**This fanfiction is a co-op story written by myself and my best friend. My OC is Zemaria Senju (child of Orochimaru and Tsunade) and her's is Yuki Momochi (sister of Haku of the Yuki clan).**
Chapter One
One year had past since the third great Ninja war had come to its end. The third hokage of the Hidden Leaf village stepped down from his title as he felt responsible for the war's outcome. The new hokage was being decided and one hero of the war had tossed his name in;Orochimaru. He, along with his two teammates; Tsunade Senju and Jiraiya the toad sage were renowned as the three Legendary Sannin having also been heroes of the second great ninja war as well. Though powerful, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt Orochimaru would not be right for the position of hokage.
His ambitions were far too great. "Sarutobi-Sensei! How could you deny me the position of hokage?" Orochimaru asked infuriated.
"Orochimaru,you are not fit for the title. Your ambitions are too dangerous and would put the entire village in jeopardy. That is why I have chosen another hero of this war to be the Fourth Hokage; Minato Namikaze," Sarutobi told him.
At that, Orochimaru scoffed and stormed out of the Hokage's office in anger. He hurried off and made his way back to his little underground hideaway. Upon arrival, he found his five year old daughter; his heir, leaping from tree to tree practicing her speed training. She had been training since the day she could walk without help and without wavering. As she sensed her father's presence, she leapt down and landed on her feet.
She ran over to him excited, "Father!"
He knelt down and gave her a hug; hiding his anger, "Zemaria my dear, you've become a lot faster."
"Father,when will we be getting another mission? I want to polish my skills more," she asked him.
"Hopefully it will be soon. Now, it's getting late and you should be in bed," he replied and gently scooped her up in his arms.
The next day came and Zemaria got what she hoped for; a new mission. She and Orochimaru set out. They were to retrieve a noble from a small village on the other side of the Hidden Mist Village. It was the first ever B ranked mission for Zemaria since she was usually on missions with either her mother or father; sometimes both and they only got A and S ranked missions. Excited, Zemaria double checked what she had to make sure she didn't miss anything and then ran happily out of the hideaway to meet up with Orochimaru.
They left the village and made their way to the border. Along the way, Orochimaru randomly tested her on reflexes and speed. There was noway they'd travel along and not have some sort of training involved. Zemaria was far too dedicated for that. Orochimaru even quizzed her intelligence of her knowledge pertaining to the shinobi, clans, and jutsu that existed within the Leaf village. With both of their speeds, it took a mere day and a half to come in sight of the border to the land of water which meant they were nearing where the Mist village was.
"In order to get to the client's village, we will need to travel straight through the Hidden Mist Village," Orochimaru explained. "Stay close to me. They call the Mist village the 'blood mist village' because of their butchering ways."
Zemaria nodded, "Yes father. I understand."
After cautiously traveling straight into the land of water, they kept their guards at their highest while they sprinted and leaped in the direction of the Mist village. At the same time, a group of three; two male and one female were in the village in the general vicinity of Orochimaru and Zemaria. They were on their way out of the village to train without interruption. The eldest of the three was Zabuza Momochi. He was a former member of the Seven Swordsmen of the mist. The other two were a bit younger; Haku and his sister Yuki who had taken on Zabuza's last name.
Yuki was a year younger than Zemaria. Her young age could fool anyone on how powerful she was. Two hours passed before Orochimaru and Zemaria crossed paths with Zabuza, Haku, and Yuki. Zemaria and Yuki's eyes connected and they stared at each other as they glided through the air in opposite directions. In each others eyes they could see some similarities; hardship and soullessness. Yuki stopped suddenly,surprising her brother and Zabuza. She was always quiet and never seemed to stray away from her Sensei's side. Haku and Zabuza stopped as well.
"What is it sister?" Haku softly asked.
Zemaria stopped as well and Orochimaru was surprised.
"Hm? Zem, we don't have time to be wasting on staring contests," said Orochimaru.
"But father...," she responded, still staring at Yuki.
Zabuza felt as though he recognized both Zemaria and Orochimaru. "You two, did either of you fight in the last war?" He asked.
Orochimaru ginned his usual grin, "Why do you want to know boy?"
"She has one," Yuki said, interrupting Zabuza before he could respond.
Zabuza looked at her, surprised.
"One what, Yuki?" Haku asked.
"She's like me..." Yuki softly said. "She's got one too."
Zemaria realized what she meant.
Orochimaru glanced toward his daughter, "Well now, you can sense it. How unusual. But I suppose it's only the Mist would replace what they lost." He chuckled lightly, understanding what she meant; same as Zemaria.
Zemaria closed her eyes, "I noticed... but, it's not quite like mine, is it? It's not as tamed."
"You can sense that too?" Yuki asked.
"I sense quite a lot but I don't know you so as a shinobi; that information is out of your reach," Zemaria told her.
Zabuza interrupted their little conversation, "Now I see. The child was definitely in the last war. She's special, isn't she? And you, you're Lord Orochimaru, are you not?"
"And what if I am?" He asked smugly.
"How about we see who is the stronger? Your girl against mine," he offered.
"Well now, that's quite an interesting proposal," Orochimaru chuckled. "Very well then!"
Zemaria and Yuki moved over some and stood across from each other, prepared to battle. They stared at each other a moment in order to get a feel of the others skill level and chakra levels. Both would have some tricks up their sleeves. Yuki took two steps to the left and Zemaria followed with two steps to the right. With a quick and swift motion,Zemaria had three shuriken between her fingers on both hands. Yuki hadn't even seen her reach for them from her pouch.
She prepared for either evasion or blocking. Simultaneously, they both moved swiftly. Zemaria choreographed her release of the shuriken to where two left her fingers on one hand and two left her other; they crossed each other forcing the first two to ricochet in a different direction. Taken aback by this action, Yuki held a kunai in her dominant hand and managed to block one of the kunai. The other grazed her cheek but she escaped any serious injury. Gently, they both descended from the air and landed softly on the ground.
"Not bad. She managed to put a scratch on my Yuki. However, she's not going to be that easy," Zabuza pointed out.
They went at each other with kunai and collided. Yuki held Zemaria at bay with her kunai. Orochimaru's eyes widened as Yuki pulled a hand away and began using hand signs with only one hand.
"Using only one hand for hand signs?" Orochimaru said curiously.
"Secret Jutsu: 1000 Needles of Death," Yuki whispered.
Surprising Zemaria, water needles came from all around and flew at her. She managed to dodge most of them, but a few actually hit her clothing and one across her cheek.
"Her speed is amazing," Orochimaru said to himself. "A useful girl."
He looked at Zabuza, who was staring proudly at the girl. She has quite a unique kekkei genkai. Zemaria looked surprised. It was rare that someone could manage to cut her like that. She jumped back a few paces to gain a bit of distance, took a deep breath, and released one of the most famous of jutsu to the hidden Leaf; the Fireball. It was the only jutsu she learned how to release without having to use the hand signs for it. Yuki vanished just as the fireball reached where she had been standing.
"She dodged it?" Zemaria thought to herself. "She has a lot more speed than before. I may need to activate it in order to see her movements."
Orochimaru glanced at Zemaria noticing she was devising a plan, "She's a fast one, but I've trained my daughter specifically in speed."
Zabuza laughed, "Then let's see who's faster." He looked to Yuki, "Show them what you truly can do!"
"Yes Sensei!" Yuki replied and attacked again.
Zemaria hadn't activated the Sharingan just yet. She barely managed to dodge Yuki's attacks. Finally, after a minute or so of punches and kicks being thrown at her, Zemaria was hit; Yuki's knee nailed her straight under the chin and sent Zemaria flying. Unable to gather herself in time, she slammed against the nearest tree and coughed up some blood. Zabuza smiled and Orochimaru stared in utter shock. He couldn't believe that there was someone even faster than his own child. Zemaria went to continue, but Orochimaru held his hand up.
"You trained her from your own skill, haven't you?" Orochimaru asked.
"Yes, from when I was an Anbu. As well as in the silent killing style. She and her brother are very much alike, but Yuki is faster than Haku,"Zabuza replied.
Haku looked at his sister, slightly jealous of her. He wanted to be the only one praised. Zemaria and Yuki looked at each other. Yuki smiled at her. She walked over to her to help her up. As she got close enough, she knelt down and held a hand out. Zemaria felt her pride had been cracked and hesitated.
"It's okay child, there's no shame in having lost here," her father reassured her.
"Yes, father," she said and accepted Yuki's helping hand.
Orochimaru chuckled lightly, "It must be nice; having a child such as that at your disposal."
"I found the two of them orphaned, living on the streets. I took it upon myself to give them a purpose and train them to be ninja," Zabuza explained.
He looked at Yuki, thinking for a moment. She had been his favorite, but at times she was hard to control. Her brother Haku was much easier to train. He didn't want this life for her either. He wanted her to grow and become stronger. If she stayed with him, she would stay the same. Orochimaru's eyes glistened. It was easy enough to tell he wanted Yuki and her power.
At the same time, they did still have a mission to complete and their client had been likely waiting for the last hour and a half for their arrival. As much as he hated the Leaf, he couldn't leave just yet; not until he had groomed his primary heir to perfection and his liking. One day she'd succeed him; or she'd become the vessel for his strongest body. But the second purpose was far from being realized since he was still working on his immortality jutsu.
Zemaria gently tugged on his shirt sleeve, "Father, we should continue our mission."
He sighed softly, "Yes... I know."
"I have a proposition for you before you leave," Zabuza randomly said.
"Oh? And what would that be?" Orochimaru asked curiously.
There was a slight pause and Haku stared up at him, "Zabuza...," he said softly.
"Take the girl and train her. It's becoming a bother having to look after more than one child," he said.
Orochimaru just laughed loudly, "As tempting as that is, I have to decline at the moment. Perhaps in another year or so when I decide to scout for incredible talent and power. Besides, being on a mission and taking in another child isn't in my interest right now. Zemaria may be well trained and well mannered, but she's notorious for not listening to even her own father."
Yuki looked up at Zabuza, surprised. He... was going to give her up? She didn't want to go with someone else. She was attached to her Sensei.
"Very well," Zabuza said. "When you are ready, seek me out.
"I hope to meet you again," Yuki said softly to Zemaria.
She jumped back to Zabuza's side and he patted her head. He and the siblings followed him and left, off to their own mission. Orochimaru and the young Zemaria reached their client in no time after that. They escorted him to his destination with very little problem along the way. Zemaria couldn't help but keep thinking about Yuki and the two with her. Then she felt her father would gain a new favorite if he took her in.
She didn't like that thought at all. But, it wasn't the first time he'd taken in some child for his experiments. After the successful delivery of their client, the pair started back for the hidden Leaf. Upon arrival, they went straight to the Hokage to turn in their report. It would be weeks before Orochimaru bothered to ask why Zemaria had been training non stop with barely any sleep at all.
At the same time, Haku and Yuki had been doing the same; non stop training. Zabuza was growing impressed with Haku's dramatic progress. He had become more precise with his attacks as well as upped his speed.
"Very good boy," he praised.
"Thank you master," Haku replied.
Yuki was starting to think that Zabuza just didn't want her anymore. She didn't understand why though. Before, he mentioned her being hard to handle. What did he mean by that?
Why would Sensei want to willingly give me to someone else? It doesn't make sense, she thought.
Almost three years would pass before Orochimaru and Zemaria crossed paths with Zabuza and the young siblings. This time, Orochimaru was intentionally outside of the Mist Village. There was an internal war just finishing between the Mist shinobi and the famous Kaguya clan. All of the members of the clan had been easily slaughtered by those of the village; except for one small boy of five years old. Orochimaru met up with Zabuza to take him up on his offer.
All the while, Zemaria wandered off on her own. She stumbled upon the young boy as he spoke to a lowly little flower all by itself. He seemed to be upset with it being alone. When he was about to kill it, she walked over to him.
"Do you really want to destroy something so pretty?" She asked him.
He gasped lightly and faced her, "Uh- who are you?"
"My name is Zemaria. What's your name?" she asked.
He looked at the flower again, then straightened and looked to her.
"My name is Kimimaro," he answered.
"Are you all alone?" She asked.
He nodded, "Yes. My whole clan sealed their fate and died."
After his answer, Orochimaru found Zemaria. He had Yuki at his side. Kimimaro became shy and cautious. He hid behind Zemaria. Orochimaru stared at his daughter and then at the boy. He knew exactly who he was and why he was all alone. That was his plan all along; obtain two powers at the same time.
"So, I see you've made a new friend Zem," he chuckled. "Why don't you join us child? You will no longer be alone and you will be free from the dark cage you were once held in."
"Free? And not alone?" Kimimaro asked.
Orochimaru nodded, "Yes. In fact, Zemaria and Yuki can be your sisters if you wish. The three of you can train with each other and grow stronger."
Kimimaro looked at him, then the two girls.
"Yes, I will," he said confidently.
Zemaria smiled at him but the other girl was turned away. Her shoulders were slightly shaking. She was crying. The image was fresh in her head. Of Orochimaru coming and Zabuza telling her to go with him. First her father trying to kill her and her brother. It was her brother that protected them. Now, her master was abandoning her. Zabuza had sighed, walked over, and crouched down to her; then put his hand on her shoulder.
He spoke gently, "I want you to grow stronger. And you can't do that here. You've already surpassed your brother, and I can't teach you anymore. You and your brother promised your lives to me. Now my wish is for you to go with him. You will be even stronger."
Tears welled up in her eyes at his words. He was her purpose to live, same with her brother. Now what would she do? She did as Zabuza asked and left with him.
"We will meet again, don't you worry about that. You will see your brother and I again, just you wait and see," Zabuza said to her.
Yuki wouldn't look up, just kept her head down as she stood behind Orochimaru. The threat of Zemaria losing her father's attention and praise grew stronger with not just one new person, but two. However, her instincts had taken over upon seeing Kimimaro. With Tsunade being her mother, the kind hearted nature wanted to take the boy in and treat him like a little brother. He was three years younger than her after all and two years younger than Yuki. Secretly however, Zemaria did want to have a little sibling and she gained two.
The four traveled in the direction of the land of Fire. But they weren't going back to the Leaf village. Instead, they were headed to Demon Island which was located on the outskirts of the land of Fire. The area wasn't too far from the border so it would be a quick trip back to the Leaf. There, they would have Kimimaro and Yuki stay for a little while before introducing them to the Hokage and Leaf village.
"Father, what will happen after Yuki and Kimimaro are introduced into the village?" Zemaria asked.
"I would imagine they'd be put under my leadership and the four of us would officially be a team. Then I can recommend you for the Chuunin exams," he replied.
Kimimaro spoke up, "The... Chuunin exams?"
Orochimaru nodded, "Yes. All three of you are more than qualified between your kekkei genkai and your skill levels."
"I see," Kimimaro said.
Yuki only nodded, still upset but doing her best to bury it under everything and follow this odd man. She would miss her brother. He protected her. Now it was her turn to get strong and come back to protect him. And her old master.
"These are my new siblings?" Yuki softly asked.
"Yes, we're going to be one, big happy family," Orochimaru said to Yuki. "I know in time you will get used to all this. It will be hard for you at first."
She looked over at Zemaria, happy to be this girls sister. She had liked her since she first saw her.
"O-okay," Yuki mumbled.
Kimimaro looked at Zemaria and then at Yuki. Siblings, he thought. Was he truly saved from being alone? Zemaria resembled Orochimaru so much and in more ways than just appearance. She had the same essence as him; held her head high and had a sort of confident and commanding presence.
It was different from both him and Yuki. She was shy and closed up while he had been trained to believe his only purpose was to kill. Orochimaru must have been an amazing teacher to have such a confident daughter.
"Yuki, don't worry," Zemaria said gently. "I will protect you. You are my little sister now."
Yuki gasped softly as Kimimaro had before, "Y- you really will?"
"Of course I will. That's what big sisters are for. Same goes for Kimimaro," she replied.
So day after day the three trained together and got closer everyday. They each honed their separate skills. A few weeks passed until Orochimaru had a mission for them. He explained the details of the mission as well as informed them the Hokage had finished the paperwork to make them an official Hidden Leaf team. The three young shinobi gathered everything they needed for the mission. It would feel odd at first for both Kimimaro and Yuki since neither of them had been assigned to team missions before now. Though, Yuki had been involved with certain missions from Zabuza before.
"This will be an interesting mission. I've only ever been on ones with father or both of my parents," Zemaria said as she finished getting ready.
"I've never been on a mission like this before. My clan only ever saw me as a weapon and something to be feared," Kimimaro replied and looked a bit sad.
"It won't be like that here," Yuki smiled at him. "We're friends, along with we're family."
Kimimaro softly smiled, happy to hear the words. Zemaria was surprised at how much Yuki opened up with them. Orochimaru came to their room to retrieve them for the mission. They left out the West gate to the village and headed toward their destination. It was fortunate for them; all four were capable of traveling across a long distance before having to stop and rest.
In this case, it was near twenty four hours of traveling. Orochimaru being the smart adult he was, had prepared a supply of food pills in order to keep moving in a steady pace. After nearly an entire day of nonstop movement, the kids were told they should rest for a few hours. He would stand guard while they rested. They all nodded and settled in a nice secluded spot.
Zemaria was in the mood for some real food so she found a nice small body of water that seemed to have some fish swimming around in the glimmering pale blue water. She watched intently as they swam around in circles; carefully calculating their movements with the aid of her Sharingan. Then, after a few minutes, she used a receiving rod as her fishing spear to pierce a fish. She repeated the action three more times until she had enough for everyone.
Zemaria swiftly went back to their cozy little spot, "Who wants some nice fish?"
Orochimaru looked over, "So, that's what you were doing."
Yuki and Kimimaro got excited, "Sure!"
"I'll get some rocks and sticks to make a safe little pit for a fire," Yuki volunteered.
"After it's done, I'll use a fire jutsu to start it for us," Zemaria said.
Yuki went off into the woods to get some rocks and sticks for a fire. It was quiet and peaceful. Memories of when Haku and her went to the woods flooded her mind. Her brother taught her about herbalism and how to make medicines. It was also when he taught her about the justus he learned.
She loved the time she spent with him, but not as much as she loved the time she spent with Zabuza. Zabuza taught her all of the Anbu training he had, as well as taijutsu and how to improve her speed. The fondest memory she had was the day Yuki complained that she wanted a cool sword too and Zabuza laughed at her.
"Fine, use my sword," Zabuza smirked and held the hilt out to her.
"Really!? You mean it?" She exclaimed.
He nodded and she squealed almost, so excited. "It's heavy though," he warned.
She picked it up out of his hands and it instantly fell to the ground,along with her into the dirt. Zabuza laughed at her and she blushed, embarrassed.
"I told you so," he tried to calm his laughter.
"I got this!" She said and kept trying to raise it, but hardly got it off the ground.
His laughter made her embarrassed to the point she was angry. White chakra started to pour out around her and made Zabuza gasp. What was this? He suddenly had an image flash in his head of a beast of five-tails as he realized what she held inside of her. He had only heard of it before, but now he knew it was true. She picked up the sword and the white chakra disappeared as she smiled.
"Look Zabuza! I did it!" She smiled big.
He just stared at her, shocked. That was the first time he looked at her differently. He didn't see her as the fragile little girl anymore. In his eyes, she already surpassed her brother. She picked the rocks and sticks, then headed back to everyone. When she reached the group, she placed the rocks in a circle before setting the sticks in the middle. She set four sticks aside to hold the fish on.
"Okay sis! The pit is ready for the fire," she waved to Zemaria.
"Alright then," Zemaria replied and walked over to her. "Fire Style: Fire Sphere Jutsu!"
A small ball of fire formed in the palm of Zemaria's hand. She knelt over the pit and carefully lit the sticks on fire. Kimimaro took the fish and skewered them through each stick and set them around the pit; each one planted into the ground at an angle. Orochimaru was impressed with how well they worked together. They weren't like an ordinary group of Gennin; fighting with each other and not able to work together or get along. He started to reconsider one day leaving the Leaf permanently.
"You three never cease to impress me," he praised.
They all looked up and smiled at him. Kimimaro was happy to finally feel like he belonged some place. Yuki was getting used to her new family. She missed Zabuza and Haku, but pushed that aside to focus on the present day. Zemaria was happy to have her new siblings. She couldn't believe how well they all worked together too.
The fire crackled and the kids laughed happily. For Kimimaro, it was the first time he had laughed. No one felt alone or abandoned or even used. They were family and that was that. As cold as Orochimaru acted, he just couldn't act the same way around them. His heart was truly something to behold when it came to those kids. Zemaria had set that emotion in motion. He couldn't hide that he cared for them greatly.
As the fish started to show signs of getting more and more cooked, Orochimaru thought back to when Zemaria was first able to walk on her own. She would always run around all over the village. He'd make a game out of it too. If she could outsmart him and not get caught by him, he would buy her one thing that she really wanted. One day while playing their little game, he had just caught sight of her around a few shops.
"Oh...," Zemaria marveled at something shining from one shop.
"Hey you! Get outta here! You're nothing but a nuisance!" The shop keep shouted.
"Uh?" She questioned and backed away.
She heard a few people murmur. They seemed to be talking down about her; calling her a no good snake. Orochimaru clenched his fists and his teeth. So, this is what the people of the Hidden Leaf thought of his child? To hate and fear a child who's heart was pure and innocent. Zemaria wasn't easily corrupted no matter how much conditioning Orochimaru used on her.
"Honestly, talking like that about a child who's only three years old!" He muttered under his breath.
Zemaria ran off in tears. 'A shinobi never shows emotion'; that was one of the shinobi rules. They weren't supposed to cry because it would cloud their judgment in battle. What was she supposed to do? She did nothing to the people of the village but yet, she was being shunned because of who her father was. It was truly disgraceful. As she ran, she bumped right into her father who knelt down and gently picked her up; cradling her in his arms, they went home.
"Father? Father?" Zemaria called to him.
He suddenly looked at her as she was holding out his fish to him.
"The fish is done," she smiled.
He smiled back. "Thank you Zem," he said and took it from her hands.
"Are you alright?" Kimimaro asked.
"Yes, I was just thinking about something, that's all," he smiled at him.
Each of them took a fish, sat down, and started to eat. What was it about them? Orochimaru always had trouble understanding the concept of love and compassion. It was he who asked Jiraiya in the second great war if he should kill the three orphans in front of them at the time. But, things changed after Zemaria was born.
He wondered if Zabuza felt any change like that after taking in Haku and Yuki. As he ate his fish, he watched the three children before him eat together and laugh about nothing at all. Zemaria had been conditioned to fight since she turned two years old; old enough to stand and walk on her own without help. Specifically, Orochimaru had been training her to be his perfect heir and perfect killing machine. One day, he would use her as his vessel once he perfected his immortality jutsu.
But yet, she still possessed her mother's personality as well; kind hearted and and caring. And now, he too had become soft. It had grown late and the kids laid down as the fire died out and drifted off to sleep. He kept watch over them and made sure no enemies would show up.
Such innocence in children that only knew fighting since birth..., Orochimaru thought. There was a full mood watching over the team; no,the small family.
He sat there for a few hours and was about to rest when he heard whimpering. Looking over, he saw Yuki's face pulled to a frown as she made soft noises. He went over and put his hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, hot tears slowly forming in her eyes.
"Oro-Sensei..." She said softly; barely awake.
"Ssh, everything will be okay. I promise," he told her.
"I'm sorry," her voice was a quiet hush.
He lightly shook his head, "You don't need to apologize. Try to get some sleep. We'll be moving on in a few hours."