Uchiha Sasuke wandered aimlessly through the wilderness.
The Chakra inside him was still in disarray from the brief clash with Itachi and the violent emotional swings, and the burden of his Mangekyo Sharingan came and went like a phantom.
Yet those physical discomforts were nothing beside the chaos and torment within his heart.
The truth felt like a rusted, blunt knife twisting through his guts.
His parents' death, the annihilation of his entire clan—no longer the sin of Uchiha Itachi alone.
The sinister face of Danzo Shimura hidden beneath bandages, the hypocrisy of the Konoha Leadership that preached light while sanctioning darkness—those names joined his list of hatred.
He itched to charge straight back to Konoha and burn the Root base—and the maggots inside it—with Amaterasu's black flames.
But reason doused those impulses like a basin of ice water; challenging Danzo, with his will-rewriting power, and the entire Root organization alone was suicide.
He needed strength great enough to oppose Kotoamatsukami, intelligence—everything about Danzo—and a plan.
Yet when he looked across the Ninja World, he found to his sorrow that he stood utterly alone.
The Akatsuki Organization was Itachi's lair, Konoha the stronghold of his enemies; the other villages had nothing to do with him.
In the end his feet turned, almost of their own accord, back toward Orochimaru's base.
There seemed the only place that might understand his hatred and still possess the resources he required.
Orochimaru's obsession with the Sharingan and his enmity toward Konoha now became common ground Sasuke could exploit.
When he appeared again in those familiar corridors reeking of disinfectant and serpent musk, dust-covered and cloaked in gloom, he found the irony bitter.
'Oh my, Sasuke-kun?' Yakushi Kabuto's falsely cheerful voice drifted over as he leaned against the wall, adjusting his glasses with leisure.
'Finished verifying the "truth" so soon? Judging by your expression, you must have reaped quite a harvest. Or… did you hit a wall out there and come crawling back under Orochimaru-sama's wing?'
Sasuke's icy gaze swept across Kabuto; the murderous intent in his eyes froze the medic's smile for an instant.
But Sasuke ignored the provocation; he had no mood to spar with this sarcastic creature. He strode straight toward the deepest part of the base and the familiar laboratory.
He pushed open the heavy metal door; inside, Orochimaru stood with his back to him before a huge cultivation tank, apparently still absorbed in research.
Karin was sorting documents at a side table. Hearing the door, both turned together.
'Sasuke?!' Karin cried, joy and worry naked in her voice. She dropped her papers and instinctively stepped forward, only to recoil from the colder-than-ever aura he radiated.
Orochimaru slowly turned; serpentine pupils glinted in the dim light as his gaze traveled over Sasuke and settled on the eyes that, though inactive, exuded an ominous air.
A delighted, fascinated smile spread across his face, his long tongue unconsciously running over pale lips.
'Hahaha…' Orochimaru gave a low laugh.
'What a pleasant surprise, Sasuke-kun.'
Sasuke met those serpent eyes that seemed able to read minds and stated his purpose without preamble.
'I'm going to kill Danzo Shimura.'
The air in the lab seemed to solidify; Karin gasped, staring at him in disbelief, while even Kabuto's professional smirk twitched.
Orochimaru's grin widened, twisting into something almost fanatical.
'Oh? Changed targets? From Uchiha Itachi to Danzo Shimura? Hmph hmph hmph…'
He watched every minute shift in Sasuke's expression with interest.
Then his tone shifted.
'So, Sasuke-kun, why return to me? By now you should no longer fear Danzo's strength.'
'I need intelligence on Danzo and a way to counter his dōjutsu.'
Sasuke spoke flatly, sounding nothing like a supplicant.
'Oh? There's a genjutsu even the Mangekyo Sharingan can't break?'
Orochimaru's mouth curved; he knew Sasuke must have discovered something.
'Kotoamatsukami—Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan, able to rewrite a person's will.' Sasuke gave a concise explanation.
'What? Rewrite will?'
Karin exclaimed; such power was terrifying… Orochimaru fell silent a moment, evidently stunned.
'Hmph… didn't expect that old fossil to have something like that…'
He fixed his gaze on Sasuke.
'So…'
'That's why I came to you.'
Sasuke's voice remained cold, but he stepped forward, his Mangekyo Sharingan flaring open; the weird crimson light instantly drove the gloom from the lab, vast ocular power pressing outward with his will.
'Let's make a deal.'
Orochimaru's golden serpent eyes narrowed; instead of retreating he reveled in the mighty force.
'You will devise the plan, supply all the intelligence and resources I need, and when necessary, assist me in killing Danzo.'
Sasuke spoke, voice icy.
'Oh? A deal?' Orochimaru tilted his head as if hearing something hilarious.
'Then what's the price? What can you offer, Sasuke-kun, to buy my help?'
'In return, I'll let you observe the Mangekyo Sharingan.'
Sasuke said calmly; he knew Orochimaru coveted his eyes—blatantly.
Orochimaru froze, then burst into louder, wilder laughter, verging on madness.
'Hahaha! Magnificent! Truly magnificent, Sasuke-kun! You've finally learned to think with reason instead of pure hatred—to exploit every usable resource, including yourself! Though this bargain benefits me far more… I accept!'
He stepped up to Sasuke, leaned in, greedily savoring the cold aura those Mangekyo eyes exuded.
'Killing Danzo Shimura is indeed exhilarating; that old man holds too many secrets, too many things that interest me—and he's become an eyesore.'
Orochimaru chuckled; the condition suited him perfectly—two birds with one stone.
'Then welcome back, Sasuke-kun.'
He retreated a satisfied step, already envisioning the splendid drama to come.
'From this moment, our goal is temporarily the same—let that rotting old Root, Danzo, rot completely away!'
He turned to Kabuto: 'Kabuto, compile all encrypted intel on Danzo, Root, and the Konoha Council, plus the latest defense maps and internal power-structure analysis, and hand everything to Sasuke-kun.'
'Yes, Orochimaru-sama.'
Karin beamed at Sasuke's return.
Sasuke stood there, feeling the familiar yet revolting surroundings; he knew he had stepped onto a darker, more dangerous road.
But bargaining with a tiger was better than drowning alone in despair. He closed his eyes, and images flashed—his parents, Itachi's cold gaze, the faces of Danzo and the Konoha Leadership.
Just wait. Every soul that ever harmed the Uchiha will pay.
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