CHAPTER 8: Orochimaru
Early dawn… Hokage Monument…
Naruto woke up earlier than usual. Actually, he barely even slept. It's been a while since the original Team 7 took an official mission together. Not just a while… it has been almost a decade, with the last time had happened before Sasuke departed from Konoha after their first battle in the Valley of the End.
Feeling the chill of the morning dew, Naruto then began his usual daily routine…
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)." Naruto then summoned two big scrolls of similar size to that of what Jiraiya used to carry on his back.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!" Naruto then created a clone. He and that clone then opened the two scrolls respectively, positioned horizontally, side by side with each other. The opened scrolls each revealed five circular insignia with symbols and structures comparable to a summoning circle.
The original Naruto then sat in meditating position a few meters away from the Bunshin and the two scrolls. The said Bunshin then performed a series hand seals, then slammed both its hands on the two big scrolls that were both on his sides, parallel to each other.
In that instance, ten Kage Bunshins, all sitting in the same meditating position as the original Naruto, appeared right above each of the summoning insignia of both scrolls, with five among the clones appearing on one of each scroll. The Shadow Clones have some minimal damage and bruises, implying that they have been thru some sort of training from somewhere before the summoning. And indeed, the said clones that were summoned came directly from Mt. Myokobu, the land of the Toad Sages.
The ten Kage Bunshins then opened their eyes simultaneously, then dispelled themselves at the same time. And due to the nature of the Kage Bunshins, all those training and experiences that each of the dispelled clones has been through came rushing into the main Naruto's mind who's meditating in distance.
The initial Kage Bunshin, on the other hand, also performed a Kage Bunshin hand seal, creating a new set of ten Shadow Clones who, without further ado, immediately sat on the summoning insignia where the previously dispelled ones recently appeared, and with a hand seal, performed a reverse summoning method, sending the ten clones themselves into where the previous ones came from.
The initial Kage Bunshin who performed such then leaped away towards the direction of the Hyuuga Manor, intending to inform Sara and Hinata of his current mission, while the original Naruto reopened his eyes after adjusting himself and his mind from the new learnings and such that his earlier ten Bunshins have acquired for the past 24 hours…
-Flashback-
Multiple copies of Naruto can be seen performing various training activities from every corner of Mt Myokubu. Some were doing sparring against each other with restrictions like Ninjutsu-restricted or Ninjutsu-only battles. Some were learning Bukijutsu, some were reading scrolls for new jutsus, some sitting in meditating position on platforms on top of the spiky stones of the sacred grounds, and such.
All these activities were being overseen and managed by the Toad Sages themselves, Fukusaku and Shima, as per the guidance of the Elder Toad Sage.
Fukusaku was currently with the original Naruto, performing various physical exercises to improve his own strength.
"Impressive," Fukusaku mentioned. "You're amazing, boya."
"You know, toad-jiji... I can't even appreciate... your praises anymore," Naruto commented while still performing push-ups with a massive Toad statue situated on his back. "Every day since I came here, I've been training my ass... for an entire day... only giving me a few minutes of break. And worst, you even adapted... Kakashi-sensei training regime of using clones... for faster experience accumulation... ugghhhh..."
"Yes, indeed," Fukusaku replied. "The Kage Bunshin was nothing more than a mere distraction or intelligence-gathering jutsu if used by ordinary Shinobi. But in your case, I can say that you being capable of performing such jutsu on a massive scale is such a cheat if it will going to be taken advantage of such as this."
"Now that your very own Chakra levels reaching that of the 1st Hokages and the possibility of his Chakra Origin perfectly melding on your own due to that new right arm of yours, your clones are now much more durable and can take a hit three to four times more than the usual hits that your clones require to dispel in combat. So you're basically the only Shinobi capable of doing this kind of training."
"But why?!"
"Because we believe that you have what it takes to surpass Hagoromo, not just in power, but also in your aim to acquire lasting peace for the Shinobi World."
"I can't do that alone. There's Sasuke, everyone in the Village, and also the other Hidden Villages. They were all working together to maintain this peace." Naruto rebutted.
"That's right. However, peace can only be acquired if you have the means to protect it. And you are the very symbol of that peace, the same as of Hagoromo during his time. So you need to have what it takes to protect that peace, and this training should allow you to be able to do so."
"…my aim is to become the Hokage… and surpass the previous generation of Hokage…" Naruto said to himself with a small smile. "Well… if this training is what it takes for me to be able to do such, then so be it…"
"That's the right attitude, boya. Show Jiraiya that you have what it takes to realize his dream and ideals…"
"…" Naruto and Fukusaku then exchanged a grin befitting of a master and student after their small conversation as Naruto returned to his training regime…
-Flashback End-
"That jiji, giving me such pressure on my shoulders…" Naruto sighed to himself after remembering such a conversation during one of their training sessions.
"…" All of a sudden, he saw a very dangerous intel that flashed to his mind from one of his Shadow Clones that had just recently dispelled.
"A new powerful Bijuu form… Baryon Mode…?" Naruto said, his eyes widened. It seemed like one of his clones learned an entirely new level of power-up from the Bijuss.
However…
"…A form that allows the user to gain power beyond all the other Bijuu transformations, with the additional effect that allows the user to deplete the life force of his opponent on every physical hit proportionate to the user's applied power on each attack, regardless of their durability and defenses…"
"...but the cost of accessing and using that form… is the Bijuu's life force and existence… making them unable to revive and basically erasing their entire existence?!" Naruto gritted his teeth. "No. I will never use that form, no matter what. Kurama, no, all the Bijuus are my allies, not disposable tools. I'll never use that form, no matter what…"
"…unless…" Naruto, as if remembering something that changed his gloomy mood due to the discovery of the said new Bijuu form immediately into a determined one. "…I am an Uzumaki. Fuinjutsu runs in my blood. So I might be able to do something to circumvent the price that I have to pay to use that so-called Baryon Mode."
Naruto then watched as the daybreak came to be with renewed determination.
"Watch me, Dad, Mom, Ero-sennin." Naruto smirked. "I'll do my best to not disappoint you." Naruto then leaped from the sculptured head of the 4th Hokage down to the Village, then leaped at massive speeds towards the direction of Konoha's Gate where he sensed Sasuke and Sakura were currently assembling.
-Scene Change-
"Oh… you're quite early." Kakashi, without his Hokage garb and hat, greeted Sasuke, who was wearing the same attire he had during the Ketsuryugan Incident, and Sakura wearing the same mission gear she had during the battle against Toneri, both of them approaching the gate.
"Kakashi-sensei, you should still be resting. It still was outside of office hours, you know." Sakura said to their former teacher.
"What's wrong with having to see my beloved students take off on a mission together after such a long time?" Kakashi gave his usual eye smile to the newly arrived couple.
"…" Sakura lightly blushed and smiled as she realized that Kakashi hit the mark. Sasuke, on the other hand, closed his eyes with a small smile on his face.
"If not because of my Hokage duties, I would have tagged along with the three of you, for old time's sake." Kakashi continued.
"As the current Hokage, all you need to do is to watch over the Village for us. You've done more than enough for Team 7. It's our turn now." Sakura said on behalf of Sasuke.
"That's right, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said as he landed near them. "Just sit your old ass back to the Hokage Office. We'll handle the things you used to handle before. We're not kids anymore."
"Hou… even Naruto was up early," Kakashi replied. If he's not wearing his mask, these three former students of his' could see a contagious smirk on their Sensei's face.
"We better get moving," Sasuke said as he was the first one to turn around. He then performed a summoning jutsu, materializing two huge hawks with Rinnegan eyes.
Sasuke and Sakura rode on the first one, Naruto on the other one. The hawks then began flapping their wings, and before flying away, Naruto gave a salute, Sakura waved, while Sasuke gave a side-smirk to Kakashi before the hawks flew at high speed to their designated location…
"Seeing them like that… made me feel that my age has caught up to me." Kakashi said with a contented smile.
-Scene Change-
"So… Naruto was currently on a mission…" Sara said as Naruto's Kage Bunshin disappeared after relaying the message. They were currently on the grounds, feeding the fish on the Hyuuga Manor's man-made fishpond.
"It seems so," Hinata said with a smile. "I bet if you will look at Naruto-kun right now, his face will be all smiles since this will be their first mission as Team 7 after quite a long while."
"You mean… with Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura…" Sara said, remembering parts of the stories that Hinata told her last night that involved the said Naruto's teammates. Specifically, Uchiha Sasuke, the last Uchiha who Naruto considered as a brother and a rival, who defected the Village and became a member of the Akatsuki. However, Naruto was able to reach his darkened heart and took him back to the Village after defeating him during the end of the 4th Shinobi War…
"By the way, according to father, Hokage-sama had summoned you to the Hokage Office." Hinata said.
"Do you have any idea why?"
"None. But I'll go with you just in case."
"Thank you. That will be very reassuring."
"Onee-sama…! Sara-san!" Hanabi then came calling. "Time for breakfast!"
"…" The two of them then nodded to each other as they went together to the dining area together.
-Scene Change-
En route to Orochimaru's Laboratory…
"So… Shin Uchiha was most likely a product of one of Orochimaru's test subjects," Sakura said to Sasuke. "I knew it. It almost sounds so fishy having a guy like him turning a new leaf over so suddenly just because of his contributions during the 4th Shinobi War."
"We're still not sure about that," Sasuke replied. "Orochimaru might still be a shrewd person as he used to be, but he will never do such a thing as he is right now, given the current peace of the Shinobi World. At the very least, he might have at least information about this Shin Uchiha. That's what I want to believe."
"Since we're on the topic, let me ask then," Sakura continued. "How come someone like Orochimaru, who was performing illegal and inhumane experiments since way back then, attacked the Village several times, killed the 3rd Hokage, and the one who placed a cursed mark on you, was able to live freely and still could use his laboratory despite all the crimes he committed?"
"The same question you should be asking why they let someone like roam around," Sasuke said indifferently, making Sakura lightly flinch. "I defected from the Village, joined Orochimaru at my own free will, then also joined the Akatsuki, attacked the Five Kage Summit, murdered a Hokage candidate, attempted to kill the current Kages under Infinite Tsukuyomi in my intent to rule the world within the shadows... we're more or less the same."
"Sasuke-kun…"
"Orochimaru only has one desire… knowledge. The very reason why he was studying immortality was so he can use the longevity to gain all the knowledge he desired during his entire lifetime." Sasuke continued. "The 3rd Hokage didn't acknowledge his means of acquiring such knowledge, so he defected Konoha and attacked the Village to prove himself. He attempted to take over my body because the Sharingan and its evolutionary forms held the key to that knowledge he sought."
"Orochimaru saw himself into Sasuke." Naruto butted in. "They have the same starting line: defecting the Village for power and revenge. Yet Sasuke, who has a Sharigan that Orochimaru was also aiming for, was able to take a different path from him. The moment Sasuke branched away from the path that Orochimaru had taken, was the point when he became interested in the path Sasuke intended to take."
"And more so the moment Sasuke unlocked the Rinnegan, the very peak of power that he had always sought. He wanted to see where the power of Rinnegan will take Sasuke, unlike the path that Madara decided to take since he already saw the end of Madara's path during the end of the 4th Shinobi War, a path that Orochimaru knew where he might also end up with." Naruto finished his statement, earning a small smirk from Sasuke while Sakura gaped her mouth.
"Since when did you become such a keen observer, Naruto? Nevermind. Not just that, you've changed a lot since your S-Rank training. Just what kind of training…"
"Change of topic, please, Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned at her pink-headed teammate. Sakura felt annoyed and began cracking her knuckles.
"Stop that. We're nearing Orochimaru's hideout." Sasuke said as the hawks carrying them began to descend. "According to Kakashi, he already sent advance intel to the Shinobi who's guarding the hideout for our arrival."
"Yamato-taichou." Naruto smiled, remembering the temporary Team Captain of Team 7 during Kakashi's absence.
Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura landed a few hundred meters away from Orochimaru's laboratory. Nearing the camouflaged entrance…
"So it's the three of you, huh…" Yamato said as leaned near the entrance of the laboratory.
"Yamato-taichou!" Naruto and Sakura greeted the two while Sasuke simply greeted him with a nod.
"Please. We are all equal Shinobi of Konoha now. Stop referring to me as such." Yamato replied with a small smile.
"Say what you want, you'll always be a Captain for us," Naruto replied, his grin beaming.
"Heh, as cheeky as ever," Yamato said as he looked towards the camouflaged entrance. "I have already heard the situation from the Rokudaime. As far as I know, since I'm assigned on this post after the 4th War as a gatekeeper for Orochimaru's 'house arrest', I have never seen any suspicious movement from him."
"…" Team 7 had different reactions to Yamato's comment.
"Since I can't just leave this post, you guys must go on your own. If Orochimaru really has involvement in this Shin Uchiha, then I should remain here so that I could pursue Orochimaru if you ended up cornering him and attempting to escape."
"Alright. Let's go." Sasuke said as he just casually walked towards the camouflaged entrance of Orochimaru's laboratory. "I know my way in there. Besides, there's no need to sneak around. For all we know, Orochimaru might have already known that we were coming at him."
"…" Naruto and Sakura then nodded to each other, then followed Sasuke as they entered the hidden laboratory.
-Scene Change-
"Would you look at that…" Suigetsu said as he stood in the middle of the hideout's hallway together with Jugo, blocking Team 7's path. "It's been way too long, Sasuke. Wouldn't it hurt you to visit us every once in a while?"
"Hmm… Uzumaki Naruto, and Haruno Sakura…" Jugo said with his usual serious expression while looking at the two Konoha Shinobi behind Sasuke.
"That will save us trouble then," Sasuke replied to his former Team Taka Teammates. "Suigetsu, Jugo, lead me to where Orochimaru currently is."
"No need for that…" A familiar voice echoed from the darker part of the hallway. The voice came from Orochimaru, still looking the same as of when they met him at the Forest of Death during the Chuunin Exam. "…you are the last person I expected to come and visit here again, Sasuke-kun."
"…" Naruto and Sakura became wary of the presence in front of them. Sure though, they were much stronger than before, but the memories of their past battles against the powerful Snake Sannin were still imprinted on their minds.
"Stop. You don't need to be this alarmed against me." Orochimaru said calmly. "With Naruto being the Jinchuuriki of all the Tailed Beasts, and Sakura being the apprentice of Tsunade who managed to master the Byakugou at such a young age… including Sasuke-kun who have both the abilities of the Sharingan and Rinnegan, I won't dare to fight a losing battle against the three of you even with Suigetsu and Jugo assisting me, more so if I don't have a valid reason for doing so."
"Good. Now we can begin talking." Sasuke immediately said. "A person attempted to attack me a few days ago, followed by another attempted ambush against Naruto and Hinata the following day, by a group of individuals with the same identical appearance as that of the one who attacked me. According to our investigation, he was most likely one of your subordinates. If you happen to be scheming something against us or Konoha, you had to best come clean now."
"I see. Then if I may ask…" Orochimaru said with narrowed eyes towards Sasuke. "Have I done anything suspicious before you even began accusing me? If so, what's the point of having that Shinobi outside watching out for me for 24 hours."
"Then, the information form the investigation was still pointed towards you." Sasuke retorted. "Do you happen to know a person with genetically implanted Sharingan eyes who dared call himself under the name Shin 'Uchiha'? If you know him or his whereabouts, it would be best to tell us everything you knew about him."
"…" Orochimaru didn't avert his eyes from the Rinnegan user. "My dear guests. Please follow me. Come this way…"
The group followed Orochimaru in one of the deepest parts of the hideout. Upon entering a room, the group then saw multiple, capsule-like transparent chambers filled with some sort of water-like substance, storing different kinds of creatures, and some even resembled dismembered parts of human bodies. Seeing such, both Naruto and Sakura clenched their fist as they couldn't believe that Orochimaru was still doing such heinous activities…
"Before all of you misinterpret my current test subjects, let me first inform you that these didn't come from actual human body parts. They were cultivated human cells, then reconstructed into such part of the human body for the sole purpose of performing my research." Orochimaru said with a taunting smirk towards the two, while Sasuke simply sighed due to Orochimaru's blatant taunts.
"Human cells were not capable of fully recreating body parts to such an extent no matter how much or what kind of method you used to cultivate it," Sakura said with a serious expression. Being a medical ninja, she somewhat has an idea of how human cells actually work.
"That's the point," Orochimaru said as he showed them one of the larger transparent tanks, with a naked person scooted like a little baby with attached tubes on various parts of its body. Its appearance was enough for Team 7 to recognize…
"This is… another clone of that Shin Uchiha!" Naruto said. He can sense that the one within the transparent tank was no longer alive. "Why do you have a lifeless Shin Uchiha in here, Orochimaru?"
"This… is a failed, lifeless clone of one of those same Shin Uchihas you have encountered before that I have created a few years ago before Sasuke 'killed' me. However, its cells were being maintained to prevent decomposition for my experiments." Orochimaru replied. "The original Shin was once, one of my test subjects. As you already know, he wasn't part of the Uchiha Clan. He only used that surname due to his obsession with the Uchihas, particularly that of Itachi's…"
"…" Team 7, with Suigetsu and Jugo, continued to listen to Orochimaru.
"Every once in a while, a human with unique physical or genetic make-up would be born. Just like Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara, and the two of you, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. We can just say that Shin can be counted among you, whom I categorize as 'anomalies'."
"Shin Uchiha came from a clan of Shinobi who have mastered dark medical arts and Ninjutsu. That clan is capable of incision and medical operation, using even their own physical bodies, to perform jutsus, including Kinjutsus, for them to accomplish their one, singular goal…"
"…and that goal is…?" Sakura inquired.
"To revive an ancient demon named Moryo." Orochimaru replied. The name Moryo was quite familiar to Naruto and Sakura, more so to Naruto as he have already fought directly against it before. "However, since Shin had defected from that clan, and after understanding that he has quite a unique anomaly, I fought and captured him. And during his captivity, I 'negotiated' with him, bribing him with a Sharingan. So he ended up working for me and so I can take advantage of his unique 'anomaly' for my experiments."
"Shin's 'anomaly' is his genetic makeup. He possesses a unique physical body that accepts anything transplanted into it without rejection. That's why I also became interested in taking over his body, just like how I intend to with you, Sasuke, and your brother, Itachi. Due to this unique genetic make-up, I cloned his body over and over again, just like the one on this tank in front of you, in an attempt to further my knowledge of human bodies and genetics."
"That's why when I implanted a Mangekyou Sharingan into the original Shin's right eye, every clone that was created from his cells and tissues from then on acquired and also got immediate access to Sharingan and Mangekyou Sharingan of the same kind and abilities during their cultivation and growth despite them not having any relationship to the Uchiha. However, after you defeated me, Sasuke, he defected from the laboratory together with several of his clones and also some of my cloning technologies. Then, he created his own laboratory, and continued creating clones using his own genes."
"Clones…" Naruto muttered upon hearing the familiar term for him.
"They're not just mere Bunshins. His clones were all real living humans. The only way for those clones to disappear is to kill them."
"You're really rotten to the core, Orochimaru," Sakura said after hearing Orochimaru's explanation. "So you're using those alive, living clones to replace body parts of those you intend to use in your studies and experiments pertaining to human anatomy."
"That's all in the past. I did all of that in pursuit of knowledge and in an attempt to learn powerful jutsus." Orochimaru rebutted. "That's why, whatever things that Shin was doing right now, and whatever his intent is, is now beyond me."
"How can we be sure that you're not doing something dangerous this time and attack our Village again? What made you decide to change your mind about your pursuit of knowledge?" Sakura once again asked Orochimaru.
"Let's just say that I have already seen the end of my ideals… thru Madara." Orochimaru replied, verifying the statement of Naruto earlier while they were on their way towards the hideout. "Sasuke already has a Rinnegan. That kind of power is the one I've been seeking since I came to be. With him taking a different path than me and Madara, I'd like to see how this path of his' will turn out."
"And besides, as I have mentioned, his Rinnegan was capable of seeing things beyond mere ordinary eyes. So all I have to do is to use his own Rinnegan for my own research to further my knowledge. Right, Sasuke?"
"What do you mean by that?" Naruto this time glared towards Orochimaru.
"I've been collaborating with Orochimaru since the end of the War." Sasuke simply answered, surprising his teammates. "While the Village is the one who handles things in the limelight, there should be someone from its shadows to do what's needed to be done. Without Orochimaru, that ordeal with the Exploding Humans back then would've become quite problematic to deal with."
"…" Naruto and Sakura can't help but feel surprised by Sasuke's revelation.
"And right now, I've been giving him all the support I could get, including any findings and information I acquire for tracking Kaguya and the Otsutsukis. His curiosity for knowledge knows no bounds. If he gets information, he has the right mind and tools to create experiments, hypotheses, and logical conclusions based on currently available information."
"Why are you not telling the Village, or at the very least, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto inquired but with a serious expression.
"Because it will produce nothing but unnecessary trouble." Sasuke simply replied.
"I already knew everything that Sasuke discussed with the Kages a few days ago." Orochimaru butted in. "In fact, it wasn't just Sasuke's investigation, but also my own analysis of that information that led to such a conclusion. I might be a shrewd person, but I am not stupid enough to let this world be destroyed by those otherworldly beings and halt my quest for knowledge. If I can contribute in some way, then I'll do it in my own way."
"…" While not much, those words from Orochimaru somewhat gave Sakura and Naruto a new outlook regarding the Sannin. After all, it wasn't refutable that he indeed set aside his differences with Konoha and helped the Shinobi Alliance during the 4th Shinobi War possibly for that same reason.
"Very well. We don't have any other things to do here, except for you to tell us where this Shin Uchiha's hideout currently is. Being your former test subject, you should have, at the very least, was able to investigate his tracks, right?" Sasuke asked.
"Here…" Orochimaru tossed a scroll containing a map to Sasuke. The Uchiha gave it to Sakura. The pinkette then opened the scroll. Sakura and Naruto then looked in curiosity towards the map, and it made them narrow their eyes.
"Their hideout was located… on a certain rocky terrain in the Land of Swamps?" Sakura said as she observed the map.
"Why do I feel like there's more to it than it seems?" Naruto muttered, also feeling that they were missing something important regarding the current information they have on hand, specifically the location of the hideout being on that specific location on the Land of the Swamps.
"However, before you leave, I still have something interesting that I have yet to show you," Orochimaru said with a small smirk.
"If it wasn't related to the things we're collaborating with, then you better not waste our time." Sasuke rebutted to the Snake Sannin.
"Really…?" Orochimaru then walked towards another part of the room. Then, he pulled down a seemingly sturdy breaker, making a certain wall of the room rolled up slowly.
The room displayed another transparent tank filled with a water-like substance, with another 'test subject' floating on it, attached with various chords all over it while floating within the tank. It was a humanoid, lower half-body from waist to feet, as if it was bisected away horizontally away from its upper body from a humanoid being. And upon looking carefully…
"This is…" Sasuke said with visible surprise on his eyes.
"The missing half body…" Sakura also have the same expression.
"…of Uchiha Madara… while in Six Paths form after absorbing the God Tree!" Naruto said, his eyes also widening.
"Indeed." Orochimaru smirked. "This was the half-body of Uchiha Madara with the power of the Six Paths. This was left behind right after he stole Hatake Kakashi's Sharingan for him to chase Obito by using Kamui. Remember, you bisected him in half that time, Sasuke, before being able to warp with Kamui. And this half-body itself was what the Sage of the Six Paths himself used to materialize himself while the entire world was under Infinite Tsukuyomi in order to summon you and the Bijuus back to this world after you have defeated and successfully sealed Otsutsuki Kaguya."
"The lower half of Madara's body was able to regenerate back then, even during that time when he's reclaiming one of his Rinnegan eyes from Obito in the Kamui dimension..." Sakura muttered, remembering the sequence of events. "But still, how did you acquire this? How come you didn't inform Konoha about it?"
"Why would I? This is the half body of a person with a pure Uchiha bloodline who happens to have fully cultivated Hashirama's Cells capable of entering Sage Mode, Six Paths power, Ten Tail's Chakra, and the absorbed Shinju itself. Among others, this is currently my most important test subject that could give almost all the information and knowledge that I might need about the power of the Shinobi, the Origin of Chakra, and also, information about the Otsutsukis."
"And how come you also have that?" Naruto pointed out a very important relic enclosed in a transparent glass case on the other side of the room. And that relic was none other than the Uchiha Stone Tablet. "Why did you also allow Orochimaru to acquire that Stone Tablet, Sasuke?"
"I personally allowed him to use it for his research purposes," Sasuke replied neutrally. "The Sage of the Six Paths is said to be the one who had created this stone tablet regarding some information that must be told for the future generations, yet Black Zetsu tampered the information in there in order to change its contents for the purpose of manipulating the Uchihas, specifically Indra Otsutsuki's reincarnations, into awakening the Rinnegan and reviving Kaguya."
"So I need Orochimaru's knowledge and tools in order to restore the real information included within the stone tablet before its tampering. Because I believe that we could get some valuable information in there regarding the Otsutsukis."
"For someone who doesn't trust Orochimaru, you sure have given him a lot of favors." Suigetsu said with a taunting smirk.
"Indeed," Sasuke said while looking towards the Snake Sannin. "While all the information we have were still mere speculations, but still, in order to prepare for the inevitable confrontation with the Otsutsukis, we need as much information as we can get regarding or against them. Something that the Hidden Village and even the Shinobi Alliance won't be capable of. That's why I'll have to entrust the confidentiality of this collaboration between me and Orochimaru to the two of you."
"…" Naruto and Sakura once again felt conflicted against Sasuke's moves. However, they can fully understand where the Uchiha was coming from.
"Understood," Naruto replied, still with a serious expression. "But if Orochimaru took advantage of whatever information he acquired against us, we'll have the entire Shinobi Alliance go after him in full force."
"My… my…" Orochimaru smirked. "Like what I have said, I desire knowledge, nothing more, nothing less. Most of the things I needed for my research were already right in front of me. And I also have someone with the Rinnegan who's willing to cooperate with me. I'll be too busy doing what I've yearned to do my entire life just to stray away and do something so trivial like attempting to do something against your Village or such. You can enjoy the fragile peace you worked so hard for all I care."
"Now then... For the one that I actually need to show you, specifically for Sasuke-kun…"
Orochimaru then once again pressed another hidden button on the wall, revealing a transparent rectangular-shaped tank filled with water-like substance. Naruto and Sakura, once again, have their eyes in fully surprised reaction while Sasuke merely narrowed his eyes.
"A left arm created from the cultivated cells of Six Paths Madara's lower half," Orochimaru smirked towards Sasuke. "A left arm specifically created and designed just for you, Sasuke-kun…"
"Orochimaru… you…!" Sasuke looked towards the Snake Sannin seriously after he saw the said left arm…
"It's not just Orochimaru's idea." A female voice echoed from the darkness, revealing herself to be the sole female member of Team Taka, Uzumaki Karin. "It was me. And I personally engineered that arm. Just for you… my beloved Sasuke-kun…" She said with a coy smile, her right index finger tracing her own lips…
"Gaahh…!" Sakura had a comical expression on her face, Naruto tilted his head with a resounding 'huh' coming out of his mouth, while Sasuke felt multiple throbbing veins itching on his forehead…