Uchiha Sasuke once again arrived at Orochimaru's bedroom.
Inside the room, as usual, Yakushi Kabuto was taking care of the bedridden Orochimaru.
When Sasuke arrived, Yakushi Kabuto didn't even lift his head.
"Sasuke, you haven't come to see me in a while!" Orochimaru's hoarse voice held a hint of a chuckle.
"I've come to ask you for a favor," Sasuke said.
"Uchiha Sasuke, don't push your luck!" Yakushi Kabuto suddenly looked up.
The last time he organized information for Uchiha Sasuke, he was exhausted from working day and night.
Hearing that Sasuke was asking Orochimaru for another favor, Yakushi Kabuto couldn't hold back.
"Kabuto, let Sasuke finish," Orochimaru coughed a few times and shook his head at Yakushi Kabuto.
Yakushi Kabuto: "..."
"Your health isn't very good, Orochimaru."
Looking at Orochimaru's face, which was even paler than last time, Uchiha Sasuke said indifferently.
"That's... compared to you, this body really isn't that great," Orochimaru made no secret of his desire for Sasuke's body.
"Is it interesting to live in such a precarious state?"
"Even if you get me, how long can you last?"
Changing bodies every three years, this wasn't something Uchiha Sasuke made up; it was how Orochimaru's several reincarnations had gone.
"Heh heh, if the body matches, lasting ten or eight years isn't a problem, and by then, I'll probably have even better ways to compensate," Orochimaru said.
"Then you really are working hard." Sasuke was noncommittal about Orochimaru's explanation.
"Sasuke, you've really changed a lot these past few days. If I'm not mistaken, you've already awakened those eyes, haven't you?"
The information revealed in Orochimaru's unhurried words made Yakushi Kabuto's expression suddenly change.
Mangekyo Sharingan.
These words instantly appeared in Yakushi Kabuto's mind.
"If I say yes, what do you plan to do?"
Uchiha Sasuke's dark eyes transformed into crimson Three Tomoe Sharingan.
"What's there to do, cough cough..." Orochimaru said, "Compared to the Mangekyo Sharingan, I'm more curious about what exactly made you so much more composed."
"And..."
Orochimaru paused here, "What are your thoughts after reading the information Yakushi Kabuto collected?"
"I'm referring to... the Uchiha Clan Massacre."
Boom—
As soon as Orochimaru's words fell, terrifying chakra permeated the air.
Uchiha Sasuke's Three Tomoe Sharingan rapidly rotated, transforming into the six-pointed star shape of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Ma... Mangekyo Sharingan." Yakushi Kabuto was greatly alarmed. Even though Lord Orochimaru had explicitly stated it, Yakushi Kabuto still couldn't quite believe that Sasuke could awaken those eyes now.
"Hoo—" Uchiha Sasuke exhaled a turbid breath. The chakra surrounding the entire room slowly receded, leaving only the Mangekyo Sharingan in his eyes.
"Cough cough..." Orochimaru coughed several more times, seemingly due to the chakra Sasuke had just released.
"Lord Orochimaru!" Yakushi Kabuto quickly moved to give Orochimaru medicine.
"I'm fine, Kabuto." After coughing, Orochimaru showed a slight smile, "You actually didn't attack me, that's rare. So effortless, your eyes must have been awakened for some time."
Orochimaru's research into the Sharingan surpassed anyone else's.
Orochimaru also had some vague conjectures about the special requirements for the Mangekyo Sharingan transformation.
Upon seeing Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan, Orochimaru was completely certain.
In fact, Orochimaru had already realized that the ultimate evolution of the Sharingan was Pain's Rinnegan.
"Orochimaru, why did you attack the Third Hokage? Was it for Konoha, or because he was your teacher?" Uchiha Sasuke's purpose in coming here was to confirm Orochimaru's intentions, and then formulate a plan.
In the predetermined future he had seen, Orochimaru had said that his purpose in killing the Third Hokage seemed to be to make the 'windmill turn.' What this 'turn' meant was open to interpretation.
"So that's it. You, who know the truth, ultimately stand on the opposing side," Orochimaru chuckled hoarsely, "Sasuke, I have no opinion on Konoha. Are you satisfied with this answer?"
The Mangekyo Sharingan rotated rapidly, and instantly, Orochimaru perceived the surrounding scenery changing.
"Genjutsu?"
However, Orochimaru was neither anxious nor angry.
With the Mangekyo Sharingan, Sasuke now indeed had a chance of winning, but it was also completely impossible for Sasuke to kill him.
He had left dozens of contingencies throughout the Ninja World, and there were plenty of ways to revive.
It was a pity that if Sasuke killed him, Yakushi Kabuto would likely also perish.
Such an excellent and diligent subordinate dying so easily would be a great loss.
However, there was no painful torment.
Uchiha Sasuke across from him merely watched him silently.
"Sasuke, what are you planning to do?" Orochimaru said leisurely.
"I know I can't kill you. My purpose in coming to you is to hope that you will join me."
"Oh?" Orochimaru neither agreed nor refused, "So, what is it that you want to do?"
"Orochimaru, since you're curious, then watch carefully. Everything you want to know, or everything I want you to know."
The Mangekyo Sharingan rotated again, and the blood-red moon scene where Sasuke and Orochimaru were located began to change...
Outside,
Seeing Orochimaru fall into a Genjutsu, Yakushi Kabuto was greatly surprised.
"Lord Orochimaru!" A ferocious expression appeared on Yakushi Kabuto's face.
Damn you, Uchiha Sasuke! You just said you wouldn't lay a hand on Lord Orochimaru, where's your face?
Yakushi Kabuto grabbed the medical senbon from the table, condensed a chakra blade in his hand, and prepared to attack Uchiha Sasuke to protect his respected Orochimaru.
"Cough cough, cough cough cough, hahahaha~belch."
Orochimaru on the bed coughed up several mouthfuls of blood, a very sickly expression appearing on his face.
"Lord Orochimaru!"
Yakushi Kabuto put down the senbon and quickly picked up the wooden bucket from under the bed to catch Orochimaru's vomit.
"No need, Kabuto." Orochimaru, completely disregarding his appearance, wiped his mouth with his hand, "Sasuke, you've truly made an offer I can't refuse, and your opportunities are truly enviable!"
"Sage of Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, Uchiha Madara... and that mysterious Group Leader, heh heh."
Orochimaru raised his head, a look of madness appearing on his sickly face, "Sasuke, since you are Indra's reincarnation, then are you aware that you might be monitored by the Sage of Six Paths?"
"I know, the Group Leader has already blocked that monitoring," Uchiha Sasuke said, "So, Orochimaru, do you agree?"
"Sasuke, I can't refuse, can I? You've shown me a broader sky."
Orochimaru collected his thoughts, took a breath, and coughed up a few more mouthfuls of blood, saying,
"Within five years, I will help you achieve your goal, and I will try to find Uchiha Madara's corpse. Since he will help, leaving him in the Pure Land is a bit of a waste."
"However, the specific plan will have to wait until I retrieve my hands, how about it?" Orochimaru said.
"Alright." Sasuke nodded. Orochimaru had seen glimpses of the future, so it was normal for him to have his own ideas.
In Boruto, Orochimaru was the only one who wasn't nerfed and was even strengthened.