Chapter Text
It was typhoon season.
That one night in late July was not particularly cold, but it carried an eerie atmosphere. The ocean breeze sent gusts of damp air through the open window of one of the facility's rooms. The waves had grown stronger over the past hours, splashing saltwater against the rocks beneath the laboratory.
Over a cluttered desk, a man typed sequence after sequence into his computer, occasionally tucking his long black hair behind an ear. The bright display glowed green, making the man's thin lips twitch with satisfaction over the successful tests. His pale skin shivered from the cold before he finally stood, closed the window, and returned to his work.
It was in the small hours of the night when the call came.
"Professor Orochimaru," the voice on the other end urged, "there has been an accident. A boat has sunk on the east coast. Near Inubōsaki."
"A boat?"
"Yes. The boat we discussed the other day." The man paused. "Would you like to inspect the site?"
"I'll be ready in ten minutes."
The line disconnected. Orochimaru shrugged off his white coat and headed for the small motorboat docked near the facility to reach the mainland.
The journey took around an hour. The three men in the car exchanged theories as they crossed the dense forest before reaching the main road. Words about the transport of exotic marine specimens had reached their ears weeks ago. Fugaku, one of the most secretive dealers on the black market, had apparently brokered a deal worth billions – or so the rumours claimed.
By the time Orochimaru and his team arrived at the crash site, the first sun rays were threatening to rise over the horizon.
The authorities had already more or less secured the area. With a few nods toward the policemen, the scientists slipped past the yellow caution tape.
In the distance, the debris of a ship drifted in the cold Pacific waters.
"Any survivors?" Orochimaru asked one of the officers.
"So far, no," the man replied. "It's very unlikely."
“Any interesting… Specimen?” the professor specified, but the man only shook his head negatively.
Orochimaru began descending the rocky coastline to check for himself when someone called out.
"Professor Orochimaru!" One of the men waved from farther down the shore. "You may want to see this."
He was kneeling beside one of the larger rocks, his back hunched over a small body. Orochimaru approached and carefully assessed the child.
A young boy, no older than four, stared at them through heavy lids. Onyx eyes peered out from beneath strands of wet black hair clinging to his forehead. His breaths were shallow and uneven. His body trembled violently.
Fever. Severe dehydration, likely hypothermia earlier in the night, the professor thought. The child should not have been conscious.
He crouched slowly and wrapped two slender fingers around the boy's wrist. His pulse was weak.
"What is your name?" Orochimaru asked.
The child hesitated. Whether from fear or exhaustion, the professor couldn't tell.
"Do you remember?" he asked again. "Your name?"
Silence stretched between them.
"Hm?"
The professor slid an arm behind the boy's shoulders, helping him sit upright.
"S-Sasuke..." The voice barely reached him.
"Sasuke Uchiha?"
The child nodded weakly. His small fists remained clenched tightly against his chest, as though he were afraid of losing whatever he held.
"Now, Sasuke, you don't need to worry." Orochimaru's voice remained calm. "I will help you."
The professor motioned for one of the men to take the child. As he carefully lifted him, Orochimaru noticed one of Sasuke's fists remained tightly shut.
"Open his hand."
The man gently pried apart the small fingers, where something glimmered in the morning light. An almost translucent, greenish fish scale, slightly smaller than the child’s palm pad.
The scientist turned it over between his fingers before slipping it into a specimen bag. The scale would disappear into one of the research cases. The child stirred slightly, his consciousness drifted.
Saltwater burned his throat. Dark waves swallowed the sky. Gentle hands lifted his head above the surface.
Then darkness.
"I'll be taking the child with me," Orochimaru informed the nearby officer. "I will see that he receives proper care."
The policeman glanced at the exhausted boy before nodding. Considering the professor's reputation and connections, there was little room for argument.
The caution tape was lifted, and the scientists began their journey back.
Before long, Sasuke had fallen asleep, wrapped in a blanket far too large for him. He never noticed when he was transferred from a car to a small motorboat, which crossed the waters back toward the island.
Nor did he know that the strange man who had taken him that morning would become the only family he would truly remember.