When the name "Karin" was spoken gently by her mother on the Heavenly Curtain, the shinobi world fell into a brief silence—
Then erupted into even greater uproar.
"Karin? Wait—that name sounds familiar!"
"I've heard it somewhere too!"
"Red hair, named Karin… The first Heavenly Curtain broadcast! Uchiha Sasuke's Team Taka!"
"That's right! The red-haired girl with glasses in his squad—that's Karin!"
"It's solved! So the little girl on the Heavenly Curtain later followed Orochimaru, and then joined Uchiha Sasuke's Team Taka!"
The realization made many people breathe a sigh of relief, as though a mystery had just been unraveled.
"If this Karin appears in Uchiha Sasuke's team later, then she definitely isn't the 'Demon Child' who destroyed Kusagakure!"
"Exactly! The Demon Child was vicious—slaughtering indiscriminately. How could she later look so… relatively harmless while following Sasuke?"
"Looks like we overthought it. This mother and daughter are just unfortunate remnants of the Uzumaki clan. Their tragedy may be connected to Kusagakure, but the Demon Child must be someone else."
The logic seemed sound.
People subconsciously separated the image of "Karin of Team Taka" from that of the "blood-soaked Demon Child."
Surely someone capable of joining a squad and fighting for the shinobi world's balance couldn't be the same person responsible for indiscriminate slaughter.
Based on the future fragment revealed in the first Heavenly Curtain broadcast, many arrived at what seemed like a reasonable—but mistaken—conclusion:
The young Karin shown here was not the Demon Child.
The revelation of Karin's childhood identity instantly altered the calculations of every major faction.
"So she's not the Demon Child? That makes things easier."
"A surviving member of the Uzumaki clan—and a future elite shinobi. That's a rare asset."
"We must find her! Bring her back while she's still young and raise her. She'll be a tremendous asset in the future!"
Quietly, orders were issued among the upper echelons of the major hidden villages.
Search for Karin—child form.
Especially those villages aware of the Uzumaki clan's vitality and their historical ties to Konoha moved swiftly.
Konohagakure – Hokage's Office
Tsunade did not hesitate.
"Dispatch additional ANBU immediately. Focus on the Land of Grass and surrounding regions. If you locate a red-haired young girl named Karin, secure her and bring her safely back to Konoha at all costs."
Her reasoning was firm.
"The Uzumaki clan has had generations of close ties with Konoha. Our bloodlines are connected. We cannot allow them to wander and suffer."
The ANBU acknowledged the order and vanished.
Standing nearby, Jiraiya's expression was more complicated. Stroking his chin, he muttered thoughtfully:
"Come to think of it… I don't recall a single Uzumaki survivor ever seeking help from us—their so-called ally. The First Hokage's wife was an Uzumaki. Weren't we supposed to be their strongest ally?"
The remark was like a needle, puncturing an unspoken pretense.
Tsunade's face darkened instantly. She shot him a sharp glare.
"Shut up."
Jiraiya immediately raised both hands in surrender and fell silent.
They both understood.
The so-called alliance had long been rendered fragile in the face of political interests and the brutal rules of the shinobi world.
Konoha itself was not united internally. Power struggles and external strategies could easily delay—or even prevent—extending help.
Perhaps there had even been indifference. Neglect.
Enough so that surviving Uzumaki would rather wander in constant danger than seek refuge with their "closest ally."
It was not something that reflected well on Konoha.
Elsewhere, Uchiha Sasuke watched the Heavenly Curtain intently.
"Karin… future member of Team Taka…"
He considered it.
"So she'll become an important ally. But where is she now?"
Naturally, his thoughts drifted to the destruction of Kusagakure.
"Was it after the village fell that Orochimaru discovered her and took her in?"
It seemed plausible.
But the thought passed quickly.
What interested him more was the Heavenly Curtain itself.
"This broadcast centers on Karin…" Sasuke's eyes sharpened. "If they're showing her past specifically, then what happened to her must be significant. Perhaps… there are clues about power. Or about the darkness of this world."
He no longer viewed Karin merely as a future teammate, but as a key figure whose story might reveal deeper truths.
So far, every protagonist featured on the Heavenly Curtain had been anything but ordinary.
In a hidden lair, Orochimaru stared at the red-haired mother and daughter on the screen.
When the name "Karin" was spoken, his golden, serpentine pupils contracted sharply—then flared with barely contained excitement.
"Karin…" he chuckled hoarsely, his long tongue sliding across his cheek.
"The blood of the Uzumaki clan alone is a treasure worth claiming."
What intrigued him even more was that the Heavenly Curtain had dedicated a broadcast to her past.
That meant she was far more than a mere Uzumaki remnant.
There was something hidden within her—perhaps even connected to these so-called "inheritances."
And the unknown was what Orochimaru craved most.
"It seems it's time to leave this temporary nest," he murmured, rising to his feet. A cold, dangerous aura radiated from him.
He could not wait any longer.
He had to find this valuable specimen before anyone else did.
His destination was clear—the Land of Grass.
"Karin…"
In his mind appeared the image from the first Heavenly Curtain broadcast: the red-haired kunoichi with glasses standing behind Uchiha Sasuke.
A confident smile curved his lips.
"Come to my side. This time, I won't overlook you. I'll uncover every secret hidden within you."
"Hehehe…"
His eerie laughter echoed through the empty hideout as his figure seemed to melt into shadow, vanishing toward the exit.
He sped toward the Land of Grass—
Toward little Karin, who had no idea she had just become the target of multiple powers.
On the Heavenly Curtain, the scene followed Karina and her daughter as they entered Kusagakure.
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