Chapter 18: The snake

Many theories revolve around the two founding clans of Konoha. Some think that the Uchiha and Senju share a common ancestry, yet this theory has never been confirmed by either clan. Others claim they can trace the clans back to before the Age of Clans when the era of shinobi was barely in its infancy. Some believe that the Uzumaki Clan is somehow tied into this mystical connection; however, their past secrecy, then extinction, has made these claims impossible to confirm. The truth has died with them.

Neither theory can be proved, as both clans guard their secrets carefully and each claim to be standalone in their power.

-Extract from the notes of a Historian-

-The Snake-

-Itachi-

"Come in."

Itachi pushed open the doors to the Hokage's office and paused. It wasn't the familiar silhouettes of his ANBU team that caused his eyes to widen beneath his bone mask, it was the tall man who stood behind the Hokage. What was this man doing in the village? Could it be that…

"I have gathered you all here for a reason," said Hiruzen, measuring the room's occupants. "Almost four days ago, a team of Konoha genin left for a mission in the Land of Rice Paddies. On the way, they encountered trouble, and after a quick interrogation of the attackers we have reasons to believe that Orochimaru was involved."

Itachi tensed. The mention of Orochimaru's name brought with it the anger and helplessness he felt at that time. His jaw muscles twitched at the thought of hunting him.

By Itachi's side, wearing his dog mask, Kakashi tensed. "Hokage-sama, what could Orochimaru be doing in the Land of Rice Paddies?"

"As of now we are unsure," replied the Hokage. He lit his pipe, taking a deep drag out of it. "The client they have escorted is an important piece for the future of that land. He carries with him the key to making the small nation more prosperous than ever before. One possibility is that Orochimaru received word of that. And if he were to get his hands on it and present it to the Rice Daimyo, he could grant himself immunity." There was steely resolve in his voice, telling them that they could not allow that to happen. "Even if the Land of Rice Paddies holds no major political influence, it is still a sovereign state and has allies. If Orochimaru were to gain political immunity, we could no longer freely hunt him."

The possibility was a chilling one. Having Orochimaru gain immunity would mean that they could not pursue him in the Land of Rice Paddies. He would have a safe haven where Konoha shinobi would have no jurisdiction. The Hokage was sure to avoid international conflict at all costs, especially with the shadow of the latest war looming over them.

Itachi was well aware of the politics guiding the shinobi system, but at times—mostly due to their absence and aloof manner— it was easy to overlook the fact that there were people up there who held even the Kages on a leash. The Damiyo's were the ones who had the final say on when wars started and which village got to be the most powerful one. Each village grew depending on the Daimyo's budget and got missions according to their will. The Daimyos were the political leaders that ultimately all shinobi served. It was because of their disputes that the Great Shinobi Wars began, killing millions of people and leaving others scarred for life.

Once a daimyo gave a decree, shinobi had to follow; this was just how things worked—one never bit the hand that fed him.

"You have the last location of Team Four on this map."

Itachi froze as he heard those words. Team Four was Yahizui's team. They were the ones that fought Orochimaru's men? His jaw twitched, hands tightening to fists. Were they all right? Did they sustain any injury?

Calm, he had to remain calm. They had Kaito with them, a veteran jounin. They were okay. She had to be okay. 

The Hokage handed a map to Kakashi. "Hatake, you're the team leader."

Kakashi's eyes widened slightly, his head turning toward the unmasked men in the room. "Sir?"

"Don't worry about me," said the tall man in a jovial tone. "Officially, I'm not here, so do your job as if I were invisible."

Easier said than done. Itachi looked over the man's very distinctive appearance and wondered how they would ever manage to keep his identity hidden.

One hour later, as they gathered to leave, he had to admit that their new addition wasn't so bad at disguising himself. Dressed in simple dark attire, with a hood over his head and a mask on he looked like any other ANBU. It was only himself, Kakashi, and Tenzo who knew he was anything but.

-Yahizui-

Awareness was slow to return to Yahizui's groggy mind. The insistent throb in her skull encompassed everything, followed closely by the sandpaper-like feeling in her throat.

Yahizui's whole body hurt.

What… happened?

As she became more aware, the pain in her head zeroed into a spot on the back of her head. With a groan, Yahizui tried to touch the back of her head, but her arms were completely unresponsive, the motion only sending a wave of agony through her shoulders. Chains rattled around her and slowly, Yahizui remembered.

She had been looking for healing plants in the forest, then the snake attacked and…Her eyes snapped open. It was Kato! He'd knocked her over the head.

As her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, Yahizui saw that the rattling sound was, in fact, the chain that held her arms up. There was a faint light coming from a crack beneath the closed door, casting long shadows on the room's objects. A lone table with different jars scattered on it, a glass shelf, and a single chair. The room was cold, with moist air that clung to her body and chilled her bones. Yahizui tried to move her arms once more, take away the numb feeling in them, but the restraints would not budge. Her wrists were bound with manacles and held away from her body with heavy chains that tied to the wall. A trickle of sweat gathered on the back of her neck and traveled down her spine.

How will she get out of here? Where was she? Would her team even find her? If Kato was the one that brought her here—and she was now just about sure that he was and that his whole sweet persona was just a façade— then was there even a chance that her team would find her? Would Hakudoshi manage to take care of Kaito and Tojiro? Had Kato turned back and knocked him out as well? Was he here? Were the rest even alive? 

The questions were torturing Yahizui, making her head pound and her breath come in panicked gasps. It could have been minutes, or even hours before her heart stopped jack-rabbiting in her chest as exhaustion swept through her. Yahizui slumped against her chains, the pain in her head pulsing with white spots beneath her closed eyelids, and succumbed to fatigue.

She jolted awake what felt like moments later, the movement twisting her abused arms.

The room was lighter than it had been, the torches on the wall giving the place a warm glow.

Someone had been there…

A chill swept through her, sending her heart rate soaring once more.

As Yahizui's gaze darted around the room, she took stock of how she was feeling. Her headache was gone, telling her that she'd been asleep for a while, though the strain on her shoulders had become excruciating over that time. How long had she been out? An hour? A day?

The better question was – who had been in here with her while she was unconscious?

Yahizui didn't have time to contemplate more than that when a bone-chilling voice cut through the air.

"You're awake, good."

Yahizui froze. A feeling of terror swept through her as out from the shadows emerged a monster that could only be from her nightmares. Pale skin stretched over a bony frame, long dark hair that hung limply over his shoulder and serpentine yellow eyes glowed in the torchlight.

The raw and malevolent energy that suddenly filled the room made her want to retch.

She knew this man, she'd seen him before. All those years ago when he had come to their open class, and then when she'd seen him in the woods. This was the man who was declared the first Konoha missing-nin in centuries!

Orochimaru.

"I'm glad you remember me, Yahizui-chan." His voice was like gravel and venom, chilling her to the bone.

She didn't like the sound of her name on his lips. She could feel the sweat trickling down her spine. She wanted to move, to get away and move somewhere far away, but the aura that flowed from Orochimaru in waves was suffocating, crawling all over her body and sticking to her like tar.

"My subordinate," Orochimaru continued in a casual tone, "told me all about you." He took a seat on the only chair in the room, slowly leaning back and crossing his legs. "He told me how you healed from our newest virus faster than any other ninja, and how resilient you are. It's very curious."

Virus… subordinate? The image of a hundred sick villagers flashed through her mind. Their feverish bodies, their blotched skin, and retching… their death— they did this… Kato did this? All those people died because of an experiment? Her team suffered, and Tojiro had almost died… on a whim?

"How c-could you…" Her voice was scratchy, and her tongue felt heavy, but deep inside Yahizui's chest, her heart throbbed with anger. Fear was forgotten, shoved aside by something more powerful, something that ignited her soul. It crawled out of her throat and left her mouth in a roar that demanded answers.

"How could you do that to them!?"

Her head snapped to the side, smacking against the wall.

Pain erupted in her jaw and head, bringing tears to her eyes and a scream to her lips.

"Silence." Orochimaru did not raise his voice, but Yahizui froze nonetheless, her heart quivering.

"You will hold your tongue my dear, or I will remove it from your mouth."

There was a promise of violence in his words, and she was sure that if pushed, he would do it. Her tears were flowing freely now, yet she was too scared to make a sound. All bravery had left her, the fire of anger doused by his ice-cold temper.

"Good, very good." He was pleased. His eyes softened, the deadly aura retreating from her body and coiling around him like a snake ready to strike. "See Yahizui-chan, if you behave and do as I say, you and I will get along wonderfully."

-Kaito-

The smell of sweat, sickness, and death was the first thing that greeted Kaito's newly awakened senses. It was a stale air that made his nostrils itch and his skin crawl. With slow movements, Kaito opened his eyes and was greeted with tendrils of light that seeped between the wooden planks of a thatched ceiling above him. His limbs felt like lead as he tried to move and his head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. Then the memories came back. He could remember a burning sensation in his system, carrying bodies to the barn, the kind eyes of a doctor, and… nothing.

"Sensei!"

Kaito looked to the side where Hakudoshi was jogging toward him with a jug of water. The boy's eyes were wide with relief as they gazed at him, but Kaito could see a new darkness there. It was the tired face of a boy that had seen too much death.

As Hakudoshi reached his cot, he expertly pulled him up and handed him a cup of water. Kaito drank quietly, enjoying how the cooling liquid traveled down his throat and into his painfully empty stomach.

"What happened?" he rasped.

Hakudoshi slowly set down the jug on a nearby surface. "I woke up yesterday. Yahizui was already awake and helping the villagers." He paused, and Kaito could see the frustration in his movements, the tension in his shoulders. "They…they keep dying. And I'm not sure what to do anymore."

Despite his demeanor, Kaito sensed there was something Hakudoshi was holding back. Something wasn't right. "Where is Yahizui now? And what of the medic?"

Hakudoshi's fists clenched, shoulders squaring as he heard the clear order in his Sensei's voice.

"About six hours ago they left to look for some herbs…They haven't returned since," Hakudoshi reported, his voice wavering at the end. "I couldn't…I wanted to go…" There was a tremble in his tone. "But I couldn't leave these people here to—"

"It's okay." Kaito placed a hand on his shoulder, feeling the tension there. It was hard to choose between what your moral code says is right and what your instincts are telling you to do, and Hakudoshi chose to do his best and take care of the villagers rather than go with the desire to search for his missing teammate.

"You did the right thing," Kaito murmured in a soft voice, hoping to bring some relief to the poor kid. "I will search for Yahizui."

Hakudoshi's eyes widened, his lips parting to say something, and then he stopped. His head bowed low, dirty white bangs concealing his expression. "Yes, sir."

Kaito slowly pushed himself to his feet, ignoring Hakudoshi's look. His muscles trembled, taxed from the ordeal his body had been through. He pushed through the weakness, forcing his sluggish chakra to circulate, to begin repairing and strengthening his muscles.

A few seconds later Kaito stopped, sagging back onto the bed, ragged breaths tearing from his lips as beads of sweat glistened on his forehead.

His chakra reserves were dangerously low, and nothing but rest would replenish them. Yet the thought of leaving Yahizui out there was unimaginable. With sluggish movements, he reached out to rummage through his pouch, fingers closing around the one item that would help him. Kaito brought the soldier pill up to his lips, his mind already telling him the warnings that had been drilled into his head since he had been a young genin. Taking one of these pills in this state might bring his reserves back to normal, or it might damage his body even further.

Without any second thoughts, Kaito popped the small pill in his mouth and crunched it between his teeth.