Dawn never truly came to Otogakure.
Only a faint, artificial light filtered through the seams in the metallic walls, as if the village were pretending to have its own sun.
For Arata, that sickly glow marked the beginning of the most important journey since his arrival in this world.
The sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor. Dosu, as always, at the front; Kin adjusting the metallic bracers of her equipment; Zaku carrying a small pouch of weapons.
The three of them seemed ready, accustomed to danger.
Arata, however, took deep breaths, trying to maintain control over his body, over his mind.
So this is the starting point, he thought. The prelude to the Chunin Exams… to the chaos in Konoha.
He had mentally reviewed everything the night before.
According to his memories, they were right at the equivalent of episode 20 of the anime, the threshold of the exam arc.
That meant Konoha would soon be filled with foreign teams: the Sand, the Mist, the Rain… and above all, Gaara of the Desert.
The mere thought made him swallow hard.
Gaara, before his change, was a walking time bomb: an unstable jinchuriki with the power to destroy them all.
If we encounter him… I must avoid any contact.
His thoughts scattered as a long shadow fell across the hallway.
No introductions were needed.
The temperature in the air dropped several degrees.
"I see you are ready." The voice was soft, silken, yet every syllable carried an almost physical weight.
"Such punctuality… I am pleased."
Orochimaru emerged from the shadows, his white robes shifting like serpent's skin. His face, pale and serene, reflected a calm so absolute it was unnerving.
A shiver ran down Arata's spine.
Seeing him here, in the flesh, was different from any anime image.
His presence dominated the very air. He was not a fictional villain, but a tangible, living… dangerous force.
The three Sound ninja bowed. Arata immediately imitated them.
"Orochimaru-sama," they said in unison.
The Sannin observed them one by one with the slowness of a predator.
"Dosu Kinuta, Zaku Abumi, Kin Tsuchi… and the new one." His eyes, thin as a snake's, settled on Arata. "Arata Kurozawa."
The name landed like a physical blow.
Arata kept his head bowed, but he felt the air around him vibrate. Orochimaru was analyzing him, his chakra creeping through the room like an invisible mist, probing, exploring, invading.
"I heard you awoke ahead of schedule," Orochimaru continued, his tone almost paternal.
"Kabuto speaks well of you. He says your body responded… interestingly."
Arata barely breathed.
"I do what I can, Orochimaru-sama."
A minimal, sharp smile curved the Sannin's lips.
"I expect nothing less. You all have an important role to play."
He walked among them, his robe brushing the floor without a sound.
"Konoha will be the stage for a grand symphony," he said, his voice almost poetic.
"And you… will be the notes that announce its downfall."
Zaku smirked arrogantly; Kin looked down, focused; Dosu, however, showed no emotion at all.
Only Arata felt the cold tracing his spine.
He knew what that "symphony" meant: the attack, the death, the destruction.
And he knew that none of these three would return alive if everything followed the course of the canon.
"Remember," Orochimaru continued, his voice dropping to a whisper laden with intent, "your mission is simple. Participate in the exams and observe Sasuke Uchiha.
Nothing more.
The rest… will be music for my ears."
The snake coiled around his arm lifted its head, hissing softly, and Orochimaru raised a hand in a gesture of dismissal.
"Kabuto will accompany you to the outskirts. May the sound of perfection guide your steps."
And he vanished, literally, his body dissolving into a swirl of white smoke.
The silence he left behind was thick.
Zaku was the first to exhale.
"Every time I see him, it gives me the chills."
Kin shot him a withering look.
"Watch your tongue. If Orochimaru-sama heard you…"
Dosu, more pragmatic, cut in.
"Let's not waste time. If we leave now, we'll reach the borders of the Land of Fire before nightfall."
Arata followed them in silence.
The path to the surface was long. They passed through tunnels that ascended slowly, the walls growing drier, the air cleaner.
For the first time, he saw natural light: a golden glow filtering through a crack in the rock.
When they emerged, the world opened before them.
The forest.
The sky.
The real wind.
Arata stopped for a moment, looking up.
After days underground, the blue of the sky almost hurt his eyes.
The sound of insects, the crunch of leaves… everything seemed amplified, alive.
So this is the Land of Fire, he thought with a mixture of awe and sorrow. I never thought I would actually see it.
Dosu led them without delay. The group moved with shinobi speed, leaping between branches, following a route marked on a scroll.
Arata kept pace, but his mind wandered.
According to his memory, they would arrive in Konoha just as the foreign teams were presenting themselves for the exam.
That placed the events exactly between episodes 20 and 21 of the anime.
He could almost recall the scenes: the bustle in the streets, the genin from different villages exchanging glances, the encounter with Gaara, Lee's team, Ino, Hinata…
It was all there, waiting for him to appear, even though he had never existed in that story.
If Gaara is there, he thought, leaping between the trees, I just have to stay out of the way. Not provoke. Not intervene.
But if something goes wrong…
The wind whipped his face, clearing his mind.
The road was long and the danger constant. But for the first time since his arrival, Arata felt something more than fear.
He felt purpose.
The power to decide, even if it was just a single move, within a story he had believed was written in stone.
As the Sound team moved away from the mountains and the forest grew denser, the sky began to bleed orange.
Konoha was near.
And with it… the first change that would test the very destiny of this world.