The Rat Talisman

"Master Orochimaru..."

The door to Orochimaru's room suddenly swung open, and a petite figure walked in from outside.

"Anko? What is it?"

Standing by the door was Orochimaru's "favorite pupil," Mitaraishi Anko. She had purple hair gathered into a high bun at the back of her head, shaped like a pineapple.

She wore a red short-sleeved shirt, beige shorts, and black over-the-knee fishnet stockings.

(Anko's childhood outfit in the Naruto anime)

"They said you were being restricted from leaving because you committed treason. Is that true?"

Anko looked worried. She absolutely refused to believe that her most beloved teacher, Orochimaru, could have committed treason or anything like it!

"Heh... Anko, you can't judge everything by appearances, nor should you simply believe what others say. If I'd really committed some terrible crime, would I still be standing here unharmed?"

Orochimaru reached out and gently stroked Anko's chubby cheek. A rare trace of "fondness" appeared on his pale face.

"I knew it! There's no way Master Orochimaru would do something like that!"

Anko trusted her teacher completely. No matter what anyone else said, she believed only what Orochimaru himself admitted was true. Everything else was slander! A frame-up!

"All right. If there's nothing else, go practice the Fire Release technique I just taught you. I still have some research to do."

"Okay, Master Orochimaru!"

Once she was sure her beloved teacher hadn't committed a crime, Anko smiled, much more at ease, and trotted out of Orochimaru's room.

Watching her petite figure gradually disappear into the distance, Orochimaru felt a jumble of emotions. It would have been a lie to say he felt nothing for his pupil, which was why he'd decided to use a "kind lie" to hide the truth that Sarutobi Hiruzen had confined him to house arrest.

Still, being confined wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Now he could devote more time to his research.

In the Land of Fire, at the Valley of the End.

This was where Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara had once fought. Their battle had raged day and night, reshaping the landscape into a valley. To commemorate the battle, Konoha had erected statues of the two men on opposite sides of the Valley of the End.

"I never thought I'd return here one day..."

Uchiha Madara stood on high ground, gazing down at the two statues in the distance. His feelings were complicated. This was not only where he had fought Senju Hashirama, but also where his close friend, Senju Hashirama, had stabbed him in the back.

The memories of that day were still vivid. Madara raised his Gunbai toward Hashirama's statue and thought, You never expected this, did you, Hashirama? Years after your death, I've crawled back from hell. This time, I'll bring true peace to the Ninja World!

"Lord Madara, the Land of Fire's Daimyo and his people are nearby~"

"Is that so..."

At last, his tedious wait was about to end.

Madara had traveled a long way from his hideout for one reason: to seize the Talisman.

How had he learned where it was? He had that greenhorn Enshi Shu to thank.

The fact that Shu had sent the Twelve Guardian Ninja and a whole host of escort shinobi out in full force was enough to tell anyone with half a brain that something major was happening.

After having White Zetsu tail them, Madara had confirmed their destination: the Valley of the End, a place filled with memories for him.

When he saw the Guardian Ninja carrying the Talisman Tracker leading thousands of Shadow Ninja deeper into the Valley of the End, a look of surprise crossed Madara's face.

"Strange... Since when was there a cave behind the waterfall at the Valley of the End?"

The landscape did change over time, but could a cave really have appeared out of nowhere in just a few decades?

The best way to solve the mystery was to investigate it himself. Madara used the Body Flicker Technique several times and followed them.

Inside the cave behind the Valley of the End's waterfall, Beizi of the Twelve Guardian Ninja held a Talisman Tracker in one hand and a torch in the other, moving toward the direction indicated by the glowing dragon's eye.

Since their previous failure had been caused by an outsider's interference, the Twelve Guardian Ninja had split into two groups this time. The "Lightning Release Quartet," led by Beizi, would search the cave for the Talisman, while the rest of the Guardian Ninja, led by Hema, would guard the entrance and prevent any third party from entering.

The roar of the waterfall echoed through the winding cave. Before long, the Guardian Ninja heard faint, creaking "squeaks" as something moved.

"What is that?"

Beizi planted three black rods in the ground and sent Lightning Release: Lightning Strike Run through the earth. As the lightning raced forward, small, dark creatures appeared on the path ahead.

"Rats?"

A huge swarm of small rodents jostled against one another, their eyes reflecting faint red in the torchlight.

"Eek, eek, eek, eek..."

What would you do if a huge swarm of rats were startled and ran past your feet, their damp fur and thin, hairless tails brushing against your skin every now and then?

Even trained shinobi could only describe the feeling as "disgusting beyond belief"!

If they hadn't been inside a cave, where they couldn't casually use destructive ninjutsu, they would have turned the entire swarm into charred remains long ago!

"I have a feeling the Daimyo sent us to find the Rat Talisman this time."

"I wonder where the Daimyo found those guards who can slip into shadows. I'm kind of jealous of their techniques..."

Unlike the four flesh-and-blood shinobi, the Shadowkhan simply moved through the darkness, avoiding the bizarre sensation entirely.

"We're here...!"

At the end of the cave, they found a massive door that seemed to be made of silver, platinum, and other precious metals.

They pushed the door open. Silver light reflected dazzlingly off the metal, so they extinguished their torches and slowly stepped inside. On a raised platform in the center, they saw a Talisman engraved with a rat.

"Looks like we can complete the mission this time."

Nanwu cheerfully took the Talisman. Looking at the rat in his palm, he felt that at last the Twelve Guardian Ninja would regain the Daimyo's favor!

They retraced their steps, and soon the faint light of the entrance came into view. Nanwu was the first to emerge from the darkness, eager to share the good news of their successful mission with the rest of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. But the next moment, he froze.

The stench of blood hit him. Guardian Ninja corpses were scattered everywhere, while Hema was being held by the throat by a very old-looking man, unable to fight back at all.

"You want to dance, too?"

The old man was none other than Uchiha Madara. Confident in his strength, he had followed them into the cave to seize the Talisman without a second thought, and naturally ran into the Guardian Ninja guarding the entrance.

They had little to say to each other. Thanks to the enormous gap in their strength, Madara killed all the Guardian Ninja in an instant. Hema, who was somewhat stronger, managed to resist for a while before Madara grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground.