A/N: Some sort of excuse for a plot is finally revealed! Sasuke's afraid to visit the optometrist! But then finds out he doesn't have to! Medicine is tampered with, along with the laws of nature!
Find out all about it right now on today's optometrically incorrect chapter of Oro's Jail!
It wasn't his favorite thing to do. It didn't feel good to him, to have to play second after being number one for so long. He was playing second, he had admitted it to himself, playing second to a teenage boy who didn't care nearly as much as he did, who would only give himself up to if it meant gaining power, gaining revenge. But he would never do it just because he wanted to. He would never do it willingly, without seeking anything in return. He wouldn't.
I on the other hand…I would. He gripped the medicine bottle more tightly and paused just before opening the door at the end of the hallway. The bespectacled man pressed his ear to the door briefly. Nothing. Composing his frown into his trademark complacent smile, he opened the door.
He walked into the room. It was pitch black; the only light came from the slightly open door behind him, and even that light seemed to be swallowed up quickly, as if the room was nothing more than a black hole. It certainly felt that way.
"I have your medicine," said the gray haired young man as he lit the single candle on the nightstand. It threw a dim glowing circle of light towards the futon and the sheets on top of it.
"Mmmmm," mumbled the sheets. They made no effort to get up.
"You have to take this, Sasuke. Lord Orochimaru wants to speak with you. You can't be in this state when you meet with him," said the gray haired man worriedly.
"Hmph," muttered Sasuke inside of his cocoon. He sat up slowly. His glare appeared deadly in the limited light of the candle. "You're only saying that because it'll look bad for you if Orochimaru sees me ill. And you couldn't have the master be upset with you," said Sasuke. He paused. "That's quite selfish of you Kabuto."
Kabuto winced, yet continued smiling. "Me? Selfish? You must have me confused with someone else, Sasuke. Perhaps… yourself? I've never met anyone so intent on achieving their own purposes without regard to what their superiors may desire."
Sasuke stood up and walked to the chair where his clothes were laid out for him. With his back to Kabuto, he began dressing. Once he was finished, he turned around to face Kabuto.
"That's a lie," he told the older man simply.
"Oh really," said Kabuto, surprised.
"Yes, really," said Sasuke. "There is, perhaps, one other who did the same, and even on a greater scale."
"And who would that be, I wonder?"
Sasuke jerked his head in the direction of the room down the hall.
"Who else? Honestly Kabuto, I thought you were smarter than that. Isn't it obvious? Going against everything his home village believed in: abducting innocent people to experiment on them, joining a sinister secret organization, and even inside the secret organization he went against his leader's principles. Why else would Akatsuki kick the guy out? Surely this man sounds familiar to you," finished Sasuke coolly.
"Hmm," murmured Kabuto, extending the bottle of medicine to Sasuke. The Uchiha took it, and set it down on the nightstand.
"I won't be needing it. I'm feeling much better," said Sasuke quietly.
As if he didn't know the stuff Kabuto put in his medicine.
"You called for me," Sasuke said as he stood in the doorway.
From within the dark confines of the room, a voice hissed, "Yes. Come in."
Sasuke walked in, followed by the smiling Kabuto. This room too was lit by a single candle on the nightstand. Propped up on the futon sat Orochimaru, pale and sickly looking as ever. The minimal lighting made the shadows on his face especially dark and deep, hollowing out his cheeks and eyes in ways that gave him the appearance of death. The appearance, however, was misleading, as Orochimaru was the farthest anyone could ever be from death. The guy refused to die, after all.
There was no offering of chairs in Orochimaru's chamber. He continued sitting on his futon, smiling ever so slightly, watching Sasuke standing before him. The moments dragged.
"You seem much better Sasuke," he finally said. "I assume Kabuto's medicine worked well on you." He gave a small nod in the direction of Kabuto.
"Actually," said Sasuke, turning to look at Kabuto briefly before facing the lord, "I got better after I stopped taking the medicine. It must have been the wrong one I guess…"
Orochimaru turned to Kabuto questioningly. "Is this true Kabuto?"
Kabuto shifted uncomfortably. "Well… I suppose he did get better when he refused to take the medicine…" It wasn't a good idea to lie to Orochimaru.
"Hmm," said Orochimaru. "Well, either way, it appears you're better. And that's what's important here."
Sasuke glared at Orochimaru. Couldn't this guy see that Kabuto had intentionally been giving him the wrong medicine? Had he continued to take it, he probably would be dead. Surely this would warrant his death. But no… this was Kabuto they were talking about. Orochimaru's right hand man was the most protected in the world.
"What did you call me for, Orochimaru?" asked Sasuke with a sigh. Orochimaru had a habit of never getting to the point, and it had begun to wear on his nerves after some time.
Orochimaru chuckled slightly. "Oh, you're so eager Sasuke. I'll be getting to that." He continued sitting on his futon, smiling away at the two men before him. Sasuke crossed his arms impatiently and exhaled sharply.
"I should be training, you know," he said pointedly.
"Well then, I guess I should begin," said Orochimaru. He sat up straighter in his futon and began.
"I seek power, Sasuke," said Orochimaru. "I seek power, and a lot of it. As you very well know, my desire is to learn every jutsu there is. Knowing every jutsu there is would make me the most powerful ninja there is."
Sasuke said nothing. He continued to stand with is arms crossed, waiting for the lord to elaborate. Can't he just get to the point?
After what seemed like forever, Orochimaru finally spoke again. "An important part of jutsu is kekkai genkai. One particular kekkai genkai has caught my eye," said Orochimaru with a chuckle. "Caught my eye indeed…"
He left Sasuke to ponder this statement as he took a sip of tea from a cup that Kabuto had prepared in the long moments of silence.
"Eye kekkai genkai seem so interesting," said Orochimaru in his hissing voice.
Sasuke's eyes widened. He couldn't honestly mean he wanted his eyes. Not now. He hadn't gotten revenge yet, he thought he would have plenty of time. What a way of ruining his plans, he should have seen this coming.
"And as much as we love playing in the lab, it's impossible to create kekkai genkai artificially. We've tried it, you know," said Orochimaru, taking another sip of his tea.
Sasuke had tensed. His muscles had bunched themselves up as Orochimaru spoke, and it was almost painful the way his crossed arms were clenched so tightly. He uncrossed them now, trembling slightly from the effort and the idea that Orochimaru might be taking his eyes. Not now… not yet…
Orochimaru stared at Sasuke with overexcited eyes glinting brightly.
"There is one particular kekkai genkai that I remember from my days in Konoha," he said. He tilted his head slightly as if to remember better. Sasuke stiffened. Why was he dragging it out so long? If he would have to fight to keep his eyes, he was willing to do it but he hated waiting. He was practically done with Orochimaru anyway, why waste his time listening?
"It was the kekkai genkai from a thriving clan," said Orochimaru. Now he has to insult my nearly extinct clan…I'm going to kill him. He could already feel the Sharingan of said clan spinning dangerously and his chakra beginning to circulate much faster.
"I remember thinking how blank it looked," said Orochimaru dreamily, oblivious to the lethal spinning of his subordinate's red and black eyes. Red and black eyes that suddenly stopped spinning and melted back into ebony. Blank? The Sharingan isn't blank…
"Yes, they seemed so blank, those all seeing eyes, almost like the eyes of a blind man. No pupils, no color, no nothing, yet I remember how well the Hyuuga clan wielded those eyes." Orochimaru finished his internal flashback.
"Something wrong, Sasuke?" asked Orochimaru, having noticed Sasuke staring at him murderously. Now I have no reason to kill him…
"No, I'm fine," said Sasuke, running his hand through his bangs.
"Good. I was afraid you had fallen sick again. In which case you would be of no use to me… not at all helpful to the mission I have prepared for you," said Orochimaru, smiling crookedly. For several minutes, he continued sitting in this way, seeming to enjoy the irritation he was causing Sasuke. It was clearly displayed on his face, in the crease between his brows, and the set of his mouth. After some time of silence in which Orochimaru continued to look amused and Sasuke got more and more irritated by the second, the able ninja turned and walked towards the door.
"If that's all you're going to say, then I'm off to train," growled Sasuke. He hated when the old snake dragged things along this way.
Behind him, a hiss of, "Sasuke. Wait." Sasuke smirked. Such a wonderful way to set things in motion. Threatening to leave. It had definitely set the Leaf Village ablaze.
Sasuke turned around, saying, "Make it quick. I've got training to do."
Orochimaru shook his head. "There's no time. I want this mission completed as soon as possible."
He waited till Sasuke had walked back into the circle of light where he was visible.
"I want the Hyuuga eyes. My eyes are nothing special. I want to make them special. This is where you come in. I'm sending you to Konoha to fetch my new eyes." He finished happily.
Sasuke leaned forward, forcing Orochimaru to lean back, hitting the back of his head against the stone wall. "Isn't this a job usually reserved for your lesser pawns? Why exactly are you sending me?" he asked with narrowed eyes.
"You know your way around Konoha. This should make it easier for you to get in and out quickly. You are familiar with the eyes I speak of. And I can't just send anyone to obtain something as special as my eyes." He paused. "Besides. None of my minions could stand up to a Hyuuga… alone."
"Alone?"
"Yes, alone. You're going alone. Less inconspicuous, you understand," said Orochimaru with a shrug of his bony shoulders.
"You seem to have forgotten something of importance," said Sasuke calmly.
"And what would that be?"
"I betrayed that village. They sent people after me, as if I was something special. I was the sole survivor the Uchiha clan, the only kid in town with spinning red eyes. You think they won't notice when I just go waltzing right in like I own the place? They know me, Oro. You would think a brilliant mastermind such as yourself would have figured this out," said Sasuke acidly.
"Don't doubt me Sasuke," said Orochimaru coldly. "I know all that. I'm the one who helped you betray the village, don't you remember? And I wouldn't send you in if I didn't know you were the right person for the job. What kind of brilliant mastermind do you think I am?" The crooked smile was in place once more.
"Besides, it's not like you're afraid of going alone, are you?" said a voice from the shadows. Kabuto brought himself into the candlelight again.
Sasuke glared daggers at him. How he longed to kill the guy…
"You'll be going after a member of the Hyuuga clan. But not just any member. A member from the main family, their kekkai genkai is said to be the strongest, stronger than the branch family."
Sasuke disagreed. "The kekkai genkai runs strongest in Hyuuga Neji. I believe he's from the branch family," he said, surprised that he even knew this information. Konoha facts had rubbed off on him in his years there.
Orochimaru shook his head, saying, "I'm not taking any chances with my eyes. I want main family eyes, Sasuke. I'll know if you bring me anything less."
"Fine." It's not like they were his own eyes, after all.
"Bring them back safely."
"I will."
With those as his parting words, the Sasuke was on his way to the Leaf.