Chapter 25

A soft melody filled the air as Keiko hummed to herself. Minding her own business as she made her way to the forty-fourth training ground; The Forest of Death. Keiko was distracting herself from the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. It ate away at her from the inside out, stirring incessantly. She had trouble deciding if there was something wrong or if she was just that anxious about seeing Anko again. It's not that she had anything against the woman, more than Anko wasn't a fan of her.

Even when she had ran into Guy on her way to the training ground, he hadn't been a good distraction. She had walked by a bush where Guy was leaned over, emptying the contents of his stomach on a poor bush. They had joked for a time, Keiko commenting that he was hungover and Guy brushing her off before continuing on. The way he had so quickly jumped up and turned around in his signature pose was nearly dizzying. How he could go from miserable and sick to alert and chipper was a skill she would never hope to master.

Before long, she could see the forest in the distance and the closer she became the more than nervous feeling ate away at her. She couldn't help but think, Keiko had never been this anxious to see Anko before, never. There had to be something else going on.

Just as the thought entered her mind, her hand raised, easily catching the dango stick that had been used as a projectile.

"Takahashi, 'bout time you showed up."

Keiko looked up, seeing Anko sitting above the check in station that was nothing more than two long tables and a wooden canopy. There was more dango in her hand as she happily chewed the sweet desert. Swinging her feet over the edge as blissful as a child. Keiko smiled and laughed, doing her best to not make it sound awkward, "Hello, Anko, long time no see."

The woman didn't open her eyes. She took one more bite of the dango before throwing the bamboo stick into the nearby tree where there was a nearly perfect Konoha symbol. Finally, her eyes opened, brown eyes looking down toward the other woman. Anko could feel her grin falter and wiped her mouth with her sleeve, "I still recognize you, so hasn't been that long."

The smile on Keiko's face grew strained and she forced a laugh, "Right." She half ignored Anko as she walked into the check in station, producing a stack of paperwork she had brought with her. "Anko, I'll need you to go over-"

There was a loud sigh, followed by a slurp and finally the solid think of another dango stick entering the tree. "Did you have to come while I was on break?"

Keiko resisted the urge to roll her eyes and instead forced herself to smile even though Anko couldn't see. A smile could always be heard in the person's voice, "You knew I would be coming, Anko. This can be painless for both of us if-"

Her words froze in her throat, suddenly feeling Anko's presence right behind her as well as a firm arm around her shoulders and a hand on her waist. The embrace was intimate, Keiko easily able to feel the curve of Anko's body against hers. Embrace wasn't the right word to describe this kind of hold. There was an air of malice as the hand on her waist tightened. Anko chuckled in Keiko's ear, sounding as sweet as the rice dumplings she had just been enjoying. "It's no fun if it's painless, and I could always bring a friend." The dango stick that was held between Anko's lips brushed against Keiko's cheek as she spoke, sending an unpleasant chill down her neck.

She stiffened in Anko's hold and sighed deeply, closing her eyes and forcing her smile even wider. "Anko, I would appreciate you taking this seriously. We won't be requiring any of your friends to join us."

Anko's eyes darkened, her hands sliding away from Keiko as she let her go. The arm that had been around Keiko's shoulders slowly slide away. Her hand lightly tracing the delicate curve of her jaw and brushing over the slender feel of her neck. Anko took a few steps back, leaning against the desk of the station, "Work, work, work. No wonder you got stuck with Guy for so long. He's a stickler for the rules just like you."

Her back turned to Anko, she couldn't resist the eye roll. She wasn't going to make this easy. Keiko turned, "Anko, I really only need-"

Beady eyes stared back at Keiko, only an inch away from her face. Her reaction was so immediate that it even startled herself. Her heart leapt into her throat and her eyes snapped wide open as her hand made contact, slapping the small snake out of Anko's hand with enough force to send the small creature flying. The snake poofed along with Keiko's smiling composure.

Keiko turned her wide eyes on Anko, who still had her hand outstretched in the air. Her eyes were closed and that evil little grin plastered on her face, the dango stick between her lips. A very uncharacteristic glower settled upon Keiko's features, "You're the reason I can't stand those things."

"And don't think I'm not proud of that." She turned her head toward the tree outside of the station and blew the bamboo stick with enough force to embed it in the tree. A trick she had picked up from Genma, no doubt. Anko grinned, not the least bit unsettled by Keiko's growing frustration. She took pride in being able to push her button's just right to get a reaction from the ever-smiling woman. She admired her work, "A perfect Leaf Village symbol, I think that it's time I go and meet the kiddos at the tower. The quicker one's will be finishing soon." Anko stood straighter and stretched her arms into the air above her her head, fingers interlocked, "Thanks for stopping by, guess I'll have to finish that paperwork later."

Keiko's hand shot out, catching the Kunoichi by the back of her jacket, "Oh, no, you don't. Anko, you're a proctor for the Exams, you have an obligation and duty to fulfill."

Not a moment later Keiko found herself on her back on the table, Anko above her with a kunai poised just a millimeter from her throat. Keiko didn't make a move, knowing full well that this too would pass. Thankfully, there was no one around to see it. Her eyes flickered toward the papers that had been shoved to the ground and soiled. This was exactly why she had brought extras.

Anko smirked, unabashed by the compromising position she had placed them in, "You don't need to lecture me, Gaijin*." Keiko's eyes narrowed upon hearing the word. No one had called her that in ages and hearing it once again sent an unpleasant feeling through her chest. Anko chuckled, "It's been a while since I've seen this porcelain skin of yours bleed. I've forgotten how pretty the contrast is. Mind if I refresh my memory?"

Keiko opened her mouth to speak as Anko readjusted her hold on the kunai. Before she could speak, there was a puff of smoke off to their side, "Ms. Anko, we have a pro-!" There was silence as the male shinobi that appeared took in the sight of the two Kunoichi. His face growing red as he tired to hold his composure.

It was at that moment that Keiko really noticed just what kind of position Anko had placed them into. Anko stood on one leg leaning over Keiko who's back was flush with the table. Her other leg was on the table straddling Keiko's thigh as a way to hold her down. Their chests pressed together as Anko leaned over her. It indeed looked, rather provocative.

This sudden realization caused Keiko's own face to redden and she shoved the Kunoichi away from her to stand up. Anko grinned evilly at the woman's embarrassment but felt no such emotion as Keiko straightened herself out. Returning her kunai to its home she turned to the rather shocked and surprised shinobi, "What kind of problem?"

He shook his head. That image was going to be stuck in his head for a long time but he had to focus on the task at hand. "Corpses, three of them."

Anko was unimpressed, "I hardly see how that's a problem." It was the Chunin Exams, she expected many of the kids not to make it out of the forest alive.

The man shook his head again but this time to try and make her understand, "There's something strange about them. I think you'll want to see them."

Anko grumbled to herself in dismay and was about to speak before Keiko cut her off, "You should go. I'm going as well."

"Oh, and here I thought you couldn't stand me." Anko grinned, a cheeky tugging at her lips as she rested a hand on her waist.

Keiko shot Anko a look that clearly said that she would rather not deal with the woman. "I believed you couldn't stand me either." She paused, noticing the man looking between the two with a barely hidden expression of curiosity. Ignoring him was easy, but ignoring the feeling of unease in her gut was an entirely different matter. "I just have a feeling."

"Whatever," Anko said shrugging her shoulders, "just stay out of the way, Takahashi. This is my portion of the Exam, after all."

Keiko smiled, nodding her head. Anko's eyes narrowed toward her, taking in that famous smile for the first time in a long time. It reminded her of when she had first seen Keiko...

~0~

Anko walked through the training fields of Konoha, minding her own business after her own training when a commotion caught her attention. Peaking out from behind a tree, she witnessed three older Chunin surrounding a noticeably smaller girl. Her clothes disheveled from her own training, covered in dirt and dust. Anko couldn't help but think she was dressed too formal to be a ninja, but the headband on her head said otherwise. The most striking features happened to be her raven black hair that was kept in a low ponytail and her piercing ice blue eyes. They were unlike anything she had seen in Konoha.

The older boys stood around her, the one who looked to be their leader pointed a finger toward the girl, "We've been over this, you need to stay away from our training grounds."

This girl was unfazed, "My apologies, it seems I'm always mistaken."

He growled, leaning down closer to her level. His words dripped from his lips like poison, "That's because you're not welcome at any training ground, Gaijin."

Anko gasped at the slur. She had heard a foreigner had joined their ranks. This was her? It would explain why she didn't recognize the girl, and it would explain those eyes. Anko looked the girl up and down once again, realizing that this girl didn't look too much younger than her. Twelve maybe? While the boys surrounding her were several years older, pushing sixteen or seventeen at least. The girl did something that surprised Anko, she smiled. It was such a simple action but it was enough to surprise her as well as the other Chunin.

"Oh," she spoke softly, "I failed to realize you were so important that you had a say in where I train."

There was a loud and familiar sound of a skin on skin as the girl was knocked to the ground. Anko gasped but was too entranced by the scene to move.

The leader of the three growled down at the girl, holding up his fist, "Who do you think you are? You shouldn't even be here. A filthy no good Gaijin has to right wearing that headband! The least you can do is back off. Training won't do you any good when any team that gets stuck with you will only use you as fodder anyway!"

The girl stood slowly and Anko held her breath, curious how this small girl would respond. She brought her hand up to her cheek, using the back of her hand to wipe the blood from her busted lip. Blue eyes studied the blood and Anko couldn't help but be entranced by the red color that was only enhanced by her pale skin. Once again, she smiled. A smile that didn't reach her eyes and Anko could feel a chill run down her spin. She thought the others could feel it as well based on how their shoulders tensed.

"How about, I show my fellow shinobi my worth?"

The ensuing scene had Anko staring in shock. This girl singlehandedly took down all three of the Chunin, her body dancing between them as she used her wakizashi with deadly precision. She never drew any blood, choosing to hit them with the hilt of the blade or a swift kick. When she was done, the three lay in a heap at her feet.

Anko took in the sight of her, chest heaving with exertion as she stood over them. Out of all the things that stuck with Anko the most from this scene was her face, framed by curled wisps of raven hair. Ice blue eyes closed as that smile only strengthened on her face, her lip reopening and another line of blood trickled down her chin. It was a sight she would not soon forget.

~0~

When they arrived to the scene they were greeted by Kotetsu and Izumo. Keiko knew the two Chunin to be rather laid back individuals, but in that moment she could see the rigid way they held themselves. They themselves were unsettled by the scene. Her eyes lingered on them for a moment before moving to the three bodies, broken and bloody. She gasped lightly in recognition, they were from the Grass Village. One of only two teams to come from their home to participate in the Exam.

Keiko stood back, observing the situation as Anko walked forward. "What happened here?"

"We don't know." Kotetsu answered honestly, "We went through their belongings and found their identification. They're Genin from the Hidden Grass Village, all registered for the Exams."

Izumo walked forward and placed a hand on one of the bodies, turning it over as he spoke, "Thing is, they're not just dead." The body turned over to reveal that the it no longer had a face. It was clean of all features, folds of what they could only guess was melted skin covered every inch. The sight was enough to make both Kunoichi shudder; one from revulsion, the other from recognition.

"Their faces have been melted completely off."

Keiko watched as Anko's hand moved slowly to the nape of her neck. There was a feeling of foreboding that swept away Keiko's nerves, her eyes narrowed. Not many knew about the curse mark Anko carried and while Keiko did not know its effects or why it was there, she did know who gave it to her.

Orochimaru.

Could this be his doing? She studied Anko for several long moments before realizing that it was on Anko's mind as well. Her old Sensei was here in the village, masquerading as a Genin from the Hidden Grass. Her heart grew cold as three Genin appeared in her mind's eye. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, they were all in the forest with the Sannin. Her head snapped in the direction of the forest that was now out of sight. Why would a member of the Sannin go through the trouble to infiltrate the Chunin Exams? She only hoped that he stayed away from them.

Anko turned toward them all, "We've got big trouble! Tell Lord Hokage what happened here right away, and tell Anbu Black Ops to dispatch two or more squads to the Forest of Death." She turned in the direction of the forest, fixing them all with a dire expression, "I'm going in after them, the four of you go, got it?!"

Three of the four Shinobi moved quickly, disappearing from sight but one stood her ground. The two kunoichi were left alone in the field, their only company dead bodies and the cold stone statues of Buddha marred by blood. Anko's fists tightened, the hem of her coat and Keiko's hair catching in the breeze. Her head turned, one of her eyes making contact with Keiko's determined blue gaze, "I gave you an order."

Keiko smiled and Anko could feel the familiar revulsion stir within her. "I know," Keiko stated, "if this is who we think it is then I can't allow you to go in alone." She knew that the other three would easily be able to carry out the tasks Anko had set. They didn't need her, but Anko did even if she didn't want to admit it.

Anko growled, "You never listen, do you?"

Keiko opened her mouth to speak but was cut short when a snake wrapped itself around her ankles. When she tried to move the snake constricted causing her to fall over onto her side. The childlike terror that settled in her chest tried to pry itself upward, to make itself known through Keiko's expression. Forcing her gaze away from the sickening creature and up to Anko she herself growled, "Anko, what the hell are you-?!"

"Shut up!" Anko turned to her, expression darker than ever, "This is my fight, how about you actually listen for once."

Then she was gone and Keiko cursed under her breathe. It took her far longer than she wanted to to escape Anko's snakes. By the time she was finally free nearly ten minutes had passed. These snakes were unlike the small one she had used to scare her not twenty minutes ago. They were thicker, stronger. When they were younger Anko would use her snakes to terrorize Keiko, at one point even replacing her sword with one during a sparing match. To this day she still didn't understand why Anko disliked her or why she had such a strange way of showing it. Finally, it got to the point where Keiko just avoided her altogether to avoid any awkward encounters like the one they had just been caught in.

She stood tall, looking out toward the Forest of Death, determination shining in her eyes. They might not get along, and Anko might not want her there, but she wouldn't let Anko face this guy alone. She had only heard stories, rumors of the Sannin's power and ferocity. Moving quickly, she disappeared, praying that she would make it in time, and that the Anbu would be shortly behind her.

~0~

Keiko cursed when she noticed the setting sun through the canopy. She had been tracking Anko through this forest for hours. Tracking had never been an area of expertise for her but after working alongside Kakashi she had picked up some tricks. Keiko was confident that she was tailing the Kunoichi and would have caught up to her by now if not for Keiko having to stop to be sure she was heading the right direction.

She continued onward, even past the setting sun and into the dark of the night. The entire time that feeling of foreboding swirling within her. What did this all mean? Would she make it to Anko in time? Had she met up with anyone yet? She bit her lip, and what about the Genin? What was Orochimaru after? Or, heave forbid, who was he after?

Finally, long after the sun had set, she could sense them. A creeping chill swept over her and she felt the tingle in her mind of another chakra signature nearby. She knew that if he where there, she would have little time to act. Her hand moved to the hilt of her katana and tightened around the familiar grip. Moving through the trees she focused her chakra into the soles of her feet and picked up the pace. She no longer needed to be mindful of where she was going since she could sense them, and that meant they could most likely sense her as well.

When she came upon the scene, Keiko only had a moment to assess the situation. Anko was on her knees, hand clutching the nape of her neck and a thin sheen of sweat made her skin look sickly. Knelt in front of Anko was a man with long black hair, his skin a sickly grey in the moonlight. This had to be him. Flipping forward to give herself speed and momentum, Keiko brought her foot down on where the man crouched. Just before her attack landed he moved out of the way effortlessly, her foot connecting with the bark of the tree making splintered wood go everywhere.

"Well, you're Keiko, aren't you?"

Keiko straightened but maintained her fighting stance. She could sense Anko wanted to speak but all Keiko heard was a loud groan as she bent forward, trembling in what could only be pain. When this man spoke, she had to suppress the shudder that tried to work its way through her body. Her name on his lips sent an uneasy feeling through her. Ignoring the emotions and smiled, "Orochimaru, I presume?"

Orochimaru chuckled, hands raised to the side in a shrug, "To think an outsider would know my name as well. I thought they would stop speaking about me after I left."

Her eyes narrowed, "You're an S-Rank criminal, how could I not?" Keiko may not know about every single high ranking ninja in the village but she did her research on enemy ninja. You never knew who you could encounter outside of the village and being well informed could tip the scales between live and death.

He smirked, "That's fair. But, whatever you know, I can assure you it didn't prepare you well enough."

Not a moment later Keiko rushed forward quicker than the eye could see and unsheathed her blade in one fluid motion, slicing through the Sannin. As she expected this wasn't enough to incapacitate such a well known and skilled adversary. As the figure in front of her crumbled into mud she was suddenly aware of the presence behind her. She swung her leg out, delivering a solid hit to the Sannin's head, sending him flying to another tree branch.

Anko did her best to manage her breathing and stay conscious. Grasping the tree, she tried to stand but with Orochimaru so near to her with her seal activated, standing seemed impossible. She looked up through squinted eyes, watching as Keiko charged her former Sensei. There was no way Keiko would live facing off against him. If Keiko had any idea how strong Orochimaru really was, she would have stayed put like she told her to!

Unbeknownst to them, they gasped in unison when dozens of snakes circled around Keiko, coming out from the shadows in droves. Momentarily halted due to her fear over the creatures she quickly regained her senses and surprised Anko and Orochimaru by weaving a singular hand into a few seals and spinning on the soles of her feet. Anko had to close her eyes tightly at the sudden bright light and the rush of cold that passed her with enough force to push her against the tree.

Keiko stood, huffing from the exertion. The ground around her feet was frozen, much like the snakes who were frozen to ice mid strike. They had taken on a blue hue, some of their mouths wide having been frozen before they could make contact. Her head rose to look at Orochimaru who only smirked at the display of ice, the air so cold her breath could be seen as she worked to control her breathing.

He chuckled, closing his eyes, "How fortunate for me to run into you. You saved me some trouble by showing yourself to me now." His eyes opened, and amber clashed with the crystal clear blue.

When their eyes met, all the air was sucked out of her lungs, her eyes wider than she could ever remember having them. He had been hiding this, his chakra. The mere presence of it, the crushing atmosphere that came with it. It was more chilling than her ice could ever hope to be. It was enough that it nearly made her sick, the contents of her stomach gurgling in protest and sweat beaded on her brow.

This, this was the power of one of the Sannin.

The display had been so jarring and disorienting she didn't register the snake that escaped from Orochimaru's sleeve. Not until she could feel the searing pain that came from fangs sinking into her shoulder.

Orochimaru's grin widened as he listened to her earsplitting scream. He chuckled, "I won't be leaving empty handed."

Dun. Dun. Duuuuun.

I had some fun with this chapter especially, lol.

Gaijin* = I try not to use a lot of Japanese words that are not in the show so that I know everyone will understand. This is an exception. Gaijin is the Japanese word for foreigner (according to google and other webpages). For this stories purposes, it is a borderline slur to use and one Keiko takes pretty personally.

Also, we hit 100,000 words! That's an incredible milestone!

Posted - 8/4/2021