Kabuto's sharp eyes narrowed the instant he noticed the subtle shift in Naruto's gaze.
That was no ordinary eye. The tomoe swirling in the boy's left eye betrayed it unmistakably.
"The Sharingan?" Kabuto's voice was low, uncertain, even as his spectacles flashed with unease.
"Your left eye… it wasn't like this before. Why such a change in so short a time?"
Naruto didn't flinch. He allowed the crimson iris to linger on Kabuto deliberately, almost daring him to press further. The reincarnated soul within Naruto had already calculated that there was no need for deception here. Kabuto was clever — but cleverness alone was easy to manipulate.
Naruto's tone was steady, almost casual.
"Orochimaru's death must have left you restless, Kabuto. Confused, even. You're scrambling for purpose."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses. His tone carried a faint laugh, but the edges were sharp.
"You didn't come here just to mock me, did you? Showing me a Sharingan of all things… aren't you afraid of the consequences? If word spread, your position in Konoha would change overnight."
A smirk tugged at Naruto's lips.
"Then test me. Leak what you've seen — if you're not afraid of dying here and now."
That silenced Kabuto. He wasn't so foolish as to gamble with his life against someone whose abilities he didn't fully understand. His expression softened into false cordiality.
"I see… so, this isn't just a casual visit. Naruto-kun, what brings you here?"
Naruto walked closer, mask sliding back over his face. His voice dropped into a low, controlled register.
"No need to waste words. I'll keep it simple — I can give you the means to resurrect Orochimaru."
Kabuto froze. His first instinct was disbelief, but he quickly suppressed it. The boy wouldn't risk making such a claim unless he had leverage. He forced his voice to be calm.
"Resurrection…? Very well. Tell me your price."
Naruto lifted a finger and wagged it slightly.
"It isn't you who can pay. Orochimaru himself must."
Kabuto clenched his jaw. He could neither accept nor deny. Finally, he asked cautiously,
"What must I do?"
"The key lies in Orochimaru's Cursed Seal of Heaven. You still have his research, don't you?" Naruto's words were deliberate, bait dangling for Kabuto to bite.
The medic's eyes gleamed. He pieced together the trail quickly — as expected.
"The Heaven Seal… of course! Thank you for the reminder, Naruto-kun."
But his brow furrowed again.
"Most of Orochimaru-sama's cursed seals were the Earth variant. The Heaven Seal… only Sasuke bears one. And perhaps Anko, his former apprentice. But extracting it is no easy task. You don't intend to…" His eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "…to target Anko inside Konoha, do you?"
Naruto's masked face betrayed nothing. Only a thin smile.
"You'll see soon enough."
And with that, his form vanished, space folding in an instant with the Flying Thunder God. Kabuto's breath caught — time–space ninjutsu, swift and seamless. Truly, this boy was becoming an existence impossible to underestimate.
Moments later, reality twisted again — and Naruto reappeared, dropping a struggling kunoichi at Kabuto's feet.
"Ah—damn it!" Anko Mitarashi groaned, clutching her ribs as she hit the floor hard. "Who the hell—Kabuto?!" Her eyes darted around the dim chamber, the smell of blood and chemicals hitting her nose. "Where's Orochimaru?!"
Kabuto smiled smoothly. "Not here… not yet."
Her gaze snapped to the masked figure. "You bastard! You brought me here?! How—?"
Naruto's palm glowed with sealing formulae. Before Anko could weave a jutsu, his hand slammed against her stomach.
"Five Elements Seal."
Her body convulsed as her chakra pathways collapsed under the binding. The air left her lungs in a ragged gasp. Fury filled her eyes even as her strength ebbed.
"Y-you… that eye… Uchiha? Which one are you—Itachi? Sasuke—?"
Her words ended in a scream as Naruto's palm struck her neck, rendering her unconscious.
Kabuto chuckled softly. "Decisive and efficient as always, Naruto-kun. Impressive."
"Enough talk," Naruto snapped. "Begin the ritual. The Heaven Seal is the key."
With practiced hands, Kabuto dragged Anko to the laboratory's central platform, surrounding her with scrolls and equipment. His excitement grew with every passing moment. At last — a method to return his master.
Ten tense minutes passed. Hands blurred through seals, formulae activated. The curse mark on Anko's neck flared violently, glowing a sinister red. From it, liquid white matter oozed, reshaping itself into a human form.
And then, with a hiss like a snake uncoiling, Orochimaru emerged.
"…Haaah." He flexed his pale fingers, stretching his limbs, savoring the sensation of flesh once again. Golden eyes scanned the chamber before settling on Kabuto. "So. It was you who pulled me back. Well done, Kabuto."
Kabuto bowed deeply, relief written all over his face. "Welcome back, Orochimaru-sama!"
But the sannin's gaze soon shifted, catching the masked boy with the unmistakable Sharingan. His pupils tightened. For all his arrogance, the Uchiha's eyes had always been Orochimaru's bane.
"Sharingan…" Orochimaru hissed, unease flickering for a moment. He remembered the torment of Itachi's genjutsu all too well.
"Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto quickly interjected, "he's not Uchiha. He is… Uzumaki Naruto."
"What?" Orochimaru blinked, then laughed, low and serpentine. "Naruto-kun? Truly? And yet… the Sharingan. How fascinating." His tongue flicked across his lips. "Have you, too, begun treading the same path Kakashi once walked?"
Naruto stepped forward, unmasking his face.
"Yes. And it was I who gave Kabuto the chance to resurrect you."
Orochimaru tilted his head, smile widening. "Then, Naruto-kun… what is it you desire from me?"
"Eternity." Naruto's voice was calm, unwavering. "A life that does not end."
For once, Orochimaru was taken aback. He circled the boy slowly, laughter rising.
"Interesting. Very interesting indeed. I thought myself alone in craving permanence… and yet here stands the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, yearning for the same. How curious Konoha has become."
Naruto closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the tomoe of his Sharingan spun and reshaped — Mangekyō. Its power radiated cold, oppressive, divine.
Orochimaru froze, his breath shallow. "Mangekyō… so it truly is yours."
Before the sannin could speak further, a wave of suffocating genjutsu chakra crashed into him. The world around Orochimaru warped. Pain seared his mind as invisible hands pried into the depths of his soul.
He staggered, clutching his head. "Gaaaah! You dare—Naruto! You dare try to control me?!"
Naruto's voice cut through the chamber, steady and merciless.
"If I don't, you'll betray me the moment it suits you. Only under my control will you serve me wholly."
Seals blossomed across the walls, silencing every sound. No cry would escape this place.
Naruto's Mangekyō spun violently, power pouring into the technique he had long reserved — Kotoamatsukami. The god's illusion bore down upon Orochimaru's will, reshaping it utterly.
The sannin thrashed, snarled, clawed against the inevitable — but his body was fresh, his soul unstable, his resistance weaker than he wished.
And then… silence.
Slowly, Orochimaru straightened, golden eyes now calm, obedient. He lowered his head.
"…I understand. From this moment, I exist only to serve you, Naruto-sama."
Naruto exhaled quietly, his left eye blurring at the edges. Vision fractured into double images, the cost of forcing so much chakra into the technique. Already, blindness gnawed at the Mangekyō.
But the result was worth it. Orochimaru — dangerous, cunning, ambitious Orochimaru — was now bound to his will.
Naruto tested it with questions. Every answer came swiftly, honestly, unhesitant. Complete control.
Good. Very good.
He outlined the plans to come, leaving the details to Orochimaru's expertise. Kabuto's loyalty was guaranteed so long as his master lived — and if need be, Naruto would have Orochimaru place shackles upon him as well.
Satisfied, Naruto dismissed Kabuto to another chamber, then placed his hand on Anko's unconscious form. A pulse of Flying Thunder God warped them both back to her apartment in Konoha. He dropped her gently onto her futon, mask still covering his face. No one would connect this to him.
Back in the solitude of a distant forest, Naruto pressed a palm against his eye. The pain was dull, heavy, lingering. His Mangekyō was nearly spent. He removed it carefully, restoring his natural eye.
Chakra drained, exhaustion pressing on his shoulders, he allowed himself a rare smile.
"Orochimaru… from now on, you'll work for me. For life."
The forest wind rustled through the leaves, carrying his quiet laughter into the night.
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