The Disappearance of Karin

"As expected, Shunichi-kun recognized me!" Orochimaru did not bother with a fake voice this time, speaking directly.

Uchiha Shunichi remained silent for a moment before replying, "It wasn't so much recognizing you as it was sensing that whoever defeated me during the Chūnin Exams couldn't possibly be a mere Genin."

Uchiha Shunichi did not want to explain too much; anyone who had read the original story would have recognized him. But in this world, Orochimaru's ability to hide was quite exceptional.

After all, peeling off someone else's skin and pasting it onto one's own face with such seamless precision... even a biological mother wouldn't be able to tell the difference at first glance.

"Shunichi-kun, you've piqued my interest now." Orochimaru extended his long tongue and licked his lips.

"Lord Orochimaru would be better off abandoning that thought. Even if you have a Soul Backup within the Cursed Seal, I know far more than you imagine." Uchiha Shunichi smiled slightly, offering a calm threat.

Hearing Uchiha Shunichi's words, Orochimaru's pupils constricted, and his expression turned serious.

When he first heard about this interesting child from Yakushi Kabuto, Orochimaru's thought was that he was somewhat intriguing.

But when he actually met Uchiha Shunichi, he discovered that the boy could always bring him an inexplicable sense of threat.

A ninja's sixth sense was incredibly important.

Therefore, when facing Uchiha Shunichi, although Orochimaru appeared indifferent on the surface, he vaguely treated him as an equal during their conversation.

"It seems I've been threatened!" Orochimaru flicked his long tongue, his tone becoming extremely dangerous.

The scene fell into a stalemate; both sides were on guard, as if time and space had frozen in that moment.

After a long while, Orochimaru suddenly revealed a smile and spoke gently, "Shunichi-kun, in that case, let's leave it at this for now. However... remember to keep the secret!"

Following that, Orochimaru's entire body turned into a puddle of sludge and flowed into the ground.

After Orochimaru left, Uchiha Shunichi let out a sigh of relief. He then hurried toward Naruto Uzumaki's defensive line, simultaneously pulling out an Anbu Signal Flare and firing it into the sky.

Uchiha Shunichi naturally knew that Naruto was fine, but since he had received the mission from Sarutobi Hiruzen, he still had to go through the motions.

By the time Uchiha Shunichi arrived, Orochimaru had already finished everything he needed to do to Sasuke. The Cursed Seal on Uchiha Sasuke's neck was striking, and the boy had already fallen unconscious.

As for Naruto, he was uninjured, though the Nine-Tails chakra in his body had been thoroughly sealed. If Naruto wanted to practice ninjutsu now, he would find it much smoother.

Unfortunately, Naruto had already fallen into a coma. Of the three, only Sakura, who had been dead weight the entire time, remained in good condition.

Seeing this, Uchiha Shunichi did not reveal himself. Instead, he watched everything quietly from a nearby tree until Anko Mitarashi arrived. Only then did Uchiha Shunichi briefly report the situation before going to check on his own two unlucky teammates.

However... by the time Uchiha Shunichi found his teammates, Tenzō had already appeared there.

"Void, what happened?" Tenzō still addressed Uchiha Shunichi by his code name.

"I discovered Orochimaru's trail. I couldn't defeat him. The Jinchūriki should be fine, but Uchiha Sasuke seems to have been attacked." Uchiha Shunichi did not hide much, explaining the general situation.

Hearing the name Orochimaru, Tenzō couldn't help but frown. As one of the few surviving test subjects of that man, Tenzō had complicated feelings toward Orochimaru.

But now, to Tenzō, Orochimaru was simply an enemy.

"Void, mission over. From now on, continue to complete the Chūnin Exams. If you encounter Orochimaru again, consider retreating," Tenzō ordered immediately.

"Understood. I will take responsibility for bringing these two teammates to the finish line." Uchiha Shunichi nodded and watched Tenzō leave.

Once Tenzō's figure disappeared, Uchiha Shunichi dumped his two teammates under a tree, left a Shadow Clone behind, and went for a stroll through the Forest of Death.

Although he had obtained Naruto's flesh and blood, a true member of the Uzumaki Clan still made Uchiha Shunichi very curious. Since they were competitors, it shouldn't be a problem to injure her, right?

It was just... to Uchiha Shunichi's disappointment, he did not find Karin in the Forest of Death, as if she hadn't come to participate at all.

A somewhat unwilling Uchiha Shunichi searched until the competition was nearly over, but he found nothing.

Helpless, Uchiha Shunichi had to end his assessment in the Forest of Death. He had grabbed a scroll from a small ninja village along the way.

"Shunichi, I heard you encountered Orochimaru during your mission. How was it? Did he leak any intelligence?"

In a small conference room, Sarutobi Hiruzen was looking at Uchiha Shunichi with a serious expression.

"I was no match for him. Orochimaru... is very strong. I don't know his goal, but there is a high probability it was for Uchiha Sasuke."

"It's just strange. My eyes are clearly more powerful, so why..."

Uchiha Shunichi reported with a look of confusion.

"Is that so! I see. That guy Orochimaru, he actually has..." A trace of pain flashed in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes.

"However, don't be too discouraged. To be able to survive against Orochimaru at your age is quite excellent," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a tone of praise.

"Yes, I know." Facing Sarutobi Hiruzen's praise, Uchiha Shunichi remained cold.

There was no helping it; he simply couldn't bring himself to show a good face in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen, so he chose to act as if he didn't care about anything.

According to his observations, this kind of behavior seemed to put Sarutobi Hiruzen at ease. On the contrary, it was Uchiha Sasuke's state that worried the old man.

He had mentioned Sasuke to him more than once, but Uchiha Shunichi had ignored him every time.

"Are there any more missions? I'm almost out of time to attend the next test. After all, I am still a Genin participating in the Chūnin Exams." Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen fall into deep thought and remain silent for a long time, Uchiha Shunichi interrupted him.

"Oh, is that so! Is it almost time? I have to go preside over it as well." Sarutobi Hiruzen recovered from his thoughts, his eyes looking hazy.

At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked like an elderly man who could barely walk.

But after a moment, he recovered.

"Oh!"