Chapter 43
It should have been a simple mission. Investigate the disappearance of people at the edge of the Land of Fire. It was Iruka's first solo mission. B-rank. With a low chance of other shinobi interference, but with a high chance of dangerous criminal involvement.
Though over time, he started to forget the finer details of the mission. As it wasn't that important to begin with. But the things that this mission led him to, he would forever bear in his mind.
It was already too late when he realized the true nature of those disappearances. Orochimaru was an opponent Iruka could do nothing about. Not even run away from. Back then, he was just a kid. Just a fresh chunin who relied on his teammates for the most part.
He was done for when he caught the eye of that monster. Still, using all his little tricks, he managed to send a message before he got captured. And everything that came after was repeated in his nightmares till today.
The cold and colorless walls surrounded him as he lay on a slab of metal. The air was filled with medicine and blood. He would never be able to get away from that smell. A disgusting, gut-wrenching smell of all the atrocities done in this place.
He couldn't move. Completely alone, only his eyes were responsive. He would rather have no senses available, to tell the truth. He had seen many things over the years, but none of them could top what he witnessed in that place.
If he didn't know what was going to happen to him, then he quickly realized it when his body was dragged through endless hallways. With bodies of many people, too many to count, strung along the walls like livestock prepared to be bled out before butchering.
Their lifeless bodies hanging all stared at him as he passed below their eyes. There were women and men, children, and the elderly. Orochimaru didn't discriminate against anyone. And he saw it all before he was put on the cold metal slab, where light blinded him from above.
He didn't know what Orochimaru drugged him with, not even to this day. But the only part of his body that could move was his eyes. And yet, he could feel everything. Even the stimulation he never even imagined he could feel.
The light burned his eyes, and the cold from the table slowly seeped through his skin to his muscles, stiffening them. The sound was disordered. His breathing and heartbeat were far too loud in this enclosed room, which hurt his ears.
"What a nice body." Orochimaru's low voice made Iruka shiver in fear. "So young, and already trained so well. Impressive, very impressive. I wonder if I'm able to find any hidden potential in you. I am so excited to see what is hidden within you."
The scalpel was cold, but whatever Orochimaru used to clean it burned him. The contrasting sensation made him focus on it even more. He could feel his body being cut into. But the pain was controlled; he only felt it in parts where the scalpel traveled along his skin.
Orochimaru's hands, as he peeled Iruka's skin away from his torso, were even colder than the scalpel. Iruka was thankful he couldn't move his head to look down. All he could see was the burning light and Orochimaru's face as he dissected him.
He felt as if pieces of his organs were cut off. He saw how small they were as Orochimaru put them into vials. But he felt every cut made inside his body. He felt everything: the coldness, the burning, and the pain.
And most importantly, the fear as it continued to seep into his mind of what would come next. He already knew how his ending looked. He saw it on the way to the operating table. He would be one of those strung-up bodies, looking down as the next one came their way to join him.
"Hmm?" Then Orochimaru stopped.
Iruka felt an unusual vibration running through the table to his body. He heard sounds of something breaking, but was unable to determine what it was. Then, he was left alone, his body wide open.
It was hard to tell if it was because of the drugs or not, but even when the fear completely overtook everything in his mind, he didn't panic. Maybe it was because he had something to focus on, but to this day, he couldn't tell.
The breathing that should come to him without him thinking was now something he needed to concentrate on. All his mind was put on his breathing and feeling his body. Time passed; he didn't know how much, a couple of minutes, or maybe a couple of hours. But at some point, he managed to move his toes and fingers.
And with that new stimulation, he regained more energy and started to move all his body muscles. It was hard, something he put all his mind into, but he managed to do so. Then, he moved his fingers and dislocated his thumbs. He could feel his bones leave their rightful place.
Pulling his hand out, he felt it scrape through the restraints. Once one of his hands was free, he pulled out the other. He couldn't move his neck, so he had to feel through his body to put his skin back where it belonged. It wasn't hard, as he felt everything.
Iruka had never been so happy to have learned a jutsu as he was at that moment. Medical ninjutsu wasn't something he was proficient in, but he learned it because he thought it would be useful. And that day it proved to be very useful.
His chakra was a mess. He could barely feel it, but he still pulled it as much as he could to heal the cut and reattach his skin. Thankfully, he could feel his every organ working, so whatever Orochimaru managed to cut out wasn't enough to hinder his body.
Who knows how much time he spent healing his wounds? And he didn't know if it would mean anything in the end. There was no way he could run away to begin with. But maybe, just maybe, he held on to the hope that someone would come to save him.
That the sound he was hearing, the explosions and steel clashing with each other, was his savior coming for him. And maybe he could get past Orochimaru. So, he didn't give up. With his wounds somewhat healed, he pushed his body up.
It took a lot of energy to sit and reach for his leg restraints. It took a lot more energy to break free from them. By then, he could only roll off the table to the ground. Once he managed to get on his feet, the first thing he looked for was a weapon, even though he knew he couldn't fight anyone or anything in his condition.
It wasn't for his enemy; the weapon, the scalpel left behind, was for him. He wouldn't fall into Orochimaru's hands. He would end it himself, swiftly and painlessly. That was the most he could do at that moment.
The doors to the room he was in were blasted away. Iruka, leaning on the table, looked at the new arrival. Even though he was injured and bloody, Iruka almost teared up seeing his sensei's smile as he looked at him.
"Sorry, I was late." With one swift move, he pulled Iruka over his shoulders and ran through the hallways he had previously been dragged through.
But they didn't manage to get far, as Iruka's sensei stopped for a moment and looked in front of him. Orochimaru stood before them. But Iruka wasn't afraid at that moment because his sensei was carrying him, and he wouldn't have barged in without a plan just to save Iruka.
"I always wondered what made the Sarutobi clan so special. How their bodies are so tough, how they can learn almost any jutsu they want. What was your skin made of? What was the density of your muscles? How much blood could your heart pump out? How much air could your lungs hold? So many things I want to learn, and you came here by yourself, how lucky can I be?"
"Fire Release: All-consuming flame."
A fire that engulfed the whole hallway was the sensei's answer. Iruka couldn't see anything aside from the fire, nor could he feel anything aside from its warmth as they ran through the flames.
Those flames spread uncontrollably. There was no form in them, just a scorching head. But sensei must have known the flames wouldn't hold back Orochimaru, so he used them as cover to pass through him unseen.
"Ugh," Iruka wanted to pretend he didn't hear sensei's grunt of pain, as he didn't slow down. "Wait a moment, that damn pest just won't leave us alone."
Iruka was put down on the ground in a spacious room. Before he realized it, his sensei had carried him through Orochimaru's hideout. But there was now a sword stuck in sensei's back, piercing through his body.
Sensei just smiled as he pushed the sword out of himself. Orochimaru was already slowly approaching them. Iruka clutched his scalpel and tried to gather as much energy as he could. The last thing he wanted was to be a burden to his sensei.
"Why struggle? I don't want to ruin such a perfect subject."
"Oh, could you shut the fuck up already, you damn creep? Who the fuck do you think you are? You should have just hidden yourself since my father spared your worthless life, but since you dare to show off before me, I will finish you myself."
"Where does your confi...."
"Fire Release: All-devouring fire."
It was different this time. The flames didn't just engulf everything before him; no, they ate everything before them. They turned into vicious and beastly maws. Eating away at everything that came in contact with them.
The stone, the steel, and everything else melted away before Iruka's eyes. Orochimaru could do nothing but run away, but the fire was faster. Soon enough, they caught up, and the monster of his nightmares had no choice but to face the fire trying to devour him.
"Summoning jutsu: Rashomon."
A large gate rose from the ground, blocking the fire. It was the only thing it couldn't devour, no matter how much it tried. Once the fire was dispelled, so were the summoned gates. But it wasn't over, as sensei was now standing behind Orochimaru.
Orochimaru must have seen the shadow cast behind him as he tried to quickly turn. But it was too late, since sensei's hand was already on Orochimaru's head, slamming him into the ground. One time, two, three, four times, sensei lifted Orochimaru's head and slammed it into the floor.
It was nothing but a bloody mess, but it wasn't over. Four snakes came out of Orochimaru's clothes, biting Sensei in the arm, legs, and neck. Sensei threw Orochimaru's body away from him and ripped all the snakes off with one hand.
And then a sword pierced through Sensei's chest. Orochimaru looked at the sensei as he pulled his skin from his bloodied face, revealing that he was perfectly fine. Yet, Sensei only smiled and grabbed Orochimaru's hand holding the sword and pulled him toward himself.
Orochimaru could sense something was going on as he tried to pull away, and just as he was about to succeed, a scalpel hit the back of his knee, making him fall toward Sensei's embrace.
"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning." As he spoke, ash flew out of Sensei's mouth, encompassing them both, and then he gnashed his teeth together, creating a spark.
Iruka was blown away by the explosion that went off. He rolled on the ground and barely managed to stay conscious. It wasn't hard, as he felt his skin blister from the heat. And then it was over, and silence echoed.
"What are you lying here for?" Iruka didn't see his sensei as he was picked up; he only heard his steady voice. "Let's go home, kiddo."
But Iruka saw the blood coming out from sensei's body, pooling at his feet as he carried him away over his shoulder. There was no unsteady step as sensei ran; not even once did he falter, until they managed to make enough distance, and Iruka started to regain control of his body.
But by then it was too late. No ninjutsu could save his charred body with multiple holes in it. There was too much blood. He left a trail of blood behind, and now there was another pool of it as he lay in it, not able to move anymore.
"Sorry, kid." Sensei smiled as Iruka poured every bit of his chakra, trying to heal him. "You're a bit too late; I'm already dead."
That nightmare haunted him for damn too long. Every detail of it replayed in his mind until his sensei breathed his last. So many regrets were left behind. So many damn doubts about himself. What if he were a bit smarter, a bit stronger, a bit faster, a bit better?
What if he never took that mission? What if he never got caught? What if he freed himself sooner? What if he could have fought together with his sensei? What if he were better at medical ninjutsu? Those questions continued to haunt him, and he never would be able to answer them.
A.N. As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to seven more chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.