Sasuke knew why he did it. Kabuto wasn't somebody he cared to possess, and impersonating as Orochimaru wouldn't get him anybody but a dropout medical ninja, possibly one second to Sakura herself. He didn't need a healer, much less a man like Kabuto, who's glasses glinted with an innate kind of cruelty that couldn't be passed down or taught. He's already proved himself more deplorable than his master and the mere idea of it was sickening, working together with him. Being amiable with him. Orochimaru always viewed Kabuto as an invaluable resource and Sasuke hated to agree with the snake, he was right.

If he was to ever know anything about the truth of his clan, anything at all, the man may not be the most ideal of healers but he did have one thing to his name.

Information.

"Kabuto."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama."

Gods, he hated this.

"Has there been any recent word on the search for Sasuke," his name scratched off his tongue, thick and harsh, "from Konoha, or otherwise?"

Kabuto paused. "Konoha is an 8 days run from this hideout and the closest base of operations has been preoccupied with the current local gang conflict… one that you yourself had intentionally festered. My lord," he added belatedly.

Of course he had.

Just as he was in the scramble to explain himself, Kabuto adjusted his frames.

"Unless you're implying- no; no, Orochimaru-sama. Akatsuki has not returned contact with you. At least none that I'm aware of yet."

Sasuke blinked. "None?"

"Pain remains under the impression that you are still incapable of causing major damage, since the invasion of the Leaf a few years ago. He suspects you will not be interfering with his plans and I have reason to believe that the Akatsuki were actually quite doubting of you."

"Hmph." Interesting. "Doubting? You speak of my relationship with Sasuke?"

Kabuto bowed. "Yes. They've had no reason to think you would actually succeed the transfer… the last instance you were in league with them you were quite desperate for the Mangekyou Sharingan: and so adamantly at that. Pain and Akatsuki may have dismissed you for your passion to science, more so when your arms were rendered useless."

And my brother? "And?"

"As for Uchiha Itachi, he has made no outward movements. He may be unknowing of the transfer's success… or simply uncaring."

"You think he's uncaring." Sasuke forced himself to stretch his lips, thin and tightening at the skin. He forced his voice to drip with meaning. "His only younger brother."

Kabuto smiled slowly with amusement. "Of course, Orochimaru-sama, you may be right. Sasuke's continually a prized interest so you may find the local bird population has increased."

What the fuck does that have to do with-

"I'll make arrangements to camouflage our location, though I'm afraid genjutsu will no longer hold effect."

Damn. "-yes."

Sasuke wanted to ask more. Finally they were on the topic of discussion of his brother but it was only an inside joke, over information Orochimaru must have been already familiar with, knowledge Kabuto must've been lording over him. The words caught in his throat as Kabuto knelt before him, then rose. He was going to get away and Sasuke couldn't think of anything to say to stop him, it was too risky to play dumb. His steps echoed and Kabuto made it to the lab's doors, right before he stopped. "If I may speak?"

Sasuke looked up at the man.

"As you may already know, it would be in your best interest to remain silent of your success, Sensei."

"You would have me refrain from my further goals?"

"Yes." Kabuto turned and bowed deeply, while his voice echoed along the white humming machines. Sasuke didn't know how half of this stuff even worked but a surprising amount of paperwork was directed to him, for a criminal underground scientist his late sensei had the run-of-the-mill office space. It was a nice place to be, decent florescent lighting, and warmer than the rest of the caves.

It was only much harder to pretend to be Orochimaru here, Sasuke never bothered to brush up on his maths since his arrival and it showed.

He hoped the man wasn't going to mention that the paperwork wasn't exactly 'done'. "Anything else you want to add?"

Kabuto lowered his eyes.

Hm. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Never, sensei."

Gods. Kabuto was actually concerned for him. Or for Orochimaru, actually. Sasuke barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. "I'll doubly refrain from the temptation of broadcasting my new body, if it satisfies you."

Kabuto swallowed, he could see from this distance, and kept his hands behind his back. "Uchiha Itachi-"

"Is of no relevance to me. Don't you believe in your master?"

"Of course."

This conversation was like pulling teeth.

"His card is incomplete." Kabuto finally said, after a long enough stare that he thought was more of his own personality than something Orochimaru would do. "It has never been complete. I have portions of my data as theoretical probabilities or even largely missing."

"Is that fear in your voice?"

"I don't know him."

Well, that answered his question.

"… but you believe he'll search." Sasuke spoke slowly as he pieced together the missing pieces in this reveal. "No, more than that, you believe he'll go on the offensive. You think he's caring," he said suddenly, curiously, with a light in his voice.

What in the world was going on?

Kabuto bowed.

"And…" Sasuke said remembering that he was supposed to be Orochimaru, not surprised at this information but harrowing in on the detail of most importance. "You have an odd certainty he'll defeat me."

His head remained low.

"He might… hesitate."

"Is that supposed to be funny?"

"With you as you are now may be an effective deterrent for the man," which was only more fuel to the growing fire of his brother not being who he thought he was. "He'll have a hard time challenging you, especially if you timely reenact some of Sasuke's speech patterns and mannerisms."

"You want me to pretend to be his little brother?" Sasuke said, blasphemous.

"Itachi Uchiha has remained largely unpredictable concerning his motivations and power scales, in addition to being well-renowned for his genius. I only caution you, Orochimaru-sama."

"I'll remember that I couldn't defeat a child."

Kabuto returned him one last quick bow before escaping the room.

(Fuck. Now he had only more questions.)

It was hard getting him to talk again. Sasuke thought that he was uncommonly lucky the first time, riding the high that was receiving a new body Kabuto must have thought him in a more amiable mood, more inclined to let him say things he otherwise couldn't get away with. Like his brother thought of being stronger than him. Sasuke didn't know the history between the two, Orochimaru and Itachi, but it obviously left a long-lasting impression enough to become this much of a weighted topic. He was tempted himself to put it to the test, try being that petty to rub it in to Itachi's face like Kabuto believed to think Orochimaru was. Sasuke scoffed to himself and shook his head as he returned to his master room, his sword long enough to drag the cold stone.

Kabuto was being extremely reticent.

"I apologize, Master."

"I've been unprepared, Orochimaru-sama."

"I'm afraid I do not know, Sensei."

That fucking liar!

He didn't know how he was doing it, but the man was constantly controlling the conversation to his advantage while avoiding the information Sasuke wanted to hear. It was a skillful maneuver into territory Sasuke had to think about before answering, science and the like, to which he was too afraid not to commit his full attention towards. Sasuke had to work, and read up about shit he didn't care to understand if only to keep up an appearance.

He was sorely tempted to genjutsu the man multiple times for making him do homework at his age, his Sharingan was throbbing him from staying up too late.

Kabuto, on the other hand, was undeniably pleased over his 'loss'. He spoke enthusiastically about his recovery, he wanted to return full-form back to their experiments that Sasuke didn't give a care about. It was half science and half glory… the man obviously had high ideas he thought would gain them the approval of the public with a welcoming of open arms. Grand, hopeless dreams fueled him but it wasn't in Sasuke's prerogative to tell him the truth.

He only needed to get what he came for, quickly if he can. The Uchiha didn't want to be here any longer than he needed to be.

"Do you know what else these eyes can be used for?" he posed the question, casually pushing away the data analysis he was supposed to be reviewing in the far corner of his desk. "Do you know why I desired them for so long?"

Kabuto paused. He lowered his instruments and removed the safety goggles surrounding his head if only to see him more clearly.

Once Sasuke stole his attention according to plan, he let the red flood into his eyes.

"They don't just copy like a monkey."

Kabuto responded of his own accord.

"They can record images in almost perfect photographic memory… the metaphorical distance between hand and eye coordination is next to nonexistent. It's been purposed they can detect chakra in likeness to the Byakugan, that they can interpret minute visual details invisible to the normal eye so fast many believe them to see into the future."

Kabuto followed his tomoe spin curiously as he spoke, and his interest piqued. "Did you see more? Has obtaining Sasuke's body revealed you to information you've previously never seen?"

If the man willingly dropped excuses into his lap…

"You want to fill those little cards of yours, don't you?" Sasuke cocked his head, his gaze focused on the man's pockets and his small smile knowing.

Kabuto bowed deeply.

Sasuke thought… the ex-Konoha nin didn't have much of an identity himself, always readily absorbing the backgrounds of others to fill in the empty spaces. It was pitiful and a sometimes hard to watch, delicate moments that Sasuke as Orochimaru wasn't supposed to witness because Kabuto truly looked up to the sannin. He told him himself. He looked to him for fucking guidance. Sasuke was supposed to say anything, something, lie to him like Orochimaru would in order to keep the gifted orphans he collected close, diligent, and loyal. But he didn't know if he could go that far, do that just yet.

For now, it was an equivalent exchange if he could have it, no psychology, no manipulation.

Sasuke would need to give information to get.

"Itachi will be after my eyes soon." He said, and smirked when Kabuto blinked and realized.

"He wants to steal them," the man spoke breathlessly.

"Do you know why?"

"No," he whispered.

"Killing someone closest to you," Sasuke began and he could see dark eyes film over behind glasses, right before the light hit the lens just right, masking his deeper emotions. However, it was a second too late and Sasuke was quickly learning. "You've had experience in that, no? Within this body it unlocks the Sharingan's second secret power."

"It can grant the user-"

"I understand, Sensei."

His words summarily cut off, Sasuke looked at him. Strands of gray hair hung loosely, the rest held back by a short ponytail, not even waving an inch. His head was low until his back was visible before him, one hand at the waist, the other curved to the opposite shoulder. He was kneeling and he wasn't getting up, and Sasuke didn't know why.

"You can use me as a sacrifice for the greater good of science."

He blinked.

"I'd be willing to be used as your pawn, in order to grant you better eyes. You were planning this from the start, weren't you? To be on par with the Uchiha?" the man said unwaveringly.

Sasuke frowned.

Kabuto criticized the others. His lips would sneer upward at the mention of Kimimaro's name, at Orochimaru's many loyal followers, he thought their genuine emotions were cheap and laughed at them behind their backs. It was a common inside joke between him and Orochimaru that Sasuke had the misfortune to witness, when those same followers died buying into their sannin's hero worship to receive nothing in return. Kabuto believed he was smarter than them, superior to them.

What the fuck was he saying?

"Of course, Kabuto, your service is always… appreciated." Sasuke let the words flow off his lips, even though it felt like crawling bugs in his throat. "Unfortunately, the Mangekyou Sharingan carries a great drawback that even Itachi can't contain. The powerful doujutsu will soon drive its user to blindness. It's no wonder the boy didn't kill his Uzumaki friend earlier, he couldn't stand a chance against me handicapped."

Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek until it bled.

"Is that so? I apologize Sensei, for my interruption."

"Mm."

"May I be so forward as to hazard another guess? Stealing another's eyes must reverse these drawbacks."

Close. "Correct."

Kabuto spoke slowly. "What if I could guarantee you the blindness cured elsewhere?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. His hands clenched around his sword, he couldn't even stop himself from his voice going tight.

"Other… Uchihas?" he spat.

"Yes."

He itched to jump out and kill him, appearance be damned.

"I think I know where we can get some underground Sharingan eyes, or possibly graft some of our own in the labs." Kabuto mused aloud and Sasuke's hand hurt, bone white and cracking the hilt of his chokuto.

"Tell me where."

"-Orochimaru-sama?"

Tch. He crossed his legs and twisted away, elbow bent on the arm rest with his cheek in hand. Sasuke did some breathing exercises before he spoke and tried to calm the red in his sight.

"I'm very sorry, Orochimaru-sama, I only offer my hypotheses, that's all I have." Sasuke glared darkly at the man cowering before him.

"And?"

"It only makes sense," Kabuto replied. "There's no way a great village like Konoha would let this opportunity slide. The Uchiha massacre… Of course, they would never leave perfectly good corpses lying at rest."

"-so you think they stole them?"

"Yes," he said.

Sasuke needed to calm himself immediately if he was ever to get anywhere. Though the words coming out of Kabuto's mouth were absolutely infuriating, he had learned the hard way that infiltration was a doubled challenge, intent on breaking him from multiple sides. His past sensei always said that he was too much like Naruto, too headstrong and unbeatably proud to hide his beliefs. That after enough intake of something he didn't like, he couldn't refuse to keep silent.

It was hard then, breathing through his nose timely, slowly, remembering Kakashi's words. Sasuke made his chest rise and fall under his shirt until his grip went lax on his sword. He clenched his teeth.

Kabuto didn't seem to notice. "It is true, they are quite the valuables of the Leaf Village. I imagine either kept for safekeeping from rival nations, or possibly under the property name of Sasuke Uchiha. Though it's a bit too late to ask him if he remembered any false burial rites, he was eight, wasn't he?"

His voice was rough like gravel. "Yes."

"In that case I'm almost positive. Extracted and depending on the type of solution, eye organs can survive up to two years in wait. Maybe longer if frozen, though the chances for such eyes to be useable much less in whole condition is lost by around 70 percent."

He didn't know how to say the words.

"It's been eight years."

Kabuto nodded. "In that case, either a special sealing jutsu was used or some sort of-"

"Can you find them?" Sasuke asked.

His heart was throbbing in his chest, stinging him painfully. Orochimaru wasn't known to care too closely enough to interrupt, much less for the determination in his voice, light and hopeful at the ends.

He was losing it, and he couldn't be bothered to restrain himself for his family.

"These eyes will most likely be replanted in volunteers, but I can calculate a list of potential recipients for you immediately." Kabuto said.

His chest exhaled.

"On the other hand, you may be right." Sasuke raised his head with great heaviness, dark hair falling into his sight. His head hurt, pounding like the headache of a thunderstorm and sharp, ringing him brightly in the ears. He was tired and he heard enough for today, Sasuke wanted to retreat to his room to think, sift, reason with himself.

This was bullshit, he only needed to figure out how.

"These eyes, if only for the sake of social embarrassment, if not misguided respect towards the dead… they may have been quickly destroyed. I wouldn't be surprised if they were, though saddened on your behalf if this was the case."

"Yes." Sasuke swallowed thickly. "Of course."

"Orochimaru-sama."

He quickly waved him out of the room.

After that, he didn't ask anymore. Kabuto looked at him differently since. He toed around him, and possibly read into things more deeply than he could mask it, until Sasuke had to take drastic measures. Ordering him away before he got too close, constantly smiling… it was difficult being Orochimaru when his head was screaming at him.

The drive for revenge was disappearing. For once in his life, Sasuke was unsure what to do next.

Until Kabuto made the choice for him.

His Sharingan dutifully recorded every little detail of Orochimaru's past form, the unconscious motions in the way he purred his words or the long gait of his walk. Sasuke's eyes made sure to note these things in the back of his mind, keep them, store them and prepare the details for later use. When Kabuto looked at him all he saw was Orochimaru in a new skin with the same mannerisms and speech patterns, he couldn't tell that Sasuke was underneath the underneath, and that this wasn't no average transformation jutsu.

Sasuke had absorbed Orochimaru. The snake was probably still alive, recovering, crawling under his skin. But his control over him was dead. What was left of his essence was concentrated in the seal on his shoulder and silent. Sasuke could pose as Orochimaru with no expected interference whatsoever.

Except, unfortunately, from himself.

Into the dimly lit caverns they entered his least favorite place, aptly dubbed the 'Chamber'. Here was where Orochimaru's most hidden experiments were conducted, away from any suspecting eyes. Even Sasuke didn't previously know of this place, Orochimaru must have suspected his moralistic tendencies and sought to spare him the knowledge. Kabuto quickly departed to his post then, leaving him alone with what he was sure used to be humans.

If they could even be called that. Before him lay a chimera of some sort, missing a leg and a generous chunk of his body, one that Sasuke looked at it emptily as someone slim, a little less than his age, groaned and twitched.

"Orochimaru-sama."

"Kabuto," he tried to keep the disgust from his tone but he wasn't one for hiding. This was sick. The boy his age was pitifully cognizant and aware of his gaze.

"Here are the findings on the latest experiment, Orochimaru-sama."

"I see."

"He needs doses of hormones to keep the transformation in place, possibly a reverse injection of 2FG-855. He needs time for the effects to set."

Sasuke grimaced. "What kind of time?"

"In two days the store of his body fat will be consumed and depleted, directing the subject to feed off of his own musculature and bodily proteins. In the four hours after he will have lost another third of his body, as you can already see the virus has consumed his right half and will continue doing so until it reaches his central nervous system. It will eat his lungs and other extraneous organs before it reaches his brain, by then he will have been prepared for the final stage."

Sasuke was silent. He let Kabuto run on and he watched the thing without blinking. The boy made one last final sigh and returned to unconsciousness. His brown eyes remained open.

"-he will be disposed of properly afterwards, of course."

"Of course," he said and smoothly turned his Sharingan onto the medic nin. Kabuto didn't flinch and looked curiously at him, at the way his tomoe spinned.

"What do you want from me?"

"Replacements, if you may. 14 of the girls have failed, another 3 male specimens could not survive the stress. I understand civilian science isn't your primary interest but-"

"But you were hoping to grant favor with me proving what?"

Kabuto hedged. "Well, now that you have obtained Sasuke's body…"

"You believe I don't need of the rest."

His glasses shaded when he turned from the fluorescent lighting, his silence was telling and he pointedly faced towards the rest of Orochimaru's potential 'replacements'. Kabuto made sure his point was made clear, and the reason sound, before he didn't really have much of a choice.

"I have brought up a list of recipients. One, actually," he casually spoke.

So that's how it's going to be.

Sasuke made himself laugh.

His chest burning fire in his lungs until his eye watered… he chuckled and he nodded and he let Kabuto motion to a few snake lackeys and in a single motion the people were his.

(Sasuke couldn't stay after that.)

"They were destroyed," he said in the midst while he was quickly packing. Smoke popped until his few things disappeared, the ink glowed white against the long strip of paper.

His room was dark and empty. His sealing scroll rolled with a snap.

"Aa." Sasuke complained, but his shaking hand belayed him. "You tricked me."

Kabuto pushed up his glasses. "And old friend of yours may have them."

He whipped his head and glowered.

"I have many old friends, Kabuto, I'm afraid you need to be more specific."

"You're not Orochimaru, are you?"

His blade was out in a blink, shining metal sharp and threaded with electricity, pulsing blue against a delicate neck.

Kabuto spoke slowly. "I guessed."

"What do you want?"

"To help you. To tell you where your brother is."

His chakra surged.

"You're a sick man, you-" Kabuto's hand glowed and Sasuke didn't think, he clashed his sword against a kunai, the sound ringing sharply in his ears. Both of the metals screeched, wobbled with each other's force. "I'll kill you! I should've burned you from your tongue-"

The glint in those eyes grew brighter and the medic nin darkly smirked.

"You gave them to me."

Smack! his kunai went flying and Kabuto clapped the blade, stopping the forward motion any further. Green light healed his skin from his chidori in real time but Sasuke drove inch by slow inch until he was gaining traction into flesh. The birds of his electricity screeched while the saw of his blade cackled... drops of dark red blood dripping to the floor.

"Is this how you really are, Orochimaru-sama?" Sasuke flinched and Kabuto jumped at the opportunity.

One… two…

Like a Hyuga, he struck.

The blue glow ebbed, slowed, until his sword was just a normal one and his flow of chakra temporarily cut off.

Sasuke looked at his weapon and then glared darkly.

"I don't want to fight."

"Then you should've thought of that sooner." Sasuke lunged and Kabuto spun, tapping a few more of his chakra points along the way.

"You almost fooled me, Sasuke-kun. Even after a majority of my life as Orochimaru's pupil, I doubted." Kabuto raised a kunai to his neck until he was forced to lift his chin, dark eyes narrowed and frowning.

Sasuke knew when he was cornered. "What do you want?"

"I can get you into the Akatsuki. You can keep your disguise if you like, I won't tell." The medic nin's lips curled humorously.

"That wasn't my question."

"I'm willing to do this for free, for you."

"Don't lie to me."

Kabuto sighed. He pushed his glasses up until the lens shone. "I want to thank you. Without Orochimaru present, the base is effectively mine. Without you here, there's no one else to contend for my authority."

Sasuke growled. "You want to do your stupid science experiments unregulated-"

"I want to search for Truth," Kabuto hissed and the blade at his neck nicked him a little, beading a drop of red at the wound. The air blew through Sasuke's nostrils harshly. "You're looking for the same thing, aren't you?"

"I'm not you."

The coldness retreated from his skin, leaving a negative space that made Sasuke itch with discomfort. Kabuto scoffed with small amusement before he twirled the weapon back where it came, turned and started to walk away.

"You'll have to wait 15 minutes."

He could feel a little warm flow in his fingertips and he could already twitch his digits slightly. When Sasuke refused to reply, Kabuto snorted and shook his head.

"Itachi Uchiha will be East."

They reside in a large cave. You'll first talk to Konan, the small note said in neat, perfect cursive despite the implication. He felt he should know just who this was but he didn't, Orochimaru however might have been familiar with the name. It was the first step in his journey and a decent excuse to be freed of the base, sword at his side with the advantage of his presence believed to be erased off the Earth.

The first rays of sunlight shined warm and soft on his skin, until it felt wrong, troubled him in the back of his mind like something he shouldn't be feeling. The forest air around him was clean while the winds tufted his hair, billowing loudly through his shirt. It felt good, when it should've destroyed him like everyone else. He had his body still, whole and of his own, free walking under the sun.

Sasuke could only hope he found out what he was looking for, in time before he lost himself.