Han

Seeing that this person recognized him, Sasuke immediately wore an "as I thought" expression. His internal monologue went: Doesn't know me + recognizes me + red hair = Uzumaki Reikawa!

Convinced he had uncovered the truth, Sasuke gave a dead-fish-eyed look at Karin and commented, "You look worse this time." Having said that, he didn't wait for Sakura to come over for a chat; he simply greeted her and flashed away.

"???" Karin stood frozen in place, not understanding what Sasuke meant by that remark. Look worse this time? Does Sasuke still remember me? Is he saying I'm ugly now?

Sakura felt a bit dejected that she hadn't managed to speak with Sasuke. Suddenly seeing Karin's expression, her woman's intuition told her something was off. "...Karin, do you know Sasuke?"

"Yeah, he saved me during the Chunin Exams."

"Then, do you like him?"

Karin blushed. She originally wanted to say yes, but the words changed as they reached her lips. "I don't know. Maybe a little bit."

Hearing this, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief; it must just be the kind of affection one feels for a savior. "Is that so? We've been walking for a while, you must be hungry. Let's go get something to eat." She reached out to grab Karin's hand, but Karin dodged it.

"Yeah, okay." Karin masked her expression and hid her hands behind her back.

By the time Sasuke found Kakashi, Uzumaki Reikawa was there too. Sasuke fell into deep thought for a moment. ...So that person just now wasn't Reikawa?

"I don't think Lady Tsunade will agree to this."

"We have to at least try."

Kakashi spread his hands. "Suit yourself. Oh, Sasuke, come on out."

"You've been here the whole time?" Sasuke asked as he stepped out from behind the bushes, looking at Uzumaki Reikawa.

Uzumaki Reikawa looked confused. "??? What's wrong?"

"...Nothing. What were you two talking about just now?"

Getting no explanation, Uzumaki Reikawa felt a bit annoyed. Suddenly feeling mischievous, he leaned in close to Sasuke and said, "We were just talking about—" then changed the subject, "—not telling you."

Seeing this, the corner of Sasuke's mouth twitched. He backhanded a few Shuriken, though, of course, Shuriken of this caliber couldn't threaten Uzumaki Reikawa. Reikawa simply jumped up to dodge them and slipped away, heading off to find Tsunade.

"..." Kakashi was already used to this behavior from Uzumaki Reikawa. Before he had systematically learned the basics, he was easier to catch, but after training with Jiraiya, he was truly difficult to pin down unless he did it on purpose.

Furthermore, in terms of raw strength, due to his lineage, Uzumaki Reikawa had in some sense already reached the level of a Jonin; he simply lacked combat experience and was accustomed to crushing opponents with pure power. If he encountered a stronger enemy, he would likely be finished quickly.

As for the explosion he had cleverly orchestrated at the Grass Ninja camp, Kakashi guessed that he had spent his entire Konoha stipend on Explosive Tags.

The only thing that puzzled Kakashi was how Uzumaki Reikawa had managed it. And, calculating the timeline, Uzumaki Reikawa had found Karin in a very short amount of time after they parted ways. Was it really just luck?

Orochimaru, meanwhile, was in a foul mood. Ever since he killed the Third Hokage and had his arms sealed, nothing had gone his way. He had sent the Sound Four to retrieve Sasuke, but there had been no news back, forcing Orochimaru to pick the best of a bad bunch to perform the Living Corpse Reincarnation.

Kimimaro hadn't died as he did in the original timeline. Orochimaru looked at Kimimaro, who was lying on the operating table receiving treatment, and frowned. It was such a pity; if not for his Kekkei Genkai Disease, Kimimaro would have been the perfect vessel for his Living Corpse Reincarnation from every perspective.

As for Uchiha Gen, who had played him for a fool, Orochimaru had scoured the Uchiha clan's records and found no mention of anyone named Uchiha Gen or anyone fitting that description. Obito, who had also failed to find any information, was in the same boat.

However, Obito's situation was particularly comical. Because he didn't know Uchiha Gen was an Edo Tensei summon, he searched for a long time only to find that the clansman who best fit the description of Uchiha Gen was actually himself.

But according to intelligence gathered by White Zetsu, the furthest point they could trace Uchiha Gen's appearance was after Orochimaru's invasion of Konoha. Combining these fragmented pieces of information, Uchiha Gen and Orochimaru were inevitably linked.

But Orochimaru was hard to catch, and Uchiha Gen was currently with Itachi. With two pairs of Mangekyo Sharingan together, White Zetsu didn't dare get too close to gather intel, so the investigation into Uchiha Gen had temporarily stalled.

Over there, Uchiha Gen received some information from his clone and realized he needed to recharge. Previously, Uchiha Gen had forcibly filled his clone with as much chakra as his main body possessed, and now it was all used up. Uchiha Gen couldn't help but think how nice it would be if his clones could automatically recover chakra.

Using the excuse of needing to relieve himself, Uchiha Gen split off a clone and then dispelled it to send the information back. Uchiha Gen sighed; they had been traveling for two days, and Itachi hadn't even acknowledged him.

"Itachi, can you give me an autograph?"

"..." Ignored.

While walking, Itachi finally spoke two rare words: "We're here."

Hearing this, Uchiha Gen quickly concealed his presence. Looking forward from the bushes, he saw a person wrapped in heavy layers, wearing a red conical hat and a mask—the legendary Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han!

To say he was alone wasn't entirely accurate; in fact, as long as he ran back a little further, he would be at the border of the Land of Earth.

Moreover, information on Jinchuriki was classified. Even if ninjas from other countries knew his identity, if they wanted to make a move, not to mention whether they could capture him, doing so would inevitably expose their identity and force them to face the pressure of the other four great nations.

It was only thanks to White Zetsu that they found him; anyone else might not have been able to track him down. He was likely just out for a stroll.

Uchiha Gen looked at Itachi. "You going, or am I?"

"..."

A light breeze brushed through the branches. The surroundings were deathly quiet; there wasn't even the sound of a bird chirping.

Walking through a clearing, Han frowned deeply. He felt something was wrong—it felt like he had been to this place before. Suddenly, he saw the space to his side seem to distort. Just as his intuition screamed a warning, Han acted decisively.

Han immediately activated his Steam Armor, suddenly erupting with speed far beyond his usual limits to vacate his current position. However, looking back, there was nothing there, as if it were all just his imagination.

But Han knew the surroundings were definitely wrong. He sliced a cut into his hand, and suddenly the environment shifted. Opening his eyes, he realized he had been walking in circles in the same spot the whole time.

Han felt a weight in his heart. A genjutsu that can affect me, a Jinchuriki? Suddenly, he saw a corner of clothing behind a tree that seemed to have been exposed by accident before being pulled back. Seizing the opportunity, Han immediately unleashed Boil Release: Unrivaled Strength and kicked toward the tree.

However, only a flock of crows burst out from behind the tree, charging toward his eyes. Han swung his arm, sweeping them away with his immense strength, and a large number of crows fell dead to the ground.

Han was getting annoyed, but since the enemy was hidden and he was exposed, he immediately activated the first stage of his Tailed Beast transformation. A tail appeared behind him, and he intended to break their tricks with brute force. If they wouldn't come out, he would just head back to the village and see if they dared to follow.

However, the moment Han jumped up while in his Tailed Beast state, he was suddenly swatted back down by a massive, semi-transparent black palm.