Ah Luo, he knows everything

"Big brother, wait here for me to come back. I haven't been home these past two days, Sasuke will worry. As for your eyes, I'll go ask our clan's ancestor when I get back. Don't tear down Teacher Orochimaru's laboratory, and also..."

That night, when A Luo was getting ready to go home and see Sasuke, he did not forget to make a long list of demands to Itachi Uchiha right in front of Orochimaru.

In any case, he was to stay obediently in this underground base and wait for him to return. If A Luo came back and could not find him, he would go to the Akatsuki to demand his return...

As Itachi Uchiha's expression stiffened and Orochimaru covered his mouth to stifle a laugh, A Luo finished speaking and lay down on the bed, leaving behind only a sleeping body.

"The first time I saw Itachi, he was just as obedient and sensible..."

Once Orochimaru was certain that A Luo had gone to Konoha, his smile gradually turned sinister.

"You've changed quite a lot. You're getting better and better at coaxing children, to the point that A Luo thinks you're a good person!"

Itachi Uchiha looked up, his gaze coldly sweeping over Orochimaru's snake-like eyes, filled with disgust and loathing.

Right now, he truly could not do anything to Orochimaru. It was not that he could not, nor that he did not want to. It was that... he did not dare.

His younger brother, the younger brother their father had killed once and who had come back to life, and Sasuke, who was constantly watched in Konoha—they were all victims...

He did not dare approach Sasuke or let himself seem too aggressive. So for now, all he could do was let A Luo believe that he had returned to how he used to be.

But those things had already happened. None of them could ever return to the beginning...

It was only that A Luo was trying hard to preserve a state from the past, and he too wanted to experience a little more of the closeness his younger brother offered.

This act would end as soon as A Luo calmed down. He would not, and did not dare, expose it himself...

"What a waste of such beautiful eyes. A Luo is a good child. He's much smarter than you, and he truly is a treasure—a treasure I want to hold close to my heart and cherish with care!"

Orochimaru looked at Itachi Uchiha with the same disgust in his eyes.

But when he mentioned A Luo, he recalled how he had felt upon first meeting him.

He truly was such a delightfully surprising treasure!

"Orochimaru, you look... like a pervert right now!"

Itachi Uchiha was so angered by Orochimaru that his three-tomoe Sharingan glared at him. He wondered whether using Tsukuyomi now would have any effect when A Luo returned...

"Itachi Uchiha, do you know why A Luo was so frail at birth, so frail that he could die at any moment?"

Seeing the Sharingan, Orochimaru immediately changed the subject.

Being able to anger Itachi Uchiha while ensuring he could not attack him was enough. Now, he should also say something about his adorable student.

From Danzo, he had obtained much information the Uchiha clan had never learned.

"Why?"

Itachi Uchiha knew a little about this as well. The results of all the examinations had pointed to poor development in the womb, while some believed it might have been twins fighting over nutrients...

But since Orochimaru had brought it up now, Itachi Uchiha realized it would not be anything he already knew.

"Because you were too outstanding!"

Orochimaru watched Itachi Uchiha's gaze turn dangerous in an instant, and his smile became chilly and sinister.

"Who..."

Itachi Uchiha's mind worked quickly. Orochimaru had only said a little, yet he had already thought of several possibilities.

Because the eldest son was too exceptional, his parents could not be allowed to have another child with similar talent.

But who had done it?

Konoha's higher-ups, other members of the Uchiha clan, or perhaps...

"Danzo once mentioned that someone had poisoned him, but as for who did it and who carried it out, that isn't clear..."

Orochimaru thought about it. There was not much information, but it was barely enough to piece together part of the story.

Back then, he had gone to Danzo and said he wanted to examine Luo Uchiha's physical condition. Danzo had mockingly said that there was no point examining an Uchiha who had been ruined by poison while still in the womb.

Only after Orochimaru insisted on examining him did Danzo go discuss it with the Third Hokage and have the child sent over for a separate examination.

While waiting for the ANBU to bring the child, Danzo had also expressed considerable resentment that the poison had been entirely absorbed by one child. He had even mentioned that he had wanted to make a move back then, but had not found the opportunity.

"The ANBU..."

Itachi Uchiha did not entirely believe what Orochimaru said, but the Third Hokage had sent the ANBU to seize A Luo and deliver him to Danzo...

It was not just Orochimaru who had said so. A Luo remembered it too, and Zetsu had mentioned during their earlier chance encounter what Konoha had done in matters related to the Uchiha clan.

So now, with only a little thought, he knew that Danzo and the Third Hokage definitely did not have the openly hostile relationship they appeared to have.

"Not necessarily. It might have been another clan, such as the increasingly weakened Hyuga clan..."

Seeing Itachi Uchiha jump to that conclusion, Orochimaru tried to bring up other possibilities, though he knew those directions were impossible.

The Hyuga clan would only be ruthless toward their own. Toward outsiders...

They were exactly like Konoha was now. No one was permitted to stand out within.

"Does A Luo know about this?"

Itachi Uchiha ignored everything else. Right now, he only wanted to know whether A Luo knew.

And Sasuke...

Sasuke in Konoha was not safe either. He did not know whether that so-called ancestor was reliable. Hopefully, they would not be like that person claiming to be Madara Uchiha.

"I've never asked him. Back then, he could float around Konoha and play wherever he wanted. Children dare to go anywhere. He might know even more than you and I do..."

Orochimaru had not asked about such matters, but through their everyday chats, he had already become certain.

Whether it was some of Konoha's hidden information or matters involving certain clans, A Luo would often mention them casually.

At first, he had wondered whether A Luo was deliberately telling him these things, but he soon became certain that the boy had regarded them as insignificant everyday matters from the very beginning...

"Then he should also know what kind of person Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Three, is."

Itachi Uchiha gave Orochimaru a cold look, then lay down on the bed and pulled over the blanket, intending to stay here.

He would keep watch here and prevent Orochimaru from secretly making a move while A Luo's soul was away.

"Your room is on the other side. Oh, and A Luo likes living alone. Other than Sasuke, he doesn't like anyone else getting close to him, especially when he's just woken up!"

Orochimaru stood in the doorway and reminded Itachi Uchiha of this before leaving directly.

As for whether this man would listen...

Tomorrow morning, after A Luo returned, this inconsiderate guest would understand!