"Understood," Ryuu stated, his voice flat and even, betraying none of the internal turmoil sparked by the mention of Otogakure. Unit 007 beside him gave a curt, silent nod. Both simultaneously performed the seals, the mission scrolls vanishing into smoke.
"Your mission commences. Proceed to exit point Gamma-Seven," Raven Mask commanded.
As one, the newly formed pair turned and melted into the unlit corridors of ANBU headquarters. The other candidates did not exist to them now.
They navigated the labyrinthine tunnels in absolute silence. Their movements were synchronized without a single word exchanged. When Ryuu adjusted his pace, Unit 007 matched it instantly. When she took a slightly higher path along a series of concealed beams, he stayed low, covering the ground level.
It was an instinctive, efficient partnership born from shared high-level training and discipline.
Once they reached the designated exit tunnel, which opened into a dense, unpatrolled section of forest far from Konoha's walls, Unit 007 finally spoke. Her voice, like those of the proctors, was modulated by a seal in her mask, rendering it toneless and gender-neutral.
"Two primary threats. Infiltration and Espionage," she stated. "My specialization is Genjutsu, specifically sensory disruption and targeted psychological warfare. I can create auditory and visual illusions to mask our presence or divert patrols. What is your specialization, Unit 003?"
Ryuu knew that revealing his Kekkei Genkai, especially one so rare, was a risk, even to a fellow candidate. But on a mission this critical, withholding key operational capabilities was a greater folly.
"Stealth, sensory perception, mastery over water and wind nature transformation and Ice Release Kekkei Genkai." he replied, his own voice equally flat. "Area denial and precision elimination."
"Hyōton," Unit 007 acknowledged, a flicker of something—surprise? analysis?—in her suppressed chakra signature. "A significant asset for stealth and disabling opponents. Very well. I will handle sensory countermeasures and diversions. You will handle physical infiltration, intel acquisition, and serve as primary vanguard."
"Agreed," Ryuu said. It was a logical division of labor. Her genjutsu could craft the openings he needed, while his sensory skills could detect threats her illusions might miss.
They traveled for two days, moving with a relentless pace. The Land of Sound was a new, still developing nation carved from what was once smaller, feuding domains. Its landscape was a rugged mix of dense forests, rocky plains, and echoing valleys that played tricks with sound. It was an environment perfectly suited for Orochimaru's secretive nature.
As they approached the coordinates for 'Serpent's Coil', they stopped at a high vantage point. The facility was less a single building and more a sprawling complex of mismatched structures, some half-buried in the earth, others looking disturbingly like repurposed ancient temples.
A faint, unhealthy-looking miasma seemed to cling to the valley. The entire place radiated an unnatural, unsettling chakra.
"Their patrol routes are erratic," Unit 007 noted, observing through a small spyglass. "Some shinobi move with discipline. Others… shamble. Chakra signatures are highly irregular."
"The reports of genetic augmentation are likely accurate," Ryuu observed, his own senses picking up on the distorted signatures. Some felt... bloated. Others were dangerously spiky, unstable. "This won't be a standard infiltration. Their operatives may have senses or abilities we cannot predict. Your genjutsu will be critical for initial entry."
"I will create a looping auditory illusion a half-kilometer east of our entry point," Unit 007 stated, already weaving hand seals. "The sound of a territorial dispute between two large boars. It's a natural sound for this region, it should draw the attention of their outer perimeter guards for approximately three minutes. That is your window."
As a series of phantom grunts and furious squeals echoed from the distant forest, Ryuu moved. He used his Hyōton: Zero technique for the final approach. He reached the perimeter fence—a tall, imposing barrier laced with chakra-conducting wires. He didn't cut it. He located a support post, focusing his ice release at its base deep within the earth, freezing the ground until it was brittle. With a silent, sustained push, he created a narrow gap beneath the fence, just large enough to slip through, before allowing the ground to refreeze and resettle.
He was inside. Unit 007 followed moments later, her own stealth impeccable. They communicated with a series of silent hand signals.
The complex was a disquieting maze. Strange smells wafted from vents. They bypassed several Otogakure shinobi, their faces pale and their eyes possessing a fanatic gleam. Some had visible modifications.
Their objective was the central, most heavily guarded building. According to Konoha's fragmented intel, it was the primary research and data storage hub.
The 'Serpent's Coil'.
They were halfway across an open courtyard when Ryuu's senses screamed. A figure dropped from a rooftop directly in their path, landing with an eerie silence. At the same time, four other figures emerged from the surrounding shadows, cutting off all escape routes. It was a perfectly executed ambush. Their chakra suppression had been absolute.
Ryuu's senses hadn't detected them until they were already in motion.
"Kukuku... such interesting little birds have wandered into our nest," a voice, slurred and distorted, hissed from the figure in the center. He had grey hair, a distinctive attire, and two heads. It was Sakon and Ukon.
From the shadows, the other three emerged. A girl with long, dark hair holding a flute, a heavyset boy cracking his knuckles, and a lanky youth with six arms folding into place. They were young, younger than Ryuu, but their eyes held a cold, predatory confidence born from surviving Orochimaru's brutal battle royales.
"More subjects for Lord Orochimaru's experiments," Tayuya sneered, her voice grating. "These two feel… stronger than the usual riffraff."
Ryuu's mind raced, processing the threat. The Sound Four. He knew their abilities from his memories and the Cursed Seals they possessed. Their base power was already formidable for their age, with the Cursed Seal activated, they were a low-to-mid Jonin level threat, each of them.
"Analysis?" Unit 007's voice was a low whisper beside him, utterly calm despite the ambush.
"Four targets. High-level coordinated combatants," Ryuu responded instantly. "The girl is a genjutsu specialist, focus on her first. One is long-range Ninjutsu strategist. One close-range Taijutsu powerhouse. As for the two headed guy, he is strange, just be careful. They fight as a cohesive unit. Standard engagement protocols are insufficient."
"Then we adapt," 007 stated simply.
Sakon and Ukon lunged first, their movements disturbingly fast, aiming to get in close. Jirōbō slapped his hands on the ground. "Doton: Doryū Dango!" (Earth Release: Earth-Style Dumpling!) A huge sphere of rock and earth ripped from the ground, hurtling towards them.
"Diversion!" Ryuu yelled, weaving a single-handed signs. "Hyōton: Kōri Heki!" (Ice Release: Ice Wall!) A thick, jagged wall of ice erupted to intercept the rock sphere.
Simultaneously, Unit 007 blurred through seals of her own. "Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu" (Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique).
The illusion was aimed at Tayuya, the most dangerous potential disrupter. The Sound kunoichi grunted, staggering for a moment as her mind was flooded with a horrifying, personalized vision of her own deepest fears.
It bought them a precious few seconds.
The earth sphere shattered against Ryuu's ice wall in a deafening explosion of rock and glittering ice shards, obscuring the battlefield in a thick cloud of dust and mist.
"Separate them!" Ryuu shouted.
He used the dust cloud as cover, creating two Kage Bunshin. One dashed left, the other right, drawing the attention of Kidōmaru and the recovering Sakon and Ukon.
The real Ryuu, shrouded in mist, went straight for Jirōbō. The large boy was powerful but relatively slow. Ryuu knew his greatest weakness was being outmaneuvered.
"Suiton: Mizurappa!" Ryuu spat a high-pressure jet of water at Jirōbō's feet, turning the dusty ground into slick mud. As Jirōbō struggled for footing momentarily, Ryuu appeared behind him, his ninjato coated in a razor-thin layer of ice.
But before he could strike, Jirōbō spun, his arm coated in a thick layer of rock. "Doton: Kōka Jutsu!" (Earth Release: Hardening Technique).
Ryuu's blade scraped uselessly against the hardened skin, the shockwaves rattling his arm. Jirōbō grinned. "Too slow!" He swung a massive, rock-hard fist.
Ryuu twisted away, feeling the wind of the blow whistle past his mask. He slapped the ground. "Hyōton: Jisarenhyō!" (Ice Release: Ice-Spreading-Gale!) A sheet of ice instantly coated the ground around Jirōbō, causing him to slide uncontrollably for a few moments.
Meanwhile, Unit 007 was engaged in a fierce battle of wills with Tayuya. The Sound kunoichi, having broken the initial genjutsu, was now playing her flute, releasing waves of dissonant, chakra-disrupting sound. 007 stood perfectly still, her hands in a single, focused seal, a shimmering barrier of her own mental energy deflecting the worst of the sonic assault.
It was a high-level defense against sound-based genjutsu, a skill Ryuu had only read about. She was a true specialist.
Kidōmaru, laughing maniacally, had trapped one of Ryuu's clones in a series of sticky, chakra-infused spider webs, and was now taking aim with an arrow formed from hardened golden chakra. Sakon and Ukon had merged with the other clone, their bodies beginning to break it down on a cellular level. Ryuu felt the clones' experiences ripple back to him as they were dispelled.
"He's a sensor type!" Sakon hissed. "And his clones are solid!"
The battle was escalating too quickly. Ryuu knew that if they activated their Cursed Seals, they would be overwhelmed. He had to end his fight now.
Jirōbō, finally finding his footing on the treacherous ice sheet, charged forward like an enraged bull. "I'll crush you!"
Ryuu didn't try to meet the charge. He instead wove a one-handed seal and focused on the humid air itself.
"Hyōton: Hissatsu Hyōsō!" (Ice Release: Certain Kill Ice Spears)
Not dozens, but three. Three perfectly formed, impossibly sharp spears of ice materialized directly in Jirōbō's path. Jirōbō, with his single-minded focus, didn't even try to dodge. He simply hardened his arms and smashed through the first two spears, shattering them into glittering dust, his momentum barely slowing.
But the third spear was different. Just as Jirōbō's fist was about to connect, it dissolved into a dense, chilling mist. Ryuu had learned using his Kekkei Genkai wasn't just about the solid form, but the transition between states. The sudden, vision-obscuring cloud of ice particles threw Jirōbō off completely.
"Now!" Ryuu's voice was a sharp command.
From above, Unit 007, having temporarily disengaged from Tayuya, dropped silently. Her hands formed a seal. A flicker of chakra, and her fingers tapped precise points on the back of Jirōbō's neck, hidden within the mist.
Jirōbō froze, his body locked, every muscle seizing. He was still hardened, a statue of earth and flesh, but he was completely immobilized.
Ryuu used this moment to stab through Jirōbō head with his ninjato and end his life in one moment. He didn't grimace or think about it, it was something he must do as a shinobi.
Kidōmaru, seeing Jirōbō fall, snarled with annoyance and fired his golden arrow. Ryuu moved to intercept, but 007 was already reacting.
"Kagegakure no Jutsu," (Hiding in Shadows Technique) she whispered. Her form seemed to flicker and melt into the deep shadows cast by the complex's strange architecture, the arrow whistling harmlessly past her last known position.
At that moment, Tayuya let out a furious scream. "You damned rats!" The dark, curse-mark pattern on her neck began to spread across her face like twisting vines. "Ketsui Hyōten: Ma no Sōkyoku!" (Cursed Seal Stage 1: Demonic Flute!) Her chakra exploded, no longer just disruptive but physically palpable. The melody she began to play was different now.
Unit 007 reappeared from the shadows, stumbling slightly. "Her sound… it's penetrating my defensive barrier," she reported, her toneless voice laced with urgency.
Sakon and Ukon laughed, their own seals activating, their skin turning a mottled grey, an extra limb sprouting from Ukon's back. "Time to die!"