A flicker of surprise crossed Sasuke's face as he scanned the name 'Toroi' again, his gaze lingering on the dossier.
'Magnet Release...? Something else to look forward to in this mission...'
After memorising the dossier's details, Sasuke began heading back to the Uchiha compound as he prepared to leave.
During his trek back home, Sasuke's mind wandered to what he had gained in these past two months.
'My training is coming together well, though the growth of my physical strength is slowing down a bit, most likely limited by my age. I still haven't been able to find any more documents talking about the Otsutsuki or any organisations akin the the Hand Of God. Then there are those lab documents I seized...'
As the details of the experiments he'd read flooded his mind, Sasuke's forehead creased deeply. 'Orochimaru is... truly desparate.'
The various grim details of the experiments were recorded within the papers, however, the only thing Sasuke could find relieving from all that was the information he got regarding Orochimaru himself.
Despite these new research directions, Orochimaru himself hasn't been able to use it to strengthen himself or make himself immortal.
The mere thought of Orochimaru achieving immortality sent a shiver down Sasuke's spine. 'If he gains eternal life, his thirst for power and knowledge won't just end with that. He'll scour the world for Kekkei Genkai, and I'll be right at the top of his list.'
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Hours later as the sun dipped below the horizon, within the Uchiha compound; Karin and Sasuke were facing each other as they sorted out the final details of their departure.
Adjusting her glasses, Karin turned to Sasuke with a puzzled expression. 'So, how are we going to hide my departure?'"
"Just with this," Sasuke replied as he snapped his fingers.
Without warning, a look-alike of herself appeared in Karin's vision causing her to jump behind Sasuke as she stared at the clone with her eyes wide open.
"A clone?" Karin frowned, both worried and sceptical. "But can it truly mimic me—my voice, my gestures, my personality? And how long can it really last without faltering?" She poked the clone's shoulder, half-expecting it to dissipate.
"The clone should hold up well enough for basic interactions; it's the finer points of your personality that are challenging. I'll have it immersed in Fuinjutsu at home. That should avoid any suspicions."
"And, you don't need to worry about whether the clone will disappear anytime soon. Provided it doesn't find itself in a serious fight, it can probably last a few years."
Karin heaved a sigh of relief, she didn't want to be made to stay at home alone.
It would only remind her of her past which she dreaded recalling. Those days in that lonely home by herself without her mother by her side terrified her.
It would also mean she got to miss out on being together with Sasuke... by themselves. A mischievous smile spread slowly across her face as she cupped her cheeks in her hands.
"Karin, we really need to get moving now." Said Sasuke, who was confusedly watching her antics from the side.
"Coming!" Chirped Karin gleefully.
The two soon made their way out of the compound under the veil of darkness, upon leaving the village, Sasuke summoned Luna and had her carry, Karin.
Sasuke's first goal was to head West towards Kusagakure, where he hoped to deal with a few things.
He hoped to swiftly finish his goals in Kusagakure before heading to the Land of Frost to complete his Anbu mission.
Firstly, the most obvious of all was to allow Karin to take revenge against the village.
Secondly, he had to investigate the Crystal Caves.
Sasuke had previously marked the place as an area of interest during his initial investigation near Kusagakure but ignored it once he found the village of White Zetsu. But, now he had a feeling there could be something else hidden there.
Thirdly, there was...
"Hey, Sasuke? If I do end up taking revenge. Would that not affect you? I mean you just left the village and the higher-ups of a neighbouring village collectively committed suicide...?"
Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted by Karin, her words leaving him half amused and half exasperated.
"Don't worry about that. I forgot to mention this before, but Kusagakure is currently in a state of civil war. As long as my actions are concealed, I can just throw the blame on the civil strife over there. I could even through the pot to another Shinobi village if it truly calls for it."
Sasuke answered as he looked behind him to see Karin sitting on top of Luna, her expression now blank.
"Civil war...?!"
Confusion swirled within her head as she spoke her thoughts aloud. It hadn't been too long since she had left, yet it was now in civil war all of a sudden.
Seeing her clueless face, Sasuke shook his head as he answered. "Ironically, this is kind of because of me... well us?"
His words caught Karin's attention.
"Well you see, I kind of just stole you away from Kusagakure; but obviously no one else knows that. So they all thought that the Kage of the village had hidden you away to be his private blood bank."
"As you can imagine that didn't rest well with everyone else. So they demanded him to return you, and well... as you can guess he couldn't exactly do that."
"For him, his memories are that you died of chakra exhaustion. Something everyone in this village should be aware of. Yet here they were blaming him."
"Understandably, from his perspective, he thought they were most likely coveting his position"
Without hearing Sasuke finish his words, Karin had a look of realisation cross her face.
"So, seeing him not doing anything and instead blaming them, they decided to take the matter into their own hands?"
As she began to understand the reason behind the civil strife, an odd feeling of schadenfreude couldn't help arise in her body.
She could most definitely think of how dumbfounded the Kusagakure Kage would have felt, and recalling her days in the village the thought didn't arouse any pity from her.
Amidst their chattering, they soon arrived near Kusagakure. Setting camp on a familiar hill nearby, Sasuke's thoughts flew to his memory of his induction mission.
'It feels like that was so long ago...' Shaking his head he began to ponder what order he should carry out his plans. 'First will be Karin's revenge.'
He considered completing this first, as doing so would only plunge the village into an even greater level of chaos.
Something that would only help conceal his actions later.