She was very likely the next individual—after Haruno Sakura in the Heavenly Curtain—to obtain an inheritance of unknown power!
"Another variable that's slipped beyond our control…" Kakuzu snorted coldly. Though his tone carried clear displeasure, a trace of wariness flickered deep within his eyes.
This kind of power—something that couldn't be measured by money or common sense—made him uneasy.
Pain's Rinnegan swept across the gathered members before he made his decision.
"Zetsu, continue monitoring this 'Demon Child.' Keep your distance. Do not let her detect you. We need to know her movements—and whether there are any other… 'guiding forces' behind her."
"Understood~" Zetsu let out a sinister chuckle before slowly sinking into the ground.
Karin's sudden emergence was, to the Akatsuki, both an unexpected variable and a potential opportunity.
They would need to reassess the increasingly chaotic shinobi world—and determine whether their grand plan required adjustments in response to these successive "inheritors" and mysterious forces.
The shadows of the shinobi world stirred once more with the sudden rise of the so-called "Demon Child," Karin.
As Zetsu departed and the Technique: Magic Lantern Body faded away, only Deva Path Pain and Konan's true bodies remained.
"What do we do next?" Konan asked, her cool voice carrying the faintest trace of uncertainty.
With upheavals arriving one after another, even they felt an unprecedented pressure.
Nagato fell silent for a moment. Within those Rinnegan eyes, a rare hint of fatigue—and caution—surfaced.
"Let's observe the situation for now," he finally said. His tone remained indifferent, yet it lacked some of its former absolute confidence.
To be honest, Nagato—hidden behind the scenes—was in turmoil.
The Heavenly Curtain prophecy. Divine techniques. A monstrous serpent. A mysterious order of knights. And now this "Demon Child"…
Events completely beyond his understanding and planning were crashing in one after another. The situation was so chaotic it left even him with a tingling sense of unease, unwilling to place another piece on the board rashly.
Konan nodded silently. She, too, understood that the shinobi world was currently a tangled mess. Acting recklessly would not be wise.
"That's fine."
Then she raised a more immediate concern. "What about Orochimaru? Not long ago he attempted to ambush Itachi again. After being beaten back, he disappeared completely. It's obvious he's defected."
At the mention of Orochimaru, Pain's gaze instantly regained its usual cold killing intent.
"A defector deserves death," Pain said mercilessly, his voice firm and decisive.
"Once we find him, eliminate him."
Unable to deal with those incomprehensible anomalies—but disposing of a rogue Orochimaru? That would be easy.
Deep within a dark and damp cavern, Orochimaru's signature hoarse, excited laughter echoed.
"Hehehe… another 'inheritor,' hm? The Demon Child… From the description, she's a child?"
Orochimaru's golden, serpentine pupils gleamed with fervor in the dim light. His long tongue slid unconsciously across his lips.
"The likelihood of that hypothesis is extremely high!"
He carefully savored the fragmented intelligence he had obtained through secret channels regarding the destruction of Kusagakure.
"Demon Child descends." "Blood-soaked young girl." "Incomprehensible slaughter."
When pieced together, these keywords pointed to power far beyond the ordinary. Thinking of Haruno Sakura in the Heavenly Curtain, he was almost certain this was yet another manifestation of an "inheritance" that transcended the existing shinobi system.
"I wonder where you are… I'd love to know—just what kind of 'inheritance' you've obtained."
He muttered to himself, his tone brimming with inquisitive desire, like a gourmet hearing of a delicacy never before tasted.
Yet after the laughter subsided, a trace of frustration surfaced.
By leaving the Akatsuki platform, he had gained freedom—but lost access to its vast intelligence network.
Finding a newly emerged and elusive target like the "Demon Child" on his own would be like searching for a needle in the ocean.
"What a pity…" Orochimaru sighed softly. Had he still been within the Akatsuki, Zetsu's unparalleled reconnaissance abilities might have already provided him with firsthand, detailed information.
But that regret was quickly overshadowed by a far grander ambition.
Orochimaru's pursuit had long surpassed merely mastering ninjutsu—or achieving immortality.
The successive appearances of "divine techniques," the monstrous serpent, the "Order of Divine Knights," and now the "Demon Child" were like doors to a new world opening before him.
"Inheritances… the unknown…"
Orochimaru excitedly dragged his slick tongue across his face again.
The cold sensation sharpened his senses. In his golden vertical pupils burned an almost devout flame of curiosity.
"The truth of this world lies hidden behind these inconceivable phenomena… I must know. No matter what, I will uncover every one of these mysteries."
Orochimaru's goal had evolved from "mastering all jutsu in the world" to understanding and controlling the deeper, more fundamental laws and forces underlying the very operation of this world.
Inside the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was subtle.
Jiraiya stared at the encrypted scroll delivered through a special channel, then lifted his complicated gaze toward Tsunade.
"This is… intelligence sent back by Uchiha Itachi?"
Tsunade nodded heavily, rubbing her temples. "Yes, it's from him. The lead that the 'Demon Child' may be a girl around seven or eight years old is extremely valuable—especially when the entire shinobi world is still in the dark."
She paused, seemingly unsure how to evaluate that man.
In the end, it became a sigh. "That guy… when it comes to the village, he really…"
"He really loves it to the core—so much that even bearing the name of a missing-nin, he still protects it from the shadows?" Jiraiya finished for her, equally conflicted.
Even he had to admit that Uchiha Itachi's actions surpassed the conventional definition of loyalty for a shinobi.
Tsunade did not refute him. She merely nodded again.
On this matter, she and Jiraiya were in complete agreement.
Jiraiya returned his attention to the intelligence report, frowning.
"A seven- or eight-year-old girl… That narrows it down, but it's still hard to track. Are there no more specific features? Or a last known location?"
Tsunade shook her head and sighed.
"These clues alone are already an unexpected blessing. For Itachi to transmit even this much, he must have taken considerable risks. Anything more specific—well, even the Akatsuki are likely still investigating."
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