Karin froze, then looked up at him uneasily.
"My original body has already made the arrangements. He'll recommend you to join Konoha as a specialist," the shadow clone continued. "Go pack your things. Someone will come to pick you up soon."
"Join... Konoha?" Karin's eyes widened, filling with incredulous joy. To her, it was an unattainable dream. She would no longer be fought over like a tool, no longer lead a life of wandering and hardship. Instead, she would become an official member of the greatest ninja village.
"Really? Can I really go to Konoha?" Her voice trembled slightly.
"Of course." The shadow clone smiled. "Once we're in the village, remember to call me Big Brother Toru."
"Yes! Big Brother Toru!" Karin jumped with excitement, the delight and blush on her face making her look especially adorable. Almost immediately, she dropped the herbs in her hands and rushed clumsily back to her room to pack what little luggage she had.
Inside the barrier, the battle continued.
This time, Tenzo was driven into a corner. Ranmaru's sealing jutsu pushed the Hashirama cells in his body to their limit, unleashing a powerful surge of life energy beyond his control. Fine wood-grain patterns appeared across his skin, and the nature of his chakra began undergoing a strange transformation.
"That's it." The shadow clone, who had been watching all along, brightened.
He appeared before Tenzo in an instant, ignoring the latter's rampaging Wood Release. He held two fingers of his right hand together like a sword, and a deep violet glow lit their tips. This light was not chakra, but a more fundamental form of energy. After countless observations and analyses of Tenzo's cellular structure, he had replicated an energy interference specifically tailored to its properties.
"Cell Interference Beam."
A violet beam shot from