Sannin (1/3)
June 4, 1 bNb
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For the second time in not even a week, Izuma found himself seated across from Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The Third Hokage took a puff of his pipe as he glanced over the report Minato and Izuma had made. When he spoke, his voice came out hoarse.
"I take it Minato is making his choice at the moment, then?"
Izuma nodded.
Hiruzen leaned back, tapping the ash from his pipe.
The bags under the Hokage's eyes were even more pronounced than the last time Izuma had seen him, just earlier in the week. It seemed as if the war was drawing to a close, the Hokage had to work overtime.
"And you're confident in this recommendation?"
"I am," he said, motioning to the report. "Kakashi, Obito, and Rin aren't ready for such a high-profile mission. The Uchihas I recommended to Minato all have extensive experience in war and are seasoned jonin."
The Hokage hummed, his eyes full of contemplation. He took a long drag of his pipe and, with an equally long exhale, watched his smoke float up.
Izuma was sure Danzo would throw a fit at the prospect of the Uchiha receiving any bit of fame—be it for successfully completing an impossibly difficult mission, or for becoming martyrs in the process.
However, not to boast, but the Uchiha had Fugaku and himself, both of whom had proven themselves comprehensively in the war. In fact, it wouldn't be incorrect to say that the Uchiha had experienced a great resurgence, with their current status in the village second only to when the Leaf had been founded.
As such, Danzo's opinion didn't truly hold much weight at the moment. And the less said, the better for the elders.
At times, Izuma wondered if they existed solely to suck off Danzo. How one as incredibly intelligent as Tobirama had so many incredibly incompetent students was well beyond his understanding.
Frankly, they reminded Izuma of the oldheads he would try to convince that Lebron was the goat. But even those oldheads had some valid points; the same could not be said for the elders whom Izuma could not bother remembering the names of.
"I'll approve the request," Hiruzen said at last, snapping Izuma from his internal rant of slander.
Hiruzen put the report to the side and picked up another paper, glancing up at the clock on the wall.
"Since our last guest seems to be running late, I suppose that gives me some time to discuss a few matters regarding your upcoming mission," he said, handing Izuma the paper he had just retrieved.
Izuma glanced through it, frowning at the information he was being told.
"I'm aware that you were initially supposed to have 20 jonin under your command; however, unfortunately, that will no longer be possible. Much of the jonin we were in the midst of recalling had to be redeployed to the Land of Noodles and the Land of Tea."
Izuma furrowed his brows.
Why would the Mist push upward from the south? And didn't they just abandon their assault in the Land of Noodles?
While Izuma was aware he was no Nara, he didn't quite consider himself a slouch either when it came to tactics and strategy. He had read quite a lot of Sun Tzu after all. But, at the moment, he was failing to make heads or tails of the situation.
The Mist's approach had seemed…random throughout the entire war. However, this took the cake. Were they pushing through the Land of Tea with plans of making their way upward and crossing into the Land of Fire?
On the flip side, Izuma had a faint recollection of Mist and the Sand having some type of treaty during the canon timeline, so was this event potentially a precursor to that? Would the Mist nin push through the Land of Tea to Wind Country?
He truly had no idea of what was going on with the decision-making with Mist's top brass.
"It seems you've understood my worries. The Mist's actions have been erratic, and had you not already arrived at the village, you would have likely been tasked with pacifying the situation there. However, since you're already here, I need you to command this mission. To ensure the best chances of completion and survival, you'll still have an elite 20-man team. However, not all will be jonin, some will be skilled chunin who were deemed fit for this task."
"That's fine. I've taken on missions with worse odds before," he replied with a wry smile. "But being honest, the situation with the Mist concerns me a lot more than this upcoming mission. Do we have any intel on what's going on with them? I mentioned this in my report, but from what I saw in my time spent at the front, it's like they're split on their decisions. One day, they'll actively pursue controlling a specific area with a great army, and then the next they'll splinter off without having made any accomplishments."
Hiruzen frowned slightly, the lines on his face deepening as he took another slow pull from his pipe. He let the smoke linger in his lungs a moment longer than usual before exhaling, his gaze lifting toward the ceiling, following the path of the drifting smoke.
"From the firsthand reports of shinobi who've spent extended time in the region, that assessment isn't incorrect. Units advance without support, then withdraw without provocation. It's… unusual."
Izuma clicked his tongue.
Hiruzen's eyes slid back to him. "It gives the impression of a fractured command structure. Or," he added carefully, "multiple factions vying for control."
Izuma leaned back in his chair, arms folding loosely over his chest. "So they're either incompetent or fighting themselves."
"Those are the prevailing theories," Hiruzen agreed.
Those weren't very helpful theories, and so, as it was becoming increasingly more common, it was up to Izuma to figure something out.
He racked his brain trying to think of any small details he might've overlooked in his time in the Land of Noodles. After a couple of minutes, he finally gave up, although not before an idea came to him.
"Does Lord Danzo, or ROOT for that matter, have anything useful on this?"
The Hokage's mouth twitched. He took another puff of his pipe, then shook his head slowly. "Nothing of substance," he said. "At least, nothing they've deemed reliable enough to present."
Izuma stared at him.
"…You're kidding."
Hiruzen met his gaze, but had the decency to look somewhat sheepish.
He sighed. Why were all the people on his team so useless?
"What's the point of ROOT," he asked flatly, "if they can't even manage basic intelligence gathering?"
Hiruzen tapped his pipe on the ashtray in front of him. "That is an uncharitable way of phrasing it."
"Is it really?" he asked, gesturing vaguely to the stack of reports. "Our best source of information on an enemy nation is jonin telling us, 'Yeah, something feels off.'"
Hiruzen closed his eyes, but before he could respond, a knock at the door cut him off.
Hiruzen's eyes snapped open, irritation briefly colouring his tired features, before he masked it behind a stone-faced facade.
"So it would seem our last compatriot has finally decided to show up," he said. "Enter!"
The door slid open, and in stepped Orochimaru.
Izuma had to restrain himself from cringing; he was only 15, and the man in front of him would soon be giving hickeys to little boys.
Hiruzen seemed to agree, if his look of disgust was anything to go by.
Orochimaru didn't seem to mind the two equally reprehensive stares. Rather, Orochimaru smiled, his golden eyes narrowing in amusement as he inclined his head.
"Hokage-sama," he greeted smoothly. "And Izuma-kun. How fortunate. I was hoping to catch you both."
A crawling sensation crept along his spine, not unlike damp fingers brushing the back of his neck.
Slimy, Izuma thought. And there was indeed no better word to describe Orochimaru.
Previously, when he had met and even fought alongside the Snake Sannin, he had never felt so evil. Indeed, spending time with one such as Danzo would be sure to corrupt oneself as well.
Orochimaru silently made his way forward and took the seat beside Izuma, folding his hands neatly on his lap as if he was here to enjoy tea and biscuits with the Hokage.
Hiruzen snorted. "You're late."
"A matter of moments," Orochimaru replied lightly. "I had a precious…experiment to complete. Surely you understand, Sarutobi-sensei," he drawled, an undertone of elation in his voice.
Hiruzen didn't bother responding, simply waving his hand. "That'll be all."
The very moment Hiruzen finished his command, ANBU operatives detached themselves from the roof one by one, dissolving into nothingness until only the three of them remained in the immediate vicinity.
He shifted slightly in his chair, angling his body just enough to put a fraction more distance between himself and Orochimaru. It did nothing to dispel the clammy, crawling sensation that seemed to cling to the man, but it did help settle Izuma's own nerves.
Orochimaru's eyes flicked to him before the corners of his mouth curved upward again, as if he found Izuma's discomfort endlessly entertaining.
Slimy bastard.
"So, Lord Orochimaru, what're your terms?" he questioned, unwilling to drag his interaction with the Sannin out any longer than it needed to be.
Orochimaru licked his lips, amused rather than offended at his frankness. "Straight to business. I do appreciate that about you."
Hiruzen exhaled smoke through his nose. "Orochimaru."
Izuma had never felt more thankful for Hiruzen Sarutobi's presence than in this moment. Mentally, he patted himself on the back for asking him to oversee this transaction.
"Very well," Orochimaru continued, unfazed. "I'll be brief. There is a Uchiha technique—"
"No," Izuma said instantly.
Orochimaru paused, although the mirth in his eyes only grew.
"…You haven't even heard which one, Izuma-kun."
"I don't need to," he replied coolly. "If it's a Uchiha technique, the answer is no."
Orochimaru chuckled.
"Ah, but do humor my curiosity, Izuma-kun. A large-scale barrier that is mostly self-sustaining," the Snake Sannin's greed-filled golden eyes bore into Izuma. "It is remarkable work, truly."
Curiosity? Yeah, right.
Knowledge of that jutsu was hoarded infinitely close by each subsequent generation's Clan head, who only allowed themselves to choose a select few people, even to catch a glimpse of the name.
How Orochimaru had any knowledge of the technique was worrying at best and worthy of investigating the clan for a leak at worst. But, ultimately, Izuma chalked it up to Orochimaru being Orochimaru for the moment—the only two people who had been made fully aware of the inner workings of that technique were Fugaku and himself after all.
Would he start investigating himself for selling out?
"That's restricted," he replied, "as I'm sure you're aware. It's not up for discussion."
Orochimaru raised both hands in a placating gesture, although Izuma was well-aware this matter was nothing more than a minor divertissement for him.
"You truly won't even consider it? Not even for me, Izuma-kun?"
Hiruzen watched them both, his pipe long forgotten. Occasionally, he would glance toward Orochimaru, but whatever was going on in his weed-rotted head was masked too well for Izuma to gleam.
He shook his head.
"For someone so young," he murmured, "you're remarkably inflexible."
Izuma remained quiet, partly because he was uncomfortable, and partly because he truly did not know how to respond.
Even with as much clout as Izuma had gained over the last few years, there was a vast difference in status between him and one of the legendary Sannins, so being too disrespectful wouldn't do.
And that was all without taking into consideration just who Izuma would be disrespecting: Orochimaru.
A man who, in the not-so-distant future, would stop at nothing to get his hands on a Sharingan, while adhering to one core tenet: the younger the better.
And he was very much so still a minor.
His unwillingness to respond earned him a laugh.
"How disappointing," Orochimaru sighed theatrically. "I had hoped the famed pragmatism of the Uchiha would extend beyond the battlefield."
He shrugged. "I'm sorry, Lord Orochimaru, but I did not request a meeting with you to get fleeced."
Hiruzen cleared his throat.
It seemed even the Hokage was beginning to get fed up with their song and dance.
"Orochimaru, Izuma, stop dancing around your terms. I agreed to oversee this meeting, but I do have better things to do with my time—overseeing a war, for example."
"Of course," Orochimaru said smoothly, as if he hadn't been the one wasting everyone's time. "Then let us be precise."
Izuma let out a quiet breath of relief. The sooner he could get Orochimaru to agree on terms, the sooner he could get what he wanted.
He knew he'd overextended his hand in this ploy, but at this point, he didn't care all that much. He might've saved Obito, but Madara was out there all the same. Which meant there was still the looming threat of the Nine-tails.
So, irrespective of how stupid what he was willing to give up may be, Izuma would live with it.
"I'm not done, Lord Orochimaru," he continued. "I cannot give up something that is not mine to give. However, I can give you a creation of my own."
Orochimaru's head tilted. "And what, exactly, would that be?"
Izuma flew through a set of hand signs; he had worked extra hard to remove a single hand seal before this meeting, just to ensure Orochimaru couldn't possibly try to replicate it himself, and cut Izuma out in the process.
Lightning surged.
A split second later, the office filled with the violent, high-pitched shriek of a thousand birds crying at once. Blue-white arcs snapped along his fingers, crawling over his palm.
Orochimaru's eyes widened in hunger. His gaze was an endless pool of greed.
Izuma cut the chakra off cleanly. The chirping died, leaving behind the faint hum of static.
"This," he said simply, "is what I'm willing to give. The Chidori."
Orochimaru licked his lips, almost absent-minded. "Chidori," he murmured.
Izuma's mouth twisted. "Yes. An A-rank lightning technique that I came up with. It's built for assassinations. I'm sure it'll help you in the war."
He purposefully refused to mention Kakashi's own input; he didn't want a pedophile turning his gaze to his friend.
Besides, his current undertaking was objectively bad.
It was a horrid decision.
He'd spent years planning, creating, mastering, and improving the jutsu, and now he was offering it up in exchange for… what, exactly?
A foot in the door.
That was all he would gain.
He swallowed the bitter taste rising in his throat and kept his face a neutral mask.
"I'll give you the jutsu. In full," he clarified. "That'll include my notes on it. You don't need to reverse engineer anything."
"Well," the Sannin drawled. "Now that is interesting. To think you'd be willing to give that up for a chance to step foot in Ryūchi Cave. Unfortunately, though, it simply isn't enough. So what else can you give me, young Izuma-kun?"
Fucking extorting bastard.
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"Ten."
Izuma stared.
No. Absolutely not.
Ten million for the chance to walk into a cave and get judged by a bunch of snakes that might decide, 'No Uchihas allowed.'
He was not—
He…he just might.
He had offered five million ryō, and now Orochimaru wanted ten.
Five million was already a lot, and ten million was very unpleasant. He was getting well and truly scammed. Add on that this wasn't even a guaranteed summon, and even one such as Sam Bankman-Fried would concede he was getting fleeced.
But what choice did he have?
The Uchiha possessed no summons of their own.
He could have gone for the toads by begging Minato to refer him to Jiraiya.
But, as embarrassing as it was, Chinese Naruto fics had fried his brain in more ways than one. He couldn't stop thinking about the ever-smiling toads as a bundle of Amphibian cabals pulling the strings of history.
Was it bullshit? Absolutely. Was he well aware of that fact? Most certainly. Would he trust the toads? Not in the slightest.
At one point, Chinese Naruto fics had him believing Hanzo was actually referred to as the Demigod, so, as unfortunate as it was, he was pretty susceptible to their propaganda.
He shook his head; all that mattered little now. He was on the cusp of having the opportunity to make one of his major goals a reality, and he'd come too far to back out now.
Furthermore, he had plenty of legitimate income from war commissions, clan allocations, and enough bonuses to make any normal person cry. And that would allow him to set a very small, but potentially very important trap.
Orochimaru and Danzo were already business partners, and Izuma did not doubt that the money they were using to fund their experiments did not come cleanly.
However, this little sum he'd be, oh so generously, donating to Orochimaru, would be. And, whereas Orochimaru had to be extra careful with embezzled funds, he had no such need with Izuma's money.
Which meant his lab—wherever it was—would either expand faster in a visible way, or become sloppier. Hopefully, both, but either one helped.
And Izuma had long since mentioned to Fugaku to watch out for missing villagers, especially in the less well-off parts of the village.
He only told Fugaku about his thoughts because any other Uchiha, if they were to be found out, and Izuma was inclined to believe they most certainly would be, would be killed instantly, and their corpse would be missing eyes.
Fugaku, well, he was strong enough to contend with Orochimaru, and certainly strong enough to be able to escape.
Watch him.
Find evidence.
Report it.
Izuma wanted Orochimaru dealt with. Completely.
He wanted Danzo dealt with, too.
And hence, this was just one contingency. One more rope thrown into a net he was weaving around two sinners.
He exhaled, feeling some tension leave his body.
"…Fine," he acquiesced. "Ten million."
"Wonderful," he purred. "Then the terms are—"
"No," Izuma cut in. "Terms are: you deliver entry to Ryūchi Cave. Then you get the jutsu and the money."
Orochimaru laughed. "Very well. A reasonable structure."
Hiruzen finally spoke, voice stern. "Orochimaru. I expect Izuma to return safe and sound."
"Of course, Sarutobi-Sensei. Anything else I should do for Izuma-kun?"
Izuma didn't like the way he said that.
Freaky snake, he shook his head.
"Just take me there, now."
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A/N:
Hopefully, you guys enjoyed the chapter. That makes back-to-back days I've stayed up till four in the morning writing, as such, I have no clue if the quality of the chapter is good or not. I'm too tired to proofread.
Powerstones and comments would be greatly appreciated.
Let me know if you guys like Snakes as Izuma's summon.
Also, what MS abilities do you think Izuma should eventually have? I haven't put too much thought into it yet, so your thoughts would be helpful.
Anyway, have a great rest of your day!
Discord link: https://discord.gg/s2DVMbqSf4