Naruto: I Became Orochimaru's Apprentice

Teriyaki was in the middle of practicing his water severing wave — aiming his uncontrolled water beam at the floor when Orochimaru arrived at his door.

"Teriyaki. Come."

The jutsu splashed to the floor. Teriyaki followed, feet silent as he trailed behind his master through the twisting corridors of the lair. Orochimaru's pace was unhurried, his hands hidden within his long sleeves.

They arrived in a dimly lit chamber, with scrolls and notes scattered across the table like dead leaves. Orochimaru gestured for Teriyaki to sit.

"It's time you understand exactly what you're about to face." Orochimaru's golden eyes flickered with amusement, or maybe cruelty — with him, it was hard to tell. "The Chuunin Exams are a multi-stage trial to elevate genin to chuunin. Most are from the Hidden Leaf, but other villages send teams as well. It's meant to foster competition, diplomacy — all those menial things the five great nations care so much about."

He leaned in closer, grin stretching wide. "But for us as I've already stated, it's an opportunity."

Teriyaki swallowed hard. He would now be able to meet the main cast, but what would he do then?

"It's time to watch them. To learn. To manipulate." Orochimaru tapped the table, drawing attention to a parchment list. Teriyaki glanced at it — familiar names stared back at him.

Naruto Uzumaki. Sasuke Uchiha. Neji Hyuga. Gaara. Anko Mitarashi.

"These are your targets," Orochimaru said smoothly. "Each one is important for my future plans — some more than others. You will observe them closely. You will report as much as you can, it is all I ask, you should not fail me."

Teriyaki nodded, filing it away. "Alright. But aren't the exams team -based? How am I supposed to do that alone?" He thought back to the show, 3 man teams seemed to be the norm in the forest of death.

A soft, sinister laugh echoed off the walls. "You'll enter as a one-man team."

Teriyaki blinked. "Is that even allowed?"

"It is if you have certain issues, you will also have connections.. from me." Orochimaru's hand rested briefly on Teriyaki's shoulder. It felt cold. "You'll be a strange participant for many, especially when you begin to succeed.". 

The implication was clear. Teriyaki didn't ask any more about teammates.

Orochimaru continued. "The exams have three stages. The first is a written test, meant to evaluate intellect and information-gathering. I expect you to excel — if you can't cheat without getting caught, you deserve to fail."

Teriyaki felt a flash of irritation but kept his mouth shut.

"The second stage," Orochimaru's tongue flicked out briefly, "is survival. A battle royale inside the Forest of Death, where you'll need to secure two scrolls — one Heaven, one Earth — to pass. This is where you will be most useful to me. You can stalk your targets freely in the chaos and learn lots about their strength."

"And the third?" Teriyaki asked, already feeling the tension building in his chest.

"One-on-one battles. A tournament for the remaining candidates to show off their true abilities." Orochimaru's eyes glinted. "This will be your chance to show me exactly how much you've learned. If you can beat the best of your generation, only then can I praise you."

Teriyaki exhaled slowly. It sounded brutal — but exciting, too. For the first time, a real test of his abilities. "And the cover story? I will definately be asked who I am if I peform well." he asked.

"You are Teriyaki Kirigakure, a genin from the Mist. Your team is dead, leaving you the sole representative. No one will ask too many questions — the Mist's teams are disposable and easily forgotten."

"I see," Teriyaki muttered. "Great."

Orochimaru stood, the air shifting instantly from casual briefing to sharp danger. "One last thing before we finalize preparations."

Teriyaki tensed. He knew that tone — it meant Orochimaru was about to test something, and those tests were rarely painless.

Without warning, Orochimaru's fingers flew through hand signs, faster than Teriyaki could track. "Wind Release: Vacuum Blade."

A thin arc of compressed air sliced toward Teriyaki's face — deadly fast. Instinct overrode thought. Teriyaki's body blurred into motion.

Body Flicker Technique.

He appeared six meters to the side, heart hammering against his ribs, hand halfway to forming a counter-attack jutsu before stopping himself. His breath came fast, adrenaline spiking hard enough to make his fingers shake.

Orochimaru's smile was sharp and predatory. "Good. You're ready enough to survive the first hour — if you're smart."

Teriyaki exhaled in relief but didn't dare let his guard down fully.

"We leave in three days," Orochimaru said, turning away. "Prepare yourself, Teriyaki. The next time you return to this lair, you will either be a chuunin — or you'll be nothing at all."

In the next 3 days, Teriyaki trained as much as he could.

A smile formed on his face.

"I'm excited." He whispered as he shot another rising water slicer into the forest.

His chakra control had never felt so perfect, all his jutsus would surely give him the advantage over all the other participants. Familiar faces flashed through his mind.

Sasuke, who would have a curse mark, the most talented by ninja standards.

Gaara, who could already mimic his tailed beast.

Naruto, who had tricks up his sleeves.

Neji, the prodigy.

Then there was also people like Sakura.

Teriyaki shot out a wild water wave, creating a puddle on the ground.

Rising water slicer.

"Using jutsus when there is already a body of water is advantageous for me..." He talked to himself.

"I should keep that in mind in the exam."

If there was a body of water in the forest of death, he didn't think any 3 man team could take him down.

His body flicker technique was strangely imperfect, he felt like whenever he tried to do it on purpose he often failed and ended up in the wrong place or off balance, but when he did it instinctively it was done flawlessly.

It was night before he realized it.

"Time flies when you're ready to fight." He sighed, trudging back to the lair so he could sleep on his stone slab bed once more.