Shinji, lost in his own thoughts, made his way to the Ninja Academy.
As soon as he entered the classroom, he sensed that something was off.
Haku quickly told Shinji about Sasuke's crushing defeat earlier, then said worriedly, "Shinji, you'd better be careful!"
"Why do I need to be careful?"
Shinji was baffled.
Haku explained, "Everyone's guessing that Kimimaro's next target will be either you or Neji!"
Shinji smiled. "Don't worry. I won't accept just anyone's challenge."
After returning to his seat, Shinji mulled over what he had just learned from Haku.
"Isn't Kimimaro with Orochimaru? Why did he suddenly come to the Ninja Academy? Could Orochimaru be trying to spur Sasuke on through Kimimaro?"
Kimimaro had come to the academy and challenged Sasuke by name. The provocation was obvious.
Other people might simply think Kimimaro wanted to challenge Sasuke to gain fame and make a name for himself.
But Shinji knew Kimimaro didn't care about any of that.
The only thing Kimimaro cared about was whether he could be of use to Orochimaru. For that, he was even willing to offer up his own body.
So Kimimaro's visit to the academy must have been at Orochimaru's behest.
As for provoking Sasuke, Orochimaru was probably trying to motivate him and help him grow stronger as quickly as possible.
"Looks like Orochimaru's already got his eye on Sasuke's body!"
Shinji put the thought aside.
He didn't want to interfere with Orochimaru's plans for Sasuke. Sasuke's rate of growth would exceed everyone's expectations, and Orochimaru might well end up, as he had in the original timeline, shooting himself in the foot.
Besides, Shinji had more than enough problems of his own. He had no time to worry about anyone else.
He'd been on guard against Danzo's assassination attempts for days, but for