Snake Sage's Intent

The person who had arrived was none other than—

Orochimaru's most capable and trusted subordinate, Yakushi Kabuto.

This "shady man" had also slipped into Snow Ninja Village four or five days earlier, hidden among the delegation from a small ninja village. Ordinary Snow Ninja had no way of detecting Yakushi Kabuto's presence. Although there was a sensory barrier around the village, Kabuto hadn't forced his way in; he had entered Snow Ninja Village through "normal channels." On top of that, he was exceptionally skilled in concealment techniques, especially when it came to suppressing his own presence.

Without getting close,

Naruto and Karin had no way of detecting him either.

It wasn't as if the village was full of their own people, with some "foreign element" suddenly sneaking in.

Rather, hundreds of "strangers" had poured into the entire ninja village. Naruto and Karin didn't have the ability or means to sense one "anomaly" among so many people. Otherwise, they wouldn't have let the other ninja villages get away with their little schemes behind the scenes. It was simply because they couldn't keep track of them all. If Naruto could, he'd assign someone to watch every single one.

But that was only true at a distance.

Just like now.

As soon as Yakushi Kabuto came within a short distance of Naruto,

he stood out like a light in the darkness.

Naruto spotted him almost immediately.

After all, Naruto was extremely wary of Kabuto.

The reason was simple.

In the Fourth Shinobi World War that broke out in the original story,

Yakushi Kabuto had been one of the major villains.

Whether it was his mastery of the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu or his having learned Sage Mode from Ryūchi Cave,

both proved that he was someone who had to be watched closely.

That