Naruto: I Became Orochimaru's Apprentice-Chapter 41: The First Day Of Torture

As Teriyaki was about to respond to Orochimaru all his senses died out. Everything went black. Then...

Pain.

It was the first thing Teriyaki felt when he clenched his eyes. A sharp, burning sensation clawed at his nerves, his body aching from head to toe. The dim glow of torchlight flickered around him, casting eerie shadows on the damp, cavernous walls of Orochimaru's hideout. He was back.

Back in the place he had sworn he would never return to.

Heavy chains bound his wrists and ankles, securing him against a cold metal table. His breathing was shallow, his body weak from exhaustion. How long had it been since Deidara took him? Days? Hours? He didn't know. Time was meaningless in this wretched place.

And then he heard it.

The slow, deliberate sound of approaching footsteps.

A voice followed—smooth, sinister, dripping with amusement.

"Ah, Teriyaki... You should have known better than to run. You should have never betrayed your master."

Orochimaru.

The Sannin stepped into the dim light, his serpentine eyes gleaming with satisfaction. His arms still hung lifelessly at his sides, useless since his battle with Hiruzen Sarutobi. But despite his injury, his killing intent was monstrous.

Teriyaki gritted his teeth, his wrists struggling against the chains. He wanted to move. To run. To do anything but lay there, helpless before the man who had haunted his life in this world.

I know the entire future of this verse? How is this my reality? Teriyaki wanted to cry.

Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, a cruel smirk playing on his lips. "I must say, it was... amusing to watch you attempt to fight against me. Did you truly believe I would simply give up on you? That you could escape your origins?"

Teriyaki didn't answer.

Orochimaru chuckled. "Well, no matter. Since you dared to betray me... I believe it's time I remind you why that was a mistake."

With a nod, he signaled someone behind him.

Kabuto.

The silver-haired medic-nin stepped forward, adjusting his glasses with a casual, almost bored expression. "It seems Lord Orochimaru is in a nostalgic mood," he mused. "I will follow his orders."

Teriyaki tensed as Orochimaru's snakes slithered into view. Their black, scaly bodies coiled around the table, their forked tongues flicking at his skin.

Then, the torture began.

The snakes bit into his flesh, injecting venom that sent white-hot pain ripping through his nerves. His muscles seized, his body convulsing as agony wracked him from the inside out.

"ARGGH." His mind convulsed in agony.

Kabuto worked methodically, pressing his fingers against key points in Teriyaki's body, disrupting his chakra flow, making sure the pain lingered. His medical ninjutsu was precise, calculated—designed to keep Teriyaki conscious, to push his body to the brink of collapse without allowing him to lose awareness.

Orochimaru watched with sick pleasure. "You see, Teriyaki, this is what happens when you defy me. You will never be one of them. You are mine. This torture will go on until you are completely loyal to me."

Teriyaki's breath came in ragged gasps, sweat dripping down his forehead. He wouldn't break. He wouldn't scream.

But the pain was unbearable.

Minutes stretched into eternity. Then, finally, the torture stopped. The snakes recoiled, slithering back to their master. Kabuto wiped his hands clean, as if it were nothing more than a routine procedure.

Teriyaki coughed, his body trembling. His vision blurred, but he forced himself to look up at Orochimaru. "You... You went so far just to catch me... What's the point of this...?"

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Orochimaru smirked. "Oh? Do you think this is mere vengeance?" His golden eyes gleamed with something even darker. "No, Teriyaki. This is a lesson. One that you seem too stubborn to learn. I'm going to reprogram you into my pawn, and you will never know free will again."

He took a step back. "Perhaps... a better demonstration is in order."

Orochimaru turned to Kabuto. "Prepare the arena."

Kabuto smiled. "Understood."

—

Teriyaki barely had the strength to stand. His knees wobbled, his breath was shallow, and every inch of his body screamed in pain. Yet here he was, thrown into an underground fighting chamber, facing the very man who had just helped torture him.

Kabuto stood at the other end, adjusting his gloves casually. His expression was unreadable, but there was no denying the confidence in his stance. "Orochimaru-sama has given you an offer," he said. "Win this fight, and he'll let you go.

Teriyaki knew it was over, his body was injured, his chakra was blocked and his mind was distraught.

"How can I win a fight like this?" He mumbled, his body weighing him down with it's injuries.

But he had no choice. If he didn't fight, he'd die here.

The moment the match began, Kabuto vanished.

A fist slammed into Teriyaki's gut.

The force sent him crashing against the ground, dust exploding around him. He gasped for air, his body already too slow to react.

He pushed himself up just in time for Kabuto's heel to drive into his back.

He hit the ground again. Hard.

Then again.

And again.

Every strike was brutal, efficient. Kabuto wasn't just attacking—he was dissecting him.

Teriyaki tried to counter, but his body refused to listen. His chakra flow was still disrupted from the torture. His muscles barely moved the way he wanted them to. It was hopeless.

"Is this all you have?" Kabuto mused, his voice calm. "You thought you could survive outside of Orochimaru-sama's grasp, yet look at you. Pathetic."

Teriyaki clenched his teeth, trying to push himself up once more.

A chakra-infused strike to his ribs sent him tumbling across the ground. He choked, blood splattering onto the dirt floor.

Orochimaru watched from above, unimpressed. "Kabuto. Finish it."

Kabuto nodded, stepping forward. "Understood."

Teriyaki's vision swam. This was it.

He had no strength left.

He could barely hear Orochimaru's next words.

"It doesn't matter anymore. Sasuke is already coming to me. And once he does..."

Orochimaru's smirk widened.

"There will be no one left to stop me."