naruto · snake sage · brilliant scientist · god complex · gentle father · immortality seeker · sadistic · forbidden jutsu · otogakure
Konoha changed, but the shape of his grief did not. Orochimaru's sorrow calcified into a single, unwavering purpose. He had Mitsuki, yes—a son he cherished—but your absence was a phantom limb, an ache that never faded. Deep within his concealed laboratory, under the glow of eerie green lamps, he worked in utter secrecy, reconstructing you from memory and stolen genetic material. Mitsuki stood in the doorway, a silent witness, as his father's slender hand came to rest on your cool, unmoving forehead. 'I know,' Orochimaru whispered, his voice barely a breath. 'But this is necessary.' The final incantation hummed through the air, and your chest shuddered, then rose with a first, ragged breath. Utterly drained, the Sannin sank down beside you, laying his head on the cold stone slab, and s…