The ground rumbled beneath their feet as the last of the lab collapsed behind them. A pillar of dust and red-tinged chakra smoke burst from the hidden entrance, sending wind and debris outward.
The forest around them shuddered, leaves rustling like whispers, but quickly fell silent again. All that remained was the stillness of rot and ruin, the aftermath of a battle few would ever know took place.
Kakashi stepped out first, his ANBU flanking him in a protective formation. Naruto and Sasuke followed, dirt-smeared and exhausted, but alert. No one has spoken yet. They didn't need to. The mission wasn't over just because the lab was gone.
Crane immediately moved to higher ground, her eyes scanning the treeline. "No movement. No reinforcements," she said softly into the comm.
"Perimeter secured," said Ghost, emerging from the shadows, his mask glowing faintly from residual chakra sensing.
Ox knelt, pressing one gloved hand to the earth. "Collapse was total. That entire complex was built on a chakra foundation. Subject V's final surge turned it unstable. The structure won't support further investigation."
"Then it did what it was made to do," Kakashi muttered.
Mantis was already checking the samples and scrolls retrieved. "All target materials are intact. No trace of infection or corrosion."
"Good." Kakashi gave a small nod.
The forest remained eerily quiet. The air was dense with leftover chakra, a heavy weight pressing against the lungs. Naruto rubbed his temples, wincing. "Still feels like that thing's screaming. Is that normal?"
"No," Sasuke said simply. His Sharingan spun slowly, tracking lingering chakra echoes around the site. "But it's done."
"Secure the ridge. Two kilometers east. We regroup there and prepare for departure in twenty." Kakashi turned to the team.
The ANBU moved like clockwork, with no wasted motion. The ghost vanished into the trees. Crane dropped three chakra seals on the exit point, then shimmered out with a genjutsu fade.
Mantis and Ox split off to cover the flanks. Only Naruto, Sasuke, and the Orochimaru clone remained near Kakashi.
"So that was Subject V… I thought it was gonna crawl out and fight us or something. Instead, it was like… like the air wanted to crush us." Naruto slumped onto a rock, breathing heavily.
Kakashi crouched next to him, inspecting a faint bruise on Naruto's shoulder. "It did fight us. Just not the way you expected. It weaponized the space itself. Chakra like that, chaotic and untethered, it doesn't need a body to kill."
"I kept wanting to punch something, but there was nothing there." Naruto looked down.
"That instinct saved Mantis from a collapse," Kakashi reminded him. "You reacted without waiting. But next time, don't just move, understand why you moved. Your instincts are sharp, but instincts guided by observation are even sharper."
"You mean… think faster?" Naruto blinked.
Kakashi's eyes crinkled. "No. Think smarter. Observe the field, then act. I'll build it into your next drills."
"So I didn't mess it up too bad?" Naruto grinned a little.
"You passed," Kakashi said simply. "But barely, don't get cocky."
"Hey-!"
"Sasuke," Kakashi said, turning to him, "Once again. Your eyes cut through Subject V's chakra haze better than I expected. You picked up pressure distortions before they peaked. That probably saved all of us."
Although he held back for the sake of the mission so as to let Naruto and Sasuke feel what ANBU missions are, he still had to praise them for a good job.
Sasuke nodded once. "It wasn't reacting to movement, it was reacting to chakra pressure. Too much noise triggered pulses."
Kakashi rubbed his chin. "Exactly. You're developing more than just sight. You're beginning to analyze better. I'll increase your exposure to high-pressure simulation environments."
"You mean more traps?" Sasuke asked.
"More data," Kakashi corrected. "You're past the level where we train your body. Now we train your mind."
Behind them, the Orochimaru clone stepped forward. His posture was calm, unaffected by the chaos.
"Kakashi-sama," he said smoothly. "Would you like my preliminary evaluation of Subject V?"
"Go on." Kakashi nodded.
"Subject V was never designed to fight. It was a chakra furnace. A converter. The melting event in the records was not a failure, but a proof of concept. My inferior clone wasn't trying to build a weapon. He was trying to refine chakra into something unstable… and infectious."
"Infectious?"Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
The clone gestured to the air around them. "Even now, this clearing holds remnants. Residual chakra that resists decay. Imagine if this type of chakra infected a summoning beast, or a Jinchūriki."
Kakashi stood silent for a moment. Then: "He's testing bioweapons."
"More than that, Kakashi-sama," the clone said. "He's testing integration. He's trying to merge organic life with artificial chakra, fusing identity, memory, and power into something… mutable."
Kakashi's gaze darkened. "He's building weapons that adapt. Mirror selves that can evolve past the original."
Naruto stood up slowly. "Then… the thing down there… that wasn't the real danger?"
"No," Kakashi said. "That was a side-effect."
"So what now?" Sasuke folded his arms.
"Now we hit the next lab." Kakashi looked to the dark forest.
…
A Short Time Later
The team reconvened at the ridge, where a small camp had been quickly set up. The ANBU was already triangulating the location of the next lab based on decoded information from the recovered scrolls.
Ghost projected a map from his scroll, displaying five locations, each marked with a serpentine icon.
"Subject V's facility was labeled 'Delta'. But Alpha, Beta, and Gamma still haven't been raided," he said. "And we're getting subtle chakra readings near Beta."
"Could be a trap," Mantis offered.
"Or could be a functioning lab," Crane said. "Either way, we need to act before Orochimaru cleans house."
"We won't wait. This isn't a single mission anymore, it's a campaign. Every lab down is one less threat tomorrow." Kakashi nodded.
He glanced toward Naruto and Sasuke.
"You two are now part of that campaign."
"You're not benching us?" Naruto straightened.
"You earned your place," Kakashi replied. "But we tailor your roles. Naruto, your adaptability makes you perfect for forward disruption. We'll train your sensing and response drills. You'll learn how to trust your gut, but back it up with analysis."
"I'll show you I can do both!" Naruto grinned, full of fire again.
"Your Sharingan will be our early warning system. Expect more mission prep that builds your prediction skills. You'll start working with Crane on genjutsu deception drills." Kakashi turned to Sasuke.
Sasuke didn't speak, but there was a fire in his gaze.
"Anything else we need to know?" Kakashi finally addressed the clone Orochimaru again.
The clone tilted his head, smiling faintly. "Yes. I believe Subject V was not just a test… it was a lens. My inferior clone created these facilities to monitor his own creations. I believe we are seeing only fragments."
"Fragments of what?" Sasuke asked.
"Of himself," the clone said softly. "Every lab might hold a piece of my inferior clone's true plan. A plan far beyond simple power."
Kakashi absorbed the words in silence, then looked back at the dust cloud behind them.
"That means we don't stop until we find the whole picture."