"Orochimaru, do you have a dream?"
A sudden question echoed in the desolate dungeon. But the man in the cage remained unresponsive.
"Tsk, tsk... is he dead?" A dramatic and teasing tone, laced with a hint of mockery. Still, no response.
In his perception, there was indeed a chakra signature inside. Orochimaru must still be alive. Naruto took a step forward, his gaze penetrating the gaps in the bars.
The person inside hung limply, their head bowed. Blood and cold sweat soaked their hair, which fell in strands over their forehead, obscuring their face. Their lean and bloodied torso was almost bare. Eight sharp, gleaming iron hooks were inserted directly into his body, the most prominent of which were the two that pierced through his shoulder blades. Naruto's gaze followed the hooks, which were connected to chains. The other ends of the chains were fastened to the surrounding walls. The eight chains were pulled taut, suspending the man like meat in a butcher's stall. Orochimaru's body was a mess, covered in wounds and scabs. A closer look revealed traces of sealing jutsu on him. After a moment of sensing, Naruto found that many of his pressure points bore the marks of the Gentle Fist.
'Tsk, tsk... what a sorry state!' Naruto felt a pang of regret. He remembered how full of vigor Orochimaru was in the Forest of Death, toying with Sasuke like a cat with a mouse. He had looked at Naruto as if he were nothing more than a stray dog or chicken, with utter disdain. How arrogant was that? And now? It was his own fault! If he didn't have some intelligence value and connections, Naruto thought, this guy would have been fed to the dogs long ago.
"Hey, are you still alive?"
"Cough, cough..."
Finally, after coughing up a pool of deep-red blood mixed with some solid matter, Orochimaru slowly raised his head. His cold, snake-like eyes saw nothing but darkness, but he could sense that the person in front of him was not from the Hidden Leaf.
"You are..." His hoarse and weak voice began to speak but then stopped abruptly. His newly-raised head, unable to bear the weight, drooped again.
"It's good that you're not dead!" Naruto, disguised as Obito Uchiha, spoke in a playful tone. Seeing Orochimaru looking as if he would die the next second, Naruto's eyes remained indifferent, even a little disdainful.
This is Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, alongside Jiraiya and Tsunade? How weak!
In Danzo's memories, there were many records about this person. Research? Not as good as his own clones! Strength? Even worse!
The only value Orochimaru had in Naruto's eyes was simple: staying alive! As long as he was alive and that one jutsu existed, this person had an indelible use—taking the blame! Who else was a better scapegoat now that the entire shinobi world knew that Orochimaru knew the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu? In the future, everything related to the Impure World Reincarnation could be directly blamed on him. Other than that, he was completely worthless!
"Cough, cough..."
After coughing up another mouthful of blood, Orochimaru seemed to have gained some strength.
"Who are you?" He squinted and raised his head again. The outside of the cage was pitch-black, but in the dim light, there seemed to be a figure's silhouette.
The figure took a step forward and came into the light. Dressed in a black cloak and wearing a tiger-skin mask, a crimson Three-Tomo Sharingan was visible beneath the mask. This attire shocked Orochimaru.
"You are... Obito Uchiha?"
"That's right, it's me." The Three-Tomo Sharingan slowly spun, then merged into a strange pattern. The figure in the black cloak became ethereal, like a ghost, and passed straight through the iron bars into the prison cell.
This... Mangekyo? Orochimaru's eyes twitched. Yes, this was the real Obito Uchiha. The torment of the past few days had left him in a bad state and lacking energy, but he still forced himself to stay alert. Orochimaru's mind, which had become sluggish from pain and exhaustion, began to recall information about Obito.
Obito Uchiha... Orochimaru was somewhat familiar with this person. He was the disciple of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage's rival. He was later said to have died in a battle. The next time Orochimaru heard about Obito was in the Shinobi World Daily. At the time, when he saw the introduction to the Mangekyo Sharingan in the newspaper, Orochimaru was filled with desire. Unfortunately, he had no chance to meet him.
Until one day, the Hidden Sand Village spent a huge amount of money to invite him to join the "Konoha Crush" plan to counter the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Orochimaru knew his chance had come. He didn't know much about the Mangekyo Sharingan, but with Itachi Uchiha as a precedent, Orochimaru was fully prepared this time. Moreover, the newspaper had revealed everything about that pair of eyes. Orochimaru felt victory was within his grasp!
But! The result was an instant kill! Just one genjutsu, and he was instantly defeated! He didn't even have a chance to resist! Too strong! Orochimaru was absolutely convinced that Obito Uchiha was countless times stronger than Itachi Uchiha! If Obito hadn't wanted to take revenge on the Hidden Leaf and still found him useful, he would have died on the spot. But Orochimaru remembered that teasing look in his eyes. It was as if he was not looking at him but at some interesting toy.
Heh! Although he was unwilling, at this moment, upon seeing that eye again, Orochimaru instinctively avoided it.
"Answer my previous question," Naruto, no, Obito Uchiha, recalled the memories synced from Naruto and curled his lips into a playful smile. "Orochimaru, what is your dream?"
"A dream?" Under the effect of adrenaline, Orochimaru's mind cleared up a lot. He realized this might be an opportunity. A chance to escape this prison, to escape the Hidden Leaf!
"My dream is to escape this place and to live." With that, he flashed a standard Orochimaru-esque smile. His voice was hoarse and dry, but his gaze was sincere and respectful. "Obito-kun, can you help me achieve this dream?"
"That's pretty straightforward." Thinking about everything Orochimaru had done over the years in Danzo's memories, Naruto had expected this guy to talk about eternal life or something similar.
"However, I can promise you that." A gleam of light shot out of Orochimaru's eyes. "But," Naruto paused, then stated his condition, "on one condition: you must be of use to me and join my plan!"
Just as I thought! Orochimaru secretly nodded. As he had expected, this Obito Uchiha had a request for him. Otherwise, why would this person appear here? Having a request meant there was a chance to get out. With his goal in sight, Orochimaru's mind sped up. He was thinking about what he had that Obito Uchiha could possibly want. Strength? He was instantly defeated! Information? If necessary, he would have been completely squeezed dry when he was under the genjutsu.
It seemed there was only one answer—the Impure World Reincarnation!
At this thought, Orochimaru forced a smile, which triggered his old wounds, but the pain was far less than the joy in his heart. Subconsciously, his long tongue began to involuntarily lick the area around his lips. Orochimaru knew that since he had a bargaining chip, even though he was trapped here and in a sorrier state than a dog, the situation had been reversed.
"Oh?" Calmness and reason returned to his face, and Orochimaru's thoughts became incredibly clear. His hoarse voice continued, "A plan? What plan?"
"The Eye of the Moon Plan!"
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