A Sage's Pursuit of Power

Karin and a group of friends had gone to the riverside to catch fish. Unlike Naruto, who fished out of necessity, they were just a bunch of kids playing by the river, with catching fish being more of an added activity.

Karin had never fished before. In fact, she had hardly played any normal childhood games, so she was deeply interested in all kinds of games.

Every time she went out, she played to the fullest, which led Yumi to start complaining that the little girl was not very ladylike.

Aoba didn't mind; he knew this was Karin trying to make up for what she had missed. It was actually beneficial for her development.

Today, the group of kids ran to the riverside again. Karin demonstrated her tree-climbing skills to the other children.

Basic training like climbing trees and treading water was something she had started early on. However, her playful nature meant she didn't practice with the same intensity as Naruto or Sasuke. Aoba had also prevented her from pushing herself too hard.

Thus, it took her two weeks to complete her tree-climbing training.

Naturally, she wanted to show off a bit in front of her friends.

Such small displays of skill were allowed by Aoba, though both he and Yumi had strictly forbidden her from revealing any special aspects of her body.

"No matter what happens, even if your good friends get hurt in front of you, you must never let them bite you. Under no circumstances should you reveal this to anyone."

Aoba and Yumi's stern warning, coupled with the suffering Karin had endured from a young age, made her very sensitive to this issue. Even when playing, she was able to distinguish between what was important and what was not.

However, today Karin seemed distracted.

Several of her friends noticed something was off.

"Karin, what's wrong?"

"I... it's nothing. Let's go play somewhere else. I'll teach you how to climb trees."

"Okay."

The kids, chattering and playing, left the riverside.

Karin was preoccupied and, before nightfall, bid her friends farewell and returned home. This surprised both Aoba and Yumi, as usually, she wouldn't come back until it was dark.

"What's wrong, Karin? Did you have a fight with your friends?"

"It's not that, I..." Karin hesitated, then said.

"Aoba-nii, I have a secret to tell you."

"What's the secret?"

"Well..." Karin seemed unsure of how to describe it.

"It's that... I can see people even when I close my eyes. It's strange, but the more I close my eyes, the clearer I can see. I can see far away, even behind walls and in the woods."

Aoba smiled. He knew exactly what this meant. Karin had likely awakened Kagura's Eyes.

Kagura's Eyes were a unique ability of the Uzumaki clan, considered a special bloodline limit.

Once awakened, it provided an extraordinary level of sensory perception. Within a certain range, no living being could escape the perception of Kagura's Eyes. It was nearly as effective as the Byakugan, though it didn't have the same range.

"Don't be afraid. You've awakened a power called Kagura's Eyes. It's a good thing; it will give you powerful sensory abilities. From now on, no one can ambush or surprise you because you can sense hidden enemies around you at any time."

"But I feel a bit uncomfortable."

The discomfort was due to the sudden influx of information that Shion's brain needed to process after awakening Kagura's Eyes. This wasn't a problem; she would adapt to it over time.

"Is that so? Can you see things underground too?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Theoretically, you should be able to. Why, what did you see?"

"I saw something underground. No, it didn't look like a person; I don't know what it was, but it's alive and moving. It looked really scary."

Aoba's expression changed instantly. He knew exactly what those were. They were probably White Zetsu, sent by Obito to monitor Konoha.

White Zetsu used a special technique called the "Mayfly Technique." This technique merged their bodies with the earth and plants for high-speed movement, a unique infiltration technique for White and Black Zetsu.

They looked like insectivorous plant shells on the outside. When they used this technique, they could merge with the earth.

By integrating with the network of roots and underground water in the soil, they could move swiftly to any location.

During the use of this technique, they cut off all traces, making them undetectable even by the Byakugan unless it was prepared in advance.

Only Kagura's Eyes, with their extraordinary perception, could directly sense their life force and clearly determine their location.

Aoba knelt down and looked at Karin seriously.

"Can you see these things around our house?"

"No, there's nothing near our home. I usually see them around the Hokage Tower or near the school."

"Good. Karin, listen to me. From now on, you must not actively look at those things, understand? Don't actively look at them. But remember their locations and tell me, understood?"

"Understood. Is this a ninja's mission?"

"Of course, this is a task I'm giving you. The first objective is to protect yourself from being noticed by those things. The second objective is to remember their locations. The third objective is to inform me if you see any of those things very close to the surface."

Aoba had known for a long time that Konoha was under the surveillance of White Zetsu. Although these creatures had limited combat power, their stealth and escape skills were top-notch in the ninja world.

With his current strength and technical resources, he couldn't handle them at all.

Karin's early awakening of Kagura's Eyes had solved a crucial part of the problem. He could now monitor the locations of White Zetsu around Konoha, but since it was too early, he wasn't fully prepared.

Given the current conditions, capturing these creatures was still quite challenging.

Most of the White Zetsu were buried tens of meters underground. At such depths, even if he had Jiraiya's level of Earth Release techniques, it would be difficult to catch them.

The distance was too deep. Before his techniques could take effect, they might have already burrowed hundreds of meters underground.

Thus, he instructed Karin to notify him if she saw any approaching the surface.

Even if they got close to the surface, it was still risky. Aoba needed to prepare more.

White Zetsu were a key component of his next plan. To capture them, he had even paused all other experiments and began preparations specifically for capturing White Zetsu.