Chapter 3- Attachment, Gates and Insanity

We spent a good two weeks on the road. Going from base to base, trying to find the man. We were silent for the most part. Once in a while he would give me some time of training to work on while we walked. It was anything from practicing my sensory techniques, to my chalkra control, to the speed of my hand seals, or solving intellectual situations.

"Here's a situation for you..." Tatsuya grinned as he strayed from the road and into the forest. I followed him.

"You're on a mission with Kaname, and Miku as leader, and an enemy team is pursuing you. You can get away one of you stands by as decoy, but it is not certain that the decoy would make it. Who is the best person out of you three to be the decoy?"

"Me." I said immediately. He froze and looked back at me.

"I know you'd want to save your teammates Kaida, but think about this. You don't want your whole team dead because of your ignorance." He said. I shook my head and held up three fingers.

"There are three options here." I told him. He sat against a tree and I stood before him.

"Okay let me hear this." He said, I knew he didn't quite agree with my choice but I knew that after explaining it, we'd see eye to eye. I put down two fingers and held up my index finger.

"Miku is an absolute No." I said. "She's the medical ninja, and they must be protected the most on a team. Even if she wasn't the medic, she be better as a trapper, better to work on the road and set traps on the way." I switched fingers, holding up my pinky finger.

"Kaname would be able to hold them off fairly well, but she's not the best. As a decoy, you need to be fast, and able to make a lot of damage in a short period of time." I explained. "By the time Kaname gets out her weapons, she's dead." Tatsuya nodded his head in acceptance.

"Kaname would best be placed as backup for Miku. They both have precise aim, and since Kaname specializes in weapons, she can hold off any that get by me with her long-ranged weapons." Tatsuya clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "We both know how good she is with them." I put down my finger and suppressed a smirk as I lifted my middle finger.

"As for me, the reason why I'd be the best decoy, is my speed among other things." Tatsuya's eyes narrowed, looking directly at the middle finger presented directly in his line of sight. "I'm fast, and I know it. Combining that with restricting my chalkra and skills, I could kill off each of the men, one by one, and conceal myself between each."

"Very good, to be honest, I figured you would say that just to protect the other two. But you have it well thought out. Now the only thing I have against it is that you'll the intellectual of the group. With the leader gone, how would the others proceed?" he asked. He then nodded to my hand. "And Kaida? Put down that finger or I'll cut it off."

I didn't need to be told twice. I was silent after for a total of three minutes, thinking and planning my response.

"First of all, you asked only about who the best decoy would be to increase the chance of the decoy's survival. But if you don't take that into account, there comes number two." I sighed. "Those two are not as stupid as they seem. They could do perfectly well without me holding their hand. Kaname would take command after me." I got out a food pill, and popped it in my mouth.

He huffed in annoyance.

"I thought that question would have been at least a bit harder to answer." He grumbled. I watched in jealously as he reached into his backpack and grabbed a few rice balls he got from the last village we stopped in.

"Should have brought money…" he trailed off. I huffed, and looked away.

We were silence once again before I raised my hand to my shoulder. It was starting to bug me again. My hand glowed green as I eased the pain.

"From the evidence we picked up from the other hideouts, he should be in this next one, if he isn't out." My teacher told me. I nodded before looking up at the trees.

"Who is he?" I asked. He snorted.

"You'll see." I sighed, disappointed in his response.

"In the meantime, I know I explicitly told you what I want from you there but I want to emphasis this." He told me. I swallowed the thought of acting like his heir. The person he ultimately wanted me to be, and wouldn't take any less.

"You fully know about the people I associate myself with. I don't have any sort of allegiance to any village or nation. I have 'soft spots' for the Hidden Sand and Leaf, but that is another matter. My students are from the Leaf, and my brother's Kazekage." My teacher took the last bite of his food and dusted off his hands. "By doing this, I get job offers from all hidden villages, Feudal Lords and other people." He stretched and looked up at the sky. A bird circles us before diving down. It landed on Tatsuya's arm and I noticed it was one of his mountain eagles for the Hidden Leaf Village.

"This category of 'others' is what makes me different from other groups." He told me. He opened the scroll compartment and took out the scroll inside before the eagle hopped off his arm to the ground. "Since I work solo, I can do whatever I want. If I want to make two countries to wage a war, I can do that. This 'other' group thus consists a lot of criminals and/or their organization."

"Are you telling me that the man we are going to see is a criminal?" I asked him. He smirked before releasing the seal on the scroll and opening it. Tatsuya snorted in laughter as he read.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm getting at." He said crossing his legs and putting the scroll on the ground. "Can you believe Hirozen is attempting to scold me for making you feel like you had to go with me within a week, rather than a month? You're healed enough, it's not like your piss pouring blood everywhere." He grumbled.

"As if that would stop you." I muttered. He looked up from the scroll with a smirk.

"You're right, it wouldn't have mattered." He retorted. He turned around to his pack and grabbed an empty scroll and brush with ink. He rolled up the first scroll and threw it in the air. Just as it fell, he made the signs for the Fireball jutsu. Letting loose the jutsu, the fire swollowed the scroll and burnt it to a crisp.

I watched him write in large kanji.

"That should warn him off." Tasuysa said as he sectioned off the page with a think line. He turned the scroll to me and threw me the brush. I looked at him in suspicion. "Go, write, I know you promised your brother you would."

I looked up at him wide eyed.

"Stop looking at me like that! I just don't want your brother trying to kill me if you haven't written back to him. He is going to be a fucking great shinobi, it's a shame I couldn't take him under my wing either too. I would have loved to make him into another assassin." He smirked in thought. "Anyway, it would be a shame if I had to kill him."

I nodded, not questioning his actions anymore, in fear that he would take away the privilege of writing to my brother. I looked down at the scroll and couldn't help but gasped at what he had written.

"Are you really going to send a scroll back with this written on it." I asked him. He snorted.

"'Don't Care' is hardly offensive. You know if I didn't have any kind of respect for him, I would have just marked "Fuck Off."" He then folded his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. "Tell me when you're done."

I sighed before taking the brush in my hand and looked down at my section of the scroll. I better start with an apology to the Hokage. I thought.

It took a good ten minutes to finish. I was not accustom to writing with my right hand, due to my dominate being my left.

I ended with my name before putting down the brush.

"I hope you didn't tell him anything of importance." My teacher said. I shook my head.

"I'm not that stupid." I told him.

"But you are still a bit stupid." He retorted. I rolled my eyes before looked over at the eagle who was now perched on my good shoulder.

"How long will I be gone for?" I asked him. He was silent. I lifted my hand and the eagle nudged it. With a small smile I started to scratch his head.

"If you survive, you'll be back anywhere from four to six years from now." He told me. I froze before looking down at the ground. "Make sure you tell your brother that."

I took a deep breath before starting the addition to the letter.

After I had finished, we packed up our stuff and made ourselves ready to head out.

With a sharp whistle, the eagle flew off my shoulder and landed on Tatsuya's arm. He placed the scroll in the compartment and whispered in its ear. The bird cocked its head, as if he was listening, before he opened his wings and took off.

"I wish I could see the old man's face when he opens that." Tatsuya crackled. He cracked his fingers before pulling on his bag. "Let's go."

I followed him for the rest of the day, not taking another break.

Finally we reached a snake like cave entrance. I felt a chill rise up my back as I studied the structure. It was clearly made out of stone, but other than the fangs that prodded out from the snake's mouth, it looked like a large piece of snake's skin.

"Remember what I said, from now on, you are to act like I told you to." Tatsuya gave me no other warning as he pushed forward into the snake's mouth. "Remove your insignia."

I swallowed my nerves and closed my eyes.

I have no name.

I have no past.

I have no future.

I have no family, nor friends.

I have no affiliation.

I have no comrades.

I have no feelings, no stray thoughts, no conscious.

I have only what is told to me.

All that matters is the mission.

I reached behind my head and undid the knot. I then let the forehead protector slip form my forehead. I then opened my bag and placed it at the bottom.

I am no one.

I am silent.

I am serious.

I am not accustom to law.

I am his Heir.

I am talent.

I am a Killer.

I am an Assassin.

My eyes opened and I felt numb. Nothing mattered. Not while I was like this. I heard a loud Croak of a raven and knew it was for me. I was a murderer. The bird circled me before landing on my shoulder. Normally it would have bothered me, but right now? I didn't, no I couldn't, Give a Fuck. I wasn't me, this wasn't me. It was her.

Then SHE took the first step after Tatsuya.

-.-.-

She followed him in, keeping in his shadow as they passed torch after torch. They were all lit.

She could feel Tatsuya watching her from the corner of his eye. She didn't say anything. It wasn't her place. Therefore she kept herself in check and looked forward. The bird perched comfortably on her good shoulder and looked around curiously

They heard a loud scream from deep within the tunnel. It didn't bother her. They passed a small puddle and her eyes took note of the reflection in it. Tatsuya was grinning.

I guess he got what he wanted. His perfect heir.

She reached an open area which led to multiple tunnels. It was all lit by torches and looked somewhat like a battle arena.

Tatsuya came to a stop, with a smirk he let his chalkra flare. He turned towards her.

"Where are they?" he asked.

She opened my mind to the area around me. She felt three strong chalkra and over a hundred weak ones. She understood that the strong ones were probably the ones they were looking for.

"They are coming." She told her teacher, her voice monotone.

"Good." Tatsuya walked over to the slab of stone that was set in the middle of the space, and sat down. She walked towards him and stood near, but still a safe distance away. As if on cue, their hosts arrived.

"Lord Tatsuya!" A tall black haired man came out from the shadows. She knew at that moment that he was the criminal. He was snake-like in appearance with golden eyes. He had purple markings that went from his eyelid to half way down his eyes. Just like the cave entrance, he resembled a snake.

"Orochimaru." Her teacher grumbled. Another man came out from behind the criminal. He was no older then herself. He had ash-grey hair which was pulled into a single tail, with large round glasses that let his onyx-eyes see. He wore a purple turtleneck with the same colored pants. Immediately she didn't trust them.

"What can be the reason that I'm receiving such a surprise?" Orochimaru asked. "Lord Tatsuya."

Said man got up off the slab.

"I'm calling in the debts."

"Is that so?" Orochimaru stopped a couple of meters away.

"Yes, all I'm asking for is one favor and then you don't owe me anything." Her teacher glanced over at her as she stared straight ahead, her mouth shut completely.

"And just what does that one favor consist of?" the snake asked. The boy behind him studied her teacher with ferocity, and as a threat.

"My most prized student had encountered an unfavorable situation, and in the process, she lost one of her arms." He looked over at her and she walked up beside him, and away from the side view. "I'd like you to design, create and install the new arm on her."

Orochimaru and his lackey shifted their view to incorporate the only female. She had been slightly hidden from their view before, since she had been behind her teacher. They looked as if their just noticed her.

"What kind of arm? You could have sliced any arm off anyone had have any medical ninja sow it on." Orochimaru asked. He turned to his partner. "Kabuto, please make two rooms available for our guests."

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru." The ash-haired teenager said, before leaving.

"Yes, I could have, but what I want on her, is an indestructible arm. If I get you the metal ores imbedded under the chalkra trees, I want you to shape it into her arm." He walked forward, towering over the snake-like man. She walked just behind him.

"I'll do it, but I am curious…" Orochimaru looked over at her and studied her face. "Why go so far for one of your students? I never thought Tatsuya the heartless would do something so trivial."

"She's my heir."

Orochimaru's eyes widened.

"Really now!" they glittered in excitement. "I wonder how good she is."

"Don't let your guard down, like you had done with that Uchiha brat." Tatsuya said amused. "He's got nothing on her when she feels like it." I blinked, trying not to show any type of emotion.

'Uchiha? Do they know something about where Itachi is?' I thought. Seconds later I was dissolved back into her.

"Really now!" Orochimaru eyed her like a piece of candy. "Too bad."

Tatsuya chuckled darkly and raised a hand. He placed it on her good shoulder.

"Take off your coat, and the bandages." He instructed firmly. "Let him see it."

"Yes, my lord." She whispered. With slow movements she took off her bag and placed it next to her. She then took off her coat and placed it on top of her bag. She took out a kunai, and sliced some of the bandages. After she replaced the weapon, she tugged lightly on the wraps until that came undone.

Orochimaru leaned forward and took a look.

"There shouldn't be a problem." He said touching the skin. It was sensitive, and hurt her, but she kept quiet. "It was cut cleanly, I'm sure the nerves, veins, arteries and muscles are fine to be used again."

"Good, I'll have the ores here by tonight." Tatsuya said. He turned away and she looked after him.

"You are to stay here until I come back." He instructed.

"Yes, my Lord."

"Until then, I want you to work of your sensory range some more. By the time I get back, I want you to know where everyone in this hide out is positioned and what they are doing." He told me, his eyes traveled to Orochimaru.

"That isn't problem, right?" He asked politely. The snake like man paused and his eyes narrowed.

"No, not at all Lord Tatsuya." He almost spat. He didn't the idea of her snooping into his stuff.

"Good." Tatsuya walked off with a single hand raised in goodbye. "Be a good girl while I'm out."

-.-

It took two weeks of careful planning and creating her arm before they were ready to perform the surgery.

"Now, there is a chance she'll die." The boy named Kabuto said. Tatsuya just glared.

"I am well aware of that." he replied.

"Lord Tatsuya, We are just making sure that if she does die, that we will not be held accounted for her death." Orochimaru said. She looked at the surgery table and noticed several ties and straps.

"My heir will not die." Her teacher said. He grabbed his coat and shrugged it on. He was going on that mission.

"We are just making sure." My teacher snorted in laughter.

"Listen to everything they tell you. And remember what I said." She nodded her head before glancing over at the pure metal arm. It was made out of the ore found under the trees that are fed with chalkra. By feeding the tree chalkra, it pours out the roots after nourishing the tree and is collected by the ores. After shaping and firing the ores, chalkra can be infused within it and it becomes indestructible. Due to the ores being rare, they were not found in large enough quantities to create anything large, unless you had money and a lot of time to find the deposits. Apparently she was worth it.

"Good." He gave one last nod to the two other men before leaving. If it had been, I would have been extremely nervous, and on my way to crying. But it wasn't me, it was her. She was the person Tatsuya wanted her to be. The perfect assassin.

"Lay down." Kabuto instructed. She took off the coat and bandages before sitting on the table and lying down.

"These straps are so you don't move.." Orochimaru moved around her strapping her in so that she couldn't move no matter how hard she tried. She didn't say thing as Kabuto tied a piece of cloth around her shoulder. She knew it was to cut off the blood flow.

"We will not be able to dull all the pain, just a bit of it." Orochimaru moved away from the straps. "But I guess your use the pain, Tatsuya is your teacher." He chuckled.

"Poor child, it must be hard."

She turned her head and watched Kabuto as he positioned a needle in her arm and injected the numbing fluid. They then waited a few minutes before making the first incision.

"May I ask a question, Lord Orochimaru?" Kabuto asked as he started. She closed her eyes and decided to go deep into her self-conscious, closer to where I was. Even if we were not all there, we could still hear what was said.

"It's about her isn't it?" Orochimaru said. I knew he meant me. I heard a snap and blearing pain was felt with in our sanctuary. She came a gate closer to me, to get away from it.

"Yes, she looks dead." Kabuto remarked. If Tatsuya hadn't ordered me to me his little pet heir then I would have strangled the guy. I heard Orochimaru chuckle.

"Yes she most certainly does, doesn't she?" I'd smack him too. Then again, he was able to hurt my brother. This is a man I had to be careful around.

"You'd think that someone going through this type of surgery would at least clench their fists in pain." I felt another snap of pain, and she went through another gate, much closer to me then I'd like. "But she's not doing anything. It looks like she's sleeping. She really looks dead with a heartbeat."

Orochimaru chuckled.

"Girl, clench and unclench your right hand." Orochimaru asked. She did as he asked.

"So she isn't dead or asleep… how can she deal with the pain? No one can deal with this much pain so effortlessly!" Kabuto asked, clearly fascinated.

"It's because she's his student." Orochimaru answered. And it's true. The reason I could endure this, is because I'm his student. The reason why I have these gates are because I'm his student.

"Is Tatsuya really that scary? And why is it that you're so…" he paused and I could feel that even his movements did so. "Hesitant around him."

"It's okay Kabuto, you can say scared." Orochimaru replied. "That man is terrifying. If I say so myself. I'd rather deal with three tailed beasts at the same time then him." He chuckled. Kabuto was silent. It took a few seconds, but he eventually got back to work.

"What's so scary about him?" This time Orochimaru was silent. Another snap echoed behind the gates. She walked through another. She only had two more gates before she was in the same room as me. We felt a finger pull away the fabric of my clothes that laid over my heart. I knew what he was searching for.

"See this?" the snake-like man asked his apprentice.

"Yes, it's a bunch of scars." Kabuto answered.

"He probably did that to her."

Inside my world I shivered. He was right.

"WHY'S YOU DO THAT! SHE'S YOU'RE STUDENT!" I heard Kaname yell. Miku was crying next to me.

"I can't do it! I can't heal her." she muttered, clearly scared. I could feel my heart started to slow as pain shot throughout my body.

"If you don't heal her, she'll die." Tatsuya said. He twirled his cane-sword before walking over to Miku. "You have very good chalkra control, and what I'm doing is giving you a real life situation to practice in. If she dies, it means three things. Her will is weak, you're weak, and that she was never meant to be my student." I heard Kaname rush towards him with a war cry.

"He tried to kill her?" Kabuto asked.

"Yes, he only cares for those who are strong." Orochimaru chuckled. "Even there, he only cares about destroying them, or attempting to destroy them."

"You're weak. Get up."

I felt another snap of pain and she jumped closer to me. Only one gate away.

"He told me once that he devised a plan for each of his students to pass. There are six levels to it. Only the ones that passed all of them, he would acknowledge." Orochimaru explained. "The first level is plain physical training. That's if he accepts that you have a chance to make it through his training."

"What the fuck are you playing at!" he growled as I focused all my concentration on the spike under my finger.

"You're wobbling!" I licked my lips before focusing my energy on staying upright. I stilled.

"Good," he turned to my teammates. They were both on the ground, fingers bleeding and bruised. "You two are lacking. It's only been four hours! You still have at least three left!"

"Get back on." He growled Kaname nodded in fear and pressed her finger into the spike and hoisted herself into a handstand. Miku couldn't handle it.

"I said get on." He growled looking at her. She shook, trying to get up.

"I'll do it." I said. He turned to me and narrowed his eyes.

"I'll do her other three hours." I repeated. H opened his mouth to refuse me but I held his gaze.

'I'll protect her.' I thought. His mouth closed pulling into a frown. We stared at each other for a good amount of time.

"Fine, you'll have six hours, no help." He turned his back to me. "But every time you drop, you get an extra ten minutes. Get me?"

"Yeah, I understand."

"Okay. But every teacher teaches physical training." Kabuto said, I could hear the frown. Orochimaru chuckled once again.

"Most of the students he took on dropped out at this level. And his levels are added, there isn't a level that does not have the others before it incorporated into it." Orochimaru explained. A dull pain snapped but it wasn't enough for her to jump the last gate.

"What's the next level?" Kabuto asked. I heard the jingle of metal hitting against itself.

"Gate creating." Ororchimaru answered. "He has them build layers in their minds to protect themselves from other people and themselves."

I leaned against the walls in my mind. My mind was a fortress, a fortified fortress that was impenetrable. As if right now I was in the center. The center was simple. It was a square room with a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. There was a bed to my right, and a six leveled locked door right in front of me. On my left was a shelf with various pictures. They were of people that were important to me. So I could never forget who I was.

Outside this room was another wall where she was waiting, probably leaning against my locked door. My fortress had six levels, or six gates, just like his training.

"If I know Tatsuya as much as I think I do, He probably ordered her into her gates. That's why she's so compliant." Orochimaru said. "The walls also make her keep her composure, even during pain excruciating as this." A loud snap vibrated through my walls as Orochimaru did something uncalled for to my arm. I could barely feel the pain but she could. Two out of the six locks, unlocked.

'Clever aren't you?' I whispered to my walls.

"It seems as if she has excellent gates." Orochimaru chuckled. Figures he'd try to test that. I got up off the floor and moved to the door. I locked the two level once again before making my way to the bed.

"That's incredible!" Kabuto whispered in awe. "But wouldn't Tatsuya get angry if he found out that you stabbed her nerves like that?"

"He'd probably say that if she reacted to that then she is no use to him." Orochimaru replied. What he said was probably true.

"What's the next level?" Orochimaru laughed loudly.

"I don't know one of his students that have passed this level."

I snorted in my head.

'I know three of them.' I whispered and curled into my body, suddenly cold.

"What is it?" Kabuto asked eagerly. He was clearly fascinated by the process.

"This links to the gate training." He said. I tightened my hold on my legs. In my mind I still had both my arms. "Physical and Mental Torture."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding before trying not to lose myself in memories.

"PLEASE JUST STOP THIS! DON'T DO THIS TO HER!" I screamed. Kaname's fingernails were being ripped off, one by one.

"Shut up and watch, Kaida." My teacher said from beside me. My wrists were blooded from the chains rubbing together. Tears were running down my face, and he was sitting still, his eyes cold, with his arms crossed over his chest. Miku was limp in her chair, puke was all over the ground. She had passed out. "We'll have Miku heal her after."

Kaname had long passed out as well. I was the only one awake. I knew, this wasn't a genjutsu, it never was.

"This was supposed to refine the gates. This way they would not be able to divulge any type of information." Another jingle of metal was heard. "This also caused a mastery of the mind so that suicide jutsus were not needed. I doubt even Ibiki could get something out of her. "

"Is that even possible? What about the Yamanaka family? They are able to go into people's minds and unlock these gates." Kabuto asked.

"Girl, try to move your arm." Orochimaru asked. She did as asked. "Good, let's attach the elbow."

"I don't know what would happen if a Yamanaka tried to get in." Orochimaru admitted. "It would be interesting to test."

'As if they could get in.' I whispered. I put a lot of traps in these gates, and each one can only be opened by solving a question, riddle or puzzle. I looked up at the pictures and knew each one was taken from a memory of mine. One of my teammates, Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, Minato and Kushina, Tenzo, Lydia, there were many. The one that attracted my attention the most, was the one of Itachi.

"That's very interesting." Kabuto said. The first lock, unlocked just as another snap occurred from the outside world. "What's the fourth level?"

"Missions." Orochimaru said simply. I heard the clank of metal on metal and felt movement. On my left arm. "He would accept missions and have them take care of them, under his supervision."

"Accept missions?" Kabuto asked confused.

"Yes, Tatsuya runs his own organization, despite it only being him. He usually deals with the dirty things that the Kages, Feudal lords, and criminals don't want to deal with." The snake like man moved my shoulder with his hands. Making sure it was working fine. "That's how he can take Genin from different hidden villages. Because he does their dirty work. The Villages can't say no."

I could almost feel his eyes on me.

"I wonder where she's from." He muttered.

'Good to know I wasn't very memorable.' I whispered. 'But I guess, when I always was around Itachi, I was always somewhat of a shadow to him.'

I snorted in laughter.

'Uchihas and their spotlight presence.' but somehow, it didn't bother me. I've always liked not being noticed.

"He came to watch you again." I told Itachi from the shadows. The long-haired boy at that time was one of my best friends smiled at me.

"Let him watch."

"I don't see the other need for the other levels." Kabuto said. "Just that makes a very strong ninja." Orochimaru started to laugh.

"The next two levels are only for those who can pass the other four levels. Even there he told me that there will only be one person who will complete both."

I inhaled knowing full well what was coming. I didn't like it.

"Those two levels are restricted to his heir only." Another snap of pain, and another unlocked lock. I got up and locked the doors again.

'I won't let her in.' I thought.

"The fifth level, is more administration work and preparation to becoming the heir. This means solo missions, learning of every code he uses, this really is the time he passes on everything he knows to them."

"Then what's left?" Kabuto said. I cut off everything Orochimaru said from that point onwards for the next five minutes. I knew what the last stage was, and I didn't want to face it. Not until he told me himself.

I cut my hearing back in at the right moment.

"Try to move the wrist." Kabuto said. She did that, I could feel it turn.

"So far so good." Orochimaru told me. She nodded her head, indicating that she had heard him.

"Out of curiosity?" she moved back through to the third gate. Curiously I also moved through the gates until I stood next to her. This meant that I could talk too, and I always overruled what she said. "What level are you at in Tatsuya's training."

"Fifth." Both men stopped what they were doing.

"That is quite the accomplishment.". I moved back two gates as a large snap of pain filled the gates. I moved back once the pain faded. "Which village are you from?" I smiled inside my head.

Let's play a little game. Get him guessing of who I am.

"The Hidden Leaf Village." They both stilled once again.

"Really?" Orochimaru asked. "I never noticed you."

"That's expected." I told him.

"Are you part of the same three girls that he took six years ago?" he asked.

"No." I said.

"What happened to them?"

"Dead." That was true enough. We were not the same people we had been. The true us from then were gone. We were not kids anymore.

"So he went back to the village and picked you?"

"Yes."

"Move your fingers."

She moved them.

"We are almost done."

They worked in silence after that. I sighed in my head as I felt throbs of numbing pain shoot through the sky. I looked over at her and I saw myself.

We stared at each other before I left for the inner circle.

There was only two person who understood what we were to each other her and I. Itachi and Tatsuya. Tatsuya had me explain it once and he got it. She was me, but not me. She was not a split personality, she was not some other person. She was the 'me' I didn't want to me so I associated her as someone else. But I know she is me, I can control her as I want, if I want. I can be her. But I don't want to think about that. My mind is how I visualize it. I like this fortress that keeps me safe, that keeps her out. I visualize her out there, never being able to come in, but I know that in reality, she is in here. I chuckled darkly before resting my palms on my eyes.

She's right where I am. Because I am her.

"We are done." I heard Orochimaru say. I heard the snap of gloves being taken off and she resurfaced, fully in control of my body. She stilled getting used to the pain from the after effect of the surgery.

Kabuto undid all the straps that held her down and undid the cloth cutting off blood circulation. . Afterwards he lifted the metal arm as she sat up. He then put a sling over her neck and laid the metal arm within it. She felt the burning pain of what they did but she didn't voice it, nor did she show it. She knew her body was stiff and she attempted to straighten it out.

"It's normal that your shoulder hurts a lot, it had to get used to the weight. So in the meantime while your shoulder is recuperating, and adjusting, you need to keep the sling on. It should take about three to four weeks before you can start to do little things with it. But, you'll have relearn all the functions of your arm again. That can take up to five years to do. Everything should be okay after that." He turned back to a tray. I could feel the steady degree of pain from within the fortress and knew that the pain must be excruciating. She slipped her trench coat back over her shoulders when he gave it to her and passed her good arm through the sleeve.

"Here is some painkillers and antibiotics." he held out his hands and in one was three pills while the other held a glass of water.

I jumped a few of the gates so that I could control what she did, but did not let my personality shine. He looked puzzled as I grabbed the water first and took a sip, keeping the water in my mouth. I gave him back the water and took the pills. I tilted my head back making it look like I was taking the pills, when in reality, they sled down my sleeve. Once he was satisfied that I had swallowed them, he wheeled over a wheel chair.

"I can walk." I said.

"Father!" A voice blew from somewhere in the hide out. Orochimaru sighed before looking at the door. She slid off the table and forced her legs to hold her weight. Kabuto reached out to catch her if she should fall but her feet held.

"Where's the snake scroll?" A tall pale man walked into the room. He had white-blond hair and a red glint in brown eyes. Similar to Tatsuya's. "Why hello there! What is your name?" He leaned against the frame and watched her take small steps towards the nearest wall.

"Girl! Please sit in the wheelchair." Kabuto asked nicely.

"I can walk, I insist." I said, with edge to my voice.

"Wow! Kabuto what did you do to her, she hates you." The new comer grinned.

"Shirosaki, what scroll did you want?" Orochimaru sighed.

"Oh yeah, the snake one." Shirosaki looked over at the snake man.

"Which snake one?" his father asked. Shirosaki snorted in laughter.

"And that is exactly why we need to get scrolls that have nothing to do with snakes."

I stifled a laugh at the remark. I remembered rumors about how Orochimaru surround himself with only snake jutsus.

"Do you mean the Snake Clone Jutsu?" Kabuto asked. Shirosaki snapped his fingers.

"Yup, that one!" his eyes traveled from the wheelchair that Kabuto had pulled out to my face then to the new addition to my body.

"Surgery?" He walked over to her and studied the arm. "Wow a metal arm!"

She stilled before he was call by his father.

"You're lucky she didn't hit you." His father said. She studied him and information poured into my head. "She's Tatsuya's protégé."

Shirosaki clicked his tongue before nodding his head.

"Yup I think I'm going to refrain from moving too fast around you." He said to her. She ignored him and used the wall for support as she made her way to the hall.

"Why isn't she in the wheel chair?" Orochimaru asked in question.

"She refuses to do it." Kabuto said. Orochimaru was silent mauling over the idea.

"Ah! That's probably why." He nodded. Kabuto narrowed his eyes in question.

"Tatsuya probably ordered her to not show any weakness in front of us." He replied.

'Bingo.' I thought. I silently moved past him until I was in the hall.

"Shirosaki, I'll bring the scroll to your room, would you please make sure that she gets to her's safely? She is currently residing in the second guest room."

"Sure Pops." He said as he followed her out. I had no problems with that.

It took her a while, and Shirosaki wouldn't shut up, but she finally made it to her room.

"What are you thinking about?" he finally asked her. I decided to answer for her. After all Tatsuya never told me I had to be obedient to this one.

"How are you related to Orochimaru?" I responded.

"Why he's my father! You know he went bang bang under the sheets with whoever my mother was and out popped me…." he trailed off. "Wait were you being sarcastic?"

"Yes." I responded. "You are quite different from him." I opened my door and walked in. I could feel her slowly sliding away, and my own personality emerging. I should have been nervous about it since Tatsuya ordered me to stay perfect as his heir but this guy brought me out.

"Well I think my mother was also a lunatic," he said walking in, closing my door and pulling out my chair so he could sit backwards on it. "That way, two lunatic can make a crazy lunatic."

I sat on the bed and controlled my breathing to stop the sudden pain to erupt from my arm.

"Well, you seem like a lunatic." I muttered. I only realized after that I said that out loud.

"Yeah, I am one." He laughed. "But I'm more trustworthy then my father that's for sure. I don't even trust him and he raised me."

My eyes widened.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked him. He smirked.

"That is because I can tell that we are going to be very good friends."

I couldn't help but smirked back despite my pain.

"For some odd reason, I think so as well."


Disclaimer, I doo not own Naruto in any shape or form. I only own my own characters.

Hello~
Sorry for the wait, I was going to upload the chapter yesterday but I kind of didn't sleep that night. So I spent the day sleeping.

Thank you LostLonelyLies for answering my question. I'm glad you prefer long chapters. I like them too, and I'd rather write chapters longer then short.

So Orochimaru... I personally don't like the guy, but I found this an opportunity I couldn't pass up. What do you think about Shirosaki? I have big plans for this guy.

As for Tatsuya's training, what do you think? He's just a bit of a sadist. Why would he have his students go through these levels?
I await your opinions like always. I love hearing from you guys.
Have a great night.