Chapter 26: Something Extraordinary

A/N: As of 6/26/2022, I made more overall changes to the chapter. I updated a lot of the dialogue and added a bit more action. Another thing I noticed while editing is that this chapter felt... a bit darker in tone than I was going for, so I removed a lot of unnecessary detail to keep it more within the spirit of Naruto (even though let's be real, Naruto did get super dark as times and it was AWESOME!)


Throughout his entire journey, Kabuto took leisurely steps to the village gates, with Jitsuko tailing him from afar. Her cover was almost blown once or twice, but she had the good sense to hold her breath, keep a discreet distance, and not go too close. It was strange. She knew that Kabuto was a superior spy; it seemed unusual that his skills hadn't alarmed him to her presence, yet.

The shadowing took forever, but eventually Kabuto paused with his back facing her in the middle of a clearing surrounded by dense trees and flora just within the Land of Fire's borders.

Seems like an appropriate place to set up a hideout, with all of the exotic resources around here. Now I need to find the right time to jump out and knock this asshole out.

"Alright, the fun's over. You should come out now," Kabuto's sudden announcement startled Jitsuko into a standstill.

H-huh?!

"Yes, I mean you," he added while casually whirling to her direction. "Just know that you don't have a choice in the matter. There's no need to make this hard on yourself."

At that, Jitsuko scooted out from her hidden spot in the florescent vegetation, trying hard to wear a façade of confidence on her face, but the bead of sweat smoothly rolling down her temple revealed her true reaction.

"My apologies that the trip took so long, it's a new location, you see. But we're here."

Of course he knew I was following him the whole time. This can never be easy.

Jitsuko slowly approached Kabuto, caution riddling her every step. "You remember who I am… don't you, Kabuto?"

He raised an eyebrow and stated, "I could never forget a face like yours. Especially not after the scene you made at the exams today."

At that, Jitsuko's hand tensed up into a tight fist with the whites of her knuckles clearly visible. "All that was your fault, and you know it! You told me that-"

"I did not tell you anything," he interjected. "I merely smiled, and you had hastily formed your own conclusions."

"Even so," she huffed back. "I know what your game is now. And what's more, Minato now knows about you, too. So just let me take you in and you can explain to everyone why you would threaten village security, or I'll call the Hokage myself."

Jitsuko may have been close to eight years older than Kabuto, but that didn't stop his posture from displaying that he remained completely unintimidated by her short and meek features.

"Don't try and fool me with a macho act. Remember, I know who you are. I have intel on everyone in the Hidden Leaf Village."

"So why did you let me believe that I was tracking Orochimaru?"

Kabuto didn't speak for a moment, as if he were analyzing her even further.

"I still am uncertain how you are already aware of my association with Orochimaru. I would've never guessed there was a mole within the Hidden Leaf Village, other than me," Kabuto observed while pressing his pointer finger to the bridge of his glasses to adjust them. "But it doesn't matter. I find it fascinating that you'd even attempt to track me back to our base. Usually we have to utilize forceful means for our subjects to comply when escorting them."

"Excuse me?" she said, an eyebrow raised. "What is this, a threat?"

Kabuto's sharp eyes shifted, with his attention instead drawn slightly to her left. His next words chilled Jitsuko to the bone.

"Ah, you've returned just in time… Lord Orochimaru."


The chirping of crickets strewn across the entrance to the village soothed Obito just enough to contain his excitement on a job well done. He could not wait to relay what he had to go through, and all the people he'd met the past few weeks. Other than completing missions, his favorite part about being a shinobi was sharing his experiences with Jitsuko, and vice versa. His opponents proved to be a formidable challenge, to the point where the activation of his Mangekyou Sharingan was necessary.

He even unlocked the next level of his Susanoo formation: what started out as a large skeletal entity lightly coated in a thin but powerful layer of cyan aura this time appeared in full armor with nubs protruding in its back, implying that he was one step closer to generating the fabled, legendary 'Perfect Susanoo.' While the prospect of recounting to her of his new ability and subsequent victory was exhilarating, Obito was frightened of retelling the story. She absolutely loathed when Obito used any of his advanced Sharingan abilities – as it gradually damages the user's eyes over continuous use, eventually leading to irreversible blindness.

Still, perhaps such a long conversation could end with him finally gathering the nerve to ask her, Obito thought, as his fingers instinctively kneaded the circular object snugly fit within his pocket. However, something about walking into the village presented him with an uneasy feeling, as if the entire village was brooding over something.

His troubled feelings only grew more powerful the closer he marched to his home. His grandmother had since passed away since the two had been together, and it eventually led to moving in together. Jitsuko had been living in his childhood home, passed down from generations, for a few years now. It'd always bring comfort to Obito's troubled mind whenever he'd return from a mission and saw lights through the window – indicating that she was home safe.

But Obito soon found that no such easement swathed him upon finding his home dark and desolate.

His mind immediately flooded, thinking the worst happened to her. Such intrusive thoughts persevered and only continued to magnify after every room he searched ended fruitless, evidenced when his once concerned calls for her morphed into shuttering, desperate begs for Jitsuko to respond. Obito then paused with his body trembling in place. He needed to calm down.

M-maybe she just went to the store… or she's on an emergency mission. That can happen this late at night. Right? Y-yeah. That's all it is.

He inhaled a slow, and deep but strained breath before it caught in his throat once more.

But Jitsuko must've left something – anything to let me know she's safe. She never leaves without letting me know. Obito attempted to console himself as he struggled to avert his eyes to the kitchen counter, only to his horror to see it vacant of any notes – not even a mess was left behind to indicate that she occupied the home recently.

It felt as though a switch had flipped, and he couldn't take it anymore. With an uncontrollable pounding in his chest and trembling hands, Obito placed the ring he intended for Jitsuko on the empty bar, shut his eyes and gathered up his chakra to produce an aura to sense hers. His eyebrows twisted in anxious confusion to find traces of her chakra still fresh in the village stadium, with a trail of it leading outside of the building where his senses were cut off – as if there was some barrier was actively blocking his sensory abilities. The distinct sound of a Sharingan activating accompanied Obito when his eyes snapped open in panic.

No. She can't be taken again. Not again!

Before Obito could register what he was doing, the area surrounding him began to swirl around his eyes and he allowed his Sharingan to generate a portal to the Kamui dimension to begin his desperate search for her, all while ignoring the searing pain shooting through his eyes from exerting his Mangekyou Sharingan. All Obito could focus on was him begging that he's not too late…


"Let me go!" Jitsuko's agitated voice echoed, wriggling against the snake clenching her body. "I'm getting really sick of dealing with this, Orochimaru!"

"I don't need to remind you of who you're referring to, Jitsuko," Kabuto crept over to her, close enough to where she could feel the warmth of his breath on her cheek, while Orochimaru blatantly ignored her frantic and rather unorthodox pleas. Instead, the ashen brown snakes emanating from where Orochimaru's arm used to occupy coiled tighter around her struggling torso in response.

"I will thank you to remember your place among the shinobi ranks," Kabuto ended with subtle but threatening aggression in his tone. To think she would even attempt to talk down to Lord Orochimaru was an absurd concept. Eventually his snakes unfurled, forcing Jitsuko to roll into a compact chamber, pure, rusted metal encompassed the walls in its entirety.

"Fortunately for you, other subjects take priority over what you would possibly have to offer me," said Orochimaru, sparing her a sideways glance. "I will determine if you could be of any potential use once my business is finished with them. Be obedient and stay here, child. Kabuto has informed me of your monotonous Earth Style abilities which could lead to an easy escape if we kept you in a standard enclosure. Until then," he trailed off as the metal gate creaked and locked behind him.

Enclosure… as if I'm some wild animal. Orochimaru is disgusting, more than the show ever let on.

Of course, his instructions fell on deaf ears. Immediately Jitsuko searched for any weak points in the cell upon his departure, only to her chagrin, found none.

Yeah, I should've known better than to try and follow arguably one of the best spies in the entire show. But all I could think about was socking that jerk right in the jaw.

Her attention then shifted to the hallway, the dimness of the corridor lit up crudely with torches scattered on the walls.

Those people who Orochimaru said takes priority over me… I can't imagine the horror they're going through right now… and who knows what he'll do to me! Obito's gone. Nobody knows where I am. I'm… completely alone this time. Remember my training. I – I can do this.

Down the hall from the cell, they had passed by a tray full of used scalpels – ones coated in old blood, waiting patiently to be sanitized and sharpened anew for further use.

Recalling the exam that became her rite of passage as a Jonin, Jitsuko formed hand signs and made gentle contact with the metal surface, silently pleading that the archaic hideout wasn't chakra-proof, and to her relief found that her jutsu was able to weave its way through the metallic exterior into the ground surrounding the enclosure. Slowly, steadily, quietly, Jitsuko sensed the outline of the tray down the hall and softened the ground it mounted upon to swallow it to transfer the tools closer to the cell. She closed her eyes and took a deep, concentrated breath and focused her chakra to form miniature versions of her elemental hands to grab hold of the dull blades – to pick the lock from the outside.

Steady, Jitsuko. Precision isn't your strongpoint, but you don't have a choice.

The first attempt at inserting a tool into the lock failed terribly. With an audible 'SHING,' the scalpel scraped against the unrefined lock, prompting her to cringe visibly at the thought of them catching on to the attempted breakout. After a moment of silence, she resumed her strenuous efforts, determined to escape.

After numerous excruciating attempts and endless fumbling, Jitsuko's spirit almost leaped from her body after hearing a hearty click emit from the lock, its surface now coated in copious scratch marks, damp sand, and dried blood.

Which… which way should I go? I need to avoid Kabuto and Orochimaru at all costs.

Her body was trembling, pumped full of adrenaline from the weight of the dire situation. She was in the living quarters of one of the legendary Sannin, one who had no regard for human life.

Jitsuko figured her best bet was to try burying herself and dig a way out, but she never had to do that before. There was always the possibility of getting lost in the hideout's unfamiliar and confusing vicinity and burying herself alive, effectively suffocating Jitsuko to death.

Well that's certainly better than what Orochimaru has planned for me, I'm sure!

Nodding to herself, Jitsuko's body began its descent into unknown territory…


After shifting her body through the dirt at a sluggish pace, Jitsuko began sensing unique signatures in the room adjacent to her body.

Survivors? I – I can bring them with me…!

Poking her head from the floor, she expected to find people who would be all-too eager to pounce in the escape route with her. Instead, Jitsuko found a room dedicated to Orochimaru's 'findings.' Jars containing various unknown substances suspended in vile, sizzling green goo sat along the wall. Some of them had body parts stuffed inside. Likely failed experiments.

Gross… this is just… it's… I…

Jitsuko's stomach wanted to bubble its contents out through her esophagus, but was unable. She hadn't eaten in over 24 hours. If it weren't for the fight-or-flight hormones pumping through her body, she would have collapsed in that instant. Still, the smell of chemicals amplified the nausea and it overwhelmed her once again, prompting her to dry heave continuously at the sight.

No, stop! Don't make any noise, Jitsuko! What's happening to me?! Why do I have such a weak stomach?! This was never an issue for me, until... wait, there's no time for this! I- I need to find a way out! But… what about possible survivors…? Do I try to…? No. Get out now and find any later. But they might be dead by then. Just find them and go… but then we could all get caught, then I can't save anyone! What – what do I do?!

In her panicked haze, a mysterious figure approached Jitsuko from behind, the feeling of being watched sending an unrestricted chill straight through her spine. Then, turning the corner drew all of her attention. Less than two feet away, an experiment emerged before Jitsuko, its sudden appearance forced out a short-lived but piercing shriek from her throat that she promptly concealed with a slap of a hand over her mouth.

Confronting a mysterious creature immediately prepared Jitsuko for the worst as she hurriedly withdrew a kunai and crossed her arms in a defensive stance toward the threat, to which they responded with a meek cry of their own.

Wait… he's just… a little boy…?

"I-I'll go back to my pen! I was j-just wondering why you made a hole in the ground… don't tell on me, okay?"

"Huh? K-kid, what –"

The boy's expression displayed more confidence once Jitsuko's kunai and defenses were lowered, and he saw how slim and nonthreatening she was from unintentionally starving herself. "I know! I'll show you my secret stash of stuff! You can have some. Just don't tell him that I secretly broke the lock, okay? I don't think I mind sharing with you, anyway. You don't look like the other guys around here."

"H-hey, slow down! It's alright, I'm not with Orochimaru. And keep your voice down," she said in a hushed tone while having to angle her neck almost completely downward to address him. She was completely taken aback by the booming volume of this boy and how much energy he had despite his soul crushing captivity and circumstances. Though when Jitsuko really thought about it, he was right. She was famished due to her troubled stomach, but telling from the boy's pale skin and frail stature, he was infinitely more so. That was when she remembered the secret stash of her own.

"Here," Jitsuko stated simply while digging out an old, crumbly granola bar from deep within her weapons pouch.

"What's that thing?"

"Y-you mean this?" she stammered, unwilling to accept that this poor kid had never seen or heard of a simple granola bar before. "Well, it's… food. I want you to have it."

It was likely way past due its expiration date, but the newly acquired light that gleamed from within the boy's eye at the foreign object easily purged those concerns from her mind. He couldn't have been older than nine years old, and had dark, spiky hair and a missing eye. He physically and emotionally resembled Obito in some ways, Jitsuko noted, specifically in the original show when he was crushed, lost his eye, and became physically and mentally scarred but still kept his determination during his rehabilitation with Madara.

This boy was just like him, but Jitsuko could see a glint of intrusive hopelessness developing and mounting inside him behind that loud and obnoxious façade of confidence and curiosity, causing a deep puncture in her heart over projecting Obito onto this boy. She wondered what his personality was like before he was ripped from his family and taken to this horrible, desolate prison.

"What's your name?" she whispered as he devoured the chewy bar without restraint, and he replied, to her shock, "Hm? Don't got one."

"H-huh? N-no, I mean, what did people call you before they dragged you to this place?"

"Whaddya mean? They never let me leave that room. Nobody is, I think."

"Y-you mean you were born here?!"

"No, I came from another room, before Orochimaru told us to go to this place."

Unbelievable. This poor boy was born purely for Orochimaru's benefit.

Jitsuko's stomach turned at the realization of just how twisted Orochimaru truly was. This was the same monster who experimented on dozens of children, after all.

"So if you aren't with the other guys, who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Jitsuko… but it's important that 'the other guys' don't know who I am, or that I was ever here, okay?"

The boy didn't understand but he nodded blindly anyway. He then noted the ninja band wrapped around her, with the distinguishable insignia of the Leaf Village etched into it. "Does that thing mean you're a ninja? Is that how you made that hole?"

"Heh, you got me all figured out, kiddo."

"How'd you do it? Did you have to move your hands around all weird like others do?"

Subjects would periodically be brought to the hideout with similar headbands, but shinobi who'd put up a fight using jutsu soon found their efforts as futile against Orochimaru. Regardless, the boy was always curious about those ninja's jutsu, and the hand signs that must be performed to unleash their power.

Jitsuko blinked, slightly unnerved by how he must have learned about ninja. "Sure, I… guess you can put it that way."

"I want to see it! Make another hole!"

"Well... I mean, I suppose it's easy enough… you just…" Mapping out her fingers into various positions, Jitsuko effortlessly formed hand seals for Tiger, then Hare, Bore, and complete with Dog before pressing her hands flat into the ground, prompting a person-sized sinkhole to morph into another hollow hole next to her, much to the boys ecstatic delight.

"Can you do more?!" he asked rather boisterously. Jitsuko really didn't have time for this, but something about his wonder and amazement for her abilities really struck a chord deep within her. This child took great interest in Jitsuko, and she was surprised to find that she was becoming attached to him as well. "Do the one where that hot orangey stuff comes out your mouth!"

"Wha-? You mean fire? I'm not talented enough to pull off something like that."

The boy stared at her blankly in incomprehension. Seeing his unusually bright features diminishing sent a sore pang through her heart. Disappointing children truly was the worst feeling.

"B-but I'll tell you what." She reached for the boy's hands, to which he flinched away, prompting her to pause in reluctance. "It's okay," Jitsuko regarded with such a genuine softness. Such gentle treatment was entirely foreign to him, but he found that it made him feel what can only be described as good on the inside. With that recognition, his tense posture eased, subtly signaling he was permitting her to reach again, and so she did. "Let me show you what I know after watching someone else shoot 'orange stuff' from his mouth."

Recalling the signs required for Obito to unleash his Fireball Technique, Jitsuko guided the boy's hands into Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, then Tiger and chuckled when he imitated what he'd seen as he bent forward and puckered his lips and pretended to shoot fire from his mouth. Quite frankly, it was adorable.

He found Jitsuko's reaction contagious when he began laughing for the first time in his young life. Such a feeling was also foreign to him, but she evoked certain emotions he'd never imagined possessing before. These feelings… affection, perhaps?

A muffled conversation in the outer hallway then seized every bit of Jitsuko's attention. That's right, I gotta leave!

"S-sorry… I need to go –"

"You're… going?" he mumbled, prompting his masked composure to loosen momentarily, with his one dark, intact eye looking up at her. His right eye, the iris colored pitch black, almost resembled the distinctive charcoal eyes of an Uchiha.

Jitsuko remembered how one of Orochimaru's goals was to inhabit a strong Uchiha body and obtain the power of the Sharingan, and wondered if Orochimaru had planned to possess this boy with the expectation of him possessing Uchiha traits, only to be filled with inextinguishable spite when he found none. It was at that moment Jitsuko made it her goal to free this boy, whether she made it out or not was irrelevant. There was no more time to idle.

"Hold your breath, and don't make a sound, alright?" she ordered, holding him close as the ground swallowed the two of them. It was hard enough to control her jutsu around herself, but being in charge of an entirely different individual was exponentially nerve-wracking.

Jitsuko's jutsu was succeeding beautifully in squirming the two of them throughout the hideout, despite traveling completely blind. Orochimaru's labyrinth was designed to get lost in, but surely they would find an exit through the ground… eventually. She continued shifting and writhing through the dirt at a snail's pace with him wrapped securely in her arms. It was incredibly surreal how quickly she formed a powerful bond with someone she had just met, especially since he was so young.

Jitsuko was never good with kids, but she soon found herself concentrated entirely on his future. She was going to take him to the Leaf, find him a home, an education – maybe he would even like to be a ninja one day? She strangely found comfort in the idea of becoming this kid's sensei, despite not showing any interest in becoming one before. Maybe he'll come to like her so much that he would rejoice in the idea of her and Obito adopting him and becoming a family like she hoped Obito wanted one day–

Stop it, Jitsuko. You're thinking way too far ahead here. You need to get him out of here safe and sound first!

"So, you said you never had a name, right?"

"Yup."

A brief chuckle passed through Jitsuko by just how proud he was of it. "Well, how about we give you a proper name, one that'll let everyone know how cool you are."

The boy peeked his one eye up at her in curiosity.

"How about we call you…"

Hmm… he reminds me so much of Obito…

"Tobi. You aren't just a face. You're worth more than that. When I get you out of here, I'll have people refer to you as Tobi."

"Does that have a Z in it?"

Jitsuko laughed, offering him a smile in adoration. "Sure. When I take you to the Hidden Leaf, they'll make you an official villager, and you can have a Z in your name. Do you like the sound of that?"

He gleamed up at her in what he only dreamed what awe and affection would feel like. She was being so kind to him, after spending the entirety of his life living in essentially a prison, for the first time he felt at home, in Jitsuko's arms. The gleam in his eye soon diminished, and she watched his expression of wonder shift into terror, as a darting noise began emanating from the tunnel behind them.

"Sound?" Tobi began, "That sound? No… I don't like that sound at all!"

Puzzlement overrode Jitsuko's features over his reaction until the ominous noise made it to her ears. It sounded threatening – like a slithering of sorts. Like a snake.

"Something's got my leg, hold onto me!" Jitsuko said, trying to stop her voice from sounding terrified as the snake wrapped around her ankle began tugging them out of the soil haven like a helpless fish. She couldn't counter it, the instincts ordering her to protect Tobi overrode any thoughts telling her to let him go to form hand signs. Before she knew it, Orochimaru had successfully fished Jitsuko and Tobi out of the hole.

"Really, I'm surprised how you managed to elude me to this extent, child," Orochimaru mused, dangling them upside down. "After all, the intel Kabuto gathered stated that you aren't much of a challenge or a threat. You've surprised me, but that does not mean you would necessarily be useful to me, I'm afraid. But what's this? One of my failed experiments seems to have latched onto you. Let me help you with disposing-"

"Don't you dare touch him." The clutch around Tobi squeezed tighter. "You've done enough to him already!"

Orochimaru paused for a moment before his twisted smirk returned. He decided to humor Jitsuko's request and took both of them to another enclosed chamber. "I hope you understand that if you do not wish to return my failed subject, then he may suffer consequences like you, my dear."

Jitsuko gritted her teeth, exasperation overtaking her features. "If you say that I'm nothing special, then what could you possibly want with me, anyway?!"

"An excellent question, child," he said, his head tilting slightly. "Kabuto insisted on luring you here, but even I am unaware of your true purpose. Perhaps there is something special about you that Kabuto has acknowledged above my own judgement."

"Fine, so you have me, then why the hell hold onto this kid any longer?! Let him out, then we can settle this."

A quick exhale was Orochimaru's response. "I can't do that, I'm afraid. He may still be of use after all."

Tobi's eye widened as Jitsuko's arm instinctively pushed him behind her. "I'm warning you. Hurt him and I will tear you apart. And this time, I won't hesitate, and I won't regret it."

A dark aura shrouded Orochimaru as his head dipped forward and smirked, his slits piercing into her soul. "So be it."

Within that moment, Orochimaru's right arm raised, two snakes darting from his sleeve. Jitsuko watched as they bolted toward her left side, their mouths levered opened to reveal fangs as sharp as daggers. Before they could connect, Jitsuko formed signs, gathering bits of granules to her left hand and flicked it over her shoulder, slapping and deflecting the snakes away with a great deal of effort.

The impact made the grainy stones shrouding her hand burst, flicking the contents at blinding speed toward her assailant. Thousands of tiny stones jutted into Orochimaru, the collision stirring up clouds of dust to fill his side of the chamber.

"You got him!" Tobi yelled, running toward Jitsuko in excitement. She smiled nervously while trying to keep him out of the way, instinctively trying to be optimistic in front of him the best she could without getting too distracted – there was no way a Sannin would go down that easily.

Before she could scoop him up, Jitsuko heard the tendons in Orochimaru's neck snap, allowing it to jet out of the dust like a snake striking its prey and heading toward Tobi. A harrowing gasp filled Jitsuko's lungs, her legs moving on their own to shield Tobi from the oncoming attack. As her body kneeled down and wrapped around his, her eyes instinctively creased shut in preparation for his implant, with Tobi curling into her to brace for the strike.

No! He won't hurt you, I won't let him!

….

.huh?

Slowly, Jitsuko's body permitted control of her eyes again as she peeked them open, only to find Orochimaru hovering in place mere inches from her horribly trembling body, with her neck still devoid of any bite marks.

"That chakra," he muttered with an unusual and unsettling amazement. "That is the unmistakable chakra signature of an Uchiha. You yourself are not of Uchiha blood, and yet..."

Orochimaru's jaw had closed, a poised chuckle vacating his throat.

"…so this is why Kabuto has taken quite the interest in you. That perceptive boy," he huffed in a particular amusement, one that was full to the brim with menacing delight. "I'm amazed he was able to detect such a faint and diminutive chakra signature, when even I must be in close proximity to spot it myself."

Jitsuko couldn't move. Remnants of fear from the Sannin's anticipated attack paralyzed her entire body.

"I see you are speechless. You must not be aware of the phenomenon currently transpiring in your body." Orochimaru exhaled a wicked, calculated chuckle. "But on the most instinctual of levels, you already sense it, don't you?"

"What… what do you mean…?"

"My dear girl… you have something extraordinary inside of you."