After picking up the scroll and reading the contents inside, Sasuke smirked coldly.
"As expected... I couldn't hold back anymore."
Orochimaru had sent Sasuke a new rendezvous point, noting that they would renegotiate the terms of their previous exchange. The location was still within the Land of Grass—another hidden base, this time embedded in the depths of a remote cave.
"Sasuke-kun, you've eliminated Danzo, haven't you?" Orochimaru greeted him directly with that question.
After Orochimaru's encounter with members of the Akatsuki, he had intended to investigate Danzo Shimura himself, only to find no trace of the man—not in Konoha, not among his spies, and not even a whisper of chakra in any Root facility.
Then, he remembered the flicker of flame from their last battle. He hadn't paid it any mind at the time, but thinking back, it mirrored the signature of the Amaterasu he had seen Sasuke wield before—just like when he first witnessed Sasuke annihilate four of his subordinates in an instant.
The deduction had become clear.
"That's right. I killed him. Is that a problem?" Sasuke admitted without hesitation, his tone icy.
"Then… since Danzo is dead," Orochimaru asked with narrowed eyes, "shouldn't you hand over the research data you promised?"
Sasuke feigned mild confusion. "Research data? Our agreement was that I'd give it to you after you helped me eliminate Danzo. Since you didn't do anything, why should I hand it over now?"
"Hehehe… that's fair," Orochimaru chuckled, not pressing the point. "But since you've come to me anyway, I presume you're not here just to exchange pleasantries, are you?"
"If you want the data, then accept two conditions," Sasuke said flatly, holding up two fingers.
"I'm listening," Orochimaru replied, ever intrigued.
"First, you'll share all your future experiments and findings with me. Second, if I ever consult you on a scientific matter, you will assist me without objection."
Orochimaru didn't flinch or hesitate.
"Agreed," he said instantly. "It's my pleasure to walk this path of truth with another seeker. Honestly, I thought you'd simply stumbled upon that research… but it seems, Sasuke-kun, that you're truly serious about this field."
Sasuke realized Orochimaru had accepted so readily because he viewed him as a like-minded scholar of forbidden knowledge. And in truth, they were alike. Both believed in the pursuit of power through science and experimentation.
Seeing Orochimaru's sincere enthusiasm, Sasuke didn't press further. He took out a sealed scroll and handed over the complete reproduction of the artificial limb construction methods—reverse-engineered from old Akatsuki prosthetics and adapted with modern shinobi tech.
Orochimaru pounced on the scroll like a starving man on food, immediately unfurling it and mumbling to himself as he read.
"So that's how it works…"
"This framework… It's ingenious."
"These catalysts—hmph! I've never thought to use those materials…"
"This part could be optimized further…"
Orochimaru was fully immersed. It was as if the rest of the world no longer existed.
Sasuke sighed. "Typical." Whether it was Orochimaru or Urahara Kisuke from that other world, the obsession of scientists was universal. He remembered how Urahara used to destroy the Twelfth Division's barracks over minor experimental miscalculations.
Seeing Orochimaru unresponsive, Sasuke sat cross-legged and began silently reciting the incantation for Hadō #90—Kurohitsugi (Black Coffin). He knew he had the spiritual pressure to cast it, but power alone wasn't enough. Mastery of Kidō required precise control, lest he end up like Renji Abarai, whose unstable casting of Shakkahō often exploded in his own face.
As night fully fell, Orochimaru finally finished the scroll, his eyes gleaming with manic curiosity. Without a word, he stood up and turned to leave toward his laboratory.
"Wait," Sasuke called out, stopping him at the exit.
This time, Orochimaru turned. "Is there something else, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke pulled out a bounty scroll. "Have you seen this missing-nin in the Land of Grass? He's the target of my current mission."
Orochimaru glanced at the image, his brow arching slightly.
"Hm… I believe this is Subject No. 19 from Lab 319—one of my experimental basements here in the Land of Grass. He's not of any particular value to me. If you need him, I'll have him delivered to you shortly."
Then, as if nothing had happened, he continued toward his lab.
"I'm about to begin the replication of the prosthetic limb project. Sasuke-kun, would you care to observe the procedure?"
Sasuke's brow twitched. Subject No. 19 in Basement 319—just how many secret labs did Orochimaru maintain? Was the entire subterranean world of the shinobi nations his personal workshop?
He might genuinely be the most dangerous individual still alive.
"Of course," Sasuke replied, following. "But now that I think about it… the reincarnated body you're using—are you currently male or female?"
Orochimaru's tongue curled out slightly in a smile. "Hehehe… I didn't expect you to be curious about that, Sasuke-kun. For someone like me, gender is irrelevant. The only criterion is whether the vessel is suitable."
He reached up, pulling off a skin-like mask, revealing a youthful, elegant face beneath.
"You've seen this face before, haven't you? She was a member of your Uchiha clan."
Sasuke did recognize her. One of the more aggressive Uchiha loyalists—he recalled her powerful chakra and distinct curves. Though now… any traces of her femininity were completely obscured. Was it Orochimaru's choice of clothing or something more?
He didn't mind Orochimaru using that body. Many of the Uchiha clan's internal problems stemmed from their radicals—perhaps this was karmic justice.
Orochimaru replaced the mask casually.
"Once I perfect prosthetic skeletal embedding, I'll be able to construct bodies without any fixed gender—optimized for function, durability, and chakra conductivity. Eventually, even concepts like gender or age will be meaningless."
As he vanished down the corridor, Sasuke stared after him, shaken by the implications.
If Orochimaru succeeded in his artificial body program, the limits of humanity itself might be rewritten.
Sasuke clenched his fists.
He had to master this technology too—before Orochimaru's genius outpaced even his own.
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