"Impossible!"
Uchiha Sasuke quickly retorted, making his voice gentle: "Don't worry, Senior Kabuto, I won't hurt Dean Nonou..."
Isn't this lie just too lacking in skill?
The whole of Konoha and even the entire Ninja World knows just how much respect Yakushi Kabuto has for his adoptive mother, Yakushi Nonou. How could he hurt her?
No...
That's not right...
Uchiha Sasuke suddenly recalled something; he remembered the disgusting things the first leader of the Root, Shimura Danzo, did. He remembered the origin of the hatred between his brother and Akihara Kagura in the real world. He uttered a name word by word.
"Because... Shimura Danzo?"
"Indeed..."
Orochimaru's smile grew more and more brilliant as he spoke with a happy expression: "I personally witnessed the death of Yakushi Nonou. Danzo wanted to eliminate them..."
"..."
Uchiha Sasuke's mind momentarily short-circuited.
It wasn't hearing about Yakushi Nonou's death...
It was Uchiha Sasuke's subconscious pondering...
This world...
Is it really completely devoid of Akihara Kagura?
No Akihara Kagura...
Would such a thing happen in this world?
Dead?
Yakushi Nonou died in this world?
Because there's no Akihara Kagura, Yakushi Nonou and Yakushi Kabuto, under Shimura Danzo's conspiracy, ended up killing each other, and Yakushi Nonou was killed by the one who always respected her, Yakushi Kabuto?
Isn't this world a mere reflection of the real world, continuing on the trajectory of the real world? Team 7 got the assignment to go to the Land of Waves, returned, and then participated in the Chunin Exam. How could it derail to this extent?
If Yakushi Nonou died...
Then, the surviving clan members in the real world...
Uchiha Sasuke's mind turned blank, as if recalling the night of the blood moon he once experienced, remembering his brother wielding the killing blade—are those clan members even likely to survive?
No...
That's not right...
This has nothing to do with me.
It's okay...
This is just an illusory world...
This is merely a world I inexplicably came to...
Uchiha Sasuke's mentality soon calmed down rapidly. He always believed he was an outsider in this world, seldom caring about anything here. The emotions he felt for everyone in this world were just because they were reflections of real-world friends...
"Huff..."
Uchiha Sasuke's state of mind completely became calm.
Because he is the third-generation Root leader in the real world, having experienced this world's most painful events, he's constantly caught in cycles of gaining and losing. His mind has long been unshakable!
He once received the world's warmest love, yet lost it completely overnight; he also once received new hope, regained a new life, but this hope was entirely shattered in a day!
It doesn't matter...
Don't mind it...
No need to be concerned about so much...
This world is merely a false existence, unrelated to me; I'm just a passing visitor to this world, existing in the real reality.
This false world...
Is just meant to confuse my mind...
"Sasuke-kun..."
"You seem to have had some unusual experiences..."
Orochimaru's lips bore a smile penetrating everything as he softly spoke: "Sasuke-kun, you seem to know quite a lot about me as well. We should be quite familiar with each other, right? Furthermore, you respect Kabuto even more than I do, which seems somewhat illogical..."
"It seems..."
"Sasuke-kun's experiences should be quite extraordinary."
Orochimaru looked at Uchiha Sasuke in front of him, smilingly spread his hands wide, and softly invited: "I wonder if we have the honor to know a little more?"