The Hokage's office was a tomb of shadows and stale air, the setting sun bleeding a final, weak orange through the large window behind the desk. Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage, leaned forward on her elbows, her entire focus narrowed to the thick file open before her. The world outside, the sounds of a village settling into its nightly rhythm, did not exist. There was only the rustle of paper and the heavy, shared breaths of the room's other occupants.
Before her desk stood two figures, a study in contrasting tensions. Ibiki Morino was a statue carved from granite and old scars, his posture ramrod straight, his expression an unreadable mask of professional detachment. Beside him, Anko Mitarashi was a coiled viper, vibrating with a barely suppressed rage that made the air around her feel thin and sharp. Her knuckles were white where she gripped her own arms, her gaze fixed on the papers with a furious, hungry intensity. The torment of her old sensei's betrayal was a living thing, a fire she constantly fought to keep from consuming her whole.
Tsunade's finger traced the edge of the topmost page. It was a prisoner intake photograph, a mugshot of the Sound kunoichi, Tayuya. The girl's fiery red hair, her expression a mask of pure, defiant fury. There were no bruises, no marks of physical torment on her face, only the profound humiliation of capture and the unyielding venom in her glare. The Fifth Hokage flipped the page, her eyes scanning the neat, precise lines of Ibiki's report, a litany of psychological profiles, transcribed outbursts, and deduced weaknesses.
She finally looked up, her golden-brown eyes weary but sharp as shattered glass. Her voice, when it came, was a low rumble that cut through the silence. "Are you certain?"
Anko's head snapped up, a snarl already forming on her lips. "Of course we're—"
"We are, Hokage-sama," Ibiki interrupted, his voice a calm, gravelly counterpoint that smothered Anko's fire. "The girl's pride is her greatest weakness. We did not need to break her body. We merely had to present her with the undeniable truth of Orochimaru's contempt for his pawns. Her loyalty, once shattered, became a weapon we could turn against its source. This is the first verifiable, actionable intelligence she has provided." He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "It will take more time to pry her mind completely open. She is… resilient. But what we have now… this is a start. A solid one."
Tsunade's gaze drifted from Ibiki, past Anko, and into the deepest shadows of the office, a corner untouched by the fading sunlight. "And it confirms what you've found."
A figure detached itself from the gloom, resolving into the tall, broad-shouldered form of Jiraiya. The usual boisterous energy of the Toad Sage was gone, replaced by a grim seriousness that sat uneasily on his features. He held a thin, sealed scroll in one hand, his expression mirroring Tsunade's own tired resolve.
"The whispers I've been chasing all point to the same location," Jiraiya confirmed, his voice devoid of its usual theatrics. "A hidden laboratory in the Land of Rice Fields. A place where Orochimaru has one of his bases." He tapped the scroll against his palm. "The timing is too perfect to be a coincidence. Her intel gives us a precise location. It's an opportunity we can't afford to waste."
Tsunade's fist came down on the desk, not with a crash of anger, but with a solid, final thud of decision. "Agreed." She pushed herself back in her chair, the leather groaning in protest. The commander had returned, the weariness burned away by a sudden, cold fire. "Gather your reports. I'll assemble a team. Briefing tomorrow. Morning. Sharp."
The heavy oak door of the Hokage's office swung inward on silent, well-oiled hinges. Hinata stepped across the threshold, her new Chuunin vest a snug, reassuring weight against her shoulders. The room was already thick with a palpable tension, a low hum of anticipation and grim purpose that felt more like a war council than a mission briefing.
Tsunade sat enthroned behind her desk, the usual clutter cleared away, leaving only a few critical documents. Flanking her like pillars of authority were Jiraiya, his arms crossed and his expression uncharacteristically severe. Shizune, holding a clipboard with a white-knuckled grip, and the unyielding form of Ibiki Morino. On the other side of the room, near a large, immaculately clean table that was clearly intended for planning, stood the rest of the chosen team.
Naruto's head snapped up the moment she entered. His eyes met hers, and a brilliant, infectious grin immediately split his face, followed by a faint blush that dusted his cheeks. It was a silent, powerful acknowledgment that warmed her to her core. Sakura, standing beside him, let out a quiet sigh, her tense posture relaxing slightly as if a critical piece of a puzzle had just slotted into place. Relief. Anko, however, was a study in barely-leashed aggression. She offered Hinata a sharp, predatory smirk, her body thrumming with an eagerness that was almost frightening. She looked like a hound straining at the leash, desperate for the hunt to begin.
Hinata moved to stand with them, her footsteps silent on the polished floor. She offered a crisp, formal bow. "Hokage-sama." Her voice was a steady, doubled harmony, calm and clear.
Tsunade acknowledged her with a sharp nod. "Good. You're here." Her gaze swept over the assembled shinobi. "We're expecting one more, and then we'll begin."
As if on cue, a quiet knock sounded at the door before it opened again. A man with the placid, unassuming face and neat brown hair of a career Jounin stepped inside. He wore the standard flak jacket and a Konoha forehead protector. Hinata recognized him instantly from the border mission. Yamato. He gave Tsunade a formal bow. "Yamato, reporting as ordered, Hokage-sama."
"Excellent," Tsunade declared, her voice resonating with command. She stood, her presence filling the room. "Let's begin." She gestured towards the thick file on her desk. "During the recent mission to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha, our teams succeeded in capturing one of Orochimaru's elite bodyguards. It was a stroke of tactical genius, and one for which we have you to thank, Hinata." She held up a single sheet of paper, showing the defiant, furious face of Tayuya in her prisoner mugshot.
"Her name is Tayuya," Tsunade continued, her tone hardening. "She was a member of the Sound Four, Orochimaru's personal shield. And after some… persuasive conversation with Ibiki's department, she has begun to reveal some information."
Hinata's mind flashed back to the foul-mouthed, flute-playing kunoichi. She remembered the rage, the fear, and the… unfortunate climax of their encounter. A flicker of empathy stirred within her. She was an enemy, a monster who had tried to kill her friends, but she was also a prisoner. Hinata hoped, for her own sake, that the girl was being treated with a measure of dignity.
She noticed Sakura's hands unclench, the younger kunoichi's nervous energy sharpening into a blade of pure, hopeful anticipation. Naruto, however, couldn't contain himself.
"Did you find out where Sasuke is?!" he burst out, his voice a raw plea that cut through the professional atmosphere.
Tsunade's expression softened for a fraction of a second before hardening once more. "No. Not yet. The serpent's secrets run deep, and this girl is just one thread. But we have something. One of his primary bases of operation. And before we can even think about finding Sasuke, we need to know what we're walking into. We need to investigate."
With that, she strode over to the empty table, the heavy file tucked under her arm. She placed it down and unrolled a massive, detailed map of the Land of Fire and its surrounding territories. Its worn, cream-colored surface spread across the wood like a promise of battle.
Her fingers, tapped a specific region on the map. A sprawling territory of lush, fertile plains and dense, old-growth forests nestled between larger nations. "Here," Tsunade stated, her voice leaving no room for argument. "The Land of Rice Fields. For years, it's been a quiet, unassuming agricultural territory, but Orochimaru has turned it into his personal fiefdom. He sold the local Daimyo a dream of prosperity and military might, convincing him to pour a fortune into his… research."
Her gaze hardened. "That funding allowed him to establish a significant foothold. But more than that, he preyed on weakness. The region is home to several minor shinobi clans, most of them decimated and left powerless after the last war. Orochimaru didn't offer them money. He offered them pride. A chance to restore their former glory." She tapped the map again, this time on a clan insignia near the area. "The most notable is the Fuma clan. They were once feared for their unique shurikenjutsu and cunning traps. Now, what's left of them has sworn fealty to the serpent."
Yamato's calm expression tightened fractionally. "To clarify, Hokage-sama. Are we being tasked with engaging the entirety of the Fuma clan, even in their weakened state?"
"No," Jiraiya's voice cut in from the side, deep and resonant. He finally pushed off the wall, his presence making the room feel smaller. "The Fuma aren't a monolithic. My network has feelers everywhere. The clan fractured when Orochimaru made his offer. A significant number of them refused to bow to an outsider and went rogue. I've… had words with some of their leadership. They aren't our friends, but after a brief demonstration of my Gutsiness, they agreed that Orochimaru is a far greater threat. They've agreed to cooperate and shared some intel."
Tsunade nodded, taking back the floor. "The Fuma loyalists are still a threat. Expect to clash with them. But Jiraiya's groundwork and Tayuya's intel have given us a clear picture." Her finger traced a triangle of locations on the map. "This abandoned silver mine… this forgotten shrine deep in the swamp… and this series of waterfalls here. These are the three most likely surface entrances to the main subterranean base. Otogakure. The Village Hidden in Sound."
She leaned back, her arms crossed, her expression grim. "Now for the bad news. Orochimaru is a snake, but he's not a fool. He knows we have Tayuya. He already has Sasuke. He knows this base is compromised. Assume it's abandoned. Assume every inch of it is trapped."
Hinata didn't need her Byakugan to see the hope drain from Sakura's face. Like a light being extinguished, leaving her shoulders slumped and her expression hollow.
"According to Tayuya," Tsunade continued, her voice cold and pragmatic, "this is just one of many such facilities. Smaller labs, hidden bunkers, research outposts… scattered all across the continent like a disease. We're still working on her for those locations. For now, our primary objective is intelligence. We need to find out what he was doing there, what he left behind, and where he might have gone next."
"This will be an A-Rank reconnaissance mission," Tsunade announced, her voice cutting through the heavy silence. "With the full understanding that it could escalate to S-Rank the moment you find anything… living."
Her gaze shifted, sweeping over Naruto and Sakura with an intensity that seemed to weigh them down. "I know what some of you are thinking. A Genin and a newly-promoted Chuunin on a mission of this caliber." She paused, letting the unspoken doubt hang in the air before shattering it. "You were his teammates. You breathed the same air, bled on the same missions. If, and it's a slim if, Sasuke is there, or if we find any trace of him, you are our best chance of reaching him. Your presence is a tactical necessity."
Her expression became granite. "But let me be perfectly clear." Her eyes locked onto each of them in turn, a general drilling her soldiers. "If you encounter overwhelming opposition, if the integrity of the base is compromised, if you feel for one second that the mission is untenable… you are to disengage. Immediately. Abandon the objective and return to Konoha. That is a direct order from your Hokage. Your lives are more valuable than any piece of intel."
She straightened, a silent dismissal of any argument. "Jiraiya will be the overall mission commander. Yamato," she nodded to the quiet Jounin, "you will act as his second, and the field commander on the ground. The rest of you will follow their orders without question. Understood?"
A chorus of determined acknowledgments answered her.
"Any questions?"
The silence that followed was absolute, a shared understanding of the stakes.
"Good," Tsunade said, her voice a low growl of finality. "Mission start."
The air outside the Hokage Tower was crisp and cool, a stark contrast to the suffocating tension of the briefing room. Naruto, predictably, was the first to break the silence, his nervous energy exploding outwards.
"Alright! Let's get going! We'll find that base, get the intel, and be back in time for dinner, believe it!"
Anko slung a comradely arm around his shoulders, her smirk wide and feral. "That's the spirit, kid! I like your energy! Let's go break some of the snake-bastard's toys!"
Sakura stood a little apart, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, a fragile shell of determination over a core of gnawing worry. This was it. A real chance.
Yamato appeared beside them as if from thin air, his expression placid. "I'm glad to be working with such a… spirited team."
Hinata, ever observant, noticed the peculiar way Naruto was staring at Yamato. It wasn't suspicion or awe, but a sort of baffled, childlike curiosity, as if he were trying to figure out a puzzle that looked deceptively simple.
Then, the atmosphere warped.
Yamato's calm demeanor vanished, replaced by something deeply unsettling. His posture didn't change, but the look in his eyes did. They went wide, black, and utterly devoid of warmth, like staring into two empty wells. His voice dropped, losing its pleasant tone and gaining a chilling, flat quality as his gaze fell squarely upon Naruto.
"And you will all follow my orders. Isn't that right... Naruto?"
A startled yelp escaped Naruto's lips. He physically scrambled behind Hinata's taller frame, using her as a human shield from the Jounin's terrifying gaze. The sudden weight and warmth against her back was a familiar, if flustering, sensation.
Hinata merely blinked, the sudden shift in atmosphere a strange, dissonant chord in the mission's overture.
With their unsettling field commander leading the way, the newly formed team departed from Konoha, a strange and potent mix of power and personality heading towards the shadows of the Land of Rice Fields.
They moved through the forest. The canopy above bled dappled sunlight onto the forest floor, painting the world in shifting shades of green and gold. Up front, Jiraiya and Yamato were two shadows in lockstep, their heads bowed in a quiet, intense discussion that Hinata's enhanced hearing could have easily intercepted, but she afforded them their privacy.
Beside her, Anko was a thrumming knot of energy. The very air around her seemed to vibrate with a manic glee, the joyous anticipation of a predator who had been starved for too long and was finally being led to a feast. Hinata could feel it like a low-voltage current, a stark contrast to her own serene, focused calm.
Behind them, Naruto and Sakura followed. And Hinata could feel his gaze.
A warm pressure that started at the back of her neck and traced a slow, deliberate path downwards. She didn't need the Byakugan to see it. She could feel the focus as it lingered on the broad, strong expanse of her shoulders, tapered down the impossible narrowness of her waist, and then explored the powerful, feminine curve of her hips and buttocks, a silent, appreciative cataloging of the changes her body had undergone. It was a pleasant warmth, a validation that sent a thrill through her, but it was also a distraction, a persistent hum of awareness that pulled at the edges of her concentration.
…The male is conducting a thorough visual assessment of our chassis… He is confirming its structural integrity and aesthetic superiority. This is an appropriate and expected pack dynamic…
Then, a new sensation. A second gaze, sharper, more analytical. Sakura. It wasn't the warm, possessive appraisal of Naruto, but the cool, calculating stare of an engineer studying a rival's siege engine. A look filled with a complex cocktail of envy, grudging respect, and curiosity. Just like Tenten and Ino, Hinata thought with a flicker of amusement. It seemed to be a recurring theme.
She gave her head a subtle shake, forcing the distracting sensations away. Focus. Her mind turned inwards, to the mission. What were they truly walking into? What horrors had Orochimaru left festering in the dark? Would they find any clue about Sasuke, any breadcrumb to follow? Or would they only find more of the serpent's twisted soldiers, more broken children like Tayuya, their bodies warped by cursed seals into living nightmares?
Her thoughts drifted, surprisingly, to the mission in Oishida, to the monstrous plant-puppet and the overwhelming odds. She remembered the desperate, brilliant flash of inspiration, the raw fusion of her Katon and Raiton. Plasma. It had been a chaotic, uncontrolled eruption, but it had worked. The principle was sound. Perhaps, after this mission, she could work with Kurenai-sensei, or even Anko, to refine it. To turn the chaotic blast into a controlled, sustained weapon.
As she leapt to another branch, a familiar, irritating pressure brought her back to a more immediate problem. The standard-issue Chuunin vest, for all its durability, was not designed for a physique that was constantly, aggressively evolving. The hardened material dug into the flesh of her shoulders and strained against the powerful muscles of her back. The clasps over her chest felt as though they were under siege, threatening to surrender at any moment. Her shinobi pants, once comfortable, were now stretched taut across her thighs and hips, the fabric groaning in protest with every powerful stride. She had grown again. Taller, broader. Stronger.
After this mission, she would need a new uniform. The thought of walking into a standard supply depot was almost comical. There would be nothing on the racks for her. She would have to place a custom order, a quiet and mortifying admission that her body no longer fit the standard mold of a kunoichi, or a human, at all.
Her thoughts were shattered by a sudden, conspiratorial presence at her side. Anko had materialized beside her, moving with a silent, fluid grace that was deeply unnerving. A wide, mischievous grin stretched across the older woman's face, her eyes alight with a familiar, dangerous sparkle.
"So," Anko purred, her voice a low, teasing whisper. "How's my star pupil doing? Are you studying the… materials I provided? Putting them to good use?"
Hinata maintained her forward gaze, her expression a careful mask of professional calm. "Your lessons were… informative, Anko-sensei. They have proven to be very useful."
Anko let out a short, sharp laugh, a sound like a blade striking stone. "Informative? Kid, that's like calling a forest fire 'cozy'. I've seen the results. Directly."
Hinata tensed. A cold knot formed in her stomach. What is she talking about?
"When my department took possession of that little Sound brat, Tayuya," Anko continued, her grin widening with sadistic glee, "we ran a full diagnostic. And I have to say, I was delightfully surprised. The incapacitation method… it was a work of art. A masterpiece of unconventional warfare." Anko leaned closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial hiss. "You didn't just shut down her chakra network. You targeted her erogenous zones. A cascading neurological overload. You literally melted her brain with pleasure until she passed out. She was… surprisingly docile after that. I don't think the poor girl had ever felt anything remotely close to that in her miserable life."
Anko clapped a hand on Hinata's shoulder, her grip surprisingly strong. "I've never been prouder. In fact," she added, her eyes gleaming, "you should come sit in on one of her interrogations. Maybe give her another… demonstration. For old times' sake. I'm sure she'd appreciate the attention."
…A non-violent method of submission induction based on overwhelming the subject's sensory input with positive stimuli. Highly efficient. We approve of the Snake-Woman's invitation…
Hinata's composure finally shattered. A thermonuclear blush erupted across her face, so intense she could feel her Klyntar markings pulsing with a hot, pinkish light beneath her skin. "I-I-It wasn't— I didn't mean to— That was an—"
"HEY!"
Naruto's voice boomed from behind them, a righteous, protective roar. "LEAVE HER ALONE, YOU CRAZY SNAKE-LADY! CAN'T YOU SEE YOU'RE BOTHERING HER?!"
Anko threw her head back and let out a hearty, genuine laugh. "Alright, alright, lover-boy, keep your pants on!" She gave Hinata's shoulder a final, approving squeeze before gracefully disengaging, melting back to her previous position in the formation as if nothing had happened.
A moment later, Naruto and Sakura were flanking her, their strides matching hers. The warmth of Naruto's presence was a grounding force, a stark contrast to the mortifying heat still burning on her cheeks.
Naruto, now running comfortably at her side, broke the silence. He was clearly casting about for a topic, any topic, to fill the space Anko had left. Hinata could see Sakura notice it too, a slight tightening around her friend's eyes that said, Oh no, here we go.
"So, uh," Naruto began, his voice a little too loud. "Sakura was telling me! You and Karin, you actually started your training with Granny Tsunade, right? That's awesome!"
Hinata was genuinely surprised. She turned her head slightly to look at Sakura. "You did?"
Sakura offered a weak but proud smile. "We did. Just the basics so far."
"Are you learning any cool new jutsu?" Naruto pressed, his excitement building. "Like, ones that make things explode?!"
"No, Naruto. Nothing like that," Sakura said, a familiar, long-suffering sigh in her voice. And just like that, she shifted into her academic mode, her posture straightening, her tone becoming crisp and precise. "Right now, it's all fundamentals. Human anatomy. Musculature, the nervous system, chakra pathways. How to properly clean and stitch a wound without causing infection. It's… intensive." She glanced at Naruto, a hint of clinical superiority in her tone. "There are huge differences between male and female bodies. Even in the same parts, the way they function, their density, their hormonal responses… it's all completely different."
This seemed to genuinely capture Naruto's interest. He grew thoughtful. "So… you've learned everything? About all the differences?"
Sakura puffed out her chest with a flicker of playful pride. "Of course I have, Naruto! I memorized the entire section in one night. Unlike some people."
"Okay, then..." he said, his voice a perfect picture of innocent curiosity. "Why are girls' tongues longer than boys'?"
This question felt like a dropped bomb.
Hinata's entire world froze. Her shoulders went rigid. The fluid grace of her movement hitched for a fraction of a second, a silent, catastrophic system failure. She kept her face forward, a mercy for which she was profoundly grateful, praying the back of her head could not betray the thermonuclear meltdown happening in her brain.
…The male is attempting to process new, contradictory data. His conclusion is flawed, but his initial observation was… accurate.
"What?" Sakura's voice was a flat note of pure confusion. "What are you talking about?" She sounded genuinely baffled. "There's no difference, you idiot! The musculoskeletal structure of the human tongue is identical across sexes, barring minor variations in size relative to the individual's oral cavity!"
The clinical certainty in Sakura's voice was the final piece of the puzzle for Naruto. The horror dawned on him. He saw Sakura's bewildered face, then glanced at the ramrod-straight posture of Hinata's back, and the events of their kiss on the hospital roof replayed in his mind with horrifying clarity.
"I-I mean... taste! Yeah, taste!" he stammered, frantically backpedaling. "Like, do girls and boys taste the same food differently? 'Cause of hormones or whatever! That's what I meant!"
Sakura, having completely missed the landmine he'd just sidestepped, blinked. Her mind, now presented with a new, plausible (if strange) scientific query, shifted gears. "Well… that's an interesting question. It's theoretically possible. Hormonal fluctuations, particularly estrogen, can affect olfactory and gustatory perception. And there are studies that suggest minor differences in the density of fungiform papillae, but the data is largely inconclusive…"
Sakura continued to theorize, her voice a low murmur of scientific postulation. But her words were lost in the crushing silence that had fallen between Naruto and Hinata.
After that, an awkward, unspoken truce of silence fell over their small section of the formation. Their journey continued through the rustling leaves, the unspoken memory of a single, shared moment now hanging heavy and hot in the air between them.
Two days of relentless, silent travel had bled the vibrant green of the Land of Fire into the muted, earthy tones of its neighbor. The team came to a halt on a forested ridge overlooking a vast, rolling expanse of plains. The Land of Rice Fields. From this vantage point, it was a breathtaking patchwork of emerald paddies, golden wheat, and fallow brown earth, shimmering under the haze of the afternoon sun. A single, dusty road snaked its way towards a town nestled in the crook of a lazy river. It looked peaceful. Too peaceful.
Jiraiya held up a hand, his gaze sweeping across the deceptively serene landscape. "We'll make our approach on that town," he declared, his voice a low command. "I have a contact there. One of the Fuma clan who broke with Orochimaru. We need to know the situation on the ground before we go any deeper."
"I hope your 'contact' doesn't have a kunai waiting for your back, Jiraiya-sama," Anko drawled, her words dripping with a cynical poison. "Rogue-nin aren't exactly known for their loyalty."
"We will proceed with maximum vigilance," Yamato stated, his calm voice a solid counterpoint to Anko's aggression. "No assumptions."
They descended from the ridge. Their movements were a study in liquid efficiency. They kept to the treeline, paralleling the dusty road that cut through the fields. And as they moved, a deep, pervasive wrongness began to settle over them, a silence that it had it's own pressure.
It was Naruto who finally gave it a voice. He stopped for a moment, his head cocked as if listening for a sound that wasn't there. "Hey… isn't this weird?" he asked, his usual boisterousness replaced by a genuine confusion. "The road's completely empty. Shouldn't there be… I dunno, carts? Merchants? People? They call it the Land of Rice Fields, right?"
Hinata felt a chill. He was right. Her Byakugan had been sweeping the area for threats, but she now realized what it had failed to register: the complete and total absence of life. No farmers in the distant fields. No children playing near the farmhouses. Nothing.
…The orange one is correct, Venom's thought echoed in her mind, cold and analytical. Scans have registered zero human or large mammalian activity on all designated transport routes for the past six kilometers. The ecosystem is… sterile.
Sakura shivered beside her. "He's right," she whispered, her eyes wide as she scanned the silent, sun-drenched emptiness. "For an agricultural hub, the trade routes are completely dead. It's not just quiet, it's empty."
Hinata saw it then—a silent, meaningful glance exchanged between Jiraiya, Anko, and Yamato. It was a conversation held in a single, shared moment of grim understanding. They had felt it too.
Yamato's gaze returned to Naruto, a flicker of respect in his otherwise placid eyes. "Your assessment is correct, Naruto. This nation is one of the primary food exporters for the central continent. At this time of day, this road should be choked with traffic." He turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the silent, beautiful, and utterly terrifying landscape. "The lack of activity is deeply concerning."
The sun suddenly felt less like a source of warmth. The air, once just humid, now hung thick and stagnant with unspoken dread. With a new, heavy suspicion settling in their hearts, they pushed on, moving deeper into the unnerving silence of the dying land.
The team finally breached the treeline, their silent progress spilling out into the desolate streets of what was supposed to be a bustling regional hub. The sight that greeted them was one of profound decay. The town wore its emptiness like a shroud. Shop stalls stood like skeletal frames, their canvas coverings shredded by wind and neglect. Shutters on second-story windows hung from single hinges, like hollow, weeping eyes. An eerie silence, broken only by the mournful whistle of the wind through empty alleyways, pressed in on them.
"This… this isn't right," Jiraiya murmured, his voice tight with a confusion that bordered on alarm. "The last time I was here, you couldn't move for the crowds. The noise was deafening."
A quiet command from Yamato. "Hinata." The single word was all it took.
A flicker of chakra, and the world dissolved into a byakugan vision. The silence of the streets was a lie. "It's not abandoned," she reported, her voice a low, steady anchor in the disquieting emptiness. "They're here. The town is full. But… they're hiding." Her Byakugan saw them—flickers of heat, clusters of chakra huddled in attics, cellars, and behind barricaded doors. The entire population was holding its breath.
As if summoned by her words, a flicker of movement caught Naruto's eye. A small child, no older than five, darted from one alley to another, a tiny ghost in the oppressive stillness.
"Hey! Wait!" Naruto called out, taking a step forward. But the child vanished as if it had never been there, a startled gasp of motion swallowed by the shadows.
Jiraiya's face was now a mask of grim purpose. "With me," he commanded, his voice sharp. "Stay sharp."
They moved as one, leaping to the rooftops to get a better vantage point. From above, Hinata's assessment was confirmed. They saw fleeting glimpses of life, a face disappearing from a window, a door hastily shut, the faint smell of cooking fires quickly extinguished. The entire town was playing dead.
"Even a graveyard has a more cheerful atmosphere," Anko muttered, her hand resting on the kunai pouch at her thigh.
"It feels like a town under siege," Hinata thought aloud, her voice a soft, doubled murmur. "As if they're in a constant state of wartime readiness."
Jiraiya led them to their destination: a large, impressive building that, despite the surrounding decay, showed signs of maintenance. It was an inn, its sign—a depiction of a leaping carp—faded but intact. Hinata scanned the interior. Her Byakugan swept through the walls, cataloging the chakra signatures within. Numerous, tense, but no immediate traps or hostile intent. She gave a curt nod. "It's clear."
They entered. The heavy door swung open to reveal a common room packed with people. A burly bartender polished a glass with a dirty rag, his eyes never leaving them. Men and women of all ages, dressed as merchants, farmers, and artisans, sat at tables, but none were eating or drinking. Their hands rested near the worn hilts of swords, the grips of axes, or pouches heavy with ninja tools. Their collective gaze was a physical weight, thick with suspicion and exhaustion.
The tense standoff was broken by a deep, weary voice. "Jiraiya-sama. It is good to see your face again."
The man who stepped forward was a mountain carved from sinew and grim resolve. He was tall and powerfully built, his long black hair flowing free around a rugged face and a red band tied tight across his forehead. A sleeveless white cloak with a purple lining was draped over a simple black t-shirt, and his lavender pants were held up by a thick white rope. Strapped to his back with another rope was a massive zanbatō, its sheer size a declaration of brutal intent.
Jiraiya's tense posture eased slightly. "Hanzaki. Your town has seen better days."
"That it has," the large man agreed, his dark, sharp eyes sweeping over the rest of the team. "Come. We have much to discuss in private."
Hanzaki gestured towards a door at the back of the room. As the Konoha team began to follow him, Hinata's eyes flickered to the crowd. A wave of palpable relief washed over them, shoulders unclenching, hands moving away from weapons. Anko, walking beside her, caught the subtle shift in Hinata's focus. A quick, sharp wink. A silent message passed between predators: Good eyes, kid.
The team filed into the secluded room. The heavy wooden door shut behind them with a solid thud, sealing them in with the secrets of the dying town.
Hinata scanned the room, her senses absorbing every detail. It was clearly a study, repurposed into a command center out of necessity. The scent of old paper and leather-bound books mingled with the sharp, metallic tang of oiled steel and the faint, human smell of sweat and fear. The anticipation from her own team was a low, resonant frequency in the room, a shared hum of coiled readiness.
Jiraiya leaned forward, his hands resting on the table, his posture demanding answers. "Hanzaki, what in the hells happened here? You look like you're preparing for a siege."
The big man let out a humorless breath, a sound like gravel shifting. "Because we are, Jiraiya-sama. Partially." He began to pace slowly, his heavy zanbatō a silent, intimidating presence on his back. "It started over a month ago. Word began to spread. The Sound Village, Orochimaru's den, was calling in its markers. His loyalists among the local clans, especially my own misguided kin from the Fuuma, began to mobilize. At first, we assumed the obvious." His gaze flickered to the Konoha shinobi. "You had just repelled his invasion. We thought he was gathering his forces for the retaliation he knew was coming. It was enough to put the entire region on edge. The civilians felt it first."
"Konoha had no plans for a direct invasion," Anko stated flatly, her arms crossed. It wasn't a defense, just a cold statement of fact.
"We gathered as much," Hanzaki agreed with a grim nod. "Weeks passed, and no Leaf army appeared on our borders. But the call for clansmen never stopped. It got… stranger." He paused, his dark eyes looking haunted. "We have our own channels, ways of hearing whispers from the other side. The story they were being fed was that Orochimaru had become generous. He was offering to make them strong, to give them power beyond their wildest dreams."
He stopped pacing and turned to face them fully. "Then, he started taking more than just warriors. They began grabbing non-combatants. Artisans, farmers… even children. That's when we had to act. We clashed with a recruitment party trying to take a family from the edge of town."
The memory clearly cost him. His jaw tightened. "It was… horrifying. They weren't men anymore. They had these strange, black marks all over their bodies. They fought like berserkers, with no sense of self-preservation, only a rabid hunger for destruction. We barely fought them back. Barely."
A cold understanding rippled through the Konoha shinobi. Hinata felt it. The curse marks, she thought, the realization settling like a stone in her gut.
…The serpent is not merely recruiting, Venom commented, its voice a cold, contemptuous whisper in her mind. He is manufacturing. Distributing his flawed, parasitic methods to build a disposable, unstable army.
Even as her mind raced, a part of her remained detached, analytical. Her enhanced senses constantly scanned Hanzaki. His heart rate was steady, his chakra flow even, if laced with exhaustion. He was telling the truth. She saw Jiraiya, Anko, and Yamato watching him with the same assessing gaze, weighing every word. Even Naruto was quiet, his usual energy focused, his brow furrowed in concentration. And beside him, Sakura's nervousness had morphed into a sharp, painful anticipation, her hands clenched so tightly her knuckles were white. This was it. The first real trail.
Jiraiya's knuckles were white where he gripped the edge of the table. "And after that?"
Hanzaki's gaze went distant, unfocused, as if staring into a memory he wished he could burn away. "After that," he said, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper, "the fragile peace we had shattered completely. The hunts intensified. Recruitment turned into a harvest." He gestured vaguely towards the barred windows of the room. "They became more aggressive, more… brazen. They started testing the edges of the towns, grabbing anyone they could reach. People started to run. The roads became rivers of refugees, all flowing here, to us. We were the last bastion."
He took a shaky breath, the first sign of true weakness he'd shown. "The most damning proof came when Orochimaru's own started to break. Fuuma loyalists, men, women, even some of the older children who had been conscripted, they deserted. They came to us, half-mad with terror, babbling about monsters, about people changing into… things." His eyes met Hinata's, and she saw a soul-deep weariness there. "We thought it was just fear-talk, the ravings of traumatized soldiers. Until we saw one for ourselves."
The air in the room grew heavy, thick with the unspoken horror of his memory. "It wasn't human anymore. Its skin was stretched and gray, its bones twisted into unnatural shapes. Horns erupted from its skull, and it fought with a shriek that would curdle your blood. There was a wrongness to it, like seeing a body that had been broken and put back together inside out." He finally looked away, staring at the wall. "Now… now we are surrounded. We don't see them often, but we hear them. At night. The screams. And sometimes, in the moonlight, we catch glimpses of them moving in the fields just beyond the walls. Hunting."
A long, heavy silence descended upon the room. It was a silence filled with the wordless communication of elite shinobi. Hinata saw Jiraiya's jaw tighten into a knot of grim fury. She saw Anko's barely-contained rage finally coalesce into a cold, murderous certainty. She saw Yamato's mind working, processing, analyzing the threat with detached precision.
It was Sakura who broke the spell, her voice sharp and clinical. "When you fought them… these monsters… are there any bodies? Anything preserved for analysis?"
Hanzaki shook his head slowly. "When we were lucky enough to kill one, we didn't take chances. We dug a pit… and we burned them. Every last piece."
"If they are as strong as you describe," Yamato interjected, his voice calm and level, cutting straight to the tactical heart of the matter, "why haven't they overwhelmed you? Why are you still here?"
A flicker of confusion crossed Hanzaki's weary face. "That's the strangest part. They could. If they attacked as a single, coordinated force, this town would have fallen in an hour. But they don't." He looked back at them, his eyes narrowed in thought. "They don't coordinate. They attack in small groups, sometimes even alone. They act more like… rabid wolves fighting over scraps than a disciplined army."
Jiraiya's head came up, a glimmer of understanding in his eyes. He reached for the map on the table, unrolling it with a decisive snap. The worn parchment spread across the wood, a battlefield waiting for its pins.
"Hanzaki," the Sannin commanded, his voice now ringing with purpose. "Show me. Show me everywhere."
They left the inn behind, the oppressive quiet of the town swallowing the sound of the closing door. Once they were a safe distance away, nestled in the relative cover of a ruined merchant stall, Naruto's coiled frustration finally exploded.
"That snake bastard!" he burst out, slamming a fist into his palm. "It's just like with them! Those Sound freaks! The marks on their bodies, the way they went nuts… Sasuke… he looked just like that!" The raw pain and anger in his voice was a stark reminder of the battle at the Valley of the End.
Jiraiya and Yamato paid him no mind, their attention focused on the map spread across a dusty crate. Yamato's finger traced the locations Hanzaki had marked. "The battle sites and the sightings correlate with the intel from Tayuya," he confirmed, his voice a low, analytical hum. "The shrine, the mines… the general area of operations is a match." He then straightened up, his gaze shifting to Anko, who was staring at the map with an annoyed scowl. Hinata had noticed it too, a subtle irritation simmering just beneath her surface.
"However," Yamato continued, his tone clinical, "your reports on the prisoner make no mention of this… escalation. This mass production of curse-marked soldiers. Hanzaki claims it's been happening for weeks. That's a significant omission."
"Does that mean she managed to hide it from you?" Sakura asked, her voice laced with innocent curiosity.
Anko let out a short, dismissive snort. "No." The word was cold and absolute. "Information of this magnitude, this strategically vital? Impossible to hide. We could have flayed her soul piece by piece, and a secret that big would have slipped out. Ibiki's team doesn't miss things like this. Besides," she added, gesturing vaguely, "Tayuya's an enforcer, an attack dog. She doesn't have the training, the discipline, or the subtlety of a spy. She couldn't hide a secret like that if she wanted to."
"Perhaps Orochimaru tampered with her memories before the mission?" Hinata offered, the thought logical and chilling.
Anko shut that down just as quickly. "Too risky. Memory alteration is a messy, imprecise art. It leaves scars on the chakra network, easy for a sensor to spot. More importantly, it can affect combat performance, introduce hesitation. Orochimaru needed his tools sharp for the Sasuke retrieval. He wouldn't have risked dulling one of his best blades."
A thoughtful silence fell over the group, the puzzle pieces scattered on the table but refusing to fit. Then, Anko's eyes narrowed, a flicker of grudging understanding in their depths.
"She didn't hide it," Anko said, her voice a low growl of dawning realization. "She didn't know." She tapped a finger on Tayuya's psychological profile, which was clipped to the file. "Look at her. She and the rest of the Sound Four were kept on a tight leash, isolated. Let out of their kennels only for specific operations. She knew the general layout of the base, yes. But Orochimaru micromanaged their every move. He scheduled their patrols, their training, their downtime. He could have orchestrated their entire lives so they never once crossed paths with one of his new… experiments."
Her voice dripped with a sickened contempt. "He made himself their entire world, their only source of truth. And in his world, curiosity is a sin that gets you punished. Or worse, turned into the next experiment." She shook her head, a dark smirk twisting her lips. "Gotta hand it to him. That snake bastard is nothing if not thorough."
"Wow," Naruto said, trying to inject some levity into the grim atmosphere. "You sure know a lot about that snake bastard, Anko-sensei."
Anko's gaze turned to him, and for the first time, the manic fire in her eyes was gone, replaced by a flat, cold emptiness that was far more terrifying.
"He was my sensei," she said, her voice quiet and steady.
The statement dropped into the silence, and the simple weight of it seemed to suck the air from the lungs of Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata, leaving them staring at the scarred, furious woman in a completely new, and horrifying, light.
A flush of shame colored Naruto's cheeks. "I… I'm sorry, Anko-sensei. I didn't mean to…"
Anko waved a dismissive hand, a wry, tired smile touching her lips. "Forget it, kid. Water under the bridge." The moment of vulnerability passed, and the hard-edged Jounin returned. "So," Naruto asked, turning to Jiraiya and Yamato, his voice once again filled with purpose, "what's the plan?"
"We continue as ordered," Yamato stated calmly. "We proceed to the nearest suspected entrance, the old silver mine, and begin our reconnaissance."
The team nodded, turning to move out, but a sudden, desperate voice stopped them. "Wait!"
Hanzaki was there, panting slightly as if he'd run from the inn. "I… I forgot. There's something else." He wrung his large hands, his tough exterior cracking to reveal a desperate man. "One of the deserters who came to us… a kunoichi. Her name is Sasame. She told us much of what I told you." His voice dropped, filled with guilt. "Her older brother… he was one of the first to go to Orochimaru. She was desperate to save him. I forbade her from leaving the town, but… she's gone. She must have snuck out last night. She's out there, somewhere in the forest, alone with those… things." His eyes pleaded with them. "I know it's not your mission, but if you find her… please."
"We'll find her," Naruto declared, his voice ringing with absolute certainty. He shot Hanzaki a reassuring grin. "And we'll bring her back. Believe it!"
Their path took them to the edge of the town, to the top of the last intact building before the crumbling outer wall gave way to the whispering, shadowed forest. This was the direction of the silver mine.
"Hinata," Yamato commanded, his voice a low hum. "Scan the route."
"Hai."
She closed her eyes for a moment, then they snapped open, the veins around her temples bulging as the Byakugan flared to life. The world dissolved into a 360-degree monochrome patterns of chakra and life force. But as her vision pushed deeper into the forest, a strange, creeping wrongness permeated the data. The air itself felt stale, dead. The normal, vibrant symphony of insect and animal life was replaced by a humming, oppressive silence.
The ecosystem is compromised, Venom noted, its senses merging with her own, tasting the very air. Something is poisoning the life force of this place.
And then she saw it. Deep within the trees, something was moving. Scuttling. It was humanoid, but it moved on all fours like a broken insect, its limbs stretched and knotted into grotesquely long proportions. A rack of jagged, bony horns erupted from its spine and skull, catching the dappled light. It was an animal, driven by a rage it could barely contain, its head twitching erratically as its eyes, burning with a sickly, jaundiced yellow glow, scanned its territory.
Her Byakugan peeled back its skin, revealing the chaos within. Its chakra system was a storm of violent, corrupted energy, a raging, uncontrolled fire. But at its center, on its chest, was a single point of cold, black order. The curse mark. It pulsed like a black hole, sucking in ambient nature energy, feeding the chaotic fire, making the creature stronger, wilder, and more unstable with every passing second.
The creature's frenzied movements stopped. Its head snapped up, its glowing yellow eyes seeming to stare directly at her from miles away.
And in that moment, she saw the others. A flicker of movement to the left. Another to the right. More of them. A pack. Roaming, hunting, their monstrous forms half-hidden by the ancient trees.
Where the old Hinata would have felt a spike of pure terror, this new Hinata felt only a cold clarity. This was chaos. An abomination against the natural order. A sickness in the world that needed to be cleansed. She was the Agent of Balance. This madness had to be stopped.
Deep within her, she felt a familiar, satisfying rumble. A predator's purr of absolute agreement.
She lowered her gaze, turning to her team. Her voice was perfectly calm, a stone dropping into a still, dark pool.
"They are in our way," she stated, the doubled harmony of her voice leaving no room for doubt. "We have no choice but to clash."