"Grass Country."
Shinji frowned.
Last time, when Iruka told him that Mizuki had been nearby when Karin was attacked, he had analyzed the possibility that Orochimaru was behind her.
Karin continued, "Kusagakure was the one that arranged for me to come to Konoha. They were also the ones who forced me to lure away the ANBU guarding the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki last time."
"Why would they do that? What were they after?"
Karin shook her head. "I don't know what their real goal was. They never told me anything. They just arranged for me to 'accidentally' meet a man named Jiraiya. He seemed to have some connection to the Uzumaki Clan. When he saw I was alone, he brought me back to Konoha."
"They had Jiraiya bring you back to Konoha?"
Shinji was surprised, but after thinking it through, he had to admit it was a brilliant move.
The Fourth Hokage's wife had been from the Uzumaki Clan. On the night of the Nine-Tails Attack, Jiraiya hadn't made it back to the village in time to save the Fourth Hokage and his wife. He must have deeply regretted it.
So it was only natural that he'd feel compassion upon encountering another Uzumaki orphan.
And with Jiraiya vouching for her, the village would be less suspicious of Karin.
At that point, Shinji realized Kusagakure alone couldn't have pulled this off. Orochimaru was probably involved, too. He asked Karin, "Kusagakure went to all this trouble to plant you in Konoha. They must have had more in mind than simply using you as a spy. Think carefully—were they planning anything else?"
Karin thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "They mentioned the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. I think... I think they wanted me to become a Jinchuriki."
Shinji was momentarily stunned, then everything clicked.
"Tch, Kusagakure's