The thing a ninja dreads most is a gap in their intel.
Which is exactly why a ninja bold enough to slip into enemy lines without any intel at all earns a certain respect.
For Orochimaru, a shinobi of his caliber didn't bother gathering intel on lowly genin—against them it was basically one move, one kill.
But the situation in front of him was special. These two brats were a different matter.
He badly wanted Sasuke as a vessel, yet the way things stood, even that wasn't looking easy.
"The secret on the Nine-Tails brat, though—maybe there's a way to work with that..."
Settle for the next best thing.
The secret hidden inside Naruto interested Orochimaru a great deal.
That Spirit Descent method—the one that let a soul manifest fully, in its absolute prime—that was very good.
Yes. What interested Orochimaru most was that these souls could alter the body itself.
His own Living Corpse Reincarnation always needed a vessel matched to the body—but Kushina's method made the body match the soul instead.
For his own Living Corpse Reincarnation, that approach held real research value.
So for now, this was far enough.
It absolutely was not because he'd gotten cold feet.
It was merely a tactical retreat.
"Very few people can make me this angry." Orochimaru, calmer now, actually held a fair amount of admiration for Hanabi.
To stir his emotions to this degree.
"I look forward to the moment I get to see your true strength."
Orochimaru melted slowly into the ground.
Hanabi didn't give chase. Hikari, on the other hand, wanted to go after him and land a Tsukuyomi—give the guy something to remember her by.
"Hanabi, what do we do after this?" Hikari asked.
"Nothing much. Though I may need you to come with me to the Land of Rain at some point."
The Land of Rain's current master was still Hanzō of the Salamander; a good number of this batch's Rain ninja had been dispatched by Hanzō himself.
But before long, the Akatsuki would kill Hanzō of the Salamander and seize control of the Hidden Rain.
Hanabi had no interest in Hanzō of the Salamander.
She wasn't even interested in the Akatsuki.
Hanabi was interested only in screen time and clout.
And across the early-to-middle stretch of the Naruto story, the Akatsuki were the very definition of clout.
And clout, sometimes, has to be leeched into being.
Not leeched blindly, mind you—leeched with a plan.
It's like that meme: it doesn't matter who Xunzong's driver is; what matters is who Xunzong chooses to drive for.
"Is that place dangerous?" Hikari asked.
"Mm, if it weren't for Zhuixia, I wouldn't go at all. Hikari, you'll want to be careful when the time comes, too."
A shame Nagato had already made his dear best friend into the Six Paths of Pain. Otherwise, slipping into the shape of Nagato's bestie Yahiko and throwing a little rave on his grave would've been pretty fun.
—So the next thing she needed was a reason to get into the Hidden Rain.
That Team Shigure she'd rescued—the three Rain ninja—would conveniently hand her just the opening.
"So. Where's Sasuke?" Hanabi asked.
"Ah..."
Hikari clapped a hand over her mouth.
Only then did the two of them go fetch the tied-up Sasuke from off to the side.
"Why'd you tie him up?" Hanabi tilted her head.
"Because I was worried the guy would just keep yelling." Hikari looked away.
"Where is that man?!" The instant Hanabi freed him, Sasuke demanded an answer.
"He's already tucked his tail and run off," Hikari said.
"Damn it—" Sasuke ground his teeth.
"Are you really that obsessed with getting stronger and getting your revenge?" Hikari found it strange.
"I'll find the truth with my own power. I'll fulfill the long-cherished wish of the Uchiha clan with my own power," Sasuke said. "That man... well, his strength is nothing much, but he definitely knows something about Itachi."
"Sasuke, do you still remember what I told you before?" Hanabi said.
"..."
Sasuke fell silent.
Hanabi let him sit and think.
"...Yeah. Of course I remember." Sasuke's face was cold.
Think. Think harder.
"Itachi couldn't have wiped out the Uchiha clan alone. So he must have had collaborators—the darkness hidden deep within Konoha, for instance..."
The Stage was busy showing off Aburame Shino flexing on Zaku, so the camera wasn't pointed her way. Perfect timing for a little behind-the-scenes maneuvering.
"So." Hanabi said, "you need to think about who, exactly, the target of your revenge really is. You need to think about whether you actually want revenge—or something else."
"So then—when that time comes, you'll show me your true 'jutsu,' won't you?"
Sasuke still remembered what Hanabi had once said to him.
"That's right~" Hanabi smiled. "What is family. What is a village. What is a nation. When you start asking those questions, you're bound to feel confused, and you'll run into all kinds of twisted logic. But once you understand it all, you'll see why the Uchiha clan had to be destroyed. When a contradiction reaches the point where it can no longer be reconciled, some kind of change is certain to follow. Keep your eyes wide open and watch closely, Sasuke."
Then Hikari spoke up. "And before that, I'll make you stronger."
She was deeply reluctant about it—but this was, after all, a favor Hanabi had asked of her.
"Force is the foundation that safeguards truth. That much, at least, I can tell you clearly right now," Hanabi added.
"Your Sharingan still isn't strong enough. If it were, I could teach you something more advanced," Hikari said.
"Hai."
The grand philosophy went over Sasuke's head, but getting stronger—that, Sasuke understood perfectly.
"We'll need to get Kakashi-sensei moving, too. Lightning Style and the Sharingan—he's actually got real insight into both," Hanabi said. "So it can't be only Hikari teaching you."
"Then I don't have to do it?" Hikari's eyes lit up.
"No, you still need to keep Sasuke protected," Hanabi went on. "That Orochimaru will very likely come after him again."
"Tch." Hikari's face was pure distaste.
"And if he shows up this time, Hikari—you can use that jutsu."
"Ooh ooh ooh!"
Hikari's eyes lit right up.
"That jutsu...?" Sasuke was a little puzzled.
But seeing Hikari's malice-soaked grin, Sasuke decided he'd better not ask.
"It's nothing, really." Hanabi actually answered Sasuke's question. "In a word, it's a jutsu made specially to counter that esteemed Lord Orochimaru."
A sly little smile.
But Sasuke couldn't shake the feeling it was brimming with malice.
"All right, let's head back to the arena first," Hanabi said. "Hikari, want to come along?"
"I'm allowed over there too?" Hikari didn't want to be left an outsider.
"Mm, of course~"
The script had already been torn up anyway; it was Hanabi-script o'clock now.
Hanabi's script wasn't all that particular, really. Operating on the principle that no spectacle is ever too big, the rule was simply: whatever makes the best content.
Not parading Hikari openly around inside the Central Tower earlier had already been a courtesy to the Third.
But now? Now she didn't need to bother.
—Orochimaru had already broken the rules anyway.
"Sasuke! Hanabi, you're back! Oh, uh—you're Hanabi's friend, Hikari!"
The moment Hanabi and Sasuke returned, Naruto bounded over.
Then he spotted Hikari right away.
People nearby noticed the outsider, too.
Quite a few eyes settled on Uchiha Hikari.
But Uchiha Hikari wasn't the least bit timid. On the contrary, she stood with her hands on her hips right beside Hanabi, as if staking a claim of ownership.
She was rather proud of herself.
(Kimono moe-girl Ryougi Shiki)