Over 80 people at the Eastern hideout ended up being either eliminated or made into test subjects. The infection that had led to Amachi's arrogance was finally cured. It left an impression on the other hideouts as the rumor mill made its rounds, causing them to become more transparent about subjects as well as reporting odd behavior. Fear always seemed the best tool to insure loyalty and obedience, as sad as that was.
Hibiki was exhausted and was spending most of her time sleeping recently. Nobuzo brought her food periodically, but other than that Hibiki stayed in bed. Her nose had begun bleeding, indicating her foresight was taking a toll on her body. And with the Eastern hideout taken care of, and Orochimaru's plans reaching their end point Hibiki had actual downtime.
She was in her room at Kusagakure once again. Just as bare as always. Her room had a bed, and dresser, with an attached private bathroom. She wore socks here as the underground hideout was kept at a low temperature. She wasn't fond of her feet being covered, but since she was staying in her room she didn't need the extra senses.
It was fairly quiet, without Orochimaru here most experiments were put on hold for the time being. The silence of the night was only cut by her screaming.
She wasn't sure what time it was or what was happening but she was dragged down the hall by her hair. Hibiki, panicking, struggles and thrashes to try and get away from her captor. It wasn't until she was thrown onto the floor on her hands and knees did she feel the sensation that lurked in her nightmares.
The air tasted of anger and she could smell the snake man, except with the added addition of rotting corpses. Hibiki froze, unable to speak.
"Hibiki." Orochimaru seethed.
"Yes Lord Orochimaru." Hibiki managed to whimper out, like a pet in trouble with its owner.
"The invasion of Konoha did not go as planned." He hissed.
"Was Hiruzen not killed," Hibiki asked.
"No he was, but in the battle we had he paralyzed my arms, and it cannot be cured so long as I am in this body." He fumed.
Hibiki's body shakes
"This was a very improbable outcome, one in which many other events needed to precede it. I… It was not likely enough to inform you…" Hibiki tried to explain,
"Not likely? Well, I suppose you have lost your touch! This unlikely and improbable event has restricted my ability to use Jutsus! This is not acceptable! I had every confidence in your abilities but it seems they are more flawed than I expected. Perhaps we should take a closer look to improve them." he warned.
"No Lord Orochimaru, this was not a mistake of my abilities, this was my own misuse of them. Please allow me to prove…" She begged.
"Prove? You will need to do more than that. Your living conditions are based on our deal. If you can no longer provide me with what I want, then our deal will be void! So Hibiki can you still be of use? Can you still provide me with what I need?" He questioned.
"Of course Lord Orochimaru!" She pleaded.
"Then bring me Uchiha Sasuke!" he commanded.
"Of course thank you for your benevolence and generosity!" Hibiki fervently agreed, before being escorted out of the room.
She was led back to her own room where as soon as the door slammed behind her, she leaned back and slid down to the floor. She sat there leaning on the door, tears pricking her eyes as her body shook and blood began to pour from her nose. Coating her face, and making Hibiki dizzy.
The next morning she cleaned herself up and called for Nobuzo, they quickly gathered together the team needed to retrieve the Uchiha boy. She gave them explicit directions of how they should act and move, how they should divvy up battles. But a slight, migraine-inducing blur always made her decisions feel uncertain. She could see flashes of Orange that always seemed to be around when her vision became blocked.
She doesn't know who or what was causing her abilities to go haywire but she quickly grew a hatred for them.
She could barely see him, and wherever he was, the world seemed to warp. Changing the events drastically at times and gave her no way to determine any possible outcome. She could only know when it happened. It wasn't good enough. She needed to be in control, if she wasn't and she made another mistake, Only Kami knew what Orochimaru would do with her.
Her Life on the line she monitored the situation as it happened, ready to change or alter plans based on what was happening. A few expected deaths occurred, and two diversions needed to be made before finally the Uchiha boy faced the Orange menace.
In what felt like the longest hour of her life, Hibiki heavily monitored the fight as best she could, it caused her to cough up blood as it poured down her throat, burning her stomach. But in the end and to much relief the Uchiha boy prevailed. Walking from the orange one with determination and assurance in his actions.
After Informing Orochimaru of the success, she fell into a light coma for 3 days. Nobuzo loyally took care of her.
Only after awakening did Hibiki allow the entire situation to surround and drown her. How close was she to a fate worse than death? She was on the edge of a tightrope, any minor movement, a flinch may cause her to fall.
After Nobuzo forces her to eat, She lays in bed, alone in her cold empty room, and wraps her arms around herself. Shaking. In her swirling thoughts of what went wrong and when Her mind conjured up the memory of Suigetsu.
She remembers the peace she felt at having a friend, or at least a momentary ally, one that laughed when she fell and told her wonderful stories of battles he's faced. Then she remembered her reason for living.
She probably would have given up after Orochimaru's confrontation if it wasn't for the thought of spite still fresh in her mind. She was here to spite those who wanted her dead, those who wanted to use her. She was going to not just survive but live. She would be a living example of how they failed to kill her. Failed to rip her spirit from her body. Failed to use her as they pleased. What was the point of all the pain she caused, all the pain she suffered if she didn't follow this feeling? There would be no point, and that scared her more than anything Orochimaru could do to her.
That reinvigorated her, and she decided she needed a new plan, and fast. It didn't take much to learn all she needed about Sasuke Uchiha. A boy with determination and a bit of a one-track mind. He saw an end goal and marched toward it. He was easily predictable and made his future so clear. Although it did vary, it was perfectly clear and straightforward. That is what she liked most.
A decisive, goal-oriented person who was stubborn in their pursuit was a perfect person to work with. And if she played her cards right, Hibiki could not only aid him but receive what she wanted as well. A mutually beneficial partnership.
It was then and there she had a new plan.
…
Sasuke soon became Orochimaru's new favorite pet. Using him to accomplish tasks he could no longer do himself. Most of his research was handed to Kabuto and Karin, and Maintenance and management of the hideouts were left to Hibiki and Gegawa. Gegawa was an easy man to work with, they got along fine and he knew exactly what information he needed to properly do his job.
A few months into Sasuke's training under Orochimaru, Karin and Hibiki were able to spend some time together. Only a short burst of time between work, but it was comforting to speak to the red head.
"So is this Sasuke a good subject?" Karin asked.
"He's not a bad one. The Sharingan is a versatile Kekkei Genkai, and the development of them would bring interesting results." Hibiki answered. "How about Juugo? How has he been fairing?" she asked in turn.
"He only gets worse each passing day. He mumbles to himself a lot and the moment he comes into contact with anybody, he becomes highly aggressive. He's killed seven more subjects in the last two weeks alone." She sighed.
"That's unfortunate." Hibiki sympathized. "And the old subjects of Amachi?" Hibiki cooly asked.
"That Damn Suigetsu! He's the one who cut my hair!" she yelled.
"I like it." Hibiki tried to be supportive.
"I had to restyle it to get it to behave right. It's going to take forever to grow it out." She continued to complain.
Hibiki smiled at her, still trying to be supportive. But internally she couldn't help but giggle. Suigetsu was just as petty as she remembered. Which meant he was still holding up well. It only took a month before he was recaptured and placed back into experimentation. And it only lasted that long due to Hibiki's lack of interference.
"Oh, the battle is about to start!" Karin excitedly went to the railings. Leaning over to make sure she had a good view. Hibiki joined her but made no motion to do the same, she couldn't see the battle anyway. Besides, she already knew the outcome.
Karin made a variety of noises, from a gasp of shock and an aweing that marveled at Sasuke's fluid movements. And when the battle concluded she turned to Hibiki and excitedly recapped the battle. She was doing nothing but complimenting the performance done by Sasuke, and Hibiki could tell by the sound of her voice, the girl was smitten.
…
A few weeks later Hibiki set her plans into action. Meeting Sasuke after yet another successful battle in what subjects called the Hell pit. Hibiki calmly approached him and waited for his acknowledgment.
Sasuke Turned to the sound of approaching footsteps and found a young girl around his age. She stood a respectful distance from him.
"What?" he demanded, he was in no mood to speak.
"Do you know who I am?" She asked curiously.
Sasuke took a closer look at her before saying, "A henchman of Orochimaru."
"My name is Hibiki." She replied. Now that name he knew.
Not only did he often hear that name being called from the stream of yelling and cursing from the captured subjects. Additionally, her name was often spoken and mentioned between Orochimaru and Kabuto. A whisper that he didn't care to investigate.
"And?" he jeered.
"You are going to receive a mission soon. A boring routine one. However, I believe it to be in your best interest to look upon those you encounter with a critical eye." she cryptically hinted.
"And why is that?" Sasuke asked taking the bait.
"You'll find that the two may be suited for your future needs." She answered, before turning and walking away. The slightest smile touched her grim expression.
And Just as Hibiki had said, Sasuke was sent out to recapture A subject named Suigetsu, alongside a girl named Karin. The mission was easy enough, routine, and uneventful. But Sasuke had to agree the two did meet his requirements.
Upon his return to the Kusagakure hideout, he finds Hibiki waiting for him in an empty hall.
"You seem to know a lot…" Sasuke commented. He leaned against the wall opposite her. And carefully watched her face.
"That would be an understatement but yes, I do know a lot, far more than I want to." She sighed.
"What is it you want?" Sasuke asked.
"Freedom," she stated.
"And what does that have to do with me?" he questioned.
"Just like how you're looking for people to reach your goals, you happen to meet my goals. I'm proposing a partnership," She said.
AN: Hello Readers! Wow, I'm Posting at a consistent rate? Did hell freeze over? I hope my readers are enjoying the story and I Would love to hear back from anyone! How can I improve? What are the things you like or dislike about the story? Have an Awesome rest of your week! 11/16/2022