Naruto: The Bone Release Ninja Knows Jujutsu, Chapter 233
"Sō~ji~kun!"
Orochimaru pronounced the name differently from everyone else, drawing out each syllable as if savoring the scent of a new compound. "Since we parted in the Land of Whirlpool, you've grown quite a bit!"
Sōji gazed calmly at Orochimaru. Between them lay the bodies of fallen Sound Ninja and several pools of blood that were still cooling.
The torchlight flickered between them, stretching their shadows long and straight across the ground.
"You mean the time I beat you up pretty badly?"
Sōji's tone was calm, as if he were bringing up some insignificant old incident.
"Hehehe..."
Orochimaru's laughter sounded as if it had been squeezed from deep in his throat, hoarse yet delighted. "That's right, Sōji-kun. I really did get beaten up badly that time!"
"An orphan of the Kaguya clan who survived the Blood Mist Night, not only awakening Shikotsumyaku but also mastering an independent energy that belongs to neither Chakra nor Natural Energy."
"Your very existence... is the subject that interests me most."
As he spoke, his gaze paused for an instant on the black cloth covering Sōji's eyes. His golden, vertical pupils narrowed slightly, then he smiled indifferently.
"Hehehe, it seems you've already solved the problem of the excessive strain that dōjutsu put on your brain."
"The Six Eyes really are a pair of miraculous eyes!"
"Back in the Land of Whirlpool, your Six Eyes could only be maintained at full power for a few minutes. I watched the entire battle just now, and your output didn't diminish at all..."
"Sōji-kun, how did you manage that?" Orochimaru smiled and stuck out his long tongue, greedily licking the corner of his mouth.
"My master Tsunade taught me well!" Sōji replied simply and crisply.
A subtle flicker passed through