Intermission: Fleeting happiness

-Tenzo Iburi POV-

"Wake up, son!"

Hm...? Who?

"Son, wake up!"

I felt like someone called me, and reluctantly I opened my eyes groggily. In front of me was a man with short brown-colored hair and a pair of eyes with matching colors. He wore a beige, raggy, sleeveless kimono and dirty brown sandals.

Figuring out who was in front of me, I became dumbfounded. It was my father, I can't believe it! I pinched my thigh, and I felt pain!

"D-dad?"

My voice cracked, I was nervous and afraid that it was just a dream. Unconsciously, my tears began to trickle like a river, my face heated up, and my breath ragged.

"Dad!"

I jumped from my straw bed and immediately tackled my father then I hugged him tightly. I felt like if I let him go, he would be gone for good.

"What's wrong, son? did you have a nightmare? Her, let daddy chase the bad dream away." My father swatted the air as if a mere gesture would be able to chase a nightmare away. But I was too happy to care.

"C'mon, son, let's have breakfast. Your mom makes your favorite dishes today, so eat a lot!" He grinned at me, I didn't want to let go of this happiness, so I nodded hurriedly. "Haha, someone is eager."

I went out of my room and sat beside the dining table. On the opposite of me, my nee-san was playing with her pencil, and it looked like she was writing something.

"It's done! Little brother, look here, I make this for you!" She showed me the picture that she drew; it was a picture of four stickmen holding hands together. "The tallest one is Dad, this one is Mom, this one here with gown is me, and this is you."

My nee-san pointed at each stickman while explaining her picture. She was so into it, I was so happy that I could see her beautiful smile.

"This picture is for you. Happy birthday, little brother!"

Eh? My birthday? Wait, I felt like I'd been through this before. But I can't recall...

"Haha, the birthday boy himself doesn't seem to remember his own birthday. This is my gift for you, son!" Dad approached me and gave me a soccer ball made of leather.

"Atta boy, remember not to play outside the cave!"

"Yes, Dad!" I said enthusiastically, who wants to play outside? This cave had almost everything for us to live.

"Ara ara, my son seems so happy. Here, eat your breakfast." A figure of a beautiful middle-aged woman came into view from the kitchen, she was my mother; her hair was long, wavy black, with blue eyes simmering with gentleness.

"Mom!" I was so happy, I couldn't believe that our family was able to be together like this again. It's like a dream come true!

My Iburi clan was seclusive and lived underground in the fire nation. We had the ability, or I rather call it a curse, to turn our bodies into smoke at will and still be able to interact with the world around us physically.

However, this ability was imperfect, causing us to occasionally transform without what we meant to it. In our smoke form, we were very vulnerable to wind as it caused us to disperse permanently and die. Because of that, my clan members did not tend to have long lives and were forced to live confined in caves or places where the wind was practically non-existent.

"My son has become a big boy now; eat a lot so you can become strong in the future," Mom said while her hand patted me on my head, which I immensely enjoyed. As I enjoyed her rubbing, I felt her pat turn softer with every pat. I hesitantly looked at her hand, and dread filled me as her hand suddenly turned into smoke.

"Ah!" She was surprised, and she turned her hand back not long after and retracted her hand, She quickly hid her shock with a loving smile, which I knew deep down she was afraid, it was the same exact feeling that everyone in our clan shared.

"Quick, finish your breakfast and help your dad feed the sheep." Mom turned and headed into the kitchen. I clenched my fist hard, I was indignant with this kind of fate, Why? Why did God make us like this? Constantly in fear of our ability activated on its own and getting out of control then being dispersed in the wind just like that.

'I hate it!'

Time passed, and it was almost time for us to have our lunch; I laid my back on the straw in my backyard and thought about the future. Suddenly, a pale man with long black hair came with the village head and pointed at me, then said. "I want this kid."

'Orochimaru-sama?' I was surprised, then something clicked inside me.

No wonder...

No wonder I felt familiar; I've been through this before. This is the day that Orochimaru picked me, the day before all of those torturous 'tests' began.

---

I snapped my eyes open and groggily surveyed my surroundings. It was all trees, swamps, and more trees. I felt my back drenched with cold sweat and took a deep breath to ease the dizziness in my head.

'So, it was just a dream after all...'

I let out a big sigh, not really sure that it was because of disappointment or relief. It may be because of the disappointment of not yet being able to meet my dear families again, or it may be because of the relief that I did not need to go through all of the 'tests' all over again. As strong as my resolve was, I was not sure that I wouldn't cross the borderline of sanity and lost my mind in the process.

I... I can't explain it; all I can say is that I was lucky to be alive and with my mind intact.

I lifted my sight and saw the position of the sun, "It's almost noon; time for the last session of Manda-sama's feeding. Tomorrow, I'll head back immediately..."

Wait for me Mom, dad, onee-san!

---

-Third POV-

Meanwhile, Kakashi and team 7 were just back from the land of Wave. They stopped by the Ichiraku ramen stall and ate their fill. Seeing the steam that came out from the pot and the smoke from the cigarette of another guest, Kakashi suddenly remembered the incident a few years back.

The Hokage himself leads a mission along with his Anbu to capture Orochimaru at one of his many caches. Avoiding a battle, Orochimaru escaped from the man who once was his teacher, putting himself on the run in the process.

On the way to the country's border, Orochimaru suffers an attack from Kakashi, which critically injured Orochimaru in the resulting attack. Sent by Danzo, Kinoe -now better known as Yamato- was on his way to a venue to help Orochimaru cross the Land of Fire's border, but once at the place where he should wait for Orochimaru, Yamato found a very peculiar clan who lives there to serve Orochimaru. One of its members, a young girl, is convinced that Yamato is her long-lost brother, Tenzo.

Kakashi remembered that it was the Iburi clan, the clan that was slaughtered by Orochimaru. The entire clan, excluding a girl named Yukimi, was captured and then killed off by Orochimaru in his disgusting attempts to find a capable way of bestowing him with their bloodline limit.

'I wonder how's that girl doing...'

Kakashi let out a big sigh as he continued to wait for his ramen to be made.