened to solve a critical piece of the puzzle. Now he could track the White Zetsu's movements around Konoha. But precisely because it awakened too early, he wasn't fully prepared yet.
Given current conditions, capturing those things remained extremely difficult.
Most White Zetsu hid dozens of meters underground. At such depths, even if he were as skilled in Earth Release as Jiraiya—let alone his own mediocre Earth Release—catching them would be nearly impossible.
The distance was too great. Before any technique could take effect, they could already have retreated hundreds of meters underground.
That's why he instructed Karin to alert him if any came near the surface.
Yet even surface proximity wasn't reliable. Aoba still needed to make more preparations.
The White Zetsu were a crucial component of his next phase. For this, Aoba had even suspended all other experiments to focus on capturing one.
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