Orochimaru Team

Morning mist swirled around the Konoha Gate. Watching Orochimaru vanish in a puff of white smoke, Uchiha Makoto couldn't help the twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"Two hours to prepare..." he muttered. "Orochimaru just had to show off even when making his exit."

He was already working out how to spend those two hours.

Go home and pack? No need.

Find Obito, Guy, and the others to say goodbye?

Uchiha Makoto hesitated for three seconds, then firmly shook his head.

First rule of the shinobi code: keep missions confidential.

It was only a C-rank reconnaissance mission, but that was no excuse to ignore the shinobi code.

"They're all shinobi. They should understand," he reassured himself. "I'll only be gone a few days. It's not like I'm never coming back."

At the thought of the mission, the faint pang of parting in Uchiha Makoto's heart was instantly replaced by wariness.

Orochimaru had changed the mission at the last minute, from clearing a riverbed to scouting the border.

There was Kazuya from Root, that conniving old bastard Danzo was surely watching, and the Third had sent Kakashi into the squad, obviously as his eyes and ears.

It looked like this mission wouldn't go smoothly!

Meanwhile, somewhere beneath Konoha.

The flame of an oil lamp flickered in the dim room, making Danzo's gloomy face look even more sinister.

His single eye fixed on the mission scroll in his hand, and a cold chuckle rasped from his throat like a broken bellows.

"Orochimaru... so eager to test that boy?"

He raised his head and looked at Kazuya, who stood ramrod straight in the shadows.

"There will be 'Kumogakure shinobi' at the mission site," Danzo said hoarsely. "Cooperate with them and capture Uchiha Makoto."

"Yes."

"Dead or alive," Danzo reiterated, a glint of greed flashing through his single eye. "The Uchiha's Sharingan, that child's talent... I must have them under my control."

"Yes."

Kazuya bowed and left the room without a change in expression.

After the door closed, Danzo leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers against the desk, his thoughts a mystery.

Uchiha Makoto had breakfast at a dango shop: three-colored dango with hot tea, just the right amount of sweetness.

Then he stopped by a ninja tool shop to replenish his supplies. He probably wouldn't need them, but better safe than sorry.

By the time he wandered back to the meeting point, there were still ten minutes left of the two hours.

Kakashi was already there.

The silver-haired boy leaned against a tree beside the gate, his eyes closed, looking as though he was asleep.

But Uchiha Makoto knew that someone who had served in the Anbu would keep some of his guard up even while standing there.

"Kakashi, have you had breakfast?" Uchiha Makoto greeted him.

Kakashi opened his eyes, his trademark dead-fish stare drifting lazily toward him.

"Yeah."

And that was it. The atmosphere instantly turned awkward.

Uchiha Makoto didn't mind. He found a stone bollard to sit on and started checking his Ninja Tool Pouch for the umpteenth time, mostly because he had nothing else to do.

The kunai were sharp, the shuriken rust-free, the Soldier Pills properly sealed, and the First Aid Kit fully stocked with medicine...

"Nervous?"

Kakashi suddenly spoke.

Uchiha Makoto looked up. "Huh?"

"It's normal to be nervous on your first mission outside the village," Kakashi said, his tone as flat as if he were reading an instruction manual.

Uchiha Makoto blinked.

The sun must have risen in the west. Kakashi actually started a conversation.

At this point in the original story, even if Sakumo Hatake hadn't killed himself yet, Kakashi should still have been an ice-cold mission machine. Why was he suddenly showing concern for a teammate?

Then Kakashi walked over and sat beside Uchiha Makoto.

Less than a meter separated them, and Uchiha Makoto tensed slightly.

What's he doing? A sneak attack? No, there's no killing intent.

Then...

Kakashi recalled Lord Hokage's instructions for this mission.

"Kakashi, you could try making friends with Uchiha Makoto. He's your age."

But right now, he had absolutely no idea how to make friends.

Kakashi seemed to be trying to find the right words to get Cheng to like him more, which was clearly a challenge for an Anbu accustomed to being brief and direct.

Cheng naturally noticed it all: the stiff expression, the awkward atmosphere, the struggle to find something to say.

Apparently, even a genius like Kakashi had things he wasn't good at.

Still, Kakashi was his latest crop to harvest. Even if he hadn't approached him, Uchiha Makoto would have taken the initiative to befriend him.

"I'm not nervous, just a little excited about leaving the village for the first time!"

"By the way, we're the same age. How come I never saw you at the Ninja Academy?"

Of course, Uchiha Makoto knew that Kakashi had entered the Ninja Academy at five and become a Genin at six.

They might be the same age, but Kakashi was a bona fide senior, a rank above him!

Just as he was about to find another topic, a hoarse voice suddenly came from behind them.

"You two seem to be getting along nicely!"

Both turned at once.

Orochimaru had appeared without them noticing and stood three meters away, an ambiguous smile on his face.

Kazuya was there too, standing expressionlessly to one side like an emotionless robot.

"Ready?" Orochimaru asked.

"Ready," both answered at once.

"Let's go."

Orochimaru turned and walked out through the gate.

Uchiha Makoto and Kakashi followed, with Kazuya bringing up the rear.

The four-man squad officially left the village.

The road east was smooth. The Land of Fire truly lived up to its reputation for prosperity, with well-maintained roads and farmland stretching along both sides, dotted here and there with villages and way stations. It was a picture of peace.

Orochimaru walked at the front at an unhurried pace, occasionally stopping to point out a terrain feature and explain a few things.

"Woods like these are ideal for ambushes. Watch the canopy."

"This river has a strong current. Watch your footing when you cross."

"That hillside offers a clear view, but standing on it also makes you an easy target."

He behaved exactly as a Jonin instructor should: conscientious and responsible, a model teacher.

Uchiha Makoto listened and committed it all to memory, but his mind was on something else.

Orochimaru doesn't seem quite so crazy yet, does he?

At least he still teaches his students, cares about missions, and plays the part of a good teacher.

Unlike later, when he's a complete mad scientist who sees everyone as experimental material.

Is it because he hasn't been through the full ordeal of the Third Shinobi World War yet? Or because he still has feelings for Konoha? Uchiha Makoto wasn't sure.

But he knew that, for now, Orochimaru could at least be reasoned with.

As for later... he would deal with that later.

After half an hour of walking, Orochimaru suddenly accelerated.

It wasn't an ordinary increase in pace. He broke into a full sprint.

Chakra burst from the soles of his feet, carrying him over a dozen meters with each step. He was moving more than three times as fast as before, the hem of his clothes snapping in the wind.

Uchiha Makoto froze for a moment, then hurried after him.

His figure flashed forward, barely keeping three meters behind Orochimaru as dust flew beneath his feet.

Kakashi accelerated too, but he was clearly struggling. He was also a genius, but stamina wasn't his strong suit, and his young age put him at a serious disadvantage. Even a genius's impressive stats had yet to translate into real strength.

Kazuya... accelerated without a change in expression, but his breathing was already growing uneven.

Another half hour passed.

Rather than slowing down, Orochimaru picked up speed, like a machine that never tired.

Uchiha Makoto deliberately gritted his teeth, making himself look as though he was struggling as he continued following Orochimaru.

The monstrous stamina granted by Life Return 7.0 was now on full display.