"In whose hands?"
Sasuke's toe ground down onto Orochimaru's scapula as the Wood Release vines tightened and the Lightning Release sealing chains lit up with blue light against the skin.
Orochimaru's lips moved, but only a mouthful of gushing blood welled up in his throat, and Inoichi Yamanaka immediately raised a hand to press against his temple, forcibly dragging out that nearly severed memory.
The Third Hokage gripped the Adamantine Staff, just taking a step forward when Kakashi's Lightning Blade already barred his path.
"Third Hokage-sama, you had best not approach the evidence right now."
"Kakashi, do you take me for a criminal?"
"I take you for a witness involved in the case."
This sentence was transmitted by the water mirror to the entire village, and a wave of suppressed low curses immediately rang out inside the shelter.
Sasuke did not look back, staring only at the memory afterimage floating in Inoichi's hand.
That was a fire-stamped box, its surface bearing the crest of the Daimyo's Residence, yet pressed next to it was a Root Black Mark. The image shook violently, and only a hand wrapped in bandages could be seen pushing the box into a hidden compartment.
Sweat slid down Inoichi's forehead, and when his palm left the top of Orochimaru's head, the man nearly collapsed to his knees.
"Only these, his memory here was bitten through by the snake curse."
Orochimaru lay flat in the rubble, laughing, blood flowing out from between his teeth.
"Sasuke-kun, you've caught me, but it's too late."
Sasuke squatted down, pulling his collar straight again with a slowness that made the smile on Orochimaru's face recede.
"Late or not, you don't get to decide."
Fugaku rolled out the Sealing Scroll, and Uchiha ninja dragged over a specially made iron cage, sealing Orochimaru along