The Next Day, Afternoon – In Root's Laboratory, Konoha Village
"!"
Orochimaru was calmly examining a dissected test subject when he suddenly sensed something and glanced down at his feet.
Several small shadows appeared beneath the operating lamp, completely surrounding him.
[Nara Clan?]
That was his first guess—that maybe the village had discovered the research he was doing on behalf of Root. But then he dismissed the idea.
Knowing the Old Man [the Third Hokage], if they'd uncovered Orochimaru's collaboration with Danzo and Root, they wouldn't just send Ino-Shika-Chō to dispose of him; more likely, they'd have the Anbu investigate thoroughly, and then the Hokage himself would come in person.
"Clack… screeech."
One of the upright, pitch-black shadows pushed open the door. The lab's iron door lock twisted like clay, breaking off.
A shadow laid a piece of paper on the floor and then melted into a blackish fluid, slipping away out of sight in the blink of an eye.
[Their speed and strength are quite remarkable—some kind of experimental subject? Or maybe a conjured technique? And that paper reads: "If you want to know who you really are, come to Training Ground Seven." An invitation?]
Orochimaru wore an inquisitive look. A small snake crawled from his sleeve, wrapping itself around the note.
Neither the note nor the shadows bore any scent or chakra signature. The handwriting was unrecognizable—like it was from a stranger?
[Just now, those shadows didn't leave—they merged into my shadow. Looks like they're set on me.]
His expression stayed neutral, but inwardly he was on full alert. How to counter, though? Trying a sealing barrier might antagonize these mysterious visitors, but doing nothing and heading straight to meet them seemed dangerous, too.
[Should I inform Danzo?]
As he pondered, his body moved almost on its own, a keen thrill showing in his smile. Unknowns were fascinating—and, more importantly, the text on the note was something he couldn't resist.
Later, in the future, Orochimaru would leave Konoha with Yakushi Kabuto, even revealing his hidden base to Kabuto first. The reason was that, in a certain sense, they were the same kind of person.
They didn't know who they really were.
His parents were killed by the village's actions, yet the Hokage trained him to become strong. A ninja's life was full of slaughter and emptiness. Other than missions, who exactly was he?
Mindlessly seeking the unknown, he became the village's infamous "monster," feared and shunned by everyone. Eventually, he lost out to that kid—Minato—over the Fourth Hokage position and joined Danzo in Root at Danzo's invitation, serving as one of "Konoha's roots."
His life grew even emptier, doing one shady thing after another, assassinating anyone who threatened the village—even if they were one of the village's own undercover allies. As long as they might pose a risk, they were to be silently eliminated.
Already mired in darkness, he sank deeper into the abyss, lusting for everything.
No one could understand him.
So if he could understand everything himself, perhaps then he'd discover who he was.
This mysterious person had appeared out of nowhere, with an offer Orochimaru couldn't refuse—whether it was an ambush or some trap.
And so, Orochimaru—Root's left hand of the ninja's shadow—found himself inexplicably leaving his lab as though bewitched, heading straight for Training Ground #7.
Seeing a short figure appear in front of him, Orochimaru smiled. "You're the one who beat Hyūga Hiashi last night, aren't you?"
A small body, a youthful face, controlling shadows like it was some secret technique.
"I'm Link," the boy said, standing atop a rock, looking carefully at this version of Orochimaru.
At this point in time, Orochimaru had not yet gone down the path of reconstructing himself after fleeing the village, nor had he been driven to extremes by his defeat at Itachi's hands, nor was he plagued by leftover consciousness after unsuccessful body transfers. All in all, he was still that eerie, "normal" person—if that even applied.
Or a normal snake?
Anyway, from Link's perspective, this Orochimaru really did make sense of Ibiki Morino's remark that the man was something "wearing a human skin."
Pale skin, eyes that disregarded life, and an emptiness that ran deep in his bones—coupled with that slight upturn at the corner of his mouth, which made his expression unreadable. He hardly looked human.
"Have we met before?" Orochimaru asked, keenly sensing how strangely familiar the boy's gaze was. He seemed intrigued.
[Such a cliché pick-up line.]
Link inwardly ridiculed the question, then said, "I'm here to recruit you."
"Recruit a member of Root?" Orochimaru asked idly.
Ninja who served in the shadows were infamous throughout the shinobi world; Root's name was dark and notorious. Only after the Uchiha massacre and Root's disbanding did it fade from the new generation's view. At this point, its reputation wasn't good.
Especially since all Root members had Danzo's cursed seal on them, leaving was no simple matter.
"So, are you joining or not?" Link asked, without a shred of sincerity.
Orochimaru didn't hurry to accept or refuse. "You said, 'If you want to know who you are, come here.' So, do you have an answer for me now?"
"I don't," Link answered bluntly. He'd only said that to lure him out.
He'd discussed it earlier with the Orochimaru of the main world: If he ever met some other-world Orochimaru, that line might hook him in… er, "entice" him.
Even with all his composure, Orochimaru's expression froze for an instant, then his grin broadened. Whether this person understood him, or someone else did and taught them how to approach him with that phrase, it was interesting either way.
"So, what are we going to do now?" he asked, laughing.
His voice wasn't yet as slippery as it would be in the future.
"Probably… hm, saving the world?" Link said offhandedly. He doubted he had enough leadership skills to make Orochimaru obey him fully. That line was basically just a conversation starter. The rest of the plan came down to either forcibly compelling him or possibly bribing him.
In the future, Link needed someone to handle logistics, traveling among multiple Naruto worlds, especially if his main world faced the possibility of an early confrontation with Kaguya. This earlier-stage Orochimaru shouldn't be too tricky—Link could threaten him, and once he summoned that world's Tobirama, Orochimaru wouldn't be an issue.
"?"
[So, not a normal person…], Orochimaru mused, having thoughts similar to some future acquaintance. Then he said, "If it's to save the world, show me the power that can save it."
With that, he suddenly raised an arm, unleashing a flurry of serpents.
"Trivial," Link murmured, eyes barely flicking. One of his "Breakthrough" shadows stepped forth and punched, a fierce blow.
Boom!
With that air-cannon punch, not only were the snakes vaporized into blood-mist, but the ground under Orochimaru's feet split open into a deep trench.
"What a terrifying strength…" Orochimaru rose from the ground off in the distance, looking more serious now. Quick-handed, he began forming hand signs, but before he could finish, a shadow used a flawless Shadow of the Dancing Leaf approach, booting him skyward.
Next, he was caught in a series of aerial combos Kankurō would have found all too familiar—an "infinite float."
[He's not even the strongest among my shadows, and yet he's trying to put on airs in front of a super-Kage like me?], Link thought, arms folded, watching as his Eight Gates–empowered shadows hammered Orochimaru around.
~~~
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