The dark underground chamber.
The mysterious person who had attacked Shinji and the others in the Forest of Death was now sitting on a stone chair, quietly watching a severed hand on the table in the distance.
A ring bearing the character "Void" still adorned the hand's little finger.
Just then, Kabuto Yakushi emerged from the shadows and pushed up his glasses. "Lord Orochimaru, did you find what you were looking for on your trip to Konoha?"
There was no doubt that Shinji's guess had been right.
The mysterious person who had attacked them in the Forest of Death was none other than Orochimaru, one of the Konoha Sannin.
As if he'd thought of something pleasant, Orochimaru smiled. "The Uchiha always manage to surprise me!"
Kabuto asked, "Oh? You mean Sasuke Uchiha, the one who awakened his Sharingan at seven and subdued the rampaging Nine-Tails?"
Orochimaru nodded.
Sasuke hadn't put up any decent resistance throughout the encounter, but he'd dared to stand his ground and had kept his resolve even when faced with Orochimaru's killing intent.
That alone was enough to delight Orochimaru.
After all, Sasuke was only seven!
What fascinated him even more were Sasuke's scarlet Sharingan.
Ever since his crushing defeat at the hands of Itachi Uchiha's Sharingan not long ago, Orochimaru's interest in the Sharingan had only grown.
Before their battle, he'd never imagined that a single look from Itachi could defeat him.
That fight had let him experience the Sharingan's allure firsthand—a captivating power that inspired fear and yet left one unable to resist its pull!
Seeing Orochimaru's eyes practically glow, Kabuto asked in confusion, "Then why didn't you bring him back?"
Orochimaru shook his head. "He's still too immature. The other Uchiha was more alert than he was."
"Shinji Uchiha?"
"Yes, a very shrewd little