Night fell, and Konoha's ninja rested where they were while Uchiha Shunichi kept watch. After all, even ninja needed rest.
"Lord Shunichi, what are you thinking about?" Karin handed him a cup of hot tea and asked with some concern.
"I'm wondering what Orochimaru is really after. At first, I thought he wanted the Three-Tails, but he never showed up when the Akatsuki and Kirigakure were fighting over it." Uchiha Shunichi made no attempt to hide his thoughts when Karin asked.
The fighting during the day had been intense, and Uchiha Shunichi had completely forgotten about Orochimaru. Only after night fell, as he looked back on the day's events, did he realize that one faction had never appeared.
Now that Orochimaru had regained the use of his hands, his strength could not be underestimated. Even setting aside his own power, the Impure World Reincarnation he had mastered would be difficult enough to deal with.
With a suitable, top-quality sacrifice, Orochimaru could even control the Second Hokage at full strength. As for the First Hokage... that was probably beyond him.
But what Uchiha Shunichi feared most was Orochimaru's mind and his ability to come back to life.
"Lord Orochimaru? He probably isn't all that interested in the tailed beasts. I think he wants the Rinnegan. He was very excited when you told him about it back then." Karin thought for a moment before offering her guess.
Karin could more or less be considered Orochimaru's disciple. Although he had treated her as a test subject, he was also the reason she had gained such formidable power.
That was why Karin understood Orochimaru to some extent. He cared about nothing; the only thing that could interest him was immortality.
"The Rinnegan? That's certainly possible, but he didn't seem to show up." Uchiha Shunichi