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"It was nothing. Where is Orochimaru-san?"
Menma raised an eyebrow and waved his hand dismissively.
This sortie was originally just a mutually beneficial arrangement with Orochimaru. However, managing to seize Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan from Kakashi was a windfall that far exceeded expectations. In truth, this was one of Obito's personal mistakes. In other words, our dear Obito still harbored illusions and attachments toward Kakashi that he shouldn't have.
Otherwise, he should have reclaimed that eye long ago. Forget about issues of exposing his identity—couldn't he find other ways to conceal it?!
After all, there had been a gap of over a dozen years.
And for the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, a pair must be gathered to perfectly unleash the clan's highest secret techniques.
Not to mention Obito's Kamui—losing one eye made him vulnerable to fatal blows.
Since Obito himself was soft-hearted...
Menma would unceremoniously accept the gift with a smile.
Thinking of the Mangekyō Sharingan in his pocket, Menma's heart was filled with delight.
"Heh, Lord Orochimaru is waiting inside. Sasuke-kun, please come with me. Menma-kun, you can go back and rest first," Kabuto pushed up his glasses and said with a light smile.
"No need to rest. I happen to want to see Orochimaru-san as well."
Menma waved his hand and, amidst the slight change in Kabuto's expression, spoke airily.
Although Menma had said before that he wouldn't take too many risks for Sasuke, within a limited scope, he was still willing to help Sasuke out. Agreeing to Orochimaru's request to receive Sasuke was one such instance.
This was a natural ally for his future confrontation against the Hidden Leaf, against the Akatsuki, and against any other potential enemies that might appear.
And an ally whose combat power was practically at the ceiling.
Moreover, judging from Sasuke's thoughts and judgments at the end of the original story, he was definitely someone who could be won over to his side.
Therefore, Menma naturally didn't want any unexpected situations to arise with Sasuke.
Menma, of course, didn't know that Orochimaru had already completed his reincarnation. He still thought that his arrival might have altered the plot where Sasuke gets about three years of growth time, as in the original story.
If Orochimaru were to use Sasuke's body as a vessel immediately... if that really happened, Menma felt he would be suffering a huge loss.
"Menma-kun, that would be a bit..."
Kabuto's expression turned serious, his tone carrying a hint of warning. But before he could finish his sentence...
Meeting Menma's utterly indifferent gaze...
His body shuddered involuntarily.
All his words turned to nothing in that instant.
"Let's go, Sasuke."
Menma turned his gaze away and stepped forward casually.
"Hn."
Sasuke paid absolutely no attention to Kabuto at the side, following closely behind Menma as they headed deeper inside.
Only Kabuto was left standing in place, his expression fluctuating.
Finally, he could only take a deep breath, then stepped forward to follow them.
Inside the spacious underground stone chamber.
The atmosphere was still familiarly dim and chilling.
On the main seat...
Sat a man wrapped entirely in bandages.
When Menma led Sasuke inside and sensed the different aura transmitted within that familiar chakra fluctuation, his eyebrows raised slightly.
'Could it be?'
A thought surfaced in his mind.
The next second.
seeing Orochimaru's "unfamiliar" appearance...
It was verified.
"Orochimaru-san really exceeded my expectations. To think you could temporarily shake off the influence of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal in such a manner."
As their eyes met...
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Menma's mouth. Making no attempt to hide his gaze, he stared straight at Orochimaru's hands and spoke meaningfully.
"Menma-kun truly lives up to perfectly inheriting the Uzumaki bloodline. To see through it so easily... I estimate even Lady Mito back then was no more than this," Orochimaru said, his pupils contracting slightly, though on the surface he remained calm and composed, speaking in his familiar raspy tone.
Every time he saw Menma...
This boy would repeatedly refresh his understanding of him.
Before, it might have been a joke.
Now, Orochimaru really had a sliver of doubt about whether Menma was really Menma. Because no matter how precocious or excellent he was, it was truly hard to explain Menma's various performances.
He was only twelve years old!
"That was an existence who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the First Hokage. I still have a long way to go to reach Lady Mito's level. Orochimaru-san need not be too surprised. Our clan is merely a bit stronger in vitality and sensory abilities. As I said before, the condition of Orochimaru-san's hands, in the eyes of our clan, is as bright as a lamp in the dark night. Now that a change has occurred, it is naturally easy to notice."
Menma smiled lightly, casually sitting down on a stone stool to the left, and spoke indifferently.
Upon realizing that Orochimaru had already switched bodies...
The worry in Menma's heart vanished completely.
Originally, he had been calculating that if Orochimaru had really held out until Sasuke's arrival and intended to use Sasuke's body for reincarnation...
He would have had to take necessary measures to stop it.
Using violence against violence would not only disrupt his plans but might not even be realistic.
He would have had to offer more bargaining chips to exchange for a time commitment from Orochimaru.
Although it would likely mean exposing some necessary intelligence, for Menma, preserving Sasuke's value was worth a lot.
Now that this step could be skipped, Menma was naturally happy to be spared the trouble.
"Is that so?"
Orochimaru nodded noncommittally.
Clearly, he didn't quite believe Menma's words.
At this point, if Orochimaru still treated Menma as just a boy, he would be stupid to the extreme.
Being a bit cautious, a bit meticulous...
Was the most correct way to cooperate.
"Menma-kun truly worked hard this time. The subsequent supplies and materials will be sent to you at the appropriate time. If you have any other needs, Menma-kun, feel free to raise them and instruct Kabuto to handle them."
Orochimaru glanced at Kabuto standing on the other side, then spoke slowly.
"Mhm, then I'll thank Orochimaru-san in advance. However, I do indeed have a small request. I hope to obtain some of Orochimaru-san's research results regarding the Sharingan and Yin Release chakra. I wonder if Orochimaru-san can agree to this?"
Menma responded with a smile.