Disclaimer: Naruto and all related characters belong to Shonen Jump.

"You three should be very proud."

Anko Mitarashi listened intently as Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke. After all it was not every day that the Hokage of the village graced one of the classrooms of the academy with his presence, let alone asked three students to stay behind while the rest of the class and the teacher herself had left the room.

The purple haired genin glanced around at the other two students who were sitting beside her. She knew them by name, Hogo Shahei and Juyodenai Hito, but they had little else in common besides their shared class and desire to be shinobi.

"How so, Lord Hokage?" Anko asked, curious as to what the older man was referring to.

The Third Hokage brought a closed hand up to his face and cleared his throat before continuing. "Out of your class you three have proven yourself the most adept at the futures you all wish for. Thus it is now time that you are taken under the tutelage of a jonin and become a squad of your own."

"What?" Anko could not believe what she was hearing. She was overjoyed but still left in a state of shock. "Then I'm... We're..."

The Hokage offered a comforting smile, his eyes closing for that brief moment as he did so. "Congratulations, young ones."

Anko glanced around once more, taking in the equally shocked expressions that both Hogo and Juyodenai were wearing. She knew instantly that they were thinking the same thing as she was.

"Lord Hokage, sir," Anko said, her voice trembling a bit, knowing she was about to question a superior. "It's not that... I mean... I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to tell us this yourself, but..."

"You wonder why a Hokage would directly inform genin of their success." Hiruzen asked politely as he walked forward. He gently placed a hand on Anko's shoulder, the same comforting expression adorning his face. "All those who call the Hidden Leaf Village their home are my family. You who exemplify the future are my children in a sense. Is it wrong for a man to be proud of his children's success?"

"No, not at all, Lord Hokage!" Hogo replied.

"Yeah!" Juyodenai was quick to join in. "We appreciate your coming here yourself!"

Anko did not disagree with her classmates, but still she had one doubt. "But, Lord Hokage, I've never heard of you personally addressing genin about their being assigned as a squad before."

Then it hit Anko.

"Except I did hear the rumors that you were the one to tell a trio of genin that they were to be led by Jiraiya himself."

"Ah, quite perceptive of you. It is true. One of the remaining two Sannin has personally chosen you three to be under their tutelage." The Third Hokage spoke with pride at the young genin's awareness. He folded his arms behind his back once more and began to head towards the classroom's door. "The leader of Team Ten will be here soon."

Hiruzen opened the door and moved through it, stopping to look back once more.

"Again, I am so very proud of you all."

Then the Third Hokage was gone, the door shutting behind him. Left in the wake of his revelation were three overjoyed students, the lot of them unable to control their reactions.

"Can you believe this?" Hogo shouted. "We're gonna be trained by one of the Sannin themselves!"

"Oh, I hope it's Lady Tsunade!" Juyodenai exclaimed, his face lighting up. "She's such a hottie!"

"I wouldn't mind learning from her medical expertise, but..." Anko brought a hand up to her chin, thinking it over. "That Orochimaru fellow is a beast in battle, or so I've heard."

"Of course Blood Lust Mitarashi would want to be taught by a badass like him," Hogo laughed.

"Oh, I bet she's just got a crush on him," Juyodenai taunted. "Chicks dig the tall, dark and mysterious types-"

"Excuse me?" Anko whirled her gaze around, tossing death glares at both her newfound teammates.

Hogo was quick to realize his folly. "Oh, she's mad!"

Juyodenai not so much. "Anko and Orochimaru, leaping through the trees!"

"Shut up!" Anko sat up furiously, screaming at the top of her lungs. She breathed heavy as she took control of her temper. Shaking her head the young Genin sat back down and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry for the outburst..."

"No... no problem." Hogo gingerly slid across the classroom's seating, putting some distance between himself and the easily agitated Anko.

Juyodenai was not so easily dissuaded. "So tell me, you have a thing for older serpents, or- oww!"

Anko fist smashed across the top of her teammate's skull, leaving the young ninja holding his head in pain.

"Dumbass," Anko growled as she shook her head.

"This is going to be quite the team." Hogo sighed as he crossed his arms on the desk before him, dropping his head down. "Man..."

For that point on the three genin waited patiently for their team leader to arrive. The seconds turned to minutes, the minutes eventually approaching an hour.

"Serious, what the hell?" Anko sat up and stormed away from the desk and her teammates. "Did we get stood up by a Sannin or was old man Hiruzen just pulling our legs?"

Anko knew the latter option was simply an impossibility. There was no way the Third Hokage was cruel enough to pull such a prank on his precious shinobi in training.

"Anko, calm down," Juyodenai said, panicking at the kunoichi's irritation. "Maybe the Sannin is just testing our patience on purpose. Our first challenge as a team."

"Yeah right!" Anko moved over to the classroom's blackboard and snatched up a large eraser. The genin then grabbed hold of a stool with her other hand and began to walk over to the doorway.

"What are you doing, Anko?" Hogo stammered, now as uneasy as Juyodenai was.

"I'm gonna teach this Sannin, Orochimaru or Tsunade, a lesson for keeping us waiting." Anko placed the stepstool by the doorway, then opened the door slightly ajar. The kunoichi ascended the stepstool, the eraser still in her hand.

"Oh, this isn't going to be good..." Juyodenai's eyes went wide with fear. He had heard stories of Tsunade's bad temper. Then there was Orochimaru, a man who was known around the village as someone quite unpredictable. "We are so going to die."

"Anko, get down, please!" Hogo pleaded, shaking his head in a panic.

"Nuh-uh!" The kunoichi shot back as she began to raise her hand, planning on placing the eraser precariously on the top of the door. "When that Sannin comes in, this'll drop right on their head! It'll be a-"

The door suddenly opened before Anko could finish her plan. The kunoichi's heart skipped a beat in panic and her gaze moved downwards until she could clearly see the individual who was entering the room.

It was Orochimaru, his pale skin and ebony black hair a dead giveaway. The jonin's serpent-like eyes glanced in her direction, catching sight of the eraser that Anko was now holding above his head.

"Uh... hi," Anko said sheepishly, her mouth curling back into a nervous smile. "It's nice to meet you, Lord Orochimaru."

"It appears you have me at a disadvantage, my dear Anko Mitarashi," the Sannin said, his gaze remaining fixated on the eraser held above his head. "You have me at your mercy. I advise you to do what you must, as any shinobi should."

"Uh, it's just an eraser," Anko replied, completely thrown off by Orochimaru's demeanor. The rumors were true. You really can't get a bead on what he's thinking. Creepy, but so cool.

"And yet, in another situation it could be a kunai dagger at the throat of an enemy that will kill you or perhaps someone you cherish," Orochimaru continued. "A true shinobi must possess the strength of character to do what must be done at any time. Now drop it."

"O-okay..." Anko did as her new instructor demanded and she let go of the eraser. The object bounced off the top of the Sannin's skull, leaving chalk dust to fill the air around him.

"Congratulations, my dear," the Sannin said, a borderline sadistic smile crossing his face. "You just slayed Orochimaru himself. So tell me, how does it feel?"

Anko did not know what to say, completely thrown off guard by the man's actions. She brought one hand back behind her head, ruffling her purple hair. "Well, uh... awesome I guess?"

Orochimaru suddenly allowed a low chuckle to escape from his mouth, one that soon turned into full blown laughter. Anko quickly joined him in his delight, laughing nervously beside him.

Hogo and Juyodenai, meanwhile, simply watched on in horror and whispered among themselves.

"They're both freaking crazy."

"We are so very screwed."

In stark contrast to the boy's reactions Anko was beginning to feel at ease. Sure, my squad leader's a nut... but then again my classmates say the same thing about me. We're gonna be the best team ever!

Special jonin Mitarashi Anko slowly awoke, her mind beginning to right itself. She was not in a classroom of the Hidden Leaf Village's academy but in a horse drawn carriage making its way through the land belonging to the Hidden Grass Village.

"Just a dream."

Anko shook her head and pushed open one of the side windows of the carriage. She took a breath of fresh air, closing her eyes, and tried to clear her head.

I thought I was over these nightmares. It had been almost three years since Anko had last experienced such a dream, all thanks to a mission she had led to the Land of the Sea. That mission had left her inside the very base where Orochimaru had experimented on her with the Curse Mark. Confronting those dark memories, facing her fears, had allowed the special jonin to move forward in her life better than before. Since then she had slept easier.

Now, however, she had been unable to escape the visions of her past when she drifted off. Ever since she had awoken from the blissful illusion that had been the Infinite Tsukuyomi to find that Orochimaru was alive and well, Anko had been cursed with restless sleep once more. She could not let go of her past if it would not let go of her.

"Orochimaru..." Anko could not help but hiss the name as she turned her gaze back into the carriage. She opened a panel on the front wall, revealing the mirror underneath. The special jonin looked into it, catching her reflection. "Just look at me now..."

Anko could see her haggard face clearly, her tired eyes betraying any attempt to mask her despair. Trying to cheer herself up, the kunoichi forced a fake smile, attempting to remember the grin that had horrified many a potential chunin.

What Anko saw in that lying reflection was something that sent her blood running cold. Her eyes in the reflection began to change in color and shape purple marks forming around them as her hair became darker still and her skin as pale as snow. Anko's eyes began to play tricks on her, the reflection fading into the sight of a smiling Orochimaru.

"Damn you!" Anko pulled a kunai dagger from her long coat and held it in a reverse grip. She swung the weapon towards the mirror, stopping only at the last second. She took a deep breath, pocketed the kunai and closed off the small mirror. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

"You okay back there?"

Anko heard the voice and stuck her head out the window. She caught sight of the driver, guiding his twin horses despite his looking back. The expressionon his face made clear his evident concern for his passenger. In response Anko faked another smile.

"All good, just saw a spider!"

"Oh, so you have arachnophobia?"

Anko raised an eyebrow, despite the accusation being wrong. She could feel a vein in her forehead very nearly twitching, the special jonin wondering if she got any more annoyed if her eyes themselves would turn entirely white. "You making fun of me?"

"No, no," the driver answered, looking away thanks to Anko's expression unnerving him. "We all have our fears. Me, I've got a case of ophidiophobia."

"What now?"

"Fear of snakes. Just seeing one of those things ruins my day."

"You and me both," Anko whispered, her expression becoming sullen once more.

"Well, don't worry your pretty little head about seeing any more spiders in the carriage," the driver suddenly said. "Looks like we're just about at your destination."

"Oh?" Anko looked past the driver and into the distance. He was quickly proven right, the sight of a forbidding castle sitting atop a cliff coming into sight. "Yeah, that's the place."

"Lady, I've heard nothing but scary things about this place," the driver said, his voice trembling. "Hell, rumor has it that it had to be rebuilt after some freaky monster rampaged through the property. You really want to go there?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Anko answered. "There's someone in there I need to speak with."

"All right, but don't say I didn't warn you. They didn't nickname that place the Blood Prison for show you know..."

The carriage came to a stop outside the prison, more aptly named Hozuki Castle, and Anko exited the vehicle. She handed the driver the second half of her fair, the first having been paid in advance.

"You'll return at sunset for my return back to the Hidden Leaf Village, correct?"

"You have my word, provided the scum in there don't eat you alive, little lady."

"It's not me you have to worry about," Anko replied, shooting the man a savage grin. "I can take care of myself."

"I... I don't doubt it." The driver noticeably flinched once more, the smile having the same affect on him as it did most any genin. "See you later then!"

The man commanded his horses to turn and left back down the path, leaving Anko Mitarashi alone outside of the prison. She turned to face it and moved in closer, knocking on the door. All the while she mumbled under her breath, the driver's reaction to her having brightened her day a little. "Still got it."

A voice called out from the other side of the door in response to her knocking. "And who might you be?"

"I'm Anko Mitarashi, special jonin from the Hidden Leaf Village."

"Ah yes, the symbol on your forehead protector..."

Anko raised an eyebrow at the response, her eyes glancing around for the sight of any shinobi hidden nearby. She saw nothing, which just left her more surprised. "If I may be so bold, how are you seeing that?"

"It's just a jutsu the gatekeepers of Hozuki Castle have perfected; it's called Metal Piercing Eyes."

"That's an awfully specific jutsu," Anko replied with a sly smirk, placing a hand on her hip.

"I have an awfully specific task," the guard said. "To keep those out who have no place or authorization here."

That could be a problem. Anko mentally chided herself for coming here so suddenly without notifying anyone back in the Hidden Leaf Village. I guess I did act rashly, but I thought it'd be a whole lot easier to get in here. Oh well. Guess I'll just bid my farewells, slip off... then break in the hard way.

The special jonin resigned herself to the arduous task at hand and prepared herself to say her goodbyes when the guard took her by surprise. "Thankfully the Sixth Hokage did send us your request to speak with one of our prisoners."

"Oh yes, that's right." Anko masked her surprise completely, unwilling to let her emotions betray her. That Kakashi... He really did know I couldn't let this matter with Orochimaru be still, whether I'm driven by justice or revenge. But how did he know I was coming here?

Anko had to wonder if a ninja, maybe even a member of the Anbu, had been tailing her during her departure from the village. The special jonin let the concern slip away, uncaring of how much the Hokage was involved in her personal mission for now.

It just means he cares.

"Allow me to permit you entry," the unseen guard continued, the sound of his hands clasping together following his words. "Metal Style: Barrier Wall Release!"

Before Anko's eyes the metal wall before her shifted and changed, an open circle forming. She could now see the black clad gatekeeper, several other guards beside him.

"Nice security system you've got here," Anko said as she stepped the opening. She continued to move forward, stopping only when she heard the sound of ripping clothing. She turned suddenly catching sight of the edge of her long coat falling away from the now sealed metal wall. What really got her attention, however, was the ragged piece of tan fabric that was hanging from the wall itself. "Oh, come on!"

The special jonin pulled the bottom of her coat around, examining the torn portion. She quickly turned her attention towards the gatekeeper, her eyes narrowing as she did so. The man and the two guards beside him stepped back a foot or two, a sweat drop forming on each of their faces.

"Like I said," Anko growled, "nice security system, but I think you need to work on the timing of when you close the wall back up."

"I'll take your criticism to heart," the gatekeeper stammered. He then turned to one of his fellow guards and whispered in a panic. "Better than taking one of her kunai to it."

"What now?" Anko asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked at the gatekeeper.

The man's eyes went wide with fear, leaving him unable to speak.

"That's enough."

Anko turned to her side and caught sight of a tall man dressed in black and red, a long white cape hanging from his shoulders. Oh, that's a nice look. The special jonin glanced down at her own wardrobe. I've been rocking this chainmail and coat look for a while, but a cape... Yeah, I could so totally pull that look off. Anko quickly shook her head, returning her focus to the matter at hand. "And you might be?"

"I am the successor to Mui, the master of Hozuki Castle," the older man said, scratching his white beard as he introduced himself, "Sosuke Kettei."

"It's nice to meet you," Anko said, bowing slightly as if in the presence of the Hokage himself.

"And I you," Sosuke replied as he folded his arms across his chest, "but I would feel our introductions would be much nicer if you were not scaring the hell out of those under my command."

"I get that a lot," Anko replied, clasping her hands together as she tried to wear the closest thing to a friendly smile as she could. "But I promise to be on my best behavior. Honest."

"Well then," Sosuke said, his voice now at ease, "Kakashi Hatake said you were interested in speaking to one of our prisoners, a particularly nasty individual. If it were up to me he'd have been put to death upon his arrival here, but the five Kage agreed to let him live. Goodness knows what kind of gutsy fool convinced them that was how it should be."

"Oh, I have an inkling of who that could have been," Anko said under her breath, trying to suppress a giggle.

"Regardless of what I think of the village leaders' decision, I am to abide by it. Unlike the previous lord of Hozuki Castle I will not make decisions of my own that will lead it to ruin once more. So, much to your fortune, the prisoner who you wish to speak with is still among the living. Now please follow me, Lady Mitarashi."

Sosuke Kettei turned his cloaked back on Anko and began to head towards the main complex in the center of the Blood Prison. The special jonin moved forward at a quick pace, joining the master of the Blood Prison by his side. Meanwhile the guards and gatekeeper let loose with long held breathes, thankful that the intimidating kunoichi had moved on.

"So you say you are impressed with our security measures?" Sosuke asked, keeping a brisk walking speed as he did so.

"Very much so," Anko replied. "Though I do have to ask about how you keep the particular dangerous rogue shinobi under control. I mean, I don't mean to doubt your strength, but there are some especially powerful ninja out there- in here, I mean."

"Such as the prisoner you wish to convene with," Sosuke said. "The former master, flawed as he was, passed on to us all a jutsu that allows us to reign in the more disgruntled prisoners. Utilizing the fire style, he crafted a technique called the Celestial Prison. By placing the jutsu's markings on a prisoner it cuts them off from wielding their chakra in an offensive manner."

"Punishing people with a cursed seal, huh?" Anko glanced away from Sosuke, but continued to keep up with his stride.

"Does that bother you?"

"Not in regards to the people you utilize it against," Anko answered. "I just don't have a fondness for curse marks in general."

"Oh." That was all the master of Hozuki Castle was willing to say. He could feel the pain in Anko's words and he had no desire to dredge any more of it up to the surface just to satisfy his curiosity as to what had caused it in the first place. To that end he quickly attempted to change the subject. "However, with the prisoner in question we also had to take more extreme mea-"

"Hey, old man Kettei!"

Both Sosuke and Anko stopped in their tracks, a little over a dozen of obvious prisoners walking towards them.

"What's with you bringing this sweet little angel into the Blood Prison, old timer?" the prisoner in front asked. He was a rather large man, his head bald, his eyes blazing with anger. "She do something wrong, or have you been stuck here so long that even you want a little conjugal visit? Not cool man. We all could use one!"

"Gentleman, we have a lady in our presence, so I advise you show some manners." Sosuke Kettei began to step forward, slipping off the black gloves that adorned his hands. The prisoners stepped back in response, giving Anko the hint that they had paid for transgressions at the hands of the Blood Prison warden before.

"Wait." Anko threw her arm in front of Sosuke, blocking his movement. "Far be it from me to ruin your fun but I've been having a rough time of it lately and a little justified violence would probably calm my mind. So, by chance, do you mind if I have this honor?"

"Be my guest," Sosuke answered, taking a step back. "But please, don't be too rough on them. They have no jutsu to employ at present."

"Oh don't worry." Anko moved forward now, cracking her knuckles. "I'll play fair. Besides, I want to do this the good old fashioned way."

The bald prisoner suddenly seemed less concerned, knowing he did not have to face off with his warden. He stepped forward to greet Anko's advancement. "So, cutie, you want to throw down with Yami the Butcher?"

"No." Anko looked up into the tall man's eyes. "I just want to put you in your place."

"Why you!" The man who had identified himself as Yami pulled his large arm back, his hand tightening into a fist. "Jutsu or no jutsu I'm gonna break your face!"

"Give it your best sho-" Anko's taunt was brought to an end, Yami's fist smashing into her left cheek. Her head rolled with the punch, the special jonin's upper body pitching to the side as her feet slid across the ground thanks to the force of the impact.

"Not so funny now are you?"

"No, not me." Anko shot back, her eyes staring up Yami's arm and to his face. Her cheek was pressed painfully into her face, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of Anko's mouth. "I'm no comedian but I do know a sick joke when he's given me his all and it meant nothing."

Yami, despite all his bravado, did not know what to make of Anko's own. He pulled his fist away from the special jonin and took a fearful step back. "The hell you saying?"

Anko turned her head to the side, spitting out the blood that was swirling around in her mouth. She watched as the red liquid stained the dirt, then she turned her attention back to Yami. "There's no point in repeating myself since you clearly don't understand words. So let me teach you in your language!"

Anko leapt forward, driving her right knee harshly into Yami's chin. The man's head snapped back, his back smashing violently into the ground beneath him. He cried out in pain, trying to force himself to stand. His movement was cut short, however, as Anko landed atop his prone body, her knee painfully digging into his chest.

"Nice shot, girlie," Yami coughed out, blood running from both his mouth and nose. Despite his pain he flashed Anko a vicious grin, showing that he had lost a tooth from her attack. "Guess you weren't all talk..."

Anko's eyes went wide, Yami's face shifting from his own to Orochimaru's, the Sannin's wicked grin present in place of the prisoner's own. "You bastard!"

Anko slammed her fist into 'Orochimaru's' face again and again, her rage taking hold of her. She saw the betrayer's face snap to the side over and over again, bloody spilling to the ground, but the sounds he was making were not in his familiar, terrifying voice.

What am I doing? Anko's strikes began to slow, her mind taking control of her rage. This isn't Orochimaru!

Yami's face began to come back into focus, Anko's eyes clearing. Still her fist was on a collision course for the prison's face once more, too late to stop the strike.

"Enough." Sosuke Kettei's hand took hold of Anko's wrist with sufficent force. Despite that application of strength, the special jonin could feel it was backed not by anger but concern, the touch gentle despite the speed in which it had been initiated. "Calm yourself, Lady Mitarashi."

"I..." Anko could feel shame overwhelming her soul. "I'm so sorry."

"No... worries..." Yami the Butcher gasped out as the master of Hozuki Castle helped Anko off the prisoner. "Been here long enough to get used to the severe beatings..."

"I do not believe she was apologizing to you," Sosuke shot back sternly, kicking the downed Yami in the face with his hard boot as he did so. "And one who takes pride in calling himself a butcher deserves no pity."

"I lost control," Anko said, watching as the other prisoners who had been beside Yami were running off in fear. The special jonin looked down at her right hand, catching sight of the blood on it. Yami's blood. She waved her hand quickly, trying to get the unsettling red liquid off of her.

"Here." Sosuke Kettei moved in close and used a handkerchief of his own to wipe the bloody from Anko's knuckles.

"Thank you," Anko said, the warden's compassion leaving her to feel at ease. The hell is wrong with me? For crying out loud, I've scratched a genin's face and took a taste just to freak him out! So why am I losing it thanks to the sight of that bastard's blood on my hand?

"Come, let us return to our journey before any other interruptions present themself." The Blood Prison master began to walk forward once again. "Oh and guards? Get Yami here some medical attention."

Anko watched as two guards helped the man she had battered, then joined Sosuke as he entered the main building. The two were quiet now and the warden guided Anko to a stairway. The two worked their way down, the darkness threatening their senses. In response Sosuke snapped his fingers and with nary the utterance of a jutsu a flame appeared in the palm of his head. It provided a source of light for both he and his guest and they continued their journey.

"This cell is awfully far down," Anko commented, wrapping her arms around herself as they descended down yet another flight, the cold air of the building nipping at her as it rose up to greet her.

"The greater the prisoner's crimes, the closer they will be to hell."

"Charming."

Sosuke stopped as he and Anko arrived at Hozuki Castle's lowest level. The warden produced several keys from his cloak, opening lock after lock on the main door. Then he placed his hand on the doorway, a faint glow hinting at a sealing jutsu. "Release," Sosuke said calmly, the light fading. Then and only then did he open the door.

"He's right inside, Lady Mitarashi. I will give you the privacy that your Hokage insisted you would want, yes, but I will wait here if you need me."

"Thank you," Anko replied. She took a deep breath, then stepped through the doorway and into the darkness. It's time we talked, Kabuto. And you're going to tell me everything I want to know about Orochimaru.