Ac1: Lord Orochimaru, Long Time No See
tick
tick
The sound of dripping water echoed continuously through the dark underground tunnels. Shihara Hidezawa, clad in standard ANBU gear with the Fox mask of Konoha's covert unit, followed closely behind a female ANBU with long purple hair tied neatly beneath her mask.
The pitch-black passage stretched endlessly ahead, the dim torchlight flickering against the damp walls, it felt like descending straight into one of the layers of Jigoku. Most shinobi would have felt their stomach tighten in unease at this sight.
"Stay sharp. Intel suggests this is one of Orochimaru's abandoned laboratories."
The purple-haired kunoichi's voice was calm but edged with tension as she glanced around the narrow corridor before whispering to the young operative behind her.
"We've been separated from Captain Tenzo's squad. A confrontation could happen at any time. Maintain full focus."
"I understand, Senior Uzuki."
Hidezawa's response made Uzuki Yugao freeze for a moment.
"Hidezawa… you're fresh out of training, aren't you? During missions, use your codename. ANBU protocol is absolute especially when we're dealing with someone like Orochimaru."
"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, senpai."
Uzuki Yugao exhaled softly, though her irritation was clear. As members of the ANBU under the direct command of the Hokage, they represented the unseen strength of Konohagakure. In recent years, that strength had been tested to its limit.
Five years earlier, during the Forty-Seventh Year of Konoha, the Nine-Tails' attack had taken countless lives including the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
Not long after, one of Konoha's legendary Sannin, Orochimaru, defected after being discovered conducting forbidden human experiments.
And just last year, the Cloud Village nearly launched a war over the Hyuga incident. Konoha had barely avoided disaster.
For shinobi like them, restoring Konoha's strength and honor was more than duty, it was survival.
"Something's wrong. Hold position."
Before Yugao could respond, Hidezawa's eyes sharpened. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her aside.
Whoosh! whoosh! whoosh!
A barrage of kunai cut through the air, their explosive tags whistling ominously. From deeper inside the laboratory came faint echoes of battle.
They were surrounded.
"Damn it!"
Uzuki Yugao quickly drew her chokutō, her movements precise and efficient, the steel gleaming in the faint light.
"We're engaging!"
But before she could finish, several tags detonated at once. The explosion filled the corridor with fire and choking smoke. Figures leaped from the haze, masked and moving fast remnants of Orochimaru's experiments or his rogue followers.
At that instant, Hidezawa's hands blurred through a sequence of seals.
The ground quivered.
"Earth Release?" Yugao gasped, momentarily astonished by the amount of chakra she sensed. For someone barely fourteen younger than herself this level of control was exceptional.
"No wonder his evaluation reports from Captain Kakashi were flawless…"
The floor split open with a crack, jagged earthen spikes erupting and impaling several attackers instantly.
Within the smoke, Hidezawa dashed forward like a phantom, blade flashing. Yugao's eyes widened behind her mask.
"He's too reckless… Orochimaru's subordinates won't fall so easily."
Despite her earlier frustration, her instincts screamed to cover him. The ANBU embodied the Hokage's will the Will of Fire and that meant protecting comrades even at personal risk. Unlike Danzo's Root, who sacrificed teammates without hesitation, the ANBU fought as one.
"I have to back him up!"
Her sword gleamed as she prepared to move but what she saw next stopped her cold.
Through the thinning smoke, she could make out Hidezawa's small silhouette darting between enemies. His speed was ghostlike, his movements sharp and precise, his strikes fatal.
Clang clang shhk!
The rhythmic clash of metal echoed through the tunnel, followed by the wet sound of steel meeting flesh.
In moments, the smoke cleared. Hidezawa landed lightly, his blade lowering as the last of Orochimaru's men collapsed around him.
For a long second, Yugao simply stared, caught between relief and disbelief.
"Are you injured?" she asked finally, her tone softer now.
Hidezawa turned, gripping her wrist and pulling her behind him eyes narrowing toward the darkened corridor ahead.
"Stay close. He's still here."
This sudden action made Uzuki Yugao want to speak, but the next moment she froze faint footsteps echoed slowly from the corridor ahead.
With each step, an almost suffocating killing intent pressed down on them like a living weight.
A tall figure emerged from the dim torchlight — a man draped in a white robe, his skin unnaturally pale, golden slit-pupiled eyes gleaming with serpentine coldness. When Uzuki Yugao recognized that face, her expression stiffened beneath the porcelain mask.
"Orochimaru…"
Her fingers clenched tightly around the hilt of her chokutō. Though they had come here precisely to investigate him, the reality of standing before one of the Legendary Sannin the former student of the Third Hokage made her pulse race with dread.
Every shinobi in Konoha had grown up hearing stories of Orochimaru's genius and his monstrous experiments. Facing him now, Yugao couldn't help but feel the instinctive fear of prey before a predator.
"Don't worry, Senpai. I'm here."
Hidezawa's low, steady tone cut through her panic like a blade. Somehow, his composure steadied her heartbeat.
"…I lost focus."
"No. Anyone would be shaken facing Orochimaru himself."
Hidezawa shook his head slightly, his eyes never leaving the pale figure ahead.
"Senior Yugao, go find Captain Tenzo and regroup with the others. Reinforce this position immediately. I'll hold him off as long as I can."
"No!"
Before he could continue, Yugao's protest came sharp and quick.
"I can't abandon you to face him alone he's a Sannin!"
"Now isn't the time to argue," Hidezawa hissed, his voice low but firm as Orochimaru's slow, deliberate steps drew nearer.
"Your swordsmanship is unmatched among the ANBU juniors, but taijutsu and kenjutsu won't be enough against him. I'm better suited for this my chakra control can restrain him temporarily. Please, trust me."
Yugao's teeth clenched behind her mask. She could already feel Orochimaru's oppressive aura closing in, every breath heavy with danger. She knew they had only seconds left.
"…Fine. Don't die before I return."
With one last look, she turned sharply, disappearing into the dark passage like a whisper.
By now, Orochimaru had stopped less than three meters in front of Hidezawa.
Clap… clap…
The sound of his slow applause echoed through the corridor, chilling and deliberate. Both Yugao, still within earshot, and Hidezawa felt the same creeping sensation the feeling of being studied by a venomous snake.
"Impressive resolve," Orochimaru hissed softly, lips curling into a faint smile. "Let's see how long your courage lasts… before it rots away."
The voice was hoarse, darkly amused the same tone he had once used when mocking his opponents during the Chūnin Exams.
Yugao's steps quickened. The oppressive aura behind her was unbearable now.
Meanwhile, Hidezawa remained utterly still. Once he was certain she had escaped, he reached up and slowly removed his ANBU mask.
Beneath it was a calm young face framed by short black hair far too young to be standing against a Sannin, yet his expression held no fear.
Facing the pale figure before him, Hidezawa bowed slightly.
"Lord Orochimaru… long time no see."
[Side Mission Complete: Encounter Orochimaru]
[Mission Evaluation: A]
[Reward: 1 Free Point]
[Special Bonus Unlocked — Target: Orochimaru, Completion Grade A]
[Reward: Ownerless Cursed Seal]
---