Uncontrollable Memories

"You came to my doorstep to bully a child, Itachi Uchiha. Don't take this too far!"

Orochimaru held the child in one arm and carried the Kusanagi Sword in the other. Dressed in a loose yukata, he looked exactly like someone who had rushed out in a panic to save Kimimaro without having time to get himself together.

Looking at Itachi Uchiha in his black cloak patterned with red clouds, the "Vermilion" ring on his hand, black-painted nails, and glaring red eyes, Orochimaru still felt somewhat guilty.

But guilty or not, his words could not falter. Kimimaro's vacant-eyed state clearly showed that he had already been struck by genjutsu.

"Orochimaru!"

Itachi Uchiha stared blankly at Orochimaru. He had guessed long ago that Orochimaru would not die so easily.

He simply had not expected Orochimaru to look even better than before.

And the child being carried out—even from behind, he could tell who it was!

"So noisy..."

The little head resting on Orochimaru's shoulder lifted, muttered a disdainful complaint, then flopped back down.

"A Luo, don't go back to sleep yet. Someone is looking for you."

Orochimaru gently adjusted the child's position. Still holding him with one arm, he used the other to support the sleepy child's head and make him open his eyes at the person across from them.

When it came to acting, Orochimaru had long determined that A Luo was exceptionally talented.

Yet even knowing that, he was still a little surprised to see A Luo slip into character so quickly.

"Looking for me?"

A Luo drowsily opened his eyes, still bleary with sleep...

"It's you..."

When he saw Itachi Uchiha, A Luo froze for a moment. Then he curled back up in Orochimaru's arms, turning his head to press his face against Orochimaru's body.

There was no crying, no fussing, no hatred. Other than sleepiness and not wanting to deal with him, there seemed to be no other emotion.

"Luo Uchiha, you should be in Konoha..."

As Itachi Uchiha watched A Luo's reaction, even though he maintained his composure inside, a flicker of panic still passed through his eyes.

His words were cold and heartless, but Itachi Uchiha could not stop memories of the past from surfacing in his mind.

A tiny, wrinkled little bundle lay in swaddling clothes, surrounded by many people.

Whether it was his parents or the Uchiha clan elders, they all said that this child would not live long and should be disposed of directly. Otherwise, he would only bring shame and trouble to Fugaku Uchiha, the clan head.

Back then, he had not understood why, after his two younger brothers were born, the youngest was rejected by their parents and the elders.

That time, he had wanted his little brother to live, so he stepped forward.

As the eldest son of the clan head's family, he said that he could shoulder this responsibility. His younger brothers only needed their elder brother's protection...

It had been so long. He did not dare recall those days, nor could he search for the person he had been back then.

"It was Konoha's ANBU who handed me over to Teacher."

At the mention of Konoha, A Luo let out a disdainful snort.

He did not know what Itachi Uchiha was thinking. He only felt that the gaze on his back was somewhat strange.

That was only natural. After all, he had died under Itachi Uchiha's gaze back then.

"Orochimaru!"

Itachi Uchiha looked coldly at Orochimaru, naturally concluding that Orochimaru had told A Luo all of this.

"A Luo was conscious at the time. Although Konoha's ANBU drugged him, his natural resistance to poisons was strong. So whether it was the Konoha ANBU taking him to see Danzo, or Danzo saying that the child had been given to me, he saw and heard it all clearly. Oh, right, that ANBU was a captain. You should know very well that no one besides the Third Hokage could command him."

Orochimaru smiled.

He could basically tell now that Itachi Uchiha had not come to kill A Luo, nor had he come to continue hunting him down. That meant he had nothing to worry about.

So Orochimaru once again fixed Itachi Uchiha with his golden snake eyes, his words full of disdain for Konoha and Itachi Uchiha.

Konoha like this, Itachi Uchiha like this—how pathetic!

"No matter how he ended up in your hands before, give him to me now!"

Itachi Uchiha's three tomoe spun as he looked at Orochimaru, reaching out to take A Luo back.

No one from the Uchiha clan could be touched by Orochimaru, much less allowed to fall into his hands!

"What should we do? Poor little thing, you finally managed to grow a little and put on a bit of weight. If you get sent back to Konoha now, you might be taken to Danzo's Root organization for forced brainwashing—or perhaps have your memories erased outright, becoming a battle puppet with Uchiha clan blood..."

Orochimaru feared death, but as long as death was not on the line, he could make others furious.

Especially Itachi Uchiha. Making him angry made Orochimaru very happy.

Now, he lowered his head and "quietly" told A Luo what treatment awaited him if he were taken back.

"Teacher, let's go home. I don't want to deal with him. He often protected me when I was little, but he was also the one who said I should die. I don't hate him now, but I don't want to see him either."

A Luo sensed signs of chakra erupting behind him. He raised his head and used both hands to pinch Orochimaru's face.

That single gesture made Itachi Uchiha, who had been about to activate his Mangekyo and use Tsukuyomi before taking him by force, freeze. His plan to seize A Luo was temporarily suppressed.

"A Luo, what Orochimaru wants is an Uchiha clan body as a vessel for his soul. He is not your teacher."

Itachi Uchiha clenched his fingers inside his sleeve. Watching A Luo, who had already become so comfortable around Orochimaru, he coldly revealed Orochimaru's purpose in gathering children everywhere.

Vessels. What Orochimaru needed were vessels—the children he picked up were merely containers for his soul to transfer from body to body, prolonging his life. He could not possibly have any intention of taking disciples.

Unfortunately, he knew very well that A Luo trusted Orochimaru deeply now.

A Luo's little gestures—reaching out with both hands to pinch someone's face, curling up in their arms and rubbing his face against them—were all how he expressed trust.

In his memories, during the Nine-Tails Incident, he had picked up his two brothers, still swaddled in blankets, and moved through the crowd to avoid danger, keeping them from being hurt by the chaos.

Before that, A Luo had always lain quietly. If food was offered, he took a bite. Even when hungry, he would not cry or fuss, completely unlike Sasuke, whose cries had been loud since infancy.

But after that day, once they returned to their newly built home, A Luo began reaching out on his own whenever he picked up his little brother. When held, he would rub his little head against his chest a few times.

By around the age of one, whenever A Luo was picked up, he would raise both hands to pinch his face, then laugh happily...

Just like now—able to smile and play, but only playing with those he trusted...

"Wood Release is more useful than the Sharingan, so there's no need to worry. From the very beginning, Teacher never wanted my body."

A Luo sighed, then turned back to look at Itachi Uchiha. His eyes were exceptionally serious as he told him not to overthink everything.

As the "trash" the Uchiha clan had unanimously acknowledged in the past, no one but himself would ever want him!