Chapter 268 - A Prisoner's Choice

Even as Sasuke was falling to the ground, Daichi's Parallel Processing skill showed him several simulations of events that might happen should the Uchiha die. The fear that Daichi felt wasn't because he sensed a danger or threat to his life but because of what his mind showed him. Of the events that might take place.

'Not good. If Sasuke dies, that news will reach Itachi and he will definitely take action and retaliate against the village. He sacrificed his own clan to keep his brother safe. When he finds out the village failed to keep their end of the deal... And that's just one problem. Orochimaru won't be pleased when he finds out about the death of his next vessel. He might attack early or he might directly attack the Hokage. And when the other villages find out what happened tonight they won't just sit back and watch as well.'

Daichi's senses were keeping a close watch on the movements of the three prisoners nearby.

'To them we lost control of our prison, and couldn't even keep the last Uchiha safe within our own walls. The Mist village won't be a problem. They have their own civil war to deal with. But The Hidden Sand village will definitely be looking for any weaknesses we might show. They will take a wait and see approach after making a cost benefit analysis. But with the financial situation they are in now, if a war starts they will definitely switch sides. The Cloud Village and the Stone village will definitely probe our defenses. Small border skirmishes will soon turn into big ones and before long war will break out. And with Itachi wanting to take revenge in the mix, things will turn chaotic fast.'

Daichi's eyes moved to the panicking Naruto who was near the falling Uchiha.

'That's not mentioning what that bastard Obito might do. If a war breaks out he will definitely use it to his advantage. He could initiate his plans early and capture the tailed beasts. Itachi would be grieving and there is a chance Obito could take advantage of Itachi in such a situation… This is why the system said destruction of the Leaf village in its quest if I failed… All because of one death.'

With the final simulation Daichi instantly knew the source of his fear. The worst scenario that could happen.

'If all the Tailed beasts are joined in the Gedo statue before I'm ready, then Kaguya will be born and it will be the end…'

Thud.

Sasuke's body hit the ground and was without any movements.

Daichi gritted his teeth as he looked at the scene. 'Damn it all. What the hell happened here today?'

—-

Leaf Village: Several hours ago.

In the Leaf Prison a man was sitting in a small cell with his arms folded and his eyes closed. To most he would seem asleep but the man was carefully keeping track of time.

He had broad shoulders, a powerful physique and shoulder length black hair. He was over six feet tall and had a somewhat light skin. He had a narrow chin and forehead but had wide cheekbones giving his face a diamond shape. He had on a standard prison uniform and was calmly sitting in his cell.

Slowly he opened his eyes and let out a deep breath of air. 'It's almost time. The Genin exams must have ended by now. It won't be long before I have to make my move.'

The man's name is Zefrek. A former special Jonin of the Hidden Leaf village.

Zefrek stood from his bench and walked up to the bars of his cell. He looked into two other specific cells and saw two people standing nonchalantly but he knew they were waiting for him to take action. He gave them an almost imperceptible nod and they understood.

A few minutes later 2 Chunin guards came and opened his cell. It was a daily routine to check the cells for any contraband.

"Up against the wall, prisoner." Kirai and one of his new fellow guards were the ones who opened Zefrek's cell.

Kirai kept a close eye on the former Special Jonin while the new Chunin guard searched the room. The veteran guard knew what today signified. And he knew that Zefrek knew it too. 'It won't be long before Mizuki comes here in disguise. I need to make sure to play a convincing hostage. The others will be forced to release Zefrek and I'll capture him just after he kills that demon brat… Mizuki gave me his word that nothing will go wrong. I'll just have to trust him on that.'

Not finding anything suspicious in the room, the Chunin gave Kirai a nod.

"Step forward. Arms up." Kirai ordered and Zefrek took a step towards the guard. He had the same blank look on his face and didn't do anything else. Kirai stepped near him and began searching the prisoner. When his hands reached Zefrek's palms he felt something unusual.

'What the?'

Before Kirai could question it, a malicious grin formed on the prisoner's face. "It's your unlucky day."

Very thin, almost invisible but sharp ninja wire fell from Zefrek's palm and he swiftly moved his arms and tied it around Kirai's neck. Before Kirai could save himself or the other guard could even react, Zefrek ran wind chakra through the ninja wire choking Kirai and immediately a deep wound was slashed open on his neck.

"Gha!"

Red liquid spewed forth from his throat and Kirai began choking on his own blood. Before the other ninja could react, he felt several small pricks in his arm from behind. He pulled the small objects and noticed that they were needles. They had a purple sheen on them, indicating that they were coated with some chemical. Seconds later the second Chunin's mouth went numb and he fell to the ground, dizzy.

The remaining two guards who were on the other side of the hall noticed the commotion and were quickly making their way towards Zefrek's cell but it was too late.

Kirai's vision blurred and he felt as if he was drowning. His strength waned with every second and he felt the cold touch of death nearing him. 'How…? How could I…?'

The man didn't even get to complete his thought before he was forced to surrender to the cold blade of the reaper.

The other guards arrived and saw Kirai on the ground flailing and then succumbing to death. The chunins looked to the other guard who was also on the ground with foam coming from his mouth.

"They're dead." "You! You'll pay for that." The two guards immediately took weapons and were on guard.

"Come and try your luck." Killing intent arose from Zefrek and he rushed at the two.

The two new chunin guards were confident. 'We can take him down. His chakra should be restricted right now.'

But the two miscalculated. Zefrek moved faster than they anticipated. A short battle ensued between the three before the prisoner killed the remaining two guards in the middle of the prison.

"Such unlucky fellows. Hahaha." Zefrek's cruel laugh rang throughout the prison. The other inmates were getting restless and enjoyed the bloody show. They banged on the walls and on their cell bars.

He looked around and raised his hands as if he was the king. "This is my prison now. I'm in control. Those of you who want your freedom… You'll obey me!"

Many roared in approval while some issued vocal challenges to his reign. But Zefrek ignored them all.

'I've kept the deal on my end. Just make sure you keep yours, Mizuki.' The Special Jonin remembered the day when Mizuki came to see him and he told him of the plan.

Flashback.

Mizuki looked at Kirai and spoke. "We're doing the right thing. For the Leaf village and its people."

"For the Leaf village and its people. I've sent the other guards home. You have a couple of hours before the next shift comes. Have you picked out who you wanted to do this?" Kirai asked as he led Mizuki to a secluded section inside the prison.

"Yes." The academy instructor nodded. "And now I just need to convince him to help us. Stay here. There is no need to implicate yourself any further."

Kirai nodded and stood at the entrance to a steel door while Mizuki went inside. He searched for his target and soon found the man sitting in a corner tossing a small rubber ball up and down. The academy instructor's lips curled up as he looked at the man.

'Zefrek. Former Special Jonin of the Leaf village. Imprisoned for killing civilians from neighboring small villages and stealing their money. A dangerous man with near Jonin level skills. Sentenced to prison for life. He's perfect for my plans.'

Mizuki walked up to his cell and stood outside. Zefrek took note of his presence and looked at the silver haired Chunin but then turned his attention back to his rubber ball. There were no other prisoners nearby so it was just the two.

"You look like you're making productive use of your time." Mizuki opened the cell door and leaned against the wall inside with arms crossed.

"Get lost Leaf ninja. I don't like to be bothered."

Mizuki chuckled as he expected that reaction. "Now now. Is that anyway to talk to your new friend?"

Zefrek caught the ball and looked at Mizuki with a frown. "You're not my friend. I don't have time for some weakling guard looking to boost their ego." The prisoner went back to tossing the ball and ignored the silver haired man.

Seeing this the smile on Mizuki's face vanished. 'Such disrespect. If he wasn't part of my plan I'd have killed him.'

"You will make time for me if you want your freedom."

Zefrek noticed the change in Mizuki's tone and looked at him. 'My freedom?'

"What are you talking about?"

Mizuki inwardly smirked seeing that he finally had the man's attention. "The Leaf village has sentenced you here for life because of your crimes. But what if I told you that you can have your freedom in a few months?"

Hearing that the prisoner's eyes narrowed. "You better not be messing around. Or I'll kill you."

"Hahaha… Please Zefrek. You and I both know you're not in any position to threaten me. Your chakra is blocked. You're no danger to me."

Zefrek clenched his fists and stood. He looked at Mizuki as if he wanted to kill the man but a few seconds later he let out a deep breath of air and relaxed his muscles. 'He's right. If I fight him right now, I'll die…'

"Well then, let's hear what you have to say. I have nothing better to do anyway." He crossed his arms and sat back down on his bench.

"I know you hate the village for imprisoning you. Well, I'm here to tell you that you're not the only one the village and its leaders keep in check..."

Zefrek narrowed his eyes and looked at the man. "You hate them too don't you?"

"Yes. Very much. They've been holding me back for far too long. They'll pay for that." Mizuki replied with a sneer.

Zefrek wasn't interested in Mizuki's grudge but was more keen on learning how he could escape. "You said something about my freedom. What are you on about?"

"The next Academy graduation is on March 20th. On that day I plan to leave the village. But escaping the patrol guards is not going to be easy. So I could use someone with your skills."

"Escape where? We'll be wanted everywhere and they'll be sending Anbu after us. We'd be dead soon after we leave."

"Not if we have a strong ally to protect us. Someone the Leaf fears."

Zefrek shook his head. "Do you really think the other great villages would trust us? We betrayed our own village. If we go to any one of them, they'll capture and interrogate us and then execute us when we're of no value."

Mizuki shook his head. "I wasn't talking about going to another Great Nation. I was thinking about an individual."

"Who?"

A wide grin formed on Mizuki's face. "Lord Orochimaru."

The prisoner's eyes widened when he heard that name. "You can't be serious."

"I am. He's the best chance for us to not only survive but become more powerful."

"And what if he decides to just kill us or use us as one of his experiments?"

The academy instructor shook his head. "He won't. Because we're going to prove our value to him and we won't be going empty handed."

Mizuki's confidence stopped Zefrek. He looked at the man for several seconds in silence and then spoke. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

"On the day of the Academy graduation, we'll be leaving the village with the Forbidden Scroll. We'll cause havoc on the village in the process and then make our way to Lord Orochimaru. We'll be the ones to bring him one of the most treasured jutsu scrolls of the village. He'll definitely see our value and take us under him. At that point not only will you have your freedom, but you'll also have the opportunity to become more powerful… Now tell me. Are you still interested?"

Zefrek thought about what Mizuki said. He was weighing the pros and cons of the plan Mizuki proposed.

'Orochimaru is a psychopath and he won't hesitate to kill us. But he's also strong and many fear him. I've heard rumors that he even has some clans from smaller villages working for him. The Forbidden scroll and chaos in this village would certainly put us in a good light with him. If he accepts me, I can become much more powerful and once I become strong enough, I'll just escape if I want to leave… Yes… The alternative is to spend my remaining time here in this wretched prison… So take the risk, go to Orochimaru and become powerful or stay here and live out the rest of my days in these walls till I die.'

A few seconds later a wide grin appeared. "Alright Mizuki. What the hell. I'm in."

"Excellent. I had a feeling you might come around."

"So what's the plan?"

Mizuki smiled and began laying out his strategy to escape.