Disclaimer: Naruto and all character thereof belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
Warnings: May contain spoilers up to chapter 475 since that's how far I had read when I wrote this. Contains minor mentions of death.
I have problems remembering what I thought when I decided on the title, but I think it had something to do with how he is Kabuchimaru at the moment and how different things are from how he has made them seem.
Consider this a Christmas-present, if you like. Enjoy.
Dualism
Stroking the few shining black strands out of his eyes, he sighed, adjusting his glasses. "Your chakra is as persistent as you are, Orochimaru-sama."
It was hampering to have been forced to graft Orochimaru-sama's flesh on his own, simply to be able to access the areas and items his Master had sealed with his own chakra-print. It was becoming more of a burden than a boon as it took up more of his personal chakra-stores and concentration to keep the grafts at a level of integration he was comfortable with. Fortunately, the plans were almost completed and the reversal was easy – up to the point where half his body was converted. For now the chakra-print, added chakra-stores and exclusive jutsus were worth it though.
Meeting the too familiar eyes glaring at him from across the room, he smirked.
"If you wished for me to follow the family's values rather than my own, Myou-san, you should never have gifted me to Sasori-sama."
The plans had shifted with each change in the outside world: Sasuke's battle with Itachi made it impossible to simply force a release of the imprisoned Sannin, the loss of the curse mark made it harder to track Sasuke's movements and he was going to have to go to extremes to bypass the too experienced Uchiha Madara.
Orochimaru-sama could and would be released - no matter what he'd said to deceive the Konoha-nin; leading them to believe he'd lost his sanity so they would downgrade his importance and threat. He had bought himself enough time to reach the crucial stage, the moment that would ensure that the entire year would simply be the crucible forging his Master's future.
Only one element had remained constant throughout the plans' reworkings – the need of a perfect host-body. The kekkai genkai of his clan would be the key. No one knew the ins and outs of their genome the way Kabuto did – having had years on him to experience, investigate and experiment.
He stepped close enough to touch both bodies simultaneously and began to sign:
Inu. Tori. Tatsu. Mi. Hitsuji. Tatsu. Mi. Ushi. Hitsuji. Tora. Mi.
Finally he placed his hands on the bodies' chakra-cores: right on the crucified stranger, left on the pale abdomen of the Snake Sannin's true body. The body abandoned before Orochimaru-sama's time in the Akatsuki – sealed away from time, the chakra-print of its wielder the only thing able to touch it.
Now the knowledge gained from his Master's failures with the Shodaime Hokage's gene-transfer would find its ultimate use: clan Fukyuu's healing and extended lifespan would greatly benefit the Sannin's quest. There was no need to fear the rejection that had killed fifty-nine children all those years ago, as Orochimaru-sama merely had not thought to account for the elemental predisposition – if one is to give a child a kekkai genkai that allow them to use Earth and Water chakra at the same time, one has to ensure that they *have*Earth and Water chakra to begin with.
Injections had ensured that the genetic material was already present within Orochimaru-sama's body – Wind and Earth not having been difficult to match up against the adults of the clan once he found them again. All that need to be done now was to ensure that the kekkai genkai was fully activated, something that could only be done with the chakra-print of the donor.
Containing three separate chakras in his own body would be a strain on him, but not as bad as if he had used his own strength to affect the changes. As it was, the donor would die.
Keeping up a steady flow of Orochimaru-sama's purple-black chakra to the pale body's inactive chakra-pathways, he slowly sneaked the blue-green of the Fukyuu-clan's healing in after it. Cell by cell – activated, rewritten and lain dormant once again.
As he pulled away, allowing his Master's body to fall back fully under the influence of the seals, the clansman shuddered and slumped in the restraints, too still for unconsciousness.
Pausing in his tasks to remove the now unneeded gag, his mind raced with the knowledge the day's experiences gave him – perhaps there was a way to facilitate the transfer without the need for fresh and live cells and chakra, perhaps he could seal them in a scroll...
Something to think about, once he had rested.
But now, finally, the preparations were complete. As soon as he met and finally defeated Sasuke, his Master would live again.
The one live white serpent that survived the Amaterasu taught him everything he needed to know. It appealed to his sense of irony that Itachi killed himself extracting Orochimaru-sama from his little brother only to seal the Sannin into the sword stored within the Mangekyo before transferring it to Sasuke – leaving him in pretty much the same place and thus easily reached for Kabuto.
He knew that Orochimaru-sama had purposefully denied Sasuke the opportunity to see his abilities and all knowledge on how to combat a medic-nin properly – it wasn't the negligence that the Uchiha had declared was a sign that Kabuto was too weak to be a real threat, it was a sign of trust. Trust that if Sasuke became too much for his weakened Master, Kabuto could deal with him easily. After all, who could know their abilities better than the man who taught them both?