"Hidden Grass Village…"
Uchiha Shinji frowned.
He recalled Iruka mentioning that Mizuki had been nearby when Karin was attacked, and he had analyzed that Orochimaru might be involved behind the scenes.
Karin continued, "It was the Grass Village that arranged for me to come to the Hidden Leaf. Last time, they forced me to distract the Anbu who were protecting the Hidden Leaf's Jinchuriki."
"Why did they do that? What's their goal?"
Karin shook her head, "I don't know their true intentions. They didn't tell me much. They just arranged for me to run into a man named Jiraiya. He seemed to have some connection to the Uzumaki clan and, seeing that I was alone, he brought me back to the Hidden Leaf."
Jiraiya brought you back to the Hidden Leaf?
Shinji was a little surprised but, after thinking it over, he couldn't help but admire the cleverness of the plan.
The Fourth Hokage's wife was from the Uzumaki clan, and on the night of the Nine-Tails attack, Jiraiya didn't make it back to the village in time to save the Fourth Hokage and his wife. He must have regretted it deeply.
For him to encounter another orphan from the Uzumaki clan afterward would naturally stir feelings of sympathy.
And with Jiraiya's endorsement, the village's suspicion of Karin would be greatly reduced.
Realizing this, Shinji understood that Hidden Grass alone couldn't have pulled off such a plan. Orochimaru's involvement was highly likely.
So he asked Karin, "Hidden Grass went to great lengths to plant you in Hidden Leaf. It can't be just to act as a spy. Think carefully—do they have any other plans?"
Karin thought for a moment, then said, "They mentioned the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. It seemed like they wanted me to become a Jinchuriki."
Shinji was momentarily taken aback, but then everything became clear to him.
Heh, Hidden Grass really has some tricks up its sleeve, he sneered. He then reassured Karin, "Don't worry, I'll find a way to help with your mother."
After speaking, he deactivated the Jikibi projection to conserve his dojutsu power.
Back in his apartment, Shinji chuckled coldly.
Karin's words had instantly revealed Hidden Grass Village's entire scheme to him.
In the original timeline, Hidden Grass had once orchestrated a ridiculously foolish plan.
They had someone impersonate Naruto to assassinate the Fourth Raikage, framing Naruto in the process and forcing the Hidden Leaf to send him to the Hozuki Castle, a prison for serious offenders in the shinobi world.
The reason they did this was that, after years of research, Hidden Grass discovered that opening the secret treasure of the Land of Grass, the "Box of Ultimate Bliss," required a massive amount of chakra, equivalent to that of a Tailed Beast. So they framed Naruto, intending to steal the Nine-Tails from him while he was imprisoned.
In this timeline, it seemed that Hidden Grass had made an earlier breakthrough in their research on the "Box of Ultimate Bliss." This led them to realize much sooner that the box required Tailed Beast-level chakra to open. And with Karin, an orphan of the Uzumaki clan, still residing in Hidden Grass, they devised a much more intelligent plan.
The plan was to plant Karin in the Hidden Leaf first, then find an opportunity to assassinate Naruto.
If Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, were to die, the Hidden Leaf would have no choice but to find a new host for the Nine-Tails.
And with Karin, a member of the Uzumaki clan, in the village, she would undoubtedly be the best candidate!
In other words, if they assassinated Naruto while he was still young, the Hidden Leaf would effectively deliver the Nine-Tails into the hands of Hidden Grass—a cunning plan indeed.
...
The next day.
Following Shinji's instructions, Karin switched to a pair of dark-tinted goggles that concealed the color of her pupils.
Sure enough, after class, Mizuki approached her.
Mizuki eyed Karin suspiciously and asked with a smile, "Why the sudden change in eyewear?"
Karin removed her goggles, "I've been a little nearsighted, and lately, my eyes have been getting irritated by dust. It's been uncomfortable, so I switched to these goggles."
Mizuki inspected her eyes closely but, finding nothing unusual, feigned concern, "If your eyes are bothering you, I can take you to the hospital for a check-up."
Karin put her goggles back on and shook her head, "No need."
Shinji observed the scene from a distance.
It was clear that Mizuki, as Orochimaru's spy, was tasked with monitoring Karin.
This confirmed Shinji's suspicion that Orochimaru was also involved in Grass Village's plan.
Thankfully, he had been cautious enough to have Karin switch to the goggles before the surgery, preventing Mizuki from growing suspicious.
Other than Mizuki, only Haku showed curiosity about Karin's new goggles. As for the rest of the students, no one paid much attention, as Karin was usually quite reserved.
That night, Shinji, carrying his surgical tools, snuck into Karin's apartment.
"Sir!"
Seeing Shinji in his Akatsuki attire, Karin immediately tensed up.
Shinji spoke softly, "It's just a simple surgery, no need to be nervous."
Karin, her voice trembling, replied, "Yes!"
Shinji sighed inwardly, understanding that an eye transplant could sound terrifying, especially to a seven- or eight-year-old girl like Karin. A little fear was understandable.
After carefully taking out the nutrient jar containing the half-damaged Mangekyou Sharingan, Shinji meticulously sterilized the surgical instruments.
Karin curiously looked at the eyes in the jar, "Sir, are these the eyes you're going to transplant into me?"
Shinji nodded slightly, "These are the Mangekyou Sharingan of the Uchiha clan."
He didn't hide anything from Karin. After all, he might perform a cell transplant surgery on her in the future. Being upfront would foster more trust between them than keeping secrets.
Soon, Shinji completed the eye transplant with precision.
The surgery wasn't difficult. After all, even Rin Nohara, who had only just begun learning medical ninjutsu, managed to transplant Obito's eye to Kakashi on the battlefield.
The procedure was so swift that Karin barely had time to process it. She blinked in surprise, "Is it over already?"
While carefully placing Karin's original eyes into a nutrient jar, Shinji observed her condition, "How do you feel?"
Karin quickly replied, "Other than not being able to see with my right eye, I don't feel anything unusual."
Shinji pressed further, "Any signs of rejection?"
Karin shook her head.
"Impressive, the Uzumaki clan…" Shinji murmured. He then cautioned her, "Your left eye possesses the true power of the Mangekyou Sharingan. I deactivated its abilities before the transplant, but don't attempt to activate it on your own. It could put a strain on your body."
Kakashi's body had been weakened by his Mangekyou Sharingan, though it was often a point of humor. However, there was truth to the fact that the Mangekyou Sharingan placed a great burden on non-Uchiha users.
"I understand."
Karin obediently nodded.
"I'll hold onto your original eyes for safekeeping. As for your mother, I'll arrange for her rescue as soon as possible," Shinji said as he packed up the surgical tools.
He didn't intend to use Karin's mother as leverage. But he knew that only by rescuing her mother would Karin fully commit to helping him.