Chapter 48 : Karin 1

It is well known in the ninja world that clone jutsus are hard to differentiate from the original. Even those with dojutsu are often helpless against them. Among the most notorious clone jutsus are wood clones and shadow clones, which are particularly difficult to distinguish from the real person.

I decided to use this to my advantage and replaced myself with a clone to accompany Kabuto and Misumi while I went my own way. This way, I wouldn't have to remain constantly vigilant around them.

I didn't have a specific destination in mind; I simply wanted to distance myself from them.

After leaving the spies behind, I navigated through the forest. My main goal was to find a strong chunin and eliminate him to gain an advantage for the upcoming one-on-one fights.

However, that proved to be more challenging than anticipated. Powerful chunin were scarce, and I only had one opportunity to choose and acquire a chunin-level power. If I couldn't find a suitable target, I decided it was better to wait.

Thinking about it, the Sound Four are also chunin level. Despite the curse seal, they shouldn't be jonin. After all, if the Konoha 12 can defeat them, they must not be jonin level.

Perhaps I should pursue them, but which one? I didn't remember much about them. They don't show up until the end of the chunin exam anyway.

Sighing, I continued searching for a strong target. After a few hours, I realized it was futile. The weakest team that managed to pass the Forest of Death was Kabuto's team. They succeeded mainly because of Kabuto, and if someone like him could pass, there was no point in searching for a strong chunin.

It seemed more practical to wait for the Sound Four to appear or to find other strong chunin-level characters later.

As I wandered through the forest, which I had become quite familiar with due to my preparation for the exam, I encountered a character I had been looking for: Karin Uzumaki. Killing her could have been an option, especially considering the Uzumaki bloodline or the powers like Kaguya's Mind Eye.

However, I decided against it. I wasn't willing to kill just anyone for power, and she didn't seem to be chunin level—perhaps genin at best.

I kept my distance and observed her and her team. Karin was part of the Kusagakure team. Given that I couldn't trust either of the spies and was uninterested in intervening in the plot, especially with Team 7 dealing with Orochimaru, I decided to keep an eye on Karin.

To my dismay, the Kusagakure team treated Karin poorly, worse than an animal at times. I noticed that she wasn't in great condition, though she only had a few bite marks on her hands. This struck me as odd.

Perhaps the Kusagakure team realized that killing her would mean losing a valuable resource or didn't know her blood had healing properties.

While contemplating this, I wondered if I should take her to Konoha. I wasn't planning to play the hero, but her story made me sympathetic. Helping her would be troublesome, but it might be better than letting her become Orochimaru's test subject.

This put me in a difficult position. It's not just about helping Karin; there are other victims of Orochimaru's crimes. Saving her alone wouldn't be fair to them.

Maybe I should focus on eliminating Orochimaru. That would save me from dealing with Sasuke's defection and Naruto's pursuit, but how?

If I could have killed Orochimaru, I would have done so already. Both he and Kabuto are adept with Edo Tensei, and removing them would resolve many of my concerns.

I continued to think and tried to use my Nara intellect. Was there a way to defeat Orochimaru?

He was near death when Hiruzen used the Reaper Death Seal. Even after changing bodies, his hands remained damaged. So, perhaps the only way to truly kill him is with the Reaper Death Seal.

Even if I can't kill Orochimaru myself, maybe I can assist Hiruzen in doing so. However, considering how many people Orochimaru has cursed, he might just resurrect.

Or will he?

Sigh...

The more I think about it, the more complicated it becomes.

Frustrated, I continued to follow Karin and her teammates, hoping for some clarity.

xxx

I Fully intend to fix all the mistakes you guys point out from now on so please go ahead and tell me in the comments if you guys spot any mistakes, I will be grateful for all your help.

Here is the goal for this Week.

500+ stones for the first bonus chapter on Monday

1000+ Stones for the second bonus chapter on Sunday bonus chapter

"Thank you Very Much for All Your Support"

If you want to read up to 20+ Chapters in advance, check my Patre on

Patreon.com/Kamidemond