Sasuke didn't answer Itachi. He started walking toward Orochimaru's body, which had been cleaved in half.
Itachi followed behind him. One after the other, they landed amid the fallen leaves scattered across the ground.
Orochimaru's body had been cut apart, his innards and blood splattered everywhere.
Sasuke stared at the pieces for a while, then turned to check on his Shikigami.
Suddenly, the half of the body with the head attached twitched.
Its mouth snapped open, the jaw dislocating with a bizarre tearing sound.
A pair of pale hands reached up from deep in its throat and grabbed the edges of its lips.
Then a brand-new Orochimaru, covered in clear slime, crawled out of its mouth.
Sasuke stopped and reached for his ninja tool pouch again.
"Still alive?"
Orochimaru stood up straight and casually shook the slime off his arms.
He watched Sasuke's guarded stance, his tongue circling his lips.
"How impressive, Sasuke-kun... It seems I can't give you a thrill after all."
Sasuke frowned, his gaze shifting back and forth between Itachi and Orochimaru.
"A thrill?" Sasuke turned to stare at Itachi.
Itachi looked straight ahead without expression, barely even blinking.
"It's nothing." Itachi's voice held no hint of emotion.
Sasuke tightened his grip on the Kunai.
"What do you want with me now, after all this time?" Sasuke stared at Itachi's profile. "Do you want me to come after you for revenge again?"
Itachi lowered his head, his gaze falling on Sasuke.
"Do as you like." Itachi turned away, showing Sasuke his back. "Sooner or later, I'll come after you."
Sasuke snorted and slipped the Kunai back into his ninja tool pouch.
He couldn't be bothered to guess what this pair of lunatics was plotting. He headed straight for the three Shikigami lying on the ground nearby.
Black Dog, White Dog, and Escaping Rabbit were covered in wounds from wind blades. White Dog's hind leg was still twitching faintly.
Orochimaru stepped closer over the fallen leaves.
"See? I'm not even attacking you now. You should believe me, right?" Orochimaru spread his hands.
"The Cursed Seal is a wonderful thing. It grants you power beyond your limits, so you won't have to rely on those summons anymore."
Sasuke crouched beside Black Dog and pressed a finger against its wound without looking up.
"I don't believe you."
The smile on Orochimaru's face froze.
He lowered his hands, a dangerous gleam in his golden, slit-pupil eyes.
"Then I'll attack you right now."
Sasuke rose to his feet and raised his hands in front of his chest.
"Then I'll summon that thing again." Sasuke looked Orochimaru straight in the eye.
Orochimaru froze.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the old body lying in two pieces on the ground. The muscles in his neck tensed involuntarily.
He recalled how the white monster's rate of adaptation had grown more and more absurd, and forcibly suppressed the urge to form Hand Seals.
He was out of options.
He definitely couldn't fight again. Shedding his skin could bring him close to resurrection, but it still required chakra.
He couldn't afford to spend any more of his chakra.
But if he didn't leave the Cursed Seal behind, then he'd taken that beating for nothing.
Watching Orochimaru's crestfallen expression, Sasuke suddenly spoke.
"If it really is so good, put one on my summon."
Orochimaru froze.
He wondered if he'd misheard.
"...What did you say?"
"Didn't you say the Cursed Seal would make you stronger?" Sasuke pointed at the three Shikigami on the ground. "Put one on one of them."
Orochimaru looked at the two dogs and the rabbit, then back at Sasuke. His face was full of question marks.
The mighty Sannin, Orochimaru, was supposed to give the Cursed Seal of Heaven to a summon?
Sasuke paid no attention to Orochimaru's reaction and looked down at his Shikigami.
"Which of you is willing?"
Escaping Rabbit's long ears perked up, and White Dog managed to lift its forequarters.
Black Dog moved fastest. It dragged its injured body forward in a single step and stood in front of White Dog and Escaping Rabbit.
"I'll do it." Black Dog raised its head.
Sasuke nodded and looked at Orochimaru.
"It's decided. Give it to him."
Orochimaru stood still, covered his face with both hands, and took a deep breath.
He had studied countless forbidden techniques, dissected countless geniuses, and bestowed the Cursed Seal upon countless followers who craved power.
But...
"Who would've thought that I, Orochimaru, would end up biting a dog in this lifetime!"
Orochimaru lowered his hands, his expression dark.
He walked over to Black Dog and crouched down.
Black Dog lifted its head and stared at him with golden eyes, its expression unchanged.
Orochimaru's neck suddenly stretched out. He opened his mouth and sank his two sharp fangs into the flesh at the side of Black Dog's neck.
"Grrr—!"
Black Dog let out a pained roar.
Black markings from the Cursed Seal spread beneath its fur, radiating from the bite.
Black Dog let out a muffled groan. Its body trembled violently a few times, then it forced itself to stand steady.
Orochimaru withdrew his neck and stood up, wiping dog hair and blood from the corner of his mouth.
"That's done." Orochimaru's voice was unmistakably disdainful.
Sasuke watched Black Dog's condition gradually stabilize, feeling the strange energy flow back to him through the Shadow Channel.
"You can go back on your own." Sasuke looked at his wounded Shikigami. "That stinking snake-man beat you up pretty badly. Go back and get some rest."
"Got it." White Dog glared at Orochimaru. "Next time, I'll bite his head off."
Black Dog said nothing, only nodding quietly.
Escaping Rabbit slowly climbed to its feet. "...Okay."
"Stinking snake-man... Remember, my name is Orochimaru." The corner of Orochimaru's eye twitched again.
Black Dog panted heavily and nodded.
The three Shikigami turned into black sludge at the same time, seeped into the shadows beneath them, and vanished completely.
Itachi glanced at Sasuke but said nothing. His body turned into a flock of crows that flew toward the depths of the woods.
Orochimaru gave Sasuke one last look, then sank into the ground like melting wax.
On a towering rock some distance from the training ground,
Itachi and Orochimaru stood side by side, looking down at Konoha.
The wind stirred their black cloaks patterned with red clouds.
"Do you really think this will keep him in Konoha?" Itachi asked, his gaze fixed in the direction of Kage Rock.
"Given Sasuke's personality now, he seems more likely to seek power in the outside world."
Orochimaru folded his arms across his chest. A calculating glint flashed in his golden, slit-pupil eyes.
"Once Sasuke gets back, he'll definitely investigate the Cursed Seal."
Orochimaru licked his lips.
"Anko and Jiraiya know all about it. With them there to guide him, Sasuke will naturally find the nourishment he needs in Konoha."
"...At least for the next few years, there shouldn't be a problem."
Orochimaru turned to look at Itachi's profile.
"The bonds of Konoha aren't so easy to sever."
Itachi was silent for a moment.
"As an S-Rank Missing-nin from Konoha," Itachi said in his usual cool voice, "you sure trust the people there."
Orochimaru chuckled softly, his hoarse laughter scattering in the wind.
"Don't you?"
Before you continue