Konoha Orphanage.
"Sharingan?"
Kabuto Yakushi stood in the sunlit room, adjusted his glasses, and looked with some surprise at Sasuke Uchiha, who had suddenly appeared before him.
Since returning to Konoha, he had only seen Sasuke once.
That had been the day he first appeared.
Over the following months, Kabuto Yakushi had been familiarizing himself with the orphanage's work, and with Sasuke away on missions, the two had barely crossed paths.
So Kabuto found it strange that Sasuke had come looking for him.
Only after hearing what Sasuke had to say did he understand.
"So that's what brought you here."
Sasuke nodded, staring at Kabuto Yakushi with a solemn expression. "So, does Orochimaru still have any Sharingan?"
Although he was asking a question, the implication in his tone was clear.
Kabuto paid no mind to Sasuke's tone. Instead, he asked in puzzlement, "Didn't you ask Lord Orochimaru back then?"
Sasuke had trained under Orochimaru for a long time. Given Sasuke's personality, Kabuto would have thought he must have asked Orochimaru about this.
"No!" Sasuke shook his head.
Back then, he had been wholly focused on revenge, on killing Itachi!
He had had no attention to spare for anything else, so he had overlooked many things.
Moreover, with Orochimaru coveting his body at the time, Sasuke never went to see him outside of training.
Once he had the strength, he had turned on Orochimaru and killed him outright.
But...
Sasuke stared at Kabuto Yakushi with a strange expression. "You've already returned to Konoha, yet you still call him Lord Orochimaru?"
A smile appeared on Kabuto's pale face. "Lord Orochimaru once took me in and taught me a great deal of valuable knowledge. I've always respected him!"
"Forget it." Sasuke waved a hand. "What I want to know right now is still