"Fugaku, are you truly not interested in eternal life? Madara Uchiha once had the power to bring the Shinobi World to heel, yet decades later, he was gone.
"Even the mighty Uchiha fell into decline after losing Madara Uchiha. If you hadn't appeared, who knows how far a thousand years of Uchiha legacy would have fallen?
"The Uchiha are thriving now and gradually rising to prominence. But when you're gone in a few decades—or a century—will someone else lead them to greatness again?"
Fugaku smiled faintly. He understood what Orochimaru meant. Judging by everything he had done, his greatest wish was to see the Uchiha rise.
He wanted the Uchiha Clan to prosper for generations. Most of the clan felt the same way.
"You're right. My greatest wish right now is for the Uchiha Clan to prosper forever. But protecting them during my lifetime is enough. I'll leave the future to our descendants.
"If they prove incapable and let the clan fall, perhaps that's simply fate. If the Uchiha still need me to prop them up decades from now, there's no point in that kind of clan existing.
"I have faith in the younger generation. But if you ever need help, just ask.
"We may stand on different sides, but beyond that, we once fought shoulder to shoulder. We've been friends for years. Besides, I want to see whether you can develop a jutsu for eternal life."
Orochimaru smiled faintly. No one could resist such temptation, even if it ultimately led to ruin.
"When do you plan to begin? And what help do you need?"
"What kind of help can you offer, Fugaku?"
"Whatever you need. Money, supplies, assistants—I can provide them."
Orochimaru looked surprised. "You can even provide medical research experts? I always suspected that, as the head of