Hello, dear readers, how is it going?
I would like to warn you all that before you start reading my humble fanfiction, that despite it's initial premise being quite simple, it should grown into a lot of lore and subplots stuff, as I'll try to explore the little dark places Kishimoto never dared to step-in, come close or shred of light for us to have good look on.
It's also tends to be a little too fanciful, once I'm a fantasy person, and I tend to be too original with whatever I write, but I'll try my best to be the most canon compliant as I can.
Also, the writing I do may be a bit hard to read, since I'm a non native English speaker and thus far I'ma no fluent at all. Just be patient and be kind, and we can chat easily on the comments.
I'd love to see your thoughts of it.
And finally, this fanfic will be updated every seven days after it's updated in Portuguese(my native language), Wich should happen day 8th of each month. So, day 8 in Portuguese, day 15 in English. Once the fic it's well planned, scripted and even written ahead, I would start to update more frequently.
By now,enjoy the reading, and see yall soon!
Darkness hung supreme at the heart of a cave at the bottom of a hill, hidden by dense woods at the Rice Country.
The air there was humid enough that you could almost touch it, making strands of hair cling to your forehead, carrying in its essence the aroma of mold, moss and things long dead.
The only sound present there was the droplets that, from time to time, left the stalactites and join the stalagmites here and there, in an erratic symphony of a painfully slow tempo.
In such an unwelcoming ambient, where some trained eyes would find a hard time to see beyond a few inches ahead, Orochimaru saw everything with clarity , focusing in a small albino snake tainted with patterns of a shade of red so pale one could mistake it as pink.
Said snake was getting away on a steady rhythm, although a slow one, meandering with graceful struggle through the irregular rocks in the ground.
The scornful sound of a snort died in his throat without reaching the lips.
He could've killed her with a single hand movement and no one would dare complain about it, after all, it would be a proper punishment for the audacity of taking the leave without her master dismissing her, however, he didn't killed.
Instead he found himself watching the reptile cold body squirming away over the colder ground, vanishing from his viewing field, until the sound of her returning to her home echoed throughout the cave system.
An approving smile appeared on Orochimaru's face.
Despite it's own insignificance, that small little creature knew he's patience was short to deal with such annoyances like her for anytime more than the necessary.
Alone again at his favorite hide out, his gaze turned to the scroll the daring snake had interrupted his thoughts to deliver.
The smile, small as it was, immediately vanished.
It was the report of one of his many eyes and ears. Took a whole second to recall, through the meek chakra signature on the seal, that those saw and heard what was dome and said on the deepest and darkest spots of the Hidden Leaf.
Doesn't matter what's being reported, there's no reason to deliver it three months prior the schedule.
Sadistic thoughts of how should he punish his spy entertained his mind on the brief seconds Orochimaru took to break the seal and unfold the scroll holding whatever Intel Shimura Danzo was involuntarily sharing.
Sharp eyes swept the letter in less than five seconds while the mind, even sharper, tried to assimilate it's content.
He froze the moment he understood.
Reread the content for confirmation. And then e reread again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
It was like reading the same words again and again somehow helped his mind to process the weight behind what he was reading. And ever time his eyes pass through the rushed writing of his insider, a wicked smile widens on his face.
Around the eleventh time he reread it he started laughing. Passed the sixteenth and his laugh became loud enough the echos made it looks like there where someone else in the cave, tips of insanity surfacing all over his face. Came the thirtieth time and he leaned forward, hugging his belly and closing one of his eyes - the other one keeping the reading - the last tips of sanity vanishing from him entirely.
By the forty-fourth time he finally stop from both reading and laughing, focusing in recovering his breathe instead, while his mind still relishing on the sheer pleasure he felt just for being alive to live that moment.
The scroll was engulfed by yellow bright fire the same moment he recovered, momentarily lighting up the cave, while he stood up from his seat, a dry and decayed dead corpse of whatever had died there - or at least the left overs nature hadn't claimed -, and started walking.
He realized then that his spy had escaped the fate of becoming another seat on that cave.
He started humming an ancient melody while walked the long way to the exit. Without thinking he took his equipment and clothes where he left it, the cave slowly playing it's role again.
The almost soundless pitch black environment, isolating him from the outer world, emptying his head from all unnecessary frivolities, making the perfect chalkboard for him to plot his plans.
And he has a lot to plot.
Between a small laugh and a whistle his mind went through all the intel hd has, setting the pieces and start moving them, scenario post scenario. Everything looked so perfect that for the briefest of the moments he feared being lured into a trap.
No, he didn't had time to doubt now. The deadlines where too soon, the distances too far, the timing from a step to another too tight.
Now was time to risk it all.
He needed to be fast and silent, to advance through gaps, slip above adversities, open a way until his target and strike on the weak spot.
He was a snake after all and it was time to hunt.
One part of his mind was going over the scroll yet again, key words burning on his head.
Uchiha. Riot. Coul. Root. Counter measures. Danzo.
Another part was losing itself on a ocean of possibilities.
Sharingan. Byakugan. Sound. Cloud. Rice. Nine-Tails.
A third one was drawing his schemes among the first two, planning his actions, foreseeing the reactions, opening his entrances, disguising his exits, measuring each gain and loss, risk and sacrifice.
Where would be better to a extraction? How long would take to infiltrate someone in a foreign delegation? How could he get him to the right place at the right time? How close could he get before someone detect's him? How would he frame his scapegoat? Kabuto would be able to set everything in motion in time? How would he justify all that operation?
And beneath all that logic, his heart was beating in anticipation to how all this would quicken his plans in years, how it would not just strengthen him but would weaken many of his enemies at the same time.
And mainly, how this would get him his revenge! His mouth was salivating by the mere thought.
So self-absorbed he was, he didn't notice the presence by his side until he spoke.
—Happy that soon? Did any little boy get lost in the woods recently?
He aimed a disdainful glare to the hunched and expressionless figure of Sasori, well hiding it's wooden face under his straw hat and over his black robe with red clouds.
Only then Orochimaru noticed he was already deep in the woods, the cold and fresh air entering his lungs for what felt like the first time that day, the meek blue light of dawn sneaking through leaves and branches here and there, announcing that the morning had come.
—Hmpf!- was the only answer Orochimaru gave to the outrageous accusation, hiding his face behind his own straw hat and dark robe, having the decency of feeling ashamed of being caught smiling the way he was. —What are you doing here?
Made sure the bitterness was evident in his tone. The fact that Sasori knew about his hideout was a wound that refuses to close and aches in rainy days.
—The Great Leader has a mission for us. We shall seek and eliminate a lost contact that knows too much by Shukuba.
—Whoa, two of us to take down one loose end?- questioned with a malicious smirk.
—The target knows we're coming, we should expect resistance.- it wasn't needed to say "he knows too much" again to the meaning sinks. —Besides, Leader aren't taking risks since what Kakuzu did last summer.
He nodded, agreeing, recording how surprised he was when he knew that, not satisfied in killing his third mission partner in a row, Kakuzu had killed two at once.
—Well, that mission came in a good hour.- casually said, playing with the ring in his finger as a child anxious for his mother to let him outside to play.
Sasori's head mechanically turned to him, while his body kept crawling forward.
—I've business to attend in Leaf.- simply answered the unasked question.
—Business to attend, uh?- repeated suspiciously while Orochimaru could feel the puppet's eyes narrowing on him. —You didn't answered my question.- pointed the hunchback.
To what Orochimaru initially answered by shrugging, before showing a wide ear to ear mad grin.
—Let's just say that strong winds are blowing and mill it's about to turn violently!
Hm… what did Orochimaru discover on that letter of his, I wonder… better than that, what does he plans to do with such knowledge? Oh, geez, the doubts!
Joking apart, as long as I dislike the turn Orochimaru had on Shippuuden, I absolutely ADORE his build up has a villain on Classic! I want to keep his image as the perfect nightmare stuff during this fanfiction , so, feel free to point out whenever his characterization feels odd. Odd even to Orochimaru's standard, I mean!
Now, talking about the chapter, as a good prologue, all pieces that will start moving the plot were settled, would you be able to guess what would be the first move? Or even better, the first moves?