Before anything else, I would like to thank my awesome beta, kurogana, who helped me with this chapter! Thank you sooo muuuch, this chapter would've been a mess if it weren't for your help!
Chapter 7: The Covenant Beyond Time
The sound of a cane tapping against the cold floor of Orochimaru's underground lab echoed long before the figure came into view. He knew who it was without even needing to look up. Only one man had the gall to walk into his domain unannounced.
“Still no results?” Danzo’s grave voice cut through the silence.
Orochimaru turned slightly, just enough to glance at him. “Progress has been... slow,” he said, voice smooth and unbothered. “The integration with Hashirama’s cells remains unstable. I'm trying a different approach.”
Danzo’s single visible eye narrowed. “How many test subjects?”
“Ten adults, three children, two teenagers, and five infants,” Orochimaru replied without hesitation, carefully adding drops of crimson liquid into a beaker. “All failed.”
There was a pause. Danzo stepped closer, his cloak rustling faintly. “You’ll be receiving ten more soon. No excuses this time. I want results—for the good of Konoha.”
“For the good of Konoha,” Orochimaru repeated softly, almost like a prayer—or a mockery. He didn’t turn around. His hands remained steady over the glassware. “Very well. You know where to find me.”
Danzo’s presence lingered like a chill in the air. But after a moment, the footsteps faded, the echo of his cane growing distant until silence returned.
Only then did Mitsuki emerge from behind a wall of storage scrolls and specimen jars, golden eyes wide.
“So… that’s the bad guy,” he said.
Orochimaru turned slightly, lips twitching into something unreadable. “Stay away from that man, Mitsuki. Never let him see you. And never get involved in things beyond your time.”
Before Mitsuki could reply, the air shimmered—faint chakra rippling through the cavern. There was a poof of smoke, and a white serpent appeared, its eyes focused and its mouth parting to speak.
“I bear a message,” it said. “Tsunade-sama is in position. You are to request a mission outside the village. Preferably long-term. You'll meet outside of the Tonika Village in three days.”
“Acknowledged,” Orochimaru whispered. “Let Sasuke know I’ll be there.”
The snake gave a nod, then disappeared via a poof of smoke.
~~~~~~~~~~ooOO0OOoo~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, Orochimaru ascended from his underground lab into the daylight of Konoha. He paid a visit to the Hokage’s office, where his former sensei waited. Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen again—even in his much younger self—sent a flicker of something unfamiliar through Orochimaru. Nostalgia, perhaps.
Hiruzen looked up from a mission scroll and gave him a smile. “Orochimaru. You haven’t walked in here asking for a mission in decades.”
“I thought it was time,” Orochimaru replied with a hint of a smile. “Something long-term, outside the village. For research.”
Hiruzen studied him, but only for a moment. “Very well. Your timing is good—we just received a ceasefire,” he said, handing over a scroll. “No squad. Just you. Consider it done.”
“Thank you, sensei,” Orochimaru said, voice calm. Almost... genuine.
After leaving the Hokage’s office, Orochimaru returned to his lab. He spent the entire day setting things in order. The most sensitive information, especially the children and infants he had kept for experimentation, were relocated to a secure fuinjutsu-sealed chamber.
BINABASA MO ANG
The Future In Our Hands
FanfictionThe Ōtsutsuki clan destroyed all their hard work. Naruto was sealed away, and Sasuke was on his knees - awaiting death. When all hope was gone and the Shinobi world perished: The Sage of The Six Paths appeared, offering a second chance. Will they be...
