While Ling and Team Kakashi fought a fierce battle against Sasori of the Red Sands in the Valley of a Thousand Puppets, far beyond the Land of Fire, another battle that would shape destinies had also drawn to a close.
The air in the deep underground base reeked of blood and the sickly sweetness peculiar to snakes. Shattered walls, scorched floors, and twisted white snake bodies strewn everywhere all bore witness to the savage battle that had just taken place.
At the center of the chamber, a black-haired boy knelt on one knee, panting heavily. His purple kimono was torn in several places, and the eerie black markings of the Cursed Seal covering his exposed skin were slowly receding. Lightning still lingered around the Kusanagi Sword in his hand, giving off a faint sound like a thousand birds chirping. Sweat mingled with blood trickled from his temple and dripped onto the cold floor.
Before him, a man with pale skin and golden, serpentine eyes was tightly bound by several thick snakes that had burst from the ground, leaving him unable to move. It was Orochimaru. Yet there was neither anger nor resentment on his face, only a twisted smile that bordered on relief.
"Heh heh... cough..." Orochimaru coughed up several mouthfuls of blood as he looked at the boy before him-Sasuke Uchiha. "So... it has come to this after all, Sasuke-kun. Your growth... truly is astonishing."
Sasuke raised his head. In his dark eyes, the three tomoe of his Sharingan slowly spun, cold and utterly devoid of warmth. All that remained was hatred and resolve that had hardened over years. "Orochimaru, I have taken all your power and knowledge. As you are now, you have no value to me."
To gain the power to take revenge on that man, he