Snap Back To Reality 24

WARNING- Graphic Gore. At least a lot worse than any you've seen before in this fic

Previously—

He opened a door into a room with a metal table in the middle, and I froze. Did he want to experiment on me? No, there was someone there, chained to the wall. He was naked, and unconscious, a sheen of sweat going down his face. He seemed to be unconscious.

Orochimaru handed me a folder and grinned.

"Are you ready for your test?"

"You will be keeping this man alive and do as I instruct as I begin the procedure."

Was that it? I nodded unsurely. There must be more to the test than just that. I kept my thoughts to myself as Orochimaru undid the bounds on the man and carried him to the table. He strapped down the unconscious man before finally addressing me.

"Hand me that grey tool kit."

I jogged over to the kit and put it on the table for Orochimaru. He unclipped the tool box and opened it to reveal several rather shiny sharp metal objects. I looked back at the unconscious man and swallowed my spit. This did not bode well for him.

So Orochimaru wanted to see if I'd object to his cruel experiments? A part of me did want to. I didn't like the idea of conducting inhumane experiments, or actually more so the fact that none of these people looked like willing participants. I'd authorised and carried out many human tests back in the day, but it was always with a substantial amount of red tape in the way. There were forms and legalities one had to go through to do human testing for medicinal purposes. Of course, the people who did agree were almost always desperate and were close to death, so it was always a little morally dubious. This wasn't morally dubious; this was just plain out wrong. But I told myself that I'd do anything, and if this is what it took, I'd do this too.

"I'm going to conduct a vivisection. Unfortunately, this experiment requires for the participant to be awake. I'll need him to regulate his chakra to his core, and if he's unconscious that won't be possible. You'll talk to him, convince him to direct his chakra where I tell him to. Succeed and I'll think of taking you in as an apprentice."

"H-hai…"

A vivisection? Kami, this wasn't a frog, this was a human!

With that Orochimaru took out a needle and injected the man's neck. His body seized up before his eyes fluttered open in confusion. He jerked his torso up only to find that he was tied down to the table. His eyes darted to Orochimaru and then to me in confusion.

"W-what's going on?!"

I looked at Orochimaru and he was just smiling. He was serious about me doing the talking then. I bit down my nervousness and put on a serious face. It was time to put my infamous professionalism I was known for in my previous life, to work.

"You are in Orochimaru-sama's lab. We will be conducting a procedure on you."

"F-fuck off! Get me out of these!"

I continued on like I wasn't interrupted, because I really didn't want to drag this on more than necessary. "This experiment will require your full cooperation. Currently you are incapacitated, and your life is one of many that we do not care about. If you want to survive, you will listen and obey even through the pain. If you fail it will mean certain death."

"What are you going to do to me?" he asked, voice harsh but tense. He looked paler than he was before.

"I am going to implant something into your heart. If this procedure works you will naturally be able to absorb Senjutsu through your final gate," Orochimaru explained cordially.

I blinked in shock. Senjutsu! That was the basis for the future curse seal. Of course Orochimaru required Jugo for his kekkai genkai to perfect the sealed version. Was I witnessing it in its early stages? A way to absorb natural energy without learning the sage arts… that sounded interesting. I was interrupted from my thoughts when Orochimaru pulled out a gag and strapped it around the struggling man's mouth.

"Calm down," I said as soothingly as I could. "Remember we need your cooperation for this to work. Take in steady breaths and I'll talk you through this."

The man just shot me a glare and Orochimaru chuckled. He pulled out a knife and I knew I wasn't ready for what came next. I'd opened up many humans in my old life, having studied the body as both a biology and chemistry major. I'd cut up cadavers and researched into the human immune system, but there was a major difference between a cold,dead cadaver and an unwilling, living, and awake human. Watching the blade cut down the flesh almost too perfectly, watching the man tense up and scream through the gag, I wasn't so sure I could do this. But I kept my face schooled despite the shaking in my hands.

"How is he still awake?" I asked nervously

"I injected him with a personal concoction of mine that increases the heart rate and keeps my subjects awake and very aware."

That was… cruel. Necessary but cruel. I had to stop the frown that threatened to take my face, and instead I put a comforting hand on the man's arm. He looked at me with wide pleading eyes and I bit my lip. Oh kami, I couldn't watch this. This was so different from taking a life. This was… no, this wasn't so different. I took in a deep breath and continued watching despite the twists and turns in my stomach, even as Orochimaru peeled the skin of the man's chest revealing muscle and bone, and even when the snake pulled that apart too. I let out a violent shudder when Orochimaru cracked the ribs protecting the heart and the man let out a blood curdling scream.

"You're doing good. Deep breaths," I continued repeating, running my fingers through his hair, and trying to calm him down. His body shook from incredible pain and I wondered how he was still awake. Orochimaru didn't even flinch. He just continued working like a practised surgeon.

"It's time to regulate his chakra. Tell him to push it to his heart."

I took in a deep breath and nodded. I leaned over so he could get a good view of my face.

"I need you to listen to me. What you do next could be what determines whether you live or die. You need to breathe in deep and concentrate. Push your chakra down to your heart. I need you to do this if you want to live ok. I'm sure there are people you want to go back home to. Do this for them."

Kami, I was officially going to go to hell. Did I really just tell a man I was abetting in torturing to think of his loved ones? I was definitely the villain here. There was no question about that now. I'd literally just sold my soul to the devil. I might as well just sign a contract right here and now detailing my visit to hell the next time I died. Orochimaru's supposed immortality would be good about now to get me out of this shitty situation.

At least he looked somewhat determined. I held his hands, ignoring his crushing grip on me as Orochimaru took out what looked like a paper seal and placed it on the man's heart. I repeated words of encouragement to the man again and again, urging him to push down his pain and overcome it. I looked at his open chest, the beating heart still inside and I saw it. I saw the tenketsu system for the first time. Like lay lines, it focused in on the heart, and the seal glowed. His heart expanded for a moment and then…

It exploded

I just stood there in shock. It took a minute or so before I brought shaky fingers up to my face and wiped away the wet blood that had splattered onto me. Orochimaru sighed, looking incredibly disappointed as he wiped his own face with a towel. Then he threw me one and I took it numbly.

"H-he just—"

"He died, but this was actually the closest this experiment has been to succeeding," Orochimaru said, before a grin took his face. "You passed the test. The bathrooms down the hall to the left. If you continue down and up the left staircase, you'll find your way out."

And just like that he left the room with the dead man still inside, and all I could do was stand frozen in place. I felt sick. I shakily grabbed the table in front of me before kneeling down and puking my guts out. What the fuck… what the fuck had I just done? I puked again and ignored the tears that came out of my eyes. What the fuck…

Going back out into the village made me sick. I looked at the people walking around, and I felt an odd disconnect from all of them. I put my hands in my pocket and continued walking, ignoring the feeling of ugliness in my chest. I aided Orochimaru in torturing and killing a man in the name of science. My every instinct, years of moral codes and ethics, and even my very moral fibre was screaming at me in rage. I said I'd do anything though, and I needed to work on my stupid pride if I needed to get stronger.

It didn't matter what I wanted, not when I was the one who got myself in this screwed up position in the first place. First Danzo and now Orochimaru. I was digging myself in deeper, and I couldn't regret this. In the end I was bound to play the risky game the moment Danzo branded me. The prize was the power to destroy those who went against me, and the cost of failure wasn't just my life, but threatened the lives of the people I cared about.

This is for them you idiot. This is to make sure you don't fuck up your loved ones lives again just because you're a worthless idiot. Stop whining and go apologise to Sensei, tell him you love him, and make up. Even if he hates you forever, you'll have to continue for him. There's no time to be crying in self-pity, not now, and not until all of this is over.

I admonished myself thoroughly before making my way to the training grounds. Today was the day I was meant to start training again with Sensei. I hadn't seen him since his confrontation with Orochimaru and that had been a sour moment. I didn't expect to see him training in the field either when I entered. He looked rather riled up. He stopped the moment he caught my scent and he turned around in what looked like worry. I felt a sudden sense of trepidation. My heart was hammering away inside my chest, leaving me flustered and terrified.

"Ohayo Sensei. Long time no see. I hope you aren't mad—"

"—You smell like blood," he said, his eyes narrowing at me.

"Ah, about that… Orochimaru-sama is well… I guess he's harsh," I shrugged.

"Hina… I'm—" he began before pausing and taking in a deep breath. He schooled his face as best he could, but Sensei wasn't the kind who could hide his expressions easily, especially not from me. "I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier."

What?

"Y-you don't have to—"

"—No I do," he said stopping me. Gaku-sensei, kneeled down in front of me, putting an arm on my shoulder as his brown eyes shone with love and worry. "You're being trained by a Sannin. That's no small thing. I know how cool it must sound to you, and I hope it's not clouding whatever judgement you have. I know you're a smart girl. Hina, there's a difference between being beaten and training. If he ever—if he ever hits you without reason, you need to tell me ok. Sannin or not I'll break down whatever door I need to, to get you out of there."

I didn't think when I jumped at Sensei and hugged him. I buried my face in his neck and took in his scent. I remembered the hands coming to strike me down, the insurmountable iron wall that was Hakanai, the utter hopelessness I felt burning in Orochimaru's Genjutsu. I remembered wishing in those moments when I was beaten down and broken like the other children, that someone, anyone would come in and just end it. In the end I had to take matters into my own hands, and I knew I would still have to for Sensei and for my family, but he had my back. He had my back and that meant the world to me.

I was so relieved. It felt like all that unspoken tension just burst from my shoulders. He didn't hate me. He didn't hate me!

"I-I was so worried you'd hate me," I cried.

Sensei chuckled sadly, finally reciprocating the hug. "I'd never hate you my precious little bean."

I just laughed at the stupid nickname that Nami had given me. It felt like it'd been so long since I heard it. After about five more seconds of hugging, I met my quota for a whole months' worth of emotional vulnerability.

"I'm fine with you training with Orochimaru as long as you get him to give me your schedule. I don't want to overwork you. You already look like you haven't slept in weeks."

I rubbed my eyes and yawned just in time. ROOT liked to whisk me away at the dead of night, which irrevocably made them sound like terrible paedophiles, but that was beside the point. I hardly got any sleep as it was with the nightmares, but now I didn't get more than 3-4 hours of sleep at any time.

"If you don't sleep, you're going to stunt your growth and end up a shorty forever," he chuckled, and Yama, the little cute shit he was, barked in agreement.

"I'm not short, I'm six," I reminded again in exasperation. I was actually rather tall for my age too.

"Sure, sure kiddo. Anyway, work on your Wind Walking."

I nodded before stretching quickly and walking to the middle of the field. I shook my arms and feet and jumped on the balls of my heels to hype myself up.

Just like when I killed Hakanai. I had sucked in a deep breath and cleared my head. I had shot forward in a burst of speed even faster than when I killed Kazuki. It was like I had full control of the chakra in my body. Not even an ounce of it was wasted, and when I landed my feet on the ground that time, it didn't break my bones from the sheer force of it. It wasn't like back in Kumo, with Hakanai I had managed to control the raging chakra surge, and the increased blood flow. I wondered if I could do it again.

I cracked my neck before taking in a deep breath. It didn't reach as far down or as deep into my core as it did before, but it did clear my head. I tried to remember the space I was in before, that space that made the world seem like a blank gradient, and the ground a still pool of water. I closed my eyes and let the breath settle in me.

I shot forward the moment I exhaled. The wind cut around my wildly and for a second, I hesitated as my feet hit the ground. I shot chakra there and managed to leap forward once more, and once more again before I lost myself in the speed and ended up flinging myself through the field wildly again. I felt like a ragdoll as I rolled, loosing more and more momentum until my back crashed into a tree and I rubbed my head groaning. Sensei ran up to me and clapped impressed.

"You seem to be getting it down. That was a lot more chakra than you used the first time. How are your reserves looking?"

"I didn't expend much," I said a little too defensively before I blushed and coughed to clear my throat and sound calmer. "I learnt to gather chakra and use it without wasting too much. It was why I jumped fast but didn't lose my reserves."

"That's impressive, but for now, use less chakra. There's no point in going that fast if you can't even control the speed," Sensei chuckled.

"But that's how fast a Jounin goes normally," I pointed out with a frown.

"And you're not a Jounin yet, so you aren't expected to keep up. Trust me, work your way up to that speed. I want you to be able to change directions in a month's time using this jutsu. Once you've learnt that, I'll teach you the Inuzuka Beast Imitation."

I shot up in shock. "Isn't that a Clan only technique?" I asked wide eyed.

Gaku chuckled a little abashed as he scratched his nose. "Yeah, I got permission from the Elders. They agreed as long as you signed a contract to never teach it to anyone else."

"Wow seriously?" I said in awe. Sensei must have hounded them for a long time to get them to agree to that.

"Don't go looking all starry-eyed kiddo. I knew this was coming the moment I taught you the Walking in Winds technique. It's mostly used by Ninken you know."

I didn't know… which was odd since I'd been stuck on this one jutsu for months right now. Sensei gave me an amused look and I remembered how much he enjoyed teasing me. I couldn't even bring myself to be annoyed. I was just so relieved that he didn't hate me, that we weren't fighting.

"Why teach it to human me, then?" I asked.

"I'd always intended to teach you Beast Imitation. Tiger palm for swift kill strikes, Circle walk for unpredictable movements and finally Beast Imitation for maximum agility."

"You planned all this from the very start of my training," I said in surprise. Sensei had really planned ahead. He had created a fusion fighting style just for me and made sure it was something I could use past the age when I stopped growing.

"Of course I did," he said looking rather proud of himself. "I'd done some research into your parents body builds. Your mother is of average height and is quite lithe. Your father is rather tall and stocky. Judging from your appearance it seems you'll get your father's height and your mother's constitution in the future. Your body is suited to speed, quick strikes and for aerial manoeuvres. Currently you'll be fighting most of your opponents in aerial combat, jump strikes and overhead take downs, but once you grow to your maximum height, you'll be better suited dealing strikes using the Beast Imitation form."

He knelt down, his fingers turning into claws as his stomach hovered over the ground. He was in the Beast Imitation position. I'd seen him use this with Yama before they combined for their combo moves. It was rather intimidating.

"For taller people like you're going to be in the future, this form is rather off putting to most taijutsu opponents. Down low like this, there is less surface area for anyone to strike at you from the front, and you'll get better propulsion speed if you want to jump forward into a sprint."

"Is that why shinobi always run with their bodies angled down, and arms back?" I asked.

"Yes, and also to break wind resistance. Running with your arms swinging gives you more balance and so it requires less concentration, but with it behind you, it's easier to move forwards. It's not so good for sharp turns, but you can still change directions somewhat by angling your body."

Oh, that made sense. It was kind of like riding a motorbike in a way. And then it suddenly clicked, and I pointed an accusing finger at sensei and grinned.

"You called me tall!"

"No, I said you will become tall," he retorted.

"Nuh-uh, you said I'm tall and that's that. You can't call me a shorty ever again because I'm six and it doesn't count right now!"

"This is what you're so caught up on after I explained my whole master plan to you?" Sensei sighed.

"Oh, after all the grief you've given me over being a 'midget' I deserve this moment," I replied petulantly.

We continued our banter until Yama interrupted us by barking and tackling Sensei. The dog continued barking like it was admonishing us for acting childish. I laughed at Sensei only to get a face full of dog butt as Yama sat on me. I groaned and then paused when I realised how light I felt. I'd only been with Sensei and Yama for 10 minutes and already the stress had left. I pushed Yama off my face and sat up with a chuckle. I had almost forgotten about killing Hakanai, waking up to Orochimaru, asking him to be my sensei and then helping him experiment on a Konoha Shinobi. I had almost forgotten…

Yawn

"Ok, that's clearly enough for you today. Get on Yama. I'm taking you home and I'm going to put you to bed and make sure you get at least 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep."

I didn't complain. I jumped on Yama's back and melted into his illegally soft fur. We talked as we made our way out of the training field, but sleep was closing in on me, and I didn't even need a soft bed to close my eyes and fall asleep right there on Yama's back.

I didn't have any nightmares for the first time in a long time.

A/N

Omg sorry for the late update. Been heckin busy on my end recently. Got a few commissions, work finally started again so I can actually pay my rent without having to worry about coming short. God covid's just made life a hard mess (ಥoಥ) Anyway, I'm going to stop complaining now! Tell me what you think of Hina and Orochimaru's new messed up relationship. The whole two sensei thing isn't too hard to write in considering it happens often in Naruto. You get the Jounin sensei, and then you get the shishou (which is closer to a personally chosen master as opposed to sensei which just means teacher in general).

Review Responses (and by god there are a LOT!)

EmmieSauce- Ayye I'm glad you liked the technique! Total concentration breathing becomes op later on!

Abdur Rauf Aymaan- Yeah for sure, there will be a balance in evil/good influence in Hina's life!

M2R- Actually Hina's less of a test subject for Orochimaru, than she is say—a Kabuto like figure… maybe more than that in the future ಠ‿ಠ

Riveria- Yup Hina can be a remorseless savage when she wants to be!

DreamyFlower- I'm glad you prepared your heart but Gaku is such a pure cinnamon-bun roll that even a fake betrayal won't stop him from caring!

Yee Haw Im From The South- Thaanks! It definitely does play a purpose!

Hi Exclamation Point- Thanks for your criticism! Honestly, it helps a lot. I did go back and rework the chapter to fix some of those issues. I feel like I keep falling into the same writing mistakes. Hopefully, I can fix them up soon! Also I'm so glad you saw the Orochimaru thing as well. He's definitely character foil material! Thanks for always reviewing! Your reviews are like my life-blood! Keeps me motivated!

Ptbv- Thanks for leaving a review!

Immortal Potatoe- She definitely does end up getting a 'mask like personality' although that's her exaggerating her lighter personality. Thanks for leaving a review!

RileyBlue00- I'm so happy you're excited about Orochimaru! Did you enjoy how dark it became this chapter? Hina experimenting on humans with Orochimaru might be a little too dark for most!

InfernalGenocide- Thanks for leaving a review!

pigs103- I knew not everyone would like the whole Orochimaru thing. That's honestly fine with me because I can't cater to everyone. You didn't tell me to change my whole story though, so I'm totally fine with your criticisms. I think it's valid to not like a direction a stories going, but sometimes it's impossible for the author to really change it anyway. I'm honestly so glad you like Gaku that much! Don't worry, even if he might get side-lined for now, he'll forever be Hina's favourite sensei!

ita123- Ayye! Thanks! I absolutely love their twisted relationship going forward!

gogo bananas- That's going to be a while away, but it does happen!

topsyturvy-dream- I absolutely love your interpretation of the idea of "good/bad". Honestly, I agree with you on that. I truly think people aren't one or the other, and that you can only really judge a person subjectively. There might be a few people out there objectively bad, but a lot of people aren't inherently bad people and they do both good and bad things! I'm so glad you like the Orochimaru route, because honestly Hina is so similar to him (even if she doesn't want to admit it). Yeah the Canon plot will be heavily affected around chapters 45-50. Just throw canon out after that XD Things begin a logical snowball of changes.

Zait4o- I'm always so honoured when a non-primary English speaker reads and reviews! Thanks for taking the effort to! Means a lot!

4ever-oreo- I'm so honoured you love this story! Yes Orochimaru-sensei is a thing now! The ROOT arc was pretty controversial but I think it's great because a lot of people dropped the story. Now I'm left with the kind of readers who would truly enjoy this fic so it's a win in my opinion! Yup no one in the history of Naruto has ever liked Danzo. He's like Dolores Umbridge level unlikeable! Orochimaru however, like you described him, is a loveable villain. I guess it's because of his creepy unrepentantly evil charisma. He doesn't try and pretend to be a good guy, and people love honesty. Thanks for your review! It made me smile!

Dacube24- Your review had me check out River and the Sea. Man that's a good story! Thanks for the review!

Miss Nanami-chan- I swear to god I died when you reviewed my story! The writer of A Song For Them! OH MY GOD! I love your story! Your story, Catch your Breath, and Dreaming of Sunshine is what actually inspired me to write this fic, so holy hell I can't believe I'm responding to your review! You left three I think, so I think I'll dm a response cause damn I it was long and I need to take my time on those!

Shadow Wolf 15846- Thanks for always leaving a review!

MonsteraGecko- Thanks! Icha Icha ain't vanilla, but Hina does find other porn lol!

Zekral- Thanks and here it is!

x7porkchop123w- I'm glad you're enjoying the Orochimaru route!

K.A Astral- I'm relieved that the angst isn't too much. Honestly, kills me when a character is moping for more than 3 chapters at a time. I love that you got the impression she's still the age she is mentally. While her body does respond to adults in a kind of childish way (due to instincts) she does have a fully functional thought process akin to an already established adult mind. Thanks for your review!

4-Rooibos-4- Ah the criticism was probably because it breaks off from the Naruto world and was jarring. I'm glad you liked it though! I'm so glad you liked the cliff-hanger too!

regina veritas- Makes me so happy someone else picked up on that part where she let her own pride get the better of her during the therapy sess. Hina is so stupidly prideful it gets in the way of a lot of things. Like she kills Hakanai putting back her plans of taking suspicion of her back years. While it did have some (good?) consequences for once, it definitely was her pride talking there. It's a double edged sword for sure.

Madscope- Thanks! Here's some more for you as requested!