While Shinji was sorting his thoughts in the second-floor private room of the barbecue restaurant, Guren, using the pretext of issuing a mission, openly entered Hidden Leaf once again.
Due to wartime restrictions, few merchants could freely enter or leave Hidden Leaf, and those who did faced strict registration and scrutiny, making it nearly impossible to sneak through. In contrast, issuing a mission at Hidden Leaf's mission center came with much laxer checks.
Thus, to enter and exit Hidden Leaf, Guren, who wasn't wanted by the village, had already posted several small-scale missions at the mission center.
After entering Hidden Leaf, Guren immediately left a prearranged signal at a designated location.
Soon after, Kimimaro, spotting the signal, met her as planned in an inconspicuous grove.
Kimimaro asked, "Is it time to act?"
Guren shook her head before briefly explaining that A had approached them, offering to trade half of the Nine-Tails for Orochimaru.
Kimimaro mused, Why would Leader want to trade the Nine-Tails for Orochimaru-sama?
Seeing Kimimaro fall silent, Guren continued, "The Akatsuki isn't after Hidden Leaf's jinchuriki but the other half of the Nine-Tails sealed with the Fourth Hokage in the Death God's stomach. Only Orochimaru-sama knows Dead Demon Consuming Seal, so we must find a way to contact him first!"
Kimimaro asked, "What's your plan?"
Guren replied, "To contact Orochimaru-sama now, we need to infiltrate Hidden Leaf's law enforcement. The Anbu is out of the question. Kabuto's idea is for you to join Uchiha Shinji's newly reestablished Hidden Leaf Police Force and use that position to reach Orochimaru-sama."
Kimimaro frowned slightly.
He didn't want his actions to implicate his peers, and he knew the village's higher-ups were wary of the Uchiha clan. If his contact with Orochimaru using the Police Force's authority were exposed, it could drag Uchiha Shinji and Uchiha Sasuke into trouble.
"We're running out of time," Guren pressed. "If you can't contact Orochimaru-sama soon, our rescue operation will fail. Then, neither Hidden Leaf nor the Akatsuki will spare Orochimaru-sama!"
"I understand."
Kimimaro nodded.
Though he no longer relied on Orochimaru to give his life purpose as he once did, he still held deep gratitude for Orochimaru's past kindness.
Guren added, "I encountered two Hidden Leaf Police Force shinobi outside the village earlier, so I'm not sure if I can sneak in again. If I can't enter Hidden Leaf, you'll have to find a way to pass the information out."
"Got it!"
Kimimaro agreed.
That night.
Under the cover of darkness, Shinji left a shadow clone in his apartment to maintain appearances, while his true self quietly slipped out of Hidden Leaf.
After the day's reconnaissance, he had a rough understanding of the situation around Hidden Leaf.
Moreover, based on the faint connection from the blood clone swapped into the Kamui Dimension, Obito had likely fled to the borders of the Land of Fire, meaning there were no immediate threats near Hidden Leaf that could truly endanger him.
Entering his secret laboratory, Shinji descended to the underground training ground.
Standing in the center of the arena, he focused his gaze, and a golden projection instantly emanated from his body. It rapidly formed bones, then muscle textures, and finally donned armor, transforming into a radiant, godlike half-body armored giant!
After activating Susanoo, Shinji proceeded to unleash Susanoo Tomoshibi.
In an instant, the faceplate of his Susanoo vanished, revealing four pairs of glowing eye sockets aligned vertically on its face!
The first three pairs of eye sockets held his own Six-Tomoe Rinnegan, Karin's Rinnegan, and Yakumo's Koryugan.
Thus, the glow from these three pairs was particularly dazzling, while the fourth, empty pair emitted a much dimmer light.
After sensing for a moment, Shinji let out a soft sigh. "As expected."
In the state of Susanoo Tomoshibi, the subtle sense of discord he felt was more pronounced than usual.
"I haven't even fully mastered my own Six-Tomoe Rinnegan, yet I rushed to wield Karin's Rinnegan and Yakumo's Koryugan. While my ocular power has greatly increased, my control…"
Shinji shook his head.
Trying to control additional eyes while still struggling to master his own Six-Tomoe Rinnegan was undoubtedly slowing his progress in fully harnessing it.
That sense of discord stemmed from this!
Without hesitation, Shinji activated Susanoo Tomoshibi and released his control over Karin's Rinnegan and Yakumo's Koryugan.
As the two pairs of eyes were removed and carefully stored in small nutrient containers, the reddish hue of Shinji's Six-Tomoe Rinnegan reverted to the normal pale purple of a standard Rinnegan.
This was a sign of his ocular power diminishing.
Huff.
Rubbing his forehead, Shinji let out a long breath.
Though relinquishing control over the Rinnegan and Koryugan reduced his ocular power significantly, he felt an inner sense of relief.
It was a mental lightness, as if an invisible burden had been lifted, and his soul seemed to come alive.
After calming himself and stabilizing his state, Shinji began pondering how to quickly improve his control over his Six-Tomoe Rinnegan.
His current situation reminded him of when he first transmigrated.
Back then, as a seven- or eight-year-old child, the Mangekyo Sharingan in his eyes was both a trump card and a burden. He had to be constantly cautious to prevent the Mangekyo's weight from overwhelming his frail body.
Now, though no longer that young child but a twelve- or thirteen-year-old youth, his eyes were no longer at the Mangekyo Sharingan level but the unique Six-Tomoe Rinnegan of the shinobi world.
That feeling of treading on thin ice had returned!
"I must fully master my Six-Tomoe Rinnegan before facing the Hegemon…" Shinji paused, then shook his head. "No, I must master it before becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, or I might not be able to handle the Ten-Tails' immense power!"