"Hey, what's going on?" Kakashi asked with caution.
"My name is Tenzo. Don't ask me to feed again," Yamato replied curtly, introducing himself before answering. Kakashi blinked in brief confusion, then replied, "Hatake Kakashi."
"I know. You're quite well-known even within Root," Tenzo said calmly.
That caught Kakashi off guard. Still, this wasn't the time to focus on trivial surprises.
"Why are you here? What's going on with Orochimaru? And who exactly is this clan?"
Seeking clarity, Kakashi asked all at once. The deviation from the events he knew was enough to warrant suspicion. The past didn't seem trustworthy anymore—he needed answers from those present.
They kept their voices low. Xuejian, about five meters away, couldn't make out their words. She only assumed they were discussing a plan to save people.
Tenzo gave a side glance toward Xuejian and explained, "After Lord Danzo confirmed Orochimaru's defection, he sent me here. He said this was one of Orochimaru's abandoned labs. My orders were to observe and report any trace of Orochimaru."
"It's been over two weeks since Orochimaru defected. Why are you still here?"
"The surveillance hasn't ended. I discovered a reclusive clan residing here—the Iburi clan. They possess a rare kekkei genkai: the ability to transform into smoke. However, they're vulnerable—strong winds disperse them fatally. Orochimaru had begun experimenting to help stabilize their transformation, prolonging their lives."
"They owe their survival to Orochimaru. I suspected he might return to them, so I stayed. I've been waiting and watching."
"And they trust you?" Kakashi asked.
"The girl back there is Xuejian. She mistook me for her missing older brother, Tenzo. That misunderstanding allowed me to build rapport with the clan."
What Tenzo didn't mention was how, over the past two weeks, he had grown attached to Xuejian. She once told him she had never seen the world beyond their cave. On impulse, he took her out briefly to glimpse the outside.
But she suddenly sensed something and sprinted off—he failed to catch up in time. That's when he encountered Kakashi.
What he hadn't anticipated was that when Xuejian returned, she would bring terrifying news—Orochimaru was planning to wipe out the Iburi clan. Tenzo was stunned. The Iburi had served Orochimaru loyally. Why would he turn on them?
Earlier, Xuejian had sensed her kin's chakra weakening and ran ahead. She discovered the dying clan leader, Ota, who told her everything.
Ota urged her to flee, but Xuejian wanted to return and save whoever she could.
After hearing the explanation, Kakashi mulled things over. Apart from the events he had lived through, this new timeline matched much of what he'd feared: Orochimaru's cruelty knew no bounds. But he couldn't understand—why target the Iburi now?
The Iburi clan shouldn't hold enough value to draw Orochimaru back.
Whatever the reason, the Iburi's hideout was up ahead.
A cavern loomed before them, eerie and open like the mouth of a beast, waiting to devour intruders.
Kakashi and Tenzo waited at the entrance. They couldn't let Xuejian face this alone.
Moments later, Xuejian arrived, panting heavily.
"Tenzo! Let's go in—now!"
"Right."
The trio entered the shadowed cave. A thick scent of blood hit them like a wall.
"The stench... so strong," Kakashi muttered. "Too many have already died."
His brow furrowed. It seemed Orochimaru had indeed begun slaughtering the Iburi. Kakashi glanced at Xuejian and wondered—would she survive what was coming?
They hadn't walked far before stumbling upon the Iburi—lifeless bodies sprawled across the cave floor.
Xuejian gasped and darted forward. "Everyone? What happened?! Wake up!"
Her cries echoed in vain. The clan members she once laughed with—now silent forever.
"Tch… what's this? A lost little rat?"
A voice emerged from the shadows. Kakashi's Sharingan flared instantly, and his hand moved to Chidori's hilt.
Tenzo's chakra surged, and his expression turned deadly.
From the darkness emerged a man in a pale robe, blue-haired, clearly not Orochimaru.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Where's Orochimaru?"
The man chuckled. "Who I am doesn't matter. You're Konoha shinobi, aren't you? That girl… she's Iburi."
Kakashi and Tenzo immediately shifted, shielding Xuejian behind them.
"Who are you?! What's your purpose here?" Tenzo demanded sharply.
Xuejian had become precious to him. The threat toward her hit a raw nerve.
The man smirked. "Since you'll be corpses soon, I'll be generous. I'm one of Orochimaru-sama's test supervisors. People call me the Big Violent Shark. I came to harvest the Iburi's kekkei genkai—Orochimaru-sama needs samples for his next phase of research."
"You scum! You treat lives like lab tools?!"
Tenzo's fury exploded. The bond he had forged with this clan in a short time now burned into a righteous flame.
Kakashi stayed calm. This was the shinobi world. The strong devour the weak. Yet even he found Orochimaru's inhumanity repulsive.
Still, he noted silently: Orochimaru hadn't returned himself. Only his pawns had. That was a relief. Kakashi might not fear Orochimaru anymore, but he had no desire to face that monster again unless forced to.
He'd rather not play executioner to someone who wouldn't die.
"Hah! What a naive thing to say. Are you really Root?"
The Big Violent Shark sneered. Yamato's words amused him.
Tenzo understood the law of power. Raised by Danzo, he knew bloodshed and betrayal. Yet he clung to his conscience, fragile as it was.
"That's enough chatter. Hand over the girl. I'll spare your lives—if barely."
"Never!" Tenzo's response was immediate and unwavering. He would die before handing her over.
His hands clapped together in a blur of seals.
"Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!"
His arm morphed into a twisting mass of wood, surging forward to crush the enemy who dared harm the ones he'd come to protect!