Reaching immortality (Reborn as Orochimaru)

7.The tempting offer from Shimura Danzo

It was my eighteenth birthday.

I knew that I'd be bombarded with a birthday party once I returned to Mito's home so I took this moment of peace to visit my parents grave and reaffirm my goals. I brought them daisies and aster flowers and kneeled to place them down gently. I wasn't there for long before I smelled the foul scent of dirty caves, sweat, and blood. Of course it was Danzo.

The man had carried the same disgusting scent since I first met him In Sensei's office all those years ago. Did not help that the 37 year old man had leered at me with barely hidden greed and desire for all of two seconds before blanking his features and turning back to sensei to finish his report. Danzo carried a lot of influence in the Village as well as equal amounts of authority to the Hokage and I had always found that to be unwise. I was not in any position to protest this against my Sensei however, since he held the utmost respect for his former team mate. I stood slowly and turned my face to look at the man. 

He had a hideous scar on his chin, but otherwise held himself with confidence and a demand for utter obedience. If he had been chosen to be Hokage I imagined my life would have been cut very short from the war. 

Sensei had not taken any risks by sending children into the battle after all. This man..this man had created an army of children he called root. Children of war that did not have any homes that he took in from the goodness of his heart and trained to serve Konoha and Danzo himself. I had never met a man so foul in my previous life but I knew an evil villain when I saw one. I'd watched enough Harry Potter and read enough fiction novels to see all the signs that leads to a plotting devious mastermind.

I would not bow to this mans whims no matter what, it goes against every principal I had once been taught from my previous set of parents.

"Orochimaru, I thought I'd find you here." Danzo smiled. It was a poor imitation of the smile Sensei always gives me, and I could tell the differences. Perhaps if I hadn't lived another life I wouldn't have noticed, but I'd spent twenty years learning facial ques and gestures to notice the mans left eye twitched in the smile as if his face had protested against the unnatural expression.

It would be wise for the man to spend more of his time smiling to work those muscles better rather than scowling at everything blankly. 

The followers  moved and vanished with a twitch of Danzo's fingers. I contemplated the man for a few seconds more before turning to completely face him. 

Ever since I'd found the contract for snakes in my mothers safe and signed it, I'd noticed subtle changes in my body. Heightened awareness and senses being one of them. And the ability to see through another trying to fool me. I could practically smell the deceit coming from him in waves and it crawled up my legs, begging me to fall and submit. I did not move to show I was disturbed, instead I lifted my chin and looked down on his mediocre attempt at fooling the whole village. He made for a shitty villain.

"Speak." I murmured as I put my hands in my sleeves. I felt a little satisfaction when the man twitched in distaste at my tone while trying to keep a sheepish smile on his face. It looked uncomfortably unnatural. Even for a mission I'd never allow that grimace of a smile on my face. From that I could tell he was not born like me. He had been kind once, perhaps as a child.

He'd always known how to smile, however smiling had become impossible a long time ago and he's out of practice. At least, that's the impression he was giving. I'm certain my trusting Sensei could not tell the difference. He was good enough I'd give him that.

"I have a request to make of you, and your particular skill set." Danzo droned. "In exchange I can offer you a place in my Anbu where you can have access to higher security knowledge. I'm sure whatever you find in the archives could assist you in your future endeavors."