With that single move, whether Konoha or the other Four Great Nations believed the rumor or not, they would be forced to search the entire shinobi world for Orochimaru.
"Perhaps… this is also an opportunity," Danzō muttered coldly.
He lacked the strength to personally pursue them for now.
But with one carefully planted piece of intelligence, he had successfully turned Orochimaru and Karin into a pair of walking treasures—and targets of universal hostility.
If he couldn't have them, no one else would obtain them peacefully.
He even hoped that amid the chaos and conflict between competing factions, he might find a chance to seize the prize from the flames.
Several days later, the rumor spread like wildfire across the shinobi world—from prosperous hidden villages to shadowy underground markets:
The missing-nin Orochimaru has successfully captured and taken control of the "Demon Child," Karin.
The report came abruptly. There was no hard evidence. No images.
Yet its content struck directly at the nerves of every power in existence.
Organizations that had poured vast manpower and resources into searching for Karin—without uncovering even a trace—were stunned at first.
Then came a swirl of complicated reactions.
"So in the end… Orochimaru got to her?"
"Is this fate? Even if both altered their paths… they still met?"
Some couldn't help but murmur such thoughts. The "broken destiny" shown in the sky projection now seemed to have reasserted itself in a stranger way.
Of course, there were skeptics.
"The source is unclear. It could be misinformation."
"Neither Orochimaru nor the Demon Child are easy targets. Who could confirm such a thing?"
"Could this be a smokescreen from Konoha? Or from that old fox Danzō?"
Yet despite doubts, the rumor was like a boulder thrown into still water—sending towering waves outward.
The reason was simple:
Karin's value was immeasurable.
After the repeated revelations of the sky projection, the shadow of the so-called "chakra vessels" loomed over the entire world like a suspended blade.
And Karin—
Was the only confirmed individual capable of seeing that anomalous chakra.
She also possessed power outside the known chakra system.
She was the key.
The only known breakthrough that might unlock the mystery of the chakra vessels—and perhaps even the so-called "divine techniques" and other unknown realms.
As for mysterious knight orders, shadowy figures, monstrous beings—
Those were nothing but rumors.
Karin was tangible.
Even if the intelligence had only a one percent chance of being true—
It was enough to drive the world mad.
"Find him! Even if we must overturn the shinobi world itself!"
"Investigate all locations tied to Orochimaru's former bases! Monitor abnormal energy signatures and disappearance reports!"
"Place a bounty! Any confirmed lead on Orochimaru or the Demon Child will be richly rewarded!"
Orders cascaded down the chain of command.
Shinobi, spies, bounty hunters—
All were mobilized.
Like sharks drawn to blood, they began an unprecedented dragnet for Orochimaru.
This time, the target was not merely Karin—
But the pathway she represented. A road toward new systems of power and perhaps the truth of the world itself.
Inside the Hokage's office, the air was heavy.
Tsunade handed the intelligence scroll to a travel-worn Jiraiya, who had just returned to the village.
He scanned it quickly.
His expression sharpened at once.
Unlike other factions wavering between belief and doubt, Tsunade could confirm the rumor's authenticity.
And she knew exactly who had fanned the flames.
Danzō.
Even in exile, he was still maneuvering within her awareness.
"Orochimaru…" Jiraiya murmured.
For a moment, he fell silent.
Then, without warning, he burst into booming laughter.
"HAHAHA! No matter where he goes, he stirs up this much chaos! Just like my old friend! Hahaha!"
The laughter echoed awkwardly in the solemn office.
"Jiraiya!" Tsunade slammed her fist onto the desk, cracking the wood. "Take this seriously!"
She inhaled deeply, suppressing her anger.
"Think carefully. In the original 'future' shown in the first projection, Karin was stable. She didn't carry the title of 'Demon Child.'"
"That means that while following Orochimaru back then, the damage she caused was relatively limited."
"Do you know why?"
She didn't wait for an answer.
"Because that version of Orochimaru didn't know her true value!"
"He saw her as a subordinate—useful for her sensory ability and Uzumaki vitality."
"His research focus was elsewhere—on the Sharingan, on body transfer, on immortality—obsessions he already had."
Her voice rose sharply.
"But now?!"
"Now he knows she's the 'Demon Child!'"
"He knows she possesses monstrous physical strength!"
"He knows there may be a mysterious higher existence behind her!"
"He knows she can see the chakra vessels we can't detect!"
With each point, her expression darkened further.
"Given what you know about Orochimaru—will he ignore her this time?"
Jiraiya's smile vanished completely.
He shook his head slowly.
"No… he won't. He'll treat her like the greatest treasure in the world. All of his research obsession will turn toward her."
Tsunade gave a cold laugh.
"You and I both know how dangerous his ideas are. In pursuit of truth, he has no moral boundaries."
She paused, voice lowering.
"And what's worse…"
"He has the intelligence and capability to make those ideas reality."
One was a scientist consumed by a mad thirst to unravel the nature of life and the rules of the world.
The other was a child granted overwhelming power by something unknown—driven entirely by whim, guided by warped devotion.
Orochimaru plus Karin.
The thought alone was enough to make Tsunade's stomach twist.
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