Naruto: I Became Orochimaru's Apprentice

Orochimaru stood at his doorway before chucking a dead snake at Teriyaki.

"ARGH."

"Teriyaki..."

"Yes... Master." Teriyaki looked up in annoyance. 'Today's the day huh?'

"It's time to leave."

"Yes, Master."

Orochimaru kitted him up, with the outfit of a mist genin.

"First registration comes, we will travel to Konoha by foot, I don't want to leave a trail, everything must be kept in secrecy."

A few hours passed, it had taken a toll on them to arrive at Konoha, they had gone by foot and it had taken a while.

"Remember everything I've told you, and put the mission before all else."

Orochimaru's killing intent was made clear.

"If you fail the mission and survive, I will personally ensure you do not live another day. Failure here is the only thing I cannot allow."

"Yes... Master."

Teriyaki nodded tiredly, before wandering onwards.

The gates of the Hidden Leaf Village stood tall and familiar, but Teriyaki wasn't fooled. The village was just as much a battlefield as the Forest of Death would be — maybe worse. Here, eyes watched. Here, questions would be asked.

His forehead protector — freshly engraved with the Mist's symbol — felt heavy against his skin. The mist headband had once belonged to a real genin. Teriyaki didn't know their name. Orochimaru had tossed it to him like a souvenir.

He pulled his hood lower, footsteps quiet as he crossed into the village. Other teams were gathering, some already forming secret bonds. Teams of three mostly. Teriyaki was blatantly alone.

"That's weird," someone muttered behind him. "A solo entry?"

He ignored them. Act indifferent. That's what Orochimaru said. Teriyaki spotted the main registration hall — the tall building where all participants would check in.

Inside, it was chaos. Genin from Sand, Cloud, Leaf — even Grass — filled the room, some posturing, some glaring, others trying to hide their nerves behind cocky smiles. Teriyaki found the line for Mist genin and stood there, back straight, expression blank.

"Where's your team?" The chunin at the desk barely looked up as he scanned the names.

"An accident," Teriyaki answered.

The chunin paused. "All of them?"

"Yes."

A flicker of something — sympathy? Suspicion? — crossed the man's face. But it was the Mist. Teams from the Bloody Mist died all the time. After a shrug, the chunin handed over his registration slip.

"Teriyaki Kirigakure. You're in."

The moment felt oddly real. Teriyaki folded the paper into his pocket and stepped aside, avoiding eye contact with anyone too curious. He was just one more face in the sea of hopeful killers.

The second he was in the hallway, Teriyaki began his real mission: reconnaissance. Orochimaru's list burned in his memory — and there they were.

Sasuke Uchiha stood against the far wall, arms crossed, looking both bored and dangerous. His chakra flickered like a live wire, and even from this distance, Teriyaki could feel something… dark, underneath it all. The curse mark.

Nearby, Naruto Uzumaki argued loudly with a white-eyed boy — Neji Hyuga.

"They all have so much chakra," Teriyaki muttered under his breath. It was like standing next to bonfires while holding a candle, the show hadn't done them justice. Spending so much time working with chakra and Orochimaru meant it was strikingly clear who had heaps of chakra.

Then there was Gaara. Teriyaki's stomach clenched slightly at the sight of him, standing utterly still, eyes empty. The gourd on his back radiated malice alongside his expression.

And Sakura…

Teriyaki almost laughed. She was scolding Naruto, face flushed with anger, but her chakra felt insignificant next to the others. Orochimaru hadn't even marked her as a threat. But Teriyaki knew better than to underestimate anyone. After all, he didn't know if they would be stronger than they were in the show.

Teriyaki leaned against the wall, blending into the background — until someone stood right in front of him.

"Yo," Naruto said. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. You're new. What's your deal? I heard your WHOLE team got wiped out."

Teriyaki's mind raced for a response. He was not ready for Naruto's energy at full blast this early.

The other half of his mind was in shock he was talking to the main character so casually.

"From the Mist," Teriyaki said. "Team's gone. That's all. I can't tell you the details... So don't worry about them."

Naruto's grin faltered, but only for a second. "That sucks! But hey, don't worry, I'm gonna be Hokage, so if you need a hand, I'm your guy!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes from the corner. "Don't embarrass us, idiot. Even if he's alone he's a threat. I don't trust mist genin"

Neji was watching too, Byakugan activated just briefly before dismissing Teriyaki as irrelevant. That stung more than it should have.

"Thanks," Teriyaki muttered, pushing off the wall and moving past Naruto before anyone else could get too curious.

Back at his temporary lodging — a barebones room Orochimaru had secured — Teriyaki sat cross-legged on the floor, replaying every conversation, every glance, every flicker of chakra he'd felt.

Naruto was unpredictable. Sasuke was dangerous. Neji was arrogant, but probably deserved to be. Gaara was silently terrifiying.

And Teriyaki? Teriyaki was like a ghost, many probably assumed he would be out first — unseen, unwanted, but very much present.

He practiced a quick water slicing jutsu, carving a shallow line into the floorboards, then whispered to himself:

"No matter what happens, I can't be forgotten. If I fail here, Orochimaru might actually kill me."

Tomorrow, the exams would begin — and Teriyaki would make sure they all remembered his name.