Kabuto led Sasuke through winding corridors. Neither spoke until they were away from the main chamber.
"That was bold," Kabuto said finally. "Confronting Lord Orochimaru about his plans."
"He respects directness."
"Or he finds it amusing. With Lord Orochimaru, it's hard to tell." Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "Either way, you've made an impression."
They reached a door. Simple. Plain. Nothing special.
"Your room," Kabuto said. "Sparse, but functional. You'll spend most of your time training anyway."
Sasuke entered. Bed, desk, small bathroom. Basic necessities. The kind of room for someone who wasn't expected to need much.
"Training starts at five AM," Kabuto continued. "Physical conditioning for two hours. Then chakra control exercises. Then combat training. Lunch at noon. Afternoon sessions focus on ninjutsu and theory. Dinner at six. Evening study until ten."
"Every day?"
"Six days a week. Sundays are rest days." Kabuto smiled that fake smile. "Lord Orochimaru believes in pushing students to their limits. But not beyond recovery."
"What about you? What's your role here?"
"I'm Lord Orochimaru's right hand. Medical specialist. Combat instructor when needed." Kabuto's smile became more genuine. "I'll be overseeing most of your training personally."
Great. Babysitter duty.
"Anything else I should know?"
"Don't wander the lower levels without permission. Don't interfere with other experiments. Don't try to leave without clearance." Kabuto ticked off the rules. "Follow those, and you'll be fine."
"And if I break them?"
"Then you'll discover why this place has such a high turnover rate." Kabuto's expression didn't change, but something cold flickered in his eyes. "Get some rest, Sasuke-kun. Tomorrow will be difficult."
He left.
Sasuke closed the door and sat on the bed. The room was probably monitored. Cameras or sensors or both. Orochimaru wouldn't leave a new recruit unsupervised.
Fine. He had nothing to hide yet.
He lay back, closed his eyes, and started planning.
Tomorrow would begin the long game. Months of training. Building trust. Proving himself. All while slowly, carefully, working toward the real goal.
Hashirama cells.
That was step one. Awakening the Rinnegan started from there.
His thoughts drifted to the procedure. The risks. The pain. Sixty-three test subjects dead. Only Yamato survived.
But Sasuke had advantages they didn't. The Sharingan. Knowledge of exactly what would happen. Understanding of the process.
He'd survive. He had to.
Because this was just the beginning of a very long journey.