The shadows felt thicker that night before the second test. The Village Hidden in the Leaves slept soundly beneath their blanket of peaceful ignorance of the trouble that was silently brewing behind their backs, beneath their very noses, the cause for which was living right in the heart of the village, preparing themselves for their next task.
"Is everything going according to plan so far, Baki?"
If a snake could talk, the words that had just hissed through the air would be what it would sound like. The voice was sultry and deep, lilting in such a dangerous way that made cold fingers dance up and down your spine. Baki was not known to be a man who scared easily, but the likes of the criminal before him was enough to make him wish he had never made a deal with the snake.
"It is, Orochimaru-sama," Baki said, his voice trembling slightly with his barely contained apprehension but respectful nonetheless. "We've even come into contact with the girl you mentioned. The Kazekage's son has taken a special interest in her."
Orochimaru chuckled, but it was anything but amused. "I see… please be sure to remind Gaara-kun that she is off limits. Even if he's taken an interest, he won't be able to resist killing her for long, and I have plans for that girl."
"What about Uchiha Sasuke?"
"I have even bigger plans for him," the Sannin responded passively, waving a dismissive hand. "Our plans for him remain the same. However, Sumiko would be an excellent addition to my growing collection of experiments. I've heard stories about her eyes and abilities, but have never seen it for myself… I'm just itching to see how they really work."
Baki shuddered at the unspoken promise within the man's words. He didn't know the girl, nor had he met her, but what little bit of a conscience he had left made him feel—if only slightly—bad for her. His intentions for going along with Orochimaru's plan were not entirely sinister, and if he had not been corresponding with the Sannin, he would not be looking to harm anyone specifically. He felt no loyalty towards the snake standing before him, nor had he ever.
"I'm curious," Orochimaru said suddenly. "Define this 'special interest' your Gaara has taken in the last living member of the Himura clan."
"Temari and Kankurou have told me a few things," Baki said slowly. "When Sumiko and Gaara first met, she touched him without thinking and didn't seem to be scared of him the way everyone else is; you know what Gaara is. The second time around, Gaara took her off somewhere so they could talk. Temari told me earlier that he returned looking angry and confused, the latter emotion being a foreign one."
Orochimaru nodded once and folded his arms across his chest. You could practically see the gears turning in his head, the pieces to the puzzle slowly forming the picture he was trying to see. There was a plan hiding beneath his sinister intentions, and he needed to unearth it. It would, no doubt, speed up the plan to point where he could get his hands on the girl sooner rather than later.
"If Gaara-kun wishes to play with his new toy," Orochimaru said slowly, considering his words before he spoke them, "allow him to do so. It could prove advantageous. If he's had this reaction to her, then without a doubt, she's just as intrigued by him. They'll see each other again."
"What do you mean?"
The Sannin chuckled. "It means that I'm using Gaara-kun as bait to lure in my object of interest; or rather, my prey. Let him do what he wants; just don't let him kill her. I doubt it will get to that point, but make sure one of your children keeps an eye on him when he leaves. It would be best if this is kept secret from them. Make it an order to keep an eye on their brother or something," Orochimaru smiled, though it wasn't a real smile. It was a blood chilling smile that was sinister enough to make your skin crawl. "I'll leave that to you."
"Orochimaru-sama," Baki paused, considering his words. "How much longer do you intend to drag this out?"
The snake man chuckled. "Are you getting cold feet, and so soon? Don't forget what's at stake here, Baki-san," Orochimaru, advancing on the Suna shinobi, leaned forward, his breath fanning across the exposed skin of Baki's neck as he spoke. "If you refuse to comply, or choose to back out so soon into the game, I will throw your village into utter chaos. I will bring it to the brink of destruction. When it gets to the point where it seems as though things will get better, I will slowly kill off every last remaining member of Sunagakure in front of you; forcing you to watch every last one of them bleed to death. I will make you listen to their cries and pleas for mercy. And then when you're the only one alive, I'll force you to remember their deaths. I'll kill you even more slowly than I killed the others, and with every passing second, I'll never fail to remind that the demise of your precious village was all... your... fault."
Baki shuddered again, this time more noticeably. "I-I wasn't thinking of b-backing out, Orochimaru-s-sama."
"That's a good boy," Orochimaru laughed and turned as though he were about to leave, but then he stopped, his expression changing suddenly with the direction his thoughts had taken him. "I want you to make sure those three children have memorized the plan by the time the third portion of the Chuunin Exams arrives. We cannot afford for a single slip-up."
Baki nodded once in response as Orochimaru left in a small puff of smoke. As soon as he was left alone, Baki turned to search for the eldest of the siblings. If what Orochimaru said was to be believed, Gaara would waste no time in trying to see the girl again.
For her sake, he hoped Gaara would get over his fascination.
