Orochimaru had never imagined that Shin Uchiha would consider recruiting him. After a brief moment of surprise, a meaningful smile appeared on his face.
"You really do surprise me, Shin."
At that, Orochimaru paused briefly before continuing:
"Still, thank you for your kindness, Shin. Unfortunately, you have nothing that interests me, so I'll have to decline."
By this point, Orochimaru had essentially completed his research into developing his own body, taking his ability to stay alive to its limits. Even against men such as Madara Uchiha and Shin Uchiha, who stood at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World, he could just barely protect himself. That was what gave him the courage to refuse them.
What was more, Orochimaru now coveted the Uchiha Clan's kekkei genkai.
However, Shin Uchiha had moved the Uchiha Clan to an overseas island early on. Even those Uchiha who ventured out were at least Jōnin, and they always traveled in groups, so Orochimaru had never managed to get his hands on one.
Thus, Orochimaru knew perfectly well that as long as the man before him remained alive, they would end up on opposing sides sooner or later.
Shin Uchiha was not particularly surprised by Orochimaru's answer. After tilting his head slightly, he fixed his eyes on him and said something that made Orochimaru's expression shift.
"Orochimaru, your research into Living Corpse Reincarnation should be nearly complete by now, shouldn't it?"
"Kabuto must have already told you about my experimental progress and all my research results, hasn't he?"
Kabuto Yakushi was arguably Orochimaru's most capable assistant. As long as he put even a little effort into it, he could get his hands on practically all of Orochimaru's experimental findings.
What Orochimaru had not expected, however, was that Shin Uchiha would shake his head after hearing his words.