"You didn't do it." Qing flicked her tail against Anko's ear as she fell through the trees. Behind her the brats of Team Kakashi lay unconscious in the trees, unmarred of neck.
"I'm not about to deprive father of his prize Uchiha. He wanted me to test the boy's skills and I have done just that." Landing on a branch to look back at the fires from the fight, Anko remembered staring into those red eyes. "There is something dark hidden in those eyes, of that I'm certain."
Bai tightened her grip on Anko's arm, signaling that she found the direction Orochimaru went to. Anko had figured he would be nearby to watch the fight. Something must have delayed him. "There is something strange about this forest. I can't sense the ground over there, it's too cold." A few moments later showed the reason for why Bai's senses were off.
"The ground has turned to water. This lake was not here before." Hesitantly jumping down the tree, but staying against the trunk, Anko placed her fingers in the water. No chakra reaction showed this was not an illusion or trap. Someone had actually created a lake. It was not the sound of water that caught her ears, but the ring of steel. Activating her eye of the serpent Anko peered into the darkness to enhance her normal night vision. By refining the technique she found that she could see human bodies in the night with the same detail as though they were illuminated by noonday sun.
"I don't believe it." Qing hissed. Sure enough, to Anko's surprise, she saw that it was Orochimaru fighting against the young man from the bridge. Momochi Zabuza, a seven swordsman was fighting one of the Sannin. The way he fought was incredible, the great sword passed between his hands with powerful, sweeping movements. As the sword changed hands, his free hand would make one-handed seals for water jutsu, which kept Orochimaru from moving towards land. Water Clones rose up, only to be cut down by the Kusanagi blade in Orochimaru's hands. Tendrils of water wrapped around Orochimaru's legs, pinning him in place as Zabuza charged forward. The Kusanagi flew of its own will from Orochimaru's hand and attempted to stab Zabuza from the side. The counter was brilliant; Zabuza raised his sword and spun it, twisting the Kusanagi in mid-flight, sending into the water. In the same motion, he dropped to a knee and sliced through Orochimaru's torso, only to see the body collapse as a hollow skin.
Orochimaru stood on the water next to the Kusanagi, the sword struggling to free itself from the water ropes which held it down. Making three hand seals caused Orochimaru's hand to burn with a flame which drove the water away as he reached for his sword.
"A master work young Momochi." Orochimaru gestured to the lake surrounding them. "There are greater water jutsu in the world, but those all rely on a user with incredible chakra to create the water themselves. This… is a work of art using water naturally in the world. Sadly it is at an end."
Anko looked to Zabuza and saw the signs of fatigue on his face. Too busy watching the fight she had not noticed the water below her had fallen by two meters. The lake was beginning to recede and Zabuza was focusing to keep it in place.
"Daughter. Come out from over there and meet this fine young man." Doing as she was told, Anko jumped over and landed next to Orochimaru. "When you brought me his file I didn't think much of him, but seeing him in person… I can see now how he managed to hold his own against 'Sharingan' Kakashi."
"If you're done with him, would you mind letting me finish?" Anko felt a rather exhilarating feeling as the water began to sink rapidly; earth rising up from below was being pushed back into its original place as the waters receded. "You still need to see to the Uchiha boy. I decided I didn't want to rob you of the pleasure of marking him yours."
"A considerate child, as always." Orochimaru stroked her hair before turning away. A hidden serpent emerged from his sleeve and began to swallow the Kusanagi. "Very well, he is yours to do with as you please. However I will expect a full report from you about young Sasuke later." Not even breaking his stride as he walked away, Orochimaru pulled off his brown robe and was wearing a jounin uniform from the Sound Village, his next disguise. In a moment, he was one with the darkness and gone.
"Well now, what am I supposed to do with you?" The ground had all but returned to normal, albeit much damper than it was before. "This is the second time you've proved yourself interesting. But I can't every well let you live either; first you survived Kakashi, now you've faced Orochimaru, you'll get it in your head that you're the equal of a Kage before long." At last the ground beneath Zabuza's feet dried and returned to normal, and the forest appeared to be completely normal again. Yet rather than appear tired from the strain of the technique, Zabuza's vitals had all returned to normal. It should not have been possible after a technique of that magnitude.
"Ah, I see surprise in your eyes. They glow in the dark you know." Standing upright, he looked tall for his age; though only fifteen he looked surprisingly mature. "Chosuichi is a technique that uses chakra to force the natural system into imbalance. Eventually the balance restores itself and if the user concentrates properly, they can regain most of the chakra that went into the jutsu."
'So that's why he was concentrating as the waters withdrew. He wasn't trying to delay the end of the technique; he was regaining his chakra.' Anko was surprised at this technique. If it was as he claimed it to be, it was easily an S class jutsu.
"Now you have a choice." Hefting his blade in towards her, Zabuza focused his eyes and every muscle in his body tightened with killing intent. "You can-" Something distracted him. His expression showed his focus shifted towards his left leg. Her eyes picked up a slight cold signature in his pocket that looked like a piece of ice. "Hmm… well never mind what I was going to say. What is your intention, girl?"
"Test of pain." Anko whispered to herself. Reaching up to her hair, she pulled out a senbon hairpin and threw it at Zabuza. As it went in flight she ran off to the side, and life seemed to slow before her eyes. Running to her right, she came towards Zabuza's left. Bai turned into the white tonfa in her grip, and Zabuza ducked to dodge the senbon and attack Anko. With her free right hand, Anko pulled an invisible chord attached to the senbon. As her tonfa and Zabuza's sword met in a spark of metal, the senbon struck him in his right tricep.
He ignored it for a moment but then the burn set in. Stumbling back, he dropped to a knee and thrust his sword into the ground for support. His muscles were seizing as he tried to pull the needle out with his left hand, with how much he was shaking he was just as likely to stab himself in his hand as pull it out.
"Let me get that for you." Pulling the senbon out, she wrapped the invisible chord around it again before putting it back into her hair. "It's a special toxin I designed. Based off the forest puff adder's venom, I figured it would be a suitable blend to use against a Konoha shinobi." Walking around to face Zabuza, she lifted his face and looked him in the eyes before pushing him on his back. Resting her elbow on the hilt of the sword sticking up from the ground, she said, "I imagine you've been given the usual Mist village venom resistance regimen. So I doubt this blend will kill you, however I do doubt if you will be able to complete the exams. That sounds like a suitable punishment for you. You get to live, but your legend ends here."
Kneeling down, she straddled his body. Holding his face in her hands again, she pulled down his mask and saw his sharpened teeth grit together in pain. "What a cute expression." Touching the sweat that gathered on his face, she turned his head and licked the side of his face. "Mmm, what a nice flavor you have."
As she stood up she felt his grip on her ankle. Unable to speak, he glared at her with an unmistakable expression. "Ah, you want a name to go with your hatred. I am Anko, Mitarashi Anko, daughter of Orochimaru and Sage of the Serpent. And I bid you farewell, Momochi Zabuza."
The fire was an obvious draw. Haku landed and found a familiar crowd of youth beaten nearly to death. Sakura was the first he saw to. A bite on her leg was beginning to darken; poison was spreading through her body. "Lucky girl, I just happened to have this on me." Injecting her with his syringe of antivenom, he saw the skin begin to lighten almost immediately. Bandaging the wound, he moved on to where Naruto lay. The boy's vitals were strong, but his body was cold as ice. Making a few specialized seals, Haku placed his hands on Naruto's chest and drew the cold from the body. His own hands felt like ice afterwards, but it was not a feeling he minded at all.
A movement in the trees behind him made him cautious. Slipping back into the night shadows, Haku was one with the darkness as a man in black came up to Sasuke. There was evil intent in his eyes that seemed to silence even the sound of the nearby fire. Fangs grew in his mouth and he placed his hands on Sasuke's face and neck. Sakura was beginning to stir and awoke in time to scream out, "Stop, what are you doing," just as the man bit Sasuke. The scream that came from Sasuke, the dark aura that radiated pain seemed to drink in light from the fire, plunging the forest into an unnatural abyss of darkness.
"I can see the results of the Sharingan; even now I can sense a power in your eyes that will surpass Itachi's. My name is Orochimaru, and the girl you fought just now was my daughter. If you want to see me again, survive these Chuunin exams. Young Sasuke here will seek me for power."
"What did you do to him?" Sakura's concern was greater than her fear.
"I gave him a going away present." And with that, the man sank into the ground.
Haku felt his hand shake, he steadied it. It had been a long time since he had felt fear, his mask hid his expressions to the world but he knew them all too well. On the ground next to Naruto was a white scroll of heaven. His own team's scroll of earth lay in his pouch.
'This is not right.' He told himself. But reaching down, he grabbed the scroll of heaven and faded away into the night.