Drip... drip...
The sound of water echoed layer upon layer through the arched chamber. Mournful wind whistled from unseen depths, carrying the damp stench of mildew and old rust.
A pitch-black cat lay crouched in the shadows, lazily toying with several half-dead white snakes.
Whenever the snakes stopped wriggling, the cat would release its paw. When they squirmed again, it pressed down with a padded foot, revealing a streak of sadistic amusement.
But soon, as if sensing something, the cat raised its head.
Only then could its true appearance be seen.
It had heterochromatic eyes, one black, one pale white.
To the average person, it might look like one eye was blind. But no one would guess that the white eye was the most coveted treasure of the ninja world, the Byakugan.
After all, the Hidden Mist jonin Ao was once feared across nations simply for possessing a single Byakugan, earning him the title "Byakugan Killer" and a place on Konoha's wanted list.
No one could imagine that someone had gone so far as to transplant a Byakugan… into a cat.
Yet someone had done exactly that.
The cat picked up a white snake in its mouth and vanished in a blur, leaping silently into the crisscrossing pipes above like mist drifting through the clouds.
It perched silently on a drainage bend, its white eye slightly enlarged, the black one narrowing into a slit as it stared across the still, oily water.
A moment later,
Splash... splash...
Ripples spread across the water. Three black figures came darting across its surface, their reflections twisting and stretching like distorted shadows.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and two ANBU had gone through quite the ordeal to get here. They'd encountered numerous traps and decoys laid by Orochimaru before finally finding the right path through the tangled underground sewer system.
Only creatures like snakes or rats could love such a dank, rotting place. Orochimaru really was becoming more snake than man.
"…"
Sarutobi suddenly stopped. He stared at the rust-covered door ahead, expression darkening. With a flick of his hand, he signaled the ANBU forward.
Bang!!
The iron door slammed open with a resounding crash. A wave of putrid air hit them, reeking of rot, disinfectant, and something sickly sweet like decaying flesh.
Dim yellow lights cast flickering shadows across the walls, but the sight before them made Hiruzen's pupils contract sharply.
The laboratory's walls were stained with dark red blotches, like some grotesque abstract painting. The ceiling lights flickered erratically from the impact.
The floor was layered in brown-black grime, evidence that even countless washings couldn't erase the sins committed here.
Sarutobi heard the breath of his two ANBU quicken sharply. They stared, stunned, at the row of towering glass cylinders lining the room.
Inside the pale green liquid floated curled humanoid figures. Their skin had turned waxy and translucent from prolonged immersion, their exposed muscles stitched together like wriggling centipedes.
Some still had visibly beating hearts. Others had organs fused with snake-like structures. Tangles of wires extended from their bellies like jellyfish tendrils, stretching beyond the tanks.
Each tank bore a crimson number, "32", "42", "65"...
Nearby, shelves overflowed with glass jars, each containing partially developed organs that twitched grotesquely in their fluids.
"This…" one ANBU muttered, pupils trembling behind his mask.
Truthfully, while the scene was horrific, Hiruzen had mentally prepared himself.
After all, Orochimaru's earliest human experimentation, on Hashirama cells, had been quietly sanctioned by Konoha's upper brass.
Those test subjects had volunteered in hopes of reviving Wood Release, but their sacrifice showed that Hiruzen was no bleeding-heart idealist.
Even now, part of him still felt guilt and sorrow for this student.
Until… he saw them.
In the farthest corner of the lab, two overlapping shadows.
Because Orochimaru had his back turned, Sarutobi first saw the boy on the table.
Sho.
That young face, that torn-open neck.
His expression was no longer smiling, it had been replaced by fear. Tears streamed silently down his pale cheeks.
When he saw Hiruzen, he tried to raise his hand and move his lips.
He couldn't speak.
But Sarutobi clearly understood what he was trying to say:
"Grandpa Third…"
Just then, Orochimaru turned around. The cold light reflected off his pale, blood-splattered face, casting a terrifying, grotesque glow.
A headless corpse still gushed blood at his feet, turning the lab into a vision of bloody hell.
This moment hit Sarutobi harder than all the human experiments combined.
Because he recognized that boy, deeply.
As the honorary headmaster of the Ninja Academy, Hiruzen often gave motivational lectures, spreading Konoha's "Will of Fire."
Once, he chose Sho's class for a speech. He remembered that child's face, brimming with admiration as he spoke.
Later, like always, the teacher had the students write essays about the talk.
Normally, Hiruzen never read those essays. But for some reason, he remembered Sho's face and asked to see it.
That essay stunned him.
"My family is like a great tree, roots deep and leaves abundant."
"Grandpa Third is the trunk."
"He nourishes us and brings harmony."
"My father is the branch and leaves."
"He shields us from wind and cold, shelters us from rain."
"Even old and tired, even riddled with rot, he still digs his roots deep into the ground to support the whole family."
"We are the fruit."
"Our families rejoice at our birth. We drink the nutrients. We grow in comfort."
"But we forget, who provides the nutrients, who shelters us?"
"I was too high, too proud."
"Maybe when I fall, when I'm eaten, when I rot on the ground…"
"Maybe then I'll sprout. And understand."
Sarutobi had grown tired of flattery and empty praise. But this essay, with no fancy words, perfectly captured the essence of the Will of Fire, while subtly hinting at the tension between clans and village.
Especially those last three lines. They hit him like a hammer to the heart.
Yes. The great clans only taught their children to protect clan interests. They never taught them they were part of Konoha.
Their children only saw the "branches" overhead. Never the "trunk" beneath.
Never the man who supported them all.
No doubt about it.
Sho was a good child, one who had transcended clan boundaries and embraced Konoha itself.
If anyone dared tell Sarutobi Hiruzen that Sho was a bad child, he'd summon Enma and bash their skull in on the spot.
But now… that good child…
Watching Sho collapse on the operating table, Hiruzen's compassion for Orochimaru evaporated. Veins bulged on his weathered face.
"Orochimaru!" he shouted, trembling with fury. "What are you doing?!"
"What have you done?!"
Orochimaru flinched.
He never expected his teacher to be so enraged.
Based on his understanding, even if the experiments were exposed, Sarutobi's softness would give him a chance to escape.
So why, ?
He didn't have time to reflect.
"Boar – Dog – Rooster – Monkey – Sheep!"
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Boom!
A puff of smoke erupted, revealing a massive ape clad in fur, wearing a Leaf headband.
"Trouble, Hiruzen?" Enma asked, then spotted Orochimaru. "Wait… is that, ?"
"Enma!"
Hiruzen's shout cut him off.
Boom!
Another blast of smoke, and Enma transformed into a staff as thick as a tree trunk.
He used Enma, immediately?
Orochimaru's face turned grim. No time to wonder why Hiruzen was this angry. No time to question why his snake didn't warn him.
If he hesitated now, he'd die here.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!!"
Vwoom!
A howling blast of wind, laced with countless slicing edges, erupted from Orochimaru's mouth, shattering nearby jars and hurling shrapnel at Hiruzen's team.
Even now, he aimed to snatch Sho's body before escaping.
But Hiruzen didn't even glance at the wreckage. His staff elongated, and smashed down.
WHAM!
Orochimaru, already drained from the transplant, was slammed into the air. Blood and fragments of his organs exploded from his mouth.
"Damn it! Damn it!!"
He stared at Hiruzen's grim expression, watched him flash-step beside Sho, and realized,
Sho was lost.
Even if he hated it, Orochimaru forced himself to stay calm.
"Earth Style: Hiding Like a Mole Technique!"
In mid-air, he formed seals. His feet landed on the ceiling, which liquified into sand. His body slipped through like a fish diving into water.
"Lord Third!"
The two ANBU stepped forward.
But Hiruzen just stared coldly upward, the fury in his chest slowly fading.
He turned to Sho.
"Take this child. Get him medical attention. He must survive."
"Yes!" The two ANBU responded instantly, lifting Sho and vanishing in a flash.
,
Underground, Orochimaru fled upward, hand pressed to his chest. His face was deathly pale.
Even at full strength, he couldn't beat Hiruzen.
All he could do now was escape Konoha and plan anew.
Sho would stay behind, for now. He needed him alive, and silent.
The sheer frustration was unbearable.
How had it all gone wrong?
That damn kid!
Could he really have orchestrated everything?
Plotted for years? Tricked even Sarutobi?
He's only fifteen. What is he, a monster?
As these thoughts raced, Orochimaru broke through the surface, only to meet a figure.
A silver-haired ANBU with a short blade on his back.
Kakashi Hatake.
"Chidori!"
No words. Just lightning and death.
Orochimaru nearly laughed in disbelief.
Were all kids this arrogant now?
But just as he moved to strike,
Skrit,
He heard something faint.
He looked down.
A black cat dashed out.
Its face turned up toward him, and smirked.
Human malice on a cat's face.
Then,
"Byakugan?!"
Orochimaru's eyes widened.
Too late.
BOOM!!!
A deafening blast lit the sky. Dozens of explosive tags ripped the lab apart.
The ground cracked open. Flesh rained down like a butchered storm.
,
Far away, two ANBU paused mid-jump at the sound of the explosion.
"Was that… Lord Third?"
They turned, visibly shaken.
They didn't see the boy in their arms.
Hyuga Sho.
Smile tugging at his lips.
"Still held back, huh?" he thought. "Hope Orochimaru likes my parting gift."
He never expected Hiruzen to actually kill Orochimaru. Decades of mentorship wouldn't be undone by a single outburst.
Hiruzen would cool off. He might even regret being too harsh.
It didn't matter.
Sho only needed to clear his own name. Orochimaru's life or death was irrelevant.
Besides, chess pieces like Orochimaru weren't easy to find.
Killing him now would be wasteful.
He glanced up at the sky.
It was nearly 5 a.m. Dawn painted the horizon.
The sun is always both sunset and sunrise.
When it descends and swallows the day in sorrow, it also climbs another mountain to scatter blazing light on a new world.
"Next... is the Tenseigan." Sho closed his eyes, smiling faintly.
Hyuga Clan. Caged Birds.
The strong act weak. The weak act strong.
From this day forward... the game has changed.