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Snap!
Orochimaru's hand trembled inexplicably, causing the experiment to go awry.
Staring at the ruined materials on the lab table, Orochimaru's expression darkened.
This condition had persisted ever since his soul was damaged. Despite resting for so long, he still hadn't fully recovered.
Whenever he focused intensely on his experiments, these small accidents would occur.
"Truly a terrifying ocular power," Orochimaru muttered, recalling the unforgettable, horrifying experience. His long tongue flicked out, licking the corner of his lips.
Hiss~~~
Just as Orochimaru was about to dispose of the useless experimental materials, a small white snake slithered out from his pant leg and hissed at him twice.
"Found me already?" Orochimaru was slightly surprised. His well-hidden underground base had been discovered.
The white snake had warned him—someone was coming.
"What a shame."
The lab equipment had been painstakingly gathered, but now he had no choice but to abandon it.
BOOM!!!
The laboratory door was violently blasted open. Orochimaru's vertical pupils constricted.
He hadn't expected the intruder to find his base so quickly—let alone bypass all the traps and alarms he had set up, heading straight for the lab.
"..."
Watching the figure emerge from the dust, Orochimaru's hands trembled uncontrollably again.
"Good thing you weren't hiding too far away. Otherwise, finding you would've been a real hassle."
Kazuki stepped into the lab, curiously examining the various experimental materials and forbidden research tools. He clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Honestly, wherever you snakes slither, people suffer. But you've gotten more cautious—using summoning animals for experiments now."
In the original timeline, after defecting from Konoha, Orochimaru had fully indulged in his dark pursuits, racing down a path of no return. It wasn't until the Fourth Great Ninja War that he was forcibly pulled back.
"Long time no see, Kazuki-kun."
Orochimaru, his body tense, forced a grin and greeted him.
"It has been a while," Kazuki nodded, then looked Orochimaru up and down. "You don't look so good. Soul damage isn't pleasant, is it?"
What do you think?
Orochimaru's smile stiffened, his face darkening further.
Before Orochimaru could make a move, Kazuki warned him:
"Be good. Stand still, don't move, and don't try anything. If I could find you here, I can find you again. If you don't want your soul to suffer more damage—if you don't want to die—then behave and don't do anything stupid."
Orochimaru had considered launching a sneak attack to escape in the chaos, but Kazuki wouldn't give him the chance.
I came all the way from Konoha just for you, Orochimaru. If you run away, who's going to help Kakashi with his eyes?
"I'm curious, Kazuki-kun. How did you find this place?"
Kazuki walked over to the only chair in the lab and sat down. Tapping his temple, he smirked.
"Because people who've been under my genjutsu leave a little… mark on their soul. I just followed the trail. Though, it only works if you're close enough. Lucky for me, you didn't run too far. Otherwise, it'd have been a real pain."
Damn it!!!
What kind of monstrous ocular power is this?!
Orochimaru's urge to curse skyrocketed.
Kazuki's ocular abilities were already terrifying enough—Orochimaru's soul still hadn't recovered from the last encounter. And now, he could leave marks?!
Did the heavens favor the Uchiha a little too much?
Ignoring Orochimaru's grim expression, Kazuki picked up a glass vial and examined it.
"Planning to swap out your eyes for Sharingan? Too bad. Without Uchiha blood, you'll never unleash their full potential."
After suffering a crushing defeat at Kazuki's hands, Orochimaru had holed up in his lab, researching ways to heal himself while resuming his experiments on the Sharingan—something he'd previously abandoned.
In the original timeline, Orochimaru only resumed his Sharingan research after being humiliated by Itachi. But in this timeline, that humiliation had come years earlier.
"Relax. What happened before is in the past. As long as you don't target the Uchiha again, I won't come after you—provided you behave."
Kazuki set the vial down and asked, "Heard about what happened in Amegakure?"
"Of course. The Five Great Nations suffered quite the loss. The Deva Path's strength is even more terrifying than I anticipated."
When Orochimaru had first joined the Akatsuki, he'd considered targeting the Deva Path. But after hearing about the events in Amegakure, he was glad he hadn't acted recklessly.
Given the power Pain had displayed, Orochimaru would've died horribly if he'd tried anything against the Rinnegan.
"Glad you didn't try anything stupid, huh?"
Kazuki burst into laughter.
Orochimaru was an interesting character—anything powerful, he wanted a piece of. No doubt he'd been eyeing the Rinnegan but hadn't dared make a move.
Now, that ambition had been thoroughly crushed.
Unless he had a death wish.
"By the way, I need a favor."
After some more casual conversation, Kazuki got to the point.
"I promised Kakashi that after removing his Sharingan, I'd get him a suitable replacement. I figured this was your specialty, so I came looking for you."
"Oh, and one more thing—Tsunade wants you to return to the village."
Of course. Tsunade hasn't changed.
Orochimaru chuckled, his tongue flicking out again.
"And what do I get out of this, Kazuki-kun?"
Kazuki grinned, revealing a row of pristine white teeth.
"How about not being turned into a genjutsu-controlled puppet? Does that count?"
Orochimaru: "..."
"So, I don't have a choice?"
Orochimaru's smile vanished. He wanted to flee but didn't dare.
He couldn't be sure whether Kazuki had truly left something in his soul—something that would allow him to track Orochimaru down anytime.
Until that mark was removed, Kazuki could find him whenever he pleased.
"Remember Uchiha Madara?"
"You mean Obito?"
Obito's identity had already been confirmed, and Orochimaru had his ways of gathering intel.
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