With Maru
Maru's Frustration
The sterile glow of fluorescent lights buzzed faintly, casting harsh shadows across the lab's walls. The room reeked of antiseptic and burning chemicals, the air thick with an odd mixture of sulfur, iron, and rot.
Rows of glass containers lined the lab, some filled with unknown fluids, others housing preserved experiments, half-formed creatures floating in viscous liquids. The hum of machinery was constant, punctuated only by the occasional clang of metal instruments being moved by his subordinates.
At the center of it all sat Maru.
His fingers tapped restlessly against the metal table, the rhythmic sound mirroring the impatience simmering in his veins. His jaw clenched, golden eyes fixed on the parchment in front of him as if willing it to burn.
Kabuto had long since noticed the shift in his master's demeanor. It wasn't the usual frustration that followed a minor setback. No, this was different. This was personal.
And it had everything to do with that damned night in Konoha.
SMASH!
The stone exploded beneath his fist, sending blood liquid splattering across the table, the parchment, and even onto the gleaming surgical tools A slow, venomous breath left his lips, his teeth grinding together.
"Cursed that Uzumaki brat."
Kabuto, who had been observing from a distance, blinked. He adjusted his glasses, feigning curiosity. "What did Karin do this time?"
Maru's head snapped up so fast that Kabuto felt the air shift. His golden eyes, usually filled with smug amusement or cold calculation, burned with something far more venomous.
"Not her." His voice was a low, furious growl. "Another one. Another damned Uzumaki."
Kabuto's curiosity sharpened, though he kept his expression composed. So that's what's been bothering him.
Maru leaned back, exhaling sharply. His fingers twitched, curling into fists before forcefully relaxing. The cold metal of the chair dug into his back, but he ignored it.
"Tell me, Kabuto…" he muttered. "How long have I carried the name Orochimaru?"
Kabuto tilted his head slightly. "Since before I met you, my lord."
A bitter chuckle left Maru's lips, though it held no humor. "A name feared across nations. A name whispered in terror by shinobi of every village. A name that should never" his voice sharpened, "has been stripped from me by a mere child."
Kabuto remained silent. He knew Maru wasn't finished.
Maru's fingers twitched again. He lifted his hand, only to pause, as if expecting to grasp something that was no longer there.
His(Naruto's) brush.
He let out a slow exhale, his lips curling into something between a snarl and a smirk.
"Do you know what the worst part is, Kabuto?"
The silver-haired medic tilted his head. "That you lost?"
Maru's eye twitched at the word.
"Yes," he admitted, begrudgingly. "But what makes it worse… is that I was the one who suggested the wager."
Kabuto blinked. Now that was unexpected.
Maru let out a humorless chuckle, shaking his head. "I thought it would be a lesson. I thought I'd put that brat in his place, break his spirit, and mold him into something useful. But instead..." his teeth ground together, "he humiliated me."
The lab's air grew heavy.
"He talked down to me. Me. As if I were beneath him." Maru's fingers dug into his palms, nails drawing blood. "Then, after I lost" his breath shuddered with rage, "he took my name."
Kabuto's smirk almost slipped.
"He took everything," Maru seethed. "My name. My power. My identity."
His golden eyes darkened, a deep, unrelenting hatred burning within them.
"And then" his voice dropped lower, quieter, far more venomous than before, "he had the audacity to sever my name."
Kabuto's expression remained unreadable.
"Maru," he said simply.
Maru sneered, his body shuddering with rage. "Like a master naming his pet."
The silence that followed was suffocating. The only sounds were the quiet whirring of machines and the drip… drip… drip… of a leaking fluid tube.
Then, slowly, Maru calmed.
His breathing steadied. His fists uncurled. The trembling stopped.
And his lips curled into a slow, chilling smile.
"But mark my words, Kabuto." His voice was smooth again, almost pleasant.
Almost.
"One day, I will have my name back."
His golden eyes gleamed in the dim light, filled with dark, quiet malice.
"And when I do… that brat will learn that even a predator… can still be swallowed whole."
___
The Haunted Village, Chapter 2: The Ink Drips into Darkness
The moment night fell, the village came alive with whispers, not the usual murmurs of people settling in for the night, these were different.
Soft
Beckoning
Persistent
They curled through the empty streets like invisible fingers, seeping into the air, crawling along the walls of houses.
They called out names.
And one of those names?
Naruto Uzumaki.
But instead of fear, instead of uncertainty, Naruto grinned, because to him, this wasn't terrifying, it was exhilarating...
---
Inside the elder's home, the four shinobi sat in tense silence, waiting.
Shino's insects crawled along the wooden walls, their movements restless. Ino's fingers twitched, her gaze flickering toward the door every few seconds. Kurenai sat cross-legged, eyes closed, her breathing calm but deliberate, she was listening.
Naruto?
He sat on the floor, back against the wall, twirling his brush between his fingers.
"Alright," he finally said, breaking the silence. "Who votes we check out this shrine now?"
Ino gave him a flat look. "It's the middle of the night."
"Exactly." He grinned. "Perfect time for ghost hunting."
Kurenai opened her eyes. "It's too early. We need to observe first. If the culprit is using genjutsu, we might be able to track the pattern of their illusions."
"But what if it's not genjutsu?" Naruto countered. "What if it's something else?"
He tapped his brush against his knee.
Kurenai studied him for a long moment.
She didn't know(aside from him being a jonin level threat). None of them did. They saw him as loud, reckless, maybe even a little odd, but not dangerous.
She had no idea that, deep inside, he was itching to carve the truth from the shadows.
Shino adjusted his glasses. "If it's not genjutsu, then what do you propose?"
Naruto shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe the dead are just lonely."
Ino visibly shivered. "Not funny."
But he wasn't joking.
---
The First Victim
Then, it happened.
A scream, thin, sharp, and abruptly cut off.
All four shinobi were on their feet instantly.
Kurenai moved first, throwing open the door. The village, once eerily still, was now alive with movement.
Villagers peeked from their homes, torches flickering. A man stumbled down the street, clutching his head, his eyes blank.
Naruto locked onto him immediately.
Something was wrong.
Shino's insects swarmed forward, crawling toward the man, but the moment they touched him, they recoiled.
"Shino?" Kurenai asked.
His expression was unreadable. "They refuse to approach."
Interesting.
Kurenai moved to the man's side. "What happened?"
The man blinked slowly, as if waking from a dream. "I… I heard my wife. She… she called me from the shrine…"
A woman gasped from the crowd. "But your wife has been dead for three years!"
And just like that, the whispers grew louder.
---
Naruto Moves
While Kurenai tried to calm the villagers, Naruto walked past them.
Past the trembling old man.
Past the confused crowd.
Past Shino and Ino, who both watched him cautiously.
The whispers had changed.
They weren't just calling names anymore.
They were laughing.
Something, or someone, was mocking them.
And Naruto didn't like that.
He twirled his brush between his fingers, his grin never faltering. "Alright, then. Let's see who you really are."
Then, with a single step, he walked into the shadows.
"Ino, Shino, stay with the villagers!" Kurenai ordered. "Naruto, wait!"
But he was already gone.
---
The Shrine
The old shrine stood at the very edge of the village, half-swallowed by the trees. The air was thick with something unnatural.
Naruto walked slowly, eyes scanning the darkness. The whispers were everywhere now, curling around him like smoke.
And yet, they didn't touch him.
He could feel it.
Something was testing him. Watching him. Trying to understand him.
Then, movement.
A shadow shifted.
Naruto didn't hesitate.
He swiped his brush through the air, and in an instant, inky black slashes ripped through the darkness.
SPLATTER.
Something recoiled, hissing. The whispers turned into distorted screams.
And Naruto?
He grinned.
"Found you."
To Be Continued…