"Is the message sent back," Jiraiya asked, turning towards Zabuza. The masked man groaned as rustled under his new long cloak covering his body.
"I still don't understand the point of wearing this over our Akatsuki uniform. You and I are infamous enough that someone would recognize us in an instant!"
"It's to hide our colors. Think of it like hunting your prey, you don't want to scare it away, do you?"
"We need bigger prey," Zabuza replied, narrowing his eyes at Jiraiya. Haku laughed softly as he stood next to the two men. Zabuza turned towards his young ward and blinked, "What?"
"Nothing," Haku replied, still smiling. Jiraiya smiled and laughed knowingly, turning his head around.
"Do your new clothes fit?" A fourth figure stepped out of the bushes, examining her Akatsuki cloak with a slight blush.
"I-it actually does..." Sakura looked herself over, feeling odd to be wearing such loose, long robes.
"One size fits all," Jiraiya boasted proudly. Zabuza let out a scoff, garnering a roll of Jiraiya's eyes. "Well, unless you tear it up."
"I don't like long sleeves hindering my arm's movement," Zabuza stated. "You and that tyrant keep forcing me to wear it."
"That 'tyrant' and I believe in what Akatsuki stands for. And the uniform is a representation of our beliefs." Zabuza shook his head, still wanting to argue though he knew that it would lead to himself being wrong. Sakura put on her long, straight cloak on over her new hooded Akatsuki jacket and stared up at Jiraiya, her eyes a bit hopeful looking.
"So you know where they've taken Uncle Higure...?"
"I'm fairly certain I know where they would have taken him," Jiraiya corrected. The Sannin then set out forward, walking at first as the others followed him. "Danzo has a lot of secret holdouts used for his more...unruly affairs. I know the one where he usually takes specific, high-ranking prisoners." Jiraiya then started running, rather than walking. The other three shinobi followed right behind him, matching the man's pace.
"You know the tyrant is gonna be pissed, right?"
"Okay, who's the tyrant," Sakura asked, growing confused by the nickname.
"That's what he calls Lady Tsunade," Haku explained.
"L-Lady Tsunade," Sakura cried out in shock. The kunoichi wasn't exactly sure why she was surprised. She knew Tsunade was in the Akatsuki, though she was likely more surprised that she was referred to as a 'tyrant.'
"Oh don't get him started," Jiraiya groaned, shaking his head.
"She's gonna be pissed though," Zabuza told Jiraiya, pulling the conversation back on track. "We were supposed to be scouting any signs of the Land of Sky and prepare to redo our scouting and supply routes to compensate for Sky and Konoha scouting parties. When she gets that letter, she's gonna kill you."
Sakura grew a little worried, and looked ahead to Jiraiya, "What exactly...did the letter say?"
"I told Tsunade the truth. We recruited you into the Akatsuki, and now we're off to save your uncle." Sakura stared at the white haired man with a blank, questioning expression. She blinked a few times to make sure that she was in fact not dreaming up the man's response. With all of the conspiracies and secrets, she rarely ever got a straight answer to any question.
"Um...will I survive long enough to be officially initiated...?"
"You'll be fine," Jiraiya replied with a reassuring tone. 'It's me I gotta worry about...'
While Orochimaru hated to be away from the settlements he was building throughout the Land of Fire, the news he received from Danzo was too important to ignore. Though the Sannin knew for a fact that there was no way Higure was dumb enough to cross the Hokage so boldly, so suddenly, the prospect of having the Six Paths of Shinobi under the Edo Tensei, under his control, was too good of an opportunity to miss.
Which was exactly the reason Orochimaru slipped away from his duties and slithered through the forests of the Land of Fire to find Higure, and kill the man himself.
After enough research, Orochimaru concluded that bringing back the five dead members of the Six Paths of Shinobi was impossible after attempting to revive Minato Namikaze. After enough research into the Edo Tensei, Orochimaru concluded that since Minato's soul was trapped in the Reaper's stomach that he couldn't be brought back with the Edo Tensei. Regardless of these turn of events, the four other members of one of the most successful shinobi teams ever created that could be brought back would increase Orochimaru's power substantially. On top of that, if the last surviving member were to die, and be brought back to life, Orochimaru would have no problem claiming the title of Hokage for himself.
For years, Orochimaru has desired one thing: knowledge. And Danzo knew this, and sought to keep as much forbidden, unknown truths and secrets from the Sannin. He had his ways to get around a few of Danzo's walls and lies to be sure, but the old Kage was more clever than Orochimaru in certain aspects. The Edo Tensei had been something Danzo and Orochimaru collaborated on together over the years, and Danzo gave Orochimaru the information he needed to use the forbidden jutsu, and nothing more. With many experiments and tests however, Orochimaru learned many things to be sure, but he still knew very little about the risks of drawbacks of the Edo Tensei. Information that Danzo knew, and kept to himself in case Orochimaru went rogue.
But now with Higure labeled a traitor, and likely kept in Hell's Palace, Orochimaru had already built a scheme in order to take out Danzo and establish himself as the Hokage. The dam of information Danzo had built up to keep Orochimaru in the dark was about to be broken, and all that forbidden knowledge would be the snake's to claim.
Orochimaru grinned to himself and chuckled as he moved quickly through the approaching night on his own.
In Sunagakure, Kabuto had been relieved of his duties for a few hours, giving him his daily lunch break from Sasori. The silver haired man adjusted his glasses as he entered his small house on the outskirts of the village. It was large enough of a house to suite his simple needs in Sunagakure, as most of his days were spent running around the village, tending to Sasori's needs, or sending dual reports to Danzo and Orochimaru.
Kabuto walked over to a carpet in the middle of his living room and kicked the rug out of the way, revealing a secret door underneath it. He opened the latch and stepped into the darkness, down a small flight of stairs. After descending in the darkness after a short period of time, there was a dim, eerie green light that barely lit up the room. The lights came from the various test tubes full of liquid and odd creatures, most of them some sort of snake mutations.
The green light shined off Kabuto's glasses as the boy flashed a smile, "There's no need to hide yourselves. I already know you're there." An overhead light cracked on, echoing throughout the basement laboratory, revealing an injured Kin and the Serpent Five all scattered around the room. "My, you must be truly desperate to come to me for help Kin."
"Don't patronize me you son of a bitch," Kin spat. Half of her face was covered in bandages, and a fair amount of her body was as well. Kabuto shook his head, snickering to himself. He and Kin both knew that Kabuto was the closest medical ninja available, and from the looks of the injuries the group had sustained, they needed immediate attention.
"So I take it the Land of the Demons mission went a little worse than expected," Kabuto guessed as he motioned Sakon towards him to heal the young man first. The grey haired boy pulled up a chair and sat down, taking off his shirt to reveal his injured shoulder. Kabuto paid no mind to the second head coming out of the back of Sakon's neck, knowing it to be the Serpent's brother Ukon. "You're several days behind Danzo's group. And you're worse for the wear."
"Just shut up and heal us," Kin snapped, holding her bandaged arm.
Kin hated having to come to Kabuto of all people for help. The Serpent Five's hatred towards Kin was exactly the same thing the little witch felt for the Kazekage's assistant. If there was anyone within Orochimaru's rogue little band who knew more than Kin, and who was closer to the Sannin than herself, it was Kabuto Yakushi. And it was a fact that he had no trouble rubbing in Kin's face.
Within less than a minute, all of Sakon's immediate injuries had been healed, including any infections he had. Kabuto examined the group, judging who was the most injured before signaling Kidomaru over next.
"So are you not going to tell me what happened," Kabuto asked, his tone full of mockery. "You and I both know I'll find out one way or another."
Sakon and Kidomaru both shot taunting smiles at Kin, knowing that Kabuto was right. The two boys hated Kin for her superiority complex, and it was a rare chance for them to see her put in her place. Tayuya glanced over at Kabuto before shifting eyes back to Kin. The redhead had no strong feelings towards either of the smug characters one way or the other, and was just waiting to move on after being healed. Jirobo stared at the ground while Kimimaro's eyes remained glued to Orochimaru's assistant. While Jirobo cared as little as Tayuya did, Kimimaro waited, hoping that he wouldn't have to jump in and act as a peacemaker between the two cocky individuals. While he wouldn't mind Kin getting thrown down in her place, Kimimaro knew the woman's value to Orochimaru, and would rather not have her die.
While most eyes fixated on Kin, the black haired girl simply glared murderous daggers at Kabuto. Her grip was tight around her injured arm, nearly cutting off circulation before she loosened her arm ever so slightly.
"It's not for you to know right now...and for Orochimaru to decide if it's any matter of importance." Kabuto shook his head, letting out a slightly melodramatic sigh of disapproval. Kin's stare hardened, her nose wrinkling skeptically at the medic.
Kabuto waved Kidomaru off after healing him and signaled Jirobo. Kidomaru and Sakon were both impressed with how quickly their injuries were healed by Kabuto, but simply sat back and waited for the rising tension to boil over.
"As you wish, though Orochimaru did give out an order just moments ago while you were away." Kabuto turned his head towards a small desk tucked away in the near corner. Kin glared at him and then walked over to the desk, picking up a piece of paper that sat on the top of a small, cluttered pile.
Kin's eyes scanned the print on the piece of paper. Her grip gradually tightened, her expression slowly turning into one of pure rage as the order sat in.
Kabuto maintained his calm, cool smirk before waving Jirobo off and motioning for Kimimaro next.
Kin spun around, slamming the paper on the desk and pointing at Kabuto, "What the hell is this about!? What is he thinking moving out on his own?!"
"Orochimaru's orders, everyone is to remain in their posts until his return," Kabuto replied coyly. "And nobody knows where he's gone." The medic flashed his eyes towards Kin, a taunting sparkle behind his glasses. Kin scowled furiously, knowing that Kabuto was screwing with her, and that there was indeed a likely chance that he was the only one who knew where Orochimaru went, and why he left so suddenly. "I guess Lord Orochimaru decided it was...a matter of importance."
The young assistant's eye twitched visibly while Kabuto turned to Kimimaro. Kin's anger burned through her entire body as Kabuto twisted her own words around on her. She wanted nothing more than to lunge at Kabuto and smack the cocky smirk off his face. However, what Kin had in intellect, she lacked in fighting prowess when compared to Kabuto.
Being Orochimaru's true right-hand-man, Kabuto had extensive knowledge of Orochimaru's experiments and information. They both also possessed a deep, intimate understanding of the Alliance as a whole, being so closely tied to the leadership of the army. Though Kin would never admit it out loud, some aspects of Kabuto made him just as dangerous as Orochimaru himself.
Kin looked at Orochimaru's orders on the paper again, not daring to look Kabuto in the face, "He said he's going alone...why?"
"Likely because his other available field agents were unavailable," Kabuto answered, clearly trying to upset Kin further.
Kin however ignored this and silently stared at her master's orders. Aside from being forced to stay in the same area as Kabuto until Orochimaru returned, she hated the fact that her master was out on his own. For Kin, it wasn't a matter of Orochimaru not being able to handle himself by any means, but the fact that he was heading towards Hell's Palace, a prison facility that even he knew very little about, worried her to no end.
Hell's Palace was exactly as it sounded: hell on earth. It was a 'correctional facility' for criminals, murderers, and missing-nin. It housed top priority targets, where they would 'work off their debts to society.' In reality, these people were likely tortured, worked to death, interrogated, or simply murdered, though the average citizen would not have known otherwise.
The only people with intimate knowledge of the facility that could be named were Danzo himself, and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, as well as any other unfortunate soul that had to work as a full time guard there. Even Orochimaru knew very little about the prison itself, save for its true purposes that Danzo had told him, and what few spies of his that came out of that nightmarish place have explained. Nobody, prisoner or otherwise, ever came out of Hell's Palace the same.
"Why is he going there," Kin asked, her tone softer, more gentler now. Kabuto smirked again, staring up at Kin over the frame of his glasses. He was finished with Kimimaro and waved Tayuya over for her healing session next. "It has to be something worth risking everything if he's leaving his post to go to that place."
"Indeed it is. And it's quite the bounty as well." Kabuto adjusted his glasses, pushing them up the bridge of his nose before he began healing Tayuya. "Since you were gone, Higure Haruno has been labeled a traitor."
This news caused the Serpent Five to express different reactions of shock. Kin however, just stood still and processed the information, coming to the same conclusion that Orochimaru likely did.
"So...it's Higure he's after," Kin stated, knowing that Orochimaru had desired the Six Paths of the Shinobi for some time now since he mastered the Edo Tensei.
"You always were a quick study," Kabuto said. "Indeed, he's after the final available piece to the Six Paths of Shinobi. With the four of them that he could bring back, Lord Orochimaru's power would become nearly impossible to defeat. With even one extra member of that team, that power is practically doubled."
"I know this Kabuto." Kin closed her eyes, her mind still processing and filtering through the information given to her. After another idea entered her head, she slowly opened her eyes, full of worry and doubt. "So...that's what he's after..."
"Ah, so you've deduced his true plan as well? Quite impressive. I see why he kept you around as a replacement for me."
Normally, Kin would have snapped at the chide remark, but she was too focused on her revelation. She didn't like that Orochimaru was acting so impulsively. Normally, he would plan out his actions ahead of schedule, but he never jumped the gun like this before. It worried her to no end for the safety of her master, and for the fruition of his plans.
When Naruto and his group returned to the hideout, they were unsurprisingly met by Yahiko. However, the founder seemed more indifferent than angry still with Konan and Naruto, a notion that confused and concerned them both.
Everyone in the group minus Konan stayed back as she walked up to Yahiko. She whispered softly to him and they began talking. Naruto couldn't for the life of him make out what they were saying, but it was clearly serious, and it sounded more like business rather than their personal issues.
Konan nodded and then turned around, waving her arm towards Itachi to step forward. The young Uchiha seemed confused, and hid his feelings of worry behind his eyes before approaching the two leaders. Once again, Konan and Yahiko spoke softly, irritating Naruto that he didn't know what was happening. A quick glance at Obito and Deidara both told Naruto that they could not hear them either.
"You all are dismissed," Konan stated finally. The sudden rise in tone seemed to surprise the trio, as well as the fact that they weren't in trouble. "We have something we need to attend to, we'll be back." Without waiting for a response, Konan, Yahiko, and Itachi all turned and walked off.
"What was that all about," Obito wondered softly.
"I dunno...but maybe it has something to do with Naruto's copy," Deidara suggested. "Itachi was the last one to see it, and he was the one who discovered it was a fake."
Before Naruto could put in his two cents to the conversation, he was suddenly sidelined, and tackled to the ground. "Naruto you son of a bitch! That's the last time I let you outta my sights!"
"GAH! Kiba, get the hell off me!"
"Not a chance! I know if I take my eyes off you for a second you're gonna go off on some damn mission without me!"
Deidara and Obito's eyes traveled back and forth between the two wrestling boys on the ground as they bickered angrily with each other. Eventually, the two older shinobi looked up at one another with the same bewildered look.
"Break it up you two," another voice called out. A third figure jumped into the fray and shoved the two apart with no effort, using his opened palms. Neji shook his head with a heavy sigh. His hair was styled different from the last time Naruto saw him, his long hair tied towards the tips behind him, giving him some bangs that framed his face, similar to Itachi. "Kiba, we've discussed you jumping out and attacking people for no good reason."
"BAH! Naruto ain't people, he's a brat! A brat who keeps sneaking out on missions without my permission!"
"When the hell did I ever need your permission to do what I want?!"
Neji, Deidara, and Obito all sighed in unison as Kiba and Naruto got into a shouting match once again. Unfortunately, none of them cared enough or wanted to try to stop the two knuckleheads from trying to kill one another.
Itachi followed Yahiko and Konan into the meeting hall, usually reserved for the founders and leaders of Akatsuki to discuss their plans of actions. If what Yahiko told Itachi was true, the young Uchiha was about to be brought into the ranks of leadership amongst the Akatsuki. The prospect humbled him, being offered a leadership position at his young age, being a few generations down from Nagato, the current youngest leader.
However, Itachi knew why his sudden promotion was of importance to Akatsuki at the moment.
Sitting at the meeting table already were Tsunade and Nagato, both of whom looked up when the three others entered the room. "Itachi, nice of you to join us," Tsunade greeted. "You'll have to forgive us for not giving you a proper ceremony of your promotion, but time is short and we need to make a decision."
"I understand," Itachi replied, bowing his head. He didn't want to waste time thanking and brown-nosing the people who were now his equals, and knew that the matter at hand was important. Itachi took a seat between Konan and Nagato, while Yahiko sat on Konan's other side and next to Jiraiya's empty space. "I've been briefed on Jiraiya's sudden...departure. Though I don't know anything beyond that."
"None of us do so far," Konan admitted to Itachi. "Yahiko gave me the brief summary of what was going on."
"That's because that's all I was told before I went to meet you, and catch you both up to speed," Yahiko added. The part he neglected to mention, due to the importance of Jiraiya's absence, was that Yahiko was the one who suggested to Nagato and Tsunade that Itachi should be promoted to their ranks. It took little persuading to convince them to agree, due to Itachi's history and record.
"Jiraiya went out on a scouting mission with Zabuza and Haku Momochi," Tsunade said, her tone going into it's lecture mode. "During this encounter, they stumbled upon a group of ANBU agents. The agents were killed and their bodies disposed of, which our own scouts confirmed. However, Jiraiya, Zabuza, and Haku all left to venture into the Land of Fire itself."
"Why though," Konan asked. She knew it would concern the ANBU agents, but there was obviously a missing key element.
"The ANBU agents were pursuing a target, Sakura Haruno," Nagato explained. This caused the others heads to perk up suddenly. "Shortly before your return, Higure Haruno was apparently labeled a traitor, and taken captive by Danzo. Jiraiya believes Higure would have been taken to a prison called Hell's Palace."
"It's about as pleasant as it sounds," Tsunade grimly muttered. "Even as one of the Sannin, going to Hell's Palace carries great risk. Our only real option at this point would be to send another group after them to try and stop Jiraiya's suicide mission, or bring them back."
"Would bringing Jiraiya back against his will even be an option," Yahiko questioned, knowing full well the capabilities of his sensei.
"Sending myself, Nagato, and Itachi is one option," Tsunade replied. "Zabuza Momochi and Haku are formidable opponents, but incapacitating them won't be as difficult as trying to stop Jiraiya. Plus they would know better than to try and use lethal force."
"So you're simply asking Yahiko and I to hold down the fort," Konan guessed. Tsunade nodded, giving a look a mother would give her children.
"Can I trust you two to be capable of that on your own?"
Yahiko opened his mouth to speak, but Konan cut him off, "Yes ma'am. You can."
All eyes then turned to Yahiko. He simply nodded, knowing that he could handle the situation at hand. At least he had the easy job of not arguing with Konan, when compared to the others who had to hunt down and try to stop Jiraiya.
"Come on then, we have no time to waste," Tsunade ordered as she rose up from her seat. Nagato and Itachi both nodded and followed her out of the room, both having mixed feelings about pursuing one of their own Akatsuki leaders.
As they were left in the room, Konan and Yahiko looked over at each other in silence. "You can handle it, right?"
"Yeah," Yahiko replied with a nod. He then turned and left the room without another word. Konan stood still and watched him leave, lingering in the meeting hall for a few seconds before heading for the door as well.
After several hours of traveling, Orochimaru approached the entrance of a small shack in the middle of the dense forest. Standing before him was a single, white haired man flanked by two large, grinning giants of men. The white haired man wore nothing but black, a long, open trench coat with a high collar, high shinobi boots, and a mesh undershirt to show off his impressive muscle build. Orochimaru simply grinned as he approached the trio, who then bowed to him.
"I'm glad to see that jutsu was still active on you, Mizuki."
The white haired man sneered and nodded, "Of course Lord Orochimaru. We've already cleared a path for you through to the Inner Sanctum."
"No further?" Orochimaru stopped when he asked the question, looking at the shack before him.
"Unfortunately, no guards go into the Inner Sanctum of Hell's Palace. Even with the Legendary Stupid Brothers, we have no clue what lies ahead..." Orochimaru hummed quietly to himself, his mind analyzing the possible actions. Mizuki stood silently, but nervous nonetheless. The man was paranoid about more shinobi from Konoha showing up.
"You three stand out here and keep watch," Orochimaru finally ordered. Mizuki gasped with surprise at the order, though Orochimaru's composure seemed to suggest that he was anything but joking.
"But my lord, Hell's Palace is no place to be going through on your own, even for someone as powerful as you. The only one who can go through without any trouble is the Hokage, or the Daimyo!"
Orochimaru ignored Mizuki's pleas and turned to the Legendary Stupid Brothers. The two buffoons stood tall, grinning like the idiots they were. Orochimaru knew their reputation for their pure, raw strength, and their obsession over food. He also knew that somehow Danzo managed to capture the duo, and put them in the only facility that could contain them. Even so, Danzo was no fool, and would have likely ensured that they were fed regularly. It would be easier to feed the two giants, rather than finding more shinobi willing to waste their lives away as guards in Hell's Palace.
Orochimaru pondered for a moment how Mizuki, one of the Oni Guard of Hell's Palace, got these two criminals to follow him. He didn't question it however, guessing that the idiots were easily manipulated at the prospect of food. Orochimaru refused to take any chances however, and formed the horse hand sign, casting a genjutsu over the Stupid Brothers.
The two giants, Fujin and Raijin, gasped softly before their bodies slouched over. Mizuki looked confused for a moment, wondering what had happened. Orochimaru extended his neck, his face twisting into something similar to a striking cobra, fangs bore and all. He bit both Fujin and Raijin's necks before moving his neck back to its proper placement. Orochimaru broke the genjutsu with another hand sign, bringing the Legendary Stupid Brothers back to consciousness.
The two brothers now had a more firm, sterner look about them, their goofy grins now completely gone. Mizuki trembled a bit at this, wondering what Orochimaru did to them. The Sannin simply stared at the duo with indifference.
"You two will stand guard. Kill anyone who tries to enter behind us."
"Yes Lord Orochimaru," the brothers murmured in tone-dead voices.
Orochimaru turned towards Mizuki and signaled for him to follow into Hell's Palace. Mizuki quickly followed his master's heels, staring at the two Stupid Brothers in confusion as to what happened.
Orochimaru opened the shack door and entered what appeared to be a simple resting area, as there was only one bed, and a shelf in the entire room. The Sannin turned to Mizuki. The Oni Guard placed his hand on the ground and formed a hand sign, surging his chakra through the floor. A hidden door flew open, slamming loudly on the ground.
Orochimaru headed towards the hidden passage, descending into the dark stairway. Mizuki followed the Sannin, his mind nagging at him as to what happened with the Stupid Brothers. Mizuki had to lie to the idiot duo about having unlimited food if they served Orochimaru, yet his lord simply put them under a genjutsu and bit them, and they were his slaves. The Oni Guard wondered about the true capabilities of his master.
"M-my lord...if I may ask...?"
"I put curse marks on both the Stupid Brothers," Orochimaru answered, having already guessed his subordinate's question. Mizuki simply nodded dumbly at this, not sure what to make of the news.
Orochimaru finally saw light ahead of him at the bottom of the stairway, coming to a hallway now filled with blood and corpses, and a few sparse torches. From a quick gaze, noticing that many of the cells were either wide open or blown open, Orochimaru guessed that Mizuki somehow staged a riot, which he used to kill the prisoners and guards alike without any difficulty.
"Excellent work," the Sannin said before continuing forward, moving around the corpses in his path. Orochimaru always had an eye for talent, and Mizuki was formidable when it came to misdirection. The fact that he managed to slaughter so many prisoners and guards in Hell's Palace without so much as a scratch to his own body was proof of that.
"How far until we reach the Inner Sanctum?"
"There are four floors on the outer ring of the Palace," Mizuki explained. "It's all be cleared out however, but Higure Haruno was taken into the very core of Hell itself." Mizuki and Orochimaru got to the end of the hall, entering a much larger prisoner cell block.
The stench of death was immediate and lingered in the air. There were at least a hundred shinobi and criminals alike of all ages, young, old, men and women, all of them dead. The sight and scent barely affected Orochimaru, though the sheer amount of death was enough to give him pause. The cell block had four different levels. Orochimaru pondered what the obsession with fours were in the Palace.
"I'm grateful to have gotten the Legendary Stupid Brothers here to help me clear the outer ring for you my lord," Mizuki stated. "Even with a full blown riot, I doubt I would have been able to do this on my own..."
"You did well," Orochimaru said reassuringly before he hopped over the railling, landing on the bottom floor without pause before he walked forward. He was so close to his goal, to become Hokage, he wasn't going to stop until Higure was his.
Deep within Hell's Palace, in what was considered 'solitary' confinement, within the deepest pit there was the sound of pained, agonizing screams. Within the torture chamber, Higure was chained up in the center of the room, being electrocuted from a pair of Oni Guards on either side of him, surging lightning chakra through the chains that held the traitor in place.
The room was filled with at least another dozen of the Oni Guards, with one man in particular standing in front of him, wearing a scarred orge-like mask. Behind that man, there was another notable figure, wearing a demonic bird-like mask, sitting in a makeshift throne at the head of the room.
The orge guard signaled for the others to stop the torture. As the pain stopped, Higure's body fell limply forward. He panted and groaned weakly as sweat poured down his body. The orge guard walked forward and cupped Higure's chin in his hand, lifting it up to see glazed over green eyes.
"You still have some fight left in you I see. Lord Danzo was correct in assuming that you were going to be one of our more tough guests." The man released Higure's chin, letting his head fall down. The orge mask turned and walked towards a table with several papers and files on it, all of them pertaining to Higure. "Now, judging from your profile, I was able to draw many conclusions about you, Haruno. Tell me, what did you document all of your findings in?"
Smoke lazily trailed off of Higure's body as it hung there, limp and unmoving. After a few seconds, the orge placed his hands behind his back, "I know better than to think that you can't hear me. Speak, filth."
Higure slowly lifted up his head, feeling as though it weighed a ton, and managed to keep his eyes open long enough to stare at the orge guard in front of him. "You...go fuck yourself..."
"Continue the torture," the orge responded. The two Oni Guards continued to surge lightning into the chains, electrocuting the prisoner, and charring the skin around his wrists and ankles where he was bound up. Higure screamed in agony, having already been through hours of this and other similar tortures.
The orge and the bird simply watched and stared at their pathetic prisoner, both of them knowing that Higure would either die soon, or talk. And the orge had enough experience to know in a desperate state to save one's own skin, anyone would say anything to do so.
The Akatsuki team hid in the bushes, stopping when Jiraiya ordered them to do so. Zabuza, Haku, and Sakura all moved next to the Sannin quietly, looking through the bushes at two huge men standing in front of a shack.
"That's the entrance to Hell's Palace," Jiraiya whispered softly. Zabuza had no reason to doubt his senior, but Haku and Sakura both gave one another unsure looks. All they saw was a small, wooden shack guarded by two behemoths of men. "And those are the Legendary Stupid Brothers too..."
"Oh great," Zabuza groaned. Haku and Sakura looked at each other, both wearing a confused look on their faces. "Aren't they supposed to be criminals...? Why are they standing guard?"
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed skeptically, his mind taking a wild guess. The Sannin looked to the others, "Listen, these two are immensely strong. We're going to have to think this through if we're going to beat them."
Zabuza turned to Jiraiya, noting the tone the older man took. It was obvious something bothered him now more than before. And the fact criminals were standing guard in front of a prison was hardly a good sign.
"What's going on? Or what do you think is going on?" Jiraiya shook his head, truly unsure of what was happening beyond wild guessing.
"Nothing good. We need to hurry and beat these two quickly."
"Leave that to me," Zabuza said before he sprung out of the bushes.
"Zabuza wait!"
The swordsman grabbed his sword and brought the massive blade down on the nearest brother, who narrowly dodged. Zabuza then sprung backwards, dodging the next brother's attack, "GO!"
Jiraiya growled deeply before shooting towards the shack, "Come on kids!" The Sannin kicked the door down, reducing it to little more than splinters. Jiraiya turned as Sakura and a worried Haku rushed inside. Somehow, the Brothers didn't notice anyone else but Zabuza somehow. "Don't you die Zabuza!"
"If that tyrant can't kill me, these idiots won't!" Zabuza avoided the two brothers roaring and charging him. After getting behind them, he readied his blade as the two brothers turned back on him. "I'll split both of you morons in half!"
Haku and Sakura both looked around confused inside the shack until Jiraiya stepped between them. The Sannin placed his palms on the floor and popped open a hidden trap door. "Go, quickly." The two younger ninja did so, and Jiraiya quickly followed them in suite.
Once underground, it took little time for the three of them to suddenly realize the scent of death in the air. Sakura grimaced and covered her mouth with her hand, groaning at the smell. Haku simply waved his hand around his nose. He was no stranger to the smell, but it lingered heavily in the air around them.
Jiraiya seemed completely unfazed by it all as he quickly took point, moving fast down the flight of stairs. He hated having to leave Zabuza with two powerful, unpredictable opponents like the Stupid Brothers. However, Jiraiya simply accepted the fact that Zabuza could and would handle himself, and could very easily outsmart the two brothers.
The Sannin's eyes widened in horror when he reacted the first hall that was lit up, seeing dozens of dead bodies lying on the floor, piled over one another, laid against walls, and so on.
"My lord..." Haku and Sakura both got to the bottom of the stairs, and stared in horror at what they saw. "This explains why the Legendary Stupid Brothers were watching outside," Jiraiya muttered grimly. "There was a riot of some sort..." The Sannin's face turned to a sour look, mixed with anger, "Which means that my suspicion might be true. We need to move, now!" Jiraiya took no time to explain and rushed on ahead, leaving a bewildered Sakura and Haku behind him.
"Come on," Haku urged, "I know it's rough, but we need to save your uncle, right?" Sakura took a moment and nodded finally.
Haku chased after Jiraiya, and Sakura behind him. The pinkette grimaced a bit, having to remove her hand from her nose, allowing the rotten scent of death to enter her nose again. It was a something that was faintly familiar to her, reminding her of the attack on the beach after the Land of Sky and Kirigakure attacked. The only difference was, this scent was all boxed into one area, making it all the more rotten and putrid.
The next room was much worse.
The number of deaths and bodies gave Jiraiya pause, and nearly had Sakura puking her lunch out. Haku simply covered his nose and mouth, a clear look of remorse and disgust imprinted on his face. Sakura's face grew pale as she tried to calm her stomach and to keep from hurling.
Jiraiya simply stared at the scene before jumping over the railing to the bottom floor. He examined the ground carefully, noting the blood trails. Some were smeared, some had dried, others were still fresh, and there were footprints scattered in every direction possible.
While investigating, Jiraiya heard Sakura and Haku land down behind him, just as he noticed it. "Come on, there's someone else after your uncle!" Sakura gasped before Jiraiya took off. The two young ninja then followed the Sannin.
"What do you mean?! How can you tell?"
"There are footprints, fresh ones, in the blood, leading deeper into the prison," Jiraiya pointed out. Sakura looked down, confirming that they were indeed running along a trail of freshly printed tracks. "Whoever is responsible has men on the inside, sleeper agents unknown to even Danzo. And he has something to gain from your uncle's death."
Fear gripped Sakura, causing her heart to stop for a moment. Her mind raced with possibilities, the first immediate person that she thought of was Madara Uchiha. "W-who would want to come all this way to kill my uncle though?" Sakura asked, despite having a generally good idea.
"I know who you're thinking, and it's not him," Jiraiya stated. Sakura gasped softly, surprised that Jiraiya knew she believed it was Madara. "Madara would gain from your uncle's death, but even he would have no way of knowing that Higure was imprisoned so quickly. No...the person who is after your uncle was my old comrade...Orochimaru..."
The Sannin's head whipped around as Mizuki started to unseal the chamber doors to the next level of Hell's Palace. The Oni Guard had explained that there were three main levels of the prison, and that they were heading to the second level.
Orochimaru however, was more concerned with what he felt just then. Three chakra signatures, all rushing towards them. The Sannin recognized one of the chakra signatures as Jiraiya's. This fact alone enraged Orochimaru, who was about to order Mizuki to work faster until the doors unlocked.
Orochimaru wasted no time in moving to the other side, "Can you close these again?"
Mizuki was confused, but followed his lord, "Y-yes, but why?"
Jiraiya landed on his feet at the bottom of a flight of stairs on the other end of the hallway, "Orochimaru!"
Mizuki snapped his head around, seeing one of the Legendary Sannin rushing towards them with a swirling blue orb in his right hand. Mizuki quickly locked in a hand seal before the doors could open full. The massive stone doors stopped and then quickly start to close again as Jiraiya ran faster.
Orochimaru simply grinned triumphantly, knowing that Jiraiya couldn't reach him in time. The white haired Sannin tried anyway, but his Rasengan slammed into the closed door that instantly became shielded with chakra. The jutsu exploded in Jiraiya's hand, sending him flying backwards.
The large man simply flipped around and landed on his feet, grunting with displeasure as Sakura and Haku rejoined him. "O-Orochimaru really is after my uncle?!"
"Yes...I was worried about this." Jiraiya smiled and then patted Sakura on the head, "Don't worry, we'll stop him Sakura." The pinkette didn't respond and simply stared with a pained look in her eyes at the door before them. Her mind was full of worry, hoping that they could indeed save her uncle in time. "This might take a moment, so stand back kids."
Jiraiya stepped towards the door and placed his hands on two distinctive patterns on the doors. The door glowed with a bright chakra, as Jiraiya channeled his own through the door's locks, unhinging them one by one.
Sakura simply stood there, clenching her fists tightly with worry. Haku noticed this and took a step towards the pinkette, "Please don't worry. Jiraiya will do everything he can to save your uncle." Sakura didn't say anything, and just watched the Sannin. The young girl prayed for a miracle of some sort to save her uncle.
The earth nearly exploded from the force of Raijin's punch that Zabuza avoided it by a mile. However, the swordsman put himself directly into the hands of the other brother, Fujin. Zabuza spun around and raised up his sword, bracing the blade with his hand, shin, and chakra before a devastating punch impacted the other side. Zabuza flew back and smashed through a dense, thick tree, causing him to cry out in pain.
The Akatsuki shinobi groaned as he sat up, shaking his head clear of the blurriness as he looked up at the two brothers approaching him. "Damn, you beasts really are tough. Guess I should stop screwing around then..."
Zabuza stuck his blade into the ground and then cast his hand seals to perform the Hidden Mist Jutsu. The Legendary Stupid Brothers stood still and watched as this happened, losing their sight of Zabuza completely.
The two started sniffing, barely catching a scent as they both ducked under a swing of Zabuza's large blade. The masked shinobi cursed himself before the two brothers spun around, punching with enough force to tear Zabuza's head off.
The rest of his body splashed in a large pool of water, forming a puddle on the ground. The two were shocked for a moment before a single slash across their backs. Fujin and Raijin cried out and stumbled forward, blood pouring from their backs before they spun around, swinging at the source of their attacker.
Zabuza's dark laugh filled the surrounding area, "What you two have in strength, you lack in brains. That's easy for me to exploit."
The two giants growled and then started swinging wildly, hoping to hit the sword wielding shinobi eventually. In reality, Zabuza stood at a distance, eyes closed and listening intently to the sounds of the brother's swings and grunts. The rogue could hardly believe just how stupid the brothers actually were.
The ninja moved quickly towards the brutes and quickly sliced off the arm of one of the brothers, Raijin. The youngest of the two brothers howled in pain and swung his remaining arm about, only for Zabuza to dodge yet again.
'This is gonna be way too easy for me...'
"Fujin, activate it!"
"Right Raijin!"
The two brothers slouched over a bit, groaning as an unusual chakra started to cover their skin, spreading like some sort of virus almost. The Legendary Stupid Brothers started to bellow as their body size increased even larger than before, and several additions to their bodies started to sprout.
Spikes started to grow from their shoulders, their hands became larger, and their stubby fingers grew long with sharpened nails at the end of them. A pair of small horns also sprouted from their foreheads, just below their hairline, and their usually flat teeth became sharp and jagged. Their hair grew longer as well, developing a few unnatural spikes here and there, as well as changing to a duller gray color. Their eyes became dark with yellow pupils and wide grins spread across their twisted faces.
Zabuza watched, eyes wide with horror at what he witnessed, as the two brothers finished their transformations with one final mutation. Raijin grew an odd pair of protrusions on his back that had small openings, almost looking like cannons. Fujin on the other hand, had an extra pair of bulky arms coming out from his back, giving him four total.
'Well...this changes things a bit...'
Raijin's protrusions began to glow as they gathered an energy source, likely chakra, into the openings. The large orge-looking monster lowered himself onto all fours and fired the chakra balls into long beams that tore through the mist, blowing it apart.
When the beams hit, there was a large explosion, the wind from it alone managed to clear the battlefield of all the mist Zabuza cloaked the battlefield in. Thankfully, Raijin was a few meters away from Zabuza with the blast, and the rogue himself was unscathed. Despite this though, Zabuza still trembled.
The two brothers started laughing as their opponent visibly shook from their power, "Look at the scared little man Fujin!"
"He might start to cry Raijin." The four armed beast stretched his new limbs, a wicked grin on his face, "He won't be so scared after we eat him."
Zabuza started laughing out loud, catching the two opponent's attention. The masked man simply grinned under his mask and clung his sword with one hand, draping the blade on his shoulders. "You think I'm scared? Oh no Stupid Brothers..." Zabuza lowered himself down, positioning himself to lunge at any moment, "This isn't fear! I'm called the Demon of the Hidden Mist for a reason! Because I love a good challenge! And giving me the opportunity to kill two goliaths like you, while under Orochimaru's Curse Mark is all too sweet!"
The two brothers scowled, angered by the fact that they were being taken so lightly. Zabuza simply laughed at this and then rushed forward on foot, "Come on then!"
The two forces collided, Zabuza swinging and slashing at the Stupid Brothers, but their skin was made immensely durable from the Curse Marks. Zabuza's sword scraped against the brothers as though his weapon were made of tin, and their skin made of steal. However, Zabuza found it increasingly easy to dodge the brother's incredible attacks that had also increased in pure, raw power.
However, the rogue continued to swing and kick between the two brothers, all while dodging their attacks and countering. Fujin and Raijin screamed and growled as they threw their fists and feet about, practically forming a small crater with their power while Zabuza continually landed blow after blow that was less than a mosquito bite to the duo.
Zabuza thrust his sword into the ground and launched himself high into the air from it. The two brothers looked up at him and growled. The masked shinobi pulled down the garment covering his mouth after completing a ninjutsu seal.
"Water Style: Flying Drake Jutsu!" Zabuza launched a powerful stream of water from his mouth that soon took the shape of a small dragon-like creature.
Raijin simply grinned, his chakra cannons on his back charging before unleashing another powerful blast that completely destroyed the jutsu.
While under the cover of the chakra blast, Zabuza rushed between the two brothers and took his sword, all within the blink of an eye. The duo growled before an explosion went off on each of their stomachs, caused by the paper bombs Zabuza planted on them while retrieving his sword.
'Taijutsu, ninjutsu, they're both useless. My only hope would be genjutsu, but that's not my specialty.'
Fujin suddenly appeared in front of Zabuza, his two right arms cocked back and ready to punch. The masked man skidded to as top and flipped backwards as the two fists blew through the ground. Zabuza narrowed his eyes before he heard the familiar sound of chakra charging. He looked back and saw that he was flipping right towards the other brother, Raijin.
The brother grinned sinisterly before launching his chakra cannon into Zabuza. The masked shinobi spun around and raised up his sword, crying out loudly as the blast surrounded him.
The Oni Guard with the orge mask punched Higure across his bruised, swollen, bleeding face, "You really are a stubborn ass man, aren't you?"
"My lord!" The orge mask and bird mask both looked up as an Oni Guard rushed into the chamber. "There's been a break-in! The entire Outer Sanctum has been wiped out!"
"Did you say we've been broken in to," the bird masked shinobi spoke, with a high, airy female voice. The sound of her words alone was enough to cause every Guard within earshot to turn to the warden. "Well, that's certainly a first, isn't it Ibiki?"
"Milady, we must counter this now," Ibiki, the orge masked man, replied. "If someone managed to wipe out the entire Outer Sanctum-,"
"Then they're likely here for our new guest," the woman murmured, motioning towards the beaten sack of a man hung before her. The sound of her tone made it obvious that she didn't care at all for a single life that was lost in the Outer Sanctum. "Most likely someone trying to break him out. This, Akatsuki organization perhaps." The kunoichi then waved to the guards in the room, "Whoever is here, kill them without mercy. If there are any break outs, kill them as well. Lord Danzo cares little for the scum of this place unless they're of interest to him. And as we all know, the only ones of interest are here, in the Inner Circle of Hell's Palace."
The Oni Guards, minus two and Ibiki, departed the room in blurs. The interrogator turned to the kunoichi sitting in her throne, "Mistress Tenga, what if it's that other party of interest Danzo warned us about...?"
"Then we simply exterminate that problem as well," Tenga replied, her gloved hand resting elegantly over her mask. The woman chuckled darkly under her mask while she stared at the barley conscious Higure. "Besides, our mission currently is to extract the information out of this man in hopes that we could learn something more about our enemies, or where his little niece ran off to."
Higure murmured softly, unable to get the air needed to speak up. Tenga waved her hand to Ibiki, who punched Higure in the stomach, making him cry out in pain and cough loudly. His chest felt heavy, ribs bruised, and his stomach was on fire.
"What was that dear," Tenga asked her prisoner. "You'll have to speak up."
Higure simply coughed up a mouthful of blood and groaned with pain. He hung there, his body aching from the bruises, torture and beatings. Higure's mind however kept the same images in his head. Images of his friends, and of Sakura went through his mind, as he kept reminding himself what he was dying for.
"Continue with the interrogation," Tenga ordered. Ibiki nodded and then walked over to a push cart with various surgical equipment on them. He picked up a rusty, serrated knife and approached Higure with it.
After entering the Second Circle, Jiraiya, Sakura, and Haku all rushed through the prison. Haku found it amazing that Jiraiya managed to keep them going in the right direction for so long without getting lost somehow. He also found it surprising that the entire time they were rushing past countless prisoners, that none of them seemed to pay attention to them.
The young ice user's mind went back to Zabuza fighting against the two Stupid Brothers. Haku looked back and hoped that his mentor was alright, and that he could handle himself.
What was even stranger was that so far they didn't encounter any guards, or resistance of any sort. Haku had broken into, and out of, quite a few prisons, and they were usually littered with guards. However, the path Jiraiya was taking them through, the prison seemed much more linear than Haku would have suspected. It wouldn't take a genius to know that Jiraiya clearly knew a lot about the prison, due to knowing its location and its layout as well as he did. Haku knew though that now wasn't the time to be asking any unnecessary questions.
The trio turned a corner and stopped in their tracks. Once again, they had encountered a mess of corpses littered throughout the halls. The dead bodies however were different from the previous ones. Their clothes all matched in uniform, meaning they were an organized group, likely the guards of Hell's Palace. There were also no other prisoners out from their cells, leaving the three rogues to conclude that Orochimaru likely killed them.
A faint, echoing laughter put the group on guard though. They all looked forward from where the sound was coming from. Footsteps could soon be heard, echoing along with the laughter. A man stepped out of the shadows, his build muscular and his hair long and white, slightly ragged as sweat poured down his face. He wore the same uniform as the dead guards on the ground as well.
"Lord...Orochimaru was right...you truly do know your way through the Palace, Jiraiya!" The white haired man groaned, his body's muscles pulsating a bit. Sakura's face twisted in worry as the guard's body moved in an unstable manner. Her natural medical instincts kicked in, before she reminded herself her purpose in the prison. "You...won't get past me! Lord Orochimaru...has granted me with...his...BLESSINGS!"
Mizuki's body began to transform rapidly, darkening in skin color, but also his bones growing in odd shapes, and his skin stretching and molding to fit the body's new structure. Mizuki grew a pair of devil horns, sprouting from his forehead. His eyes became darker, narrower, and more dangerous looking. His fingers grew together into two long, sharp claws, with a third coming out of the back of his hand. His elbows grew spikes out as well, along with his knee joins. His feet expanded, and his toes grew together into one dangerous sharpened point itself. His muscles grew harder as well, with spikes coming out of his hips too. Mizuki's hair grew upward, spiking back on its ends. Mizuki's lips pulled back into a twisted sneer as he gazed upon his enemies.
"More Curse Marks," Jiraiya muttered as he cracked his knuckles. "This is going to be a real pain..."
Haku stepped forward, clenching his fists firmly, "I'll handle this. The mission is to save Sakura's uncle, and if Orochimaru is ahead, then there's no reason for you and her to stay behind to deal with him."
"Are you sure about this," Jiraiya asked, not taking his eyes off of their hideous foe.
"I have a better shot of taking him down than I would against Orochimaru. Now please, leave this one to me Master Jiraiya."
Haku lunged forward, throwing his needles at Mizuki. The projectiles bounced off the guard's skin harmlessly. Mizuki threw his head back and laughed at the futile attempt before glaring his eyes straight at Haku. What the monster didn't notice, was that while he was laughing that Jiraiya and Sakura both managed to rush right past him. Mizuki however, didn't seem to care, only focusing his murderous gaze on what was directly in front of him.
Haku readied himself as the crazed monster in front of him walked forward, chuckling and cackling madly as he approached. "I'm going to kill you! I'll kill you and then everyone else will die too!"
'The Curse Mark clearly made him unstable...still, this is pure insanity. He's truly no longer even a man. Just a monster created by Orochimaru...'
Mizuki then charged full speed towards Haku, who also shot at his opponent with faster speed.
Jiraiya held the lead, blowing past body after body, following the blood trail Orochimaru left behind for him. On the Sannin's flank, Sakura followed, her expression growing more concerned than ever.
'She's doubting that we'll save Higure...as long as the Warden can stall Orochimaru, we can save him. Otherwise...he's in the hands of fate.'
Reaching the Inner Sanctum, Orochimaru saw firsthand why the prison was called Hell's Palace. He stood on a single steel bridge, that was wide enough to have a couple of carriages roll through. Underneath the bridge was molten lava, and raging infernos. Steel pipes were erect out of the lava, shooting out even more fire. All around though, there were several more bridges, along with a few chains that had cages strung about them with prisoners, alive, dead, or charred, inside of them.
The screams and cries of the prisoners echoed like lost souls entering the gates of hell for the first time. The walls, formed of solid rock, had pure steel prisons that held the convicts inside with no chance of escaping. In the center of everything however, was a large protrusion of jagged, hard rock descending from the ceiling. The formation wasn't natural at all, and it hung in the center of the cavern like a beacon of despair and hopelessness for anyone who entered the Palace.
Orochimaru's gaze lowered as a swarm of Oni Guards came out of the Palace to greet him. The Guards were all armed with a wide assortment of weapons, armored with their unique uniform, and each of them wearing distinctive, demonic looking masks.
"I have no time for this...not with Jiraiya on my tail," Orochimaru murmured to himself as he started to walk towards the Palace. The Oni Guards wasted no time, letting out a loud battle cry as they rushed to their deaths.
Inside the Palace, a medical ninja tended to Higure's severe injuries while Ibiki and the Warden, Tenga, watched. "This is getting us nowhere, Ibiki," Tenga stated, her fingertips gently pressed against themselves in front of her mask. "I haven't seen a shinobi this difficult for you to crack since...oh, that's right, you've never had this much trouble before."
"I'm doing my best to get the information out of him. His...persistence is remarkable. Perhaps if we brought in someone from the Yamanaka Clan to probe his mind we could-,"
"Are you telling me your skills are useless, Ibiki?" The interrogator froze, nearly choking on his own spit. Tenga slowly shifted her eyes to Ibiki before parting her hands and resting her arms on her throne. "Perhaps I should send you out with the others to stop Orochimaru." The warden sighed and leaned back in her chair, looking at the broken man hanging in front of her. "Not that it would do any good regardless. Orochimaru will undoubtedly reach my throne. Which is why I want the information from Higure before he gets here."
"I-I'm doing my best ma'am," Ibiki stated.
"Unfortunately, your best isn't cutting it. We're doing things my way now." Ibiki shivered at the though before turning to his superior. The shorter woman was already next to him, standing in front of Higure in the blink of an eye. In her hand, she held an unusual looking device with a think, long needle at the end of it.
"M-my lady...didn't Danzo want Higure to stay alive...?"
"If it was possible, yes." Tenga held up the device, the needle pointing at Higure's head. "However, if it wasn't, we're to kill him, and dispose of the body to ensure that no one else can gain his remains." Tenga gently ran her soft, gloved hand down Higure's jawline before resting a finger under his chin. "Are you ready...for a world of torture my dear? One that would make Ibiki's methods seem like child's play?" Higure simply hung there, blood and sweat dripping from his body onto the floor. His hair was thick in strands from the sweat, and his bruised, scarred face was motionless, and his eyes almost seemed to be devoid of life.
Tenga stared at the broken man for a second longer, still keeping his chin up as his dull green eyes gazed lifelessly ahead. "Good boy." In a flash, Tenga stabbed the needle directly through the center of Higure's forehead, and his eyes shot open with a new life. This sudden surge of adrenaline through his body switched in a fraction of a second into nothing but pain as Higure let out an agonizing cry that resonated throughout all of Hell's Palace.