Chapter 24: The Seduction of Returning
"Soooo bored." Kotetsu Hagane was slumped over the desk, staring blankly at the road into the village.
"Hey, Izumo," he said, idly carving into the desk with a kunai, "why can't they let us go on other missions?"
"We're the men who took down Kakuzu, aren't we? How can we be stuck here watching the gate for the rest of our lives?"
Izumo Kamizuki kept flipping through the entry log, not even looking up. "Give it a rest. You've said that eight hundred times. Besides, 'took down Kakuzu'? That's in the future. We don't have that kind of skill right now."
"But don't you think it's weird?" Kotetsu suddenly lowered his voice, leaning closer to Izumo. "The atmosphere in the village has been off lately. The high command is moving people around, and even some of the familiar faces in ANBU are gone. How can we, as elite Konoha Chunin, not have heard a single whisper?"
"ANBU? Now you're keeping track of ANBU personnel changes?" Izumo looked surprised. When did his partner get so chummy with the ANBU?
"I heard some of them talking at the bar last night," Kotetsu said, a conspiratorial look on his face. "They said Hayate Gekko and Yugao Uzuki are getting married."
"Shh!" Izumo shot a wary glance around. "Don't spread that kind of stuff. Be careful, or the ANBU will haul you in for a 'chat'."
Kotetsu pouted. "What's there to be scared of? We're the gate gods of Konoha. Even Lord Hokage has to greet us when he passes. Besides," he patted his kunai pouch, "we're the powerhouses who are going to take down an Akatsuki member in the future, and we're stuck on gate duty? Don't you feel ripped off?"
Izumo was quiet for a moment, then sighed. "What's the use in feeling ripped off? The higher-ups have enough to deal with right now. Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless we can prove our value." Izumo narrowed his eyes. "Like... volunteering to investigate some of these anomalies."
Kotetsu's eyes lit up. "You mean..."
"More ninja have been coming in and out of the village lately, especially the suspicious ones," Izumo whispered. "We could secretly log the movements of anyone who looks shady. We might find something."
Kotetsu rubbed his hands excitedly. "Great idea! If we accomplish something, maybe we'll get transferred to the ANBU, or even get to join Lady Tsunade's special operations squad!"
Just then, a commotion came from the distance.
"Hey! Look!" Kotetsu shot to his feet, pointing outside the village.
Izumo followed his gaze. Two figures were approaching. "Is that... Lord Jiraiya? And who's that next to him?"
Kotetsu squinted, straining his eyes. "Looks like... a girl? Don't tell me Lord Jiraiya finally got married?!"
A second later, a heavy fist connected with his head. "Idiot! How could Lord Jiraiya get married? And even if he did, it would be with... her."
Kotetsu rubbed his head, grumbling. "Not married? Then why is there a girl with him? An illegitimate daughter?"
Izumo rolled his eyes. "What is wrong with your brain? That's..."
His words died in his throat. He'd just gotten a clear look at the "girl's" face.
Golden, slitted pupils. Skin so pale it was almost transparent. And that signature, cold smile...
"O-O-Orochimaru? Is that Orochimaru's daughter?!" Kotetsu's voice cracked, and he almost fell out of his chair.
Izumo grabbed his shoulder. "Calm down! Don't make a scene!"
Kotetsu swallowed, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Even a rogue ninja like Orochimaru has a daughter... This world has gone insane."
Izumo's eyes were glued to the two approaching figures. "Don't jump to conclusions. Let's get a closer look. What if she just... looks like him?"
The figures got closer, and Kotetsu's and Izumo's hearts beat faster.
"Hey, Izumo..." Kotetsu whispered, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "Is that girl... uh... smiling at us?"
Izumo's hand was already on the kunai at his hip. "That's not a smile. That's the look a snake gives its prey."
In the distance, the girl-like Orochimaru tilted her head, her golden eyes locking onto the two Chunin. The corners of her mouth turned up.
Jiraiya, sensing the mood, quickened his pace, stepping in front of Orochimaru. He waved at the guards. "Yo! Nice weather today, huh, fellas!"
Kotetsu forced a rigid smile. "L-Lord Jiraiya... You're back..."
Izumo, trying to look calm, found his voice trembling. "And this is?"
Jiraiya scratched his head, laughing awkwardly. "Ah, this is... uh, a new 'Special Advisor'."
"Special Advisor?" Kotetsu's eyes went wide. "B-But she looks just... hey!"
"Like Orochimaru?" Jiraiya cut him off. "Hahaha! Coincidence! A total coincidence! Lots of people have golden eyes, right?"
Orochimaru glanced at him. "Jiraiya, your lying is as clumsy as ever."
She walked around him, stepping right up to the desk. Her pale fingers tapped the logbook.
"Well? Aren't you going to log me in?"
Kotetsu's hand was shaking so badly he could barely hold the pen. "L-Log... right. Your... your name, ma'am?"
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "My name isn't important. What's important is..."
She suddenly leaned in, her voice a cold whisper right next to Kotetsu's ear. "Whose daughter... did you just say I was?"
Kotetsu instantly turned to stone, his mind blank.
Izumo grabbed his partner by the collar, yanked him back, and stepped forward. "S-Sorry! We were just... following procedure! If you'd rather not state your identity, we can just let you pass!"
Orochimaru straightened up, a humorless smile playing on her lips. "Such diligent gatekeepers."
Jiraiya quickly jumped back in, throwing an arm around Orochimaru's shoulders. "Alright, alright, stop scaring the kids! We're in a hurry. Tsunade's waiting!"
He gave the two Chunin a pointed look, lowering his voice. "Not a word about this."
Kotetsu and Izumo nodded frantically, watching the two walk into the village.
Only when their backs had completely disappeared did Kotetsu collapse into his chair, gasping for air. "I-Izumo... that was definitely Orochimaru, right?!"
Izumo wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "That... was Orochimaru."
They were silent for a moment, then both shot up at the same time.
A thought struck Kotetsu. "Orochimaru's back! Does this mean the Konoha Crush is starting early?"
"No... Lord Jiraiya is here. It won't," Izumo said, reassuring himself as much as his partner.
He closed the logbook. "First, we record this. Then, we watch. If the village is really about to be turned upside down, we need to be ready."
Kotetsu swallowed, looking toward the village. "This is... something really big is about to happen," he mumbled. "I don't know what, but it's big."