Canvas
Wind breeze moved away the strand of hair that was over his eye in the opposite direction. He sighed and moved on. "If only this wind would be less crazy today," he thought. A smirk showed up on his face. "Is it you, complaining that I have left the village again, Naruto?" He couldn't help but think that.
For a reason the wind reminded him of that loud obnoxious idiot. The person who refused the most to give-up on him. And that feeling of warmth inside you get when being reminded of someone like that, is something Sasuke cherished. When it's you against the world and there's that one person who keeps refusing to give up on you, well… it's hard to forget something like that.
Sure, there were differences. Things weren't settled even after their last fight. But he agreed to try and view things from another perspective than his. In Sasuke's opinion Naruto was still an idiot for seeing the world with rose-colored eyes. The world wasn't as welcoming and caring as their rose-haired teammate. Why he continued to view everything through those lenses was beyond his understanding. Maybe too much pinning over Sakura over the years has made him view the world like that. Her rose shades had kept Naruto's heart on the move for as much as he could remember.
Speaking of her, for some reason unbeknown to him, she too held on to that love she had told him about years ago, when he first left the village. Why? Why would those two keep at it? Fight him while at the same time keep the attachment of those strong feelings.
Partially, he understood, as he too kept the strong feelings of hatred for his older brother for years. But his reason to do so was different. In his story, up until then, Itachi was his arch enemy.
In their story however, it was him the one who played that role. Yet, for some reason, instead of choosing hatred like he had done, these two chose love. Why? What was different about them and him? He knew he was different than them, but it still boggled his mind.
How can some people choose love instead of hatred, even when all they do is get hurt? How is such a thing even possible? He couldn't help but wonder about that whenever he thought about his two former teammates.
With a new beginning in front of him, Sasuke tried to understand that fact as best as he could, but he wasn't even sure where to start. A lot had happened between all three of them over the course of time. He left the village so many years ago to find the power to kill his brother, who he considered his biggest enemy. Yet the road to that goal changed his entire existence to the core.
From being the cause of his trauma to being the reason he draws breath today. So many questions that required so many answers. He got his answers to some of those questions, but then, there were others that still needed clarifying. He wanted to go deeper, inside himself to search and see why is it that compared to Naruto, his one and only friend and the one who had suffered the same lonely fate as him, he didn't choose another path.
After all, they were both orphans. Like Naruto had said back in the Kage Summit times, their roles could have been reversed. He could've walked Naruto's path, but didn't. What was it about his grief that was different than his former teammate, that made him chose a different path? Why couldn't he choose a different one? Is a certain grief bigger than another when you choose to take a certain action? Is that an excuse one could use as to justify their course of action or an irrefutable truth? What makes some people chose a certain way to deal with trauma, when compared to others, their suffering seems to be the same?
As he walked with the wind blowing in face and all those questions in his mind, Sasuke decided to stop next to a tree. Take shelter there from the wind for a bit. He sat down. Put the bag he carried next to him. Looked inside of it. Nothing much was stored there. His old clothes for some reason, and some ninja tools along with a small pack of food he took on his way from Konoha to… who even knows anymore? Surely not him. Yet.
He didn't know exactly where to go. He just knew he wanted a clean slate. A fresh start. A new canvas. To add the colors he wanted on it. For too long his old canvas was painted with blood stains. That reminded him of the wretched past he wanted to leave behind. He now wanted to understand more about the world around him. About the choices he made. About the person he was. About the different lenses one could see the world through, and the choices they make. Maybe looking through the sharingan's point of view hasn't been the best solution. Or maybe it was? He wasn't sure anymore. There was enough controversy in the middle of it all.
Up until that point he looked outwardly and let everything else that happened on the outside affect him on the inside.
This time he thought of taking it a bit differently. To look inwardly and find all his answers there. He thought about building new bridges. New relationships. And the first one would be with himself. To bond with his inner wounded child that all he did was cry love. Maybe that would be a good start.
He took out from his bag the pack of food he carried. Memories of the past started to flood his mind. Leaving that stream flow, he opened it and took out the food. Took a bite. As he started chewing, memories of his trial came down on his mind's eye.
"Sasuke Uchiha, you are today on trial for the following charges." He closed his eyes as the voice of the judges rang inside his head. "Attempted murder against the eight tail's host, interrupting the Five Allied Nations Summit, attempted murder against the Five Allied Nation's leaders, complicity with war criminals and…"
Sasuke sighed. Those memories of his recent past still weighed down on his shoulders. He opened his eyes and looked down towards his pack of food. The opened bag with his old clothes lied next to it. He looked at it longly while he ate.
He couldn't stop staring at his old clothes. Seeing those pieces helped with nothing but bring back the memories of that old blood-stained past. Or better said, of the times where it all started. Back when he chose the path of darkness towards Orochimaru. Would there have been another option to achieve his goal? Or was Orochimaru the only option? Going to him had been the first step in a series of dark and darker events.
That thought couldn't help but make its presence felt among all the others. He swallowed the chunk of food in his mouth. Put the rest back in the pack, next to the remaining food. Then all the pack of food back in the bag. For a second, he breathed freely and leaned on the tree behind him.
Soon after, he rose. Concentrated his chakra to the feet and started climbing the tree. Once he was high enough, he cut a bunch of branches. Enough to light a fire, but to also to leave the tree with its beautiful crown. He got back down to the ground.
Arranged the branches, took out the green leaves and prepared them as fire wood. The next moment he released his technique.
"Katon: Goukakyuu No Jutsu!" Shortly after, he took out his old clothes one by one, and put them on the fire. Watched the flames turn them into ash that rose itself to the heavens. The last piece was the purple rope. That reminded him of Orochimaru once again. After all, it was kind of like his signature piece of clothing. For a second it got him thinking.
F
or such a long time he had said that he moved from Hebi to Taka, but then he kept wearing that fashion style which so much symbolized Orochimaru. He wanted to be a hawk, but he still wore the snake's skin. Wasn't that a bit hypocritical of him? He couldn't help but wonder that for a brief moment, as he looked down on the piece of clothing.
This spiraled him into the previous train of thought. He remembered back when Orochimaru first targeted him in the Forest of Death. How they met each other and how he ended-up searching for him in his quest for power.
And then a flickering thought passed through his mind… he knew his reasons for which he searched for power, but he never truly wondered what about the one who for better or worse was his master for a brief time. What made him go down that path? His reasoning was always Itachi and wanting to kill his brother so he can avenge his clan. But what about Orochimaru? What was his trigger to get down on that dark path? To want know all the knowledge in the world and use it in the manner that he did? In a sense, he couldn't help but feel like that darkness is what they had that in common. But what was his former master's why?
He let those questions roam his mind, as he took the rope out of the bag and put it on the fire. He watched that burn too. But this time, the fire grew bigger as for a brief moment, the wind intensified and gave more burning power to the fire. Sasuke smirked again. His mind carried him back to Naruto. As if Naruto had sent the wind to help his fire in a final moment of catharsis. To break free from that past.
With his mind switched once again to Naruto, he couldn't help but be reminded of the contrasting yet mirroring paths of theirs. Which brough Sasuke back to his older canvas filled with choices of darkness and blood. And it got him thinking again… if he and Naruto were to ever set aside their differences, he wanted to first understand better that side of his. The dark one. The one who made those choices as opposed to his friend's.
That made him consider understanding this matter from another perspective. From one that happened before his. Between his former master and his former teammate. Orochimaru had mentioned him once or twice. Briefly, of course. But when Sasuke first joined him and confessed the reasons why, when they touched the subject of Naruto, Orochimaru briefly said it reminded him of his older teammate. Jiraiya. Another man whose path diverged from his initial friend's. So, history has a way of repeating itself, apparently. Makes one wonder why? Is it because it's there to remind us something, to teach us something? To be our mirror for future decisions? Why is it that history repeats itself? Why is life spiraling into the same patterns over and over again?
But ah, those were other sets of questions that puzzled Sasuke's mind. He had to take it by turns or otherwise he'd risk losing himself in all the pieces of this puzzle that we sometimes call life.
As the fire kept burning, Sasuke took out another bite of food from the pack he had put aside and continued eating the rest. His eyes followed the flames as they rose to the sky in a dance of burning flashes, with flames hugging in union and separated in loss of the wind that blew them off. He kept chewing on his food, piece by piece whilst leaning on the tree behind him.
Until he managed to finish his meal, the wind also seemed to calm down. "Perfect timing". That's what he thought, as he rose from the ground to his feet. Shook the scraps that stood on his clothes from his little feast. Birds would definitely be happy to find those. They were chirping all around him as he ate anyway.
Before heading for his new destination, he made sure to go and dig some pieces of soil out of the ground. He put them over the fire to put an end to it. Next thing, he grabbed the bag which was positioned next to it a few feet distance. After he made sure there's no fire burning, he left the place. Burning forests was the last thing he wanted.
Now, onto trying to figure out where the snake was hidden. If Sasuke's canvas would to be blank again, he would need to burn the old dark and blood stained one.
But in order to live that cathartic experience, he first needed to understand this particular thing about his former master. Because thinking in retrospect, the whole situation was like a mirror. And where do you see yourself best and understand yourself better if not by looking into a mirror?
"This?" He couldn't help but wonder in awe. Inspecting the palm of his hand more in-depth, he kept moving it right and left.
"You seem to be familiar with this symbol." It was clear as daylight from his face's expression. He didn't act like someone who is seeing this for the first time, so Fukanōna couldn't help but be curious. Where did he know it from?
"This is an oddly familiar symbol for me, yes." He left his palm down and reunited his hand with the other behind his back.
Orochimaru confirmed the god's suspicions. "I've seen it on the forehead of a former acquaintance."
A former acquaintance? But who could that former acquittance be? Granted, in the war that he had closely followed for a while, there were many shinobis, but he didn't remember seeing any with the seal of Karma on them. Granted, there were many to keep count on and he was but a single person. Godly in nature, but still, just one.
He tried to remember about the times when Kaguya overtook that Madara person, to remember if he saw anyone. But he couldn't recall as there was a lot of mess, not to mention, Kaguya quickly transferred them all to another dimension.
He tried to use his Heavenly Byakugan to see through realms and dimensions like he usually did, in order to find her and the others. To see even more of their fight and truly understand what that was all about. But for some reason, he couldn't see anything. The dimensions that Kaguya took them all to, for some reason it was out of his reach. He wondered if it had something to do with his reach to begin with, or with something else.
He always believed that it's the reach. After all, unlike the god king Hisashī, he couldn't see up to Ryōkai. But then again no one else did, that's why they were all counting on him. That's why the current plan had to be without fail.
But it still puzzled him. Who would know about the seal of Karma? The only ones who knew were them, the Otsutsukis, and those people from the past.
But they no longer existed… His clan had made sure of it. So how could it be familiar to the man in front of him? This was truly a curious case.
He definitely wanted to know more about it. After all, this might interfere with his later plans. And that was a thing that Fukanōna couldn't accept.
But before he could say anything more, he felt a strong presence nearing them.
"Byakugan!" He shouted, as veins around his white eyes appeared and started inspecting around.
"Someone is approaching us." He turned to Orochimaru and looked him in the eyes. "I think you might have company and I should retreat for a while."
"What's up today with visits and guests?" He couldn't help but ask that. Karin was first, Suigetsu second. Who was it now, Jūgo? But he said he wouldn't be leaving his side, now that Sasuke wasn't by theirs. He didn't trust himself enough to control his powers. So, he figured staying with Orochimaru would, once again, be the best option.
"Well, I think you may know this one," Fukanōna said. He took a few steps back as Orochimaru asked him to stay behind, while he checks-up who that is.
"The whole entirety of the world seems to know him, as in the war his presence seemed to be quite observed by everyone," he added. Soon after, accepted Orochimaru's invitation and leaned down in his comfortable chair.
"There's only one person whose presence commands his surrounding in that way," Orochimaru commented. "And that's Sasuke Uchiha."
Fukanōna raised a brow. He didn't know much about that Sasuke Uchiha, but his face was pretty familiar to him as in the war he and the other blonde kid seemed to wreak a lot of havoc. There was another pink-haired girl next to them, but he didn't give too much importance to her.
There were too many events happening at once that he had to observe. But those two? Well, one's presence indeed didn't go unnoticed by simply being there. The other one though? He made sure you'd know he's there. If that was supposed to be a warrior, he had such a peculiar way of being one.
"Wait here," Orochimaru said. Then he exited the room. Headed towards the main hall where he would expect Sasuke to come. As he moved his body towards the point, Orochimaru wrapped a piece of bandage over the hand, to hide the symbol. He had to find more about it himself before leaving anyone else to notice it.
N ot to mention, he had to clear things up with his guest. Him mentioning the war qas a quite distinctive piece of information. Was he watching all along? What exactly did he know? For how long did he watch? But those would be answers he would get later, as now the matter of Sasuke Uchiha coming to his hidden den was the current pressing matter.
He never told Sasuke about this one, and he had just brought the other kids here for the first time. For Sasuke to find him so quickly, it was only testament to his great skills.
Soon, the sound of his steps started sound between the walls of patterned cold marble. First his shadow appeared, followed soon after the man himself. Sasuke Uchiha. His former student. And his former killer, as well. A snake even bigger than him, Orochimaru thought.
No wonder he sought him back then. He should've known it. When you warm a viper in one's bosom, once it's mature enough, it's bound to kill you with its venom. He, the master of snakes should've known it best.
But he was foolish. He thought that he could corrupt him, not giving it enough thought that the child had already been corrupted and thus he could control the level of his own corruption and turn against him. What shrewdness, though. It was like looking in the mirror.
But those were things of the past. And in the meantime, Sasuke said he was now a hawk. So, what brought his wings to this snake's den? He couldn't help but wonder, so he asked him directly.
"Sagacious, as always." Sasuke commented.
"I could say the same about you," Orochimaru replied.
Sasuke smirked. He closed his eyes and waved his hand. "I guess we are but a mirror of each other then, isn't it?" Quickly after, opened his eyes and fixated them on his former master's look.
Orochimaru responded to his fixating look with the same intensity.
"The same, you say? Interesting…What winds truly bring you here, Sasuke-kun?"
"That's the reason I'm here," Sasuke quickly interrupted. He stated it all in a cold tone, because that's the tone to use whenever you had to deal with Orochimaru. It was always a power-play with him. And you didn't want to show the snake you're lesser than him, or you'd get bitten and eaten. He learned as much in all those years of being his student.
That's why he never let his guard down and talked to him from an equal position. Although, if you were to go by years and experience, clearly Orochimaru had plenty compared to Sasuke.
The cold faced man raised an eyebrow. "You're here because you're my mirror?" Orochimaru couldn't help but ask with a certain amount of irony in his voice.
"But you said you were done being a snake, last time we met." His gaze followed Sasuke from top to bottom and back to top again. He tried to figure what was his game now. Fool him once, shame on that person. But fool him twice? He wasn't going to be the one bearing the shame on his shoulders.
"You're an eagle now, aren't you?" He continued to be inquisitive of his former student, watching every expression, word, mimic he made.
"Yes, I am," Sasuke said. His dry tone made it sound so uninteresting for a bit. Why was that? Where's his pride? If anything, Sasuke Uchiha was a prideful person. Ever since he knew him. Not to mention whenever he talked about the Uchihas. You could spot the pride in his tone and the almighty sensation in his posture whenever that subject was up for talk.
"However, I once took the path of the snake," Sasuke said in reply. It was now his turn to inspect Orochimaru from top to bottom. He closed his eyes for a brief moment. Memories of the times when he chose to go to him flashed between his mind's eye. "So, I came to understand better that side of me," he said, opening his eyes.
"And I inferred that you're the right person for that," Sasuke said.
"Oh, how so?" Orochimaru couldn't help but ask. How could he be the right person for Sasuke's quest when he wanted to get outside his influence as quickly as possible? He even went as far lengths as to kill him the first time he had the chance. His former master. What did that say about the child in front of him? Sure, he wasn't a child for a long while now, and he may not have been the best person to judge his actions. But still, even he didn't have the cold blood to kill Hiruzen the way Sasuke killed him.
So why now coming back to him if he so much fought to get out of the snake's lair? What was his deal?
"Since you went through the same thing I went through with your former teammate. Jiraiya, right? Naruto's former master," Sasuke said.
Oh, so this was what it was about. Jiraiya. No, not him, actually. It was about Naruto. Yeah, the nine tails kid. He has always been the biggest influence in Sasuke's life and actions. For as much as he didn't want to admit it to himself. He came to him in search for power to destroy his brother. That's when he severed all his former bonds. All but one. With him. With that Naruto kid.
For as much as he acted as cold and aloof, not wanting others to peek inside him, he was a clear canvas when it came to Naruto. He showed his true colors. And that is why it was so easy to tease one about the other. Especially the Kyuubi when it came to Sasuke.
Back then, it was so easy to play with their minds. But that was then. Today it was different. In the time he had been dead, both he and Naruto and grown in their own ways. Which amazed Orochimaru. But he was willing to listen.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?" Sasuke asked. He wasn't afraid to go deeper in the snake's den, despite it being a new one. He inspected it closely, looking in all directions.
"Oh, but how rude of me. Yes, please, let us discuss whatever you want to know from me over a cup of tea," Orochimaru said, sliding his hand in the direction of a room, a clear sign of invitation towards Sasuke.
"If you could just wait a bit until I prepare some tea, that would be absolutely wonderful," he said, inviting Sasuke to take a seat as soon as they got inside the room.
"Sure." Sasuke sat down while Orochimaru left the room to prepare the tea. As he sat there, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a great amount of chakra coming from what it looked to be the opposite side of this new hiding place.
If only he had a Byakugan now to see between the walls. But he didn't, so all he could do is wonder what kind of monstrosity Orochimaru was hiding inside these walls.
That heavy aspect of chakra, he felt it before. Once, actually, some days ago in the recent past.
"This feels like Hashirama Senju's levels of chakra, if not even more," Sasuke thought. What was his former master hiding this time? He was most probably doing something shady as he always did. Although in their brief talk in the war he was led to believe that he wanted to change his ways. But ah, snakes…They change their skin, but never their core.
However, he didn't have the time to think all that through because Orochimaru was quick to come back to the room.
He leaned the tray with two cups of tea in front of Sasuke to pick one. Sasuke did and put it next to his side.
Orochimaru then took his cup and put the tray on the table between the two big comfy arm chairs. He made himself comfortable and sat down.
"So, what is it exactly that you wish to know from me?" He asked directly, without beating around the bush.
Sasuke smirked. Despite his initial master's condition, he was still as sharp and direct as always.
"I'm here because I want to know more about you, actually," he replied as he took a sip from the warm tea.
Orochimaru couldn't hide a bit of amazement on his face. "About me," he asked.
"Well, there's nothing much I can tell you about me, I'm afraid. The before you know, and as for the present? Well, I initially came here with your former Taka members. But in this short while, Karin has left me, Suigetsu as well. The only one who is still by my side it's Jūgo."
It wasn't what Sasuke wanted to know, and he could tell that Orochimaru was derailing for some reason, but this new info about the others? Well, he truly wanted to hear it so he didn't interrupt. If Orochimaru would to keep derailing and beating around the bush, he would make sure to bring him back.
"But not because he truly wants so, we all know that. But because everyone thought you to be gone, for a very long while," he said. Which intrigued Orochimaru. How was it that Sasuke was left out so easily from the Alliance claws? His eyes searched this answer, but his mouth didn't dare ask the question.
But Sasuke was always sagacious and greeted him directly with the answer.
"I was released based on my contributions to the war," he said. Direct and dry as always. No blooming stories to accompany the answer.
"I should've figured as much," Orochimaru said. "Thought that maybe Konoha and the Alliance would be crueler in their sentencing. It seems that with this new alliance formed things have softened. But eh, good to have you here," Orochimaru ended, sipping from his cup.
"If it wasn't for my contribution, I might have not been here to begin with," Sasuke said. But he saw that Orochimaru was trying to sway the conversation to another direction, his direction, so he returned it back to its initial course.
"Oh, how rude of me," Orochimaru said, putting his cup of tea on the table, besides him to the right side. "As of lately, I tend to be a bit out of my usual way. Still recuperating after the war, you see?"
"Speaking of which. How is your body doing?" Sasuke asked. Last time when they saw each other he had taken over a Zetsu body. That had to amount for something. Not particularly strong bodies, so that must've posed a problem. Was it the reason he felt the enormous quantity of chakra due to him making preparations to overtake someone? Sasuke was curious. He knew the kind of presence Orochimaru was in the ninja world and he wasn't content with him roaming around freely. But, for now he couldn't pass any judgement and he needed him for other purposes.
"Ah, I'm doing pretty well, no need to worry," Orochimaru said. He took advantage of the fact that in medical terms Sasuke didn't know too much about Zetsu types of bodies. He was never too curious about these things. So, he could perfectly conceal some of the details about his guest in the other room and his newly found body capabilities thanks to a certain seal on his hand. He kept that one concealed as well, under the pair of wrapped bandages on his hand.
"Zetsu bodies seem to prove themselves quite efficient, you know? After all, those Hashirama cells seem to be quite the powerhouse. Enough to last me for the next few years without an issue," he said.
So, he must've cultivated some more Zetsu bodies for himself and that was the reason he felt such a strong chakra presence? And highly similar to Hashirama Senju? That might've explained his previous feelings then.
Was his former master finding new ways to keep his experiments without harming humans? Maybe he had indeed changed.
"Well, I guess I can say I'm glad for you," Sasuke said, as he sipped another small bit from the tea.
"But, you're not here to talk about the tea and Zetsu bodies, so tell me, what exactly is it that you want to know about me?" Orochimaru asked. "In respects to my relationship with Jiraiya, as well, since you mentioned my former dead teammate," he added taking another sip himself.
For a brief moment, Sasuke looked down in the cup of tea, the water inside mirroring his face.
"What made you take the path you walked in your life?" Sasuke asked, being reminded of his own. His eyes saddened, as the moment he asked the questions, memories of his blood-stained past came back to visit him.
A cold sensation wrapped the snake's body. He lived in cold all his life anyway, so he was used to it. But this one? This one left a million times colder, passing through his body like a lightning flash, quick and cutting. For the first time in too many years to remember, he went back to that place. The grave of his mother and father.
The very first time when he met the white snake, as he visited the grave together with his former master. And now here he was, together with his former student, having a life-questioning discussion, that he anticipated will travel along the lines of existential philosophy.
"If I were to pinpoint the very first moment, it would be by my parent's grave," Orochimaru said dryly.
"Sure, I didn't know it back then, but now if I look back it all started there. With the hope that maybe one day, I'll get to meet them, my parents."
The atmosphere in the room started to get heavy for both of them. Memories of his dead parents crossed Sasuke's mind. His mother's cooking, and his father calling him his son for the first time after he showed him the fireball technique. His petrified heart over the years started to move a muscle. For a moment it felt like water was going to flood his entire being, up to the gates of the soul, the eyes.
But no. He closed his eyes. Sasuke kept it all inside, as the memories of his dead father and mother visited him. He was in front of Orochimaru after all. He could show no weakness. He needed to talk to him from at least an equal footing, if not superior like he had done before. Showing any kind of vulnerability now would give the snake a weak point. As much as he was here to unravel some things, he couldn't afford to show any cracks in his being.
He had always thought less about his former master anyway. However, now for the very first time he felt an eerily similarity to him. Family, bonds… Was his reasoning the same? Were they more similar than he had initially thought?
"What happened to them?" Sasuke asked on the same dry tone.
"The same that happened to every parent back in that war torn times. They were killed in battle," Orochimaru replied. He laughed with irony in his voice. "Maybe that's the reason you all came to me, after all" he said. "If anything, you, Karin and some others, as much as victims of wars as I was."
Karin? A victim of war? How come? He never knew that particular thing about her. Though, he realized he never knew too much about her anyway. Just what he needed. As he heard the mention about her, he got reminded of Kabuto's earlier mention in the war. Of her being an Uzumaki.
For a moment there, he couldn't help but want to know more. After all, she seemed to be a relative of Naruto's.
"Speaking of Karin, I heard she's an Uzumaki," Sasuke told Orochimaru. He curiously asked how so. It was something that Orochimaru never shared with him or the others. Not to mention, not much was known about the Uzumakis anyway. So, he found it as the proper time to ask.
"Well, if I were to put it mildly, she's as much a mirror to you as you are to me," Orochimaru said. "Maybe you have more in common with that Naruto kid than you thought."
"What do you mean by that?" Sasuke asked. Why was Orochimaru drawing so many parallels here? Of course, Karin and Naruto were related by the virtue of being Uzumakis, but what did all of this had to do with Naruto being his mirror more than he thought?
"Well, in the virtue of war-torn children, let me tell you something about the Uzumakis Kabuto surely forgot to mention to you," Orochimaru said.
Cunning as always, the snake. He concluded correctly that the information came from none other than Kabuto. But the information ahead him sounded pretty interesting, so he let it slide a bit, until they were to return to the initial one.
After all, it helped him learn more about Naruto. And Karin, too, apparently.
"You could say that Uzumakis and Uchihas are brothers and sisters in suffering," Orochimaru said. Sasuke's brows furrowed. What did he mean by that?
"While granted, in your clan's case the why of it it's different, what you and the Uzumakis have in common is that you're both clans that have been wiped from the face of the earth," he informed his student.
Sasuke tried to keep it cool and composed like always, but his looks couldn't help but betray a horrified expression.
"Sure, there might be some other Uzumakis scattered around the world, but the majority have died in the past, in a tragic attack over their land," he said.
"Naruto is an exception to the rule through his mother, because she was brought to Konoha to be the Nine Tails' host. But the rest were wiped out of the face of the earth. No one truly knows why. People said their power was feared, as their sealing techniques were the most powerful," Orochimaru continued his tale.
That's when Sasuke's mind stopped for a bit. That must've been a seal of the Uzumaki then. The one they sealed his ocular powers with. He never knew such a thing existed until he was at the receiving end of it. It made him wonder. What power did the Uzumakis truly have? Now that he thought about it, there was so little he knew about Naruto…
"Like you've probably known by now, as I am sure Kabuto told you, another Uzumaki was Nagato," he said.
"Yes, and it seems to be the reason why he was able to weild Marada's Rinnegan," Sasuke replied.
"Yes, the power of the Uzumaki bodies is quite strong. That's the reason we looked into them," Orochimaru said. "I was extremely happy when I confirmed Karin to be an Uzumaki too. That gave us plenty of opportunity to study their genetic makeup."
Hearing that made Sasuke's eyebrows to furrow once again. He wasn't a bit fan of the experiments Orochimaru did on everyone. But he wasn't here to pass judgement for now. He was here to understand. Judgement would come later.
"I found Karin as a child on the border between Kusagakure and Amegakure," Orochimaru said. "It was a heavy raining day, and she was running lost and terrified from something. I tried to talk with her to understand more, but she didn't seem to remember much. And that posed a little bit of a problem over time, until we identified her as an Uzumaki. Because yes, we found out in time that Uzumakis have red hair as their genetic makeup. But then again, not all red-haired people in this world are Uzumakis. So, until I confirmed that, it took time."
"Wait a minute, you're telling me Karin doesn't know she's an Uzumaki?" Sasuke asked shocked.
"She didn't know, yes. Until recently. As recent as few hours ago when she left this enclosing," Orochimaru said.
"Where did she go?" Sasuke asked. Not that he was particularly interested, but for some reason curiosity crawled its way under his skin and made him ask that.
"She just left for Konoha, I believe," Orochimaru said. "I'm amazed you two didn't bump heads on the road. She went to search for more answers, as granted, my knowledge of the Uzumaki clan is pretty limited. More than finding out about their genetic make-up and the fact that they too, have been wiped out, I don't know much. And all that because I had to get my arms from the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, otherwise I wouldn't probably know even that. Knowledge on them is pretty rare and hidden, for some reason. As for Karin, since she made the connections with the Uzumaki clan and Naruto, I believe that's where she's headed."
Hearing the mention of Naruto's former clan being wiped out, similar to his, and about Karin's condition of not remembering who she was, stroked something in Sasuke.
He was so attached to his clan because they represented his whole identity, but how would it feel when you don't even know your roots? Was this the reason it was easier for Naruto to choose a different path than his? The fact he didn't have ties with his past? Do those ties make you suffer like he initially thought? Or does the absence of it is even more unbearable once you think about it? He couldn't help it, but his mind led him to Naruto and Karin in these moments.
He also understood why Orochimaru had said earlier that Naruto might be more of a mirror to him than he realized. Apparently, they had more in common than he initially thought. With Karin too, since she was an Uzumaki as well.
Like him, she too was a victim of war. He always considered her a bit weird and with odd quirks. There were times when he wondered what's even wrong with her as a person. Sure, he respected her power as he even sought it off, but as a person? He may have passed judgement on her. But now with this new information, it made him think. Did she have a mother, a father? Did he know them? Orochimaru mentioned that she had no memory when he met her. It pained his heart to think about her condition, as well. Alone, in this whole wide world, not knowing who you are, your identity, your past.
At least for him it was easier in a way. He was part of a clan. He knew his roots, his family. It was that identity that it made him push forward. He always wondered and maybe even judged her a bit on the relationship with Orochimaru.
How could someone work with him? But now, hearing more about it, it made him become a little bit more understanding.
So much new information. So many other points of views to take into consideration. So many other broken lives just like his…
Was he selfish in his pursue to destroy Konoha? With this new found information about the Uzumaki clan, Sasuke couldn't help but wonder. What if he would've been successful in his plan to wipe Konoha off?
Would he had been the source of destruction, just like in the Uzumaki clan's situation? In his clan's too. Would he have been another Itachi? For as much as he tried running away from becoming just like his brother, he had surely danced on the edge of becoming just like him.
He was close to becoming a war criminal. And that just hit him. Like Orochimaru had said, the common denominator in all their cases was that they were all victims of war. Of destruction. Children living in a world without love.
And he was close to becoming the wheel that turns once again the rotation of a new cycle of hatred. The very thing that was the source of his own suffering.
That realization hit him. And it hit him hard. So hard that he felt the need to breath in slowly. In the next instant he also got reminded of what he did to Karin back in the fight against Danzo at the Five Nations Summit. Which in turn also reminded him of his battle of Naruto back in the Valley of the End when they were younger. He closed his eyes and drew breath, with a pained expression on his face. He realized he hurt two people that had already have it so bad to begin with. He directed his rage and suffering at them, in his pursue to heal the wound he got inflicted with due to his clan's genocide. Yes, he had apologized before to them, but with this new realization, there was a little part in his heart that felt as if it wasn't enough.
Although he initially came here to understand more about him through the lens of Orochimaru, he felt like he understood more through that of the Uzumaki clan. The irony.
Maybe he was looking in the wrong direction? Maybe Orochimaru wasn't the one he needed to seek in order to understand more about himself? It made him ponder on it.
But still, he came here with an initial goal in mind. He concluded that it would first be recommended to get this done and then move to other paths. Maybe some of the information that Orochimaru revealed would still be helpful, as it has been until now.
If he were to start painting over his new canvas, he needed to know all the colors he should use, in this new landscape. Who knew? Maybe one day the Sharingan's genjutsu would paint a different imagery than the one it usually did in people's mind. In his, too.
"Orochimaru, I have one more thing to ask you before I head out," Sasuke said. "The differences between your former teammate Jiraiya and you. Where they always there? Did you ever have a common thread and then you separated or you were different from the very beginning?" Sasuke asked.
Orochimaru smirked upon hearing Jiraiya's name being brought-up. And what a quick change of scenery, he thought. They were just talking about Karin the other moment and now they're back to this? It seems like he's in a hurry. Would he want to go and meet Karin, now that he mentioned her leaving recently?
Eh, not like he would mind. This discussion wasn't the most welcomed one, given that he was caught-up in something else, at this very moment.
"Ah, me and Jiraiya were always different, that's for sure," he replied to his former student. "He was always a hopeless fool, who denied the realities of the world. He was Nagato's master, the Uzumaki I told you about earlier. Do you know how he became his student? Because the fool decided to stay and train those war orphans, rather than let them die and end their suffering," Orochimaru said coldly.
"Instead of being truthful to himself and the realities of war, he just prolonged their suffering and ended-up dying anyway. Just that it took them some more years," he said. "And in the meantime, he left them with the emotional scars of going through other multiple wars. And for what, if death is the final destination anyway? Why keep prolonging one's suffering if the final destination is the same? What's the use? The meaning of it all?"
Sasuke's eyes fixated his master one more, intensely. "Is that the reason you started to seek the reason behind existence?"
Tense, chilled air made its way through the room as both of them recalled their previous discussion about the reason behind existence. It was when the small snake had swallowed the big one.
With all the coldness inside his blood, Orochimaru's still started to boil a little at that memory. But the Uchiha kid was standing in front of him now from a different position. Still, those past memories and his failures hit him.
But it didn't bother him as much now as it did then. Since now there was a new way to find the reason behind existence without needing the possession of those wretched eyes he could never have. Or so his guest from the other room had said. Not that he trusted him fully, but it was a lead to look into.
Orochimaru smirked to try and break the tension in the room. "Perhaps," he replied. "You've never been interested in knowing this side of the story, so why now?"
Sasuke sighed. Leaned more comfortably in his chair and took another sip of his tea.
"Because maybe now I am curious about it myself," Sasuke replied dryly. "When you and I walked the same path, I had only one goal in mind. And that was to kill Itachi." He made a pause to put the cup on the table. Fixated his posture better in the chair.
"I wasn't too interested in such philosophical existential questions," he continued. "I had only one goal in mind and I did everything I had to get there." With his face facing forward, he sided Orochimaru's look. Both of them knew very well the moment they were referring to.
"But then, as I reached my goal, for some reasons existentialism and philosophy made their way into my life." Sasuke blinked for a moment, being reminded of his brother's last words. And I started wondering: what is a clan, what is a village" he said as he started looking up at the ceiling. "All these questions, as you can see," he said. "And ever since, I find myself having a lot of other kinds of questions like these."
Orochimaru watched him closely. He once again got the confirmation that Sasuke is a changed person. He first noted it in the war, but day by day the change grew stronger. After all, they were here talking about delicate past events.
"I see," Orochimaru replied. "Well, I don't know if I am the right person to help you with the philosophies and existential questions of your life, but I hope I could have been of some sort of help with the answers I gave you up until now," he said.
"I'm afraid some of the questions you'll have to get the answers to yourself, as we've lived in different times, you and I. My reasoning and advice, if I may say so, might be outdated," Orochimaru said.
"Back in my day, the Five Nations would be at each other's throats, yet today here they are, collaborating. So, who knows? Maybe there is a reason behind all of this. One that we have yet to know," he concluded.
Sasuke descended his look from the ceiling and looked his master's way.
"Perhaps you are right," he said, as he rose from the chair and stood tall. Orochimaru soon followed him.
"Well, I'm pleased to know I was able to help you in some way," Orochimaru said, fixating his snake eyes on Sasuke.
"If there's anything else I could help you with," he said opening his arms as a sign of good faith. Though, as we all know, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, so could he truly be trusted?
"Yes, one more," Sasuke said with clear conviction in his voice. "Jūgo," he said.
"Where is he? I want to take him with me," Sasuke informed Orochimaru.
"Allow me to lead you to his chambers," Orochimaru said. He leaned a bit and waved his hand, inviting Sasuke out of the room. He soon followed Sasuke, closing the door behind them.
Orochimaru took the lead, inviting Sasuke to follow him towards Jūgo's chambers. Luckily, it was on the opposite side from where Fukanōna was.
Also, this hiding place wasn't so open like the rest of them usually were. This one was more of a maze than any other before this one. It was especially designed that way, as this was the place where Orochimaru conducted his most heinous experiments. Not many had access to here.
Actually, the only ones who knew about it was him and his other former student, Kabuto. Which made Orochimaru wonder how did Sasuke even knew about it? Had he talked to Kabuto? But ah, those were questions that needed answer at another time, and now it wasn't the time.
After walking for a short while, cornering multiple paths and changing multiple directions, Orochimaru announced that they finally arrived in front of Jūgo's chamber.
Orochimaru knocked at the door. Three times slow, two times faster. It was like a code, for him to know who exactly visits. So he would know who it was and avoid any casualties that might arrive due to his uncontrollable rage. The very reason he remained next to Orochimaru.
On the other side of the wall, Jūgo recognized the code. Which meant Orochimaru was there to visit him. He moved next to his cabinet and took out of there a set of syringes inside a case. He took one out and injected it into his left arm.
Waited for a few seconds for the effect to make its way through the body.
On the other side of the wall Sasuke waited patiently. It made him wonder what was going on behind those doors. Out of all the others in Taka, towards him Sasuke felt a special connection. Not that Suigetsu or Karin would've been any less meaningful back in the day.
But it was something about Jūgo's gentleness by nature and the curse to reach madness that stroke a sensible chord in Sasuke's heart.
Soon the door opened. Jūgo's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You're here!" He said it with a tremoring voice, as if he had just received hope and salvation. Because in a way, yes, that was who Sasuke was to Jūgo. A way to be able to control himself from wreaking havoc without having to resort to Orochimaru's weird medicine that made him feel all shades of nausea.
"I am and you're coming with me!" Sasuke said. His tone was clear, concise, and sharp. Leaving no room for interpretation should Orochimaru get any ideas. But he figured he wouldn't. As much it was clear. Otherwise, he couldn't have even led him to his old teammate.
"Pack your bags, I'll be waiting for you outside," Sasuke said, and turned his back on the chamber's door.
Jūgo looked a bit confused at Orochimaru. But instead, Orochimaru let him know through a nod that there is no issue with this and he is happy to comply to Sasuke's demands.
Of course, his reasoning was totally different and it fit like a glove, especially now. Sure, he had accepted taking him in, but it would be less troublesome having multiple eyes prying at his new deal. So, at the end of the day, it was a win-win for everyone. Not to mention less resources spent on making the medicine necessary to keep in control Jūgo's powers. What more could one ask?
It felt as if he had somehow been blessed with nothing but good karma.
Was he truly at the receiving end of blessings, due to being connected to the god in his other room? He couldn't help but wonder.
But those were things he would clear as soon as Sasuke and Jūgo were out of his hideout. He followed Sasuke who headed back.
As he kept walking to get back to the initial point he came from, once he was close to the exit, Sasuke once again couldn't help but feel the immense chakra signature.
You didn't have to be an extraordinary ninja to feel it, because its presence made itself felt. Sasuke couldn't help but feel puzzled by it.
In an attempt to clear that side, he dropped the question on Orochimaru.
"Are you running any more experiments lately? Last time we met, you said you're a changed man," Sasuke said.
"Not at this particular moment, no," Orochimaru replied.
"Are you planning on doing so in the near future? Continue with that same path?" Sasuke asked, side eyeing him as they both walked towards the exit.
"Haven't I told you I'm a changed man?" Orochimaru replied to Sasuke. "I am upholding that statement," he said. He remembered their previous discussion about the Zetsus, so he led Sasuke away in that direction.
"So, you're telling me you've found a new way to conduct your experiments while you find out the reason behind existence?" Sasuke asked dryly.
"Isn't this a more humane way?" Orochimaru replied. "I've refrained from using humans, haven't I?"
"So then, using lesser form of existence should make it better?" Sasuke asked, as his steps became more and more poignant.
"They're nothing more than spores, if you think about it. It's like I'm using plants, basically," Orochimaru said. He raised his hands in the air as a sign of being laid back about this. Because yes, he wasn't using humans anymore, right? Well, at least that's how he let it all look, as he wasn't even doing that.
All he was doing was concealing his guest in the other room. Though, truthfully speaking, he did still possess Zetsu spores for reproduction. Just as a safety measure. And it so happened to fit this narrative. Another win for him.
"I suppose you're right," Sasuke said. This thought eased his mind a bit, as the possibility of Orochimaru conducting his previous experiments didn't sit well with him. They never truly did, but back then, he had other objectives to tend to. However, today things were different and his response would definitely be as well.
They soon got near the den's exit. But by then, Jūgo already caught-up from behind. That was good, as Sasuke didn't have to spend any more time with Orochimaru. He was never really a fan, but he thought to himself this needed to be an experience he needed to go through. After all, it helped him greatly understand some other realities of the people surrounding him. For a brief moment his mind went back to Naruto and Karin.
His eyes lowered to the ground and his being fell a bit into a pool of regret. But he didn't get to dwell there too much, because Jūgo interrupted with his presence.
"I'm ready," he said.
"Well, I wish you both safe travels," Orochimaru said, as both his former well, one subject and one student, joined each other and left the enclosure. But, not before being respectful enough to thank him for the wishes.
As the two walked together, Jūgo couldn't help but ask. "How is it that you came back for me?"
Sasuke smiled fondly for a moment and raised his eyes to the sky. Wind slowly started blowing again, moving hair to the sides to uncover both his eyes, as his look fixated the skies.
"Oh, there's a lot to tell you about this. We have all the time in the world now," Sasuke said.
But I'll start with the first one. "I have learned that maybe some roads are better walked with close friends than alone," he said, as a flash of Naruto's face once again visited his mind's eye.
