🤣Insert Some Funny Memes or GIF🤣
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Orochimaru's sudden move startled Itachi.
The slimy, cold touch on the back of his hand made him recoil instantly, yanking his hand away from Orochimaru's grip.
Especially those snake-like eyes—burning with lust and greed. Orochimaru's pupils dilated and contracted wildly as he licked the corner of his mouth with his tongue, trailing it through a glistening trail of mucus.
Itachi immediately wiped his hand in the sand, thoroughly disgusted.
He was speechless, and a storm of emotion churned in his chest.
Snakes were disgusting. Orochimaru was disgusting!
But then he remembered—this was a mission assigned by Uchiha Hikaru. He needed to endure. As long as he brought Orochimaru back to the village, everything else would be Hikaru's problem.
He would finally be free!
And with the reward, he could buy a mountain of learning materials for his innocent, sweet, and perfect little brother Sasuke!
That thought reinvigorated him. He took a deep breath and forced down his nausea.
"Orochimaru, is there anything else you want to pack?"
"Time is short. Tsunade will be returning to the village to take over as the Fifth Hokage."
"Wrap things up and come with me."
Orochimaru immediately turned and led Itachi down a hidden passage toward his underground base.
On the way, Orochimaru voiced the question lingering in his heart.
"Itachi-kun, Tsunade returning to become Hokage—was that really the idea of this 'Uchiha Hikaru' you mentioned?"
Itachi didn't say a word. He just nodded silently, confirming everything.
Orochimaru couldn't help but start speculating about this Uchiha Hikaru—someone he'd never even met.
As for Tsunade... he knew her very well. After all, they'd been teammates for decades. To a man like Orochimaru, who prided himself on understanding human nature, few were harder to fool than himself.
He always observed the people around him carefully, exploiting their weaknesses to serve his own ends.
Just like one of his earlier failed experiments—he'd preyed on that subject's desire for power and need for shortcuts.
Unfortunately, the subject's willpower had been weaker than expected. The deal fell through, and Orochimaru lost a vial of rare serum—millions of ryo down the drain again.
Tsunade, despite her tough demeanor, was sensitive and fragile. Her obsession with bonds, her care for the village—it all led to her hemophobia.
Orochimaru had once attempted to treat her, but quickly realized it was purely psychological. There were no physical symptoms, and he was at a loss.
If Tsunade was truly returning to the village to take the Hokage seat, then she must have overcome that phobia.
But who exactly was this Uchiha Hikaru, someone even Itachi respected?
If he had truly found a way to heal Tsunade—something even Orochimaru couldn't do—then perhaps immortality wasn't as far-fetched as he'd thought.
Orochimaru was still lost in thought, speculating about Uchiha Hikaru's methods.
In reality, Uchiha Hikaru had been worried about Tsunade's phobia too—until that night, when a crimson stain had appeared on the bedsheets.
Blood.
Yet Tsunade hadn't fainted.
Neither of them realized that her hemophobia had already been cured—thanks to Uchiha Hikaru's unique method: intensive, passionate therapy.
He'd simply filled her heart with love again—enough to bury the trauma of the past.
This was Uchiha Hikaru's "love therapy."
…Probably.
Their steps came to a halt at the door of a nearby room. Inside, they could hear the surprised shouts of a young man and the sound of bodies slamming against walls.
Orochimaru opened the door slowly—and there was Kimimaro.
The boy was already drenched in sweat. It streamed down his toned upper body, soaking the purple rope belt tied around his waist.
Hearing the door creak open, Kimimaro looked up and smiled—a rare, radiant expression like a flower blooming in spring, innocent and untouched.
He ran up to Orochimaru immediately.
"Lord Orochimaru! As expected of you! Did you defeat the enemy?!"
Orochimaru ignored Itachi's expression—one of deep revulsion—and gently stroked Kimimaro's cheeks and hair.
"Kimimaro, he's not an enemy. He's an ally. He's going to take us to a new home."
"An ally…?"
Only then did Kimimaro notice the man standing behind Orochimaru.
Taller, with straight black hair, sharp features, and deep tear troughs beneath his eyes.
From the moment he laid eyes on him, Kimimaro disliked him instinctively. There was something about this stranger that annoyed him to his core.
Itachi, meanwhile, stared at the shirtless child with growing suspicion and disgust.
He didn't look older than eight.
Damn Orochimaru! He's even targeting kids now?! Trying to steal this boy's body? This poor child…
Once we return to the village, I must rescue him from this hell.
In that moment, both Kimimaro and Itachi had very different internal monologues—one thinking the other was pitiful, the other thinking he was annoying.
Only Orochimaru looked between the two with a sly smile.
He wanted their bodies.
But more than anything, he now craved true immortality.
He was ready to leave this place and return to the village with Itachi immediately.
Unfortunately, he still needed to bring back some of his medical equipment—this base had cost over 100 million ryo to build.
Much of the equipment and materials inside were irreplaceable.
Using even one more unit was a loss.
Orochimaru formed hand signs and performed the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Dozens of clones immediately scattered down the different corridors, retrieving supplies.
Meanwhile, outside the base—across the desert—two figures in black cloaks with red clouds appeared at the top of a sand dune.
"Sasori… is this the place?"
The voice was that of a woman—calm, commanding, but laced with an alluring undertone.
"Yes," replied Sasori. "My spy inside Orochimaru's ranks confirmed it. This is his final stronghold."
He stepped in front of Konan, pointing down into the desert below.
When they reached the top, the scene surprised even them.
The desert was littered with snake corpses, and the air reeked of blood.
Sasori's expression didn't change.
"Seems someone else beat us here. But Orochimaru is still alive—he's likely hiding underground."
...
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