Kabuto habitually pushed up his glasses to mask his astonishment.
His gaze then focused on the conspicuous Hidden Leaf Police Force insignias on Haku and Karin, and after a brief pause, he recognized their identities.
Uchiha Shinji's subordinates, huh?
Before Shinji claimed the title of First Chair at the Hidden Leaf Ninja Academy, Haku and Karin had been relatively unknown. It wasn't until Shinji became First Chair that, as his teammates, they gradually caught the attention of those keeping tabs.
Kabuto had reviewed their profiles before, but since both were in their growth spurts recently, their appearances had changed significantly. Coupled with their newfound confidence after no longer hiding their abilities, their demeanor had transformed dramatically, so he hadn't recognized them immediately.
He then mused to himself, How did these two kids get so strong? Is Uchiha Shinji's Takamagahara really that miraculous?
At that moment, Karin said to Haku, "It's not them!"
Her Kagura Shingan was still tracking the strange chakra signature from before, and it was clear that Kabuto and his group weren't her target.
Haku immediately responded, "You go ahead. I'll catch up after dealing with them!"
"Alright!"
Karin nodded lightly, and with a whoosh, she vanished from the spot.
Whether it was Kabuto, Orochimaru's subordinate, or a wanted criminal of Hidden Leaf, Karin didn't care. Her sole concern was the Leader's safety.
Seeing Karin leave hurriedly, Kabuto guessed she was on some secret mission. He spread his hands and said to Haku, "We mean no harm. Do as you please!"
Hearing this, Guren and Jūgo immediately dropped their hostility and retreated to Kabuto's side.
Having clashed with Haku, they had already experienced the strength of this Hidden Leaf shinobi. Since they couldn't overpower him, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Haku's focus wasn't on Kabuto's group either. Seeing them back off, he didn't bother engaging further and immediately flashed after Karin.
Watching the direction Haku and Karin left in, Guren's face still showed apprehension. "How are these two Hidden Leaf kids so strong?"
Jūgo nodded. "Very strong!"
Though his words were brief, his confusion was no less than Guren's. He couldn't fathom how that seemingly frail girl had the strength to overpower him even in Gear Two.
Kabuto smirked. "If I'm not mistaken, those two are Haku and Karin, Uchiha Shinji's subordinates."
"Uchiha Shinji?" Guren paused, then exclaimed, "The Uchiha Shinji who awakened Takamagahara? Didn't he just graduate from Hidden Leaf's Ninja Academy? How does he have such powerful subordinates? Could it be… he trained them with Takamagahara?"
Kabuto shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure."
Jūgo asked, "What now?"
Kabuto pondered for a moment before saying, "We can't stay here anymore. We need to find a new hiding spot. Also, we must contact Orochimaru-sama as soon as possible. I have a feeling something big is about to happen!"
Guren sighed helplessly. "Then I'll head to Hidden Leaf again!"
Kabuto cautioned, "Move quickly. Those two Hidden Leaf shinobi are part of the reestablished Police Force. They have the authority to maintain village security. If they return to Hidden Leaf after their mission, it'll be harder for you to infiltrate!"
Knowing Kabuto's concerns were valid, Guren hurriedly said, "I'm leaving now!"
…
Elsewhere.
Haku quickly caught up with Karin.
Karin asked, "What about those people?"
Haku replied, "They backed off. I didn't bother with them."
Karin nodded.
This was clearly the best outcome, as she wasn't entirely confident she could catch the one who attacked the Leader on her own.
Haku looked ahead. "Where's the target?"
Karin, still sensing, answered, "Still moving fast, heading out of the Land of Fire!"
Haku asked again, "Still no sign of Leader's chakra?"
Karin's face darkened as she shook her head.
Haku muttered, "What on earth happened to Leader?"
…
Inside Obito's Kamui Dimension.
Shinji, whom Haku and Karin were worrying about, was currently surveying his surroundings.
This was the alternate dimension linked to Obito's Mangekyo dojutsu, Kamui.
There was air, breathable for humans, but all he could see were massive, uniform square stone pillars. Beyond the pillars, the dimension was empty.
Shinji began moving between the pillars. After a while, he confirmed there was little of value to explore here.
Of course, an independent alternate dimension itself held immeasurable value.
Noticing that Obito hadn't entered the Kamui Dimension, Shinji smirked. "He didn't follow me in. Does he lack confidence in facing me alone?"
His earlier ambush by Obito, which sent him into the Kamui Dimension, was intentional.
His goals were twofold: first, to study Obito's Kamui and gather intelligence for the upcoming war over the Ten-Tails; second, to experience Kamui firsthand and feel another space-time ninjutsu to better unlock the space-time dojutsu hidden within his own Six-Tomoe Rinnegan.
Every pair of Rinnegan likely contained a unique space-time dojutsu.
The Rinnegan in Nagato's eye sockets, originally belonging to Uchiha Madara, held a space-time dojutsu called Limbo: Border Jail. In the original timeline, Sasuke's Rinnegan contained a space-time dojutsu named Amenotejikara.
Thus, both Shinji's and Karin's Rinnegan likely concealed their own unique space-time dojutsu.
However, the space-time dojutsu within a Rinnegan was clearly among its deepest powers, only awakening after the wielder fully mastered the Rinnegan's abilities.
This was evident from Nagato, who, despite having Madara's Rinnegan transplanted for decades, couldn't use Limbo: Border Jail.
Since awakening his Rinnegan, Shinji had been secretly exploring the space-time dojutsu hidden within it, but he had made no progress. This was why he resorted to this risky plan—to stimulate his Rinnegan by experiencing Obito's Kamui.
Besides, he had Red Dragon as a fallback. If he encountered unexpected danger, he could activate Red Dragon to swap places with his blood clone in the village.