Third Person POV
The Anbu member assigned by Danzo moved through one of Konoha's many underground corridors, heading to meet his leader's partner. Those were his orders before joining the team that would soon investigate the laboratory.
The man knocked twice lightly on the heavy metal door in front of him, then entered. His first sight upon crossing the threshold was a shinobi, clearly from the Village of Stone based on his clothing, strapped to a gurney in the middle of the room.
The man struggled uselessly to break free, just as he tried to say something, currently prevented by the cloth in his mouth.
Besides the captive, there was a figure whose mere presence made many adults shudder: Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Three Sannin. The tall figure, with pale skin and long black hair, had his back to the Anbu.
That lasted about two seconds before Orochimaru turned his gaze to the man who had entered his laboratory.
The Sannin quickly analyzed the Anbu before him and had to hold back a laugh—the ninja's similarities to himself were striking: practically the same height, proportional build, and long, dark hair.
The only things differentiating them, without seeing their faces, were their skin tone and eyes. Even with the Anbu mask, the Sannin noticed the man before him had light, bluish eyes, while his own were a golden hue.
Danzo chose well..., he thought about the Anbu. This will save me the trouble of compensating for our differences to maintain the disguise...
– What's your name? – The Sannin asked suddenly.
– Koji – The Anbu replied calmly.
– Do you know your objective in joining the team investigating the laboratory? – Orochimaru questioned while finishing putting away his dissection tools.
– Yes. To keep Lord Danzo's interests, as well as yours, secret from the others – The young man answered.
– And can you say exactly why you were sent to meet me before that? – The Anbu pondered for a moment, finding the questions strange.
– No, sir – He finally replied – Danzo-sama only notified me that I should present myself to you, to assist with the finalization of your plans – The Sannin allowed a slight twitch of his lips, like a faint smile, as he stared at the man before him.
– Exactly, Koji-san... To assist me with the finalization of my plans – Orochimaru drawled and picked up a small scalpel – But there's something you haven't understood about this plan...
And before the Anbu could question or even think about what the Sannin had said, Orochimaru stretched out his arm with the scalpel, slashing the young man's throat.
Confusion and shock were present on the Anbu's expression as he tried uselessly to stop the bleeding from his fresh wound.
– The only thing you don't know about the plan is that Koji was unjustly killed in combat on a mission outside the village – The Anbu fell to his knees, weakening, and the Sannin calmly approached him – And an impostor took his place on the mission, sabotaging the entire laboratory investigation... – The boy felt his body growing heavier with each second as he looked into the golden orbs before him – Truly tragic, don't you think...?
And those were the last words the young Anbu heard before forever losing all his senses.
Shisui Uchiha POV
I returned as fast as I could to where Amaya and Kakashi were supposed to be waiting for me and the Anbu member who would join us for the mission.
I wonder if Scarecrow figured out what was bothering my adorable little sister like that?, I asked myself. Hard to tell, since he doesn't know how to deal with people, even if he had a manual on how to do it... I couldn't help but laugh at that.
As I approached the village gates, I quickly spotted the figures with red and platinum hair. And to my surprise, Amaya seemed calmer, as she was talking animatedly about something to Hatake.
What happened while I was at home...?, I wondered and headed over to where the two were resting.
– The main goal isn't to get the bells for yourself – The redhead was telling Hatake as I approached – It's to make everyone give up their individual wants and work together to achieve it, as a team.
– Just thinking about it makes me not want to grab those bells anymore... – The platinum-haired guy complained, and Amaya laughed.
– You'll need to learn to work with others, sooner or later – She commented, and he sighed.
– If it were with a team that knows what they need to do, without constantly depending on each other, I'd have no problem working with them...
– So that's why you like working in our team, Scarecrow? – I asked suddenly, making both of them turn their eyes to me.
– With Amaya, I can say that, but in your case, Weasel-face... – He shrugged – It's tough having to look after you every time.
– You...
I had barely started speaking when I heard Amaya laughing at my banter with Hatake. I looked at her for a moment, seeing that she seemed genuinely more serene and less distressed than before.
Did Scarecrow really manage to make her more at ease, or is she faking it?, I wondered. No... She's not hiding anything this time. Amaya really is... Okay.
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Shortly after I joined Amaya and Kakashi, an Anbu in uniform came to meet us and introduced himself as Koji. The man seemed young, with long dark hair, fair skin, and an extremely drawn-out voice.
I noticed Amaya focused her attention on him for a few moments – she was probably studying him. It was a habit of hers to visually memorize details about everyone she worked with, in case she needed to differentiate them from a disguised enemy.
With Koji's arrival, the redhead quickly explained our mission's objective: a thorough investigation and search of the laboratory where she had been created.
With that information, I finally understood her earlier behavior. I knew about the trauma that place had caused my sister and could only imagine how destabilized she must have felt when asked to return there.
It also clarified why she had chosen me and Scarecrow: We knew what that place meant to her and would respect her pace.
As soon as she summarized our objective, we left the village behind. The journey to the laboratory would take a few hours at our speed, and the formation could move freely to the location.
Amaya was leading the way, followed shortly after by the Anbu. Hatake was at the rear, so I slowed my pace to match his.
– How is she handling all this? – I asked Kakashi quietly as we ran.
– Restless, overall – Hatake noted calmly – Something anyone in her situation would be, or even worse – I agreed – But she's handling it well, at least for now – I looked at him, not understanding.
– "For now"? – I questioned – Did something else happen to make Amaya seem calmer? Did she tell you anything?
– If she didn't tell you, I'm not going to, Weasel-face – Hatake said – I can only assure you she's better now – And with that, he sped up, leaving me behind.
I couldn't help but give a soft laugh. It's obvious Amaya told him something about how she was feeling and something happened, I deduced, but he preferred not to share anything my sister hadn't told others...
This Scarecrow really is careful with what he knows that's "fragile" about Amaya..., I smiled. Even though he's an idiot... I chuckled softly and sped up again.
Amaya Uzumaki POV
It had been about four hours since we left the village. Our team had a good pace, and the Anbu, Koji, didn't seem to have any trouble keeping up. Even though I was in the lead, I could observe each team member out of the corner of my eye:
Koji was a little behind me, his attention always forward. Since he was wearing the characteristic Anbu mask, I couldn't see his facial expressions, so I had to observe his body and reactions.
From the first moment he joined us, I noticed he was very quiet. He spoke very little, only when absolutely necessary.
He also showed no resistance to my orders and suggestions for the mission. I couldn't say for sure if that came from him or from the orders he received from his superior upon joining the investigation team.
And he seemed indifferent to Kakashi and Shisui. His attention was always on what I said and explained. But that wasn't strange, considering Anbu members are usually instructed to follow their superiors' commands without question.
Shisui and Kakashi were a bit further behind Koji.
Hatake had an impassive expression, but I knew he was alert to everything happening around us.
I also noticed when my brother slowed his pace to match Kakashi's, talking briefly with him. I could already guess what about: my current state regarding the mission.
Shisui always worried about me, especially concerning my fears about the laboratory. And knowing he was there for me made me feel calmer.
Just like with Kakashi..., I thought, feeling my cheeks warm and a sincere smile appear on my face. The promise Hatake made to me still echoed in my mind, and his words, just like in that moment, still gave me a feeling of absolute security.
At first, I thought that feeling was because I needed a calm anchor for myself facing the fear of returning to the laboratory.
But I soon understood it wasn't.
Just like Shisui, Kakashi knew how I felt about the laboratory and what I went through there. And although I'd known him for years, I never imagined he'd act that way with me in the village.
Acting protectively towards me; he listened, understood, and accepted my fears, and still managed to support me. It took me by surprise. And it made me feel good, really good, even knowing I was about to face the second thing I feared most.
And knowing he wasn't usually like that made me confident—after all, if there was one thing I knew well about Kakashi, besides his competitiveness, it was that he always kept his promises.
I turned my eyes forward again, to the path we were running. I looked up at the sky, noticing the heavy black clouds forming above us. It might rain later..., I noted.
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We reached the laboratory's indicated location and stopped near the entrance. The same passage created by Konoha ninja who investigated the place when I still lived there remained unchanged.
– From here, we stick together – I announced and looked at the three standing a little behind me.
– Wouldn't it be faster to split up and cover more ground? – Koji asked, and I looked at him.
– The recommended approach would be to do that, and I could even give each of you a sketch of what I know about the place – I explained – But not even I know all the traps here – I paused for a moment – Many of our village comrades died here, and I don't want to be responsible for any more deaths – I looked at them – So we stick together, even if it takes longer to cover the search area – They nodded, and the Anbu just gave a slight nod of agreement – We'll use a diamond formation: I'll take the lead since I know some of the traps and the layout – I looked at Koji – You'll be on my right, as my support, since we don't know your combat style yet – He nodded – Kakashi, you take the left, supporting Shisui, who will be at the rear – I alternated my gaze between them – You already know each other's combat styles and can work together without major issues – I looked at my brother – Shisui, I need you to keep your Sharingan active when we reach the second floor. There might be delayed traps, and from the rear, you'll spot them better – He nodded in understanding – Alright, any questions or objections? – They all denied – Then let's go.