The demon carrier turned away and ran a hand through his spiked locks. The pressure surrounding his situation was becoming tough to bear. Naruto had never accepted a mission like this, with so much on the line. The battle against Zabuza and Haku had been an impromptu thing, with no time to turn it over in his mind. And then there had been no lives at risk other than his own and his enemy's. Now he had two teammates, comrades who he might acknowledge as being 'precious people,' as much as he hated the cliché, to protect. And he had both a psychotic demon container to kill and perhaps the single most dangerous criminal in all the Five Shinobi Countries pursuing him, at least according to what Sarutobi had prophesized. This was what it meant to be shinobi, something that the blonde hadn't understood on its whole essence until now, as much as he liked to espouse the principles. No wonder he had almost gone neurotic on Gai's apprentice moments ago.
"Ask Anko-sensei or the Sandaime. I've been ordered not to tell, but I think you have the right to know. Please don't ask me to go against Hokage-sama's orders more than I have here. I'll promise you this much though…nothing bad will happen to Kiba and Ino during the exams. I'll watch over them both with everything I have, so no worries."
Naruto departed with that comment. He didn't want to think about what might happen much longer. Making his promise to Kurenai made things seem a bit clearer at least. His two teammates would make it through the exams alive and in good health. The blonde hadn't been able to help their growth like he had hoped, but he could do this. He would blaze their path to advancement and secure his own position as the Hokage's most trusted. Naruto took a breath and then walked into the waiting room to stand with his squad.
Nine-Tailed Serpent, Chapter Ten: Duty and Obligation – Orochimaru Strikes
Disclaimer: Naruto ain't mine, not making any money here, you know the deal.
"Those still remaining here, congratulations on passing the First Exam!"
Naruto looked up as Morino Ibiki announced the written examination's end. The blonde hadn't been apprised in advance about the surprise tenth question, but the premise was almost laughable. Get it wrong and you can never take the Chuunin Exams again indeed. As though the man or Konoha in general had the power to dictate that another village's Genin could never be advanced in rank or prestige. Anybody with basic common sense would see through the whole scenario at once. So it was no real surprise when several candidates, including several among the Rookie Nine, were taken in. Naruto had been made to send his 'quit and I'll disembowel you with a rusty kunai' look towards a trembling Ino. That sinister Kusa kunoichi, who had slid right into the seat next to the demon carrier's at the exam's onset, had merely rolled her eyes and sneered at the ANBU interrogator's little trick and lecture on taking risks.
The actual test had proceeded like clockwork, at least with Team Kurenai. Naruto knew all the answers in advance, and Kiba used Akamaru to cheat and get the demon carrier's answers. Ino then possessed the Inuzuka and got the answers as well. Other takers managed to use various tricks to get the intel as well. Sasuke and the two Hyuuga employed their respective doujutsu, Tenten used chakra strings to manipulate a mirror in her pack, and Gaara seemed to create a roving third eye using the sand in his gourd.
Those without actual spying techniques had a somewhat tougher time, though the suspicious Grass-nin sitting next to Naruto seemed to be able to solve all the questions on her own and did so with a bored expression. Shikamaru and Sakura were also able to pass the test without cheating. The blonde was allowed to observe all this without being penalized, as he wasn't an actual candidate, though he still managed to be discreet enough to avoid attracting much attention. He did catch the Kusa kunoichi looking at him through lidded eyes with a knowing smile at various times when Ibiki and the other proctors weren't watching, which broadened whenever he scowled back at her.
Naruto more or less ignored the scarred proctor's impassioned speech, disagreeing with the notion that a shinobi should accept all missions no matter what. His near death encounter with Momochi Zabuza in Sakai had taught him that there were sometimes situations in which the certain risks vastly outweighed the potential rewards. There was no glory or honor in a pointless death. The blonde's short reverie came crashing down along with the examination room's window and what seemed to be a leather sphere came bounding through the resulting opening into the room. Two kunai shot upwards and lodged deep into the ceiling, spreading a banner behind the emerging Anko.
"Don't celebrate yet, boys and girls! I'm the Second Exam's proctor, Mitarashi Anko!"
The blonde grimaced at his sensei's overzealous entrance while the Kusa Genin next to him leaned over and whispered into his ear. The tall girl's presence was beginning to unnerve him somewhat, and his senses kept warning him that she was dangerous.
"Well now, she seems to be quite an energetic one. This village boasts eccentric shinobi."
Naruto glanced back at the strange kunoichi, wishing that she would leave him alone.
"Those who live inside paper houses shouldn't be tossing shuriken."
The not-so-veiled insult did nothing to push her away. She only chuckled in response.
"Kukuku…quite the able riposte. I do so adore people who have a quick wit."
Anko's loud bickering with Morino Ibiki provided a most welcome distraction.
"Seventy-eight Genin…you made this exam too damn simple! There's still twenty-six teams remaining! You must be losing your touch, Ibiki. All the peace and quiet around here has dulled your edge."
The sadistic torturer adopted a sheepish expression that didn't at all suit him. Naruto understood, Mitarashi Anko was perhaps the one person in Konoha who had more screws loose than the ANBU interrogation specialist. Though given time, Uchiha Sasuke might surpass them both in that regard.
"There are several exceptional candidates this time, Anko-san. That's all."
The woman turned her back to Ibiki and gave a dismissive little wave over her shoulder.
"Yeah, whatever. I'll pare these vermin down to size in the next test, you can bank on it."
Anko turned to the assembled Genin and scowled, noticing that most were staring at her with disbelieving expressions. Naruto's own cold azure gaze held repressed amusement and the Grass-nin beside him wore that same knowing grin. The serpentine kunoichi spoke in a loud shout.
"Stop gaping like retards and come along with me, you worthless shitstains!"
The purple-haired woman leapt down through the hole she had created with her entrance. Various candidates began trailing behind her, leaping down the building onto the streets below. Yamanaka went with some girls she had socialized with during her Genin Academy days. Naruto wasn't bothered that his kunoichi teammate wanted to catch up with her buddies. The survival exam could be lethal, and thus it might be the last time she'd ever see them. The spiky blonde leaned against his desk and waited until the Kusa Genin departed with her own teammates, not wanting to be in her company any longer.
"So that's your mysterious teacher. No wonder you're such an asshole, having to deal with that shit all the time. But she's hot as all Hell, I gotta admit. Too bad she's got such a poisonous attitude. Must be nice though, gettin' to hang around with both her and Kurenai-sensei. You have all the damned luck, Uzumaki."
Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his spiked hair as he and Kiba departed several paces behind Team Asuma and Team Kakashi. Close behind them was a bespectacled Konoha Genin named Kabuto, who had gotten into it with the sole Otogakure squad in attendance back in the waiting room and taken a harsh beating. The older boy claimed to have intel on everybody in the exams stored on chakra cards, but had little to report on Naruto when Uchiha had demanded in his usual arrogance. Everything in the blonde's dossier seemed to be restricted, or perhaps Kabuto had some reason not to share what he knew. Naruto had considered requesting intel on Sabaku no Gaara, but decided that asking with all the 'Rookie Nine' about would create questions, in addition to doubting that some Genin would know anything that wasn't also contained in the Hokage's data.
"Close your yap already, Kiba. There's nothing going on at all with either."
Kiba reached behind his head and scratched his neck as Akamaru padded along at his side.
"That tall Grass chick seems kinda sweet on you too. She's almost like, stalking you."
"…Something's not right about her. Everything about me screams that she's a threat."
The Inuzuka, rather than mocking his taller teammate as the blonde expected, gave a serious nod.
"She's not a she, unless my nose is wrong. And my nose is never wrong, believe me."
Naruto stared at the other Genin a moment, awaiting a more detailed explanation. Kiba waited until the other candidates were a good enough distance away. The animal trainer scowled at Kabuto when the bespectacled Genin seemed to be hanging around, and the young man was quick to take a hike. The Inuzuka then spoke in a low voice.
"…Everybody has their own unique scent, but some basic smells are common to each respective gender. Pheromones, to give an example. Like, a man disguised as a woman under a Henge would never be able to trick me, or Akamaru either. But this Grass guy isn't that simple. He smells like a chick on the outside, but underneath it's all male. It's like he's some sicko wearing a real woman's skin to hide his actual appearance, like a costume or something. Akamaru said he smelled the same thing too when I had him check. This guy legit creeps me out, whoever he is…"
Whoever, indeed. Any person willing to go to such lengths was either a clinical psychopath or desperate beyond measure not to be exposed, and more than likely both. The unwelcome answer struck Naruto like a speeding Akimichi Meat Tank. An undercover male who had an unexplained interest in the blonde demon vessel, it had to be him. Orochimaru. The Snake Sannin, whose true skin lay underneath that which he wore.
"Doesn't matter. He gets in our way during the exams and we'll crush him, that's all."
The blonde would let Kiba believe that, but he wouldn't be battling the man at all unless there was no other choice. He had no interest whatsoever in crossing kunai with a shinobi whose skills were on par with a Kage's. Even the Kyuubi seemed to agree that such an adversary was not to be sought. He had his own important mission to complete besides. Sandaime and Anko might have been training him to stand against Orochimaru, but Naruto was more than content to avoid him. As though such a thing were possible, he mused with some resignation. The man had come in person and another meeting seemed inevitable. He would at least have to alert Anko.
"Yeah, you're right. We'd never lose to some gender-bending weirdo."
Typical Kiba, brash and thoughtless as always. Naruto had long since gotten used to the other boy's chauvinistic nature, having known him since childhood. How he ever came about it while being raised with such a strong mother and sister as his was a mystery, but at least the mutt was smart enough to keep that drivel in line around Kurenai-san and Yamanaka. The pair arrived at ground sixty-six in due time, being among the last people to get there. Two other squads landed in behind them, a Kiri team and an Ame team. Anko took a head count and began to explain the survival exam's rules once all other remaining candidates had arrived. The blonde ignored her, having learned all the details while being instructed on his mission.
Meanwhile he wrote down a short missive with his conclusion on the paper notepad that he carried on his person while on missions and handed the slip to his sensei while Kiba went over to stand in line and get Team Eight's scroll. Naruto's own two extras had been given to him a week ago and were stored inside his trench coat pocket, which was stored inside its own scroll at his waist. Anko stared at the supposed disguised Orochimaru with absolute loathing, but then nodded back at her student. Hers was a cold hatred and not heated rage. Naruto knew the expression due to his own encounters with the villagers.
"I'll report this to Hokage-sama as soon as I can. Avoid him at all costs in the meantime. We can't provoke him out here with all these other Genin around, so we'll have to let him continue on. Let the ANBU deal with Orochimaru and concentrate on your own mission. Now go over there and wait with your team. The exam's gonna be starting in a minute."
She was right in that Orochimaru couldn't be engaged there and then due to political considerations. The demon container didn't bother arguing with the woman that he was now ANBU as well, having no intent to engage the Snake Sannin regardless. Naruto hoped that Anko wasn't planning on doing something rash like pursuing Orochimaru alone, but there wasn't much that he could do to stop her. The purple-haired kunoichi's grudge against her sensei was too old and ran too deep. She was the survival exam's lead proctor and so Naruto was under her command until the test was over and had to do as she said.
"Hai, and I'll see you at the tower as soon as I'm through."
Naruto stalked away towards where his team awaited, convinced that his underlying request that she not attempt something stupid on her own had been conveyed. The pineapple-headed woman returned his concern in her own eccentric manner.
"Don't get killed, gaki. Or else I'll drag you back outta the nether realms by the sack."
The blonde had little doubt that she could and would make good on her threat as he made his way over to where Kiba and Ino were waiting beside an entrance gate. Both were looking between Naruto and the older woman with varying expressions, the kunoichi seeming a bit annoyed and the mutt smug. Both soon wilted underneath their leader's indignant scowl, though only one received verbal admonishment.
"Stop leering at me like that, mutt. I was asking her a question, not asking her on a date."
Yamanaka endeavored to change the topic, taking a long look past the chain link gate and into the ominous wood beyond. Her normally loud and energetic voice was subdued and wavering as she pulled on the bandages wrapped below her thighs with a nervous look. Naruto thought that reality had caught up with her and she had come to realize how serious and dangerous these trials could be. Kiba didn't seem to be bothered, though.
"My dad's told me stories about this place. He said it's like a living Hell inside there."
The girl glanced at her male teammates and winced as she caught Naruto's eye as though she had committed some terrible act when mentioning her parents to the 'poor orphan.' The blonde demon carrier glowered, but not due to being reminded that he had no parents. He hated being pitied, and didn't much care that he had grown up all alone. Ridiculous to miss what you've never had, he had long since concluded. Besides, he had a constant companion who watched over him better than his 'parents' ever could have.
"Well, I wouldn't be too worried. It's not like they're trying to kill us or anything."
"Yeah, that's so reassuring. I swear, you boys can be so tactless sometimes."
Inuzuka Kiba, motivational speaker extraordinaire. Naruto wasted no time with a response as the various gates leading into the dense woods came swinging open in unison. Time to go to work. The demon vessel glanced about at the other assorted teams, noting with some irritation that the Suna siblings had chosen a gate well into the distance. Tracking them would prove to be a chore, and he might well not be able to catch them at all unless the Sand trio stopped to rest somewhere along the line. Orochimaru and his two 'teammates' were situated at the gate next to Team Kakashi's, and the disguised Snake Sannin seemed to be giving Sasuke an appraising look.
"You're not going to die, Yamanaka. Nothing will happen as long as I'm with you."
Naruto was sure the girl was blushing, but chose not to look and see. He rather despised playing at being some hero or boasting in general, but at this point he'd do whatever it took to get this ship sailing. Gaara and company had already entered the woods and time was wasting. The blonde sprinted through the open gate without hesitation, motioning his teammates to come along behind him with an outstretched hand. And so it was that one ANBU, two Genin and a little white dog stepped into the hellish place.
The overcast skies did little to brighten the space beneath the dense trees Mitarashi Anko moved through the branches. She had spent over a decade in training, honing her skills and awaiting this moment. Now at long last she would settle scores with her old master, the man who had abused her trust and marked her with that damnable slave seal and had conducted cruel and twisted experiments on other Konoha shinobi as well, kidnapping people to use as his guinea pigs. She could still remember the evening when she had gone to visit her sensei in his private research lab and seen the terrible crimes that Orochimaru had committed under her and the entire village's nose. She was like Naruto in that she had never had parents. At least his had died during the Kyuubi incident…hers had abandoned her. Still maybe he had it rougher, having to live with the monster responsible sealed inside him. The snake bastard had a certain sixth sense when it came to rooting out desperate people who had nothing else and seducing them over to his cause, making them loyal to him and willing to live and die at his whim. She would never let him have Naruto.
'Orochimaru…as your student, I'll be the one to pass sentence on you. This ends today,
no matter what it takes.'
Anko knew that what she was doing was tantamount to suicide. She had nowhere near the power or skill, or experience she'd need to stand against her sensei on equal terms. She was no match against Orochimaru, but the kunoichi still had one last trump card that she could use. She would die, but he would be going to Hell right along with her. And that bastard had been the one to arm her with the weapon she'd use to do it. Orochimaru's most lethal kinjutsu, the Soujasousai no Jutsu would bring its creator to his end. Anko had been prepared to do this ever since learning that the Snake Sannin was returning to Konoha. She had even deceived the Hokage, asking to be reassigned to ANBU with Naruto once the Chuunin Exams were over in order to keep the old man as oblivious as possible. Sandaime-sama would never have allowed her to remain in her assigned role here otherwise. Truth was that she hadn't ever planned on surviving this encounter with Orochimaru. That was also the reasoning behind her avoiding Naruto like some disease outside their training, never letting him become too attached to her, and vice versa to an extent. Her death wouldn't hit him quite as hard like this, and she'd be able to see her last mission through with less regret. That kid had been through enough, no need to make his lot harder.
'Sorry, kiddo. From now on you'll have to get along without me.'
At least the brat would be in good hands, better than hers. Kurenai would be able to see to him better than Anko could ever hope to. She knew that Sandaime had hoped that she and Naruto could somehow 'save' one another, but it wasn't possible in the end. The one single close relationship she'd ever had had been to Orochimaru, and that alone was enough to make her swear never to trust people ever again. Two blind people together still couldn't see. Naruto now had other people to support him, and he was more than strong enough standing alone. He had learned more or less everything Anko could teach him in six short months, and within another year or two he would have surpassed her on the whole. The blonde shinobi no longer needed her, and she wondered whether he ever had at all. This was all she could do to help him, eliminate Orochimaru so that the evil bastard would never twist another poor orphan or downtrodden child to his will.
'Getting closer now. I can practically smell that snake. Come on, Anko. You can do this.'
Anko landed on a high branch and peered down to observe the scene that greeted her. Kakashi's Genin squad was immobilized on the ground and that tall Kusa kunoichi that Naruto had implicated stood over them. She could sense the power behind the killing intent at her position, the level outclassing even hers with ease. The Uchiha kid and that little pink-haired brat were both shivering in terror, not that Anko much blamed them considering the monster the two were stuck against. No Genin could be expected to stand against Orochimaru, and Anko was convinced that this was indeed the bastard in disguise. Their Aburame teammate was motionless and seemed able to master the outward symptoms to a degree, but he was every bit as incapacitated underneath the devastating power as the other two Genin.
"Can't even move an inch…you disappoint me, Sasuke-kun. I suppose I'll kill you now."
Orochimaru advanced on the prone Uchiha Sasuke with a drawn kunai in hand, intent upon slitting the Sharingan wielder's throat. Anko didn't much care about the brat, and to be honest somewhat disliked him based on his visible attitude and what little the stoic Naruto had told her about him, but that didn't matter. Sasuke was still the last Uchiha and his bloodline was something valuable to the village. She did also sympathize with him somewhat, though she would never let Naruto know as much. She had long walked the avenger's lonesome path and understood Sasuke's pain to an extent. And he had an entire dead clan to consider, and his own elder brother as his target. But this wasn't the time to worry about shit like that. Anko steeled her nerves and leapt down, drawing her own kunai and tossing it at her disguised sensei's skull with pinpoint precision. The Kusa kunoichi's hand snaked out behind her and caught the incoming missile without as much as a backward look.
"…So now the proctors are meddling in the exams. Most reprehensible, Mitarashi-san."
The snake wore a mocking smile as 'he' dangled Anko's intercepted kunai. Anko concentrated some chakra and released it in a pulse in order to revive the paralyzed Team Kakashi. Orochimaru seemed to notice her actions but made no attempt to stop her, not even batting an eyelash towards the downed Genin, save one short disgusted glance at the shaking and wide-eyed Uchiha. The little green-eyed kunoichi stood upright and supported her raven-haired teammate while the Aburame rose on his own.
"Cut this bullshit act and drop the disguise, bastard. We know who you are, Orochimaru."
The pink-haired girl gasped aloud at the name, showing that she'd at least paid attention during her historical lessons in the Genin Academy. Anko couldn't boast the same about her own student, who knew little about theoretical matters outside battle techniques and the bingo book, as well as Naruto's own perverse nindou. The Grass-nin's serpentine sneer showed Anko everything she needed to know. She'd recognize that damnable expression anywhere.
"And thus the truth has been revealed. Kukuku…well done, Anko-chan. Most stellar investigative work, I must commend you. But now you've come out here to kill me all alone with no help. I know I've taught you much better than to act with such ridiculous bravado, dear beloved apprentice. And now you shall have to accept your punishment."
Even as Orochimaru spoke, 'he' gave Anko's kunai a haphazard toss into a tree trunk and raised a hand to 'his' neck and grabbed the living mask, peeling it loose to reveal bleached white skin and deep yellow eyes with slit pupils underneath. This same twisted visage had haunted Mitarashi Anko's nightmares on countless occasions during the previous decade and even longer. His hitai-ate bore an engraved musical note, the Hidden Sound's symbol.
"Then bring it on and do your worst, snake! I've waited a long time to settle this!"
The near boredom showing in the snake bastard's piss yellow eyes began driving Anko into a blind rage, as though Orochimaru regarded her and the vengeance that had so long consumed her very existence as being beneath his concern on even the most basic level. Every last minute detail about the Snake Sannin's manner seemed to be mocking and belittling her, and it was almost more than her psyche could tolerate.
"My, my…poor misguided Anko-chan. My worst would have this all over within mere seconds. With all this time you've spent preparing to…settle this…that would be much too anticlimactic. There is a certain theatrical aspect to battle, my dear pupil, and the proper aesthetics must always be observed."
Anko let out a snarl and attacked, brown eyes blazing with anger. The worst part was that he was right. He could obliterate her in seconds, had he the desire. She couldn't even begin to rationalize what was going through her mind at the moment. Anko despised Orochimaru to her very core, but yet somehow the kunoichi wanted her depraved sensei's approval and acknowledgement even now. She would make him respect her skills.
"Seneijashu!"
Orochimaru grinned and moved to the side, allowing her Snake Hand to glide past him and onto a collision course with the recovering Team Seven. Anko cursed and pulled her three shadow snakes back, sending them snapping backwards through the air hissing. Kakashi's Genin all managed to evade, but their presence had become irritating. Distractions like them were the last thing she needed in this position. She was being distracted enough with her damned cursed seal, which had been throbbing ever since she had entered the bastard's diabolical presence.
"Take a damned hike, brats. That's a direct order. Go and leave this battle to me."
Pinky gave a hesitant nod and she and the Aburame vanished into the trees. The Uchiha glared back with an indignant expression, as though he were less than pleased with being given an order, but then disappeared as well. Too bad that securing their well-being placed hers in greater danger. Orochimaru rushed at Anko with that same wide sneer. She blocked the initial two punches but the third caught her below the eye, staggering the kunoichi. Anko retracted her shadow snakes, as the bastard was now too close to make the coiling serpents anything more than a hindrance. She then attempted to sweep Orochimaru's legs out but he leapt over it with practiced ease and dropped a vicious heel kick into her lungs, expelling the air and sending her to her rear in breathless and in pain. Anko hacked blood as the Snake Sannin eyed her with barbaric amusement, leaning down and caressing a gentle hand through her hair in what some might have thought to be a loving manner, but that she knew and viewed as a complete violation.
"You've grown into quite an attractive woman, Anko-chan, as I knew that you would when I took you on as my apprentice when you were but a young girl. Such a terrible shame it is that you didn't possess the will and ambition to serve me in the end. I'm sure that I would have delighted in choosing you as a potential host and moving into that gorgeous skin."
Orochimaru's sensual purr as he complimented Anko's matured appearance made her shudder. The pineapple-haired kunoichi leaned against a tree to support her as she tried to stand. She used the kunai that the snake had tossed into the trunk minutes prior as a brace, gripping the handle as she pulled her aching and winded person upright onto wobbly legs. The throbbing pain in her cursed seal was starting to become more intense and less bearable. Anko's head and ears were pounding in anguish and her vision was blurred.
"I'm surprised you noticed. I'm about a decade or so older than your usual conquests."
Anko spat onto the bastard's immaculate silken robes as she spoke. Orochimaru's slitted eyes narrowed as he took in the bloodstained mucus marring his clothing but the sneer never once departed his pale visage. The Snake Sannin leaned over her and whispered into her ear, his breath warm against her skin. Even that little contact made her grunt in pain due to what Orochimaru's juin was doing to her.
"By the way…I hear you've taken the Kyuubi container on as a student, Anko-chan."
The kunoichi's blood ran cold at that simple remark. Orochimaru knew about Naruto. His tongue extended out and ran across her lips and chin, lapping up the blood that had seeped out when she had spat onto him moments ago. She wrenched her head to escape the man's disgusting ministrations, but he was still much too close.
"I won't let you anywhere near him, you sick monster! You won't EVER touch him!"
Mitarashi Anko drew a kunai and whirled about to swipe at the Snake Sannin's throat, trapping his arm with hers so that he would have no room to dodge. She attacked without hesitation but Orochimaru's neck somehow contorted and he evaded the slash. The serpentine shinobi scowled in irritation, and Anko's entire world erupted in pain as the sharp kunai held in the S-class Missing-nin's right hand plunged into her side, the tempered steel blade slicking through her skin and muscle tissue to the handle with a sickening squelch. She looked down with lidded eyes. The outward bleeding was minimal and he didn't seem to have ruptured her vital spots, but she was paralyzed and would resist no more. Anko choked out a scream when Orochimaru gave the kunai a cruel twist. She could even hear the blade scraping along her ribcage.
"But Naruto-kun is the entire reason I've come here. I will bestow onto him the same present that you spurned years ago. And then he will come to serve me, drawn to the power like a moth to the torch. I will give the child the respect and admiration that this repugnant village never would. Konoha's garbage will become Oto's greatest treasure."
Anko stared down at the moss-covered ground with a listless expression as her traitorous sensei continued speaking. She was too hurt to even speak at this point, cursing her condition and being unable to execute the Soujasousai no Jutsu. She was going to bleed to death here in disgrace, without a living soul, as she was convinced that Orochimaru had none, watching. Anko snorted in disgust at Konoha, the village that could ostracize a small child such as Naruto as a demon and a loyal kunoichi like her as insane and yet award the title Densetsu no Sannin to a sadistic animal like Orochimaru.
"…He and Sasuke-kun were both to be marked as my chosen, but the Uchiha has proven to be weaker than I'd anticipated. He is not even as strong as you were at a younger age. Such an average child could never hope to survive the juin sealing process, and a Sharingan corpse is no use to me. I shall not train the brat, but his eyes and his body will serve my ambitions regardless."
Anko summoned her last remaining strength to take a parting shot at the bastard.
"Don't underestimate my student or else you'll regret it, snake. Naruto won't succumb to your twisted manipulations and become your willing little pawn. He's loyal to the Sandaime Hokage and to this village. He'll never serve you."
Orochimaru gave Anko a pitying look, though still a mocking one. Even she didn't believe her own words, and the snake seemed to be able to see it too. All that kept one Uzumaki Naruto tied to Konoha was his unwavering and borderline reverent loyalty towards the Hokage, and the Sandaime was now getting on in years. Once the old man was gone, Anko could see the blonde electing to leave the village behind and going to seek his place in the world elsewhere. Find a home where he'd be happier, and where he was accepted and wanted. She'd have hauled the brat back kicking and screaming, but that might not be possible now that she was knocking on Shinigami's doorstep.
'Old man…Hokage-sama…bring this abomination to justice. For all our sakes.'
"Never a mere pawn, Anko-gaki. Naruto-kun represents so much more than that, the strongest piece on the board and the ultimate prize. I've been observing him, dear wayward student. Naruto-kun has the ambition that you lacked, and this village that scorns his very existence will never allow him to realize those ambitions. The desire to achieve true power courses through him and I alone can make his dreams come true. With my tutelage he will blossom into the greatest shinobi in his generation, and will become the weapon to bring all those who would oppose me to heel…"
Orochimaru stepped away and glanced into the trees, that diabolical sneer returning to his ghoulish visage. What he saw in the branches, Anko couldn't view. She hadn't even the vigor needed to move her head now. All she knew was pain. The steel kunai imbedded in her ribs was obscured due to her trench coat and her cursed seal still pulsed in her neck.
"…You're right on time, Naruto-kun. Kukukukuku…."
Anko hadn't even time to warn her pupil at his apparent arrival, as her neck seemed to implode and she saw no more.
The sun was beginning to recede in the skies as Naruto led his team through the ominous woods, not quite setting yes but still retreating enough to encase the deep undergrowth into near darkness. Several hours has passed since the exam's start and the blonde still hadn't managed to locate the Suna team. Thinking back, he decided that perhaps he should have taken the initiative to choose his team's entrance gate rather than reporting to Anko, selecting a location nearer to Gaara and his siblings. Not that he was all too keen on hunting down his designated targets at the moment, worried as he was about his sensei.
He had sensed her moving through the woods at a breakneck pace, and it was more than a little obvious what she had been rushing towards. She caught up with Orochimaru, or at least so the blonde thought, but her chakra had been going ballistic ever since.
"Ignore the woman, gaki. She's dug her grave and now she'll have to lie in it."
"She's important to me. I can't leave her out to die like this. Try to understand."
The demon snarled back inside Naruto's mind, a storm that had long been building at last released onto the container.
"Silence, brat! You're neglecting everything I've taught you! You're getting soft, these so-called 'friends' are making you WEAK! Don't even try to deny it! You're becoming content in this wretched village! Don't forget that I will burn it to cinders once I'm free and you're obligated to help!"
"I do hate Konoha…just that I think there may be some people within worth sparing."
The ninetails sneered at his 'underling' and the blonde looked away.
"Worthless…do as you will, but don't dare ask my help. You're all on your own this time, mortal. Get us killed over that useless bitch and I'll personally devour your soul in the next world."
"I…thank you, Kyuubi-sama."
Rather than responding with words, the demon stood inside his cage and padded about, plopping back down with his back to Naruto. The blonde could now see the nine red tails swishing about in rage as he withdrew back into the conscious world. The gesture said more than a verbal rebuke ever could. Yamanaka's scream was the sole warning he received, the blonde reacting in time to catch the giant leaping snake's maw as it lunged to bite down into him. Fangs dripped with poison as Naruto's arms kept the serpent's mouth wedged open. The demon carrier was powerless to do much else, though, all his energies being occupied with keeping the great reptile in position.
"A little assistance here would be much appreciated, you two…"
Kiba passed through his vision as he glanced over to the side, the Inuzuka leaping down onto the ground while avoiding a second enormous snake's lunging bite. The mutt rolled aside when his snake bit again, but its tail whipped him into a tree trunk. Meanwhile Naruto's strength was beginning to ebb and he became desperate, throwing a knee strike into his attacker's throat. The serpent hissed in anger and bore down even harder upon him. When his situation seemed hopeless, the ninjato on his right wrist unsheathed and a second later the snake reared back in pain, releasing his hands. The blonde wasted no time in grabbing the scroll containing his zanbatou, releasing the great cleaver into his hands and beheading his reptilian attacker with one strong hack.
"Ugh…this thing's blood is ice cold. So disgusting…"
Naruto looked down at the headless snake, his ninjato stuck clear to the handle in its yellowish underbelly. The deep puncture wound was gushing with the serpent's chilled blood. More surprising was that Ino was holding the weapon. The demon vessel hadn't thought that the girl had it in her to kill even a mere animal, though she hadn't been the one to deliver the actual deathblow. Naruto's short wrist blade suited the kunoichi well, being about the optimum weight and length. She smiled up at him when she noticed him looking. He almost smiled back, but decided to help the lone Kiba.
"Seneijashu."
The blonde's shadow snakes soared towards the remaining giant serpent and coiled around its neck like a reptilian lasso. Naruto pulled back and dragged the giant snake onto the ground, and his own bit into its throat, creating six small puncture wounds. Kiba's clawed hands tore into the beast to complete the attack, shredding skin and muscle tissue and killing it. The Inuzuka wore a scowl as he leapt back into the trees, landing on both his arms and legs like an animal.
"Shit…I didn't think snakes even grew that big around here, and two at one time."
Naruto had the answer, making his mind up to do something quite stupid.
"…They don't. Those were summoned snakes. I have the same kuchiyose contract. Someone else sent those things on us. I'm going to scout the area and see who's trying to screw with us. You two make camp here in the meantime. The sun's starting to set and it's no use moving about in the dark. Might as well get some sleep and then ambush some poor saps in the morning."
"Maybe we shouldn't split up. I know you're strong and all, but this leaves us down one."
Naruto nodded and made a ram seal, creating three shadow clones. This spot was next to a river running through the training ground and made an ideal campsite. He knew that Gaara would be long gone when he returned, but resolved to kill him and the others in the Third Exam instead. Like these two Anko was his teammate, and he decided that he needed to at least do something to help her. Naruto knew it was strange, compromising his mission to rescue her when she'd chosen to chase down Orochimaru on her own. He had no tangible obligation to do anything, but here he was going regardless. Perhaps Kyuubi had a point and he was indeed growing weak. The old Naruto would have outright scorned this idea and abandoned Anko-sensei to her demise.
"Odds are whoever summoned these snakes is about on the same skill level as me. Kurenai-san made me swear that I'd keep you two intact, so please leave this one to me. I'll have these shadow clones help keep the guard here until I come back."
Naruto knew that the summoner was indeed on a much, much higher level than him but didn't see the need to tell them as much as he stored his zanbatou again. The blonde closed his ice blue eyes and gathered his nerves, and then crouched to leap higher into the thick branches and do the hated hero thing once more, and this time on a willing basis. Taking on the Snake Sannin, what a ridiculous concept…Anko had damned better appreciate this later. Something pressed down into his palm and he opened his eyes again.
"Here, Naruto-kun. Maybe you should take this back. You might need it."
His ninjato. A nice gesture, but…
"You keep it, Ino. It'll suit you better than it does me, and I still have an extra."
The blonde leapt into the treetops with that remark, moving towards his destination at top speed. The battle zone didn't take long to search out, with Anko's strange chakra being so distinctive. When he arrived on a high branch, he saw that his suspicions were correct. A man with chalk white skin and long black hair stood over a prone Anko wearing the same robes that the Kusa Genin had been. Naruto had seen the bingo book and knew at once that it was Orochimaru. The snakelike Nukenin turned to regard him with a superior grin as he landed, recognizing the blonde's coming in an instant.
"…You're right on time, Naruto-kun. Kukukukuku…."
Orochimaru made a single hand seal and the hurt Anko tensed as a strange black pattern spread over her skin, and she then slumped into unconsciousness as it receded. That odd seal on her neck seemed to be the source. Naruto remembered asking her about it once, but she had been rather blunt with her unwillingness to discuss the matter and had snapped at him never to mention it again. Deciding that his surprise initiative had been lost and hoping not to have to battle with the much stronger Snake Sannin, Naruto leapt down onto the ground. The man had some supposed interest in the Kyuubi container, so maybe he wouldn't kill him outright.
"Hm, I hadn't known that I was expected at all…Orochimaru…"
Orochimaru's golden eyes seemed to glitter with malice as his sneer broadened.
"Oh, quite so. I've been waiting so long to meet you, living container to Kyuubi no Kitsune. My operatives have told me so much about you, and not in Konohagakure alone. Your exploits have traveled all the way to my humble little hamlet in the north, the Hidden Sound Village. I should like to invite you to visit sometime, but it seems that we have other matters to attend to at the moment."
The Sound-nin dictator inclined his head towards Anko, inviting Naruto to go over and inspect her wounds. Orochimaru trailed behind and watched with interest as the blonde touched her skin, smooth and cold like ice everywhere except on that occult seal, which was scorching hot. Like a volcano amidst a massive glacier, an impossible phenomenon. Naruto looked underneath her coat and saw a kunai buried very deep within her ribcage. Blood leaked out and pooled on the ground aside her thigh. She was in very critical condition, assuming she wasn't dead. Anko's pulse was almost nonexistent now.
"Anko-sensei…so stupid…you shouldn't have done something so rash…"
Orochimaru knelt next to the dying woman and draped an arm around Naruto's shoulders. He spoke to the blonde in what seemed to be a gentle lecturing tone, in a manner that mocked Anko's relation to him.
"Ku…unless I'm mistaken, she's gone into shock due to blood loss. She'll be dead within one hour unless she receives medical attention. Such a waste…she was lacking as an apprentice but she did not have to end like this. One cannot act as an avenger without power, Naruto-kun."
Naruto stared at Orochimaru with hate in his eyes, something much more expressive than his typical impassive coldness. Had he the power, he would rip the man's throat out right now. The sentiment was irrational, the blonde knew. Death was a shinobi's constant companion and Anko had gone seeking hers when she had challenged an opponent that she could not ever have beaten alone.
"…And I don't suppose you're going to stand there and let me radio a medic team in."
The Snake Sannin rose and walked into a spacious area near the current location. Orochimaru adopted a somewhat unorthodox battle stance, allowing his arms to hang at his sides without a single precaution. Perhaps he was so aware that Naruto was no match that he didn't even bother pretending to view him in a serious light.
"That's right. There might still be time to save her, but you'll have to battle me to do it."
The spiky blonde Genin uttered some silent prayer to whatever higher power might watch over a damnable death machine such as him to see him through this one alive. He wasn't the religious sort, but decided that he might as well hedge his bets. Never had he taken the sword to protect another person. All his past battles had been his and his alone. Naruto rose back to a standing position and drew his katana, holding it out with both hands like a samurai would.
"Very well then…I guess there's no choice but to do this."
Naruto released all his killing intent at once, which he deep down realized was nothing that impressive to a person such as the Snake Sannin without the Kyuubi's assistance. Rather than being intimidated, Orochimaru's entire visage was alive with sadistic anticipation.
"Yessss…that's it. Fight me without any hesitation, Naruto-kun. Show me all that delectable power you possess and realize that you won't be dying alone should you not win this battle. Anko-chan will die unless you can protect her, so do not hold back. Don't let me down, little Kyuubi child."
A sick game…this was all to amuse the snake man. Naruto scowled with something akin to real anger. All this posturing, Naruto remembered his battle with Zabuza, when the Mist Devil had taunted him as he prepared to use the silent killing technique.
"Spare me the speech. I've got an hour and I'm not wasting it listening to you blather."
Orochimaru's smug expression soured a little as Naruto attacked. He wasn't going to be able to do much against the man's superior skills nonetheless, so he might as well seize the momentum and do whatever he could to hold it. The snake's eyebrows rose, not at all seeming to expect this much speed. That weight training was now paying some dividends. Or so it seemed. Orochimaru compensated on the spot and sidestepped the initial sword swing, throwing a low sweep kick to Naruto's ankle as he passed. The blonde winced but whirled around with a decapitating slice. This too was dodged and the Snake Sannin ducked underneath the demon carrier's guard, throwing a back elbow strike below the chin that sent Naruto struggling to maintain his balance.
"You'll have to do much better than this, Naruto-kun."
The snake man almost sounded disappointed, though he kept his amused sneer. Naruto breathed out and charged again, this time aiming a crossing stab at Orochimaru's throat. The pallid shinobi caught his wrist, but that was what the blonde had expected. The demon carrier used his arm's position to toss the katana down, allowing it to impale into the ground, and plowed into the Snake Sannin with a reverse shoulder tackle. Orochimaru retreated along with the attack's momentum and he released Naruto's wrist, thus taking minimal damage as he rolled back into a crouch. The blonde went to retake his katana, but the serpent man's mouth opened, and his tongue extended to a ridiculous length and wrapped around Naruto's neck. The demon carrier missed the blade's grip as Orochimaru smashed him into a tree trunk with sickening speed. The blonde's throat constricted and his Kevlar breastplate cracked in the back at the impact. Had Naruto not been wearing it, his spine might have well been crunched instead.
Naruto saw stars in his vision as Orochimaru pulled him back and attempted to ram him into the tree trunk a second time using his tongue. This time the spiky blonde was a little more prepared. He drew his remaining wrist ninjato and extended it behind him. The stabbing weapon impaled deep inside the wood and Naruto whirled about and stood on the elongated handle. Shinobi used these weapons to scale walls in addition to combat applications. Orochimaru tried to yank him back again, but this time the blonde would not come along. The demon vessel made his hand seals.
"Raiton: Seiteki na Karada!"
Naruto pulsed with static charge, releasing through his pores and into Orochimaru's elongated tongue. The Snake Sannin pulled his tongue back and glared at Naruto, the mocking sneer replaced with an annoyed glower. The blonde wasn't sure whether to be pleased that he had at least managed to halt the serpent man's onslaught or worried that he might have roused Orochimaru's ire. No time to be concerned now. The Snake Sannin's still outstretched tongue changed into a venomous serpent that lashed at the blonde to strike.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
A hundred Naruto clones occupied the areas on and around the tree that the blonde occupied while the real one attached a chakra string to his ninjato's handle and did a Kawarimi to take the tongue serpent's bite. The clones rushed at Orochimaru with drawn katana. The scowling Nukenin raised an eyebrow at the massive charge and smirked.
"Seneitajashu."
The Snake Sannin used the advanced level Snake Hand, extending both arms outward. Many dozen shadow snakes darted outwards towards the approaching clones, snapping and bludgeoning and decimating Naruto's small platoon with ease. Meanwhile the real demon container landed on the ground in Orochimaru's blindside, grabbing and sheathing his own katana as he moved.
"Seneijashu."
The spiky blonde's own less potent Snake Hand attacked the pale shinobi as well, leaving him in a pincer. Naruto's shadow snakes wrapped around Orochimaru's ankles and the outmatched Genin attempted to pull him to the ground, but the living legend was too agile and retained his standing position as his own snakes completed the rout on Naruto's clones. Orochimaru extended a hand towards Naruto and those snakes attached changed their path and moved to attack him. Meanwhile the blonde manipulated the chakra string holding his ninjato in the tree trunk and pulled the stabbing blade out, directing it at his opponent. Naruto dodged and rolled to avoid Orochimaru's snakes, grunting as one bit him deep in his bicep and another tried to get at his wrist but was thwarted due to his Kevlar bracer. Meanwhile the chakra stringed ninjato danced through the golden-eyed man's remaining shadow snakes. The Snake Sannin's eyes widened a bit as the stabbing blade streaked at his head, but weaved aside with some strange contortion skill. The weapon stuck in the ground to Orochimaru's right, doing no damage at all. That is, until Naruto activated the explosive tag that he'd stored inside the weapon's hollowed out handle through the chakra string. The whole blade exploded into shrapnel, singing and cutting the Nukenin's robes in places but otherwise doing little harm, as Orochimaru managed to move into the trees as the detonation occurred, also retracting his shadow snakes.
"Naruto-kun…most impressive. Now show me more. Show me all your skills."
"..."
Naruto said nothing, grabbing the scroll at his waist and withdrawing his cleaver. The spiky blonde shinobi held the massive zanbatou close towards the ground, running at the tall tree where Orochimaru stood on a branch leering down at him with his malicious sneer. The demon carrier concentrated his chakra in the blade, waiting until he was close to the tree's trunk to strike. The Snake Sannin cocked his angular head in puzzlement, seeming to wonder what Naruto was about to attempt.
"Sakebi Koutetsu no Mononoke!"
Naruto's blade tore into the moss-covered earth as he ran, the chakra missile streaking into the tree and detonating the trunk, sending the great evergreen crashing down. Orochimaru darted down the trunk at the Genin as soon as he saw the missile beginning to coalesce and aimed a soaring kick between his eyes. Naruto brought the cleaver up to block in time, but the Snake Sannin used the blunt side as a rappelling point, both pushing the blonde back with the impact and leaping behind him. Orochimaru chopped Naruto in the neck and then punched him in the bicep at the spot where the shadow snake had bit him moments prior. The demon container almost went down but managed to remain upright using the blade as a crutch. Naruto ignored the pain in his arm, heaving the blade at the pallid shinobi's torso in a bid to cleave him in twain. Orochimaru ducked under and twisted the blonde's hurt bicep again, this time making him lose control over the zanbatou. Kubikiri Houcho soared into the trees and speared into the tree where the critical Anko was slumped prone on the ground, almost decapitating the woman.
"I could really use your help here, baka fox…"
The Kyuubi gave no response, and Naruto closed his eyes in resignation as he unsheathed his katana, his last remaining weapon, once more. He held it in one hand as his right had been damaged too much due to Orochimaru's concentrated strikes on his bicep area. The Snake Sannin's slitted eyes danced in bloodlust and he licked his lips.
"All these swords you're using…I think perhaps I'll participate some as well."
Naruto watched with narrowed eyes as Orochimaru's mouth opened wide and he seemed to stare into the setting skyline. He was expecting another tongue attack, but instead a sword's hilt materialized within the sannin's mouth, extending upwards as the blade appeared as well. The sword was straight and double-edged, not like Naruto's katana. The snake in Orochimaru's mouth spat the weapon into the air, and its wielder caught it with apparent ease.
"Kukuku…time to raise the stakes a bit, Naruto-kun. En garde."
The Snake Sannin attacked with his new weapon. Naruto parried but was pushed back due to his katana being much lesser in strength and his being stuck using his lesser arm. Sparks danced through the air. The blonde sidestepped the second thrust but wasn't quick enough when Orochimaru changed directions and swiped at his neck. The demon carrier brought his nameless blade to bear in an awkward block, but the weapon split in two against the sannin's much superior weapon, leaving Naruto holding little more than a handle. Orochimaru's blade continued and opened a deep gash in the blonde's shoulder, cutting near to the bone. Naruto would have been out an arm or perhaps his head had he not moved in time.
"Seneijashu."
Naruto unleashed his shadow snakes again in desperation as he leapt backwards into the tree where his zanbatou was stored, also throwing the useless handle at the serpentine shinobi, needing a weapon to compete against Orochimaru's wicked brand. The Snake Sannin dodged the poor missile with a smirk and almost decapitated all thee shadow snakes with a quick hack. Naruto charging at his neck in the rear with a drawn kunai managed to distract him enough to save the summoned serpents. Orochimaru sidestepped the wild attack and shoved him against a moss-covered boulder with a palm thrust using his unoccupied hand. The sannin pointed the blade in the direction Naruto was skidding and extended it with his chakra. The Kyuubi carrier's blue eyes then widened in rare horror as Kusanagi no Tsurugi impaled through his chest, the last thing he saw being Orochimaru's evil yellow slit eyes and malevolent sneer.
(End Chapter Ten)
Author's Note: Four weeks to the day, a little late but still done. I didn't get quite as far as I'd planned here, but good combat scenes can't be rushed. I hope this one leaves readers with some questions. Anko's all but dead and Naruto doesn't seem much better. I hope I've done Orochimaru justice here. He's not fighting Naruto seriously, which is why our hero wasn't dead in moments. Though it looks like the snake ended up getting a little carried away at the end. I'm torn on what to do with Sasuke now…I'm not sure whether to give him the cursed seal at some point and proceed as in canon or not. Events won't play out exactly the same in any case. I don't think the events with Team Seven were wholly unrealistic, though Orochimaru has underestimated Sasuke's capabilities somewhat here, and will amend his opinion later. Regardless, Sasuke wasn't going much against Orochimaru in canon until Naruto snapped him out of his stupor, which he wasn't around to do here and wouldn't have even had he been. Naruto is still developing as a character, now being willing to postpone his mission to do the 'right' thing. The Gaara angle has not been abandoned, and doing things this way was always the plan.
Not gonna say here what's gonna be in the next chapter, as that would be spoiling somewhat. Hope everybody enjoys the latest installment, and please let me know what you thought. Good feedback helps me immensely as a writer.