"Ahahaha…"
Karin instantly burst into laughter, clutching her stomach with her small hands, her eyes curving into crescents. The slight displeasure from earlier had already vanished without a trace.
"You understand my power. That's rare."
Clearly, the flattery—raising her to lofty heights and tying her directly to the "Lord Demon God"—had struck right at this little devil's sweet spot.
Karin smugly swayed her head, as if she could already see her glorious future.
"You're right! Lord Demon God will definitely keep me by his side in the future—he'll take me everywhere!"
"Of course," Tree replied with a solemn nod. His bark-covered face revealed no expression, yet his tone was filled with matter-of-fact certainty, as if he were stating an unquestionable universal truth.
Karin beamed even brighter, grinning from ear to ear.
She clapped her hands lightly, as though her earlier argument with the "guardian voice" about suitability—and the matter of giving the fruit to Orochimaru—had merely been trivial side notes.
"In that case," she declared grandly, waving a small hand toward the statue of the Eight-Headed Serpent, "I'll give this Devil Fruit to you! Take it and use it to raise a powerful servant for Lord Demon God!"
The abrupt turn left everyone momentarily stunned.
Just moments ago, the tension had been palpable—and now she was simply "bestowing" it?
All because the other party was a servant of "Lord Demon God" and had said a few flattering words she liked?
Orochimaru's expression darkened instantly. But after glancing at the excited Karin and then at the unfathomable "Tree," he wisely suppressed all visible emotion.
Hiruzen Sarutobi tightly gripped Danzo's severed head and the Adamantine Staff, the weight in his heart reaching its peak.
In their conversation, the Devil Fruit sounded like nothing more than a tradable commodity—something to be used to "raise servants."
"Many thanks for Lady Karin's generous gift," Tree said again, bowing even deeper this time. His tone remained steady, betraying little joy, as though receiving such a reward was only natural.
"No need, no need!" Karin waved cheerfully, clearly pleased with this "well-mannered" and "eloquent" subordinate.
Then she lightly leapt down from the statue like a falling feather, landing softly on the ground before skipping over to Orochimaru, whose expression was far from pleasant.
"Orochimaru, upset you didn't get the fruit?" she asked with a mischievous grin.
Orochimaru looked at her indifferent expression and knew that showing dissatisfaction now would be foolish.
"How could that be?" He forced a faint smile. "Besides, consuming a Devil Fruit carries too great a risk. I never intended to eat it myself."
It was half true. He had indeed grown wary of personally consuming it—but more importantly, it was no longer his to claim.
Hiruzen listened with a livid expression, his hand trembling slightly around Danzo's head. Yet in the end, he neither spoke to stop them nor ordered his subordinates to seize it.
The situation was overwhelming.
The strange Tree was unfathomable. Karin herself defied common sense. And Orochimaru stood nearby like a lurking predator.
The remaining combat power of Konoha had no chance of victory.
He could only watch, his heart bleeding.
At that moment, Tree walked up to the statue of the Eight-Headed Serpent.
He simply stood there, placing a bark-covered palm against it.
As if sensing his presence, the massive, ferocious statue emitted a dull cracking sound. Spiderweb-like fractures rapidly spread across its surface.
Then, with a thunderous split, it parted from the middle—not collapsing, but peeling away like flower petals—revealing a strange fruit at its core.
The Devil Fruit.
Though they had known of its existence, seeing this legendary object with their own eyes caused everyone's breathing to hitch, their gazes turning unconsciously heated and greedy.
Even knowing it might be useless to them, the instinctive yearning for power was hard to suppress.
Tree extended his hand. As if drawn by an invisible force, the fruit slowly floated into his bark-covered palm.
He examined it briefly, as if confirming something. Then with a flick of his wrist, the fruit vanished, stored away somewhere unknown.
Watching the Devil Fruit disappear, the light in Orochimaru's golden snake-like pupils flickered.
Suppressing the urge to seize it by force, he shifted strategies and suddenly spoke.
"Mr. Tree, I have a question. May I ask?"
Tree turned slightly, the shadow beneath his hood seeming to glance at Karin, who was idly kicking pebbles nearby.
Sensing the gaze, Karin looked up and grinned. "Go ahead, go ahead. You can tell him."
With her permission, Tree gave a slight nod. "Please."
Orochimaru smiled, his expression that of an inquisitive scholar.
"According to the guardian—and your explanation—consuming a Devil Fruit conflicts with the chakra system and may even destroy one's chakra source, making it impossible to use chakra. Then…"
His gaze shifted to Karin, filled with curiosity.
"Why is Karin still able to use ninjutsu?"
Karin blinked and clapped her hands. "Oh, right! It does feel kind of awkward when I use it—not very smooth—but I can definitely use it!"
Tree seemed prepared for the question—or rather, the one behind him had long anticipated such a logical gap.
"Lady Karin," he said slowly, "is the inheritor of the great Lord Demon God."
He emphasized the title.
"The source of her power comes from Lord Demon God's blessing. Its level far surpasses the so-called chakra system—and even the power contained within a Devil Fruit."
His tone carried matter-of-fact reverence.
"To her, what you call 'chakra' is merely a lower form of energy manifestation."
"What she uses," Tree continued in the same calm, declarative tone, "is not truly this world's chakra. Rather, it is her own higher-level power, which—under Lady Karin's will—simulates an energy similar in nature to chakra."
"It is like a master fluent in a hundred languages temporarily imitating a local dialect in order to communicate with villagers who know nothing else."
Karin blinked her large eyes, half understanding.
Beside her, however, Orochimaru fell into thought, golden pupils gleaming sharply.
Simulation.
A higher-order power disguising itself in accordance with lower-level rules.
The concept opened a new door in his understanding—a gateway toward greater power.
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