Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to Patreón @
[ https://www̧̧.patreón.com/fictiononlyreader ]
The link is also in the synopsis
———
.
The chaos of the chase came to a halt as the Leaf faced off against one man, who seemed to exude endless confidence despite facing three jōnin, nearly thirty chūnin, and multiple teams of genin. There was a restlessness in the air. Everyone present knew that their group was chasing Shimura Danzō, and with each second they stood, their target was getting farther away. Yet, none acted on that restless impulse. Something about the man standing alone before them was unnerving. The afternoon forest seemed darker in his presence. It wasn't chakra; instead, it was something intangible that made them stand on their toes.
The man hummed inquisitively and turned his back to them for a moment to look over his shoulder. His conical straw hat cast a shadow over his face. "I'm not interested in being used as a roadblock for his escape and don't appreciate being treated as one, so I'll let you pass. Give that desperate old relic a scare; kill him for all I care… Silver, and the rest can leave, but the ANBU stays," he said, pointing at Weasel and only him. "How about it? I'm in a rare, generous mood."
"We should wrap this up quickly." Gai stepped forward, his muscles bulging under his sleeves as he clenched his fists.
"It might be a bluff," Itachi said.
They didn't know whether the man was bluffing. If he had the strength, he could stall them to put Danzō out of their reach. But if he were lying, they could cut through him quickly. The question was which one was the truth.
"Aquilla, is he a threat?" Itachi asked while simultaneously projecting his thoughts: "Kawamochi, is the man before us a threat?"
Both came back with the same answer: Inconclusive.
Neither the Byakugan nor one of the best sensory-nin could confirm whether the man was a threat—which meant there was something about him, and that in itself pointed to something out of the ordinary, thus a potential threat.
Itachi's eyes widened a fraction as the Sharingan turned his eyes red.
"Oh, ho~" A true grin appeared on the stranger's face. He seemed almost entranced by the dōjutsu.
"Go ahead. I'll catch up," Itachi said after a few moments and turned to Kakashi. "I'm trusting you to bring him to justice."
"Are you sure?" Kakashi asked.
Itachi nodded and then turned to the ANBU-nin. "All of you are to follow Jōnin Kakashi's command." He looked at Takuma. "Looks like you will be the heroes who brought the enemy down."
Takuma clenched his fist. Justice, not revenge. Those weren't just words. As the one most personally affected by Uchiha Shisui's death, it would be understandable that, given the chance, Itachi would want to finish Danzō himself, and yet he was allowing the opportunity to pass by so easily without a single word of fuss. He truly didn't desire revenge. People's words said a lot about them: He could've asked Kakashi not to let Danzō escape before he arrived, but instead, he asked him to bring him to justice, seemingly accepting of not having a direct hand in it.
"Understood, sir," Takuma nodded, clenching his fists.
At that moment, a wind blew through that made the grass bow and the leaves sing. The wind caught under the straw hat and blew it away from the stranger's head, revealing his shadowed face.
Takuma blinked.
His hair was long; he had worn it shorter. The thick sash around his forehead hid his eyebrows; he didn't wear his forehead protector around his head. The eyes were the same shape and yet were devoid of his friend's serious determination, replaced by a snake's treachery. The man was taller, but seemed leaner than him, and had a balance and self-assurance that he lacked. There were a dozen more small differences, and even though it was impossible, there he stood.
"G-Gouki?"
Everyone around Takuma heard him and saw him looking right at the stranger. He hadn't realised that he had spoken out loud. He just stared at his late friend and former subordinate, with whom he had fought and risked his life. The stranger looked like what Gouki would have looked like if he were still alive and continued to age—no, he didn't just look like him, it was him. But that was impossible. He even checked the sclerae of the eyes to make sure they weren't black.
All of Takuma's confusion vanished when the stranger's eyes fell right on him. He felt an intrinsic terror from the depths of his being that made him step back. He subconsciously began circulating chakra, but the man wasn't putting pressure on him through chakra. His presence made Takuma's survival instinct act up until he calmed himself down.
"Gouki? Who is that?" Kakashi asked.
From a couple of lines back, Arisu stepped forward with an identical look of surprise on her face. "Gouki? Uchiha Gouki?" she uttered. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and her hand went to her mouth when she got a better look at his face.
A commotion broke out within the shinobi when the Uchiha name was brought up. Why was an Uchiha stopping them from chasing Danzō, who was supposed to be the clan's worst enemy?
"Uchiha?" Itachi turned to look at the man, who now had a smile that split his face and turned his eyes into curves, further dissociating him from the man they knew. "Uchiha Gouki. No wonder you looked familiar. But you're supposed to be dead."
The man didn't reply and simply kept his smile.
"We need to make a decision," Kakashi said, calmly gazing at the man. Gai actively took a step forward, his eyes locked onto the enemy, ready to fight.
"Proceed without me. I'll handle this—"
"YOU!"
Itachi was cut off by a hate-filled voice that cut through the noise and commotion. Takuma's eyes widened, and he hastily turned around to see Anko walking forward with uneven steps and a pained and furious expression on her face. Her eyes were slightly bloodshot and had a sheen of sweat on her skin.
"How are you related to him?!" Anko roared, and her chakra flared, bearing down on the people around. The genin instantly went pale, and those closest to her collapsed to their knees. Even the chūnin seemed to struggle against her oppression.
It was only for a moment before Itachi's chakra neutralised the pressure. Takuma felt her chakra's physical expression and instantly knew that she had progressed further in her understanding of chakra, moving closer to attaining chakra enlightenment. She was progressing at a frightening pace. That thought only lasted for a second, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw that she was gripping her shoulder. A chill went down his spine as the realisation dawned on him. There was only one person who could make Anko react like that.
Orochimaru!
He didn't even have the time to process the sudden revelation when the horrifying realisation hit him. A cold weakness spread through his body as he slowly turned around to look at the sole man standing in their way.
He looked at his friend. A simple death would've been a better fate. But this? Having someone else take over his body when he had so much life ahead of him? How would he have felt in his last moments? He would've been alone, having called for help, but no help would have come his way as the vile monster took over his body. If Orochimaru had taken over Gouki's body, what about the body they had buried? His parents didn't have a chance to say a proper goodbye to their son; the only silver lining was that they didn't know that.
Takuma closed his eyes, then opened them with a determined look. "Captain, we should be moving. Now." He had to get all of them moving before more of the truth came out, and the situation worsened.
His words broke all three jōnin out of their thoughts.
"Go, I'll deal with this," Itachi said, stepping forward, which brought ecstatic excitement over Orochimaru's face. Takuma couldn't bear to look at that face.
"WHO ARE YOU?!" Anko yelled. She looked better than before, but her improved condition had given way to more anger.
"Chūnin Anko, what has taken over you?" Gai said when she interrupted Kakashi the second time. She was under his command for the mission.
A grin appeared over Orochimaru's face as he said, "That hurts, Anko. To think you'd forget me so soon… It's me, your dear master." His voice, which had mimicked Gouki's perfectly until a few moments ago, had now changed.
'No!' Takuma clenched his fist.
Itachi and Kakashi clocked those words faster than anyone else. The latter's one eye widened; anyone could see the gears turning in his head.
"Huh, what? You look younger than her," Gai said cluelessly.
Before Kakashi could say anything, Itachi said, "I'll deal with this. We don't have time."
Kakashi looked like he had a lot on his mind and wanted to change the plans. Who would blame him? He was leading the entire operation and leaving one of the greatest talents in the Leaf's history to face a vile monster like Orochimaru would arguably be a greater tragedy than letting Danzō escape if Itachi died. He had to decide because if things went wrong, it would all be on his shoulders.
"Go."
He made a decision after hearing Itachi's resolute voice and ordered the troops to move, who, despite the confusion, followed the orders. They gave Orochimaru a wide berth despite not knowing his identity.
In the moving flow, Takuma stood as people passed him by.
'No…'
What he had feared was happening. With a fearful heart, he stared at Anko standing there. She was blind to everything in her rage; the only thing she could see was the man whom she hated the most in the world. She didn't see that her team was standing behind her, and Arisu's confused calls fell on deaf ears. Those words by Orochimaru were enough for her to believe him completely because, unlike anyone else, she didn't need any proof. She could feel it in her body and soul.
"…Captain, I'll be staying. I'll assist you," Takuma said as a memory came to mind.
"—If you become a jōnin, you'll have a better chance at killing him... I will help you kill him—"
"No, you'll go with the others," Itachi replied.
"I'm sorry, captain, but I refuse to leave you to fight this alone."
This was all his fault. He had stoked her desire for revenge. He should've just motivated her to build a life disconnected from Orochimaru; instead, he pushed her further down the cliff.
"Ratel, I'm ordering you—"
"Keep a few men," Kakashi said, who hadn't moved, intending to stay with the Leaf forces in case Orochimaru tried to attack them from behind.
"I volunteer," Anko said fearlessly. "I'm stronger than most chūnin… I also know him and his tactics. I'll be useful in this battle."
'No…'
"We'll support Captain Weasel as well," said Hopper, the assault squad leader. Behind him, Yazo had a determined body language that spoke of his readiness for battle.
'No…'
"Then, I'll stay as well—"
"No," Takuma cut off Aquilla before he could complete his words. He all but glared at the Hyūga. "You'll be more useful with Jōnin Kakashi. We have already wasted too much time here. You need to make sure we don't lose our target. Don't argue and go to the front right now!" He was surprised by how stern he was, but it worked as Aquilla disappeared after a pause. "Follow him, Tern," he said, and fortunately, she followed the orders and rushed after her teammate. Even if he had given her a choice, she would've chosen to go a hundred out of a hundred times.
However, he wasn't done.
"Jōnin Kakashi, please take Chūnin Anko's squad with you. They're genin and won't be of any value here," he said.
Kakashi readily agreed and ordered the genin to join the force. Takuma watched as Arisu and Kameko, looking worried about Anko, moved to join the force. Even if he couldn't persuade Anko, he could at least put Arisu and Kameko in a safer position by sending them to be part of the larger crowd. At least there, they would have cover to hide behind.
"I'll try to return as soon as possible," Kakashi said before rushing off.
That left Itachi, Anko, Hopper's assault squad, and Takuma facing Orochimaru.
Takuma's goal from the first day he woke up in this new life was to survive. He had trained to achieve that goal, and perhaps, paradoxically, put his life in danger to take steps to achieve that goal. What he was doing now went against all he had done. But that wasn't true in its entirety. Even if his goal were to survive, it wouldn't amount to anything if the people he loved weren't there. He understood that all of them were shinobi, a profession where death was common, and he couldn't protect them all the time, but right now, he had the opportunity to protect them. He looked towards Anko. Even if he didn't have the ability to protect her, he would regret it for the rest of his life if he didn't at least try.
He realised that the assault squad didn't know the identity of the man they were facing. "It might be hard to believe this, but that man is Orochi—"
"Now that we can start, I'll make the first move," Orochimaru said, but the moment he raised his hands, Itachi's figure blurred as he zapped towards him.
The goal was to interrupt the hand seals to stop whatever ninjutsu he was trying to cast. However, instead of a hurried or alarmed expression, a grin stretched on Orochimaru's face as he simply clapped his hands together, causing a singular sound to echo in the forest.
The ground first shook under the group's feet. It took them a moment to register that it wasn't because of the jōnin fighting nearby, but rather something much closer. One of Hopper's team members had less than a second to register as the earth erupted in a violent geyser of soil and shattered roots. Out of the darkened earth hammered a white-scaled serpent, its girth wider than a full-grown man. Snakes were supposed to be stealthy, but this one moved with the force of a battering ram.
The operative, to his credit, jumped high up, but was caught in the apex of his jump, suspended in the air as the snake's jaws unhinged with a wet snap. The maw was a cavern of pale pink muscle and curved, ivory fangs the size of a kunai. Before he could even reach for a blade, the serpent's head lunged forward, snapping shut around his torso.
The muffled crunch of bone and tactical mesh made everyone's soul flinch within their bodies.
In one fluid motion, the snake's massive head recoiled, swallowing the upper half of the man instantly. The remaining lower half of the shinobi's body fell back into the churning earth, a grisly heap of shredded fabric and crimson. The serpent didn't linger; it coiled its massive weight back into the jagged hole it had carved, the earth settling over the fresh grave as if it had never opened at all.
.
———
Chat with me and the rest of the community on our DISCORD server.
The link is in the synopsis!