Bolded = Speech. Italics = Emphasis.
The Forest of Death.
He flew through the trees, leaping from one branch to another. Closer. Closer.
With his years of honed chakra sensing, he could make out the titanic reserves of his fallen master.
Hell, he didn't even need to search. He could sense the Snake even without it. The hair on his skin stood on end. His muscles twitched with anticipation. The reptilian smell of their shared summons permeated the forest air.
He was near.
Anko owed it to Kozue and Ito to take out the bastard together, but with their former teacher, they could never know when he'd show his face again. He couldn't wait.
It'd be harder, without them. Ito's Iaido would help them match him at close quarters, and Kozue's signature rain of explosive tags would cover them well as they dodged and fell back, cutting off the Snake's escape.
Alas, Anko would have to make do with himself.
His mind turned to one of the last techniques he managed to wheedle from the man. He ran through the hand signs. With luck, he won't have to resort to that. But against the Snake, luck counted for little. He wasn't so deluded into thinking it was probable, or even possible he was going to beat one of the Sannin, at least, conventionally. The cursed seal nagged at the back of his mind, urging him to tap into its power, to use it against its creator.
He spotted a visage of pale white skin, partially masked by the half-shed skin of the Kusa-nin whose face he stole. Anko flung the senbon in hand at his former master, and the metal needles hit their mark with a series of thuds. He landed, a dozen metres away, and drew a kunai, ready to charge.
The face sunk into the tree, and Anko leapt forward, flinging the knife behind him as he flipped to face the presence he sensed.
In all his twisted glory; Orochimaru. Former shinobi of Konoha. Student of the Third Hokage.
And a man Anko craved a chance to end for more days and nights than he could count.
"Why are you here? Now? To kill the Hokage?" Anko glared at him, dropping into a Taijutsu stance, drawing another kunai.
Orochimaru had the gall to only smile. "There's a particular boy I want." He said.
"You must be quite interested in this boy, to have crawled so far from your hiding holes." He raised the knife, ready to plunge it deep within the man before him. The latent power of cursed seal burned inside him, roaring to be released. He ignored it, he would kill Orochimaru, with his own power. Not after all pain the cursed seal had caused him, and those around him.
"Are you jealous?" Orochimaru's pale visage twisted into a bemused smirk.
"Hell. No." Anko burst forward.
He was a shinobi of Konoha.
He would kill all those who threaten his village.
If he succeeded tonight, he would particularly enjoy killing Orochimaru.
He wanted to see him bleed.
Woo, Anko done. A lil different from how it was in canon, but oh well. That's what fanfiction's for. Originally there were another 2 chapters planned, one with a love triangle involving Anko, Kurenai and Asuma, but that felt a bit forced. If it doesn't need or benefit from romance, don't add it, that's my rule.
The other chapter would've been exploring the relationship (m)Anko and Orochimaru had between Anko 1 and 2, and why it messed up Anko even more than in canon, but well, I don't really have an excuse, I just couldn't write it when I sat down and tried. I binned 3-4 drafts that I thought were about 1/3 to 1/2 of the would-be chapters.
Next up: (f)Neji! Personal favourite of mine, and afaik, one of the few attempts to write female Neji? beyond the [EVERYONE IS FEMALE MASS HAREM] fics. Please, genderbend responsibly :^). Boy, I hope I don't screw this up.