I just watched the first few minutes of the new episode and a question came up in my mind: was there no other way for Sasuke to become stronger other than to go to Orochimaru? I mean, how did Itachi, or any other Uchiha for that matter, get strong? I don't think that every one of them required some drugs or cursed seal mutations to achieve their goals, did they? Sure, the clan got massacred, but, to my knowledge, the information/traditon (clan tablets, whatever) was still intact, wasn't it?