'Speech through radio'

'Speech by signing'

"Normal speech"

Thoughts

Song: Scars

By: I prevail

"There is… nothing here. The lab has been evacuated," the brown haired one with the cat mask reported as the six figures stood in the underground lab.

"No traces of past experiments, no remaining equipment or notes," the purple-haired one added.

"A trap," the young black haired one finished.

There was no surprise when sound of roaring water fell upon their ears and the ground below them crumbled away to reveal a pit of snakes.

There's something to be said about playing the fool. On one hand, it can be comparably easy to trying to pretend wisdom. On the other hand, it in itself can be a difficult feat to accomplish.

Too bad I didn't need to play the fool.

Oh, I certainly had let my guard down, I definitely thought that by being posted as the lookout I wouldn't get into any danger. I had let myself revert to my casual mindset, even so far as to lean forward towards that pretty, pretty woman and demand if she was a spy.

Worse than a rookie's mistake, it was spurred on by rattled nerves and childish boredom.

I had been bored and I had put my whole mission in jeopardy, and what's worse was it had come back to bite me in the arse. I had been thinking about how to pay for my tea like an idiot rather than worrying about any actual threat. And here I thought I was actually pretty good at repressing my emotions, curtesy of Root.

Great job, me. Talk about priorities.

Which reminded me, I had more important things to worry about.

Eyes like glowing golden embers burned through the shadows of the alley, not missing a thing. They were only inches away.

"Well, that certainly explains a lot," a deep, velvety voice mused.

I was terrified, blindsided by the sudden and unexpected adrenalin that coursed through me. I had been expecting a weak woman, in my mind she would have been optimistically only at genin level and easy to take down like normally happened in the anime.

And here I was faced with a demon.

I was frozen in place, my heart struggling to decide whether to speed up or stop completely.

Flawless porcelain skin, slanted eyes further enhanced by purple markings and hair as black as the night framed his features.

It didn't seem fair, somehow, that someone so… evil could look like that.

And yet, it fit him perfectly, because when his pale, pale face morphed into that terrifying smirk, it was hard to imagine such inhuman eyes on a normal, kind person.

The rumours didn't lie. There used to be whispers that a single look from this demon could make a man fall to his knees, a simple smile could make a woman fall to his charm.

Some whispers claimed he could make even the coldest of souls bow, the hardest of hearts melt to his every whim, even those who knew the truth.

That he was a sadistic mad scientist with no morals.

But let's not stray from the point. He was going to fucking kill me.

And I was stuck in the body of a little girl barely up to his waist in height.

I didn't have a plan for this, I wasn't prepared and I most certainly had no fucking clue what I was meant to do next.

My mind took me back to the lecture on protocol I received. Well, it was a start at least. Providing he actually let me use my radio.

I moved my arm slowly, like I was trying not to startle a wild beast. My hand inched for the button on my hidden radio headset, even though Orochimaru was watching my every move. He smirked and crossed his arms, appearing content to just watch me for a moment.

"Go ahead," he purred, even though I hadn't verbalised a question.

God, I can't believe he was the pretty lady! I would forever look back on this day with shame.

I clicked the button on the transmitter.

Forget the fucking call code.

"Target sighted… do I engage the target?" I asked meekly, never once breaking eye-contact with the man towering over me.

Holy shit.

I could die here. I could fucking die.

My eyes suddenly widened with horror at the transmission I received, my gaze turning glassy and faraway despite the fact my eyes were glued to his.

Through the crackling receiver I heard yells and shouts, clanging and thumping sounds and what sounded like the howling of wind and the crackling of fire and various others I couldn't even begin to identify.

It was Kakashi who responded.

'Abort the mission!' his normal, usually neutral tone was gone to be replaced by harsh panic. 'Stall for time, if that fails try and get out alive. If you are captured, initiate Root's suicide seal. Do you understand me?'

"Hai," I responded, the first tears prickling at my eyes.

'Best of luck,' there was a loud crash and the line went dead.

"Inu! Come in! Inu!" I cried, for a second forgetting what stood right in front of me.

There was no response.

I didn't have time to wonder what the hell was happening to the rest of the others though, because Orochimaru finally deemed it fit to respond.

"Things don't seem to be going to well down there, hm?"

He clearly guessed from my reaction the gist of the conversation, and my eyes slowly refocussed on his face.

Stall for time.

Just how much time could I stall for before he would get bored and try and kill me?

"Why are you here?" I asked, assuming a cold façade. "What is your purpose?"

Because I wasn't stupid. I could be a fool, but I wasn't stupid. If the others, an elite squad of infiltrators and assassins had been caught, someone must have set us up.

I was hedging my bet on Danzo.

"Oh, this and that," he said airily, and then his hand reached forward like he was going to remove my mask-

I darted to the side on pure instinct, allowing a good two metres of space between us, then I turned around and braced myself expecting a fight.

But Orochimaru only stood watching me, haunting yellow eyes flashing with amusement.

My breaths came haggardly at the adrenalin racing through my veins.

"P-please don't kill me, I- I have a wife and three children!" I cried, voice high-pitched with fear. "I'm nobody! I don't have any special skills! You won't have any use for my body, so you shouldn't kidnap me or anything-"

I cut off as he closed his eyes and leaned against the wall.

Was he ignoring me? Was he bored? What the fuck?

However, the scary, random, terrible thought flashed through my mind that he didn't consider me a threat, he had lowered his guard and this could be my best chance at beating him.

It was an outrageous thought, I knew that even as it flitted through my head, but what other choice did I have. I couldn't stall forever, and I knew deep down that it was unlikely the others were going to make it back anytime soon.

I lunged, forming a tiny chain on my palm that would pierce him in the chest.

He disappeared.

In less than a second my mask was ripped from my face, and I yelped as my diaphragm was all but caved in by a fist, rendering me breathless.

Snakes wrapped themselves around my wrists behind my back as I struggled to breathe, and I was hoisted easily into the air, hands lifting me by my underarms like some kind of disobedient child.

Orochimaru held me before him, seemingly studying my face. I felt so exposed.

No, don't touch me, DON'T TOUCH ME!

If there was one thing I hated, it was being treated like a child. The only one allowed to do that was Lady, and she was gone, gone, gone.

Still, I could say nothing as I continued to gasp for breath, each one I managed to gain slightly more air into my lings.

"The first thing you should learn, little Usagi, is not to jump to conclusions. And the second thing is… well, not to fall for such obvious bait." He regarded me with mirth as I squirmed and kicked my legs helplessly.

I reached for my chakra, readying my CC chains to go on the attack, but my attention was diverted when a figure suddenly landed beside us.

It was Kabuto, his clothes torn in some places and singed in others. He had numerous cuts on his arms.

This is my chance!

I could use this moment to attack Kabuto, since I knew he was on their side and no one else was here to witness it!

The CC chain flew from my sleeves, straight for Kabuto.

But he was fast.

He stepped to the side, his eyes wide with shock, narrowly dodging the sharp blade on the end.

(He doesn't know you know he's a spy, fool)

But by then, it was too late. I had to keep going now.

The log released from the end with a quick burst of chakra, and suddenly I was there, in the place of the log, right behind Kabuto. My hand was already shooting towards his back, chain protruding, and he did not react fast enough.

I stabbed him through the back, hoping against hope I got his heart.

(I tried to kill someone.)

(I felt nothing.)

Kabuto stumbled away, but I was already dashing away as fast as possible.

I glanced back in time to notice Kabuto toss something to Orochimaru, something that looked a lot like… a scroll. A scroll that had the typical Root seal on it.

Danzo!

I was so close to the street, about to turn the corner when the rest of the squad, minus Yugao, suddenly appeared, dashing around that same corner.

I ran face-first into a blood-stained Tenzo, stumbling back and landing on my butt while he attempted to catch me before I fell.

The three of them looked much worse for wear, Itachi was literally head to toe drenched in blood that luckily appeared to not belong to him, while Kakashi and Tenzo's clothes, even their ANBU armour, were ripped and torn in several places and soaking wet.

"Orochimaru!" Kakashi hissed as Tenzo and I scrambled around in the background. "Who informed you of our presence?"

The scroll was gone, probably hidden in his black kimono.

His long black hair fell over his face slightly as he tilted his head, golden eyes regarding us with amusement.

We tensed, taking our respective stances, preparing for attack.

Did taking a step back and hiding behind Kakashi count as taking a stance?

A moment later Kabuto was beside us as well, pretending the knife wound I had inflicted was from Orochimaru.

"Kakashi-kun, it has been a while. In answer to your question, well, I have my ways. Now, are we going to stand around all day talking or shall I kill you all now?" His eyes were mocking as he took in the states of my squad.

He stood before us his arms folded into his kimono sleeves, and his stance casual, as if he didn't see the five of us as a threat at all.

His cruel smirk was what was truly terrifying, the smile of someone who wanted to play, and he knew his little playthings would not be able to do a single thing about it.

This was who I wanted to force to teach me the reanimation jutsu.

Yea, good luck with that.

There was no hesitation as Kakashi raised his arm in the typical 'commence battle' sign, despite the fact that the he, Itachi, Tenzo and Kabuto were clearly unfit for battle, and I was, well, more of a burden than anything.

But as ANBU and Root respectively, there is no such thing as self-preservation. There is only the goal.

And that goal was to eliminate one S-rank missing-nin.

The four of them rushed into a basic formation around him, while I tried to decide what would be my own best plan of action. After all, I would probably just get in everyone's way.

Orochimaru grinned widely, like a kid about to receive a trophy, and seemed unperturbed as he was faced four to one.

Tenzo and Itachi moved first, rushing in to engage him. I noticed Itachi's sharingan flash, and Orochimaru seemed to freeze in place just before they were upon him.

Yugao suddenly appeared, dropping from the rooftop just as Tenzo landed the first hit with a pointed pillar of wood that pierced Orochimaru through the stomach, holding him in place as Yugao brought her sword down on his head.

I could only watch in awe as Orochimaru melted into mud, but by then Kakashi was already breathing out a strong stream of wind and Itachi complimented it with a fireball shooting straight for the brick wall of the café I had been in.

There were screams as the wall shattered and fire erupted within, clearly Orochimaru had been hiding there yet I had not been able to sense him.

And he most certainly wasn't there anymore.

"So destructive," a voice mused, echoing throughout what was left of the alley. "And they call me the bad guy."

From there, it went to hell.

I felt the blood splatter my face before I even registered what had happened.

Orochimaru appeared behind Yugao, and at the same time that he stabbed his bare hand through her heart, Kakashi drew the sword from its holster and stabbed straight through her neck and grazed Orochimaru's chest.

WhatwhatWHAT-

Yugao collapsed, lifeless, her heart shredded and trachea ripped apart in the barest of moments.

The air crackled with electricity, Kakashi having managed to electrocute Orochimaru through the sword (that had been in Yugao's neck), but it wasn't enough. Orochimaru was stunned for only a moment, but by the time Tenzo and Kabuto were upon him he had recovered.

The world around me seemed to explode as the earth shattered itself without warning and suddenly rocks and bricks were flying at the four squad members like projectiles. The buildings beside us collapsed, but by then the shops had well and truly evacuated, as had everyone within a mile radius.

I moved, for the first time since the fight began. I moved because Tenzo dropped to his knees with a yell of pain, clutching where the wall had collapsed on his ankle, and a flying brick was heading straight for his head-

I blocked it in time, wincing as the thing slammed heavily into my unprotected arms, but just as suddenly the hair on the back of my neck rose in warning.

I went to spin around, but not fast enough. A hand clasped over my mouth and another across my chest, forcing my back against the body behind me.

A snake tightened its grip around my throat

I tried to scream, but my cries were cut off.

It didn't matter anyway because in the split second I had rushed ahead to save Tenzo, Itachi and Kakashi had been bitten by tiny snakes while they'd been focussed on blocking the debris. Tiny, hidden snakes that clearly had extremely fast-acting poisons that disappeared back into the debris like wisps of wind.

I could only watch as first Itachi and then Kakashi collapsed in front of me.

Tenzo rose shakily and got into a fighting stance despite his ankle, eyes narrowed.

"You certainly let things pass me by these last few months, Kabuto," Orochimaru drawled, seemingly ignoring Tenzo.

Tenzo gasped when he realised Kabuto was a traitor, eyeing the two of them silently.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, my lord, I thought you would appreciate the surprise," Kabuto promptly responded, though he didn't look apologetic in the least.

I knew I should be worrying about what was going to happen to us, whether they were planning to kill Tenzo and I (after all they just revealed Kabuto's status as a spy in front of us) but instead I could only think about the bloody, lifeless body- corpse on the ground.

I felt lightheaded. Yugao's death flashed through my mind again and again, seeing that sword through her throat and Orochimaru's bare hand in her chest-

(I tried to kill a man and yet I felt nothing...

So why did this matter?)

An involuntary whimper escaped my lips when I realised that blood-covered hand was currently pressing into my chest, and I felt the blood leave my face.

I was going to heave.

As if sensing this, Orochimaru pushed me away, not harshly, just a gentle shove, and I fell to my knees in front of him and spewed.

Well, there's one way to repel a ninja when they are holding you captive, I thought numbly.

While I was coughing up bile, body wracked with tremors, Tenzo moved, hoping to take the slim chance provided while I was not being held hostage.

It ended within seconds. Orochimaru let out a sigh as if he found the situation terribly irritating or perhaps boring, and then a second later Tenzo was lying on the ground, felled from a harsh chop to the neck. Orochimaru stood over him, considering.

Kabuto wandered over to the others and I was surprised to see him begin healing their wounds.

Perhaps the snake bites weren't lethal. Or maybe he planned to take their bodies back to his lab and needed them in good condition.

I… am so retiring as a shinobi if I get out alive.

Of course I knew it wasn't really an option. Once you get inducted into Root, there is no going back.

I won't lie, I was shaking like a lamb to the slaughter, which was a sadly accurate simile.

(And for a second, I wanted to laugh at the fact I had been expecting myself to die, not my idols as well- clearly I did not understand what the worst outcome was)

I began to crawl away as quietly as possible, hoping they had forgotten about me in the mayhem.

But no, of course not. Who was I kidding?

A foot stepped into view, blocking my pathetic escape attempt. I quivered slightly, not daring to raise my eyes any higher than the pale toes peeking out from the shinobi sandal.

A hand gripped my neck, and lifted me.

I felt the tears well in my eyes, felt my lip tremble despite my best attempts to stop it. I went very, very still. My body hung limply in the air, and my gaze strayed anywhere but the snake-like visage in front of me.

I sniffled, blinking to try and rid the blurriness in my vision caused by my tears.

He brought me closer until his mouth was next to my ear.

"Are you still not habituated to death yet?" that velvety voice cooed. "How unsightly of me. Poor child."

I was, I was used to death. Or at least, I was meant to be. My Root training was meant to ensure it. And yet...

I opened my mouth to speak, my throat was so dry it sounded like I had sanded a table with my voice.

"If you kill me, Danzo will not forgive you." Even though my voice was harsh and dry, my tone remained strangely calm.

There was no point wasting chakra, no point fighting. If he wanted me dead, he would kill me.

"No need to worry about that," he whispered mysteriously, breath tickling my ear. I stared despondently at the exit of the alley, past his silky ink-black hair.

So close yet so far.

"I simply want you to pass on a message- tell that old, decrepit war hawk that I accept his offer- and that I'm sure he'll understand why I decided to take an appetiser. He does, after all, need to repent for his actions against me."

Before I could ask what he was talking about, I felt his fingers tighten around my neck cutting off my oxygen supply. I was lifted back so I was facing him again.

My mouth opened, I tried to force any words out, or even get a breath in, but all I could do was gape like fish.

He's… strangling me.

I gripped his forearm, trying to dig my non-existent nails into his skin. A tiny squeak managed to escape my throat as my legs kicked uselessly, his arm too long for me to make any contact considering my tiny body.

"And you can rest assured I will find out who informed you of where Ushi's loyalties lie…" he smiled crookedly.

Well, shit.

I was crying now. The stress of everything was too much, and to top it off I was getting strangled by the devil.

He was smirking, like he enjoyed watching me struggle, and I didn't doubt it for a second.

As the world began to crowd in around me, and my flailing weakened.

Fuck him, fuck Kabuto, fuck Danzo. Fuck the fucking Hokage.

Blackness crowded in on me, and soon only those two glowing yellow beacons were visible.

And then they went out.

Song: Scars

By: I Prevail