No written records of Orochimaru's origin exist. He was merely a young teenager found in the outskirts of Konohagakure, not one had a clue where he had traveled from—and Orochimaru was never willing to divulge such information. To this day, he has not shared his past with any human… but, the snakes he shares a blood kinship with have been around for several hundreds of years before his birth.
Orochimaru's past begins as many ancient legends, within a small yet prosperous mountain village hidden away from any other civilization. This village was not a home to ninja; instead, it was home to many talented performers, artists and artisans. Beautiful treasures of paintings and textiles were traded on the rare chance that outsiders visited the village. It seemed like a joyful village which thrived close to a great river—but something much more sinister lurked within the carved stone walls.
This village was also home to a serpent cult, one which was housed within the village's great shrine. The shrine stood out boldly within the village, for it was the largest building and painted a brilliant hue of red. The shrine's contents were forbidden to outsiders. A sacred scroll rest in the heart of this shrine, the scroll kept the records of those who have signed the blood contract with Manda.
More than fifty years before, an older shrine maiden hurried across the village streets under the cover of darkness. She concealed her appearance with a heavy overcoat and hood. Within her arms was a day old infant, she kept the child quiet by covering his mouth. This woman stopped at the bank of the village's river, and stared into the raging waters which originated from the peaks of the mountain. She threw the infant into the water without second thought, and returned to her home before the full moon could peak through the clouds and illuminate the village.
The next morning, a few villagers gathered before the shrine maiden's household. Only a high priestess was allowed into the humble dwelling, to console the weeping mother. A small, silver urn stood before the great butsudan which sat in the center of that room. The shrine maiden had filled it with dirt and pebbles, not the cremated bones of an infant.
The high priestess spoke after the maiden had sobbed for several hours. "Your seventh child died the same way, O-amae?" The maiden's tears were smeared away from Amae's eyes. "Yes," She answered after clearing her throat, "A snake cornered me and ordered the child to be sacrificed. He ate the child and spit out bones." Another wail shrieked from Amae's lungs, as she continued to grieve.
That child's father watched in the corner of that room, he stared coldly toward his wife and the high priestess. He knew this was a lie, his wife told him she had killed the child. The purpose for doing so was horridly shallow; his wife desperately wanted a female child to take her place within the shrine. All their previous children had been male. He'd decided to make a bold statement with his wife later, that he was only going to allow her to birth one more child. He figured the timing was fair, since the number eight was considered lucky and prosperous within the village.
"Today is a good day for a funeral, my child. We will allow the baby to rest among your other children." The high priestess rose to her feet, and beckoned Amae to do the same. "You shouldn't give your children such weak girl's names before they're born. The serpents do not look kindly upon the weak." Amae took the silver urn from the butsudan, and cradled it in her arms as if it were an infant. The two women left the dwelling.
Nearly a year had passed before Amae became pregnant once again. This time, she had taken the high priestess's advice and given the child a strong name more suitable for a boy: Orochimaru. Amae assumed the child was simply stubborn, allowing itself to rebirth under terms which were against the will of its mother. She had hoped that giving the child a boy's name may trick the child into thinking she now desired a boy, which would cause the child to manifest as a girl.
Amae gave birth alone, as the village's customs dictated. All the prayers were unanswered when Amae discovered the gender of her eighth child—Orochimaru was born a male. She stared in disbelief, and instantly thought about killing this child as well. Amae had remembered what her husband had told her. Male or female, the eighth child was going to be their last. Her heart broken, she wrapped the child up in a blanket and asked the high priestess to enter the room.
A smile curled upon Amae's lips as the high priestess entered the room. In an instant, Amae had decided to once again lie about the nature of her children. She looked up to the high priestess and declared boldly, "This child is a girl."
Author's note: Hello there, the original plot for this fanfiction was actually the history I had written out for playing Orochimaru at a LJ RP--so if the general plot seems a bit familiar, that's where it came from. If you have no idea what this scribble is referring to, disregard.
Anyway, I haven't written a fanfiction in forever. By forever, I mean more than five years. Please forgive rustiness with writing.
Oh, and by the way...to be continued.
... when I feel like it.