Interlude: Orochimaru

Despite the soul-deep ache in his arms, the burn of failure, and the frustration of having the sharingan right before him yet unable to obtain it - Orochimaru finds himself amused despite it all.

His spies have just delivered the latest reports from Konoha – a village that hilariously enough, now has Jiraiya of all people at the helm – and Orochimaru finds the contents as intriguing as they are unexpected.

His newest apprentice is in the training hall, as he always is when not eating or sleeping, failing at a shurikenjutsu sequence Orochimaru has seen Itachi pull off effortlessly at half his age. The snake summoner has to repress a frown at the thought, his loss at the elder Uchiha's hands still stinging all these years later.

"Sasuke-kun." He hisses a greeting as he allows the boy to notice his presence behind him.

The Uchiha pretends he hasn't just been startled, slanting a glance over. "Orochimaru."

And that arrogance – completely unwarranted. For all that Sasuke has so much potential, he's been doing a poor job of living up to it, though that is likely partially Konoha's fault.

"There's been an interesting development in your old village." The summoner layers his voice with the tantalising hint of knowing something the other doesn't.

The Uchiha crosses his arms and scoffs. "Why would I care about that place?"

Orochimaru smiles knowingly. "Your brother seems to care. He did, after all, just return."

The young teen shoots a piercing look at him. "What!?" He snaps.

"That's right." The missing-nin says gleefully. "Itachi went back to Konoha, killed one of their elders and stole their jinchuuriki."

The Uchiha's eyebrows furrow. "The jinchuuriki he was after before? What is a jinchuuriki?"

"Kukuku, you don't know?" Orochimaru clicks his tongue. Another example of Konoha's foolishness. "Jinchuuriki are people with one of the tailed beasts sealed into them. They can use their bijuu's chakra and powers, granting them incredible strength. You need to be more observant Sasuke-kun; you were in class with the host of the kyuubi for years, after all."

Sasuke's face remains blank even as Orochimaru can read him like a book.

"Uzumaki Naruto." The snake summoner sounds out the name. He hadn't had any interest in the kyuubi jinchuuriki before, but it seems that the girl herself is more interesting than the passenger she holds. "One of the last of the once great Uzumaki clan."

Sasuke digests this fact in silence.

"Why are you acting like this is unexpected," he asks, watching the older ninja closely, "if he was after the kyuubi before?"

"Oh, but it is unexpected." Orochimaru assures him. "It seems Itachi-kun is no longer carrying out the Akatsuki's plan; he took the jinchuuriki for other reasons."

And doesn't that have fascinating implications?

"So he's a traitor to an organisation made up of traitors. What a surprise."

"Are you not curious about what suddenly spurred this change in behaviour?" He tauntingly asks his apprentice. "My spies in Konoha have managed to get their hands on a copy of Itachi's file. You've never seen it before, have you?"

Sasuke eyes him sharply and Orochimaru can all but smell his interest.

"Fine." He says bluntly. "What do you want in return?"

Even after only a few months under his tutelage, Sasuke knows Orochimaru doesn't do things for free.

The snake summoner smiles like his capitulation is entirely expected, which it is.

"There's a rice merchant who's been providing food for a group of rebels that have been harassing my people around the western base. Bring me back his head and I'll give it to you."

Orochimaru watches the Uchiha wrestle with his desire to get his hands on Itachi's file and his reluctance to kill anyone.

For all that Uchiha Sasuke claims to be nothing but an avenger, he is disgustingly full of empathy.

Always second place. Less talented, weaker eyes, less merciless.

In all aspects, Sasuke falls short of Itachi.

And despite the thought having caused him great annoyance before, Orochimaru smiles.

After his student leaves on his mission, the snake summoner looks again at the intelligence report and the copy of the photograph he expended great effort to obtain.

While Sasuke likely thinks the elder was simply an old man who got in Itachi's way, Orochimaru knows better. Shimura Danzo always liked to poke his nose where he wasn't welcome, and now he has finally gone too far. The most infamous member of the sannin wonders if he had tried to get his hands on the kyuubi jinchuurki without realising just whose protection she was under.

For all that he appears to be the epitome of a shinobi, unhesitating killing perfection at its finest - it seems even Uchiha Itachi is human, with all the weakness that implies.

Yellow eyes gleam.

Now how can he use this?