After everything settled, Sasuke walked back toward his teammates. Jūgo rose quietly and followed a step behind him, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Hyena and Fox exchanged puzzled looks. Sasuke briefly explained what had happened.
"I see…" Fox glanced at Jūgo's towering frame. "We'll need to report this to the captain. And keeping someone like him will definitely require the Hokage's approval."
"That won't be a problem," Sasuke said calmly.
Fox raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. Sasuke wasn't close to the Hokage, but everyone knew his connection to Fujimoto Tōma ran deep.
As they regrouped, Sasuke's gaze drifted to another ANBU member he'd noticed earlier, someone unusually strong who had stayed just a little too far from the spotlight. When Sasuke looked over, the man awkwardly glanced away.
Sasuke walked up beside him.
"Kakashi," he said quietly. "It's you, isn't it?"
There was a pause.
"…Yeah. You got me," Kakashi replied with a sheepish laugh, scratching his head as he dispelled his disguise. His visible eye lingered on Sasuke, especially on the boy's now-calm, pitch-black eyes.
Kakashi had been watching the entire fight. Sasuke's performance alone had already exceeded expectations. With a little more polish, special jōnin was well within reach.
But the real shock?
Sasuke had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan mid-battle.
That was no small thing.
"Did the Hokage send you?" Sasuke asked.
"More or less," Kakashi nodded. "She was worried this base might be a trap. Orochimaru has a habit of leaving surprises behind. Tenzō knew I was here."
"But even you aren't a match for Orochimaru," Sasuke said bluntly.
Kakashi laughed, unfazed. "True. But I can stall him. And I'm not exactly standing still while you kids grow stronger."
Sasuke nodded, satisfied.
"Still," Kakashi added, sighing, "the best person for this job would've been Tōma. Unfortunately, he's been out of the village for a long time. Completely unreachable."
Sasuke frowned. "He's not in Konoha?"
"No. He said he was going into long-term training and left. Hasn't returned."
"…I see."
Sasuke didn't say more.
Not long after, Tenzō brought Sasuke to the Hokage's office to deliver the full report.
The base had been wiped out. Completely.
The only survivor was Jūgo.
Sasuke explained everything. Jūgo's past. His condition. His value.
"And you're certain you can suppress his rampages?" Tsunade asked, fingers steepled.
"Yes," Sasuke replied. "More accurately, the seal Fujimoto Tōma placed on me absorbs the same kind of energy that triggers his transformations. As long as I'm nearby, I can keep him stable."
"…That seal again," Tsunade muttered, then nodded. "In that case, I trust it."
After a moment's thought, she continued, "He'll be provisionally assigned to your unit. But he must earn it. The intelligence he provided about the southern base has to be verified."
"Yes," Sasuke said.
"One more thing," Tsunade added seriously. "Even if Tōma's seal is reliable, don't push yourself. If your body shows any signs of strain, you stop."
Sasuke hesitated, then nodded. "Understood."
A few days later, Tsunade found herself rubbing her temples again.
Tenzō and Sasuke stood before her, having just finished their report on the southern base.
The mission had succeeded.
But Sasuke had brought back another person.
At this rate, Tsunade thought dryly, he's going to rival Naruto in picking people up.
Except Naruto's finds never stayed.
Sasuke's did.
"So," Tsunade said, exhaling, "this girl named Karin. You saved her during the Chūnin Exams. She defected from Kusagakure, joined Orochimaru, and now you brought her back because she recognized you."
"Yes."
Sasuke didn't know how else to explain it. He'd barely entered the base before Karin had sensed him, rushed over, and clung to him like they were long-lost allies.
He remembered saving her. He'd asked why she joined Orochimaru.
Her answer had been simple.
Konoha was a major village. If Kusagakure demanded her return, Konoha wouldn't protect her.
Orochimaru was the only way out.
Killing her didn't feel right.
So he brought her back.
"Bring her in," Tsunade said, massaging her brow.
The next moment, Karin was escorted inside.
"Let go! I can walk on my own!" she snapped—until she saw Sasuke.
Her entire demeanor flipped.
She rushed over, starry-eyed. "Sasuke! If they won't let me stay, then let you be the one to kill me!"
Sasuke silently took a step back.
Tsunade studied the girl's red hair and recalled how easily Karin had detected Sasuke.
"…Tell me," Tsunade said slowly, "why did you defect from Kusagakure?"
Karin scowled, then answered.
She'd never been treated as a person there. Just a tool. A walking chakra battery. Her mother had been the same, drained until her body gave out.
If she stayed, that would be her fate too.
So she ran.
The Chūnin Exams had been her chance.
"And if you plan to use my body too," Karin said flatly, "fine. As long as I can stay by Sasuke's side."
Tsunade sighed.
"…As expected. You're a survivor of the Uzumaki clan."
"…Uzumaki?" Karin blinked.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Naruto.
"Yes," Tsunade said. "A clan once closely allied with Konoha. Destroyed because their sealing techniques frightened the world."
"Then what does that matter now?" Karin scoffed.
Tsunade smiled faintly. "Have you ever looked at a Konoha jōnin's vest?"
"Of course."
"That red spiral on the back? That's the Uzumaki clan crest."
Karin froze.
"So… if Kusagakure asks for me back…"
"They won't get you," Tsunade said. "Officially, you came to Konoha after discovering your relative—Uzumaki Naruto."
Karin's eyes lit up. "So from today on, I'm Uzumaki Karin?"
"Yes."
"…Deal."
For the first time, her voice softened.
"Until further notice," Tsunade said, "you'll remain under Sasuke's supervision."
"Forever would be even better!" Karin blurted out.
Sasuke stared at the ceiling.
This is worse than Sakura, he thought.
But she was his responsibility now.
"…Understood," he said.