Chapter 29: Moves In Passing

"The pawn move is a capital investment. Every one of the forty-eight should, from the beginning, be spent as if it were one of the last forty-eight apprehensive and responsible dollars between yourself and starvation." - William Ewart Napier


The faint glow of the lamp was the only thing that allowed him to see, but he preferred to write in the dark, especially for things like this. His report was of the utmost importance both to himself, and the Hokage. What was needed was a careful use of language. It was the most difficult part of his job, and he hated it. It was the most restricting and the most tedious part of his job.

Although, he had to admit that the final touches of the report were lining up quite nicely. Judiciously he chose his words so as not to give anything away. There was a time for speaking openly about things, but that time had not come yet. All but done, the autopsy of Muramasa Kenshi would shed a great deal of light on several things. Most importantly, he had begun crafting anti-venom that could be used to counter the poison that Orochimaru had injected into the boy's bloodstream. It was nasty stuff really. Derived from the venom of sea snakes that could only be found in the reefs surrounding a few small islands in southern Mizu no Kuni, the poison was brilliantly crafted.

Signing his name to the cover page, he stood and stretched stiff muscles. He had to dumb himself down far too much to write reports for the village. It was necessary that non-medical professionals could easily understand all the technical findings. The Sandaime Hokage was not a dumb man. Quite the contrary, he was incredibly intelligent. It was his crafty mind and sharp senses that would catch on to things that were amiss. His retirement would come soon, but not soon enough.

The light flared harshly, and he squinted so he could adjust. A head was stuck through the door to the cramped office, but he knew that the person was focused on him. "Come on kid," the Chief Coroner said. She waived him to hurry up. "Hokage-sama is waiting."

"Oh, ah, yes of course," he answered shyly. "I was just finishing up. Give me a minute and I'll be right there."

"Just hurry," she ordered while closing the door. "You've done a good job to this point, but don't make me give you a bad review. We wouldn't want to tarnish what little reputation you still have."

"Sorry, I'll be right there," he replied as he frantically gathered his notes. There were dozens of files that he needed, but only a few were pertinent to this meeting. There would be others later that would be more in depth, and required more of a clinical touch. Grabbing the closest storage scroll, he sealed away everything he believed that the Hokage didn't need to see in the upcoming meeting.

Walking out the door he turned out the light, and locked up the office. There were several files that were slightly confidential, and it was necessary to keep it locked when not in use. Sprinting down the hall, he stopped suddenly as he remembered that he forgot the report that he had just finished. Racing back to the door he fumbled with the key before sliding it in. Turning the handle, pushing the door open, and flicking on the light should have come with less surprise.

"Oh," he was shocked. A shorter person, a boy he assumed, with an odd looking ANBU mask turned toward him quickly. The eyeholes were honed in on him, but there was no telling what those eyes were planning. The child elite was hunched over an open file cabinet digging through the section that would have housed his report. "Hello there."

No response. No surprise. All the masks of ANBU bled together into one nondescript animal group. Each was uniquely marked in one way or another. Some looked like cats, others had stubby snouts like bears, and some even had long beaks. Without knowing what discrepancies to look for, he didn't really see much difference between one black ops member and another. To see it on one so young was a bit of a surprise, but he shrugged it off. 'They really do start so early these days.'

Judging by the height and an estimated weight, the dark clad agent looked to be no older than Uchiha Sasuke and his age group. The training division of ANBU always pulled from the best and brightest that they could find. The Uchiha had probably been a potential candidate, but for being the last living Uchiha in the village Sasuke was too prominent a figure to qualify. Several ideal shinobi would be rejected from joining the ranks of ANBU for much the same reasons. The clans were the might of the village, and their presence needed to remain largely public.

He really didn't want to fight. Not now at least, and especially not against a member of ANBU, but if that's what it came to, then so be it. He'd wait and let the kid make the first move. The hairs on the back of his neck raised as each waited for the other to flinch. Nothing happened for several minutes, and the tension was still building. He really needed to deliver this report, and clearly this ninja was looking for something in particular. 'Judging from where he's looking, I'd say he's looking for all of my files on this case. Too bad.'

"Look," he eased into a conversation. Trying to appear harmless he showed his hands. "I'm just going to get this report and leave you to your thing, alright."

The agent grabbed at the hilt of his sword, but didn't draw. It was strapped to his back, and he had almost missed seeing it beneath the midnight cloak the boy was wearing. Trying to appear nonchalant about the matter, he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. The ninja twitched at the movement, but did nothing else. With confidence, he stepped over to the desk and grabbed the autopsy report and walked back to the door.

"Oh, I almost forgot," he said turning to look over his shoulder at the young elite. Now that his hands were on the prize, he wouldn't let it go. Victory was his, and there was no better time than the present to rub it in a little. "Tell Danzō that he really should be more patient. If he wants to know about Muramasa Kenshi's death, then he can wait for the official meeting just like everyone else."

In a flash the business end of the short sword rested against his neck. There had been nary a sound in the child's movements. A slight rustle of loose papers on the desk, and the cloth of his robes fluttered a bit at the sudden halt. Other than that there was no signal or sign the boy was moving. This kid was good. "For a doctor, you know far too much," the special agent said warningly.

"For a spy," he smiled at the threat. Kids were cute. "You know far too little."

"What makes you think I won't just kill you and deliver the reports to Danzō-sama?" The spy questioned digging the blade a little further into his neck. That rusty old cripple did a great job training his recruits, but his results left a lot to be desired from the early days. Then again, too much has changed since then to guarantee the highest quality agents.

"Would he really want you to make such a scene?" He acted shocked at the notion. It wasn't a bad idea, but the attempt at intimidation was nothing more than a bluff and they both knew it. "A doctor is found dead in front of his office, moments before he's supposed to report to the Hokage; how does that look?"

The sword was removed and sheathed. "I will be sure to tell Danzō-sama of you, Kabuto-san."

"Then I will be sure to tell Hokage-sama of you," Kabuto returned, adjusting his glasses once more "I wonder who would be more interested in this little exchange, hmm?"

"Well played," the gifted child answered. A burst of light and smoke shot from the ground around the mysterious ninja, and when it cleared the boy was gone.

That would buy some silence for the time being, but that old hawk would be onto him sooner or later. It was fun for a while, but he wouldn't need to hide in plain sight for too much longer. Soon, Orochimaru would make his move, and that was when the real games began. Walking down the hall he took a moment to school himself. He had a part to play. Yakushi Kabuto, genin of Konoha, and adopted son of a Captain in the Iryō Butai. He would play the role for as long as it was needed, and he would play it perfectly.


"Thank you Kabuto-san," the gruff voice addressed, heavy with the knowledge that he just gained. "You are dismissed."

"Hokage-sama," the boy replied with a bow at the waist before taking his leave.

The report was interesting to say the least. Hiruzen gained no new information that he hadn't already guessed at, but at least his suspicions were confirmed. Orochimaru had a hand in Kenshi's death. He was mildly surprised that Kabuto had begun work on an antidote for the toxin that his wayward pupil had crafted. It didn't seem possible for a genin to be that well versed in medical techniques, but he would have everything looked over by toxicologists and specialists.

"You aren't buying this innocent act are you Sarutobi?" The Hokage focused on the voice of his long-time rival. Shimura Danzō was every bit as crafty as he was dangerous. The only constant that made him a powerful ally was his love for Konoha was matched only by his wariness of conceivable threat.

"Of course not," Hiruzen replied releasing a puff of smoke from his lips. "Kabuto has been under suspicion since the day he surrendered his chance at the preliminary rounds. My ANBU have been watching him very closely."

"And what have they found?" The old man asked, one eye opened studying the Hokage's every action and expression with intense curiosity. Shimura Danzō had been severely injured during his many years of service. His injuries collected during his time as a shinobi included the loss of his right eye and the crippling of his right arm. Despite all of this he was not deterred from further service to the village, and continued to do everything he could to further the cause of Konoha. The agenda of Danzō, however, was not always in line with Hiruzen's and brought the two at odds with one another on a frequent basis. Sarutobi, though often stressed by his contemporary, did appreciate having a differing of opinions on occasion.

"Unfortunately they were unable to turn up anything of significance," the Hokage admitted. "There is another individual who is running an independent investigation into the matter, but even he has not found anything incriminating."

"What a sad state of affairs," the mocking criticism that Danzō said so casually was to be expected. The former head of ANBU often criticized how village affairs were run. Ever since the man had lost his bid to become Hokage he was left bitter, and disapproved of many changes that had been implemented to make Konoha better, as a whole, and not just for the shinobi. "How low has our village become if we cannot root out a single known spy in our ranks?"

"He's just a boy," Sarutobi puffed another drag with a sigh. "No matter how gifted he may be at his true job, he will slip up, and we will be there when he does."

"Indeed," Danzō rose and walked toward the office door to take his leave. The man turned before leaving, "I wonder though, Sarutobi, when we catch him in the act will it already be too late to stop Orochimaru's plans?"

Sarutobi didn't answer, and Danzō didn't wait for one. The question was pressing enough and the Hokage found himself sitting alone with those words weighing on his thoughts. Would it be too late? The honest answer was an admission of his darkest fears. There was a very real chance that it would be too late. It was possible that no one in the village could stop Orochimaru, and that the student that Sarutobi once prized and hailed as the future of Konoha would bring about its final days. All the Hokage could do was use what little time there was left to find the snake before he could strike.


The cool air did nothing but add to her shivering. After just beginning to adjust to the warm weather of Konohagakure, and spending five days in a murky forest, she was now holed up in an underground base waiting for what was likely to be a long and gruesome punishment. It was cold, musty, and wet. "Home sweet home," Kin sarcastically said to herself while trying to rub warmth into her arms.

Orochimaru-sama had made his presence known in the village of his birth, which meant that the plan was coming to an end soon. The curious thing about this whole endeavor had been something that Dosu mentioned after the preliminary rounds ended. Their mission, their entire purpose of going through the exams in the first place was to kill Uchiha Sasuke. When they finally engaged their target's team they were met with all manner of resistance. Then there was Sasuke himself. Dosu noted that he had the juinjutsu that Orochimaru only gives to his vessels.

The power of the Ten no Juin erupted out of the young Uchiha with the force of a tsunami. The speed and strength the guy possessed had been unreal. For mere moments he held each of their lives in the palm of his hand. With sinister ease Sasuke crippled Zaku, and made his skills all but worthless. Dosu, for the first time Kin had ever seen, was scared for their survival. That pink haired tramp had been the only thing that stopped the Uchiha from slaughtering them.

They had been played. Kin didn't know what to make of it. Orochimaru gave their target a power they were not prepared to overcome. He had undermined the mission that he had personally assigned to them. It made no sense under normal circumstances. It could only be labeled as a betrayal. Kin had experienced all sorts of betrayal in that forest from both her team and from her Sensei.

'Serves him right,' the black haired kunoichi thought as she recalled what Zaku had done to her. She had been under the control of that blond ditz, and her teammate tried to blow her away with his jutsu. Now, Zaku's arms and his jutsu were taken from him. That bastard prided himself on those precious arms of his, and his pride was his downfall. Then there was Dosu. The mummy had approved of the measures Zaku had taken in the situation.

Clinching her teeth shut, she tried not to think about all that had happened. Orochimaru-sama had betrayed her. Her team was willing to kill her. Was there no one? Nobody that she could turn to, anyone that she could trust? No, no there wasn't. Orochimaru-sama had taught her that trust was a weakness, and she had made the mistake of trusting that man. 'Never again,' she determined. 'I will never trust someone so blindly ever again!'

The ideas of distrust and trust misplaced allowed her mind to wander onto something that she had set aside. The redheaded paragon that she had helped was still out there. Did he survive the seal? Was he still alive? If so, how did he feel about the death of his teammate? She could remember the unrestrained passion in his voice and the desperation in his movements when he threw himself on Zaku. His team trusted him to defend them, but could he trust them to do the same? Konoha had been weak if they were not able to see their approaching doom, but was their ability to trust others that much of a weakness?

The nearby door at the end of the lonely hallway opened, breaking her from her thoughts. The wrapped and covered form of Dosu stalked out. Walking with dejection in his steps, he cast his gaze on her. He fixed it there, and it was unwavering in its focus. His beady eye was locked in, glaring with well restrained fury. As deeply as he scorned her, Kin could tell that his anger was not aimed entirely at her. Doing her best not to shy away from his wrath until after he passed by, Kin knew that he was venting.

"Good luck," he said with derision as he approached. Not breaking step as he studied her, but eventually he turned his gaze. The pressure that his killing intent had created was lifted from her mind as the mummified genin continued down the darkened corridor. "It's your turn now."

'Shit,' Kin lamented. 'Well, if he's going to kill me then let's get it over with.'

Walking up to the door, Kin paused as she grasped the handle. She could already feel his power and had to calm herself with deep breaths until she felt like she could move. Orochimaru-sama was unlike anyone else she had ever met. He was cold, calculated, and dismissive of those that were unworthy. She had caught his interest, even if it was for just a passing moment, and he had taken great care in training her to be strong. Failure was never an option. How could this moment, despite the circumstances, be any different?

The slow creaking was nauseating. With tepid and tentative steps she approached the chair that her Sensei had been lounging in. One leg thrown over the chair's arm, and his fist supporting his head in a typical expression of boredom, the legendary ninja was waiting. His eyes floated all over the room for a brief moment before lazily resting on her. "Ah, Kin," he addressed. "I'm glad you're here."

Approaching the leader of her village on his temporary throne, Kin tried to swallow her fear. "Orochimaru-sama," Kin bowed deeply. "What can I do for you?"

"Do you know why I called you here?" He asked casually. The tone of voice made the issue seem minor, but it was a lie. He never wasted his time on her if it were not important, and this is no different.

"Yes Orochimaru-sama," she stuttered slightly. She needed to try and stay as calm and collected as possible. Not an easy thing when standing in the presence of certain death.

"And what is it that we need to talk about?" The laid back questioning was unnerving, but Kin could rise to this test.

"We failed our mission to kill Uchiha Sasuke, and I failed to proceed to the finals," she answered honestly.

"So very smart," Orochimaru perked up a bit. "But that was not all that we need to discuss here, Kin-chan."

Quivering only a little at the way he said her name, Kin racked her brain trying to think of what else Orochimaru-sama could have been disappointed about. This was what she had hoped to avoid. She was in trouble for something, but didn't know exactly what it was. No way out now. The only option was to push through and hope that she could make it to the other side.

"Tell me," her master was sizing her up as a predator evaluates the worth of its prey. He was studying to see if the hunt and the kill would be worth the investment of activity. "Were you ordered to do something during the exams?"

There was no one that Orochimaru-sama had ordered her to kill except for that raven haired lunatic. The Uchiha had been their only target, and she couldn't think of any other orders that she had been given. Concentration was broken as the door opened. A man walked through. His bangs fell freely framing either side of his forehead, and the ashen colored hair nearly obscured his hitai-ate with the leaf of Konoha engraved in its center. The dim lights made his dark purple shirt and pants appear almost black. She had seen him before. He was in the first exam badmouthing Otogakure. If he was here now he was either a double agent or incredibly stupid.

"Oh, don't mind me," he said adjusting the way his glasses rested on his nose. The adjustment obscured his onyx eyes as a glare was created on the glass. "I'll wait for you to finish."

The little distraction didn't do anything to calm Kin's nerves, as she tried to calmly shift her focus back onto her master. The weight of their attention, both Orochimaru-sama and his spy, it was stifling. She tried to recall everything that she had been given in the mission parameters. Nothing really stood out. They were to pose as typical students, progress far enough in the exam to kill Uchiha Sasuke, and ensure that the examiners didn't grow too suspicious of them afterward. Dosu was given command during the mission, but there hadn't been anything else. Then it clicked.

"Dosu ordered me to kill a kunoichi from Konoha," she admitted.

"And did you?" Orochimaru-sama asked knowingly. The possible threat hung in the air as he waited for his answer. She was terrified of giving it.

"No," she breathed. "I didn't."

"Why did you ignore Dosu-kun's orders?" A serpent slithered its way from Orochimaru's chair toward her feet and began circling around her left leg. She was going to die for her insubordination. "Did I not put him in charge?"

"You did Orochimaru-sama," she said while silently praying that the snake would make things quick and clean. "I'm sorry, I failed you."

"I don't want apologies!" her master lashed out. In response to his wrath, the snake moved as lightning. It was wrapped around her upper body in a tightly constricted coil, and poised to strike at her neck. It held there, fangs barred. Kin knew her life was hanging by a thread, and her next words needed to be carefully chosen if there was any hope to continue living.

"I simply want your reasons." The calm tone in Orochimaru's voice returned, and it served only to unnerve her further.

"I didn't see any benefit to killing her," she strained out as the snake was slowly squeezing the life out of her body. Kin was barely holding onto whatever shred of courage she had left, and her voice was starting to show her fear. "I thought it could undo whatever plans you had for the red haired guy." As soon as the words left her mouth Kin knew he would take to that like a predator to a wounded animal. She was easy prey.

"Really now?" Her pale faced master was intrigued. When Orochimaur-sama was intrigued, it could either be really good or really bad. "Please, explain your reasoning Kin-chan. I'm so very curious as to why you would disobey Dosu."

"Well," she started as the snake began to move. Its fangs were no longer exposed, but it still hugged her body tightly. The leathery scales slid across the exposed skin of her arms, never once easing the pressure it applied. "I didn't know what offer you might have made him, but I tried to put myself in his situation."

"Continue," the word dripped off his tongue slowly. Each syllable was a warning, telling her that the answer had better be acceptable.

"Before the first exam I saw him, and he was pretty open about wanting to protect his friends. Since one of his squad members died I figured that he would consider coming after you for revenge. I don't know for sure, but I thought that killing the other one make him want to stay away from you altogether, or it might break him and then he'd be useless," Kin finished. That sounded reasonable to her.

There was no way on earth that she would ever admit the truth. Not to him. Not now, and not ever. The truth was that she couldn't bring herself to do the deed. The guy had defended his friends so fiercely. Half alive, and he fought with all the strength he could muster. Even when he was barely conscious the redhead was still trying to protect his friends. Such devotion; she couldn't ignore all of that. Even the pink haired worm had given her all to protect her friends. Konoha might have a world view that was too merciful and too weak, but it clearly had not translated into powerless shinobi.

"And?" Orochimaru-sama prompted expectantly. She wasn't too sure what else he was looking for, but she also had no clue if he had found it or not already.

"And I guess that if you really wanted her dead, then you would have killed her yourself when you fought her," Kin was reaching on that one. There were a number of reasons that Orochimaru-sama hadn't finished the fight, and one of them could be to test her. He was incredibly farsighted, and it was not beyond reason to think that he planned for her team to run into this team.

"Hmm," his eyes drifted elsewhere. "What do you think Kabuto?"

"I don't know Orochimaru-sama," the man behind her answered. She dare not shift her gaze. Not even to satisfy that paranoid feeling that the glasses wearing man was moving in for the kill. She wouldn't take her eyes off her Sensei. He was the greatest threat in the room. "That sounds like a good answer, but I wouldn't risk it. Betrayal always starts with the little things. She's ignoring orders now, but who knows what she'd be doing in a month."

"True," the Sannin eyed her dangerously. Slowly, he licked his lips in what could only be anticipation. A swift and sudden flick of his hand caused her to wince, waiting for the impact of whatever would be her doom. All that she felt was a release of pressure, and the scaly underbelly of the snake coiling back down her leg. "You are dismissed Kin-chan."

Entirely shocked she stood unsure what to do. As her mind processed what was said, she bowed deeply. She wasn't sure how, but she had survived this time. Failure was not tolerated, and the punishment was death. How she managed to avoid the fate of countless other fools was beyond her, but she wasn't above being grateful for it.

"Don't disappoint me again," her master added.

"Yes Orochimaru-sama," she was never going to fail him again. Mercy was a weakness, and she knew whatever it was that kept her master from killing her was not mercy. It was a calculated move. He had seen a use for her and upon a whim he let her live. Standing, she turned and walked toward the door. Each step was drowned out by the sound of her heart beating. Somehow, someway, she was still useful to Orochimaru-sama. She was going to be certain that she never gave him a reason to think otherwise.

"Run along and be a good girl now," Kabuto teased while adjusting his glasses. Before today, Kin had never known this person to be a big player in Otogakure. The way that Orochimaru-sama deferred to him was telling. Kabuto, whoever he was, was more important than he first appeared to be. In Otogakure, importance to Orochimaru-sama was equivalent to individual power. Kin was going to be sure not to cross him either.

Closing the door and being out of sight of her master left her with great relief. She felt exhausted now. Never before had minutes of conversation been so taxing. She couldn't take a break however. She needed to train. Walking to her room to gather supplies, Kin made a note of what she was going to work on. There was a month to prepare for the next phase of the plan, and she was going to impress Sensei.

Genjutsu had been her focus for the past year. The art was complex, and incredibly nuanced. Casting an illusion of any variety required the caster to implant some of their own chakra into the victim. It had to travel and flow in such a way that it was in sync with the target so as to draw less suspicion. The goal was to warp a person's senses to make them incapable of adequately fighting, defending, or resisting.

Achieving that goal also meant that she had to invade the target through their sensory perception in some way. Visual genjutsu required the caster to know exactly what their target was seeing in order for their technique to take hold. For this reason, eye contact was the easiest method. Taking over the olfactory sense required strong smelling objects of the caster's choosing to be dispersed among their targets. Touch required physical contact. It could be the most subtle method, but was by far the most difficult to achieve. Taste, could be enacted simply by knowing the particular flavors and reactions to whatever was landing on the tongue of the victim.

Kin grinned as she scanned the darkness of the hallway leading toward her room. Orochimaru loved the darkness. Dim lighting made visual genjutsu more difficult for those who were not skilled enough to use anything but eye contact. There was just enough light to see shapes, patterns and textures, but it was not so dark where only a great void would be seen. Visual based genjutsu would be impossible if you couldn't be certain what your opponent's vision was fixed on. She didn't need anything like that for her genjutsu to work.

Her genjutsu had an audio component. It was difficult to control at first, but once she had gotten the hang of matching her genjutsu to a particular frequency it was a breeze. Hearing was a passive sense. You couldn't stop your body from hearing noises, even if it is barely within the range of audible sound. The only defense was canceling the noise, obstruction, or deafness. There were so many things she could do with her genjutsu, but Kin had a few methods for getting the job done.

Approaching her door, Kin decided to try something new. She had been utilizing bells on her senbon to be her catch. What she needed to do was figure out the frequencies generated when her senbon struck other surfaces. What kinds of sounds were generated when the needles struck concrete, dirt, wood, flesh, or bone? If she could figure out the frequency of those sounds, then she could initiate her genjutsu in a greater number of ways.

Opening the door to her room she noticed a figure lying on her bed. Flicking the light on, she noticed the glint of a kunai headed for her and quickly ducked her head out of the way. Glaring at the perpetrator Dosu met the gaze with equal heat. 'What does he want?' She wondered as she tensed up, ready to fight.

"You dodged death this time," he said as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Head cocked to the side, hunched over, and arms hanging limply between the sprawled out knees, Dosu looked a bit like a doll on a shelf. A very creepy doll with its face completely wrapped leaving one eye exposed. "But sooner or later he will kill you."

"What are you talking about?" Kin fired off her question demanding an answer. She wasn't in the mood to take any of his crap.

"Orochimaru won't always spare you," her partner answered as he stood. "The moment you stop being useful to him, he'll kill you. If it helps advance his own agenda, he'll kill you. You are nothing to him. You never were, and you never will be."

"You broke into my room to tell me that?" Kin criticized. It was absurd. She knew what she was to Orochimaru. It was hard not to see it anymore. The way she stood there, being sized up and evaluated, it was less like he was measuring her worth and more like he was studying her weakness. Even so, where else could she go? She was in too deep now and there was no way Orochimaru-sama would simply let her leave. No, she was stuck here until such a time arose when she could escape.

"It just was a friendly warning," Dosu added casually. "Where is Zaku?"

"Like I care where that two timing shit is," she huffed. She really didn't care. Zaku could be dead in a ditch somewhere and she'd be more concerned with getting sweaty while training.

"That's what he's counting on," the mummy added. Hunched over as he walked toward the door to the small room, Dosu eyed her quizzically. "He knows you hate Zaku, and he knows that I don't care. You would never ask about him, and I would assume he was in a hospital. But he's not. He was sacrificed to advance Orochimaru's little scheme."

"I don't understand what you're getting at," she moved out of the door way so the genin could pass. He chuckled at her statement.

"I didn't expect you to," Dosu grunted. "Just watch your back, because I won't be there to warn you when Orochimaru comes to put the knife in it."

"Whatever," Kin took the warning with a grain of salt. Dosu never was one to watch her back, but here he was trying to warn her about something. It was kind of curious, and she wondered what he was up to. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere special," he ignored her derisive tone. "I'm just going to prove that I am not his pawn anymore."

She shrugged as Dosu left. Kin knew where she stood in the pecking order. It was interesting to see someone as loyal as Dosu have such a radical change of heart. She had work to do, and it didn't involve messing around with whatever her teammate had planned. If he wanted to get himself killed, then that was his business. She, on the other hand, wanted to live. She paused when she considered the words of her oddly wrapped contemporary. 'How much longer will I live serving someone like Orochimaru?' Kin wondered as she stood alone with her thoughts and the warning Dosu had left her, still ringing in her ears.


"What was it that you had for me Kabuto?" Orochimaru asked. He had been patient. Though he wanted to study the corpse in person, his run in with Anko-chan wouldn't allow him to act too openly until the time was right. For now, he had to wait. He was plenty patient, but was growing tired of waiting any further. He needed a distraction to help pass the time.

"I finished the reports that you asked me to compile Orochimaru-sama," the man answered.

"Excellent," he replied taking several files. Kabuto had by far been his most valuable acquisition when he set out to create Otogakure. Honestly, he hadn't been planning on creating an entire village, but the further he progressed the more clearly his realization became. He needed the strength of a village to achieve his goals. Orochimaru knew that his plan stepped on the toes of the entire shinobi system, and they wouldn't take it lightly. The only way to fight against the world of shinobi was with the power of a shinobi village.

Eyeing the small library of files he noticed several interesting features that Kabuto had highlighted while performing the autopsy. "How much of this did you reveal to the Hokage and the council?"

"Not too much," the man grinned in pride. "I noted the several injuries and focused on the poison that you used. I gave them as a thorough toxicology report that would be expected of a genin, and I began working on an antidote for the poison. I'd estimate once the toxicologists and pathologists fix all of my rookie mistakes they'll have it completed in about four months. Well, four months after the little distraction we're about to give them."

"I see," the snake frowned. This particular compound was masterfully created, and perfect for all manner of assassinations. The symptoms were mild if noticeable at all, and only became fatal days after it took hold. He could slip it into a drink or prick someone with a coated needle, and then be long gone by the time the target was dead. He had chosen the cocktail of compounds carefully, and without that knowledge a cure would be impossible to create. It was a fair trade, but only if his suspicions about the late child proved true.

"Did you do research on the clan's history like I asked?" He questioned.

"I did. What would you like to know?" The spy returned question for question, and Orochimaru wasn't sure where to start. There was so much information to take in, and it all led to several delicious possibilities.

"Let's start with medical records," Orochimaru needed to see if the abnormalities that were mentioned were just abnormalities or if they were inherited trends.

"From what I found there were only a handful of consistencies," Kabuto spoke up and adjusted his glasses. The child had been a natural spy, and a medical genius. It was his intelligence, quick wits, and sharp instincts that made him so deadly. Kabuto always was someone to be wary of, no matter how loyal. "The most noticeable is the enlarged adrenal gland. The clan as a whole possessed a highly advanced adrenal medulla and adrenal cortex, and the entire adrenal system grew in complexity with each generation. So it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that I found each member of the Muramasa clan had at least twice the normal levels of epinephrine in the blood stream."

"How interesting," Orochimaru mused. That was a thought-provoking explanation for the boy's power. It was far from perfect though. The child had definitely been utilizing the Hachimon, and there was no doubt in Orochimaru's mind about that. It was a simple fact. A massive adrenaline rush like Kabuto's reports were detailing was certainly a way to duplicate the effects, but only at the lowest levels. It would never be as powerful as the actual technique.

"There weren't any instances of clan members being shinobi in the village so the sample size I had to work with was less than ideal," the ashen haired man explained. Ever the perfectionist Kabuto was. It was the reason Orochimaru delegated so much of his more important research to the boy. He was meticulous in his craft. Some things required a personal touch, but research could almost always be left in Kabuto's well studied hands.

"That's quite alright," it wasn't surprising. He had never known the Muramasa clan to make anything other than weapons. The fact that this particular one had been a shinobi caught his ever fleeting attention.

"Well," Kabuto adjusted his glasses again. It was a habitual action, and it was normally taken right when he was about to outdo himself or others. So often, people wrote something like that off as superfluous. The little things always matter. "I cross referenced the data against records from your personal archive and I found a wealth of information."

"The Muramasa clan was not originally from Hi no Kuni," the boy continued. It was as he had imagined. The clan had a long history as a shinobi clan, but the number of ninja they produced had all but diminished. Their history as warriors existed beyond Konohagakure and before the time of hidden villages. "They originally come from Mizu no Kuni. It was during their Unification War that the clan was nearly destroyed. As I'm sure you already know, the foundation of Kirigakure took a bit longer than the rest of the major hidden villages."

"Indeed," Orochimaru interjected. The natural geography had long established a certain amount of autonomy to the various archipelagos and isles off the main land. Freedom of any kind isn't often relinquished willingly. "Bringing all of those islands and various clans into submission would take quite a bit of time."

"Correct, and when the Hōzuki and Yuki clans were conquering as much land as they could in their struggle for dominance, the Muramasa clan revolted against the idea for a unified shinobi village," Kabuto's smirk was growing as he told the story his research had uncovered. Orochimaru had known the general history of Kirigakure. The constant bloodshed the nation experienced created a multifaceted history where every major player had their own version of the same story. Often, the smaller clans are overlooked.

"At this particular point in history, the Muramasa clan were primarily blacksmiths and weapon makers. The leadership of the clan didn't want to limit themselves to only one client when most of the demand for their craft came from the various clans wanting to kill each other. So, the few shinobi they had left began to battle against the Yuki clan," Orochimaru had done extensive research on the Yuki clan. Their kekkei genkai was one of the more deadly abilities in the shinobi world. He had long tried to replicate the skill through genetic splicing, but all of those test subjects had proven failures. He had imagined that there weren't any descendants of the Yuki clan still living, but scientific progression is never a fruitless venture. Much was learned, and much more gained.

"Eventually," the spectacles glinted in the dim light of the room. "The Muramasa clan pushed their foes to the breaking point. The Yuki clan was so overwhelmed in their efforts to invade Muramasa lands that they turned to the Kaguya clan in desperation. The rest, as they say, is history."

History being that the Kaguya nearly decimated both their target and their employers. So bloodthirsty were the Kaguya, that further concessions had to be made by the Yuki in order for the clan to even survive. More deals were struck, the Hōzuki clan intervened for the small price of the Yuki's clan's submission to the newly formed Kirigakure and exclusive rights to elect the Shodai Mizukage into office. When all was finished Mizu no Kuni was unified and on their way to becoming a world power, but the Muramasa clan was no longer a viable threat in the world of shinobi.

"Did the Yuki clan have any accounts of battle against Muramasa shinobi?" He asked golden eyes piercing the mysteries laid out before him.

"Few," Kabuto grimaced. "There was one in particular that sounded similar to what you described. It was regarding the head of the Muramasa clan. He carried a large blade with a hole cut out near the tip, and a crescent shape carved out on the edge of the sword close to the hilt. The writer had thought the blade was destroyed by a technique used by one of his clan mates, but the sword was regenerated as it drank the blood of the Yuki."

"Kubikiribōchō," Orochimaru deduced.

"Right," Kabuto had figured that out as well. The sword must have been made by the clan, and was likely carried as a mark of succession. "The man who wielded it was noted as fighting not like a man, but like a rabid beast. Also, injury and pain did not stop him and the writer noted that the closer he came to death the more he destroyed until his light burned out and he became as ash."

"What do you suppose this means Kabuto?" Orochimaru asked, already feeling confident about the truth of Kenshi's power.

"Well, from all the data I collected, this written record, and your firsthand account I would be inclined to believe that the Muramasa clan had a very rare kekkei genkai that only a handful of their members ever possessed," Kabuto reasoned.

"And what is the nature of their power?" The Sannin hissed inquisitively.

"My theory is that their adrenaline is so potent that when it surges to certain levels it begins to force the Haichimon to open," the young medic proposed. It was the only theory that Orochimaru was leaning toward after seeing the extensive autopsy that his greatest pupil had performed. Thumbing through the last of the reports, he noticed seals that contained genetic samples and a variety of other material that he could make use of. Kabuto had been very thorough.

"Thank you for the research," Orochimaru appreciated the man's hard work. "I'm terribly sorry that I cancelled your original mission, but I felt this was important. Sasuke can wait for the moment. Trying to collect him before the end of the finals would only have exposed your true allegiance."

"It's no trouble Orochimaru-sama," the boy accepted. "I'm sure it's for the best."

"Perhaps," the legendary shinobi narrowed his eyes. "But this does disrupt your plan to kill Sasuke-kun now doesn't it?"

"Hmm," the spy nodded. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised you found out my intentions."

The air thickened with tension and Orochimaru could tell that his pupil was prepared for a serious fight. Betrayal was met with death, and the cost for betraying him was not a price that anyone mitigated. This sort of attitude just wasn't fostered. The Sannin waited, golden eyes studied his potential foe. Every twitch, every breath, and every blink could initiate the conflict. Minutes passed, and neither had moved. Orochimaru chucked as he realized that neither was going to make the first move.

"You are far too serious Kabuto," he chided. "Tell me, what did you think would happen if you had actually killed Sasuke-kun."

"To be honest, I don't know," the man smirked wryly. "That was why I was planning on doing it. We advance and grow stronger through evolution. Evolution only occurs when there is adversity and conflict. So much of your plan right now hinges on you acquiring the Uchiha, and I just wanted to see how you would evolve if he were no longer an option."

The medic was intelligent enough to know the simple facts by now. Orochimaru always had more than one option. Even though Sasuke-kun was a vital piece, he was not the only means. There were other methods, but the power of the Uchiha would just make things so much easier. Even his attempt at betrayal was a strange act of loyalty. The spy had perceived a weakness in the plan, and took measures to expose it.

Orochimaru decided to let it slide. Kabuto was wholly devoted to the cause, and not having the man's skills would be a great loss. Besides, what was the purpose if not to evolve? If he was to evolve beyond the limits of his own humanity, Orochimaru would welcome a genuine challenge to his plans. Through conflict and adversity people are forced to survive, and only those fit for survival will endure. That endurance ushers in the change needed for humanity to advance and grow toward something greater. It was the kind of change that Konoha desperately needed.

"What do you want me to do with the genin?" Kabuto asked, breaking the mastermind from his thoughts.

"Prepare Zaku to be used for the jutsu," Orochimaru decided without hesitation. The child's injuries would limit his immediate uses, but his death would still have purpose. "Keep an eye on Dosu. I believe he has become a little disgruntled, and he might try something rather rash."

"And when he does?" Kabuto questioned knowingly.

"Collect him before he gets himself killed," the Sannin answered. "I can't use him for the Edo Tensei if he is already dead."

"What about the girl?" The question gave him a moment of pause. "I know you were planning on resurrecting all three of them to fight the Sandaime."

"Leave her alone for now," Orochimaru replied. "She made herself very useful in helping Yurushi-kun survive the sealing process, and I'm beginning to wonder if she'll continue to be an asset worth keeping. Besides, summoning the Yondaime could prove to be too much. Keeping the Shodai and the Nidaime in control will be a challenge."

"Are you sure?" Kabuto double checked. "Having all of the former Hokage prepared would be beneficial if the Sandaime is able to counter the technique."

"He can't counter it," Orochimaru corrected with a haughty grin. His old Sensei was skilled, but this jutsu was beyond his ability to counter. There were ways the old man could overcome the technique, and possibly defeat it, but victory had fallen from those feeble hands some time ago. "Sarutobi-sensei will only watch in horror as he realizes how unprepared he was to face me."

Orochimaru was giddy with anticipation. He couldn't wait for the battle to come, and he was longing to see the face of his former Sensei when the old man realized that he couldn't win. No, there was nothing that could stop Orochimaru now. Nothing would stand in the way of progress.