"We stopped checking for monsters under our bed when we realized they were inside us."
— Charles Darwin
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[First Person POV – Otis]
So this is it, huh?
And then time itself seemed to slow.
A hand caught his wrist.
The kunai froze—just before it could tear my throat open.
A single bead of blood slid down my skin.
Cold. Pale. Strong.
The voice that followed crawled over my skin, low and silken, carrying a chill that sank straight into my bones.
"Now, now, Danzo…"
Every hair on my body stood on end.
Even through the haze of pain, I knew that voice. Hell, everyone in the shinobi world knew that voice.
"It was our agreement, wasn't it?" The figure stepped forward, dragging Danzo's kunai hand away from my neck as if it weighed nothing. "You promised me the boy. Alive. In pristine condition."
He slithered into view, pale face gleaming in the dim light, golden eyes slit like a serpent's. His tongue flicked across his lips as he leaned close, inspecting me the way a butcher looks at prime meat.
Orochimaru.
The snake himself. Or herself—considering he was wearing the body of a woman now.
Of course it had to be him. Out of all the nightmares in the bingo book, mine shows up in lipstick and a stolen body.
(Pic)
Behind him, two shadows emerged. Children—at least, they looked like children. But the chakra rolling off them was anything but innocent. They stood still, silent, watching me like I was already a plaything.
Danzo stiffened, refusing to release the kunai, though his breathing was ragged and furious. He struggled against the pale grip holding him back. "You dare—"
"You dare?" Orochimaru mocked, his voice a cruel sing-song. "Tch, tch, tch. Do not forget, Danzo… you want what I promised. You want your Hashirama cells, your perfect hand. But if you break our deal…" He leaned closer, his breath cold against Danzo's ear. "…then you'll have nothing."
He shoved Danzo back, sending the old warhawk stumbling.
"His body," Orochimaru said softly, trailing a pale finger across my cheek, "is mine. Every piece of it. Except, of course…"
His yellow eyes slid back toward Danzo, the corners of his mouth stretching in a grin that showed far too many teeth. "…for the heart. That, I leave to you."
My blood went cold.
Danzo was terrifying. But Orochimaru? Orochimaru was something else entirely. Something worse.
As Danzo clutched his ruined eye, blood still streaming down his cheek, he snarled and spat curses at me, at her, at the whole damned world. But I barely heard him.
Because in that moment, staring at Orochimaru's smile, one thought screamed louder than the rest in my mind:
I'm fucked.
And then Danzo's fist cracked into my face one last time, the world going dim as my chair rattled. The last thing I heard before unconsciousness dragged me under was Orochimaru's voice, hissing like a serpent at Danzo.
"Careful, old friend… Or I might just take more than I was promised."
***
[Third Person POV]
The air in the underground chamber was thick with blood and tension. Danzo was still screaming about his eye, writhing as medical-nin scrambled to treat his injuries, their hands glowing with desperate green chakra.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, wasted no time. His voice slithered through the chamber, cold and commanding.
"Pack everything. Destroy the evidence. Leave no trace of what we planned here."
A tremor ran through the chamber. Dust shifted from the ceiling, the sound swelling from a rumble to a roar.
Then —
Rumble.
Crack.
BOOM.
The rear wall exploded inward, the shockwave rattling the chamber. Dust choked the air.
The ground quaked beneath the impact as a massive shadow surged through the breach.
The polar bear.
Its snowy fur was streaked with dirt and blood, chakra flaring faintly around its claws in a pulsing blue aura. its jaws clamped tight around the body of a Root shinobi, the man dangling like a ragdoll, crushed and lifeless. It growled low, shaking the corpse like a toy before dropping it with a sickening thud onto the stone floor.
Behind the beast stepped Shisui, calm on the surface, though his mind was burning as his eyes were glowing with the three tomoe of his Sharingan, instantly locking on the pale figure in the room. Orochimaru. The Sannin.
Sayuri and Sasuke followed, weapons drawn, their young faces torn between fear and resolve. Hinata crept along the broken wall, her Byakugan veins bulging as she scanned every chakra signature in the room.
Shisui's jaw tightened. He had already informed Hiruzen of this location. Reinforcements were on their way. But Orochimaru's presence here changed everything. This wasn't just Danzo's corruption being exposed. This was a storm that could consume the children in seconds.
And Naruto was here too. Shisui could still feel his chakra—hiding, clumsy, near the shadows. That idiot was here too.
He didn't need his Sharingan to know the idiot was crouched behind rubble, peeking out with wide eyes. Shisui cursed inwardly. The boy thought he was hidden, but anyone in this room could sense him. Orochimaru, Danzo, every shinobi here—they already knew.
Only the kids were too focused to realize. Shisui cursed under his breath again. He regretted dragging Sayuri, Sasuke, Hinata and Naruto into this hell.
"This just got worse," Shisui muttered under his breath.
The moment Orochimaru's golden, slit-pupiled eyes fell on the group, the air seemed to thicken. His long tongue slid across his lips faster, as he studied them. Those glowing eyes narrowed with hunger, his body trembling with a delight so sharp it felt animalistic.
"Uchiha…" he hissed, savoring the word like fine wine. His gaze lingered on Sayuri, then Sasuke, then shifted to Hinata. "And a Hyūga. My, my… today is a fortunate day indeed. Such rare bloodlines… walking willingly into my arms."
Sayuri's eyes narrowed, "Shut up, snake," she spat, but her voice cracked slightly at the edges. She had heard the stories. Everyone had. Orochimaru wasn't just another missing-nin. He was a Sannin gone rogue. He was a nightmare made of flesh.
The two shinobi at Orochimaru's side stepped forward, taking fighting stances.
Shisui's hand slid to his tanto, his body relaxed, his breathing slow. He wasn't called "Shisui of the Body Flicker" for nothing. But even he knew this was a delicate game. One wrong move, and these kids were corpses
But Shisui Uchiha wasn't a normal shinobi. He only needed to buy time until reinforcements arrived.
So he stalled.
--
(A/N)
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