"Snap!"
Orochimaru's hand trembled unexpectedly, causing the experiment to go wrong.
Looking at the materials on the lab table, Orochimaru's face darkened.
This condition had persisted ever since his soul was damaged. Even after resting for so long, he still hadn't fully recovered.
It often caused small accidents when he was deeply focused on his experiments.
"That's one terrifying eye technique."
Recalling the unforgettable horror he had experienced, Orochimaru licked the corner of his mouth with his long tongue.
"Sss~~~"
Just as Orochimaru was about to dispose of the useless experiment materials, a small white snake crawled out from his pant leg and hissed at him twice.
"Found out already?"
Orochimaru was surprised. His hidden underground base had been discovered.
The white snake had warned him—someone was coming.
"What a shame."
He had worked so hard to gather these experiment materials, and now he had to abandon them.
"Boom!!!"
The lab door was violently blown open. Orochimaru's vertical pupils contracted.
He hadn't expected the person who found his base to arrive so quickly.
They had even bypassed all the traps and alarms he had set up, heading straight for the lab.
"...."
As the figure emerged from the dust, Orochimaru's hands trembled uncontrollably.
"Good thing you weren't hiding too far away. Otherwise, finding you would've been a hassle."
Yan walked into the lab, curiously examining the various materials and some of the more forbidden experiment tools. He clicked his tongue in amazement:
"Gotta say, wherever you snakes are, trouble follows. But you've gotten timid. Using ordinary people for experiments now?"
In the original story, after defecting from Konohagakure, Orochimaru had completely let loose, racing down the path of darkness without looking back.
It wasn't until the Fourth Great Ninja War that things were forcefully turned around.
"Yan, it's been a while."
Orochimaru, his body tense, forced a smile and greeted him.
"Yeah, it's been a while."
Yan nodded, then turned to look Orochimaru up and down.
"You don't look so good. The toll on your soul must be painful."
What do you think?
Orochimaru was visibly irritated by Yan's words, his smile fading as his expression darkened.
Before Orochimaru could make a move, Yan warned him:
"Behave. Stay where you are. Don't move, and don't try anything. If I could find you here, I can find you again.
If you don't want your soul to suffer more damage, if you don't want to die, then stay put and do nothing."
Orochimaru had thought about launching a sneak attack and escaping in the chaos, but Yan wasn't going to give him that chance.
I came all the way from Konohagakure for you, Orochimaru. If you run away, who's going to help me with Kakashi's eye?
"I'm curious, Yan. How did you manage to find me here?"
Yan glanced around the lab, then walked over to the only chair and sat down. He tapped his temple and explained with a smile:
"People who've been under my Genjutsu leave a little mark on their soul. I just followed it. Of course, I need to be relatively close for it to work. Luckily, you didn't run too far, or it would've been much harder to find you."
Damn it!!!
What kind of insane eye technique is this?!
Orochimaru was seething inside.
Yan's eye techniques were already terrifyingly strong. Orochimaru's soul was still damaged from their last encounter, and now he finds out there's a tracking mark too?!
Is the universe just favoring the Uchiha or something?
Ignoring Orochimaru's grim expression, Yan picked up a glass bottle and examined it.
"Planning to give yourself a pair of Sharingan?
Too bad. Without Uchiha blood, even if you transplant them, you won't be able to fully utilize their power."
After his last defeat at Yan's hands, Orochimaru had been hiding in his lab, trying to recover while researching the Sharingan. He had picked up experiments he'd abandoned years ago.
In the original timeline, Orochimaru only turned his attention back to the Sharingan after his defeat by Itachi.
But in this timeline, that had been pushed forward by several years.
"Relax. What happened in the past is over. As long as you don't target the Uchiha in the future, I won't come after you. That is, if you can behave."
Yan put the glass bottle down and asked:
"Do you know what's been happening in Amegakure Village?"
"I know. The Five Great Shinobi Villages took a huge hit. The Deva Path's strength is even more terrifying than I expected."
When Orochimaru joined the Akatsuki, he had even considered targeting the Deva Path.
But after hearing the news from Amegakure Village, he was glad he didn't act recklessly.
Judging by the power the Six Paths of Pain displayed, if Orochimaru had dared to go after the Rinnegan, he would've died a horrible death.
"Glad you didn't do anything stupid, huh?"
Yan burst out laughing.
Orochimaru was the type of person who wanted to get his hands on anything powerful.
He had definitely been eyeing the Rinnegan, but he didn't dare make a move.
Now, it seemed that idea had been completely crushed.
Unless he had a death wish.
"By the way, I need your help with something."
After chatting for a while, Yan got to the point:
"I promised Kakashi that after removing his Sharingan, I'd give him a new eye that suits him. I figured this is your area of expertise, so I came to you."
"Also, Tsunade wants you to return to the village."
Of course, Tsunade was still the same Tsunade.
Orochimaru couldn't help but laugh, licking his lips:
"So, Yan-kun, what's in it for me if I help you?"
Yan smiled, revealing his neat, white teeth:
"How about avoiding being controlled by a genjutsu and turned into a puppet? Does that count as a benefit?"
Orochimaru: "....."
"So, I don't have a choice, do I?"
Orochimaru's smile faded. He wanted to run, but he didn't dare.
He couldn't be sure if Yan had left something in his soul that would allow him to track him down at any time.
As long as that thing wasn't removed, Yan could show up whenever he wanted.
"Remember Uchiha Madara?"
"Obito?"
Obito's identity had been confirmed, and Orochimaru had managed to gather that information.
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