The Great Serpent's Lair

Orochimaru's lair was located deep in the mountains of the Land of Fire, where few ever set foot.

With the march of time, the Lightning Train developed by the Raimon Company had long become the primary means of transportation for shinobi undertaking long-distance cross-border missions.

The daily lives of shinobi, even the furnishings of their homes, were now filled with the trappings of modernity.

Orochimaru was a man who kept up with the times. While pouring a fortune into the latest research equipment, he had also transformed a small room within his base into a reception area brimming with modern living comforts.

It was specifically used to receive distinguished guests like Naruto and Sasuke, who were now sitting here.

Orochimaru and the two were facing each other on warm, comfortable red fabric sofas. On the round glass coffee table before them, three cups shaped like coiled serpents each emitted plumes of steam.

Orochimaru's hoarse voice carried a note of human concern.

"Sasuke-kun, it's rare for you to come home, isn't it? I've brewed a secret formula tea just for you~. See how it works."

"Naruto, you often work late into the night. The tea in front of you has the effect of refreshing your mind and clearing your thoughts."

Having said that, Orochimaru picked up his own hot cocoa and took an elegant sip.

Neither Naruto nor Sasuke showed any intention of drinking the tea.

Sasuke cut straight to the point: "Orochimaru, what do you know about Uchiha Chen?"

A flicker of surprise passed through Orochimaru's slit pupils.

Sasuke, closely watching his micro-expressions, immediately called him out: "Looks like you do know something."

Orochimaru slowly set down his cocoa cup and smiled. "No wonder you came back so soon after returning. It seems you've run into a more troublesome problem than Shin."

Naruto said in a low voice, "That guy attacked Konoha's forbidden ground, took Madara's remains, and even broke Sasuke's Sealing Spell of the Coffin!"

Orochimaru said, "So, fearing the risk of Madara being re-summoned by Impure World Reincarnation, the two shadows of Konoha came specifically to confirm whether this has anything to do with me. After all, the only ones in the world who can use Impure World Reincarnation are me and Kabuto. Kabuto has retired, and the only one still researching the truth is me."

Sasuke's feelings toward Orochimaru were somewhat complicated.

He had once coveted Sasuke's body, yet he was also a guide on his path to growth.

Before the hawk soared through the sky, the shadow stretched long by the light was that of the white snake.

Orochimaru was the road Sasuke had traveled to get here, and besides Itachi and Naruto, he was the one who understood Sasuke best in this world.

In truth, Sasuke believed deep down that Orochimaru would no longer do anything to harm the ninja world.

But as Konoha's 'Shadow Support,' he could not place his personal judgment above public trust.

He himself was under the scrutiny of many internal eyes, a man not entirely his own master.

He could only handle matters by the book.

"That's how it is, Orochimaru. In the past, you committed heinous crimes as great as mine. It was only because of your contributions during the war that your sins were pardoned, allowing you to conduct experimental research after the war under surveillance, on the condition that you do not harm innocent lives!"

"Given that you haven't done anything out of line in recent years, Konoha has turned a blind eye to your activities."

"But this incident is no small matter. You'd better clear yourself as soon as possible."

Orochimaru picked up his cocoa again and took small, savoring sips.

"Sasuke-kun, you should know me. I don't have a habit of 'reheating old leftovers.' The 'truth' I verify always moves forward. Just like the 'Cursed Seal' I once prided myself on, I've now discarded it like a worn-out sandal. As for the Impure World Reincarnation technique, I've long lost the desire to explore it."

"A body without warmth or a heartbeat is not the 'immortality' I seek."

He raised his slit pupils, his gaze clear. "I wonder if this answer is enough to clear myself?"

Sasuke pondered for a moment and said, "As long as you have nothing to do with this, that's fine. Tell me everything you know about Chen."

Orochimaru's eyes lowered. "I've never actually dealt with Uchiha Chen face to face. The first time I heard his name was from a friend of mine, Miyashiro En."

(Miyashiro En appeared in the Hikari arc of Sasuke Shinden: The mastermind behind the colosseum who sat with Orochimaru.)

"Miyashiro En is a survivor of the Chinoike Clan."

Sasuke said, "The Chinoike Clan, the ones with the legendary 'Ketsuryūgan,' right? A dojutsu with extremely powerful genjutsu abilities. Once caught in that illusion, the victim's blood is completely controlled by the user, turning them into a lamb for slaughter!"

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"Because the power of the Ketsuryūgan was too dangerous, they were seen as cursed. The clan was exiled to the Valley of Hell, and the ones tasked with guarding them were the Uchiha Clan. Though the Valley of Hell is a thing of the past, the Chinoike Clan still holds an extreme grudge against the Uchiha!"

Naruto said, "Right... Chen is a descendant of the Uchiha who guarded the Chinoike Clan. It seems his parents were also killed in retaliation by the Chinoike. Does this En you mentioned have anything to do with it?"

Orochimaru said, "Naruto, since you only know this much, it makes it easier for me to explain. Miyashiro En is the one who killed Chen's parents!"

"En's exact words to me were, 'Orochimaru, have you ever seen a ten-year-old kid who could awaken the legendary Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?'"

"Ten years old!!" Naruto and Sasuke both showed expressions of shock!

Orochimaru's slit pupils glimmered with a strange light. "That's right, ten years old... En told me that if he ever died one day, it would be at the hands of that child!"

"That child's name was—[Uchiha Chen]!"

"Then, about three years later, En really did die. Not only him, but his wife and every surviving member of the Chinoike Clan in this world were all wiped out!"

Naruto interjected, "Was that Miyashiro En strong?"

Orochimaru smiled. "The strongest Ketsuryūgan user in history. Slightly weaker than Itachi, probably about on par with me back in the day!"

Hearing this, Naruto lowered his head and took a sip of tea, thinking calmly to himself: I underestimated Uchiha Chen. He has the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and his strength is probably comparable to Itachi's...

"Mm~ This tea really is quite good~." Naruto set down his teacup and offered a compliment.

Orochimaru continued, "As an old acquaintance, I took care of Shiroen's remains."

"Thinking of Shiroen, I started to feel curious about the name 'Chen,' but it was only curiosity at the time, because back then, my attention was captured by another Uchiha genius! Sasuke, you know who that is—it was you!"

"The next time I heard the name 'Chen' was five years ago, when he had already become one of the shadow financiers of the dark world."

"Around that time, I had developed a technological achievement called 'Extraction.' As long as a corpse was left behind by a ninja's hand, no matter how minuscule the trace, I could extract the chakra crystal of the perpetrator."

"Out of a certain degree of curiosity about 'Chen,' I used Shiroen's corpse to verify this technique, and successfully obtained a chakra crystal."

Orochimaru stood up, opened the display cabinet behind him, and following the number in his memory, quickly retrieved a silver-gray chakra crystal stone from a small box.

Calling it a crystal stone, it was actually just a grain the size of a pinky fingertip.

Wearing white rubber gloves, Orochimaru handed this chakra crystal over to Sasuke.

"If Shiroen died at Chen's hands, then this crystal stone was obtained from Uchiha Chen's residual chakra. This should become a clue for you to trace back to 'Chen,' right?"

"By the way, I'll tell you—the closer this crystal is to its chakra target, the clearer the sensation becomes."

No matter how many stories about Chen there were, to Naruto and Sasuke at this moment, nothing was more important than a tangible tracking clue.

Naruto flicked his white Hokage cloak and stood up, saying, "No time to waste, let's get moving, Sasuke!"

"Ah, to be safe, I need to confirm one thing before we go." Sasuke revealed the Sharingan hidden beneath his bangs, focusing on Orochimaru's head!

In the chakra meridians of the brain, any chakra reaction was normal to the point of being utterly unremarkable...

Sasuke was one hundred percent certain that Orochimaru was not under any form of genjutsu.

He breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

He really didn't want to resort to force with Orochimaru, under any circumstances.

"Orochimaru, we'll be going now."

Accepting the chakra crystal grain, Sasuke flicked his black cloak and stood up, walking out of the nest alongside Naruto.

"From here, I can barely sense a chakra corresponding to the crystal, in the [Land of Lightning]."

"Go on, settle it in one go. Sand in the shoe might not be a big deal, but it's still an annoyance. If he really manages to bring out Madara, things will get troublesome."

Clearly, after hearing Orochimaru's account, they hadn't taken Chen too seriously either... Opening the Mangekyo at age ten? It was certainly a rare feat, but Shin Uchiha's clones were around the same age, and every single one of them had a pair of Mangekyo.

Once you've seen the vast ocean, a mere puddle is nothing—that's how it was.

Naruto and Sasuke had no idea yet what they were about to experience. That battle, two against one, taking place before the dawn, would completely overturn their understanding!

Furthermore... they had no idea that, watching their retreating figures, an unusual light flickered in Orochimaru's eyes, and then, in a hoarse voice, he murmured to himself.

—"This is exactly the situation you wanted to see, isn't it?... Chen-kun."