It Smells Oddly of Fish

The day had started fine enough, December usually only brought rain and sleet to the Land of Rivers, and the further south they traveled, the warmer it got. Hibiki and Nobuzu were being led by an escort from the Shiin clan to the Eastern hideout. Everything was going just as Hibiki foresaw. The path was mostly devoid of travelers and the sun peeked from behind the clouds and felt warm, lifting the chill from her body. But the small hum of what could be a sense of contentment was soon vanquished by the meeting of a messenger snake.

Hibiki tapped her foot furiously. The last words of the letter read by her escort hung in the air as she contemplated her next move. With a heavy sigh, she said, "Send a message to Orochimaru, let him know of this change in destinations."

"Yes, Ma'am." The escort answered. Moving quickly to write a letter to send with the snake.

Hibiki wanted this to be like a vacation, a break from work, and her constant use of her abilities. She felt a bit burnt out after planning with the snake man for months. Her head sported a soft ache and this new development wasn't helping.

The man to be her glorified babysitter while Orochimaru was away had just informed them of a change in plans; instead of the long-established Eastern hideout, they would meet him in a separate facility closer to the Land of Sea. He had insisted it was pertinent to his research. But Hibiki knew better, this wasn't about his research, it was about his power. He was the top dog at the Eastern hideout, but once Hibiki arrived the underlings would treat her as the head instead. He didn't want his pecking order to be disturbed. By moving to a smaller facility he was ensuring those loyal to him and not Orochimaru would be there, and would strangle the little power Hibiki held out of her. Of course, he could not make her do anything, it would be a death sentence to use one of Orochimaru's most valued tools without his permission. But still, he wanted authority, even if it was a vain attempt to feel better about being seen as less of an asset than a currently 14-year-old girl.

Of those who joined her on this journey, Nobuzo was familiar to her; he was assigned as her lackey of sorts. He did little chores for her such as fetching things she wanted or writing letters to various recipients. Quick on his feet and a silent worker who made sure to never bother Hibiki. He had been saved by the girl on three occasions, one of which prevented him from being a test subject in Orochimaru's cruel work. He kept his head down, and followed the girl's orders, knowing full well that she had the power to turn him into a rat for testing.

With this new development Hibiki and party would need to move faster than the leisurely pace they had kept so far. As annoying as it was, Nobuzo carried her on his back as he ran across the land, occasionally stopping to give Hibiki a break. Moving further south than originally planned until they reached the FIre sea, taking a short trip south by boat to Demon Island.

There Hibiki stood with Nobuzo by her side, the research building a few feet in front of them.

"Is it as run-down as I imagine it to be?" Hibiki asked him as they stood in front of the building.

"Yes, Ma'am." He softly answered. His voice never rises high enough for others to hear him.

Hibiki groaned in frustration as the doors to the lab opened and a group of three individuals approached. One must have been tall and heavy, his steps spread out and held a weight to them. The second must be female, and she must be wearing heels, her steps were shorter and her weight was put on the ball of her foot. The third was walking between the other two, being flanked by two associates must have given him confidence and the feeling of authority.

"You must be Hibiki, I am Amachi, leading researcher of the Eastern Hideout." he smiled.

"Amachi, I will be in your care for the time being," Hibiki replied, her tone cold and empty. The man stood straight as he glared at the girl with a smile that could curdle milk.

"Please come in," he said as he turned on his heel and began to lead the two into the decrepit building. Upon following the man, Hibiki took note of his foul rotting scent and the shuffle he walked with. Not to mention his high-pitched voice, one that made a screeching 3-year-old sound like a baritone. Perhaps his balls have either shriveled up or never dropped in the first place.

Amachi carried on and on about the current facility he managed. Boasting about its specs and equipment, which fell on deaf ears as Hibiki tuned him out as she walked. Instead, counted her steps to understand the layout of the building. The facility was small in comparison to all other labs she had visited, as well as far more decrepit and uncared for. The concrete beneath her feet was uneven and in need of repairs. Amachi must have never visited any other private lab because compared to Kabuto's, this place was a dump and maybe the word dump gave it too much credit.

"...My work is quite important as its completion will bring great revenue to Lord Orochimaru, as well as supplying him with a strong and robust army to use as he pleases…" he yammered on.

Hibiki smiled slightly to herself, this man was delusional, his little project was nothing more than a passing interest to Orochimaru, If he had truly wanted this research completed he would have done so himself. The fact it was siphoned off to a lower researcher only proved its unimportance. Hell, even his task of 'babysitting' Hibiki was more of a formality than an actual job. Hibiki wasn't going to run away, He only wanted her out of the way until the Uchiha boy was under his influence.

The tour finally ended and Hibiki retreated to her designated room. It wasn't anything special, just a bed and desk inside a cold concrete room. Nobuzo placed the suitcase of things Hibiki had brought with her on the desk before excusing himself to retreat to his dwellings. It wasn't long before she was curled up in bed, trying to sleep off the tension headache.

…

The whole facility held the distinct smell of rotting fish, it wasn't overpowering, but it hung in the air. It ruined any appetite Hibiki had, and If she didn't stand outside for at least an hour, a migraine would form and keep her bedridden the rest of the day.

Amachi wasn't too interested in what Hibiki did so long as she was out of his way. So unlike in the other hideouts, she was allowed to spend time outside. She enjoyed it and ended up spending most of the first week outside. She simply lounged in the grass and listened to the wind blow through the trees. It was cold, but nothing Hibiki couldn't or wouldn't handle.

When she wasn't outside, Hibiki was held up in her room. She mostly took naps, but she would also do some basic yoga, trying to keep her body nimble. The days were peaceful but passed agonizingly slow. As the weather turned from cold but sunny, into sheets of pouring rain, Hibiki was forced to spend the majority of that time hidden in her room, not wanting the displeasure of running into Amachi.

However boredom quickly won. So she emerged from the room and began to explore the facilities again. A sharp nail in hand, she began to mark up the walls with tick marks, mapping out the place. The facility must have been a building that existed beforehand as unlike most of Orochimaru's hideouts, its shape was boxy rather than curved like that of a snake's body. The man was self-absorbed enough to design his labs and hideouts in a manner that reflected himself. Meaning any place not shaped as such was unimportant and a throwaway location.

This location was also far quieter than the others. Few subjects had been sent to this location, both indicating the difficulty in finding suitable subjects as well as the unwillingness to waste them. As she continued she heard the faint echo of conversation, and with curiosity peaked, she followed the sound to a room. She stopped short of the doorway and listened in.

"Isaribi has been uncooperative lately." Said the first voice, an older male Hibiki decided.

"I know, it's hard enough to work on that liquid one, but now she struggles too. It's taking far longer than it should to continue the study." The second voice answered, definitely female, and younger than the first.

"Should we start drugging her?" The second voice asked.

"We can't, it could have an adverse effect on the transformation process." The first answer.

"Guess we'll need Yuu to hold her down." The second voice sighed.

"That would take him away from tank boy, we can't leave him unattended…" the first voice argued.

Hibiki's frown deepened as she turned away and returned to her room, calling for Nobuzo. Not an hour later she sat at a table across from Amachi, a smirk on his face. Nobuzo stood behind her, and Yuu, a strong muscular man, behind Amachi. It was a standoff.

"Do you have the report on test subjects I sent several months ago?" Hibiki calmly asked.

"Yes, I did. It's somewhere amongst my files." Amachi dismissively answered.

"And did the contents mean nothing to you?" Hibiki snapped.

"I found them to be unhelpful." He smiled.

"Unhelpful. Those were not suggestions!" Hibiki yelled, slamming her fist on the table.

"Well that doesn't matter either, One blind little girl isn't going to dictate what subjects I can and cannot use. They are my subjects after all."

"They are Lord Orochimaru's subjects! Not your toys! And need I remind you this is a covert operation? We cannot let the shinobi nations know what we are doing! Each subject goes through rigorous screening before abduction to ensure success and so we do not waste time on those unsuitable and unworthy of participation. That girl is unsuitable for this kind of experimentation! You are wasting valuable resources!" Hibiki continued to yell.

"They are my subjects! Orochimaru trusted them to me, and I will do as I see fit with them, little girl!" Amachi argued back. Hibiki's nostril flared as her blank eyes glared at the man before her. "Now I suggest you return to your room and not interrupt my research again." He dismissed her. Standing, Hibiki left the room with Nobuzo right behind her. Once in her room, she slowly calmed herself and did her best to consider the situation rationally.

Isaribi, although she looked young, is around 24 years old, her abduction occurring when she was 15. She had a strong disposition and could handle many of the invasive experiments and treatments, making her very valuable. She was supposed to be in a different trial at this time, or that was what had been reported. Knowing she was here was a clear sign that the eastern hideout was practicing corruption. And any corruption within Orochimaru's ranks threatened her.

Damn, Orochimaru is bad enough but now I have to worry about insurrections like these?

Sighing Hibiki turned to Nobuzo,

"I need you to send a report of all this to Gegawa. Inform him of the insurrection of the eastern hideout and a purge will need to be done. When you're done, come back and I will relay to you the names of those who will be punished, as well as who is suitable for making it into a test subject."

"I will be back soon then." he bowed before stepping out. Massaging her temples, Hibiki felt exhausted, and here she thought Orochimaru had inadvertently intended for this to be a vacation. No, he sent her here to investigate exactly this. That man was going to exhaust her.

…

Feeling like a dead man on her feet, she slowly wandered around the lab. Taking walks often soothed her, reminding her of her mother. How her mother would take her on long walks in the cool summer evenings, laying in grassy fields and listening to stories about the constellations. She wanted nothing more than to return to those long-lost days and in her dreams she sometimes did. Those rare dreams of peace instead of horror.

She knew she was committing heinous crimes, unforgivable and worthy of imprisonment. However She had no choice, if she wanted to live she had to, no other person would be able to protect her as Orochimaru does. No man in the underground world dares touch her with Orochimaru owning her. No one dared to touch his things.

As she walked her hand glided along the wall, counting tick marks she had previously made. It wasn't until her hand fell through an open gap that she realized she had zoned out. The floor was slick, panic filled her as she felt her feet slip on the water, causing her to fall back onto her ass, she hit the floor with a bang that softly echoed through the halls. The opening was most likely an archway, knowing that doors to rooms were always kept shut. After taking a moment to let her heart settle, and for her butt to stop throbbing, she extended her foot out trying to find the wall again. After stretching out her toe grazed the rough surface. With a sigh of relief, she started to stand when a voice cried out to her.

"Hey, kid! Over here!" the unfamiliar voice said, "Come let me out!" Hibiki was startled by the sudden company and her foot slipped again. Groaning on the hard wet floor. Sure, she wasn't alone in the hideout, there were some of the usual lackeys lurking in the halls, but they never addressed her.

Across the room is a large tank with many tubes coming from it as well as wires connecting to machines and control panels. Inside a young boy was suspended in water. He was pleasantly surprised to see a kid around his age here. Plus, the girl was alone and moving around the hideout by herself, so she wasn't being held captive,

Perfect, if I can just get her to help me, I can book it out of here. But how should I do it? He thought.

The girl had long pale brown hair, it was as if her hair had most of the color sucked out of it, a somewhat lifeless color. It was braided down her back to her hips where it swung from side to side as she moved. She had a black headband holding her hair from her face, exposing it entirely to others. As she carefully, and thoughtfully walked into the room towards his tank. Arms outstretched in front of her as if the room was dark and she couldn't see, and as she got closer he saw how her eyes seemed off.

"That's right, come let me out girly!" The boy called again. As she grew closer, he took in more of her features. She was not pretty, but she was not ugly either. A very bland appearance. She wore a white long-sleeved dress that stopped at her knobby knees. Her bare feet took a light shade of blue. After a few minutes, she carefully outstretched her arm and placed her hand on his icy tank. Her brows were furrowed in confusion.

"My name is Hibiki, what's yours?" she asked. Her voice was soft, somewhat hushed, and hesitant. But in her voice, he also heard the excitement, almost wonderstruck.

"Suigetsu, now let me out!" he demanded. While keeping her hand on the tank, she slowly lowered herself and sat down in front of him, her eyes looking to the left of where he was.

"I can't." she said plainly.

"Why the hell not?" he asked, banging the glass.

"I'm under Amachi's watch. If I free you, he might retaliate." She sighed.

"Where are you from?" She changed the subject.

"Kirigakure."

"Where's that?"

"The Land of Water, idiot." he scoffed.

"What's it like there?"

Suigetsu hesitated. "Why the questions, it's not like it matters, if you're not letting me out?" The girl scooted closer to the tank and placed her other hand on the glass.

"It must get lonely here, and boring. I'm alone a lot too, it would be nice to talk to someone," she said sadly. Suigetsu watched her, she looked pitiful. Her eyes had heavy bags under them.

"The village is surrounded by a thick mist, with a bunch of mountains around it," he answered.

"Is it green there?"

"Yeah, it has a bunch of plants and shit."

"Did you have friends there? Family?" she probed.

"Nah, I didn't like the others," he paused for a minute, "but there are these guys called the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!" he said a bit more enthusiastically than he intended. "My brother, Mangetsu was a member. I was going to be a member too, but then Orochimaru got me."

"Do you miss your brother?" she asked, seemingly concerned.

"I miss being free more," he answered. He stared at the girl for a minute. "Uh... Hibiki right?"

"Yes?"

"Your eyes, what's wrong with them?" he asked. The more he looked the weirder her eyes became. Hibiki smiled and leaned forward, placing her forehead on the glass of the tank. Its cold surface stung her flesh.

"I'm Blind," she said.

Suigetsu swam closer to her and looked at her eyes more closely. They were brown, kind of, they had the faintest hint of brown, but just like her hair, they were dull and lifeless.

Or maybe not that lifeless. Suigetsu pressed his face against the glass, mirroring Hibiki. Her eyes were open, awake but not seeing. But in them Suigetsu saw something….

He pulled back, the faintest shock had gone through him, a vision, an image? His face burned, and odd emotions filled him. Remnants of the flash he experienced.

"You should get out of here," he said coldly.

"Can I come back tomorrow?"

"Do whatever you want,"

"Okay, I'll see you later Suigetsu."

When she left the room was quiet. It had been a while since he last spoke to someone, other than his loud cursing at Orochimaru's lackeys passing by. He couldn't say he hated it. The strange image floated up in his head again, but he shook it away.

Authors note:

Hello readers! Updates will probably be sporadic at best! Update: 11/5/22