The Chunin Exams Several Months Ago…

"I take it you have no interest in this humble castle of mine," the Uchiha said, gesturing towards the small hut behind him.

Orochimaru smiled. "What makes you think that, Sasuke-kun?"

"None of you have made any attempts to neutralize my teammates or hold them hostage. You don’t seem like fools. If the hut were your target, I doubt you’d have left them unmolested."

"...You don’t seem like you want to win either," the snake sannin replied. "Leaving weak links defenceless like that is an easy way to get eliminated, you know."

The boy shook his head. "Had you gone for them, you’d be dead already," he said, as casually as commenting on the weather.

Mundane.

Orochimaru’s smile widened.

"Beating around the bush gets tiring," Sasuke continued, brushing a strand of hair behind his ear. "You want something. Speak. If I deem it worth my time, we might come to an agreement quickly. If not, I’d rather dispose of you before you become a nuisance."

The sannin's tongue ran over his lips, a suggestive gleam in his eyes. He’s perfect, Orochimaru thought again.

"Very well," Orochimaru said, reaching for the skin mask on his face. Slowly, he peeled away the disguise, fingers leaving furrows in its surface. Sasuke watched, one brow raised in curiosity. The sannin discarded the mask, shaking his mane loose, letting it fall.

The Uchiha murmured something, recognition flickering in his gaze. He reached into the pouch at his waist, drawing out a bingo book. He flipped through it with practiced ease.

"Orochimaru," he drawled, expressionless. "Hmm... I wonder what an S-rank missing-nin from Konohagakure wants from me."

The sannin giggled, his voice carrying a serpentine hiss.

"You, Sasuke," Orochimaru replied. "Or more accurately, your body. I want your body."

The Uchiha frowned. "Do I have a bounty on my head?"

"No, no, no," Orochimaru said, shaking his head. "I need a new vessel. I thought I might wait a little longer, let you ripen. But that’s unnecessary. You are ripe enough as it is. A rather fortunate discovery, if I say so myself."

Sasuke tilted his head slightly, a monstrous disdainful shadow spilling out from him, infecting his silhouette.

Orochimaru blinked. The boy's face was blank.

"And you think yourself worthy of my vessel?" Sasuke asked, his left brow arching, amusement slipping into his voice. "Orochimaru... I hope you understand you are nowhere near my equal."

The sannin chuckled. "A bold statement from a nursling Uchiha."

A pulse of silence.

"...Oh?" Sasuke made a sound, realization glinting in his dark eyes. "You've met the weasel. Fought the weasel. Tell me, did you fight him to a draw, or did you run away, tail between your legs? Let me guess—the latter. Got your arse handed to you, didn’t you? Pathetic."

Orochimaru blinked.

Sasuke plucked a leafy branch, breaking it off, twirling it between his fingers. "The gall of that thing," Sasuke murmured. "Kills my clan down to the last man, then turns around and shows mercy to random miscreants. Where’s the justice in that?" His gaze sharpened on Orochimaru. "And you? Of course, it had to be the nursling. The only Uchiha you could manage. The weasel was out of the question, wasn’t he? And they say you’re one of the three great sannin. I’m disappointed. I’m twelve, yet we aren’t even in the same league. Before the Uchiha, you’re nothing. And yet you covet the body of its patriarch. You? A wretch like you? How disrespectful."

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The Uchiha’s lips curled.

"Let me guess, the weasel fought you with only genjutsu. Or did he strike you? His fist? A slap? A kick? A blade? Ah, a blade it is... where, I wonder?" Sasuke paused, studying Orochimaru. "Your tell is sloppy for a shinobi of your calibre. The hair on your arms—it stands every time I touch upon the truth. Forget all that. I’ll offer you a deal. Prove you can survive the next three minutes, and I’ll let you walk away. No harm, no foul."

Orochimaru chuckled, shaking his head. "You arrogant little—"

He leaned out of the way as a barrage of kunai flew toward him, slicing through the air. They angled upward, trajectories shifting in a disorienting fashion. One struck true, grazing his cheek, cutting deep.

Orochimaru hissed, turning his glare on the Uchiha.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

A mass of serpents erupted from his sleeves, lunging to ensnare the boy. But Sasuke tilted his head, dodging, unfazed.

"Still haven’t noticed? Disappointing."

Orochimaru frowned, confusion setting in as he touched the still-bleeding wound. A wound that should have healed.

"Kai!"

The genjutsu shattered. Orochimaru found himself standing, arm outstretched, the snakes gone, his target unchanged. His lackeys lay at his feet, their throats slit. Dead. His own chest punctured with a kunai by his mutinous right hand.

"You didn’t notice until the end?" Sasuke shook his head. "What a waste of time. Just go."

Anger welled within the sannin. "I won’t take sass from you, whelp."

In a blur, he lunged, hands wrapping around the boy’s neck, slamming him into the trunk of a tree. His form shifted, his true nature emerging—a mass of serpents, white scales gleaming. He swallowed the boy, dragging him into his mindscape.

But something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

He stared at the entity within, horror spreading. His eyes bled, memories flooding in, his soul overwhelmed. He saw existence through an alien lens—

The universe, smaller. All matter concentrated. Hot. Dense. The warmth of a nascent star in its cradle.

We fed. We grew. For aeons we grew.

Then too much.

Obese.

Gravity crushed our core. Heat, pressure, mass. It killed us. We survived.

Scarred, a blackhole for a heart, alive still.

An agreement, with the demon at our core. We merged, reality rejecting us. We died. We survived.

A singularity. Naked.

We became—

Nosey. Rewind. Memory. Alter.

Orochimaru blinked.

"You didn’t notice until the end?" Sasuke shook his head. "What a waste of time. Just go."

Anger welled within the sannin. "I won’t take sass from you, whelp."He lunged again, hands on the boy’s neck. But the form crumbled, sloughed away.

"You never learn, do you?" Sasuke asked.

Orochimaru blinked. He was back, standing as before, his hand empty, the boy unmoved, still seated.

Unimpressed.

He pulled his arm back, breathing heavy.

"Kai..."

Another layer shattered. He looked around. His men stood beside him, lost, stabbing themselves systematically. Dead men walking.

Orochimaru glanced down, saw the kunai lodged in his chest again, just shy of his heart. Pain echoed dully. The angle revealed it was self-inflicted. Again.

"Congratulations," Sasuke called from above. "Three minutes. You get to live."

"Three min—Time dilation? You altered my perception?" Orochimaru’s voice was quiet. "How many layers? Seven?"

"Nine," Sasuke said. "You’re still under the last two. Friendly advice: get that treated."

Orochimaru glanced at the blade in his chest. It shimmered, then shifted, revealing a punctured heart.

"You’ve proven yourself useful," Sasuke continued. "I’ve no interest in ending your life prematurely. You can leave if you wish. But stay, and maybe we both leave here with more than we came with."

Orochimaru’s interest was piqued.

"...Go ahead," he said. "I’m listening."