Kabuto saw another possibility: Orochimaru wanted to summon these people from the Impure World and recruit them for Dusk.
Orochimaru gave Kabuto a sinister smile. "Kabuto, do I need your permission to take back everything that's mine?"
"..."
Kabuto fell silent. He had already absorbed Orochimaru's cells, found Ryūchi Cave, and learned the requirements for practicing Senjutsu.
Next, he planned to go to Ryūchi Cave, practice Senjutsu, and Ascend to Dragon.
Once he possessed Senjutsu, Kabuto could surpass Orochimaru and become a player in the great game unfolding across the Ninja World.
But Orochimaru had come back to life!
Kabuto wanted to replace Orochimaru. He was a man who had never found an anchor for himself in this world.
A man unsure of who he was.
Otherwise, he would never have left such a glaring weakness in his heart for Itachi's Izanami to exploit.
He could only break free of Izanami once he saw himself clearly.
But Kabuto did not merely want to replace Orochimaru. He wanted to surpass him, too, using Orochimaru's path as his guide.
At last, Kabuto shook his head. "Lord Orochimaru, you've changed. You're no longer the madman I knew."
"I won't hand over your legacy."
Orochimaru's expression turned dangerous. "Kabuto, do you understand what you're saying?"
Kabuto nodded. "I know exactly what I'm saying. I want to become you, Lord Orochimaru."
"What I'm doing now is exactly what you would do."
"Lord Orochimaru, would you ever be absolutely loyal to a person or a village?"
"..."
Of course not!
If he would, Orochimaru would never have defected from the Leaf Village. And he had not stopped there—he had defected from Akatsuki, too.
If he defected from Dusk as well, Orochimaru would have deserted three organizations.
Orochimaru would never be loyal to any one person, nor