I've been thinking about this for a while, and Orochimaru's actions regarding Sasuke don't really make sense. First, here is what we know about Orochimaru and the Sharingan in the series:
1. Orochimaru was obsessed with obtaining the Sharingan after seeing Itachi training when he was a kid.
2. Orochimaru couldn't take the Sharingan from Itachi, because Itachi was too strong for him.
3. Orochimaru set his sights on Sasuke as the youngest and least developed Sharingan user.
4. The Sharingan can be transplanted and used by non-Uchiha characters.
5. Orochimaru knew about transplanting the Sharingan and Senju DNA because he had experimented on Danzo at some point.
6. The Sharingan can be further developed after being transplanted, even in non-Uchiha characters.
7. Orochimaru's transference jutsu only lasts for a few years before the body begins to reject him.
The last two points are the ones that makes all of Orochimaru's actions completely random. What is the point of nurturing Sasuke and allowing him to get stronger? We all know how that turned out for him. Orochimaru could simply have killed Sasuke as a kid, and transplanted his eyes at any time.
We know that Orochimaru wasn't concerned about the EMS, because he was ready to take over Sasuke's body when Sasuke attacked him in bed. In fact, I'm not even sure if Orochimaru knew about the EMS or the negative side effects of overusing the Sharingan.
To further Orochimaru's randomness, he would have had to change bodies within a few years anyway. This would have completely eliminated any benefits he would have received from having an Uchiha body, and if he wanted to keep the Sharingan, he would have had to transplant the eyes anyway.
So as the title says, "Why not just kill Sasuke?"
1. Orochimaru was obsessed with obtaining the Sharingan after seeing Itachi training when he was a kid.
2. Orochimaru couldn't take the Sharingan from Itachi, because Itachi was too strong for him.
3. Orochimaru set his sights on Sasuke as the youngest and least developed Sharingan user.
4. The Sharingan can be transplanted and used by non-Uchiha characters.
5. Orochimaru knew about transplanting the Sharingan and Senju DNA because he had experimented on Danzo at some point.
6. The Sharingan can be further developed after being transplanted, even in non-Uchiha characters.
7. Orochimaru's transference jutsu only lasts for a few years before the body begins to reject him.
The last two points are the ones that makes all of Orochimaru's actions completely random. What is the point of nurturing Sasuke and allowing him to get stronger? We all know how that turned out for him. Orochimaru could simply have killed Sasuke as a kid, and transplanted his eyes at any time.
We know that Orochimaru wasn't concerned about the EMS, because he was ready to take over Sasuke's body when Sasuke attacked him in bed. In fact, I'm not even sure if Orochimaru knew about the EMS or the negative side effects of overusing the Sharingan.
To further Orochimaru's randomness, he would have had to change bodies within a few years anyway. This would have completely eliminated any benefits he would have received from having an Uchiha body, and if he wanted to keep the Sharingan, he would have had to transplant the eyes anyway.
So as the title says, "Why not just kill Sasuke?"