Drip… drip…
The gurgling of water resonated through the vaulted air, combining with the distant whistling of wind that seemed to come from the empty darkness. The clammy air was rank with the stench of mold and rusty decay.
A black cat huddled in the darkness, its paws playing with a few dying white snakes.
Every time a snake ceased wriggling, the cat released it. When the snake made an attempt to wriggle away, a gentle paw applied pressure once more — firm, un-rushful, almost coy.
Then, looking like it sensed something, the black cat's head went up.
Only then could its face be viewed clearly.
The cat's fur was jet black from head to tail, yet its eyes — one was pitch-dark, the other pure white.
To everyone, it would appear to be a one-eyed cat. Nobody would suspect that the white eye was something much more uncommon — the Byakugan, a dōjutsu which the other four Great Ninja Villages longed to steal.
The jōnin of Hidden Mist, Ao, was known as the "Byakugan Killer" for possessing only one of those eyes — a trophy which placed him on Konoha's list of wanted individuals.
Nobody could ever have conceived that anybody had put such a precious eye into a cat.
But somebody had.
The black cat gathered up the limp white snake in its jaws and sprang upward into the latticework of pipes above, its pace soundless as drifting cloud.
It came to rest on an edge of the drainage system. The white eye opened a little wider, the black one contracting to a slit — both fixed on the stagnant water beneath.
The cloudy liquid came almost up to knee level. Its oily skin glimmered with the crossing pattern of rust-colored pipes above.
Plip… plip…
Seconds later, ripples disrupted the surface. Three shadowy figures ran across the water, their reflections contorting with each movement.
Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, commanded two ANBU agents. They had battled their way through Orochimaru's traps and illusions for hours before finally discovering the correct route through the underground tunnels.
Rats and snakes would be the only creatures that could possibly enjoy such a dirty and damp place. Orochimaru was becoming more and more like a snake each day.
".," Hiruzen halted abruptly, gaze focused on a rusty metal door in front of them. His expression grew black as coal. He lifted his hand, telling the ANBU to advance.
Boom!
The door shook as it swung open with a deafening clang. A stench wave rushed out — a combination of rot, blood, and disinfectant that scorched the throat.
Pale yellow light from candles flickering beside the lab spread across the room, showing a sight that made Hiruzen's eyes constrict.
The walls were spattered with splashes of dark red stains that resembled abstract paintings done in blood. The hanging light bulbs shook from the shock of the explosion, going on and off.
The floors had layers of black-brown residue — imprints that no scrubbing could remove.
Hiruzen felt the harsh, ragged breathing of the two ANBU guarding him. Their gazes were fixed on the glass containers that lined the room.
Within the pale green liquid, twisted human shapes drifted. Their flesh had grown waxy and transparent from extended submersion. Muscles were sewn with black thread like centipede legs.
One of them had an open chest cavity still — the heart within still beating. Snaky organs curled through the belly, their tips attached to tubes that trailed outside the container like jellyfish tentacles.
And there were dozens more like these — each with red numbers marked across them: 32, 42, 65…
Metal shelves on the walls were filled with jars of various sizes, each filled with organs. They twitched slightly, still "alive" in the green liquid.
".This." one of ANBU whispered beneath his mask, his own voice shaking.
Hiruzen remained silent. The scene was revolting, but he had anticipated something like this.
After all, Orochimaru's first human experiments — the transplants of Hashirama's cells — had been sanctioned by Konoha's own upper council, including himself.
Those test subjects had all volunteered, all to bring back the Wood Release. It made no difference that Hiruzen was not exactly a gentle soul.
Even today, as he looked at this monstrosity, a part of him still hated himself for feeling guilt and sympathy for his former pupil.
That sensation disappeared the instant he saw what was further in the lab — two overlapping silhouettes at the back.
Because Orochimaru had his back to the door, Hiruzen saw first the boy on the operating table — his throat slit open, his young face contorted in horror.
It was Nael.
There was no smile there now — just fear. Tears streamed down his face.
He rolled his head weakly in Hiruzen's direction, lips forming speechless sounds.
But Hiruzen could decipher them easily.
"Grandpa Third…"