"Everything is a lie. Only power is real..."
Yagami turned that phrase over in his mind, feeling a strange sense of admiration for Orochimaru. But following that admiration came a wave of disorientation.
He had firmly believed he was Yellow Dog's indispensable right hand. Now, he realized Orochimaru was right: Yellow Dog's trust had a glass ceiling. To the Commander, Yagami was a sharp blade—perfectly effective, but fundamentally a tool.
Their foundation was flawed from the start; Yagami was an "accidental" elite who had simply outlasted his peers in the ANBU.
As for his seemingly good relationship with the Third Hokage? Even less reliable. While words can be faked, the power of a jutsu cannot. The discrepancy in the Water Severing Wave proved it.
His identity as an ANBU Squad Leader, which he once saw as his greatest asset, was crumbling. To Yuka, he was a Senju mole helping the Uzumaki. To Yellow Dog, he was a lucky survivor. To Sakumo, he was a kindred spirit. And now, he was to be a mole for Orochimaru?
'How many layers of undercover work do I have to do?'
However, Orochimaru wasn't demanding subservience; he was proposing a partnership between elites. That was honest. Better a transparent trade with a snake than a suffocating performance of "loyalty" for a village that hamstrung his techniques.
"Lord Orochimaru, how shall we cooperate?"
"Excellent," Orochimaru hissed. "My core demand is simple: access to the Scroll of Seals. Hiruzen will never grant it to me. Danzo promised me a look if I unlock the secrets of Wood Style, but I prefer to have my own backup. The scroll contains the Forbidden Jutsu of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. That is my goal."
"I will keep the secret of your Reverse Summoning. In exchange, you will be my eyes and ears. If you help me get that scroll, our cooperation has no limits. You could assassinate the Third, and I would cheer for you."
Yagami frowned. "Lord Orochimaru, the ANBU has far fewer secrets than Root. What could I possibly find for you?"
"The ANBU holds many things," Orochimaru countered. "For instance, when exactly Sarutobi Shinnosuke masters the Five-Element Great Combo. I want to know how he maintains the power output when splitting his chakra five ways.
Hiruzen refused to teach me. Also, the Scroll of Seals is kept next to the Hokage's office, guarded by the Black Ant squad. Map their rotations and defenses. Danzo's promise is one thing, but taking it by force is more... certain."
Yagami nodded. "I understand. But these things will take time to investigate."
"Also," Orochimaru added, "be thorough in this investigation of Blue B. A success here increases my political leverage."
Yagami agreed. He realized Orochimaru didn't care about the village or even the title of Hokage. He was a cold, self-serving seeker of power. Such a person wouldn't betray a useful partner for something as boring as the "Will of Fire."
As the negotiation ended, Orochimaru's predatory gaze swept over Yagami, making his skin crawl.
"Fox..." Orochimaru's voice was thick with desire. "You have no idea how tempting you are."
Yagami stiffened. 'Wait... is he after my body?'
"An elite who masters both Earth and Water... in all of Leaf, there are only two of us. You and me. I look forward to the day we meet in the lab. You don't know how perfect your abilities are for Wood Style experiments."
"Lord Orochimaru," Yagami said dryly, "I have other uses. Let's keep the 'experimental subject' idea on the shelf for now."
Orochimaru chuckled and sank into the ground. His Earth Style was so refined Yagami couldn't even sense a chakra ripple.
...
Two days later, C arrived in a panic.
"Lord Orochimaru! F and G found the assassins and signaled me, but they've gone silent! I think they've been killed!"
Orochimaru's expression flickered. He glanced at Fox. "I thought you only did small things. Killing Root members... that's quite a 'small' move."
"I've been wronged, Lord Orochimaru! It's a coincidence!" Yagami lied without blinking. "If I were truly hunting Root, C wouldn't be standing here to report to you."
"Fox... plans have changed," Orochimaru said smoothly. "Being a mole isn't enough to cover a secret this big. Root dying right next to me makes this very messy."
Yagami knew exactly what was coming. 'The price is going up.'
"Lord Orochimaru, I've done nothing. Betraying Yellow Dog is my limit. I cannot add more to the deal!"
A few hours later, C returned from the mountain peak, distraught. "They are confirmed dead..."
"Then stop worrying about them," Orochimaru said coldly. "We continue the Blue B mission. Did you find Yakushi Nono?"
C swallowed hard. Four Root ninjas were dead, and Orochimaru brushed it off like dust. "Please, let me notify Root! This is as important as the Jinchuriki!"
Orochimaru signaled him to go, wanting to get rid of the nuisance so he could talk to Yagami. Once C was gone, Orochimaru looked at Fox. The look clearly said: 'I'm keeping my end of the bargain. But about that price.'
"I won't admit to it," Yagami stated firmly.
"Your absolute defense Earth Style," Orochimaru demanded.
"No. How about an improved Earth Dragon Spear that requires only one seal?"
"Your absolute defense."
"Is a one-seal jutsu not enough?" Yagami raised his bid. "Fine. A seal-less secret technique: Water Gun Jutsu."
"Deal."
Everything was a game of "the price must go up." Yagami handed over a scroll with the chakra pathways for the Water Gun. Orochimaru accepted it, satisfied. Four Root corpses for a seal-less jutsu was a bargain.
...
They met Yakushi Nono in a cave. She was disguised as a frail old woman, her acting so perfect Yagami almost felt the urge to help her cross the street.
"Lord Orochimaru... Blue B's seal is unstable," she rasped. "He lives on a solitary peak on the southwest edge of the village. He's guarded by an elite ANBU squad. The Third Raikage can reach him from the office in about one minute."
Yagami noted that Nono's previous intel had been off—she'd mentioned two Root ninjas in the Land of Iron, but there were four. She had nearly gotten Yuka killed. 'There will be a price for that later,' he thought.
Late that night, they reached the outskirts of the Hidden Cloud. Unlike leaf, Cloud was spread across multiple peaks, nearly ten times the size. There were no walls, only sentinel peaks.
Orochimaru and Yagami submerged into the earth. Following Nono's route through the blind spots of the guard rotations, they surfaced on a ridge facing Blue B's residence.
"I'll handle Blue B," Orochimaru whispered. "You take out the ANBU squad and stall the Third Raikage."
"I'll do my best."
They vanished again. Orochimaru moved through the earth like a swimming serpent, faster and more fluid than Yagami's Earth Style: Underground Projection Fish.
Inside the mountain bedroom, Blue B was asleep. Orochimaru surfaced and forced a hallucinogenic pill into his mouth.
"Be grateful," Orochimaru murmured. "This was designed for the Nine-Tails. I'm using it on you just to upstage Sakumo."
Blue B's face contorted, turning from burning red to bruised purple. A terrifying roar echoed through the cave!
The seal shattered. The Eight-Tails' chakra exploded outward. Within seconds, four massive octopus tentacles erupted from Blue B's unconscious body. Then the sixth, the seventh, and the eighth.
It wasn't a chakra cloak. It was the physical body of the Gyuki, crashing through the ceiling of the mountain!