Chapter 881 The Fragile 'Immortality'
Recalling the abrupt disappearance of Kabuto from the Konoha Ninja Academy without any prior notice or statement, and Orochimaru's ignominious predicament where he is compelled to coexist in Kabuto's body like a parasitic entity, Kuroto understood that Orochimaru must have committed a grievous error; otherwise, he wouldn't be in such a deplorable state.
Back when they were still aiding Danzō in the Kekkei Genkai Absorption Ritual, Orochimaru had set his sights on Danzō's ‘perfect' physique, and to obtain it, he went as far as clandestinely implanting a Cursed Seal inside the old man, aiming to corrode his soul using Natural Energy and seize the ‘perfect' body.
It's regrettable that Orochimaru overestimated himself and underestimated both Danzō and the power of the ‘Kekkei Genkai Absorption Ritual.' The Cursed Seal Orochimaru secretly embedded in Danzō's body not only failed to erode his soul but also enabled Danzō to, to some extent, successfully complete the ritual and become an exemplary shinobi, which further wrought havoc upon the five great shinobi villages.
Had it not been for Kakashi severing the Chakra Absorption Network outside the Volcano, Danzō was determined to fully absorb the chakra of fifteen hundred shinobi, even if it meant their demise. Should he have succeeded, there was a high likelihood that the Yin and Yang chakra within his being would have melded completely, potentially awakening the Rinnegan on that day, leading to even greater turmoil.
Fortunately, none of those cataclysmic events came to pass, and Kuroto managed to put an end to Danzō before he could unleash any substantial devastation upon the Shinobi World. Moreover, it's not as though Kuroto gained nothing from that entire debacle. Alongside the invaluable data, Kuroto also procured a pair of Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, which he later fused with his existing pair to create a pair of Rinnegan for his backup plan.
Given his subsequent acquisitions, Kuroto harbored no anger towards Orochimaru for the trouble caused. Instead, he was intrigued to discover what had truly befallen Orochimaru to leave him in such an ignominious state.
Hearing Kuroto's derision, Orochimaru remained unperturbed and calmly confessed with a sigh, "I had an unfortunate encounter with Shimura Danzō not long ago."
Orochimaru's words caught Kuroto off guard; he hadn't anticipated Orochimaru's straightforward admission. As Kuroto expressed his surprise, Orochimaru continued, "The rumors he spread regarding a flaw in his soul were all false… His condition appears to be perfectly intact, and as for his strength… I dare say it is second only to that of Yama of Amatsukami and Nagato of Akatsuki, and he definitely surpasses them in terms of the threat level."
"Why am I not surprised?" nodded Kuroto, making no effort to conceal his astonishment. He added, "However, he seems to have vanished. The five great nations have been collectively searching for him for the past few months, yet there have been no traces thus far. Do you happen to know his whereabouts or what might be the cause of his disappearance?"