"It's too late." Orochimaru stared at the red energy dot representing Itachi on the screen.
"Conventional methods are ineffective. Deploy all remaining mobile units to the corridor outside the containment room; stall him at any cost."
"Yes." Kabuto operated immediately.
Complex summoning jutsu arrays began to emerge in the corners of the laboratory.
Karin rushed into the main control room.
"Lord Orochimaru!! That intruder has already reached the bottom!"
"Calm down, Karin."
Orochimaru spoke; he had already sent the intel to Hinata, but he didn't know if she had received it.
"Prepare to evacuate, if that person doesn't show up." Orochimaru's voice dropped.
Karin barely steadied herself and began to assist them.
The atmosphere in the main control room was heavy. Instruments hummed, screen lights flickered, reflecting Orochimaru's pale face and the reflection in Kabuto's glasses as time ticked away.
Just as they were preparing to leave, Hinata's figure appeared in the center, greeting her eyes with the sight of several people ready for battle.
"Yo, looks like you're preparing to move."
Seeing Hinata arrive and even crack a humorous joke, Karin breathed a sigh of relief, and Orochimaru also smiled.
"Heh heh, if you had come any later, the precious samples might have been snatched away by him."
Orochimaru's gaze then fell on Hinata's wrist, looking at Little White coiled there; his eyebrows twitched. How did what hatched out end up looking like this? It didn't look like a lethal venomous snake at all.
"It seems your mysterious energy has changed its form. Truly miraculous. It looks like my understanding is still far from enough..."
Orochimaru remembered that the genes he used to create it were all from fierce, highly toxic snake species; now, how did it look so... all cute and lovely.
"...Um, Lord Orochimaru, Lady Hinata, can we stop chatting for a moment... His flames seem to have burned a large hole in the door... He's coming in..."
Karin spoke up weakly.
Hinata glanced over there, sensed Itachi's specific location, and her figure vanished again, appearing behind Itachi.
Hinata stood behind him; Itachi did not turn around, his voice calm.
"Hyuga Hinata."
Hinata stood ten meters away from him, gazing at his back, clearly seeing the Chakra flow within his body and the special ocular power fluctuations emitted by those Mangekyo Sharingan.
"What is your goal? Why have you come here?"
Itachi still had his back to her, his gaze looking inside through the hole in the door.
"In a sense, my goal is the same as yours."
Hinata's answer was concise.
"Shisui's eyes, you cannot take them away."
"Oh? The reason?" Itachi turned around, facing her directly.
The Mangekyo patterns slowly rotated in his eyes.
"They don't belong to you, and they don't belong to Orochimaru." Hinata looked straight into his eyes; now that she had the Pure Eye, there was no need to fear genjutsu.
A brief silence followed, with only the faint sizzling sound of the black flames burning.
"How much do you know?" Itachi asked, his voice still steady, but there seemed to be a minute ripple deep in his eyes.
"Enough." Hinata didn't answer specifically. "Uchiha Sasuke is also here. Have you seen him?"
Itachi's gaze froze. "That is not something you should be concerned about."
Hinata took a step forward, her spiritual energy rising.
"Stop, Itachi. Some paths aren't necessarily the only one you see. Perhaps you should talk to Sasuke."
Itachi went silent; after a few seconds, he slowly shook his head.
"Too naive. Some things, once started, cannot be turned back."
"Then let it end." Hinata's tone was decisive.
The atmosphere tightened abruptly, the air between them seemingly freezing.
Just then, a faint, crisp sound of breaking glassware and the sound of flowing liquid came from the containment room.
Itachi and Hinata looked toward the door hole at the same time.
Hinata scanned the room and saw a figure—it was Sasuke; he had taken Shisui's eyes.
He stepped out from the darkness.
Black short hair, deep blue top, kusanagi sword at his waist, and in his eyes, the crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan were slowly rotating, finally settling into a complex pattern—the Mangekyo Sharingan.
His right hand held a specially made sealed container, inside which a floating eyeball could be seen.
He glanced at Itachi, his gaze a complex mix of hatred, pain, and struggle, then looked at Hinata.
"Sasuke." Itachi's voice was devoid of emotion.
"Uchiha Itachi." Sasuke gritted his teeth, his Mangekyo staring fixedly at the other.
"Shisui's eyes, I'll be taking them."
Itachi frowned.
"Hand them over, Sasuke. Don't force me to act."
"Try me!" Sasuke shouted, the patterns in his Mangekyo eyes brightening.
Just as the two were in a standoff, Hinata raised her hand and gave a sharp pull; Sasuke only felt a massive force strike him. He couldn't hold onto the object at all as it flew out of his hand, then landed steadily in Hinata's hand.
Both Sasuke and Itachi were stunned at the same time.
"You guys keep fighting; I'll hold onto the eyes for now, alright."
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