Other Side of Impossibility 4: Orochimaru
Because we all need a tiny little bit of Oro-chan-san in our lives.
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Timeline: Five days after Kakashi's "I Hate Rin" episode.
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It's a good, good day. Orochimaru lets out a breath, stirring his coffee idly while he reads over the results for his most recent autopsy. A Konoha-nin, died of poisoning. He's able to find the offending poison in their brain, including his stomach, and Orochimaru has to wonder if it's because of a puncture wound leading to poisoning... or this ninja was simply foolish and ate some poisoned thing. Or maybe someone poisoned whatever he consumed. Whichever. The Snake Sannin doesn't really care; death because of poison is common in the shinobi world, and while Orochimaru may be immune to some of them—courtesy of Tsunade who chucked basic poisons at her teammates to make sure they don't die from such simple poisons, because it will be insulting, especially to Tsunade's ability as a medic, and courtesy of Orochimaru himself, who learned from Tsunade's methods and tried out exactly how much poisons he can handle. The trials have not been pleasant, but it certainly gives him a satisfying reward—he's learned to be cautious over anything and everything, and he doubts anyone can poison him easily.
He's more interested in the corpse he got yesterday, a young lad whose skin melted off, and the organs are kind of boiled in some ways, plus no one is able to identify who that is. He has to work on that soon. Perhaps finding out exactly why this shinobi's skin even melted. Is it because of a focused concentration of Katon jutsu? Or Suiton, simply made out of hot water? Or a kekkei genkai? He certainly hears of a bloodlimit which allows you to shoot lava out of your mouth... It certainly is interesting. Oh, and find out who that lad is. ...Not that he actually cares, but Hiruzen will be breathing down his neck for identity. And he guesses it's best if the corpse is delivered to the family... if that lad has a family, anyway. Unidentifiable corpses are really a pain in the neck. It's good enough that with his and Tsunade's researches, they're able to find out the identities now, including many other things.
But before that, it was simply unidentifiable corpses piling over another and another, being burned together at once because the village couldn't afford to bother and try to guess who the fuck is this shinobi, is it a-ya or b-ko or c-ta or d-ko?
Orochimaru is fairly certain his parents were within those piles, once upon a time.
The Sannin frowns. Whatever. It is long over by now, there is no need for him to dwell in that anymore—his parents graves are empty, he knows that, but even still he visits them regularly until somehow, when he sees Tsunade's haunted eyes, when he sees how she breaks, when he sees Tsunade's pain and suffering from holding on too much, too much on her beloveds. Orochimaru just stops—he must focus on his researches and autopsies. And perhaps take new poison from Kishimoto to test. It has been a good da—
"Oro-chan-san!
And that damned nickname is back.
Dammit, it's been a good day, too.
Letting out a long suffering sigh, Orochimaru looks toward the source of the voice and that damn nickname. Nohara Rin, Kishimoto Masashi's apprentice who takes after his horrible nicknaming ability. A prodigy of her own right, considering how fast she learns compared to other people. Though perhaps, it is because of how she pours her all into learning and training, something Orochimaru thinks as highly commendable, really. Not that he will ever tell her that. The world shall burn before Orochimaru openly tells her that she's way more tolerable than most kids. She'll get even more insufferable if he ever slips that one traitorous thought out loud.
"Nohara," he says, as dry as he can. He hopes his tone and expression can give her hints on how he wishes for her to scatter to her sensei. Why is it that she runs toward him when she has her own sensei? She has two teachers by now. This girl is as persistent as much as she is ambitious. "What is it that you want?"
The girl pouts half heartedly and Orochimaru knows from her slight pause that she certainly notices and simply chooses to pretend she doesn't notice. Dammit.
"Do I have to want anything to come toward you, Oro-chan-san?" She says.
"People always want something when they come near me, so yes."
"Oh," she mutters out, "that's... sad."
Orochimaru raises an eyebrow, not registering as to why she'd say that nor why she looks genuinely bothered by it. It isn't like he particularly likes other people's visits either, true. They're always so scared when they approach him, but they do because they want his knowledge, his power. Even his sensei these days only come to him to give him new orders. So far, the only ones who approach him without wanting anything specific are Jiraiya and Kishimoto. Kishimoto has his own work to focus in, though. And Jiraiya is galloping somewhere around the Elemental Countries, too busy spying and drooling over breasts in one swoop to bother him with small chats.
"I just saw you and decided to say hello, is all! And I don't know, maybe we can talk? About... er, whatever? Or have coffee? Oh wait, you already do... I can get my own coffee, then?"
...And perhaps her.
He can tell she's genuine, at the very least. From the way her eyebrows furrow as she thinks on what exactly she can do with Orochimaru, whom she approached out of a whim—and isn't that just surprising—and how she mutters ideas after ideas before dismissing them for how they're in fact a little bit silly.
Trust Kishimoto to pick an honest and endearing kid as his apprentice, really.
Rolling his eyes at that thought, because endearing or not, in which they're not, not that much, both Kishimoto and Nohara are annoying. Somewhat. Whatever. He simply focuses back on his papers. "Go pick your coffee and bother me after," he simply tells her that. He has mentioned it before that eight year olds aren't supposed to drink coffee even if Kishimoto is a bad role model and drinks coffee all the time, of course, but does she listen? Not at all. Next time, if she wants to swallow something crazy like a firework or a kunai or maybe an Explosion Tag for the thrills (because kids these days are somehow a little bit crazy. Look at that green clad student, for example, running around on his hands and yelling at the top of his lungs with sunset genjutsu behind him. Even Orochimaru's generation wasn't that bad, and it had Jiraiya in it), he won't even twitch. No need to waste his energy by telling off a little girl who won't even listen.
The girl chirps an okay, and all is silent for awhile.
Orochimaru goes back to nurse his coffee. Better enjoy it before it cools down.
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"Oro-chan-san... you drink black coffee?"
"...What about it?"
"I can't handle black coffee. It's too bitter."
"You shouldn't even drink coffee in the first place, child. I may not care about whatever it is kids do these days, but surely a medic nin like you knows that anyone your age should be drinking anything but coffee. Do you even properly learn?"
"...So I can drink sake?"
"..." A twitch of his eyebrow. Manda-sama on a banana tree, this girl is insufferable. Is this how his sensei felt when he had to teach Jiraiya? Orochimaru felt a mutual understanding with Hiruzen now. He now truly understands that silent suffering and the sheer 'someone help me' his sensei always seem to have on his face during Team Sarutobi's genin days. Being with a smart ass kid is tiring. Being with a smart ass, genuinely kind kid is even more tiring.
"...if I say it's coffee with milk, will you forgive me?"
"..."
"...Coffee and milk and chocolate, then?"
"...I give up. Do whatever it is you want, Nohara."
"...So I can drink sake?" She says with a smile, clearly teasing him.
Orochimaru hisses at her.
She doesn't laugh—he can see the bags under her eyes and how they're puffy, clearly she was crying. But who is he to even care? And thus he ignores it—but still, she smiles at him, genuine and true, like many others before it, with a show of maturity, kindness and understanding a mere eight year old little girl shouldn't have.
Orochimaru ignores that smile like a professional.
He's done that for quite awhile now.
He can do it forever, if he must.
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"So you do care, Oro-chan-san."
"I will force poison down your throat if you do not cease your playing right now, Nohara."
"Sir, yes, sir."
Orochimaru sighs.
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A small peek at Orochimaru's train of thoughts, mostly for fun! Okay, I get some of you are itching for an update in EI, but it will take awhile because midteeeerms. Even I shouldn't be writing this but I want to because ideas. Can't let them walk away from my brain. I've made a whole sketch on what shall happen in EI's next chapter, RIG=VEDA's and OSOI's next chapters as well...
I hope they can satisfy you, since it will take awhile to write them... probably weeks.
Here you go! Previews!
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Sakumo takes one look at the girl, and he feels himself crack even more.
"I'm very sorry," he whispers hoarsely. He is, he's truly sorry. This is all because of him. He should be damn sorry.
Rin looks at him with so much understanding it hurts.
(Other Side of Impossibility 5: Hatake Sakumo's Shame)
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Sasuke looks at Naruto who is shouting at the top of his lungs, pointing rudely at the Uchiha.
He blinks, and he stares at the blond some more.
...He wonders why he feels a sudden need to punch that face.
(RIG VEDA 5: Stay with me (I like you))
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All is silent for awhile. Shock runs through the Hatake's veins, incomprehension in his eyes, and somewhere inside, fear lurks and guilt gnaws at him.
Obito glares.
"What did you do?"
The accusation is almost enough to make Kakashi flinch.
Almost.
(Erasing Impossibility 11: The Hanged Man)
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lmao thanks for reading, review please!
