She's The Girl All The Bad Guys Want

Orochimaru's Experiment

Chapter 1


Shiori Akita never questioned the cruel practices of the sound shinobi. In fact, it never even struck her as cruel. The hidden sound village was her home. This was normal. The abuse, the near torture, and the complete lack of concern for the children was completey normal here. After all, it wasn't their job to care about the children. It was their job to turn them into great shinobi. And that meant toughening up. The children didn't like it, of course. But who cares what a bunch of five year olds think? The bruises, cuts, and occasional broken bone was all just part of the training process. And if a child died in the process, then they clearly weren't cut out for being a sound shinobi. The general consensus here was that if a you weren't a shinobi, you had little to no value.

The only person who disagreed was Shiori Tsukiko. Tsukiko arrived at the sound village almost six years ago. She was no surprise to anyone when she did. Orochimaru had attracted all matter of rogue and missing nin in the past few years. No one batted an eye at yet another missing nin showing up at the gates. Of course, there was the routine interrogation, but after some paperwork and registration, Tsukiko became a sound shinobi. She was the only one that had a smile for the children. Most of the children didn't have parents or a home. They were all strays that Orochimaru had picked up in villages and towns around the nations. Akita was one of the few that had a parent in the village, and she was the only one that had a parent that cared about the children. Of course, Tsukiko would never dare challenge Orochimaru about his brutal training methods. But that didn't mean that Tsukiko couldn't give the kids a place to go after school. She would bandage their wounds, help them practice, and give them all snacks. Many of the other villagers would scoff at her, believing that her coddling of the children would only weaken them. But Tsukiko didn't care. She did her work for Orochimaru and the children remained obedient to their instructors and elders, so Orochimaru never ordered her to stop. And although he would never admit it, he acknowledged silently that her aid to the children was producing better results. It was her child that was an enigma to him.

Shiori Akita was the only five year old in the village to not fear anyone, even Orochimaru. Yes, she felt anger and pain like the other children, but not fear. Instead, many of the other villagers felt unsettled when dealing with that child. Akita would often just look up at someone and they would stop in their tracks. Unable to look away, it was as if her eyes could see everything you were, are, and would be in that moment. And she looked on with fascination. Often, her mother Tsukiko would rush over and usher Akita on her way and whoever the child stared at would leave feeling as if their very soul had been laid out before everyone. Akita did not fear the villagers, because many of them feared her.

Orochimaru was fascinated by her. He could not see what she saw, nor did he understand how she did it. But he knew she saw something. Months ago, he had summoned Tsukiko to him for a mission, and Akita had been with her.

"You will wait right here and do not speak to anyone and don't stare at them, love," Tsukiko said quietly to her child outside Orochimaru's office. Akita smiled and nodded so Tsukiko went into the office. Akita tried to be good, but she was so young and didn't always know when to not stare. After a few minutes, another man walked up to Orochimaru's door. Akita looked at him, for she always looked at them, and stared. She could see music around him. Floating music staves and music notes playing a melody that was unique to every person. She knew she wasn't supposed to stare, but this one was different. Usually, she could see the music playing for a long time. Mother had always said that the music played for their entire life, even if they couldn't hear it. But this man, his song was coming to an abrupt end. And so, as he entered the office, Akita followed and stared.

"Ah, Sono-Kun. You've arrived... and, with a guest?" Orochimaru said as he noticed Akita following him. Tsukiko turned around and groaned when she saw Akita. She kneeled down by Akita, gently grabbed her head and turned her to look at herself.

"I told you to wait outside, kit," She said, using Akita's nickname to help bring her back.

"Kaa-san, you said the music is supposed to last their entire life," Akita said. Tsukiko nodded. "But, his just stops, Kaa-san," she whispered distressed. "Why does it just stop?"

Tsukiko sighed and shook her head slightly. "The same reason they always stop, love. When they stop, they die," Tsukiko quietly explained to her daughter. She ushered her daughter back out and braced herself. When she turned back around, Orochimaru was looking at her with a new interest.

"Tsukiko-chan, what exactly do you and your daughter see?" He demanded. He worded it politely, but Tsukiko knew the snake and could hear the threat. She had no choice but to reveal her daughters secret.

"You know I defected from my clan and traveled across the land to reach here, not knowing at the time I was pregnant. We are Shiori's and the Shiori clan has a unique talent. Akita is so young and so cannot control it, but we can look at people and see their life. We can hear their song. Their song is how we see their soul it allows us to know when we are being lied to, when someone is plotting, we can even see what they will do before they consciously make the decision. And, we can see when someone will die. When the song ends naturally, then it means they will die naturally, in some way. But when a song just ends abruptly, they are going to have and accident or be killed," She explained. She turned and looked at Sonoske. "It isn't set it stone. Our choices can change our songs. We see the future of the songs as a prediction based on the actions you've taken so far in your life. You're song abruptly ends, meaning that you would most likely die on this mission, if you did everything like you normally would. Akita has never seen that before and did not know not to speak of it."

While he did not show it, Orochimaru was both stunned and intrigued. A woman who could predict people's deaths in his village, and her child which he could mold. He had never heard of such a power, which was understandable since she came from a very far away land. He could not resist the selfish question.

"Tell me, Tsukiko, what do you see when you look at me," Orochimaru asked, excited. Tsukiko turned and stared him in the eyes.

"You're song is an enigma to me, for it has no foreseeable end."


When Sonoske did indeed die on that mission ("You're full of shit, Tsukiko. I am not going to die on a routine mission!"), Orochimaru's focus went onto Tsukiko and Akita. At the academy, Akita was a top student, with nearly perfect scores and a remarkable resilience to the torment the instructors subjected to them. And it would seem that she had an equally suited talent for causing trouble for the instructors. Akita, along with her friend Izura who had a remarkable talent for mischief, had already broken into the school multiple times. It was the harmless pranks of a pair of six year olds, but still rather advanced for what he would have expected from them. Izura was surprisingly good at picking locks and tampering the school PA system. Akita was always with her, but it seemed that she wasn't doing much. She was always just along for the ride with Izura actually committing the pranks. The thing that struck Orochimaru as odd was that whenever Izura would have trouble with a lock or a some other obstacle, Akita would begin to hum and suddenly Izura would have no problem. Now that intrigued him. From what Orochimaru could tell, somehow Akita's humming was enhancing Izura's talent and skills. It made him wonder; if the Shiori's could see a person's soul as a song, could they then alter it? He intended to find out, and the knock on the door would hopefully bring some answers.

"Enter," Orochimaru called, as he set down the papers he was reviewing. Tsukiko walked in, shut the door, and bowed.

"You summoned me, my lord?" Tsukiko said before rising. Orochimaru smirked.

"Yes. I find myself more... intrigued lately with you and your daughter, Tsukiko-chan. Some of the things I've been told about involving Akita, and some things I have witnessed myself, leave me wondering. Tell me, what exactly did your clan do with this... song... that you see?" He asked. Tsukiko stood up a little straighter. This is what she had feared.

"Many things, my lord. Like all shinobi, there are different specialties. The small children tend to be more flexible, being capable at such a young age to use a wide range of abilities. That goes away as they grow and their chakra networks stabilize. Once the chakra network stabilizes, they are tested to find what they are best suited to. There are puppeteers, who are able to use music to manipulate objects and even people. Readers, who can read the music like an aura and know if a person is being truthful or withholding something. Readers make very good interrogators. They are almost impossible to lie to. There are people who can use music to cast a genjutsu or ninjutsu, instead of using handsigns. Do you wish me to continue, my lord? I could go on, but there are just as many types of Shiori's as there are traditional shinobi, if not more," Tsukiko explained. Orochimaru eyes narrowed, as he glared at the woman before him.

"Akita and Izura have been getting into trouble. Yet, I'm more interested in how. Izura picks the locks and has been hacking the school equipment. I would normally doubt that this was done by a six year old, but it's different with Akita. I've seen her. When Izura starts to struggle, Akita starts to hum. Suddenly, it's as if Izura has years of experience. She can pick locks and decode like a seasons veteran. How?" Orochimaru demanded.

"It's actually one of the simpler techniques that is very common amongst children. Support. Imagine if you will, a song being composed. Have you ever looked at sheet music, my lord?" At Orochimaru's nod, Tsukiko continued. "Then you know how it looks when it's finished. When a composer is still writing it, they may make mistakes or even decide to change a section entirely. The rough draft is covered in alterations and corrections. To those who can see songs, a child's song is chaotic and messy. They are still learning and developing, so the song does not flow smoothly. It's the rough draft. Supporters can correct that. They stay in the background and when someone's song gets messy, they can sing or play an instrument to help guide it. When this technique is used, it can greatly enhance the abilities of the person being given aid. When Izura struggles, Akita sees the song, sees where it's messy, and makes it sound better. It's the most common ability children at her age exhibit. As she grows, her chakra network will stabilize, and she will lose this ability for some time. She'll unlock the full kekkei genkai as she ages, I'm sure."

"And what will she become? Do you have any ideas?"

"No, my lord. Any special talents a child shows at this age holds no baring over what they will be capable of when they come into their abilities properly."

"And the parent's abilities? Does that influence the child?"

"No."

"...And what about you, Tsukiko-chan? What exactly is your specialty?" Tsukiko grit her teeth before answering.

"I am a Soul Singer, my lord. I am able to see and manipulate the soul, much like Akita does with her friend."

Orochimaru was silent for a moment, as he contemplated the implications of this new knowledge. He hadn't realized how useful her songs could be. When she first arrived and explained in her interrogation that she uses music for her shinobi arts, he had scoffed and thought it was ludicrous. But this new knowledge, these new realizations... these were useful. Tsukiko was suddenly a much more powerful asset and her child... The child could be powerful. Very powerful. Orochimaru grinned and leaned back in his chair.

"I admit, I hadn't realized just how much you could do with music. How fitting for you to join the sound village. Thank you, Tsukiko-chan. This has been most enlightening. Most enlightening indeed," Orochimaru said, simultaneously dismissing her.

"I live to serve you, Lord Orochimaru." Tsukiko bowed again, and made her exit. She headed home, as Orochimaru began his planning. Tsukiko, while having served as a loyal sound nin for him for a few years now, was still an adult with a history that would always influence her. The child on the other hand... Akita... she could be more. Orochimaru could make her more. He could make that child into the perfectly devout, loyal, and obedient shinobi. And when he was finished with her, he could take her talents for himself. Orochimaru's grin grew as he began to laugh. Oh yes, that child will be more.


Tsukiko headed straight home as fast as she could, while still keeping her normal cheery demeanor and without seeming in a rush. Yet, her heart was pounding. Orochimaru was interested in Akita. Her child. When she discovered she was pregnant after her arrival in Sound, it had changed her entire plan. She had spent years on something that she had hoped to have completed in one or two years. She had figured it would take another four or five years to complete her mission with Akita in the picture, but now she no longer had that kind of time. Orochimaru knew more of the truth about her now. About Akita now. He would no doubt be much more interested in Akita, and seek to mold her into what he saw as perfect. She had seen what he had done to the other children who he had shown interest in. How he destroyed them. How he used them. And she could see in his song the places that he stole pieces of music from others. Where he stole their lives to extend his own.

Her child would not be damaged. Her child would not be broken. Her child would not be manipulated. Her child would not be used.

Her child would not become one of his bodies.


A/N:

I return. Yes, I am rewriting. It is long overdue. The basic concept of this story isn't going to change, but details are. To those of you who are still here and seeing this after me being inactive for years, thank you for returning and showing an interest in my new work. For those of you who are new and never saw the originals, welcome. And, be grateful you did not have to read the horribleness that was the story I started when I was 12.

Feel free to leave reviews, as long as you stay respectful. I will not hesitate to report anyone that is excessively offensive, vulgar, or hostile. I do not know if the old reviews will still be there, but they won't make much sense anymore.