Past and present lives, intertwined hearts!

It was, after all, a major decision that would affect her entire life. With so many misgivings about an unknown, forbidden power, Karin did not readily accept those eyes. She only said she would give it serious thought, and Orochimaru did not press her.

Afterward, Kabuto Yakushi took care of burying Hidan's head, while Sasuke called Orochimaru out to the Back Mountain alone.

Late that night, weighed down by her worries and unable to sleep, Karin left her bedroom and wandered through the Forest beneath the hazy blue moonlight.

She was the only girl from the war-ravaged Uzumaki Clan to survive unharmed, and she had fled to Kusagakure with her mother.

Kusagakure had taken Karin in because of her unique healing ability, but that same ability subjected her to cruel torment in the heartless village. Eventually, her Mother died protecting her, and to survive, she chose to seek refuge with Orochimaru!

Karin's unparalleled sensory abilities quickly won Orochimaru's favor, and he entrusted her with important duties.

But what truly made Karin choose to be loyal to Orochimaru... was hearing about his "fixation" on Sasuke!

When Karin participated in Konoha's chunin ninja exams as a ninja from the Land of Grass, she became separated from her teammates and was attacked by a bear. Sasuke, who happened to be passing by to fetch water, saved her. That was her first meeting with him, and the beginning of the only love she would ever know, in her past life or this one.

If I pledge my loyalty to Orochimaru... perhaps one day I'll be reunited with the Sasuke I love?

The heart of a girl whose love had taken deep root was that simple, yet that profound!

Unlike in her past life, the Karin of this life had reunited with Sasuke while fleeing the attack on the Northern Hideout.

She had no memories of her past life... and knew nothing of the cruel future Sasuke had lived through.

But that did not mean she knew nothing about Sasuke!

Quite the opposite: through Orochimaru, she had learned every detail of Sasuke's tragic origins!

The Sasuke she envisioned should have been a boy consumed by bitterness, bent on taking revenge against his older brother, Itachi!

But Sasuke's chakra was not that of a cold avenger. It was deep, sorrowful, and repressed, yet filled with the hope of rising again!

She had also noticed a change in Orochimaru... A few months ago, he had still been a madman who treated life with contempt in pursuit of his research, but when they met again, he seemed like an entirely different person.

Now, Orochimaru looked to Sasuke as his guiding force. Clearly, Sasuke was the reason for that change!

And... Sasuke gives me the feeling that he's known me for a very long time.

What on earth is going on?

Feeling unsettled, Karin kicked a pebble into the lake, then caught sight of Orochimaru and Sasuke standing side by side on the distant mountainside!

Under normal circumstances, Karin would certainly have been wary, especially of Orochimaru.

But driven by her urgent desire to learn more about Sasuke, she chose to follow them.

Sensing and concealing chakra were her specialties. Orochimaru was not in shinigami mode at the moment, and Sasuke did not yet possess particularly strong sensory abilities. Besides, this was the isolated Blue Moon Island, where they had no need to remain constantly on guard, so neither noticed Karin nearby.

Their conversation drifted over.

"Orochimaru, to be honest, I don't want Karin to inherit those eyes."

"Oh? Why is that? Tell me, Sasuke-kun."

Watching the shimmering lake below, Sasuke slowly sat down and said with tangled emotions, "I owed Karin far too much in my past life..."

My past life...!?

The sheer weight of information contained in those words instantly left Karin stunned!

Then Sasuke's voice sounded again. "In my past life, I used her and hurt her, yet she always followed me without complaint or regret. In the end, she even chose to grow old alone for my sake. Her devotion was too profound. I can't, in good conscience, let her walk that same path again. After being reborn in this era, I've thought about a great many things. Besides protecting the ninja world from Ōtsutsuki, I also want to do everything I can to make up for the regrets of my past life..."

"Itachi's regrets, those of Naruto's mentor, Jiraiya, Obito's regrets, Madara's regrets, and of course... Karin's regrets, too."

Orochimaru asked earnestly, "Then how do you intend to make up for Karin's regrets?"

Sasuke said, "By making sure she doesn't grow attached to me again. I don't know why she would fall for someone like me, but as long as I stayed away from her, she should have had no reason to fall for me. Yet through a twist of fate, history repeated itself. Because we acted against the Akatsuki, the Akatsuki moved against the Northern Hideout. I couldn't leave Karin to die, so we met again. But at least she hasn't fallen too deeply yet. There should still be time for her to change her heart. Don't let her get any further involved in my affairs!"

Hearing this, Karin hugged her shoulders tightly. So... that's what happened!!

Orochimaru's slit pupils darkened. "Sasuke-kun... I'm afraid Karin's feelings for you aren't as simple as you think."

Sasuke frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

Orochimaru said, "Let me tell you something you never remembered, even in your past life."

Sasuke asked, "Something I never remembered?"

Orochimaru said, "Do you know why Karin chose to pledge her loyalty to me?"

Sasuke said, "Wasn't it... because she couldn't survive in Kusagakure?"

Orochimaru shook his head. "That was merely what prompted her to seek refuge with me, not the main reason she became loyal to me..."

And so, Orochimaru told Sasuke about what had happened in the Forest during the chunin ninja exams.

After hearing him out, Sasuke's face changed in shock. "What... did you say!?"

But when he calmed himself and searched his memories with all his might... he did indeed vaguely recall that incident.

Orochimaru said, "Now you understand, don't you? Those feelings had already taken root much earlier. Whether or not you reunited this time would never have changed her heart. Unless Karasuki had sent you back to before Konoha's chunin ninja exams, to a time when your paths truly hadn't crossed... But even if you had returned to that point, you would inevitably have needed me to grow stronger. When the chunin ninja exams came around, I would still have drawn on my memories of our past life and told you that Karin would be in danger during the exams. Sasuke-kun, would you... have chosen to leave her to die?"

Sasuke shook his head. He did not even need to think about that question.

"No... I would have saved her again!"

Orochimaru smiled. "There you have it. The bond between you and Karin cannot be severed under any circumstances!"

"So, Sasuke-kun, this way of making amends simply won't work!"

Thoroughly overwhelmed, Sasuke covered his face with a bitter smile.

After collecting himself a little, Sasuke said gravely, "At the very least... don't let her inherit those eyes. It's obvious she'll risk everything for me. I truly don't want to see her fight powerful enemies in a way that's practically self-mutilation!"

Orochimaru's gaze grew distant. "Sasuke-kun, there's a saying that concern clouds judgment. You may have unwittingly made the same mistake Itachi once did: forcing your own wishes on someone for their supposed benefit. Itachi's selflessness was certainly admirable, but there was a better way."

Sasuke lowered his head.

Orochimaru said, "In your past life, Itachi must have realized that before he died, wouldn't you say? That was why he repented and sincerely apologized to you. Having experienced that yourself, are you really going to repeat his mistake?"

"Where those eyes belong is not for you or me to decide. It depends on Karin's own wishes!"

A sigh.

Sasuke sighed and said, "If Karin refuses, don't force her!"

Orochimaru smiled. "Of course... I've also resolved to take a completely different path from the one I once walked!"

"..."

Around the corner, Karin, who had learned everything, was already streaming with tears.