Enslaved
Chapter 4
"So, I guess we're back to Sound 6, eh?" the twin brothers, connected to the same body, said in unison.
A red-headed girl shook her head. "How many times do we have to tell you... two, that we're counting you as one. So, it's Sound 5 from now on."
"Do we really have to babysit a literal child now?" a dark-skinned teenager with six arms commented dryly.
"That's what Lord Orochimaru has decided. From now on, you'll have to keep her alive," Kabuto growled, clearly not satisfied with Orochimaru's decision. "The first mission is supposedly easy enough for her to get used to; she should be able to do what she needs after I taught her a lesson," Kabuto added, and pulled out a scroll, placing it in Sara's baggy gray pants.
"Well, at least we'll have a hotter redhead than her!" one of the twin brothers, both of whom were connected to the same body, said. The other fair-skinned brother burst out laughing, while the one who told the joke smirked right at the girl.
"Hey!" Tayuya growled and tried hitting him over the head, but to no avail, as Sakon and Ukon moved in an instant. "One day, I'll shut at least one of you permanently!" she said angrily and took a closer look at the girl on the cement floor in the compact room. She looked beyond helpless.
"In any case," Kabuto took the focus yet again, "I didn't quite have the time to teach her, but Sara should learn and control the full power of my body modifications by herself."
The tallest of the group nodded and bowed. "I see. We'll do what we can," he said.
Despite still outranking them, Kabuto didn't feel a single shred of respect from anyone but Jirobo. Sound 4 was too problematic; they didn't listen to anyone but Orochimaru and fell into unnecessary conflict whenever they couldn't keep their sharp tongues in check. To be so bad at infiltration for such a squad was beyond unacceptable in Kabuto's mind.
"I want her in one piece," Kabuto demanded, and to no surprise, despite the cold and threatening words, Sound 4 members didn't even budge. With that order in place, Kabuto left without saying a word and took off. Sharing the same building as Orochimaru was something he could never fully accept; Kabuto was afraid of the man in charge.
Orochimaru was someone Kabuto looked up to, but that didn't mean he would follow him forever. In a way, Orochimaru was limiting Kabuto from achieving what he wanted: knowledge, power — ideas that the serpent himself had given him when he was but a boy. But he wasn't that young anymore. He was not a lonely orphan but a commander and scientist of a massive and powerful empire.
In Kabuto's mind, he needed to take charge; Orochimaru's way of ruling was highly inefficient and at times ludicrous. His obsession with Itachi Uchiha and various other minor things didn't help the case to support him as rational as Kabuto envisioned a perfect leader to be.
But all that had to wait; Orochimaru was smart. But Kabuto wholeheartedly believed that he could do it better.
That mindset, or rather, the very minute details in his tone and speech patterns, might have set some alarms for the snake on top. The thought of overthrowing the man who possibly knew and stayed under the same roof was a terrifying thought.
An army of his own. A loyal following, just as Orochimaru had. These were the things that Kabuto needed if he ever wished to become the one in charge.
...
One of Orochimaru's favorite activities was looking back and recalling all the events, countries, and enemies he had encountered on the map. Four continents, two of which were far away from the elemental nations, while the other one had managed to isolate itself from the mainland. Placing his sharp index nail and brushing along it always felt satisfying for him — perhaps reminding him of the many endeavors he had taken part in throughout his long life or the whole world being right under his pawns.
A tall woman, one with light blue hair tied in a ponytail with two long strands etching down her neck, coughed into her hand to get his attention. "Could our team get more details on what's the real deal with the Land of Steam?" she asked, displeased with the mysteriousness of it all.
"There will be a time and place for that, Guren," Orochimaru stated. "For now, just focus on what's given to you."
Kabuto sighed, almost comically so. Kabuto couldn't imagine any logical reason for leaving out Guren on such trivial, yet important information. "Frost's Daimyo has agreed to ally with us after we took the princess of the land. There is one problem with our alliance — Frost doesn't share a border with the Land of Fire."
Guren nodded, showing that she understood, and Kabuto continued, "Even if we didn't have such an alliance and we ourselves didn't border the Land of Steam, it still shares the longest border with the Land of Fire. It would be a huge blunder not to take the country under our control. But—"
"Steam isn't the Land of Frost. Even though the population is heavily scattered, it would still be a chore to conquer it, and the pacifism of that country may not help. Konoha might interfere if things go sour," Guren interrupted and voiced the same concerns Kabuto had in mind.
"Exactly," Kabuto affirmed and adjusted his glasses. "Orochimaru had suggested to simply ignore the country, and let whatever Frost has sent away with boats."
Orochimaru, curiously, with the same dry voice as always, asked, "By the way you're talking, do you have something better in mind, Kabuto?"
Kabuto wanted to smirk widely but refrained. He wanted to appear as reliable and still submissive to Orochimaru as possible. "I believe so. Jashinists have been running rampant in the country, yet the Daimyo, with his passive strategy, has spent little resources to deal with them."
"You want to ally... with them? That might be the dumbest thing you've ever said, Kabuto," Orochimaru's left hand snorted. Guren didn't like the sound of it at all.
Kabuto, however, shook his head. "Not exactly. I'd never trust the likes of them; what we want is for them to join us wholeheartedly, but in name, they'd still be independent," Kabuto stated, this time letting his smirk run rampant.
The puzzled expression Guren started to wear made Orochimaru start chuckling loudly, echoing across the whole hospital-like atmospheric room. "Put some confidence in Kabuto, Guren. He's quite useful if push comes to shove," Orochimaru said, looking directly at Kabuto's unwavering eyes, waiting for an explanation.
"First of all," Kabuto said with a sigh, having rehearsed it all in his head a million times, making it tiring to repeat, "We'll need to speak with the leader of the Jashinists, which is quite problematic, but I have no doubt that I'd be capable of doing it. This is a step that, if failed, could jeopardize Orochimaru's strategy. If it succeeds, however, we can steer the plan in so many directions that could significantly increase our chances of winning against Konoha."
Orochimaru hummed, a sound that Kabuto had heard only a handful of times during their long partnership. "You really think you could get them under control?" Orochimaru asked, a tone that Kabuto couldn't quite decipher. It suggested that he might be genuinely surprised at Kabuto's confidence. "We tried it many times, each ending in failure," Orochimaru annoyed, remembering the trouble of dealing with insane cultists.
"I can, and I will," Kabuto affirmed confidently. It was a risky step, but one he must take if he wants to do something. "Once that's done, we'll send some light support, and I'll command them. The leader of that cult is a pathetic fool — he could never properly rule over a country."
"You think you could rule a country?" Guren asked annoyed. She always hated his smug way of talking, especially his monologues.
Kabuto snorted. "Definitely. But," he said and faced Orochimaru, "My country would still be under Orochimaru's control — I'm his right hand after all," he said, smugly facing the girl who was glaring a hole through his chest. She wanted, no, physically needed to become Orochimaru's right hand.
"Once you manage to take it under control, you'd create an independent country that would serve as a gateway to Frost's army and supplies," Orochimaru remarked aloud. "And we'd be getting a strong and viciously dangerous ally. Brilliant, Kabuto," he then said excitedly. For all it's worth, Orochimaru always felt that not his friends who served with him in the war or his teacher, but the orphan student he took and taught, was the one who truly understood him, and vice-versa.
"While Guren and I deal with the Land of Steam," he said, eyeing and smiling at the fuming blue-haired woman, "Your other forces could take our neighbor to the west. It's a messy jungle, but having it serve as an ally would still be beneficial."
"Very well, Kabuto. If you succeed, it would be a feat perhaps worthy of a raise or a promotion of some sorts." The words stung Kabuto hard. A raise? As if he cared about it. But as for a promotion, he was already at the top, only under Orochimaru.
"Thank you for the opportunity, sir," he said and stood up, glancing at the still-pissed-off girl to his left. "I won't disappoint you. That I can promise."
Kabuto is definitely not the most likable character, but I don't think he has to be. Hopefully, you didn't mind the mix of POVs in this chapter. Also, I've found the map I was searching for, which I think is far more detailed and richer than most. I'll show it next time if I get permission from the creator of it.