Looking at the list Naruto presented, Orochimaru frowned slightly; these were all children.
Jūgo, Karin Uzumaki, Hozuki Suigetsu.
Naruto actually knew about these kids. These were all very talented children he had met before, whom he thought would be useful in the future, so he took them under his command. He never expected Naruto to even know this.
As if suddenly remembering something, Naruto looked at Orochimaru.
"By the way, Aunt Snake, you must manage this person well. This person is crucial to stabilizing the various Kekkei Genkai in the future."
"Who?"
Orochimaru didn't ask Naruto how he knew about these children; everyone has secrets, and asking too many questions would be counterproductive.
"A guy named Xin."
If it were the previous children, Naruto might have been able to find some clues by putting in some effort, but this letter was one of his few high-quality experimental subjects, and he had hidden it very well, so much so that even Danzo didn't know of its existence.
How did Naruto know that?
Most importantly, believe that this guy has an amazing physique. Even if he receives any organ transplant, his body will not experience rejection. He's practically a born guinea pig.
This is also why Orochimaru likes this guy so much.
However, Orochimaru was a smart man, and he quickly thought of Shin's special physique, and maybe he really could do it!
"Okay, Naruto-kun, I'll keep an eye out."
Hearing Orochimaru's promise, Naruto finally felt relieved, because Shin was currently the only person he knew with such an extraordinary physique. Otherwise, if that kid really got away, where would he find him in such a vast Shinobi World?
Orochimaru left quickly. He instructed Kabuto Yakushi to bring him the three children Naruto had specifically asked for. As for Shin, Orochimaru decided to personally go and find him. After all, he had stopped conducting experiments recently because he was implementing the Konoha Crush Plan, so even Orochimaru didn't know which base Shin was being held in.
After all, Orochimaru understood the principle of having Orochimaru.
Orochimaru completely trusted Naruto, who had followed him. So what if Naruto saw his other hiding places? The two were already comrades-in-arms.
But soon, Orochimaru's face turned grim. When he arrived at the room where he had imprisoned the letter last time, he found that the door, which should have been intact, had been broken open and the letter inside was nowhere to be seen.
Orochimaru knew how important Shin was, so how could he not be worried now that Shin was missing?
Naruto squeezed in at this moment, checking out the room. It was a 50-square-meter room with simple mud walls and minimal decorations. There was only a small bed, a table, and a chair. When he first entered, he could smell the earthy odor.
The owner of this room has disappeared without a trace.
"They... ran away?"
Naruto looked at Orochimaru with a strange expression. Had he failed to keep an eye on him?
Meeting Naruto's gaze, Orochimaru could only sigh helplessly. It was indeed his oversight; he hadn't realized the importance of Shin and had let his guard down, allowing Shin to escape.
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun."
To everyone's surprise, Naruto waved his hand, signaling Orochimaru to stop blaming himself. Looking in Naruto's direction, Orochimaru saw Naruto searching for something in the room, seemingly looking for clues about Shin's escape.
After Naruto followed Orochimaru into the base, he found that the defenses were very strong, and apart from the door to this room, there were no signs of damage. Naruto also sensed the presence of Earth Release techniques in the room.
Then Naruto's expression turned strange. Could it be that Shin didn't choose to escape, but instead hid?
Thinking of this, Naruto began searching along the corner of the wall, looking for anything that seemed out of place.
Finally, Naruto noticed something amiss in the far western corner of the room. The ground there was noticeably higher than in the other areas. Naruto went there and, without hesitation, immediately channeled his Water Release into the area.
" Water Release · Water Formation Wall."
A large amount of water appeared and hit the west corner of the house, but a strange scene unfolded: that spot seemed like a bottomless pit, and all that water poured in.
Orochimaru guessed what was going on at this moment. He came to Naruto's side, Hand Seals, and also used a Water Release.
Soon, the water slowly filled it, and a large number of bubbles began to rise to the surface.
Then a pale hand emerged from the mud, followed by a person covered in mud who struggled to crawl out. This person was none other than Shin, who was thought to have escaped. To everyone's surprise, this guy was actually hiding in the basement of this room. He had played a trick on Orochimaru by hiding in the dark.
"Heh, Xin, I didn't expect you to be hiding here."
Orochimaru said with a forced smile. His appearance startled Shin, who had just climbed up and was still catching his breath, so he broke out in a cold sweat. You must know that Orochimaru is not as kind as he looks. He has experienced war and killed countless enemies on the battlefield. His killing aura is real.
Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Shin immediately backed down. "Are you kidding me? Didn't you see Lord Orochimaru is already angry? Do you really think Shin would dare to push his luck?"
At this moment, Xin chuckled awkwardly:
" Lord Orochimaru, I was just thinking of giving you a surprise."
Clearly, Orochimaru didn't believe such an excuse, and he coldly said:
"Hehe, Xin, I really like this surprise!"
"I'm glad you like it, I'm glad you like it."
Shin was practically panicking. He had actually planned to hide under the floorboards to create chaos and escape, but Orochimaru had caught him red-handed. Now, there was no escape.
Shin could only resign himself to his fate, saying, "Alas, I actually wanted to escape. Lord Orochimaru, do with me as you please."
After saying this, Shin closed his eyes in despair. He believed that Orochimaru would definitely kill him if he did this. He waited for a long time with his eyes closed, as if he had resigned himself to his fate. Shin was still waiting, but a long time passed and Orochimaru did not make a move.
To his surprise, when Shin opened his eyes, he touched himself here and there, as if checking if Orochimaru's attack was so fast that he couldn't immediately tell what part he was missing.
"Alright, Xin, I have no intention of killing you. We'll need your help from now on."
Orochimaru stepped forward, patted Shin on the shoulder, and then gestured for him to follow.
Shin stared in disbelief at Orochimaru walking away, but chose to follow. He also noticed Naruto beside Orochimaru and even began to suspect that Orochimaru's change was all because of this boy.