Negotiations

The rest of the day went by like a flash for Mizuki, as despite his best efforts and the celebratory atmosphere surrounding the now chunin, he could hardly force a smile on his face.

Instead, emotions of anxiousness and fear gnawed at his consciousness.

After all, even if he was a chunin now, with the power of some of the weaker Tokebetsu Jonin, that was still nothing in front of one of the Sanin.

And that is not taking to account that he is weakened at the moment.

He may be better compared to the days prior, but that did not change the fact that he still had some minor side effects leftover, which hampered his combat abilities.

Needless to say, never was it said that somebody was genuinely looking forward to a meeting with Orochimaru.

Anxious? Definitely.

Scheming? You bet.

Fearful? Without doubt.

Literally any positive emotions whatsoever? Maybe when Hell freezes over.

Regardless of these emotions, Mizuki faked his way through the remainder of the day, acting like all was fine as all of the finalists all celebrated their successes by visiting the all you can eat barbeque spot.

Partially for their desire for delicious food, but more so because of its status as an "all you can eat" restaurant.

Luckily for Mizuki, time passed, and eventually, he excused himself to get Anko back to the hospital by the end of the visitation period.

As they left the restaurant, a few sarcastic quips came from the group as they all teased them about their relationship, not knowing about what had transpired at the hospital days prior.

To this, Anko simply gave a knowing chuckle as she allowed herself to be pushed away, deciding to enjoy the moment of the two of them alone.

Along the way back, Mizuki and Anko idly chatted about several different topics, before at last arriving at the hospital.

Upon their arrival, Mizuki helped Carry Anko out of the wheelchair and into her hospital bed, much to her joy.

And, when nobody was looking, the boy subtly gave her a container filled with an extra portion of food that he had made that morning.

Mizuki: "You have a good time today Anko?"

Anko: "Yah, it was pretty fun."

Mizuki: "When the doctor say your gonna get out?"

Anko: "So far they are saying another couple of days, but I'm hoping to get out tomorrow."

Doctor: "Visitation is closing now, you need to leave now sir."

Mizuki: "Well that's my queue, good luck with getting out. Get well soon"

Saying those words, Mizuki gave her an affectionate smile before walking away, thanking the doctor as he left.

. . . . .

After leaving the hospital, Mizuki walked towards the edge of town, using some chakra to enhance his stride, although not as much as normal.

He eventually arrived at a seemingly inconspicuous building on the outskirts of Konoha.

However, despite the seemingly average exterior to the house, something just felt off.

Something felt not quite right.

And whilst most people would barely notice it, or if they did, they would be simply slightly unnerved and forget about it a couple of hours later, Mizuki was different.

He knew exactly what kind of shit had happened under the guise of the seemingly innocent house.

Mizuki took a deep breath in before lightly exhaling, now ready.

He opened the door and expertly navigated the structure before at last arriving at the entrance to the lab, reminiscing about his original thoughts when he first entered it months prior.

Mizuki: {And into the jaws of the beast we go}

. . . . .

Mizuki descended into the abyss as he methodically walked down the stairs, the area being barely illuminated by the torches placed sparingly along the walls.

Some time passed, and Mizuki eventually reached the bottom of the stairs, now walking into the hallway of structure.

Mizuki: {You know what? I'm getting really sick of that pain in the ass of a staircase there should be a fucking elevator.}

Mizuki walked down the corridor before standing outside the door to Orochimaru's private study.

The place where he would surely be.

Mizuki muttered to himself slightly before lightly knocking on the door.

Orochimaru: "It's open"

Mizuki opened the door to see Orochimaru sitting across from him at his desk.

Across his table, a mess of notes and books were scattered, all about Orochimaru's newest pet project.

Orochimaru: "I have to say Mizuki, you really did outdo yourself with your performance in the chunin exams."

Mizuki: "Thank you sensei, I am getting the impression that, and this are somewhat related?"

Orochimaru: "That would not be a mistaken notion."

Orochimaru: "The unique Jutsu you have displayed in the Chunin exams both are ones which I find . . . Interesting"

Orochimaru: "And so, I would simply like to propose something. A trade of sorts."

Orochimaru: "Some of your Jutsu for some of mine. Relatively simple, no?"

Hearing the offer Mizuki pondered to himself for a moment before raising his head, looking Orochimaru directly in the eye,

Mizuki: "The White Flames are not for sale, but the Fuinjutsu is if your interested."

Orochimaru: "Surely you can't be serious, whilst the fuinjutsu is impressive, we both know the flames are what drive the deal here."

Mizuki: "The flames are simply a non-negotiable, having a way to extract chakra should be more than enough for a researcher like you. Its utility is nearly priceless."

Mizuki: "Besides, we all have skeletons that we would rather not drag out of our closets. You don't ask for the white flames, I don't ask for Edo Tensei, and we all walk away happy."

Orochimaru thought about Mizuki's words briefly before responding.

Orochimaru: "Fair enough, but I want some of your work as my assistant to venture into the Fuinjutsu field as well, can you do that?"

Mizuki: "I am nowhere near qualified as you in the field, but I have a couple of tricks""

Orochimaru: "Excellent. Now. As for the Jutsu you want?"

Mizuki did not hesitate before responding.

Knowing full well what he wanted.

Mizuki: "is it ok if instead of having a Jutsu, I ask for something else instead?"

Orochimaru: "Depends on what that something else is..."

Mizuki: "Having you as a contact if I ever need to meet Danzo."

Hearing these words, the look of amusement on Orochimaru's face only grew.

Orochimaru: "Oh? And what makes you think I have that?"

Mizuki: "There is no way in hell that you can have all of this freedom to conduct your personal experiments and create giant labs and NOT have someone on the inside."

Mizuki: "Your good, but this type of operation would always create a trail, no matter how hard you hide it."

Mizuki: "Danzo is the only son of a bitch high up enough or powerful enough to qualify"

Mizuki: "Also, there is no way that Idate went from average to prodigy in just shy of half a year without extraordinary measures. My bet is on a mix of the experiments and Root training."

Orochimaru: "Ohoho, I must say Mizuki, you never stop surprising me. You truly are the most interesting assistant I have ever had. Yes, I can get you the contact, just let me know when you need it."

Mizuki: "Excellent, So, I will drop off the scroll containing the instructions for the Jutsu and provide clarification if needed during my next shift?"

Orochimaru: "Perfect."

With those words, the two of them simply shook one another's hand, before Mizuki turned around and walked towards the door.

However, just as Mizuki was about to open the door, he was interrupted by Orochimaru.

Orochimaru: "Oh, and by the way. . . ."

Orochimaru: "Welcome to the Big Boys table Mizuki."