Seeing Orochimaru Again

"Take good care of yourself, and take good care of the little one for me..."

Ichikishimahime led the way ahead while Itachi followed quietly behind, the crow perched on his shoulder.

As they neared the exit of Ryuchi Cave, Ichikishimahime suddenly turned around and spoke with a serious expression.

Beneath her calm, earnest tone, surging emotions were tightly suppressed.

Itachi felt a little flustered under Ichikishimahime's gaze.

After a moment of silence.

"I will. Don't worry. You need to live well in Ryuchi Cave too~"

Itachi looked at Ichikishimahime and smiled gently.

Though Itachi could sometimes be hard to figure out, he was not someone who liked to smile. It could be said that he smiled very, very rarely...

Itachi's smile made Ichikishimahime freeze slightly, a powerful sense of healing washing over her.

It left her somewhat at a loss...

That smile was far too beautiful...

"If you can, you should smile more often too..."

Still slightly dazed, Ichikishimahime came back to herself, suppressed the urge to stroke Itachi's cheek, straightened his collar, and looked earnestly at his face as she spoke softly.

"Little one, you need to be well too. When you get your eye replaced, don't forget me..."

Ichikishimahime gently stroked the crow's feathers.

Yet her tone sounded rather strange, making Itachi feel as though she was speaking to him...

"Don't worry, he won't~"

Itachi teased the crow's beak with his index finger and spoke softly.

"The little one doesn't seem to have a name yet, does he? Should we give him one?"

Noticing that Itachi was about to lift his foot and leave again, Ichikishimahime hurriedly spoke.

Her eyes lingered on Itachi and the little crow with deep reluctance...

"Let's call him Little White..." Itachi said softly as he looked at Ichikishimahime...

Ichikishimahime looked at Itachi strangely...

"He may be black all over, but in my heart, he is white..."

Seeing the strange look in Ichikishimahime's eyes, Itachi made up an excuse...

"Caw caw caw?"

"See? He seems to like the name..."

Hearing the crow's cries, Itachi spoke softly...

"That's nice. I like white too..."

After a slight pause, Ichikishimahime spoke softly, her gaze still strange...

Crow: "Caw caw caw?"

"Hey..."

"What is it?"

"Take care of yourself. If you run into an enemy you can't beat, call me along. I'll help you beat him up..."

Just as Itachi was about to leave, Ichikishimahime called out softly to him.

Itachi looked slightly puzzled...

"Then thank you~"

Itachi raised an arm, gave a slight wave, and spoke softly.

"Honestly, you don't seem the least bit reluctant to part..."

"Ichikishimahime, are you lovesick? He's someone the White Snake Sage thinks highly of. If you want, the White Snake Sage might even help you~"

At some point, two white figures had appeared floating in the air. They were Tagorihime and Tagitsuhime.

The two women were teasing Ichikishimahime...

"Yes, yes. If you can't beat them, I'll use my little fists to pound them for you~"

Tagitsuhime leisurely imitated her.

Ichikishimahime, somewhat exasperated, floated into the air.

Soon, the three women were playing and bickering together.

"People these days are so restless~"

Watching the person ahead of him turn tail and run, Itachi sighed softly.

He had merely wanted to ask for directions, but the man saw his frightening appearance and the strange crow on his shoulder, then fled in panic. He had no appreciation for substance at all.

"Little Ichikishimahime is still better. She doesn't care about how we look in the slightest. Don't you agree, Little White..."

Under the sunlight, the one-eyed young man stroked the eyeless crow on his shoulder and spoke softly.

"Caw caw..."

Looking at the unusually intelligent Little White, Itachi felt a wave of comfort in his heart.

He planned to find something that could enhance intelligence for Little White to eat when he had the chance.

Itachi traveled for two days.

Since he did not know the way, Itachi summoned a small snake and had it follow Orochimaru's scent to find him.

As summon users from the same Ryuchi Cave, they could sense one another as long as Orochimaru did not deliberately conceal himself.

It was incredibly convenient.

"I was wondering why I kept hearing magpies chattering today."

Orochimaru, who was tinkering with something in his laboratory, froze slightly before setting down the instrument in his hand.

He murmured softly.

He had already sensed the distinctive chakra within Itachi, as well as the small snake leading the way before him.

Orochimaru changed into another set of clothes and tidied his somewhat messy attire.

Only then did he head toward the reception hall in satisfaction.

The surroundings were empty. Though it was underground, the lights made the place brilliantly bright.

At a glance, it was clear that this was the residence of an extremely wealthy man, lavish beyond measure.

Itachi watched the small snake guiding him return to Ryuchi Cave and froze slightly.

Then he noticed a pair of large doors before him and was about to push them open.

As if sensing his arrival, the doors slowly opened...

"Itachi-kun, it has been a long time."

Just as Itachi was feeling puzzled, Orochimaru's somewhat effeminate voice rang out and echoed through the hall...

Only then did Itachi take in his surroundings.

This was a grand and imposing hall. Though it was underground, there was no dampness at all. Coupled with the large lights covering the ceiling, it was exceedingly bright.

Orochimaru stood in the distance before a long table...

"Orochimaru, it has been a long time..."

Itachi came back to himself slightly, withdrew his assessing gaze, and greeted Orochimaru softly.

Orochimaru froze slightly when he saw Itachi's single eye.

Of Itachi's beautiful eyes, only one remained.

Itachi had no intention of concealing the ugliness of it. His ferocious empty eye socket was exposed to the air.

"Who did this?" Orochimaru's voice was somewhat stern.

He was furious...

He himself had not even made a move on Itachi's eyes. Who dared to lay a hand on them!

"You really got me into trouble~"

Itachi did not answer Orochimaru's question. He merely gave a somewhat bitter smile...

Looking at Itachi, who seemed much more mature than before, Orochimaru froze slightly.

Then he watched Itachi casually find a seat and sit down...

"You mean they took advantage of your weakened state and directly gouged out your eye?"

After hearing Itachi's words, Orochimaru pondered for a moment before asking softly.

"What else? You never told me the side effects of this thing were so severe, or that the process would take so long..."

Itachi leaned against the table in irritation and placed Little White on its surface.

"This..."

"Actually, there was a reason I didn't tell you about the side effects. That organization wasn't much good, and I saw that you were enjoying yourself there. So I wanted to give you a chance to see that organization for what it truly was..."

"I never expected this to happen..."

"Originally, I only wanted your body to be in poor condition for a while, so you could see their true colors. I wanted you to see how they would treat you once you lost your value and your combat ability..."

"I never expected them to be even worse than I imagined..."

After hearing Itachi out, Orochimaru spoke with rare remorse.

He held great respect for Itachi, who was equally intelligent.

Moreover, he had a feeling that Itachi knew things he himself did not, things that could help him.

That was also why he cared so much about Itachi.

After all, birds of a feather flock together. He was no exception...

"Forget it, it's fine. You don't need to worry about it. I was careless too."

Seeing Orochimaru filled with remorse, Itachi felt somewhat better. At least Orochimaru had not acted as he had imagined and attacked him. That alone was enough to comfort him...

If Orochimaru had truly wanted to make a move, all he could do was shed tears...

Itachi rolled his left eye, and everything went without saying...

"Don't worry. It won't take long before I can help you replicate a Mangekyo Sharingan."

Seeing Itachi's troubled expression, Orochimaru comforted him softly.