In the mournful rain on Blue Moon Island, a boy in white robes and a hood gazed at the stars on the horizon with pure-white eyes.
A man with flowing long hair, clad in ethereal white robes, appeared behind the boy, opened an Oil-paper umbrella, and held it over his head.
Drip, drop!
Raindrops struck the umbrella with a pleasant patter, while Orochimaru's gentle words tugged even more deeply at the heart.
"Sasuke-kun, tell me what's troubling you. We'll find a solution together."
Sasuke said, "I still underestimated Black Zetsu's obsession with saving his mother, and his determination. He is, after all, a schemer whose plots span a thousand years of the Shinobi World's history. When he schemes openly, he's even harder to guard against."
"It's not that I'm worried Naruto will come to harm. The Great Toad Sage's prophecy already mentioned another God of Shinobi, dressed in a black-and-gold cloak. Gold was Naruto's original color, so the black presumably comes from the power of the black cursed seal Black Zetsu gave him. In other words, Naruto will become someone who can stand on equal footing with me. That is already destined to happen. The question is the process, and the choices we make that ultimately lead to that outcome!"
Sasuke gently removed his hood, revealing his horns.
"So... Orochimaru, I'd like to hear your thoughts."
Orochimaru stepped forward to stand beside Sasuke. Rain fell on his left shoulder, which lay outside the umbrella's shelter. He said, "Since things have already gone beyond our expectations, why not go with the flow? Sasuke-kun, your original idea was to wait until Naruto had built a certain foundation of strength, then use my techniques to help him grow further."
"But to be honest, my techniques are better suited to someone like you, Sasuke-kun,