Capítulo 8: Chapter 8
Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Kishimoto-sensei.
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When Rat told her that there were a lot of dangerous species in the Forest of Death, she didn't think much of his not-so-subtle warning. Hearing about it was one thing, but seeing with her own eyes was another. After merely one hour into the forest, Kurotsuchi had already seen enough animals for a lifetime. Maybe that was an exaggeration, but after having seen a giant centipede the size of an oak tree and trees tripling their usual size, she had a feeling that nothing was going to surprise her anymore. The eerie silence and the occasional sounds of leaves rustling elevated the tension and trepidation of those who entered the ominous place, making them feel as if they were preys being watched by lurking predators waiting to pounce on them the moment their guards were lowered.
And that had only been a brief walk-through in the western section of the forest, merely a last minute inspection before the second part of the exam started. She felt pity for those Genin who were going to be stuck in here for five days fighting to survive on top of completing the exam qualification. But that was what being a Chūnin entailed. One had to be willing to accept dangers as part of their jobs, no more babysitting from their Jōnin instructor.
Exiting the entrance of the forest, Kurotsuchi and Rat were met with the scene of a sizable gathering of Genin standing outside the steel gate of the training ground forty-four.
After a few seconds of scanning through them, the Iwa kunoichi recognized the two teams of her village. "So, they've made it?" She rhetorically asked, smirking in excitement.
Noticing the hint of pride in her words, Rat silently nodded. The Konoha counterparts weren't bad either. The dubbed 'Konoha Nine' which comprised of Team 7, 8, and 10 had gotten through the written test. Considering most of them were from Shinobi clans, it wasn't that surprising though.
Upon the sight of a violet-haired woman wearing a tan coat over her mesh bodysuit and orange miniskirt, Rat immediately stiffened. He gulped nervously and unconsciously took a step back, his hands involuntarily twitching. Much to his chagrin, their eyes met as soon as all the Genin dashed into the forest. And his heart almost skipped a beat. It may have been her sadistic nature and antics that freaked him out, or it could also have been the fact that he had recently pulled a prank on her. Suddenly, he was enlightened of the ramification of his joke by the glint in her brown eyes and her licking her lips. Rat had never regretted his decisions as much as this one.
Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow, confused by Rat's change in demeanor. A minute ago, he was calm and relaxed; now he was shaking in nervousness like a child being caught red-handed. It was when she turned to the direction of his attention that she knew why.
A kunai whizzed past her cheek and would have hit its target if Rat hadn't flickered away.
The violet-haired woman slowly walked toward Kurotsuchi, an impish grin displayed on her face while her eyes were scanning left and right. "Come out and play, little rat. Come out so I can bite you." she uttered in a sing-song voice, followed by her malevolent giggle. Then her eyes landed upon the younger girl.
"The name's Anko. Nice to meet you," the violet-haired woman introduced herself, playfulness noticeably gone in her tone. Her sudden shift in attitude caught the Iwa kunoichi by surprise for a second.
"Oh- I'm Kurotsuchi. Nice to meet you, too." The younger girl returned the pleasantry, feeling a little nervous when Anko lightly grabbed her shoulders.
Returning her attention to her initial target, Anko yelled aloud, "I've got your friend now. Come out, or I'll kill her!"
"Ehhhhhhh!" Kurotsuchi was flabbergasted by what she heard.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Rat's voice rang aloud, though a little shaky, from somewhere in the trees.
"Why not?" Anko replied back, a smirk on her face. A hissing sound emitted as a snake slithered from within her coat and started to crawl onto the pink-eyed kunoichi.
Unbeknownst to the other two figures, Kurotsuchi started to sweat, her heart starting to beat faster and faster and her eyes getting watery all of a sudden. Everything about the woman just spelled danger. Snake...For a second, the image of a pale face with yellow eyes overlapped the violet-haired woman's countenance. The final straw was when Anko leaned close to her left ear and menacingly licked the girl's cheek.
Kurotsuchi pulled out a kunai in an instant and wildly swiped at Anko who luckily managed to dodge out of insane reaction. "S-stay away from me!" Kurotsuchi yelled, hyperventilating as she shakily held her kunai.
"What the fuck?!" Anko cussed at the girl's sudden attack.
Rat cursed silently at what he just saw and jumped down from the trees. He didn't knew she would react that badly. Landing next to Kurotsuchi but still giving her some space, Rat raised his hands in submission and tried to calm her down. "Calm down, Kurotsuchi! Calm down."
The Iwa kunoichi then shifted her eyes to Rat, and he saw fear in them. He slowly reached for her hand to remove the kunai pointing at his friend. "It's okay. I'm here." Rat said softly.
"But she's-"
"A friend. That was just a joke. She's not going to hurt you. I promise." Rat reassured.
Hearing that, Anko put away her own kunai and raised her hands, trying to appear as unintimidating as possible. She didn't expect her joke would backfire like that. Hell, she couldn't even register what the hell happened.
Kurotsuchi glanced at Anko wearily before looking at Rat. Then her heartbeat slowed down, and her stiffen body loosened up a little bit.
"Trust me." Rat said as gently as possible before grasping the kunai in Kurotsuchi's hand. The girl let it go willingly, and the tense atmosphere started to dissipate. The young ANBU let out a breath that he didn't know he had been holding.
Meanwhile, Anko looked at the Iwa kunoichi, who had dropped down on her knees while Rat was soothingly stroking her back. There was a curious frown on Anko's face as she tried to decipher the situation.
Was it her licking that freaked out the girl? Or was it her snake? If it were the snake, then the girl must have been painfully traumatized by snakes, so much so to react in such a violent manner... Could she be like her? For a moment, the Tokubetsu Jōnin dreadfully suspected the girl might have also been cursed by her former master.
After seeing Anko clasping her neck where her curse seal was, Rat shook his head when they made eye contact. Anko sighed in relief. As much sadistic tendencies she seemed to have, Anko would never want anyone to go through what she had.
"What happened to her?" Anko mouthed to Rat. Before he could answer though, two male Chūnin appeared in front of them.
"Anko-san, ANBU-san, there is a disturbance in the cemetery. We thought this require your attention," said one of the Chūnin, earning a grunt from the violet-haired woman.
"Alright, let's check it out," replied Anko, partly because it was her job to make sure everything run smoothly during the second course of the exam for which she was responsible, and partly because she wanted to get out of the awkward situation she may have had instigated. She then looked at Rat, prompting him to give a response.
"I'll take Kurotsuchi back to her inn. If there's anything you need from me, you know what to do." Rat said while gently helping the girl up.
Anko nodded and looked at the shaken girl for a second before taking off to the potential crime scene.
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(Iwagakure)
In the office at the top floor of the Tsuchikage tower occupied the incumbent leader of the Hidden Stone village and one of his trusted Black Ops agent. The red masked ANBU, donning the same outfit as the regular Iwa Shinobi, was kneeling in front of Ōnoki while a thoughtful expression adorned the old man's face. Ōnoki had sent the elite agent on a mission to investigate the case of his granddaughter's kidnapping as he found the incident very suspicious.
The culprit was very daring, perhaps too daring in Ōnoki's opinion, to outright capture a direct descendant of the strongest Shinobi in Iwagakure. Ōnoki refused to believe that even the notorious criminal known for capturing Shinobi with special abilities for his inhuman experiments would dare to execute such a plan. Unless he was reassured that no one would be able to expose him as the perpetrator.
And with that logic, that reassurance must have come from someone inside the government. Most importantly, someone who knew of Kurotsuchi's schedules to the details. The timing was too perfect to be of pure luck. The kidnapper(s) were able to pinpoint exactly when and where she would be alone with no one within her vicinity. And what he was hearing just further confirmed his suspicion.
"You're saying that Elder Akashi was seen having a secret meeting with an unidentifiable personnel?" Ōnoki asked, frowning in disappointment when he was informed that the son of his late friend was allegedly involved in the case. The Tsuchikage always knew that Nobu had his own agenda, but to think that he would dare to go behind Onoki's back like that.
The red masked ANBU gave a firm nod. "Yes, Tsuchikage-sama."
"And that person wore a black cloak with red clouds?"
"Positive, sir."
Onoki's face turned grim after the description was relayed to him. How did Nobu get in contact with the Akatsuki?
The Tsuchikage himself was one of the only few who knew of the S-rank missing-nin organization, having hired them for several underhanded missions in the past. He knew the Akatsuki were not to be messed with. Things always turn ugly whenever they were involved.
Had he become too old and blind now to not see the mole within his own circle of entourage? "When was it?" He asked wearily, dreading the answer.
"Approximately a month ago. In the eastern district."
The Tsuchikage wanted to say that he saw this one coming. The eastern district was the infamous section of the village, where shady businesses such as black markets and entertainment industries based their headquarters. Each was controlled by respective gangs. The place was almost a total anarchy. Fights habitually broke out between rival gangs, and the shinobi force would simply let them slide as long as the fights didn't evolve into anything collateral, or the public properties didn't get too damaged.
The general populace of Iwagakure understandably steered away from that part of the village, not wanting to associate with gang activities. Funnily enough, despite its fearsome reputation, the eastern section had never caused too much severe disorders for the village as a whole. In fact, those gangs had financially supported the shinobi government of Iwagakure, providing funds to rebuild necessary infrastructures and make reparations after the Third War ended.
Ōnoki initially rejected the prospect of dealing with those elusive businessmen, but the village's dire state had forced his hands. In his tenure as the Tsuchikage, he was constantly reminded that strength wasn't everything when it came to ruling a village or any establishment. There had to be room for money and politics. Unless you were dealing with god-level madmen whose goal was to subjugate the whole world.
It didn't come as a surprise when traces of corruption and favoritism were found, but he had occasionally turned a blind eye to them, thinking no serious consequences would befall upon the integrity of the village in the grand picture. However, given the recently surfacing rumors of human trafficking, the decrepit Tsuchikage was starting to regret his decision. His fear was on the brink of becoming reality.
Now that he heard one of the village elders was seen allegedly having a conversation with an unknown figure in that area, Ōnoki gathered his resolve. Actions had to be taken.
"Bring that informant here. I need him to testify so that our allegation would bear weight."
"At once," The kneeling ANBU saluted his leader before disappearing with a new order.
Ōnoki looked into the distance through his office window, his mind disturbed by how complicated and delicate the matter had become. He was hoping things wouldn't get to this point. But problems always laid await.
If Nobu had really acquired the backing of the Akatsuki, Ōnoki would have to be careful with his approach as he didn't know who else had already gotten behind the rebellious Elder. He had to retain the element of surprise, otherwise a civil war would erupt sooner than it should, and he could do nothing to prevent it.
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(Konohagakure – Inn of the Iwa's envoy)
Putting a tea bag each, Rat poured the hot water into the two cups. He let out a sigh as he looked at Kurotsuchi. For 15 minutes, she had been sitting in silence in the living room, still looking dazed. He had no idea she hadn't recovered yet, at least mentally, from the incident. Then again, he had no idea that the Third Tsuchikage would send his granddaughter to their rival village as emissary this shortly after what had happened to her either.
Walking toward the wooden table, Rat put down the tea cups fairly loudly on the table, intentionally so to gauge Kurotsuchi's reaction to the sudden sound. Seeing her remaining quiet, Rat discreetly smiled, relieved that she had gotten a bit calmer.
"You should have told me that it's still bothering you. I wouldn't have taken you along into the forest," said Rat.
"I was fine until she showed up," Kurotsuchi replied, though nervously gulping when mentioning Anko.
"She's a good person, you know." Seeing the girl still not looking convinced, Rat continued, "She won't be happy if she knows I said this. But, she's a victim just like you. In fact, she's had it worse."
Kurotsuchi looked up, her eyebrows raised at what she was hearing.
Noticing her piqued curiosity, Rat revealed, "Anko was actually Orochimaru's former student when he was still loyal to Konoha. One day, he took her on a study trip, but she was reported to have come back alone and with a curse mark on her neck as well. So believe me when I say she might be the one who despises the Snake Sannin the most."
The Iwa kunoichi was speechless. But how could a person act so much like the one they hated the most?
"But she's so-"
"Similar to him? I know. She's eccentric, I admit, but not exactly like him. She was betrayed by the one person who took interest in her. He ruined her life and cast her away. Some villagers and shinobi hadn't treated her fairly either. But her loyalty to the village remains firm and unbreakable. She trains everyday so that one day she could pay back what Orochimaru did to her."
"And she could still hold up all this time?"
"Yeah. I don't know how either, but somehow she managed to. And I think you can too."
Kurotsuchi looked down at her cup of tea, her mind still reeling around the idea of a person dealing with such curse in her life, both literally and metaphorically.
"But worry not. You'll be safe because I'm here." Rat reassured, with a bit of playfulness in his words. The sight of him tapping his chest smugly earned a giggle from his friend.
"Is that so? Then how come you ran away from her faster than me noticing her?" Kurotsuchi jabbed back.
"Hey! She could have killed me. She would. Did you see the look on her face? Damn, my balls are still shaking from her creepy laugh."
"Ew, gross!"
Then the two burst out laughing as the earlier somber atmosphere seemed to dissipate.
"Thank you, Rat." Kurotsuchi softly said as she looked at the blond's eyes through the holes on his mask. The cereal blue orbs seemed to emit a calming and alluring effect as she gazed at them. She had her own opinion regarding the saying of the eyes being the window to the soul, but for the time being, she didn't want to avert her attention from them. Maybe if she held her gaze at them long enough, she would be able to truly understand their owner even further.
"What for?" Rat asked, tilting his head, which the Iwa kunoichi found cute for some reason.
"For talking with me and making me feel…safe." A smile escaped her as she continued, "You should be grieving for your lost as well, but you are here helping me instead."
"He would've wanted me to move on with my life. Knowing him, I wouldn't put it past him to rant at me. Hell, he would kick me, playfully mind you, when he saw me sulking after missions." Rat responded with a chuckle as he imagined what Boar would react.
"What was he like?" Kurotsuchi asked, genuinely curious.
"He was a hardass. He wasn't that old, but he acted like a grumpy old man. He used to say to me, 'Suck it up and get on with life'. But his wife always put him in his place. He loved his wife so much, you know," Rat reminisced, not even realizing that his voice broke a little bit when he mentioned his surrogate brother and sister. "He was so excited when he knew Nee-san was pregnant. His tough demeanor progressively softened after the news."
"He sounded like a good man," Kurotsuchi said.
"He was a freaking good human being. Honestly, I don't know what I would have become if it hadn't been for him." Rat continued, unconsciously grabbing the cup of his untouched tea.
"You must have had a rough childhood then."
"That would put it mildly."
"Tell me. I want to know."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!" Kurotsuchi exclaimed as her eyes lit up, a bit overzealous in Rat's mind.
His face stretched into an amused smile behind his mask, seeing her being a bit too excited to hear his story. But he would be lying if he said he wasn't thrilled to talk about his childhood.
Contrary to popular beliefs, Rat wasn't that guarded about retelling and reliving his past. It could have been the result of his upbringing as he was raised by a couple who had had less-than-desirable childhoods but always advised him to not let the past be the shackle of his present. A man who always taught him to stay sharp and focused in everything that he did, and a woman who always showed him that being comfortable and making peace with one's past would only make one stronger.
"Alright then. When did you have your first kill?" Rat asked.
"Huh? Um, around 3 years ago. Why?" Kurotsuchi replied.
"I had my first kills when I was 5."
"What?!"
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(Konohagakure – Forest of Death)
The grating cackle still gave her chills down her spine, after all this time. But her anger for him had overridden her instinct telling her to get away from the sight of him. She trained her ass off just for this moment. And he still defeated her soundly. Now he was laughing in her face, reminding her how much of a failure she had been.
Anko pulled out a kunai that had pierced her hand and threw it at Orochimaru who caught the weapon with his fingers with ease. Anko then fell down on her knees, grunting in pain by her curse seal flaring because of the Snake Sannin's presence. "Are you here to assassinate Lord Third?"
"You are as cold as ever. This is our reunion, and all you can think of is me wanting to kill the old man." Orochimaru replied, walking toward his former pupil.
"Then why are you here?"
"I've heard of the promising young talents Konoha has produced this year, and there's someone who interests me. So I thought I'd put dibs on him."
"So you want another play toy? You won't get the Uchiha." Anko yelled out, her scowl prominent on her face, struggling to shake off his grasp on her cheeks.
"Oh, Anko, Anko, Anko. Don't you know how enticing power is to a person filled with vengeance? They thirst for it!" Orochimaru replied gleefully.
"Just like you do? And what vengeance do you have against? Death?! Don't be stupid. No one can escape death!" Anko spat at his face, still panting from the suicide technique that she failed to complete earlier.
Orochimaru's eyebrows twitched as he swiped off Anko's spit. "Oh, but I have found a way to immortality. When I get the Uchiha boy's body, I will be able to fulfill my dream of obtaining every jutsu ever created and learning all of the world's secrets. I will live forever as the Ultimate being, and no one can stop me."
"We'll see! I'll put a stop to your selfish desire."
"Now, now. Don't be too hasty with your words if you can't hold up to them, little viper. You know you can't kill me," Orochimaru chided his former student, a thoughtful expression on his face before smirking arrogantly. "No one from this village can."
And he was correct to believe so, or at least he thought. Although the Third Hokage was still strong for his age, he was way past his prime now and no match for the snake summoner. His body had become decrepit, and his strength had deteriorated. Sustaining fights was no longer safe for the old man.
Tsunade had become rusty after retiring from any direct involvement in medicine or combat. Plus, Orochimaru didn't think he even had to worry about her, seeing that she had seemingly given up on the village.
What was left to consider was his last former teammate, Jiraiya. The two had a long history together, but the foolish hermit had never defeated him in a fight before.
The S-rank criminal then stood up, his groundwork having been planted. There was no need to stay here any longer.
"Well, I'll be taking my leave now. Three people from my village are under your care, proctor-san. Have a good day." Orochimaru said before walking away.
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(Iwagakure – Eastern Section)
The red masked ANBU stood in puzzlement, looking around the apartment of his apparent informant. It was a fucking mess, to put it simply. There were destroyed pieces of furniture scattering about. Multiple stains of bloodied footprints littered the floor. A scuffle must have taken place, and there might have been several people in here when it happened.
The ANBU frowned, starting to put pieces of the puzzle together. A foul stench filled the room, making him scrunch his nose in disgust. He then stopped in his track as soon as he pushed open the bedroom door.
And there the informant was, lying on a bloodied bed with multiple stab wounds on his unmoving body.
"Shit!" the ANBU exclaimed in shock. He walked up to the bed and inspected the body.
The corpse seemed fresh seeing that blood was still leaking out of the wounds. That meant the assassins had just recently made the kill. But other than that, there was nothing definitive enough to help trace the identity of the culprits.
The Iwa ANBU then saw a blood stained kunai next to the dead body. However, the strange thing was that the kunai was conveniently left there as if to be purposely discovered. At first glance, it looked like the typical kunai used by shinobi from all villages. But after taking a closer look, he noticed the kunai had a square hilt. It was a subtle distinction, but that specific type of kunai was used exclusively by no one else but the Explosion Corps.
"What the heck?" His eyes widened in disbelief behind his red mask. The situation had gotten more and more confusing and convoluted the more it was being uncovered. He had to tread carefully at this point and figure out what was going on. This could easily sparked unrest if he made any assumption too quickly.
Was it a genuine mistake from the assassin's part, or was it a deliberate attempt to put the blame on that particular faction? Both cases had a considerable degree of possibility to them.
On the one hand, the crime could just be the deed of a sloppy killer or even some gang members. After all, the dead guy was wanted by a notorious gang ruling one of the most popular brothels in the Eastern Section for having broken their rules. Hence, this could be their act of 'tying up their loose end'. But how did they get their hands on that kunai? And what use would they gain from framing the Explosion Corps?
On the other hand, the Explosion Corps' relationship with the Third Tsuchikage had been eroding in recent years. This could be a sign of them expressing their discontent with the Tsuchikage. Or it could be a set up to exacerbate the situation by painting the Corps as being directly involved in the case.
But either way, Iwagakure was in big trouble now.
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