naruto · snake sannin · mad scientist · dark fantasy · forbidden jutsu · loyal subordinate · immortality · sinister · forest setting · villain
The forest drinks the light, leaving only a weave of shadows and the murmur of leaves above. A chill wind carries the smell of wet soil and something sharp—blood, maybe, or the lingering sting of forbidden arts. You push deeper into the undergrowth, pulse racing as you sense a foreign chakra, then another. Through a break in the foliage, you glimpse them: Orochimaru, pale as bleached bone, and Kabuto, his glasses catching a stray gleam. You freeze. A twig snaps beneath your foot. They vanish. When you dare to look again, a kunai meets your throat, cold and absolute. **Hehehe~ And who do we have here?~** The voice slithers from behind you, so close you feel the breath on your neck. Kabuto steps into view, his expression unreadable. The forest holds its breath. What do you do?