Inside a certain cave, the glow of green nutrient solution reflected off the rock walls like a giant aquarium backdrop.
Orochimaru stood with his back to the entrance; this was his temporary foothold, as relocating would take time.
At this moment, he was frowning at some data, where complex information twisted into a tangled mess.
"Tsk, the visual nerve signals of the Uchiha Family are truly... an artistically chaotic mess," he muttered to himself.
"I thought you would say they possess a mysterious beauty," Hinata's voice came from behind.
She stood on a dry stone platform, and Little White on her wrist quietly poked its head out.
Orochimaru didn't turn around; he just extended a pale hand and waved it backward as a greeting.
"Beauty? When you've analyzed them for seventy-two consecutive hours trying to find a pattern, only to discover they have no intention of following any rules, it's hard to use that word. Oh, right, was the item retrieved?"
Hinata took the item from her sleeve and tossed it to him once again.
"Taking it from my hands would be quite difficult. If you lose it again, I won't help you get it back; I'm not responsible for after-sales service."
"Haha, I'll be careful," Orochimaru said as he took the item and mentioned Sasuke.
"Sasuke-kun's mental state has been very active lately, and his thinking seems to have shifted a lot. You should have noticed as well."
Hinata walked to the other side, looking at an unknown biological tissue slowly expanding and contracting in a nutrient tank.
"Mm, pretty much. It's an upgraded version of adolescent rebellion, supplemented by a Family blood feud and power-inflation catalysts. It's hard to correct."
Hinata offered an objective analysis.
"Hmph, if you want to correct him, it basically comes down to the usual: education through love, the call of friends, and being moved by justice." Orochimaru spread his hands.
"But based on observations, the effectiveness of the above methods for this patient is roughly negative—especially the education through love, thanks to his dear older brother."
Hinata nodded. With the current Sasuke, if you dared mention love to him, he would bare his teeth at you.
"You don't sound worried at all. I thought you treated him as a Disciple."
"Why should I be worried?" Orochimaru tilted his head and smiled.
"An individual with great power, firm conviction, and the intention to impact the world—how wonderful. It's like a standard solution in a lab that was supposed to react step-by-step, but suddenly starts bubbling, changing color, and trying to dissolve the test tube. It's a bit dangerous, but isn't it fascinating?"
"Even if he might blow up the laboratory?"
"Then he would actually need to have that kind of ability." Orochimaru shrugged.
He certainly does, though he'd need to awaken the Rinnegan first. But if Sasuke awakens the Rinnegan, Naruto will gain similar power, perhaps even becoming stronger than Sasuke. In the end, those two will just have to fight again, lose their arms, and make up.
Oh dear, you two really are a pair of ill-fated lovers.
"Heh, besides, isn't there still you? Speaking of which, how do you plan to handle that thing?" Orochimaru pointed at the eye.
"You do your research, we'll talk about it when the time comes. Just don't let this thing be taken away and then fall victim to it yourself. As for Sasuke... he wants a revolution, but I don't know if he has a concrete plan."
Orochimaru laughed out loud.
"A plan? He has no idea how to do it. He just wants to fulfill his own ambitions, or rather... revenge. Konoha persecuted the Uchiha Clan and damaged their reputation, so he wants to destroy Konoha in reverse to restore Uchiha's honor and vindicate them. He probably hasn't even thought about what to do afterward, how to govern the Village, and so on. It's practically like a child throwing a tantrum."
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