"Thank you for coming all this way to remind me, Kyu, but you didn't come here just to remind me, did you?"
Orochimaru had noticed long ago that Anbu were investigating him. Deep down, he had already begun considering leaving Konoha.
Uchiha Kyu showed no embarrassment at being exposed. Smiling without changing expression, he said, "You do understand me."
"I came here for only one reason: work for me."
"Work for you?" Orochimaru looked at him in surprise.
"That's right. Work for me."
Uchiha Kyu casually took a couple of steps, then crouched beside the water and scooped up some with both hands, letting it slowly trickle between his fingers.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi is already old. All that awaits you is a slow death."
"I believe that, given your understanding of Hiruzen Sarutobi, you know he can no longer protect you."
"I know you're planning to leave Konoha. You're just waiting for the right opportunity."
"But leaving Konoha wasn't your original idea. It's simply the only choice left to you."
Seeing Orochimaru stare at him with interest, Uchiha Kyu let out a chuckle.
"You don't need to look at me like that. Whatever you want, you won't face any obstacles from me. On the contrary, I'll help you obtain it."
Surprise filled Orochimaru's snake-like eyes. "Then tell me, Kyu. What is it that I want?"
Uchiha Kyu recalled something Orochimaru had said in the original story.
"Life itself may have no meaning, but only by staying alive can one possibly find some enjoyment."
"So you want immortality. You want to study every jutsu in the world, and understand the meaning behind everything in existence."
"Your thirst for knowledge is the strongest I've ever seen. I have high hopes for you."
A trace of wariness flashed in Orochimaru's eyes as he looked at Uchiha Kyu.
If his memory was correct, he had never said such things to anyone.
"You're becoming more and more interesting, Kyu."
Orochimaru forced a faint smile. Being understood so thoroughly was certainly not a good thing.
"You're afraid of what I might do to you."
Seeing Orochimaru's wariness, Uchiha Kyu suddenly moved closer.
The action frightened Orochimaru into taking several steps back, instinctively assuming that Uchiha Kyu intended to attack him.
The sight amused Uchiha Kyu greatly. There were not many people who could make Orochimaru this afraid.
"What I want is completely at odds with what you want. We're natural partners."
"Not only that, but you may read through the history my Uchiha Clan has recorded over nearly a thousand years."
Uchiha Kyu had always been generous when recruiting talented people. Aside from the Uchiha Clan's forbidden Sharingan techniques, he was willing to provide everything else.
As he spoke, Uchiha Kyu extended his hand toward Orochimaru and said sincerely, "Whether you want to study immortality, Hashirama Cells, or even human cloning, I'll support you with everything I have."
"Do I have any reason to refuse?"
Someone willing to provide everything he needed for his experiments naturally earned Orochimaru's agreement.
If he discovered that Uchiha Kyu's words and actions did not match, Uchiha Kyu would not be able to stop him from leaving anyway.
"Besides my Uchiha Clan, no one in the Shinobi World would like a perverted scientist who enjoys studying jutsu, Kekkei Genkai, and corpses."
"They'll be afraid that one day your hands will reach for them."
After letting go of Uchiha Kyu's hand, Orochimaru asked with interest, "Then aren't you afraid, Kyu?"
Uchiha Kyu felt the sticky sensation in his palm. As he washed his hands, he said, "If I were even slightly afraid, I wouldn't have challenged Konoha's leadership to fight for the authority I deserve, not when I want to become a true powerhouse and fulfill the dream in my heart."
"Since we've chosen to cooperate, I'll arrange for people to help you move everything from your laboratories."
Orochimaru looked puzzled. "Could it be to the Uchiha Compound?"
"No, no... I doubt you'd be comfortable in the compound."
Uchiha Kyu wagged a finger at him. "The location is underground, beneath the Uchiha Police Force Building."
"I've already prepared the place for you. Once you move in your laboratory equipment and the rest, you can use it immediately."
"It seems you're determined to make our cooperation happen, Kyu."
Orochimaru was certain that if he showed even the slightest unwillingness to cooperate, Uchiha Kyu would stop speaking nicely to him and attack him directly instead.
A glint flashed through Uchiha Kyu's eyes, and a hint of cunning entered his smile.
"I have a good way to drag Danzo into the mess. There's even a chance we can eliminate him completely and leave you with no future worries."
"You could even walk openly through Konoha Village as Orochimaru of the Legendary Sannin."
In truth, Uchiha Kyu intended to eliminate Danzo even without helping Orochimaru. However, putting it this way would make Orochimaru owe him a favor instead.
After Orochimaru agreed to cooperate with Uchiha Kyu's plan, the details they discussed left Itachi and Shisui, who had been standing nearby like transparent people, drenched in cold sweat.
Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui unconsciously held their breath. The things these two were discussing sounded no different from betraying the village.
Everything proceeded extremely smoothly. After Uchiha Kyu and Orochimaru cheerfully bade each other farewell, Uchiha Kyu left.
"Clan Head, is Orochimaru really studying the cells of the First Hokage?"
Uchiha Shisui found it hard to believe. After all, Orochimaru was the disciple of the Third Hokage.
"There's nothing in this world that is absolutely impossible. Reality is often more brutal than you imagine."
Uchiha Kyu could not help looking at Uchiha Itachi, who had remained silent the entire time.
The reason he had brought Itachi along was to let him gradually come into contact with Konoha's darkness and shatter the idealized image of Konoha in his mind.
"Itachi, is there anything you want to ask?"
Uchiha Kyu's question made Itachi raise his head. His face held little expression. "There's nothing I want to ask."
Uchiha Shisui glanced at Itachi but said nothing.
Uchiha Kyu chuckled and did not press him further. Instead, he spoke of things neither Shisui nor Itachi had ever heard before.
"Danzo is the root of Konoha's towering tree. He absorbs every dark aspect, while Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, embodies the light that remains."
"So don't think Hiruzen Sarutobi is clean. Even chakra has yin and yang aspects, let alone people."
"The brighter the light, the greater the darkness it casts."
"Even Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, personally slew Madara Uchiha, his only closest friend from childhood to adulthood."
"I'm telling you this so that you both understand: in this world, there is no right or wrong, only positions, victories, and defeats."
"Strength is merely the foundation. Use your mind to wield your strength instead of letting your strength occupy your mind."
Uchiha Kyu's heartfelt words left both of them thinking all the way back to the compound.
Those words had struck at the foundations of their beliefs. It was perfectly normal that they found them difficult to accept for the time being.
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