Life as Uchiha Itachi

"Turning people with no blood relation into true siblings, huh…" 

Orochimaru murmured softly, setting aside the oddity of the idea. 

Itachi, meanwhile, gazed at Orochimaru with an impassive expression, though his calm demeanor was a mere façade. 

Deep down, he knew that if Orochimaru couldn't solve this problem, no one else in the world could. 

This realization left him with no choice but to abandon his own plans. 

---

"Explain the situation," Orochimaru prompted. 

The issue Itachi brought up—something related to bloodlines—happened to fall squarely within Orochimaru's area of expertise. 

After all, there wasn't anyone more knowledgeable about the human body, cells, and genetics than him. 

"I have a friend… His friend passed away, and he's devastated. So, he wants to use this method to carry on his friend's lineage…" 

Itachi's opening line—"I have a friend…"—was little more than an excuse. What followed was almost entirely fabricated. 

"Dead, huh…" 

After hearing Itachi's explanation, Orochimaru fell silent for a moment, lost in thought. 

"You're talking about Shisui, aren't you?" 

Orochimaru's sharp mind was almost supernatural. With just a few words, he pierced through Itachi's flimsy story. 

---

Orochimaru's intelligence left Itachi momentarily stunned. 

He hadn't expected Orochimaru to be so astute. It was truly terrifying. 

A sense of dread welled up inside him, and unbidden, a killing intent began to emanate from his body. This feeling of losing control made him deeply uncomfortable. 

Noticing the flash of fierceness in Itachi's eyes and the rising killing intent, Orochimaru merely smiled faintly, unfazed. 

To be honest, Orochimaru had killed so many people that the number of lives he'd taken likely far exceeded the number of people Itachi had ever met. 

Such weak killing intent was nothing more than an amateurish display to him. 

"Everyone knows about your relationship with Shisui." 

Recalling Itachi's mention of the Mangekyō Sharingan, a spark of excitement flickered in Orochimaru's heart, though he spoke calmly. 

He had no desire to sour their relationship unnecessarily. 

---

Truthfully, he was tempted to strike now and take Itachi's eyes for himself. But since Itachi had come to him of his own accord, that no longer seemed necessary. 

If a fight did break out, victory wasn't guaranteed. 

Orochimaru understood the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan all too well. Even though the descriptions in historical texts were sparse, they hinted at earth-shattering and terrifying abilities. 

After all, the more concise a historical record, the graver the matter; conversely, the longer the account, the more trivial the event. 

Hearing Orochimaru's words, Itachi's expression softened. 

"Can you do it?" Itachi asked quietly. 

In truth, he believed it was highly possible. After all, this world was far from the one he had known in his previous life. 

Here, resurrection and reincarnation were common occurrences. Compared to those, altering bloodlines and genes shouldn't be that challenging. 

---

"It's not a big issue, but right now, I'm with the Akatsuki. Most of my time is spent on missions, so I don't have the leisure to research this." 

Orochimaru responded with a faint smile, exuding confidence. 

Clearly, he was hinting at negotiation. 

His interest in the Akatsuki was mostly curiosity; he could leave anytime he wanted. 

To him, this world was a place where he could come and go as he pleased. 

In the original timeline, if not for falling victim to Itachi's Totsuka Blade, he could have continued his carefree and unrestrained life right up to the end. 

Orochimaru's nearly invincible Body Replacement Technique ensured his survival. 

Only the weakening of his soul from successive reincarnations posed any real vulnerability. 

---

"I can't give you my Mangekyō Sharingan. If I do, I won't be able to use it myself. I can only provide you with some cells from a Mangekyō Sharingan." 

Itachi, fully aware of Orochimaru's underlying intentions, replied calmly. 

Of course, he had no intention of giving Orochimaru his own Mangekyō cells. Instead, he planned to extract some cells from Fugaku's Mangekyō to offer. 

"You're straightforward, Itachi. Cells will suffice, but I may need you to provide them multiple times," Orochimaru said with a sly smile. 

For someone like Orochimaru, a single cell was enough to create an entire army. 

However, the Mangekyo Sharingan is indeed quite absurd; it requires repeated generation and cloning for perfection. That's why it's necessary to extract it several times.

…

"Sure!" 

Itachi nodded lightly in response. After all, Fugaku's Mangekyo Sharingan wasn't something he planned to use himself. 

He intended to implant it into Sasuke later to help him awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. This would be the only thing Itachi could do for his past self.

Though he wondered if Sasuke could still awaken the Mangekyo without his death...

"Deal."

Itachi's answer made Orochimaru feel satisfied.

"By the way, your summoning beast is impressive. Could you let me sign a contract for it?" 

Looking at the pleased expression on Orochimaru's face, Itachi asked softly. 

He wasn't particularly interested in the snake itself; his interest lay more in the Sage Techniques. 

The Uchiha clan was more suited to learning the techniques of Ryuchi Cave. 

From Sasuke's Heaven Curse Mark in the original story, it was evident how compatible the Uchiha clan was with Ryuchi Cave's Sage Techniques. 

After all, Orochimaru's curse mark was derived from natural energy and Sage Techniques. 

It was a regret that Orochimaru himself couldn't cultivate Sage Techniques...

…

"Of course."

Hearing Itachi's request, Orochimaru agreed without hesitation or a second thought.

In the past, his pursuit was immortality. Now, he focused on perfecting his immortality techniques and conducting research.

To unravel the unknown was his greatest lifelong pursuit. 

This dedication was what gave him such achievements in scientific research.

When Orochimaru pulled out a large scroll from his mouth, Itachi felt a mix of emotions.

Especially since the scroll was covered in slime…

However, as Orochimaru opened the scroll to reveal the clean parchment inside, Itachi sighed in relief.

He hadn't realized he had a slight case of OCD, but his instinctive reaction just now confirmed it.

Honestly, it was hard not to comment. Orochimaru put *everything* into his mouth…

Since the crows were jointly raised by Shisui and Itachi, Itachi successfully signed his second summoning beast contract.

With a palm print and the deal sealed, everything was settled.

If the summoned snake ever disobeyed or rebelled, a good beating would take care of it.

…

"Do you have equipment to extract cells? If you do, I can help you extract them now." 

After signing the summoning scroll, Itachi felt satisfied. Orochimaru's straightforwardness and convenience gave him a clearer understanding of the man. 

If not for his weak and frail body, Itachi would have gone straight to asking for Hashirama's cells. 

But it could only remain a thought for now. Even though the Uchiha had a natural advantage when facing Hashirama's cells, 

the cells' overwhelming vitality was no joke.

More importantly, Itachi wouldn't allow Orochimaru to inject him. If Orochimaru had ulterior motives during the process of taming and assimilating the cells, it would be game over for Itachi.

He wouldn't hand over his life so easily.

"I do have the tools, and it's not as complicated as you think."

Unaware of Itachi's concerns, Orochimaru pulled out a sealing scroll and then took out… a small syringe?

"???"

"Relax. Just a tiny bit will do; I won't drain you dry." 

Seeing Itachi's confused expression, Orochimaru chuckled softly. 

After all, the syringe in his hand was as thick as a pinky finger. If filled, even the Mangekyo Sharingan would be useless afterward…

"How much is 'a tiny bit'?" 

Itachi asked weakly, resembling a child about to have their blood drawn, staring warily at a sinister doctor…

"Just enough to coat the needle tip."

Orochimaru replied with a kind expression.

"Also, I have a bottle of medicine here. You can apply a few drops to your eyeball, and it'll heal the wound from the needle." 

As if remembering something, Orochimaru pulled out a small vial with his other hand and spoke gently.

… 

---read more inpatreon

belamy20