One week earlier...
It was dark. It was always dark in the labs but that didn't matter. They knew them by heart and could find their way through here blindfolded and not touch a single one of the delicate specimens. All the damage they were causing now was deliberate.
"Where is he?!" They hissed dangerously as they stormed through door after door, specimen jars exploding in their wake. Suigetsu was struggling to keep up and keep his distance at the same time, the poor fool having undoubtedly been the one who drew the short straw and had to wake them with the news.
More jars burst, the newest victims of their storm of rage, spilling slimy innards onto the sterile floor. Replaceable! They were all replaceable! All of them except for...
"Where is my son?!" Demanded Orochimaru as they threw the last set of doors open, sending surgical utensils clattering to the floor. They ignored it all. The only thing that mattered was in front of them now.
Log stood in the morgue-like room next to a single steel table. He didn't so much as flinch at his parent's grand entrance. A cigarette hung long forgotten between his lips. He was still as he stood staring down at the contents of the cold table. There, a thin body lay wrapped in a white cloth stained in patchy red. The cloth was already partially pulled away revealing the upper half. Log had one hand resting on a exposed shoulder.
Orochimaru marched towards the table, already knowing what was waiting. Their precious Mitsuki lay on the cold steel. Their hopes and dreams, crowning achievement and favorite son lay spread out and broken before them, his clothes and hair caked in thick dried blood and his pale skin ashy grey in death. On the left side of his chest was a jagged and gaping wound where tattered flesh mixed with torn cloth, fused together with dried blood. The damage was devastating but that was to be expected from an injury that could kill this child. His eyes scanned Mitsuki's small body, taking in its full state. The destruction was too great. There was nothing they could do.
Judging by Log's sober silence, he had come to the same conclusion. Silent tears rolled down his cheeks as he continued to stare at his brother's body. Even in the midst of their own grief, Orochimaru felt a stab of pity for their eldest. He had dearly loved his baby brother. They all did. A soft sob came from somewhere in the corner where Karin was crying softly. Suigetsu stood beside her, his hand on her shoulder and his own head hung low.
Orochimaru ran shaky fingers through Mitsuki's matted hair. Angrily, their mind went through the options they had left. They could start again. There were other clones but no, none of them were like him. Mitsuki was special. He had always been special. That was why they had tried six times to get Mitsuki to choose his own path. It would have been simpler to just try again with one of his younger brothers but they couldn't bring themselves to do it. This one was different and Orochimaru loved him just as they loved Log.
They stroked Mitsuki's hair over and over as they thought, desperately searching for an acceptable course of action. They could activate the blank clone, maybe give it Mitsuki's memories. They had a record of their precious son's memories up until a few days ago. He would be the closest thing to having Mitsuki back, but they knew it wouldn't be the same. Plus, Boruto would never accept a replacement. Mitsuki had told them as much years earlier and without a Sun, the child would have a much more difficult time finding his way in the world. Finding another Sun for him was an option but Orochimaru dismissed that idea almost instantly. No, it had to be Boruto. No one else would do.
No one had the same effect on people as Naruto. He was a true guiding light. None could touch hearts the way he did. They had pushed Mitsuki towards Boruto in hopes that Naruto had passed on at least some of that gift to him. To their delight, it seemed he had indeed. Boruto shown brightly, illuminating the path for their son just as Naruto had for Sasuke.
"Can nothing be done?" Log asked quietly. Orochimaru suspected he already knew the answer to that. The air in here was stifling, the lab too confined and the atmosphere too heavy with the sorrow of their family. They needed space. They turned on their heel and hurried out of the labs with no destination in mind. They just couldn't stay there any longer.
Failure was always bitter but this one was exceptionally so. It was the loss of one of the few things they possessed that was truly precious, completely irreplaceable. Someone was going to die for this, they vowed as they fled to nowhere. They would contact Naruto later and make sure that the one responsible paid dearly for their transgression. They kept moving blindly until they found themselves outdoors in Karin's garden. The moon was full bathing all it touched in silver, the soft glow muting the rich colors of the flowers. Mitsuki loved to come here. Every time he visited, he would spend time out here, watching the sky. Orochimaru hadn't cried in many, many years, but now, as they slumped to their knees in Mitsuki's usual spot, they felt the stinging of hot tears. One fell, then another, glistening in the moonlight before dotting the earth below.
Movement to the right caught their attention, warning them that they weren't alone. At first, they were outraged that someone had dared to interrupt their quiet mourning. They furiously blinked the tears from their eyes and focused on the source of the interruption. No one was there but close by, under a large rosebush, something white was glowing in the light of the moon. Orochimaru stared at it for a moment, then moved closer to get a better look. It was a very small snake, as pure and unblemished as a white lotus. It was curled in a tuft of grass sheltered by the bush. Orochimaru stopped breathing as they beheld the fragile creature. Tentatively, they reached a hand out to the pale beauty. It uncoiled itself immediately and slid forward into their waiting hand. It twisted its slender body around a long finger and bumped its head affectionately against their thumb. Hope, fresh and new swelled in Orochimaru's chest.
"Mitsuki?" They asked the little snake. He nodded his tiny head vigorously. A smile split their face. They moved to cradle the little snake protectively to their body, the last fragment of their lost son. They remembered how they had been forced to use this very technique in order to survive many years ago and they swelled with pride. They should have known their child was not so easy to kill.
Giddy with new delight, they jumped to their feet and hurried back into the labs with their precious prize.
