Research Subject 9

by Tepheris

Kurama wasn't napping when he was sealed in his first two Jinchuuriki. Well, not JUST napping. With decades to plan, it was only natural that instead of continuing on a rampage when freed from the Masked Man's control, the Nine-Tailed Fox implements a plan decades in the making. Obviously AU. DBZ Elements. Feedback speeds up new chapters.

2. Chapter 1: Betobeto-san

Research Subject #9

D is for Don't own Naruto, dattebayo!

It is owned by Shonen Jump and Masashi Kishimoto.

S is for Support the Official Release!

C is for Comment on my stories, please.

L is for Likely updates won't come sooner, but later,

A is for All rights reserved by a work's creator.

If you recognize something, it's not mine, I confess,

M is for Money for writing this, which I will never possess.

E is for Enjoy my story and have fun,

R is for Read on, it's time we've begun!

Since this is being published on Memorial Day, I'd like to take this moment to ask my wonderful readers to pray for the family members of those in the Armed Forces who have sacrificed their lives to keep their country safe.

Chapter 1: Betobeto-san

The Research and Development department of Konoha was given a massive expansion over the next two years under the reign of Godaime Hokage Orochimaru, thanks to several demonstrations to the Fire Daimyo of the results of Orochimaru's experiments. One experiment in particular was able to change an ordinary full grown civilian with no ninja training into a match for the average person able to pass the Academy Graduation exam (not to be confused with the average Genin). This experiment, as many others came from studying what was referred to in all the official reports in the Research and Development Department as Research Subject #9. Orochimaru never ceased to be amazed at how much R&D managed to glean merely by giving multiple daily thorough medical-nin screenings of the jinchuuriki for the first few months of Uzumaki Naruto's life. To think that they were actually able to monitor the growth of the chakra circulatory system in real time.

Naturally, there had been some major concerns aired by Sarutobi Hiruzen and Jiraiya that Naruto would end up missing out on a normal childhood and being reduced to a research subject. The Godaime Hokage had calmly suggested that the Professor and Konoha's foremost Seal Master were welcome to use the resources of the R&D Department to find an alternative method to gather the wealth of information that was Uzumaki Naruto. Luckily for our hero's childhood, Jiraiya and Sarutobi Hiruzen were able to solicit the help of Tsunade to design a seal capable of monitoring and recording all manner of bodily functions that would be of interest to medical ninjas, which incidentally made all previous medical monitoring equipment obsolete.

Another project that showed promise came from researching senjutsu, and similarly the abilities of the Nata clan. Orochimaru had heard about natural energy from Jiraiya and the Snakes, and had found it absolutely fascinating. With the help of Kinoto, an ex-ROOT member that Orochimaru had appointed as head of the Fuuinjutsu Section of R&D, along with a scientist named Ameki who had been recruited from Sea Country, Orochimaru had been able to synthesize the Nata clan's senjutsu absorbing enzymes through a seal. Due to the initial fatality rate of the seal, missions to deal with bandits and the like were given a bonus objective to be able to capture test subjects alive for the teams who had already had their first kill. But again insights gathered from studying Research Subject #9 bore fruit. Thanks to revolutionary insights into the chakra network gained from studying the ever-expanding chakra pathways of Uzumaki Naruto, the success rate of integrating the Cursed Seal of Earth and the Cursed Seal of Heaven into the chakra pathways skyrocketed from 10% to 47%. Fatal rejections were reduced to nothing except a severe yet treatable case of chakra exhaustion.

Orochimaru had also gone through a modification of the shinobi ranks. Orochimaru had seen how some ninja had great combat potential but simply weren't fit for leadership material, and as such were wasted on low ranking missions. As such, many a genin and chuunin who failed to demonstrate strategic and tactical prowess required for promotion found themselves granted access to higher ranked Jutsu, while those who demonstrated loyalty and leadership but lacked the firepower were given administrative positions that had been filled by combat-capable ninja.
For all the progress Orochimaru found himself able to make, however, there was one matter that never ceased to perplex him along with the majority of the ninja population of Konoha. Starting two months after the Kyuubi attack, there would be flares of chakra usage from some of the less frequented training grounds, Training Ground 44 being the most common point of origin. At first these flares were disregarded as nothing too far out of the ordinary, after all, elite ninja needed to train to keep their skills sharp and would value their secrecy. It wasn't until a month afterwards when one of the better sensors happened to be close enough to the flare to detect that the chakra levels were easily S-Rank that Orochimaru finally took interest. A four-month long joint operation between the Sealing, Sensor, and Tracker Divisions yielded little information, but the discoveries made were disturbing. It seemed as if whenever a leaf ninja got even marginally close, the presence would vanish with a burst of chakra reminiscent of a modified Shunshin no Jutsu. Having a potential enemy able to evade capture from three entire divisions was troubling enough. Having an adversary able to do this within their own village while they were searching round the clock was terrifying, even to Orochimaru. It was sheer dumb luck that gave Konoha the first clue of their mysterious infiltrator.

-Shiin Sen'i no Jutsu!-
(Translation: Shiin Sen'i no Jutsu = Scene Transition Technique)

June 10th, Training Area 44
"Stupid research, stupid experiments, stupid seals, stupid Hokage hat, stupid village, stupid sensei." sobbed a young kunoichi wearing a sleeveless fishnet mesh shirt under a chuunin vest, dark shorts, fishnet armbands reaching to her elbows, and knee-length boots. Mitarashi Anko had seen better days. When at first Orochimaru-sama had gotten the position of Godaime Hokage, she couldn't have been happier, especially since she noticed how upset he had been when he lost the position of Yondaime Hokage to the Yellow Flash. She had thought that becoming Hokage would return her sensei to his old self. And for a while, Orochimaru-sama was once again the man she adored. But then she had been the first to volunteer to receive the Cursed Seal of Heaven, her sensei and idol's self-proclaimed magnum opus. And then everything went downhill. Mitarashi Anko had no way to know that the juinjutsu was still in the developing stage where only one in five recipients of the Cursed Seal of Heaven would survive the process if allowed to run its full course, and that was in a fully controlled environment and a team of four ready to stabilize the subject, not in the midst of a location nicknamed Forest of Death with no other ninja around for a few kilometers. Orochimaru-sama had assured her that she would be fine if she lived up to his expectations. The seal had succeeded integrating into her chakra network, but only after eighteen agonizing hours punctuated by screams of pain and desperate pleas to her sensei to make the pain stop. To her dismay, her sensei only took notes from the monitoring seal he had placed on her before starting the process. When the pain had reduced from lightning frying her nerves to a constant but bearable stinging, Orochimaru-sama had finally rose to his feet.

"Well Anko-chan, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't slightly disappointed. Even accounting for the lack of iryou ninjutsu to stabilize your chakra circulatory system, meager bandits were able to acclimate to my juinjutsu faster than you." Orochimaru shook his head sadly. "I thought that you were something special, but apparently I overestimated you." The Godaime Hokage shrugged wistfully. "At least you were able to provide me with indisputably useful data. The number of test subjects with Chuunin level chakra reserves have been far too scarce for my liking. As a result we've had to take precautions to ensure the few test subjects that have had satisfactory chakra levels didn't expire on us. It was enlightening to see the process come so close to fatal rejection and yet receive a seal."

"I… almost… died?" Mitarashi Anko gasped in disbelief and shock. "But sensei- you… promised..."

"I said that you'd be fine if you lived up to my expectations of you, Anko-chan. But as I said, I overestimated you. You took three times longer to acclimate to the seal than I had expected, though I had given an extra ten hours margin of error. As such, I'm afraid my Doton Kage Bunshin won't have enough chakra to escort you out of the Forest. Of course, if you can't survive the hazards of a mere training ground, you truly were a waste of my time. Kukukukuku."

(Translation: Doton Kage Bunshin = Earth Release Shadow Clone)

Mitarashi Anko had never found her sensei's laugh disturbing before, but the way Orochimaru-sama's cackles echoed when his clone collapsed into a pile of mud sent a shiver up her spine. After finding one of the few safe areas in Konohagakure's most infamous training ground, Mitarashi Anko had laid on the leaf-blanketed floor in shock for what felt like hours to the twelve-year old chuunin, trying to reconcile her sensei's actions with her image of the man. Had her sensei really just tossed her aside, like some ryo-a-dozen bandit that were used for experimentation? No, it was worse than that, she realized. She'd observed some of the attempts to place the seal on bandits, that's why she'd volunteered to receive the seal. The process she'd witnessed looked perfectly safe, there had been multiple points when the seal placement could be aborted. Most bandits just weren't worth saving. Anko's lip quivered and tears started to fall from her eyes at that thought. Even bandits who had some basic ninja training were occasionally deemed valuable enough research subjects to have the seal cancelled if they had a particularly violent reaction to the seal. But her sensei didn't even wait until they had arrived at a proper facility to give her the seal. Heck, her sensei hadn't even deemed giving his apprentice a potentially fatal seal important enough to oversee in person. Her sensei had taken more care when giving bandits the cursed seal than her! The heartbroken kunoichi burst into tears, abusing Anime Law #38 to the point Senju Tobirama would have been impressed at the sheer volume of water being produced from Mitarashi Anko's tear ducts.

The intensity of the distraught chuunin's emotional turmoil drew the attention of Konoha's Public Enemy #1, who, ironically, hadn't committed any crimes other than failing to register through the proper channels. Curiosity overcame Shuuichi, and he decided to approach the young girl after shapeshifting into the attire of a ROOT ANBU, black midriff jacket showcasing a toned abdomen and a blank porcelain mask covering his face. He reclined on one of the giant roots of the giant trees of Training Ground 44 and waited for the purple haired preteen to take notice of him. Shuuichi couldn't decide if he was annoyed, amused, or sympathetic that the kunoichi took an additional half hour before she took notice of him. Anko's mood lifted slightly, clinging to the sliver of hope that maybe her sensei cared for her enough to send an ANBU to keep her safe.

"Did Orochimaru-sama send you?" Anko pleaded with obvious desperation in her tone. Expecting a nonverbal answer, she almost jumped when the man she questioned actually responded with words.

"No one sent me, I was merely drawn by the screams of a heart broken by shattered trust." the ROOT impersonator answered.

"But… Orochimaru-sensei put up silencing seals…" Anko muttered in confusion.

"I wasn't speaking metaphorically, the magnitude of your emotions were what alerted me to your distress. I would have approached sooner, but I've taken great pains to not be within striking distance of those that could give me trouble." the mysterious stranger sighed wistfully.
Anko's eyes narrowed. "Who are you? You aren't one of Bandage-Face's guys, so why do you wear the uniform?"

Shuuichi shrugged. "It's one of the most convenient disguises at my disposal. I can use an amount of power one would expect from an elite ninja while the amount of people who can say for certain that I am not who I appear to be can be counted on one hand. As for who I am…" the ROOT imposter leaned towards Anko conspiratorially to whisper into her ear, who in turn waited in childish excitement and anticipation.

"That is a secret!" Shuuichi whispered. Anko's color gradually grew redder along with her temper until steam spewed from her ears.

"Don't screw with me!" Anko hissed as she quickly formed the Snake and Tiger seals.

"Sen'eijashu!" A garter snake shot out of Anko's right fishnet armband and strained to reach the ROOT impersonator, and failed to reach by two feet. For ten seconds, neither of them moved, another aspect of Anime Law 38 came into play as drops of sweat developed on the backs of the heads of the three involved.

(Translation: Sen'eijashu = Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)

"Attempting a time-space ninjutsu after undergoing an extensive modification to one's chakra network isn't advisable." Shuuichi finally said, breaking the silence.

"Is there something important that you came here to do, or are you just here to play mind games?" Anko demanded, crossing her arms and pouting after the snake vanished with a puff of smoke.

"As a matter of fact there is. Seeing as how you have just been cast aside by your sensei, who is the leader of Konohagakure, I was hoping that I could recruit you-" Shuuichi started.

"Like hell I'd turn traitor!" Anko interrupted with fiery passion. "Just because Orochimaru-sensei…" Thoughts of what her sensei had done put a damper on her anger as she felt a pang of sadness.

Shuuichi held up his hands placatingly. "Calm down, I'm not asking you to betray anyone. It's just that I don't have anyone I can trust in this village. I just want you to deliver some messages for me."

"Why can't you deliver them yourself?" Anko asked suspiciously.

Shuuichi laughed. "Well, I tried that, but the ninja who attempted to respond to my messages were hell-bent on trying to get an advantage over me, even if it was to "simply" get a live sample of my chakra. But you don't seem like you'd so easily break trust placed in you. And wouldn't it be a kick in the pants to that snake if someone he cast aside as useless was able to do something three entire divisions couldn't accomplish in four months?"

Mitarashi Anko's eyes widened and her mouth dropped. "You're the guy everyone has been looking for?! The one who was able to get through all kinds of barrier ninjutsu, the ninja Konohagakure's forces haven't even been able to obtain a confirmed chakra signature?!"
"You're correct on all accounts except that I am not a ninja." Shuuichi said, drawing a snort of disbelief from Anko. "I have abilities almost exclusively found in ninja, but I am not a ninja. I owe no allegiance to any hidden village, nor to any noble or daimyo."

"Then what are you doing in Konohagakure to begin with?" Anko inquired.

"There is a certain person I was charged to watch over by my father. Which is proving rather difficult considering I can't act without the whole of Konoha coming after me. And even if I could, I can't reveal the identity of this individual, otherwise Konoha would doubtlessly hold them hostage in order to bend me to their will. So I'm placed in quite a difficult situation. That's where you come in."

"Me? What could I possibly do that you couldn't?" Mitarashi Anko asked, perplexed.

"Approach people in high standing within the ranks of Konohagakure without getting attacked by half the village." Shuuichi said with a shrug. "And also I could demonstrate through you that Konoha would greatly benefit being on friendly terms with me rather than the alternatives. Now, here's what I think you should do when you exit the forest, which will incidentally get back at the snake for tossing you aside."

The kunoichi perked up and smirked. "I'm listening."

"Well, Hokage or not, I'm pretty sure dragging away a Konohagakure ninja to give her a potentially fatal seal would be frowned upon. Using a silencing seal to keep 18-hours of screaming from reaching concerned comrades while only recording the results doesn't seem like something Konohagakure residents would be comfortable with. Then leaving your student who just underwent major strain to her chakra network alone in the training ground which boasts the most fatalities in the village, that's just bad form. Something tells me that snake wouldn't like that story being spread, so he'll probably deny it. And if it comes to the word of the leader of the strongest ninja village against that of a preteen, you'll lose. So if someone inquires about the seal on your back, you'll say that you snuck into the Research and Development Department and acquired the materials for the cursed seal yourself."

"How the heck would I be able to do that? I mean, I'll have to get my story straight. That place is covered by security seals up the wazoo." Anko asked.

Shuuichi grinned underneath the mask. "I was hoping you would ask that." The emissary of the Kyuubi no Youko put his hands behind his back and made some discrete hand signs. 'Kuchiyose: Kofuusatsu.'
(Translation: Kuchiyose: Kofuusatsu = Summoning: Fox Seal Scroll)

With a puff of smoke, a massive sealing scroll six feet across and four feet thick appeared. Shuuichi unfurled the scroll six feet before slamming a chakra covered palm into a circle with the character for 'stealth' in the center. Another puff of smoke and a dozen index-card sized seal tags appeared in midair which were caught by Shuuichi.

"I call these beauties Perception Filter tags. As long as you don't do anything to draw attention to yourself and keep interaction with your environment to a minimum and no one sees you applying the tag or is looking for you, nobody will pay attention to you. And that's just with E-Rank chakra input. Bump it up to C-Rank and it would take someone with Sensor or tracking capabilities to find you." Shuuichi elaborated, smiling at the kid-in-a-candy-store look in Anko's eyes as he handed the fuuinjutsu tags to the young kunoichi.

"Awesome!" Anko cheered, taking the Perception Filter tags eagerly, but was surprised when the fugitive slapped her upside the head. "Hey - what the heck was that for?!"

"You seriously just took unknown fuuinjutsu tags from a complete stranger who is considered the greatest security threat to your home village? So I penalized you for failing to think things through." At Anko's angered and pouting look, Shuuichi amended. "But considering that you have nothing to fear from me so long as you don't endanger the person I am charged with watching, you didn't have a reason to distrust me. But I would strongly advise against giving your trust so freely."

"Then why are you trusting me?"

"There are a few reasons. First is that, no offense, you are no threat to me. Second, you were just tossed by your idol, sensei, and ruler of the village. Knowing the pain of having someone betray your trust makes you less likely to betray someone else's trust. I don't see you selling me out first chance you get. Third, it would be in your best interest to preserve my trust. Keep my trust and you can expect to receive more gifts like those Perception Filter tags. Which reminds me..." the ROOT impersonator unrolled his Kofuusatsu another three feet before slamming his palm down on a storage seal with the character 話 (speech) in the center. A few wooden blocks engraved with seals similar in appearance to walkie-talkies appeared in a neat pile. "My own communications devices. Just channel a drip of chakra into the area marked with the symbol for 1 to contact me. Can't promise I'll answer though. Keep one for yourself and feel free to hand them over to whoever you wish." Shuuichi snapped his fingers and the giant sealing scroll vanished. "Anyways, it was nice to meet you, Anko-chan, and while I'd love to stay and chat, I'm afraid that someone of respectable power is approaching. I'll be in touch." Without further preamble, Shuuichi made some hand seals behind his back and muttered "Genwakujin," and vanished from all senses.

(Translation: Genwakujin = Bewitching Formation)

Barely twenty seconds had passed before a young silver-haired ANBU member arrived at the scene. The ANBU wore a simple blue suit with the standard flak jacket, strapped up sandals, and arm guards. Along with this he wore plated gloves that went all the way up to his arms with a bandage wrapped around the right one. He carried a sword strapped to his back and his mask was fashioned to resemble a dog's face with red and black markings around the eyes, sides and mouth.

"Hey there 'Kashi-senpai." Mitarashi Anko chirped. "What brings you calling on little old me?"

"Mitarashi-san, what have I told you about using my real name when I'm on duty?" Hatake Kakashi asked in a mildly annoyed tone.

Anko rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Hatake. Everyone knows it's you under that mask. They'd have to be denser than an Iwa ninja to not figure it out."

Kakashi shrugged slightly, conceding that Anko had a point. "What are you doing out here by yourself, Mitarashi-san?"

"Recovering from the application of the Cursed Seal of Heaven." Anko responded smoothly. Hatake Kakashi snorted. "What, you don't believe me? Take a look." The chuunin kunoichi turned around to show the young ANBU the seal on her neck. Frowning, Kakashi opened his transplanted Sharingan to verify her statement. Even masked as he was, Anko could still read his shock when he confirmed her cursed seal's authenticity.

"I wasn't aware that the Senjutsu Reserve seals had progressed to a stage where they could be safely applied." Hatake Kakashi said carefully.

"They're not." Anko spat. Feeling the demanding glare from Kakashi, she elaborated. "My sensei seems like he no longer cares about me. I thought that if I got one of those seals my sensei has been so interested in, maybe he'd go back to how he was before he got the hat. But it's not like Orochimaru-sensei would do something like, say, take me out in the middle of The Forest of Death and gave me the Cursed Seal of a Heaven without the proper safety precautions in place."

"Obviously not." Kakashi agreed, a little confused at the bitterness in Anko's statement. Why would she wish for Hokage-sama to give her a potentially lethal seal without minimizing the chances of something going wrong? "So how did you manage to acquire the seal, and more importantly who helped you?"

"Well now, that's the interesting part. But before I tell you, you have to promise me not to freak out, threaten me, or knock me out and take me to T&I." Anko said nervously.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed and straightened his posture. "If you think I'd react by hauling you over to Torture and Interrogation, you'd better come clean right away."

"Look, all I did is accept a few fuuinjutsu tags and a pile of communications devices. And it's not like the guy who gave it to me couldn't have planted them somewhere more critical to Konoha's defenses." Mitarashi Anko said, holding her hands up in defense.

"And just who gave you these alleged fuuinjutsu tags and communication devices?" Kakashi demanded.

"Well, he didn't tell me his name, and he was disguised to look like one of those creepy ANBU with the plain white masks, and I don't have any way to confirm his word one way or another, but the guy claimed he was the person with crazy-strong chakra levels that everyone was searching for." Anko answered sheepishly.

"WHAT?!" Kakashi blurted, eyes widening. The volume of Kakashi's exclamation caused he natural residents of the Forest of Death to stir.

"Aaaannd there's the freak out. If you're going to go pressing a blade against my throat or knock me out and drag me over to T&I, I'm going to stop telling you what happened."
Kakashi took a moment to compose himself. "And what did the fugitive speak with you about?"

"He talked about how he wasn't a ninja - yeah I know, I had the same reaction. But I guess if he doesn't work for any of the ninja villages like he said, then he technically isn't a ninja."

"So the fugitive works for a daimyo or someone else of high status?" Kakashi questioned.

"He denied that, but he says he was told by his dad to watch over someone in the village. That's the reason he claims brought him to Konoha." Anko said.

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully. "If you aren't just pulling my leg, I'm pretty sure our superiors would be very interested in hearing what you told me."

"Kinda figured that." Anko yawned, her body suddenly feeling the eighteen hours of strain caused by the Cursed Seal. "But I got up at 4:00 AM today, and I haven't had a meal since supper, yesterday. I need dango, and then I need sleep."

"I'm sure that you'll be able to get dango while you relate your encounter to the higher ups." Kakashi said as he picked up one of the communication devices left behind by Shuuichi. He started examining the seals with his Sharingan when the seals appeared to light up. He felt a modicum of his chakra sucked into the wooden walkie-talkie, and the number 2 carved into the device flashed a couple times before going blank. "Chakra recognition seal." Kakashi realized.

"Well, this does lend credibility that your mysterious person is Konoha's most wanted, who gave us hell with all those seals before the search was abandoned." Kakashi couldn't help but shudder at the thought of what would have befallen Konoha if the seals used had been designed to do real damage instead of being along the lines of practical jokes. Kakashi pulled himself together and touched the ANBU tattoo on his arm with one hand and touching the part of his mask covering his chin, channeling chakra into both. "This is Inu, sector 16 of Training Area 44. Found possible evidence of Betobeto-san. Possible contact made by chuunin Mitarashi Anko. Awaiting further orders." Betobeto-san was the codename assigned to Shuuichi based on how the being created by the Kyuubi no Youko would sometimes taunt pursuers by making them hear footsteps through genjutsu.

"Maintain position until a team arrives to properly survey the scene, then escort Mitarashi-san to Betobeto-san Taskforce HQ." the reply came five seconds later. After 5 minutes of waiting, a squad representing the Sealing, Sensor, and Tracking Divisions arrived on the scene.

"Definitely appears to be the work of Betobeto-san." a Hyuuga from the Sealing squad confirmed after a thorough examination of the communication devices. "Filled to the brim with fuuinjutsu. Whoever he is, he's a genuine Seal Master at least on the level of Jiraiya-sama."

Fifteen minutes later, a pleased Mitarashi Anko was stuffing her face with dango in front of a partial assembly of the Konoha council. Anko had relayed everything she could to the council, who, by their looks, were very skeptical of what Shuuichi had told her. The discussion went on for eighty minutes before the subject turned to the communication devices Shuuichi had given to Anko.

"So, Betobeto-san said that he could be contacted by feeding chakra into the engraving of the number 1 on these devices?" Uchiha Fugaku inquired as he examined one with his Sharingan.

"Yup. But he also said that he wouldn't promise he would answer." Mitarashi Anko said with a shrug.

"He'll answer if he knows what is good for him." the head of the Konoha Millitary Police sneered as he applied an amount of chakra needed to stick a leaf to one's forehead to the number 1 on one of the communication devices. "This is Uchiha Fugaku, head of the great and noble Uchiha clan and chief of the Konoha Military Police. Identify yourself."

In response, the sound of a raspberry came out of the walkie-talkie-esque device and a minor genjutsu made it look like a tongue came out of the speaker-like seal, rattling at the chief of the military police.

The meeting room was filled with many coughs concealing laughter at the absolutely flabbergasted look on the Uchiha's face. Mitarashi Anko didn't bother to conceal her laughter, which snapped Fugaku out of his funk.

"Just what is so funny, chuunin?" he demanded.

"Oh come on, you totally set yourself up for that." Anko said, wiping a mild tear from her eye. Uchiha Fugaku's Sharingan activated as he glared kunai, shuriken, and tantou at the young snake summoner. "I mean, this guy says he doesn't answer to anyone except his old man. He's had the whole of Konohagakure looking for him for months and we don't even know what he really looks like."

"And your point?" Fugaku demanded.

"Just what makes you think he'll answer to you when he's flipped off Hokage-sama himself?" Mitarashi Anko asked innocently.

"She has somewhat of a point, Uchiha-san." chuckled Inuzuka Rimaru, brother of Inuzuka Tsume and head of the Tracker Division. Uchiha Fugaku deactivated his Sharingan and turned his glare to the Inuzuka. Rimaru had lost both legs during the rampage of the Kyuubi no Youko. He sat in a wheelchair that featured some technology from the now defunct Hidden Sky Village cooked up by the Research and Development Department. The wheelchair allowed Rimaru both extra speed and the ability to fly, and also there were seals that allowed the chair to hover above the ground. He also had two prosthetic puppet legs, and could walk and run at chuunin speeds, but was simply a lot faster in his wheelchair. His partner Kasshokumaru could also pull him around like a chariot, which thanks to the various special features of the wheelchair, seemed all the more fitting. Even handicapped as he was, Inuzuka Rimaru was still a capable Jonin-level ninja, and had even begun to develop a viable fighting style that made use of his method of locomotion as a shield. His Tsuuga techniques also had to sometimes be classified a rank higher than normal thanks to the incorporation of his wheelchair.

((AN: Rimaru is a tribute to the most kick-arse Inuzuka OC I've come across, from The Mouse of Konoha))

"Well then, let's see you try and get a reply." Fugaku sneered as he tossed the wooden radio to the head Tracker.

Inuzuka Rimaru shrugged and pressed some chakra to the 1 on the wooden block. Rimaru noticed that the device wanted to take more chakra than he had given but allowed it since Hatake Kakashi had reported a Chakra Recognition seal as one of the features, which was confirmed by the Sealing team. The number 4 glowed red for a moment. When the glow faded, Inuzuka Rimaru cleared his throat. "Yo, this is Inuzuka Rimaru. You've sure put my Tracker Division through their paces, Betobeto-san."

'If it's any consolation, Rimaru-san, there have been a couple close calls when you and Kasshokumaru were personally involved. I dare say if you and Shikuro-san had stuck together for another 10 minutes on March 17th before splitting up you could have forced me to fight.' Shuuichi's voice responded.

"What?!" Uchiha Fugaku growled in disbelief. Why had the crippled mutt been dignified with a response when he, the leader of Konoha's strongest clan, was mocked in front of some of the Hidden Leaf's finest?

"Well, Betobeto-san made two really convincing trails-" Rimaru started to explain with a satisfied grin on his face.

"No you fool, what mental disability does this fugitive have that he spits in the face of the head of the Uchiha clan but respects someone who only was promoted to full Jonin out of sympathy due to lost limbs?" Fugaku snarled.

"Care to repeat that?" Rimaru growled, baring his teeth at the Uchiha patriarch. He'd gotten that promotion for distinguished service and planning an attack on the Kyuubi - the effing Kyuubi no Youko! - with his squad that resulted in no fatalities. He'd earned that promotion, dammit!

'I assume by the prolonged silence that Mr. Great and Noble Stick-Up-His-Ass is throwing a hissy-fit about me preferring to talk to a trustworthy Inuzuka rather than someone with thieving eyes.'

"How DARE he?!" Fugaku roared, drowning out any snickers from the others present at the meeting. The leader of the Uchiha clan and the Konoha Military Police was leaking out killing intent and Sharingan revolving. "This - this - terrorist has the gall to make a mockery out of my clan?! Why hasn't he been captured yet? Why isn't every available resource being allocated to find this embarrassment to our village? How can we claim the to still be one of the Five Great Hidden Villages when we can't even deal with one ninja within our own home?"

"Inuzuka-san, Uchiha-dono, might I suggest that we set aside any personal disagreements and focus on the fact that we may finally have a direct line to the individual who has managed to evade us for so long?" questioned the ever-calm voice of Aburame Shibi.

"Fine with me," Inuzuka Rimaru said, calmed down after seeing the pompous Uchiha knocked down a peg and resumed speaking into the walkie talkie. "Sorry about that. Uchiha-san did take offense to some of your comments. If you don't mind me asking, what is that all about?"

'I won't go into specifics, but my father had more than enough interaction with Uchiha to know that they are a manipulative and treacherous lot.' Shuuichi answered.

"Why that little..." Fugaku seethed. In his mind, the fugitive had just declared a feud with his clan. To mock him personally was one thing. To besmirch the honor of his entire clan was unforgivable.

"That's rather harsh of you, Betobeto-san." Rimaru said into the communications device. "You should know that you aren't making any allies by badmouthing the Uchiha."

'I suppose not. But I have the feeling that even if I hadn't given my opinion on the Uchiha, they never would have been allies. I'm not saying that there aren't a few Uchiha who could be allies. In fact, I have developed some respect for Shishui, and Itachi-kun seems to be shaping up to be a nice young man.' Shuuichi responded. 'But I'm getting annoyed with all this political crap. We have important matters to discuss. I'm afraid that I've found myself at somewhat of an impasse. If you all would please consider my position. I've tried the diplomatic route in carrying out my father's charge to watch over a Konoha resident that is currently unable to protect themself. Despite Konoha's efforts to deprive me of my freedom and authorizing lethal force, which plenty of your ninja have been all too eager to use by the way, I haven't caused any lasting injury to the hundreds sent after me. I didn't think that any of you would take me at my word that Konoha hasn't nothing to fear from me so long as my charge is safe. But seeing as how actions speak louder than words, I had hoped that going out of my way not to do harm even though the practically the whole village wanted me dead or alive would allow me to receive the benefit of the doubt.'

"How could we trust someone we haven't even meet in person?" Kurama Murakumo scoffed.

'Don't hide behind excuses as why you don't trust me. You wouldn't trust me even if I was a known genin from an allied village. You ninja can be such a pain in the ass to deal with. Projecting all your faults on others. In the case of other ninja, your views would be well justified. But I am not a ninja.'

There was a general muttering of 'bullshit' or snorts of derision, before Nara Shikaku said something that made the assembled ninja freeze.

"Betobeto-san, how long have you been able to listen in our meeting?" the Jonin commander of Konoha questioned.

'Since the beginning. My devices absorb dissipating chakra to serve as emergency reserves to keep their from being detected by sensors. Thanks to the thorough scanning the Sealing Division gave them, they had about three hours charge left. And I have to say, I had expected some level of distrust, but what I've heard was... disturbing. I see that despite my best efforts, I am still treated as an enemy. I sadly expected as much, but, well, try to put yourselves in my shoes. I hear some serious discussion of giving up all attempts to capture me alive, and go straight to lethal force. While I was relieved that Shibi-san pointed out that his clan could just as easily drain my chakra until I was incapacitated, the number of those who advocated trying to avoid killing me... disturbingly low. I understand you all have to consider the safety of your village first. But really, whoever approved a standing force to search for me is frankly an idiot. You had most of three whole divisions look for me for four whole months non-stop. And you think a mere 10% of that force always on the lookout for me is a good allocation of resources?'

Shuuichi was gratified to hear some murmurs of agreement from the assembled. 'But I'm afraid that after what I've heard, you might be able to justify the manpower consumption to ensure Konoha's safety.'

The room fell into silence as the ninja present tensed. There was little mistaking the threatening tone in Shuuichi's voice. The ranking ANBU in the room signed to one of the runners to alert the Hokage.

"Betobeto-san, if I interpret your tone correctly, giving threats is quite an unsettling divergence from what we have come to expect from you." Nara Shikaku said slowly and carefully.

'Well if I'm going to be treated as an enemy despite my best efforts, hunted like an animal just because I didn't enter through the gate and submit myself to screening, perhaps it is better to be an enemy to be feared rather than one who goes out of his way not to do harm.' Shuuichi said in exasperation, dropping the facade of calm. 'I ask you, if you were in my position, would any of you had been this patient? I go out of my way to do as little harm as I can without endangering myself, and I still get hunted like a rabid beast.' The assembled shinobi heard the being on the other side take a deep, cleansing breath. At that moment, those present looked to see the door to the entrance swing open and Orochimaru enter the room.

"Hokage-sama." the assembled shinobi and kunoichi stood at attention and their leader.

"At ease." the Godaime Hokage said, waving his hand at his subordinates. "I understand that our mysterious and elusive guest has finally deigned to give an audience?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama. And the terrorist has finally shown his true colors and has threatened harm to our home." Uchiha Fugaku replied with a barely concealed sneer.

'As I told your ninja, I'm treated like an enemy even though I've been taking painstaking measures to make my actions cause the least offense. I thought that, actions speaking louder than words, I would communicate that I mean Konoha no harm. However, overhearing how those gathered plan to deal with my presence, I have deemed that there is very little I have to lose by employing more aggressive measures.'

"I see. That's very unfortunate." Orochimaru said calmly. Having been briefed on how his ninja had unwittingly discussed their plans with the fugitive listening however, the Hokage was furiously demanding how the hell those in the Sealing Division hadn't detected a listening seal in sign language. The fuuinjutsu experts looked equally as frustrated when they explained that any attempt to decompress the seals for examination caused the devices to self-destruct. That gave the Snake Sannin a moment of pause. "Betobeto-san, if you would forgive me for going on a tangent, you seem to be quite the Seal Master. I haven't seen any seals that self-destruct upon an attempt to examine them for a long time. I thought that particular technique died with the Uzumaki clan."

Several miles away in a cabin once used by Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato for some privacy, Shuuichi cursed mentally and barely managed to cut the transmission when he slapped himself. Damn, he didn't know that the self-destruct seals activated when someone attempted to examine the seals were exclusive to the Uzumaki clan. He had incorporated them because he had used other seals in his communication devices that he knew were Uzumaki trademarks. Oh the irony.

"Kukukukuku, I think I may have struck a nerve." Orochimaru smirked. "So, I take it you have some connections to the now defunct Uzushiogakure."

"Makes a lot of sense now that I think of it. Since Uzushio was destroyed a while ago, any survivors wouldn't have any ninja village to be loyal to." Nara Shikaku mused aloud. Several people, especially those in the Sealing Division murmured their agreement.

Shuuichi couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face. Perfect, if he could get the Jonin Commander's erroneous but logical conclusion to stick, he could finally be able to act in the open. Nara Shikaku, if I am able to free Kurama-sama, I will do my best to ensure you and yours experience the least suffering possible, he vowed. Now to sell it.

'I don't know what gave you that idea,' Shuuichi said with what sounded like a perfectly true voice to all but those with S-Rank talent for detecting lies. And the emissary of Kurama knew there was at least 3 such people in that room. Incidentally, 2 of those signed to the Godaime Hokage that they would bet their hatai-ates Betobeto-san was lying. That third person agreed and grinned in triumph.

"Kukukukuku, now Betobeto-san, there's no reason to lie. Konoha does owe any survivors of our old ally Uzushio for failing to come to their aide. And a Seal Master such as yourself would be welcome with open arms among our ranks."

"Hokage-sama, surely you aren't offering this terrorist a free pass?" demanded an incredulous Uchiha Fugaku.

"If he submits to having his mind read and Inoichi-kun doesn't find anything unforgivable, it would be asinine not to add an obviously S-Ranked ninja to our forces." Orochimaru said with a shrug. "The Uzumaki were feared for a reason, and I would have thought that the last several months would be evidence enough."

'You're getting ahead of yourselves. Operating on these false assumptions when dealing with me could be catastrophic.' Shuuichi said truthfully, but this only served to cement the conclusion in the minds of Konoha's ninja.

"Please don't try to deceive us anymore, Betobeto-san, it's insulting. What I desire to know is why you've been so convinced that the person you've been charged to protect would be held hostage to ensure your co-operation." Orochimaru crooned.

Shuuichi paused enough to give his listeners the feeling that he was debating between denying and coming clean before responding with a sigh heard over the device. 'In 7 days time I will contact you and provide a location of my choosing where I will wait to discuss further interactions. The only ninja I will consent to meet in person will be Anko-chan, Kakashi-kun, Inuzuka Rimaru-san, Aburame Shibi-dono, Nara Shikaku-dono, Sandaime-sama, and yourself, Hokage-sama. And I suppose the three young men in your guard platoon that know a special jutsu can come along as well. If I see anyone else in the area above the rank of chuunin I will be forced to take... desperate measures.'

"Hokage-sama, obviously this is a trap." Uchiha Fugaku objected. "One week is too much time to prepare something nefarious."

'I'll also allow the presence of Jiraiya-sama if that helps. Any of the ninja I mentioned are free to summon any help that isn't any more than 40 feet long before arriving at the meeting. And I suppose that 3 Sensors who aren't Uchiha would be allowed as well. I doubt anything short of an army would be able to match the forces I listed. Three S-Rank ninja, a potential S-Rank summon in Enma, the Jonin commander, the head of the Tracker division, 3 Sensors, one of the Aburame Clan's finest, Konoha's top rising star, a team that can perform the legendary Hiraishin, any number of summons, and the first Konoha ninja to receive a Senjutsu Reserve seal. All against one man. And I'm not the combat type. If these aren't generous enough terms, I fear that there can be no accord between us.'

"I have to agree with Fugaku-dono, a week's preparation is a long time for a fuuinjutsu and trap specialist. There's no telling what kind of chaos someone with Uzumaki sealing could set up in three hundred and eight hours." Orochimaru said blandly. "Could we meet sooner?"
'If you want to meet me in person Hokage-sama, then no. If meeting with a proxy would suffice, I could be ready in two days. However, if you would were absent from the party and granted Sandaime-sama the full authority of the Hokage to negotiate terms of alliance, I would be willing to meet in four days.'

Orochimaru titled his head to the side in curiosity. "Might I ask exactly why my presence requires an additional three days preparation, Betobeto-san?"

'You are a truly great ninja, Hokage-sama. You seize any opportunity presented to you, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. But I fear that you've so thoroughly devoted yourself to the life of a shinobi, that you've ceased living the life of a man.'

Orochimaru stiffened for a nanosecond, but there were no active Sharingan eyes to observe the reaction. 'There's no way he could know about my efforts to transcend humanity. Not even Sarutobi-sensei, my teammates, or Danzou-san know of that. But then again, this man knows far too many things.'

'So excuse me if I feel extremely uneasy at your presence. Being a good ninja tends to make being a good person far more difficult than a solo S-Rank mission. Which is why granting Sandaime-sama the authority to make official negotiations would be my personal preference. Sarutobi Hiruzen is as close to a good man as his extensive service record would permit, and his semi-retirement has allowed him to focus on being a good man once again.'

Orochimaru relaxed, thinking that his secret was safe. Rather than being offended by the jab at his lack of benevolence, he considered the remarks a complement. Making the mysterious man so uneasy that his mere presence would require an extra 75% preparation time was a resounding endorsement of his power. "Very well, I am inclined towards the option of allowing Sarutobi-sensei to negotiate with you, assuming he will agree."

'I sincerely hope so. If there are any last minute adjustments, you know how to contact me.' Shuuichi said, and immediately began preparations.
Orochimaru turned to the Sealing team and signaled for them to lock up the Communications devices, which was swiftly completed. "How goes the investigation of those so-called

'Perception Filter' tags?"

"They seem to do exactly as Mitarashi-san described, Hokage-sama. From what we can tell, they're clean. All functions except 1 are activated upon use, and we are fairly certain that one seal is the self-destruct seal that will activate if we attempt to decompress the seals. We could confirm that if you wish, Hokage-sama." announced the Hyuuga who had responded to Kakashi's call.

"Do so immediately," Orochimaru ordered roughly. Sure enough, the seal tag disintegrated once a jutsu designed to decompress seals was applied.

"Good, in that case, I'll have to add providing those tags as one of the conditions to allowing Betobeto-san to act in the open." Orochimaru mused. Grabbing the attention of the runners with eye contact, the Godaime cleared his throat. "Gather the council. We need to consider how much we can squeeze out of Betobeto-san."

Last edited 5/20/16