The laboratory door closed behind him, cutting off Orochimaru's dreadful gaze, and Sasuke returned to his room.
In the darkness, only his ragged breathing and the drum-like pounding of his heart could be heard.
'The truth...'
Hinata's words echoed like a curse through the hollows of his mind and behind his burning eyes.
The power of the Mangekyo Sharingan felt real—the overwhelming strength to pierce illusion and command life and death.
Sasuke clenched his fist; the sharp pain lent a momentary clarity to his chaotic thoughts.
He understood the look in Orochimaru's eyes now: the covetous hunger reserved for prized experimental Materials.
Before, he hadn't cared, even seeing it as a necessary price for power, but after glimpsing those possible 'truths' he could no longer stay.
He had to verify—see for himself, in his own way—everything Hinata had said.
First he needed to know exactly what power he now possessed.
While Orochimaru was absorbed in studying the strange energy data Hinata had left, Sasuke slipped out of the base and headed deep into a desolate valley on the border of the Rice Country.
Standing at the valley's center, he slowly raised his head; the eerie, three-point shuriken design of his Mangekyo Sharingan flared to life, scarlet light swirling as the world sharpened.
He needed an opponent—strong enough to test the limits of these eyes.
He formed hand seals and produced two Shadow Clones, ordering them to strike with the strongest Ninjutsu from opposite sides.
Lightning Release: Chidori Spear, Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire...the Clones struck without mercy.
But through the Mangekyo's sight the trajectories and Chakra flow looked slow and clear, and he evaded every technique.
'Amaterasu!'
Sasuke's left Mangekyo focused on the blazing dragon.
Instantly, black flames from the depths of Hell ignited upon it, devouring the jutsu and burning it to nothing.
Sasuke exhaled; a faint sting and heat throbbed in his left eye—so this was one of the Mangekyo's powers.
'Kagutsuchi!'
Light flashed in his right Mangekyo, and the Amaterasu bent to his will, reshaping itself to pierce the Clone gathering Chidori in its hand.
The result stunned him; the eyes' power far exceeded his imagination.
Amaterasu's absolute destruction, Kagutsuchi's shape control—armed with these, he might stand before that man and wrest the truth from him.
Yet he clearly felt that every use drained immense Chakra and ocular power, burdening and wearing the eyes themselves—a mighty, perilous double-edged sword.
With his power confirmed, next came the truth.
He returned to the base; he needed intel—on Konoha, on Danzo, on every move Itachi had made after leaving the village. Orochimaru would have networks and archives.
Emboldened by his new strength and a steelier resolve, he no longer feared Orochimaru; he would ask directly about the past.
He began combing through the base for what he needed.
Fragment by fragment, information gathered.
Shimura Danzo, head of Konoha's Root, right arm and eye always bandaged, acted covertly and ruthlessly, appearing frequently around the Uchiha Clan's destruction.
Uchiha Itachi, confirmed to have joined the Akatsuki after defecting, had since vanished; yet he'd dealt no further real damage to Konoha—hardly the profile of a blood-crazed traitor.
Konoha's records on the Uchiha massacre were vague; the official line branded 'Itachi the rebel,' but whispers within the Anbu—strictly forbidden—told a different tale.
Orochimaru and Danzo had indeed cooperated years ago in human experiments and Sharingan research.
These scattered pieces, while not proving Hinata's claim, each fit like a tile hinting at an unthinkable 'truth.'
Above all, Orochimaru's partnership with Danzo and Danzo's interest in Sharingan lent credibility to the idea that Konoha's leadership had coerced Itachi.
He could wait no longer.
That night Sasuke packed essential gear and supplies.
From the room's shadows he cast a final glance at the place he had for years seen as a font of power, now only cold calculation.
He would find Uchiha Itachi—stand before him and, with these newborn Mangekyo Sharingan awakened by 'truth,' force out every answer.
He would hear the man's reply himself—be it lie or brutal reality.
If what Hinata said was true—if Itachi had really...Sasuke crushed the thought; whatever awaited, he would face it.
His target: find the Akatsuki, find Uchiha Itachi.
As he reached the base's last hidden exit, a cold voice spoke behind him, edged with quiet anger.
'Sasuke-kun, where might you be going so late?'
From the corridor's shadows Orochimaru stepped forth, serpent pupils gleaming dangerously.
He'd thought Sasuke would stay lost in doubt; he hadn't expected the boy to attempt leaving on his own.
Sasuke halted but didn't turn, only tilting his head as the crimson Mangekyo flared in the dark, regarding Orochimaru with icy arrogance.
'Where?' His tone carried mocking contempt, so unlike his usual cold silence.
'To confirm something sickening yet unavoidable. What of it, Orochimaru—plan to stop me?'
Orochimaru's face darkened.
'Sasuke-kun, your new power seems to have gone to your head. Without my leave, you go nowhere.'
'Oh?' Sasuke spun to face him, the Mangekyo's eerie light blazing, its frigid, massive pressure rolling forward.
'With what—yourself?'
He stepped forward; the left Mangekyo's pattern faintly spun, black sparks flickering in the air, ominous enough to burn all.
'Want to fight? Try me.' A near-mad grin curved his lips.
'Hahaha! Perfect—I, too, would see the strength I now possess!'
At that instant Sasuke released the hatred, confusion, and rage at fate he'd long suppressed, turning it all upon Orochimaru.
No longer the revenge-obsessed youth others could manipulate, he was a beast bearing destructive power, baring fangs at any obstacle.
Orochimaru's eyes locked onto the spinning Mangekyo; the Chakra that made even his Soul shudder caused the hands in his sleeves to clench and slowly relax.
He didn't doubt that forcibly detaining Sasuke now would mean a savage battle.
The newborn Mangekyo's capabilities were unknown, and in this extreme mood Sasuke might throw caution aside.
Even victory would come at ruinous cost, likely damaging the labs and destroying crucial Materials and files.
Orochimaru recalled the valuable data Hinata had brought—risking so much was unwise.
'Hmmm...'
A low chuckle escaped Orochimaru.
'So you're set on leaving. Very well—go, Sasuke-kun. Chase your truth. I look forward to the choice you'll make when you find it.'
He stepped aside, clearing the passage.
Sasuke gave him a cold glance, offered no reply, and strode out of the base, vanishing swiftly into the night.
Orochimaru remained, staring at the empty exit.
'Mangekyo Sharingan... such arrogance, Sasuke-kun. We will meet again.'
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