Karin found that the ostracism around her had eased.
Maybe it was because of that punch.
Or maybe it was because of Sasuke's explanation.
After all, a mysterious "important figure at school" and the respected captain of an idol's older brother were very different kinds of labels.
Even so, there was no one she could talk to about it—neither the isolation she had endured before, nor the subtle change she felt now.
She couldn't tell Rina.
Mom would worry.
The blond idiot was still as loud and annoying as ever.
The arrogant guy's face looked especially sour when he showed up at school today.
Aside from that, everything seemed no different from before.
"Hey—you know that move you pulled yesterday?"
A familiar voice rang out.
The short-haired blond girl appeared on the rooftop again, with a pink-haired girl trailing half a step behind her.
"Ino!" Sakura reached out and lightly tugged her sleeve.
Even though she wasn't yet as obsessed with Sasuke as she would become in the future, seeing him get hit still left an uncomfortable knot in her chest. But Ino insisted on coming, and Sakura could only follow along.
"What's the big deal, Sakura?" Ino said brightly. "Sasuke-kun is still super handsome."
Then she turned to Karin, smiling wide.
"And you were amazing!"
Karin lowered her head, poking at her bento with her chopsticks. Her voice came out muffled.
"Don't you guys… really like that arrogant guy?"
Ino propped her cheek in her palm, eyes glittering without the slightest hint of shame.
"I totally like him! There's no boy in this school more outstanding than Sasuke-kun!"
She tilted her head, tone softening just a little.
"But the way he sulked after getting hurt? That actually made me feel kind of sorry for him."
Karin's mouth twitched.
"…You're really strange."
"I'm Ino Yamanaka," Ino said cheerfully, pointing at herself before pulling the girl beside her forward. "This is Sakura Haruno. Can we sit here?"
Before Karin could answer, Ino had already dragged the hesitant Sakura down beside her.
Just like that, the seating rearranged itself—
Ino next to Karin.
Sakura next to Ino.
Karin stared down at her bento.
Ino beamed.
Sakura stayed quiet, her gaze curious as it lingered on Karin's red hair and glasses.
"I'm… Karin Uzumaki," Karin muttered, fidgeting. Her voice was barely louder than a whisper. "Didn't you already know?"
"That's totally different!" Ino declared, thrusting out her hand with infectious enthusiasm. "It has to come from Karin herself."
She grinned, bright and unapologetic.
"Exchanging names—that's the first step to becoming friends, right?"
Ebisu was tasked with compiling the lists for the fifth- and sixth-year classes, while Roshi had already begun marking noteworthy names within the Ninja Academy roster.
Once he looked closely, he realized that the current Academy held far more potential than he'd expected.
Setting aside the future Konoha Twelve from the original storyline, there were already several names worth attention.
For instance—Sai, who had originally been slated for Root training and would later become the fourth member of Team Seven. And Shin, the boy Sai referred to as his "brother."
According to the records, both had been transferred by Kakashi from Root's reserve program into the Ninja Academy.
Judging purely by ability scores, Sai and Shin stood at the very top of their cohort. However, Shin's situation was more complicated. A comprehensive physical examination conducted prior to his enrollment revealed congenital latent risks. While nothing was immediately life-threatening, the condition required regular hospital checkups and long-term monitoring.
When Roshi saw Shin's name—and the attached medical note—he immediately arranged for Itachi to undergo a physical examination as well.
In the original timeline, Itachi's health had deteriorated alarmingly early. That memory alone was reason enough.
Itachi's report was personally reviewed by Tsunade.
After all, as the cornerstone of Konoha's future plans concerning the Uchiha Clan, any issue with Itachi's health would force the Village to scrap and rebuild those arrangements from the ground up.
"All indicators are normal," Tsunade concluded, setting the report aside. "His chakra circulation is stable, and there are no abnormalities."
Then she looked up at Roshi, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Why did you suddenly suspect something was wrong with his body?"
"Just a feeling," Roshi replied evenly.
If even Tsunade couldn't detect an issue, then the most likely explanations were either Mangekyō overuse later in life—or the psychological collapse that followed the Uchiha massacre. A body breaking down alongside a shattered will wouldn't be surprising.
"Since he's been examined," Tsunade said after a moment, "schedule a full physical for him every year from now on."
She waved a hand dismissively.
"Plenty of Anbu need regular checkups anyway."
"Hayate?" Roshi asked.
"Yes," Tsunade sighed, rubbing her temples. "His condition is congenital. Medicine and medical ninjutsu can only manage it—not cure it."
"Based on this year's results, we're preparing to transfer him out of Anbu and into a role that's more suitable."
"You can't cure him either?" Roshi asked.
Tsunade shot him a look as if he'd asked whether she could resurrect the dead.
"I'm a skilled doctor, not a god. Some defects can only be regulated, not fixed."
"At least for now," she added, "there's no cure."
She filed Itachi's report into a confidential archive, then suddenly reached out and grabbed Roshi by the shoulder.
"Since you're already here," she said briskly, "you might as well get a full checkup too."
Roshi paused.
…This was not part of the plan.
—
Uzumaki Naruto gradually noticed that something in the classroom had shifted.
In Iruka's class, the most unpopular student had originally been Karin—the outsider who had clashed with Sasuke and gotten into a fight with the other girls on the very first day.
Between her status as a transfer student and the impression that she actively stirred up trouble, she had been thoroughly isolated.
But now, during the afternoon break, a few girls had started talking to her.
Was it because she'd managed to punch Sasuke?
Naruto glanced at Karin, then turned his gaze straight toward Sasuke.
At this stage, Sasuke was extremely sensitive to any attention around him—especially such open, undisguised staring.
He traced the source of the gaze back with a cold look.
And met Naruto's clear blue eyes, bright with expectation.
…This idiot again.
Sasuke's fingers tightened into a fist, his posture subtly shifting as his body slipped into a guarded stance.
"Sasuke!"
Is it starting again? Sasuke braced himself. If Naruto charged at him recklessly like yesterday, he'd knock him down instantly. At the same time, he flicked a cautious glance toward Karin from the corner of his eye. She seemed quieter today—but who could say she wouldn't suddenly explode again?
This time, he wouldn't give anyone a chance to ambush him.
"I'm going to beat you!"
Ordinarily, Sasuke wouldn't bother responding to such nonsense—just like he hadn't yesterday. But for some reason, the word beat struck a nerve.
An unfamiliar irritation surged up, along with a sharp, almost instinctive urge to win.
"Hmph."
It was just a soft snort, laced with disdain—but Sasuke's attention had already fully withdrawn from Karin. His focus locked entirely onto Naruto.
He would not lose to this person.
—
Yakushi Nono's whereabouts were suspiciously unclear.
Given her background as a former captain of Konoha's Medical Corps, if she were openly practicing medicine anywhere within the Land of Fire, there should have been traces—rumors, reports, something.
Yet there was nothing.
The orphanage itself raised too many red flags.
Whether it was the white-haired old man or the middle-aged woman who appeared later, their attitude toward him carried a subtle but unmistakable hostility. Was it because he was a Konoha ninja—or something else entirely?
"…Kabuto."
The name was still listed on the orphanage's registry, but the person himself was gone. Their explanation was that he had left together with Yakushi Nono.
Kakashi returned to the archives, his expression grave.
This was abnormal.
If Yakushi Kabuto had truly been taken by Danzo and inducted into Root, his name should not have remained on the orphanage's public records.
Leaving the file intact suggested something else—that Danzo had deliberately allowed Kabuto to retain a legitimate, publicly verifiable identity within Konoha. One that could be activated at any time.
Kakashi accessed Kabuto's Ninja Academy file.
"Yakushi Kabuto."
"Ninja Rank: Genin."
"Ninja Academy Graduate…"
He scrutinized the academic record line by line.
"…This academy history is fabricated."
It was more carefully constructed than most Root cover identities, but under focused examination, the seams were still visible.
"Yakushi Nono… Yakushi Kabuto…"
What Yakushi Nono was doing wasn't difficult to infer. With her experience and skill set, she was almost certainly still operating as a spy. The timing of her disappearance aligned perfectly with a period when Konoha was under pressure both internally and externally.
Even now, she was likely one of Danzo's retained intelligence assets—no longer under the Village's direct control.
Which raised the next question.
What about Yakushi Kabuto?
With most formerly hostile villages now bound by peace treaties or alliances, there were fewer obvious destinations left.
So where would spies who hadn't been recalled be sent now…?
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