Carapace. Standard long sword. Mask.
Yun, now fully dressed in his freshly issued Anbu attire, stood in front of the mirror. The pale reflection staring back at him was not the boy he once knew — it was the shadow of something sharper, colder, honed by training. His height was still not enough to make him imposing, but it wasn't lacking either. In his memory, even Hatake Kakashi had once been around the same size at this age. That thought alone gave him a measure of reassurance.
He tilted his head slightly, watching the way the faint light glimmered across the curved plating on his back. "How is it?" Yun muttered with a half-smile, his own voice muffled by the mask dangling loosely in one hand. "I've always thought Anbu attire looks better than those bulky jōnin vests. Except for this back armor… looks too much like a turtle shell."
Behind him, Kinoe tugged at one of the shoulder straps with a skeptical look. "This thing looks uncomfortable no matter how you wear it."
Yun turned toward him. The man before him would one day be known to the world as Yamato. But in this timeline, because of Yun's interference, the boy had escaped some of the harsher shackles of Root. As a result, traces of his natural personality still lingered — hints of the humor and warmth that the future Yamato was remembered for. Perhaps that was why the code name "Tenzo" hadn't been assigned this time. Yun wasn't sure whether that was a blessing or a curse.
Before Yun could dwell on it, a masked Anbu appeared at the doorway. "Captain! Hokage-sama requested that Team Six report immediately."
Kinoe straightened, nodding crisply. "Understood. We'll be there right away."
As the messenger vanished, Yun scratched his head, letting out a quiet sigh. "A mission already? We just got back."
Kinoe's lips curved faintly. He picked up Yun's mask from the desk and pressed it into his hands. "That's Anbu life for you. Sometimes you rot in the dark for months with nothing to do… and sometimes you can't even catch your breath before the next order comes."
Masks in place, blades sheathed, the two of them left the barracks and moved with their squad toward the Hokage Building.
…
The Hokage's office was quiet, but tension weighed on the room like a storm about to break. Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage, stood with his usual composed expression, but the gravity in his eyes betrayed how serious the matter was.
"This is the intelligence recovered from our last Anbu reconnaissance." Minato said, his tone steady as he passed a scroll across the desk to Kinoe. "Because the individual in question is extremely dangerous, I did not dispatch further squads to verify the report. That responsibility falls to you."
Kinoe unrolled the parchment, and his breath caught for a moment. The name inscribed there seemed to burn against his vision. "…Orochimaru?"
His composure faltered, confusion flashing across his eyes. Was the village truly ready to move against one of its own legendary Sannin?
The Hokage's voice was calm, but there was no hesitation. "Yes. This intelligence came from the Third Hokage himself."
Kinoe's fists tightened at his sides. Orochimaru — a name etched into history long before Yun's generation ever picked up kunai. One of the famed Sannin, a man who had once stood as a candidate for Hokage. His reputation during the Third Great Ninja War was terrifying, his military contributions impossible to ignore.
And yet… this was the man who had condemned countless innocents to suffering. This was the man who had experimented on children, on comrades, on anyone unlucky enough to be deemed "useful".
For a fleeting moment, Kinoe's gaze grew distant, haunted. He remembered the sterile white walls of a laboratory, the cold hands that had marked him as nothing more than a test subject. Of all the children who had been injected with that cursed genetic legacy of the First Hokage… he alone had survived. The faces of the others — friends, siblings in suffering — flashed before him, already claimed by death.
Minato's voice cut through the heavy silence. "A village without a future cannot endure. And the children of Konoha are that future. If Orochimaru is conducting experiments on them… then he is no longer a comrade. He is a traitor. Should his involvement be confirmed, he is to be eliminated — regardless of life or death."
Kinoe bowed his head, fists trembling just slightly. "…Understood."
…
*Swish… swish… swish…*
The forest behind Konoha stirred as Team Six moved like shadows between branches. The masks concealed their faces, but not the tension woven through their chakra.
Yun kept pace beside Kinoe, his thoughts fixed on the mission. Unlike Jiraiya, whose eccentricities were matched by his genuine loyalty, Orochimaru was a mind born for experimentation. His brilliance as a scientist was unmatched. And if Yun remembered correctly, Kabuto was still within Konoha at this time, an unpolished gem not yet fully drawn into Orochimaru's orbit.
It complicated things. It meant the Sannin's work was still unfinished, still in its earliest stages. The genetic research into Senju cells, the replication of Wood-style… none of it was yet at the monstrous level it would one day reach. Even so, it was dangerous enough.
Kinoe's voice broke his concentration. "Don't worry too much, Yun. With Orochimaru's caution, we may arrive only to find him gone."
But Yun caught the flicker in Kinoe's eyes. This was personal. The Hokage hadn't chosen Kinoe for this mission by chance.
"Captain," Yun asked after a pause, "if the Third Hokage arrives before us… whose orders do we follow?"
Kinoe didn't hesitate. "We are Anbu under the direct command of the Fourth Hokage. His orders come first."
Yun nodded slowly, his hand brushing the hilt of his blade. "So if we confirm Orochimaru's crimes, we can kill him without hesitation."
"…Yes." Kinoe admitted, his voice quieter. Then, with a warning glance: "But don't underestimate him. Orochimaru is one of the Sannin for a reason. His eyes… those snake-like eyes… they strip people down to nothing. Be careful."
…
*Swish, swish, swish…*
More than ten masked figures dropped silently into the clearing. Yun followed Kinoe to the front as the team approached a section of cliff face. Six Anbu members formed a ring, hands flashing through seals. Chakra flared, and with a faint shimmer, a massive stone gate hidden behind layers of fūinjutsu slowly materialized.
The gate groaned as it opened, revealing darkness within. Kinoe entered first, his steps echoing faintly.
*TAP… TAP… TAP…*
The sound of boots against stone carried unnaturally, reverberating through the sealed chamber.
*Squeak…*
The hinges of a smaller inner door groaned open. A white snake slithered lazily into the light, its tongue flicking. Hissss…
The reptile retreated into the shadows, and Yun's eyes narrowed. A signal.
Kinoe gestured quickly, sending the rest of Team Six to scatter and secure the perimeter. Only he and Yun advanced toward the source of light.
Inside, bent over a table cluttered with instruments, was Orochimaru. His pale face was illuminated by the dim glow of lanterns, his hands moving with surgical precision over the body of some poor soul strapped helplessly to the table.
Without even looking up, his voice slithered across the room. "I didn't expect you two would be the first to arrive. Kinoe… is the Wood-style I gifted you still holding up?"
Kinoe's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
Orochimaru continued smoothly, his lips curling into a thin smile. "And you… Uchiha Yun. A genius of your clan. So young, already a special-jōnin, already trusted with the Hokage's own Anbu. The last time an Uchiha was granted such prestige was… ah yes, Uchiha Kagami. A shame he didn't live past his twenties."
His golden, snake-like eyes gleamed with amusement. "So tell me… how long will you live, Uchiha Yun?"
Finishing his work, he peeled the gloves from his hands with slow, deliberate movements, then turned fully to face them.
"Power. Authority. Money. Even the title of Hokage…" Orochimaru's voice sank lower, dripping with venom. "All of it will one day crumble into dust. The mighty First Hokage himself could not escape death. No one can. But immortality…" His tongue flicked across his lips, too long, too serpentine to be human. "Only immortality allows one to bloom eternally. Come, Uchiha. Join me. With the Mangekyō Sharingan, you and I could reach heights no one else dares dream of."
Yun stiffened, his gut twisting at the sight of that grotesque tongue. The chill crawling up his spine hardened into disgust. "I'll be honest, Orochimaru…" he said flatly. "I do admire your talent. But you? You're revolting."
For the first time, the Sannin blinked in mild surprise. Then, with a soft chuckle, he retracted his tongue. "Revulsion is a small price for eternity." His smile widened, his words heavy with temptation. "So, Uchiha Yun… will you come to me?"
*****
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