Shadow of the Snake - Deals and Devils

It was finally the weekend, so we were going to go buy some food to cook up for the locked up ninja. I wasn't allowed to join. Apparently part of father's agreement with Orochimaru was for me to stay within the village until I graduated or dropped out.

Which meant I was stuck here on my own until they came back.

"Yumika, get into the arena."

Maybe I should have at least listened to hear who I'd be fighting, but I didn't know anybody else's names, and frankly I didn't care. They may be innocent now, but I wasn't going to let myself get lulled into trusting them just so they could stab me in the back for 'Lord Orochimaru'. Nothing personal.

My opponent took up a position across from me, and she was glaring daggers at me.

It's a spar, chill.

I entered a fighting stance, left foot forward, with my weight on my right. I had a goal: improve my defence.

Breathe in… focus…

"Begin!"

…and out.

She charged at me with a right hook. No apparent style of form in play.

If I was acting to win, I'd just kick her in the gut, I had the reach for it. Instead, I stepped in with my right foot and swept my right arm left with my knuckles facing her, catching the hook with a block.

With her momentum, she ran straight into my shoulder. I raised my elbow, shoving her back slightly, before launching a backhanded fist into her temple.

Slow down!

My eyes widened for a moment, but I caught myself, opening my fist up to make it a back handed slap instead of a potential murder. Then I pulled back, rotating right on my left foot to place myself facing her side.

She paused for a moment, bringing a hand up to her cheek in disbelief.

Then she turned to me with murder in her eyes.

I am so sorry!

I leaned back to narrowly avoid the heel of the hooked right kick aimed for my face. Before she landed, she jumped forward, and with a corkscrew motion, brought a rounded left kick towards my chest.

My right arm was back out of position, and I hesitated before trying to bring my left arm to bear.

The kick hit first.

It knocked the breath out of my lungs.

Then she landed, and I saw an opening…

Defence.

…which I didn't take, instead opting to raise my guard again.

There was a bit of an awkward moment as she took a good ten seconds to recover from her double tap spinning kick.

Analyse. The move is dizzying and energy intensive. End.

With her wits about her, she continued her assault with a rapid series of punches.

Block left in, block left out. Block right in, block right out. Block down with left. Block up with right.

There wasn't enough oomph or accuracy for those punches to be painful, so the ones that broke through were of little consequence. She was tiring herself out, and was predictable. It would have been really easy to turn this around to an offence.

"Stop."

I hopped back out of range, and my opponent stumbled forward after meeting no resistance, before recovering her balance and stopping as well. Then we both looked to the anonymous ninja ringmaster who appeared between us, a glare armed and locked on me.

"Yumika, what do you think you are doing?"

I stared for half a second, a bit unsure what he meant.

"Practising?"

He let out a malicious chuckle.

"Are we? Defence?"

I nodded, uncertainly. I really didn't like the sound of his voice.

He turned to my opponent. Addressing her with a name that I didn't catch.

"-join the rest in the stands, I'll give you your feedback afterwards."

Then he turned back to me.

"It seems Yumika wants to practice some defence."

I felt a chill as he turned back to me, and I struggled to bring my limbs back up into a guard. They were shaking, and it felt like my whole body was turning to stone.

Then he moved.

I didn't catch him closing the distance, and his leg was already cocked and ready to strike.

I tried to bring up my right arm to block, but I was too slow, and I felt my shoulder compress under the force that sent me flying to the side.

Pain.

The nerves in my shoulder were flaring, while the feeling in the rest of my arm went numb.

I didn't cry out, I grit my teeth, and let it out as a growl.

It wasn't debilitating, contrary to my expectation. Instead I could feel my heartbeat in my chest and could hear it drumming in my ears, as the world seemed to slow.

Analysis Begin!

What do I know?

1. He's lowering his left foot in front of him.

2. His left arm is hooked forward.

3. His right arm is behind.

4. His Right leg is tense and bent.

5. My right arm is hindered.

Subject: his next move?

From fact 1, he's stepping into another move, added as 1.1.

From fact 1.1, 2, and 4, a run.

Elaboration on fact 3, it is cocked to strike.

Conclusion: he's going to run up and hit me with his right hand.

Objection: that move is too telegraphed. It's a feint.

Objection sustained.

If it's a feint…

End.

He ran forward three steps: left, right, left. Then he sent a right hook.

But my eyes were on his left hand. I stepped forward into the hook, letting my left shoulder catch his forearm at the joint, while my right knee shot up to intercept the left handed uppercut that followed.

I did it!

…then he stepped back and sent a straight punch with his right into my chest and knocked me into the wall behind me.

It didn't bother me that much. I was grinning from ear to ear.

I didn't have the strength or wits to recover or defend myself before he was in front of me and had started to combo my face in.

One, two, three.

Pause.

He stepped back.

I could taste iron in my mouth, and it was hard to breathe. So I spat it out onto the floor, as I tried to get back to my feet.

On the sight of the blood I froze.

Drip… drip…

…and the chakra induced adrenaline rush escaped me.

The candlelight of warm pain in my shoulder became a fiery bonfire that cindered and burned.

The uncomfortably sharp weight on my chest became claws that ripped and tore with every breath.

The taps on my jawline became rods of steel rammed through my teeth.

"AaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

The medic knocked me out before my throat dried out.

When I woke up. The pain clung to me like a ghost, but it wasn't real anymore. I almost thought it had just been a nightmare.

The cold metal table I lay on was not my bed.

Opening my eyes, I was met with a blinding white light. A blink and an averted gaze later I got a better look at the room. Scalpels, measuring devices, notes, a board. This was some sort of lab.

Oh no.

I brought my legs up onto the table and entered a basic lotus position.

Breathe in…

I focused on the sound of my breath. I let every other sound register, but dismissed them when nothing was out of the ordinary.

…and out.

Hearing Checked.

Breathe in…

I focused on the feeling of my breath on my lips. I noted the cold on my legs, the contact where they crossed, the weight on my shoulders, and my hands cupped together. Nothing out of the ordinary, so I dismissed that too.

…and out.

Touch checked.

Breathe in…

I noted the aftertaste of blood, but dismissed it.

…and out.

Safe, it seems.

I let myself continue the exercise for a bit, until I heard the door open.

With an exhale, I opened my eyes to take in the arrival.

It was a brunette woman in the standard sound uniform. No black sleeves, and the mask only went up over the nose, rather than all around the face. Kakashi style. I recognised them as the medical ninja who treated the kid from my last match… and I would assume me as well.

"You're awake, good. You should be fine to go, but first, follow me."

She didn't wait for me to answer before she left, marking something off on a clipboard as she did so. The table was a bit tall, so I placed my hands on the edge, and moved to slide off. Despite my own instincts, it seemed that my shoulder really was completely healed.

I had to do a short jog to catch up to the medic, but she paid me little mind.

We moved closer to the entrance. The further we went, the more ninja we passed, both coming and going. We were heading right into the centre of operations.

I had a bad feeling about this.

Finally we reached a set of double doors at the end of what was probably the busiest hallway. I could practically feel the door oozing 'ominous'.

The medic stopped in front of the door, and knocked.

"Lord Orochimaru-"

Wait, no…oh no!

"-the child Nogawa is here."

The door opened on its own.

He was right there. Standing by a nearby table reading a couple of papers held in his left. Pale white skin, like death itself. Straight, waist length black hair, with strands that framed his face, and made it hard to see his eyes.

I'm not ready! Its-

My heart beat faster.

Run? Lie? About what!-

My thoughts were a mess.

The medic stepped into the room and knelt down.

With wide eyes, I fumbled in and took a knee as well.

What do I do!?

"Leave us."

His voice crawled like spiders across my skin. My eyes were locked on the floor, so I didn't see the medic leave. I just heard the door shut behind me.

What can I do?!

He took a step towards me, the sound overwhelming the noise from outside.

Where did I go wrong?

Another step.

What did I do wrong?

A drop of cold sweat fell to the ground, his feet entered the edge of my vision.

I don't want to die.

I was petrified.

I shouldn't have been this scared of him, I shouldn't show that I was this scared of him. I couldn't help it. It was the boogeyman who had been looming over this whole life. I had nothing to offer him, nothing that made my life worth anything in his eyes.

"My, my…"

He placed a finger under my chin, and lifted my head to look him in his slit golden eyes.

My mind stopped. Everything fell out of existence. There were only those eyes and the purple face marks that highlighted them.

"...you're absolutely terrified."

A twinkling amusement danced across his eyes. It was a subtle art, executed to perfection as naturally as he breathed. It was clear whom the jonin I'd met earlier had tried to imitate, but he was only a mouse playing at being a python.

"What did I do to deserve such a reaction, little lordling?"

I tried to speak, but I couldn't even breathe. If I pushed I could get one word, there had to be a word that would encapsulate it. He could kill me right then and there without a thought or effort, my father, my family could soon follow, and all of it would be of no consequence to him. There was no limit to what he could do, and I was in his sight. It would all take less than a wave of his hand.

I lived, because he allowed it.

My fate depended on his indifference.

There had to be a word…

That's it.

"Power."

The teeth peaked through his smirk.

"You're brighter than my minions give you credit for."

He had people watching me.

"I could give you power. Perhaps that might ease your fear. The power to destroy, the durability to survive, a tool to trick and deceive. Your wildest dreams are within my grasp."

He turned his back to me, walking over to a lab table. Releasing me from his spell as his seductive offer continued to infringe on my mind.

"Perhaps, even the ability to overpower the instructor. All you need to do is ask."

I wasn't in a position to refuse, it would give away too much. Neither Natsuhi or Issai could interfere to give me an out. Which was probably why he made the offer now.

I had to ask.

Is there anything safe enough to guarantee my life, but interesting enough that he wouldn't be offended?

I wasn't feeling a 1 in 10. If he even had the curse seal figured out yet.

He does, Anko got it as his student.

Seals, tattoos.

Explosive seals were bound to go wrong.

Chakra based seals were prickly.

Then maybe…

"Storage Seals…"

He gave me a side-eyed glance.

"...on me. Would let me… carry… for you."

Supplies, messages, bodies… a human storage scroll could have many uses. See it, please see it.

He placed his hand to the side, putting down the scalpel he'd held.

"Intriguing. I make you an offer of anything, and you think of me."

"Always."

"Why?"

Had I overstepped?

My mouth clamped shut.

No. Commit! Answer!

"I live and die by your whims."

In my panic, I didn't catch his reaction. I just saw him pick up a brush, and speak a command.

"Sit."