Clad in armor, standard issued longsword, and ANBU mask, Yun looked at himself in the mirror.
He was still a bit short, but not much worse than the Kakashi he remembered.
"How do I look? I've always thought the ANBU uniform looks cooler than the standard Jonin vest,"
Jia behind him, tugging at the shoulder strap. "Though the back plate does kinda look like a turtle shell."
Yun turned around to look at the man who, in his memories, would later be known as Yamato.
Thanks to his interference, this guy had spent less time in Root than originally. That also made his personality a little more lighthearted, more like the goofball Yun remembered, and it seemed the codename "Tenzo" hadn't even appeared yet.
Which, honestly, wasn't a bad thing.
"Captain! Lord Hokage wants you to lead Team Six."
"Got it. We'll head over right away."
Yun scratched his head. "We just got here and already a mission?"
Jia chuckled, handing him a mask. "ANBU work's unpredictable, sometimes it's dead quiet, sometimes it never ends."
Mask on, Yun followed Jia and Team Six out, heading straight for the Hokage's office.
"This intel was discovered during a recent ANBU investigation," said the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, handing a scroll to Jia.
"The subject is highly dangerous, so I didn't send anyone out yet."
"Orochimaru, huh?" Jia froze for a moment, scanning the intel, then looked at Minato with clear confusion.
'Was this really happening?'
Minato gave him a firm nod.
Jia clenched his fists slightly. Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, renowned throughout the ninja world.
Back during the Third Great Ninja War, all three Sannin were the backbone of the battlefield. Orochimaru had numerous military exploits and was once considered a strong candidate to become the Fourth Hokage.
Yet this man... was the one who'd experimented on him.
A pure and innocent face appeared in Jia's mind, someone now long gone. Of all the Wood Style experiment subjects, he was the only survivor.
"Jia, the Third Hokage has also received this intel," Minato said.
Jia lowered his voice. "So you mean..."
Minato's eyes grew serious. "A village without a future cannot survive. And the children of Konoha, they are that future."
"If Orochimaru is confirmed to have conducted human experiments, he is to be treated as a rogue ninja, and captured dead or alive."
"Of course, as one of the Sannin, he's no easy target. You are authorized to retreat and wait for reinforcements at any time."
Jia bowed slightly. "Understood!"
Rustle
Through the forest outside Konoha, ANBU Team Six dashed through the trees.
Yun followed behind Jia, his thoughts focused on Orochimaru.
Unlike Jiraiya, Orochimaru was the shinobi world's foremost scientist, gifted beyond belief.
At this point, Kabuto was still in Konoha.
But even though Orochimaru had talent in experimentation, his data at this stage...
wasn't very useful to Yun.
Even with the power of Uchiha and Senju in his hands, Yun still didn't understand why his Wood Release wasn't as powerful as the First Hokage's.
But even so, what he had now was leagues better than what Orochimaru had produced, like Jia.
"Don't worry too much, Yun," Jia said. "Knowing Orochimaru's caution, there's a good chance we'll get there and find nothing."
Yun caught the flash of emotion in his eyes.
As the only survivor of Orochimaru's human experiments, it was no coincidence that Minato had made Jia the squad leader for this mission.
"If the Third gets there before us, what should we do?" Yun asked.
Jia paused, then said, "We're directly under the Fourth Hokage. We follow his orders, no one else's."
Yun nodded. "So if we find evidence of Orochimaru's human experiments, we're authorized to eliminate him on sight?"
Jia confirmed with a nod, but added, "Don't underestimate him. He's one of the Sannin for a reason. That man with snake-like eyes… is terrifying."
Swish
More than a dozen ANBU figures landed.
Yun followed Jia to the front.
Six ANBU members stepped forward and formed hand signs. A hidden stone gate, sealed away with a barrier, materialized out of thin air.
The gate opened, and Jia led the way inside.
Tap, tap, tap...
Their footsteps echoed sharply in the quiet interior.
Even with chakra dampening, the sound still carried.
Creak
The only lit room's door swung open.
A white snake slithered forward, head raised.
Hiss...
Then it retreated.
Jia and Yun exchanged a glance. Jia gave a signal, and the other ANBU scattered to take positions.
Jia and Yun stepped up to the door.
"I didn't expect you two to arrive first," came a voice from inside.
"Oho, Jia. How's the Wood Style I gave you working out?"
Orochimaru didn't even look up.
He kept working on the body laid out on the table in front of him, as if nothing in the world could distract him.
When no one replied, he spoke again. "The Uchiha prodigy… Became a Special Jonin at such a young age and joined the Hokage's direct ANBU unit."
"I believe the last time an Uchiha had such prestige, it was Uchiha Kagami. Unfortunately, he only lived into his twenties."
"For you to bring the Uchiha this far... I think you understand what I mean, don't you? Uchiha Yun!"
"So then... how long will you live?"
Orochimaru finally turned, removing his gloves, a pleased smile on his lips.
"Power. Authority. Money. Hokage... All of these things, in the end, become nothing but dust."
"All life has its limits. Even the great First Hokage, revered as the God of Shinobi, could not escape aging and death."
He looked directly at Yun. "You, who possess the Mangekyō Sharingan... why not come with me?"
"Only flowers that never wither can bloom forever. Immortality is the most intoxicating power of all."
Orochimaru licked his lips with that disturbingly long, snake-like tongue.
Yun couldn't help but shudder and said flatly:
"Honestly, I admire your talent, but damn, you are seriously disgusting."
...??
Orochimaru froze for a second. Then slowly retracted his tongue.
"Immortality comes with a price," he said with a grin. "But compared to what you gain, that price is insignificant."
"Yun-kun… Come to my side."
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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