The Cycle of Pain
Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto.
AN: See ya'll at the bottom!
Naruto felt his whole World became opened to him. As if some grand secret had just been shown to him. He had no idea what or who Orochimaru was before this. But in the brief moment that these two locked eyes he knew that the words he spoke were the truth.
Of course the reason he never learned of Orochimaru was because he was never taught about the Sannin. Having never entered the Academy and having Hiruzen take great steps to ensure that Naruto never learned of his father left him in the Dark for a vast majority of the time.
Now Shino and Hinata knew who this man was. His name would be forever embedded inside the history books for the heinous crimes he had committed. Despite their shock, both Hinata and Shino stepped in front of Naruto as if to defend him.
Orochimaru found this scene rather amusing. "Defending my son from his own Father are we? Kukuku what loyal subjects you have Naruto." Naruto physically flinched at the words. But that was to be expected as he was still in shock from this man's arrival.
"What's the matter my dear boy? The sight of your own father troubling you?" Orochimaru spoke in a child like manner, as if he was talking to a baby. He attempted to step forward towards Naruto but Shino and Hinata stepped forward to greet the man. Zero fear showed in their eyes.
But they had yet to see him in action.
Orochimaru frowned when he noticed this. "Move aside little pests and I may yet let you live." Orochimaru gave them a look that promised a quick death if they didn't listen. Shino and Hinata stayed perfectly wedged in there spots.
"It would be illogical for us to move. We do not know your intentions towards our teammate and, based upon your past history, it is most likely made with ill intentions." The bug user droned out with a monotone voice. Hinata backed her teammate with a stern physical nod.
Orochimaru began slowly clapping his hands. "My my, I am impressed. Truly I am. Most people who hear my name cower in fear. But here you are. Standing tall and what not." And that exact moment he let an unbearable amount of Killing intent flood their small campsite.
Shino, being the emotionally controlled person that he was, showed no outside fear. Though physically he began to sweat from the pressure but nothing else had changed. The inside of him, however, was something totally different. Inside he was panicking and his heart was racing. This was the most intense feeling of doom and dread he had ever felt. He was contemplating ending his own life to escape from the mental Anguish.
Hinata on the other hand was much worse. She did not have the control on her emotions like Shino did and thus her body became wracked with fear. Her knees and elbows began to shake, her stomach began forming knots, and her skin began to freeze. Warm tears strolled freely down her face and dropped off her face and onto the forest ground below.
Naruto wasn't doing any better than his team. The shock of Orochimaru declaring to be his father, and having the physical build to back it up, had spun his world harshly. He had gone through his whole life and now he decides to just drop in to his life? It began to upset Naruto the more he thought about it.
"Bravo children." The slithery voice of Orochimaru rang out. "You are able to withstand one eighth of my killing intent. But can you keep up with one eighth my strength?" He said tauntingly before rushing the children.
Shino was the first to respond by sending out a black cloud of insects in his path. Orochimaru made no effort to dodge it but instead ran face first into the cloud, shocking both Hinata and Shino. Imagine their surprise when the insects moved off the body it was nothing but mud.
They were rewarded with two savage kicks to their stomachs. One sending Shino above them into the trees. The other sending Hinata into a nearby tree trunk, blood spraying from her mouth. Orochimaru stalked forward towards Naruto. Only to be stopped by a swarm of bugs from above.
"These bugs are becoming troublesome." He muttered to himself before he sunk in to the ground and vanished. Shino waited for a second before hopping down to check on Hinata. He pulled her out of the wall just as he was on the receiving end of a vicious uppercut.
Hinata sprung into action while Orochimaru's back was turned towards her. She activated her Byakugan and poised her right palm to slam into the back of Orochimaru. Much to her shock and horror his body bent forward and an dodged her blow. She felt a tongue wrap around her neck and toss her into the trees where Shino just landed.
Orochimaru wasted no time and jumped up after them. Shino sprung from a nearby shadow and attempted a right cross to his face. Orochimaru batted his hand off to the side and plowed his fist into his stomach. Much to the tiny interest of the Snake Sannin the body of Shino busted open with bugs.
'Bug Clone. Interesting.' Orochimaru thought bemusedly to himself. Before the bugs could begin draining his Chakra he swapped with a nearby log. Shino quickly revealed himself to Hinata and brought her to her feet.
"This counter productive. Fighting a Sannin at our current level is bound to get us killed or worse. We need to create a plan. We need Naruto." Shino stated through slightly haggard breath. Hinata couldn't help but to agree.
"Physical attacks have almost no effect of him. He can bend his body in impossible ways to dodge." Hinata informed him. Shino nodded grimly. They could very well be fighting a losing battle that could cost them their lives.
"Kukuku well children this had been fun but I am afraid I did not come for you." Both Genin turned around to see Orochimaru walk out of the shadows with a twisted grin. Shino stepped forward.
"Hinata go see if you can wake Naruto." Hinata opened her mouth to be defiant but one look from Shino and she was on her way to the pale child.
"So you intend to slow me down then?" The Snake Sannin said while spreading his arms wide, inviting Shino to give it his best shot. "Well come on then." Shino drew into his kunai pocket and threw three kunai at the Sannin. He dodged the first two with ease when the third one exploded.
"I am becoming bored of your bugs." Said a voice from behind him. Shino then realized that when the kunai exploded into bugs he had lost visual with Orochimaru. "Though I am impressed you lasted this long Aburame. You do your Clan proud." Shino felt a thunderous chop to the back of his neck before his world went dark.
[With Hinata and Naruto]
Hinata had just jumped off the tree branch that held Shino and Orochimaru. She felt extremely guilty for leaving him up there alone but he was right. They needed Naruto as he was their strongest member in almost every regard.
She cringed when the thought of her teammate Naruto came into her mind. He was the son of one of the most vile men in the entire world. The things Orochimaru had down to Konoha and the world have caused catastrophic effects everywhere.
Entire lives have been ruined by one action of the Snake Sannin. Entire clans have been exploited and used and destroyed because of Orochimaru. Hinata couldn't help this little part creep into her heart. This small understanding of why the villagers hated him.
However when she got to Naruto she nearly cried. The poor child hadn't moved at all since the fight began. He simply just stared at the ground with hollow eyes and a dull stare. She couldn't help but to feel sad for him but at the same time she felt so much more distant to him since Orochimaru showed up.
"Naruto." She called out timidly. Naruto made no attempt to move in any manner. He simply kept on staring. "Naruto please." Still no movement. At that moment she heard a loud sound, like skin slapping skin. Two seconds later she heard Shino's body hit the ground.
"Well this is adorable." Hinata stiffened at the voice but took a shaky defensive form in front of Naruto. The Sannin began stalking forward towards the duo. "Silly little Hyuuga. You should know better than to defy your betters." Hinata bit her lip to the point of bleeding the closer he got.
"I w-w-will always d-defend my t-t-team." Her stuttered out. Orochimaru's grin only grew bigger with each word she spoke. He stopped directly in front of her, towering over her with glowing yellow eyes. He slapped her faster than she could see.
"I used to believe in that. That was before I realized that it only drags you down. Defending people only saps your strength." He slapped her harder, causing a bruise to form on her face. Hinata gained a small moment of courage and launched a barrage of strikes towards him.
Orochimaru simply dodged all of her attacks while laughing at her. Hinata could only respond by biting her lip and pressing her attack. It took all she had just to keep up with his moving body. Eventually though, she began to tire out. Sweat formed on her brow and her blows came in slower and slower. Orochimaru simply pushed her backwards, forcing her to land on her back from exhaustion.
"Well you did try and in some circles you would be rewarded." He raised a kunai in the air, the blade facing downwards to where the tired Hyuuga lay. "This is the only reward you deserve." And with that he brought the blade down with the intent to pierce her heart.
A loud thud was heard.
Orochimaru looked somewhat surprised to see his son standing before him, and above Hinata, holding the wrist to stop his blade. The look in his eyes alone made Orochimaru realize that his son was like him in many ways.
Naruto was seething with anger at many things at the moment. Anger at Orochimaru for never being there for him. Anger at his team for taking on such a strong enemy with such reckless abandon. Anger at Hiruzen for hiding this from him. Anger Anko for the same.
"Do not touch her." His voice was laced with a deadly poison that promised endless pain for him if he went against his son. Orochimaru gave his son a sick smile before smashing a foot into his stomach, sending him into some bushes.
The Snake Sannin looked back down to the Hyuuga. Hinata had passed out from the various hits and tiring herself out. When he pushed her she had fallen hard and knocked herself out from the floor. He poised his kunai to strike again.
Out of the bushes came several kunai aimed straight for Orochimaru. The Snake backed up and began deflecting them. Once he had backed up from Hinata Naruto burst from the bushes. "I said not to touch her! Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" He launched a rather large boulder of fire towards his father.
The ball exploded when it made contact with the Sannin. Naruto landed in front of Hinata and watched as the smoke cleared. He was horrified when Orochimaru walked out of the smoke with his face repairing itself.
"That was delicious." Naruto could feel his stomach turn when Orochimaru licked his lips with his exceptionally long tongue. "I will admit you do have some skill. But not enough." He blitzed forward with blinding speed.
It was off pure muscle memory that he was able to respond. His body kicked in and forced him to jump up and away from the oncoming fist. Orochimaru followed him and soon the two landed on a branch above the two fallen Genin.
The two locked silted eyes for a moment. Gold met Emerald in a fierce lock down of eyes. A single leaf dwindled by as the two lunged at each other again. Sadly for Naruto, he was no match for his own father in terms of speed and ended up getting smacked against the tree trunk of the branch they were on.
Naruto wouldn't take that kind of beating lying down and rushed against his father. He threw a flurry of punches and kicks to the older Sannin. Most were simply batted away or outright dodged. Some of them did get through and make their mark. Sadly, Orochimaru wasn't even close to fighting at max strength so the little punches barely caught his interest.
Orochimaru grabbed both of Naruto's fists when they came towards him. He held them with a mocking smile, "You must have been top of your class to fight like that. I am proud." his tongue licked the corners of his mouth at the end of his sentence.
"I never entered the Academy." Naruto admitted making his abilities seem that much more impressive to the Snake Sannin. Orochimaru brought his knee back and drove it into the unprotected stomach of his son, causing all air to be forced from his lungs. He sent Naruto careening back into the tree trunk with a right straight to his face, blood spurted out of his mouth upon impact.
"Then how were you put on a team my dear boy?" Naruto grunted as he stood back up, having recovered his air from losing it. He used his right arm to hold his injured stomach. His legs buckled slightly from being pushed too hard.
"I had to beat Uchiha Sasuke. The number one Rookie. And I'm not your boy just because we look alike." Naruto said through haggard breath. Orochimaru grinned.
"Oh? And what do you know of your father?" He asked in an amused tone. Naruto coughed slightly, a tinge more blood escaping from his lips.
"My father is a great ninja who did a lot of good for Konoha!" Naruto roared out before yelping in pain at his damaged ribs.
"And who told you that?"
"The Sandaime. He taught me everything I know!" He proclaimed with pride. Orochimaru was actually surprised that the old man decided to help out Naruto. Must still be trying to atone for his past sins. Still Orochimaru didn't know that he had to fight his way into the ninja system.
But for him to find out that he was trained outside of the Academy and that his training was great enough for him to overpower a well educated Genin was nothing short of extraordinary. Even more so when it was the Rookie of the year. His son was truly going to become something in a few years if trained properly.
This actually got him thinking about that. He wanted the Uchiha for his body and bloodline sure but what about Naruto? He shared his blood and his chakra so that would make him a perfect vessel for his soul and the Cursed seal. The Cursed Seal may even work better on him due to his strong link to Orochimaru already. Plus he could train him to become as strong as he could be so that he wouldn't have to waste time with that in his new, younger body.
The only drawback would be that he wouldn't get the Sharingan that Itachi had used to easily beat him. Both young boy's had wonderful benefits to them. It was merely a matter of choosing who would be the victor. And there was only real way to settle this.
Let nature decided.
Orochimaru reached in to his robes and pulled out his scroll and tossed it to Naruto's feet. Naruto picked the scroll up and his eyes widened. It was an Earth scroll. "Why are you giving me this?" Naruto asked.
The Snake Sannin smiled at his son. "Because I want to see just how impressive you truly are and this is the best way. Consider it a belated birthday gift." Naruto raised an eyebrow at Orochimaru. Could he really be switching tactics on him that quickly? Why would he help him after wiping out his whole team?
"I still don't get it." Naruto admitted, which only made Orochimaru's smile grow more sinister.
"I can imagine you have a lot of questions. I will point you in the right direction. When you wake up be sure to demand answers from Sarutobi-sensei and little Anko. The Yondaime may have a few answers for you but I doubt they will be what you want to hear. Also know this. I will always accept you for who you are. Even if these fools in Konoha won't. I know what it is like to be hated by everyone. It is not an easy feeling to deal with." Naruto nodded slowly while looking at the scroll.
Had he been tricked by the Old Man? If Hiruzen knew about Orochimaru then why wasn't he told? Surely they didn't expect him to fall down the same path right? And what of Anko? When she mentioned that she was going to give him something that ran in his family did she know who his family was? Then there was Shino and Hinata. How long have they known?
Naruto could feel himself practically bubble with rage under his skin. If his suspicions were correct then that meant he had been lied to his whole life. That all the people that were nice to him were doing it solely to keep him under their thumb. If he was correct then all of the affections he received were fake.
Orochimaru watched with a twisted grin as his son began thinking. He watched with glee as his face morphed from one of confusion to one of pure rage and betrayal. If the Snake Sannin was correct in his thinking then Naruto would eventually grow to become spiteful inside.
Suddenly another thought his Naruto's boiling mind. Orochimaru said "When you wake up." what exactly did that mean for the young child. He got his answer in the form of a bite mark on the right side of his neck. The next thing that followed was a searing pain before darkness. A small seal formed on the outside of Naruto's skin in the form of a circle with three Tomoe inside.
Orochimaru looked at his son with a brief flash of pity in his eyes. This was the first time he had met him and it ended like this. He hoped that this wouldn't affect his plans and hopefully Naruto would come to him of his own free will.
Hopefully his gift of the Curse Mark would give him the power and the will to seek out answers and receive them. But there was a secondary reason to Naruto receiving the Curse Mark. He would now have the same power boost as Sasuke and when they fought it would come down to who was truly a better fighter.
That and there was no way anyone could deny him his rightful answers now. The truth mixed with all the rage and anger Naruto had bottled up inside would make him into one deadly human being. One that would no doubt seek out Orochimaru. The only person who would ever understand him and accept him.
True to his word Orochimaru decided to help the team even further. He gathered up both Shino and Hinata and placed them with Naruto on the tree trunk. He ran through a few hand signs before casting a strong genjutsu to hide the three until they woke up. Orochimaru certainly didn't want to be there when Naruto awoke.
Looking at his son one more time he smiled. Naruto had truly put up a good fight for a Genin. Even more so when he was defending his teammate. It reminded him of Naruto's mother in some ways. He grinned to himself before leaping away from the scene.
[Several Minutes After]
Mitarashi Anko was someone who deeply enjoyed the finer things in life. The finer things being nothing more than a mountain of Dango. Which she greatly enjoyed eating while the second round of exams were going on. Hey no one said she could eat on the job.
Plus she really only had to be here for the first day. After that she was allowed to go to the tower and wait. But for right now she was forced to sit and wait in case anything super bad happened. She didn't think it would but hey, its a ninja's world.
In fact, as fate would have it, something did end up going wrong. Very, very wrong. And a Chunin was the one to make the mistake of telling her while she was eating her Dango. "Proctor Anko!" The young voice of the Chunin called out. Anko glared at the boy when he arrived.
"What is it?" She barked out, causing the young lad to jump back in freight. "It had better be good or I am going to show you why they call me the Snake mistress of Konoha." the poor boy swallowed hard.
"We found three dead bodies in the forest." He said meekly, still frightened by the lady in front of him.
"That's it? You bothered me for that?" she spoke through gritted teeth. She practically seethed anger at being interrupted in such a fashion.
"N-no. We found the bodies with...their faces peeled off." Anko shot up in a hurry after that. There was truly only a few people that could ever do that. Even still there was only one person who could infiltrate Konoha without anyone knowing.
"Are you sure about this?" Anko asked in a serious tone of voice. The Chunin couldn't have nodded fast enough. "Then go warn the Hokage about this. Orochimaru has entered the Chunin Exams." as Anko spoke she rushed off into the forest. The Chunin hopped his way back into Konoha.
As Anko darted through the forest she couldn't help but to feel a strong urge of fear in her belly. Even if she found Orochimaru could she actually beat him? Could she even put a mark on his pale skin? Would she even survive?
What about Naruto? What if he had somehow found Naruto and interacted with him? The effects could be disastrous for the young boy. He was already pretty impressionable when it came to his Parents but a meeting between the two now could corrupt him.
With that thought in mind she pushed more chakra into her legs and darted deeper into the forest with greater haste.
[Hokage Office]
"I am telling you Mino will be fine." Sarutobi attempted to reassure the Yondaime that his son would be fine in the Exams. The two had been shooting playful banter between the two of them to past time till they were called to the tower.
"I hope so. But a father has the right to worry eh?" Minato chuckled into his hand.
"Indeed. I remember when Asuma took these tests. I think I went through two bags of tobacco that day." He smiled as he remembered the memory of how Asuma came out of the exam with his Chunin jacket. It was a good day for the Sarutobi family.
"I am sure the team will do fine. The Uchiha boy isn't a slouch and the Inuzuka is rather talented for his age as well." Minato commented. Hiruzen nodded softly. It was true. Team Seven was a rather strong powerhouse at this moment.
"Still I wouldn't count out any other teams. That one from Suna looks to be quite something." The Sandaime threw in. Minato seemed to ponder that as well.
"That Suna kid with the red hair. He is like my Mino right?" He of course was referring to having a Tailed Beast sealed inside of him. Hiruzen nodded slowly.
"Yes he is. I believe he hold Shukaku." Minato nodded.
"Do you think they have met and know each others secret?" Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe and blew it out slowly.
"I don't know to be honest. If they do it could be dangerous or helpful." Minato smiled and was about to answer about how Mino's nature might help Gaara out when a Chunin came ripping into the Office.
"Lord Sandaime, Lord Yondaime, Orochimaru has infiltrated the Chunin Exams and has killed three Kusa Genin." The Chunin bowed before them while they soaked up the information.
The Yondaime became upset the moment Orochimaru was mention. He was even more upset when told that he had killed Genin in the Exam. Instantly his mind flew through memories of Kushina. This was his chance to redeem himself and kill Orochimaru.
The Sandaime was more in shock than anything else. Hearing that Orochimaru came back and meddled with the Exams. Not only that but he wondered what exactly he was there for. Could it be that he found out about Naruto and came to see him? This flipped the ex-Hokage in to panic mode.
"Thank you. Please go rest while we handle this." Hiruzen spoke in his commanding voice and took off to Training Ground 44 with haste. Minato nodded to the Chunin and told him the same thing. In a yellow flash the Yondaime and his Anbu force were gone from sight.
The Chunin smiled. He reached up a hand and pulled off his face. A sick and twisted pale smile was all that was left.
[With Anko]
She simple couldn't believe it. The gaps between their strengths were still way to far for her to close. She had tried everything from summoning snakes to using clones to exploding tags and nothing worked. She even tried Taijutsu and yet she didn't even land a hit.
Which led to her being knocked down over and over to the point where she couldn't even gain the energy to fight back. Orochimaru had bested her in everything she had tried to do. She still remained weaker than her former Sensei.
"Well, Well my little Anko. Seems you are still so pathetic. It seems I made the right choice leaving you behind." Orochimaru taunted causing Anko to fume silently at him. "But you still serve a purpose I suppose."
"Whatever it is I won't do it." The older Shinobi chuckled.
"You don't have a choice. Tell them that if they cancel these Exams I will destroy Konoha." Right as Anko was about to say something Orochimaru turned to mud and fell apart. Anko became enraged at the thought that the Orochimaru before her was a simple clone.
Anko struggled to her feet when a shadow jumped towards her and a yellow flash appeared in front of her. "Anko." Hiruzen spoke in a soft voice, helping Anko to her feet.
"Heh thanks for helping." She said weakly, having had all of the energy beaten out of her just moments before.
"Did you find him?" Minato asked with barely controlled rage. He wanted to find the bastard and rip out his spine for what he did. Much to his dismay Anko shook her head.
"I ran into a clone. He has a message for you both. If you stop the Exams. He will attack Konoha." She spoke grimly. The two men shared a look that spoke volumes on how each of them wanted to approach the task.
"I say we cancel the Exams." Minato said, earning a shocked look from both Anko and Hiruzen. "What could he possibly attack with that we couldn't handle or stop?" It was a fair point.
"Minato, Orochimaru himself could attack Konoha alone and it would take everything you had just to stop him. Knowing him he will have outside help. Something strong. We can't cancel the Exams." Hiruzen spoke, trying to defend the citizens of Konoha from Orochimaru's wrath.
"Are you saying that we give into the demands of this monster?" Minato narrowed his eyes at Sarutobi.
"Are you agreeing to taking a risk that could lead to countless others dieing?" Hiruzen countered which shut Minato's anger down. Angry as he was he could let people die for nothing. Especially when the problem could be avoided.
"I don't like it but you're right. I will have to increase the security of the village to ensure the people feel safe again. Plus it could help us in case he does try something anyway." Minato vanished again in a flash of light. He had much to do.
Hiruzen teleported himself and Anko to a nearby medic tent that was set up for the exams anyway. By that time Anko had passed out from her wounds and was taken in right away. The Sandaime turned to face the forest with a frown.
He had an extremely bad feeling about what had happened in there. Something in his gut told him that things would be very different from now on and maybe having Naruto enter the exams was not such a good idea.
[The Next Day]
Naruto couldn't help but to feel a blinding pain in his neck from where is Father had bitten him. The thought alone made him shiver ever so slightly. But then again meeting his Father hadn't been as horrid as it could have been. Now he had people to question.
The next feeling that hit him was an overwhelming feeling of power coursing through his veins. He felt as though he had gained years worth of training and additional strength over night. It was they type of feeling that made him feel like he needed to crush everything in his path.
He also noticed that this new power up seemed to be draining his chakra at a steady amount. So the power did have a trade off. For the more chakra one pushed into it, the stronger they became. Another thing he noticed was the fact that he had black flame like markings all across his skin in a weird pattern.
Naruto opened his eyes and stood up. All the pain and soreness from yesterday was still there but at the moment the pain was so blunted he could barely feel any of it. He looked around the forest to find Shino and Hinata gathered around a small fire.
He made a move to go towards them when a few things stopped him. The first was that a purple flame like chakra swirled around him ominously. If he had to guess then he would say that the new chakra came from the new seal on him.
The second thing that stopped him was his thoughts. What if they knew about his Father? Would they see him differently? Would they judge him based upon the sins of his father being forced on him? Would they turn their backs on him?
He decided that he would play it cautiously. He used his willpower to force the seal back and regain control of his mind. Once the flame markings were gone he stepped forward. The air and light around him shimmered for a brief second before stopping. As if some Genjutsu had just be stopped.
He shook his head and dropped down to greet his team. "Hey guys." He called out quietly. Shino and Hinata perked up and looked over to him.
"Naruto you're alive!" Hinata rushed over to hug him. Being very new to physical contact and emotions he was rather confused as to what to do. Sighing to himself he gingerly returned the hug. Hinata nuzzled in to his chest.
"Of course I'm alive silly. What did you think was going to happen?" Hinata looked up from her hug and frowned. Shino chose this moment to step forward and speak.
"Throughout the night you suffered from a high fever and was most distressed while you slept. I also noted you had a high pulse and were shaking uncontrollably. I believe that the seal on your neck would be the cause of this." Naruto nodded, he knew it was true. No point in denying it.
"I think your right." Naruto admitted. Hinata released him and looked into his eyes.
"I saw what it did to you. A nasty purple chakra made its way through your chakra network. It mingled and bonded to your chakra." Naruto scratched his head. He knew it must have affected him but he didn't know that it did that.
"I just won't use it then." Naruto said with some conviction. He didn't really fear the seal because it hadn't really been a problem so far. It had only made him tired and it drained his chakra. Much like a jutsu would.
What about your Father?
A voice from the back of his mind spoke the thought. Naruto blinked when he heard the voice. Where had that come from? And why did it sound so sinister yet it sounded so...correct?
"Hey question. Did you guys know about Orochimaru being my...father?" Naruto asked the other two. Both of them became stiff and scared. This infuriated Naruto slightly but he had to bite back his rage as the seal started burn and itch for use.
"I had an inkling yes. I learned of him in the Academy. I did not connect the dots till you two were side by side. I heard through my family of his crimes and his betrayal of Konoha despite being one of the Sannin." Shino concluded with a nod. Naruto however was a different matter.
"And yet you didn't think to mention this to me?" He asked clenching his fists.
"I was asked not to." Shino admitted.
"By who?" Naruto relaxed a little. Maybe the old man wanted to tell him himself.
"Kurenai-sensei." This caused Naruto to flare his nostrils. Why would his Sensei keep something like this from him? The shadows that the forest cast over the group made Naruto's eyes seem as though they were glowing with anger.
"And what of you Hinata?" Naruto turned his glowing eyes over to the young Hyuuga. Hinata very small under his harsh gaze. She could only tell the truth and hoped he would calm down.
"I-I knew but was asked not to bring it up. By my Father and Kurenai-sensei." Naruto took a step away from the group, a frown forming on his face. His teammates willing withheld information from him. The same teammates he trusted with his life. The same ones he had come to respect and care for.
"I...see." Was all Naruto said.
"Naruto, attempt to understand that we were ordered not to tell you." Shino removed his glasses and looked at his teammate. "Know this, I do not see you any differently. You have earned my trust and respect. This only makes me respect you more." Naruto scoffed and turned his back.
"I agree with Shino, Naruto. I will never look down on you. I'll admit you scared me after I found out. But then I realized you were still the same Naruto to me." Hinata added with a small smile.
Naruto couldn't help but to let a small smile grace his lips. He really did have such understanding friends and teammates. He sighed to himself before turning around. "I'm sorry if I seem on edge. This whole this has gotten to me."
"It would get to anyone. For now we have the scrolls. Let's go to the tower." Shino suggested. Naruto and Hinata nodded to their teammate before hopping away. Hinata looked to Naruto and mentally smacked herself for thinking ill of him. A dash of red hit her cheeks. Naruto was becoming a fine young warrior and quite the role model to her.
A young pair of teal eyes watched the group leave. Gaara had felt Naruto's chakra spike just a few minutes ago and came to inspect. When he arrived it seemed he was having a harsh engagement with his team. Once again his Mother had demanded that they let him leave.
"But why Mother? Why must his blood be spared?" Gaara asked his inner demon. He was curious as to why exactly Naruto was supposed to live.
"He has a rage deep inside of him. His blood would be best spilled in front of an Audience. Your existence would be best proved by this." Shukaku commented. Gaara frowned deeply.
"But earlier you said he is special. What do you mean by that?" Gaara inquired curiously. Shukaku has never wanted to spare anyone before so what made him want to hold off on killing him. One might say that it drew in the redhead's interest.
"He has a touch of destiny upon him. A strength hidden beneath the surface. " Was all Shukaku said before cutting the mental link to his host. Gaara held his frown and narrowed his eyes. Why wasn't Shukaku being straight with him? What did that statement mean?
"Naruto. I look forward to our next meeting. Mother and I shall bathe in your blood. And I shall finally have proved my existence" Gaara turned and jumped away from the scene. Behind him a shuddering Temari and Kankuro stood for a moment before following their brother.
[Somewhere outside of Konohagakure no Sato]
"Yes Kabuto I have met my child." Orochimaru said with a smirk. Truly meeting his son had been an eye opener for him in many regards. Most importantly it gave him options.
"How did it go with him?" Kabuto asked, slowly rising to his feet. A small smirk on his face.
"He has forced me to change my plans. I gave him a Curse Seal of Heaven." Kabuto's eyes widened. Why would he do that? What purpose did it serve?
"But Lord Orochimaru I thought you only gave that to those that were to become your future host?" Orochimaru chuckled slightly.
"Right you are Kabuto. However, he is my son. We already share DNA and Chakra. If he were to seek me out and beat the Uchiha in the process then I would have a much easier time switching bodies. Not to mention the body would last longer than three years. There is the chance that his body would be similar to my original body. I could even enter Sage Mode again with that body." Orochimaru took a breath before continuing.
"As with the Uchiha there are a few risks. First there is the chance that after training him he will betray me. There is also the chance that his body won't be trained enough by the proper time. However the rewards are great. The biggest one being the Sharingan. With that my goals and eternal life would be much simpler. Then I will unlock the same Sharingan that Itachi has. Then the world will be mine to command." He said with a twisted grin.
"Of course Lord Orochimaru. Shall send the runners to Suna?" Kabuto asked calmly. Orochimaru shook his head.
"No. I will go there myself. I have something to deal with there." Kabuto nodded before turning and leaving. This year was turning out to be something special already. He sighed to himself. Once more he was stuck in the servant position. One day though. One day he would be the King and not the peasant.
AN: Well here it is! I hope that you all enjoyed it. I know I had a blast writing it. I love writing new chapters for you guys. So much fun to see how you all respond to the numerous twists and turns I throw in to the story.
Speaking of which, how about that family reunion? Bet you didn't expect it to go quite that way huh? How will Naruto react when he learns the truth from the Old Man? How will this effect Naruto and his team?
Guess you'll just have to wait till Chapter 9 then. Please let me know what you think. Please review as it makes me happy and keeps me going. Seriously, reviews spur me on to post chapters faster.
See you all next chapter. I hope you all have Happy Holidays!
