Chapter 10

A pair of milky-white crystal eyes appeared in the darkness before her. She shivered as the considering gaze seemed to turn her into glass; Ino felt transparent, see-through in all ways possible: from the consistency of her flesh which became a grand window to a building, the building being her inner self and everything that came with it, from the intentions most important that she composed softly to the drumming and beating of her heart, to her hopes and dreams that were seen to their finality with a single glance of those crystalline eyes.

She heard a ringing sound coming from the background. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was muted and distant, though consistent. The darkness in the background cleared away as if the colored wallpaper that held it up before her suddenly disappeared, somehow leaving the ink behind. When the darkness turned into an onyx colored rock, it began building itself up around either side of her, eventually forming a cave. The eyes were gone, but Ino could see a soft light reaching out, calling to her from somewhere deep in the abyss.

Her bare feet carried her boldly forward. She couldn't reason why it was so easy for her to move forward, but she felt as if she had visited this place once before.

There were lights hung up on either side of her; small candles made out of a wax that gleamed like light shining through blue amber. As she passed the candles went out, covering the place where her passage began with darkness once more.

When she reached the end of the tunnel, she was surprised to see that there was only a tiny gap where the light peeked out from. The light somehow bounced around the room in a ridiculous pattern before her; its shape was an exact resemblance of a spider's web. Upon closer inspection, Ino could see that the beam of light breaking through the tiny gap was reflected off the special amber-like wax candles that were placed strategically around the end of the cave.

Following the light, she saw there were candles hanging from the ceiling using bronze plates. The more she looked at the light; however, the more she noticed there was something wrong with it… something about the spider web was off.

Looking just underneath the break in the wall, she saw that one of the candles was sitting on its side. Ino was surprised to see that its wick was still lit.

She leaned close and reached out with her palm, stepping into the light. When she fixed the candle upright once again the spiraling web completed above her.

And then the light vanished along with the flames of each of the amber candles. Ino blinked, confused.

"Where did it go?" She asked aloud. Her eyes peered through the crack in the wall where the light was shining through before, but she saw only darkness.

The ground below her began to quake, rumbling like the belly of a hippopotamus. When she looked down, she saw what she had failed to notice earlier: the ground was covered in spider silk.

You smell quite delectable.

Ino could hear the soft, feminine voice reverberate from below her in the ground. The soil there was very soft-looking, as if it had been freshly dug out and poured back in. She took a step back, scared suddenly for her wellbeing.

Do not fright, child. You are here only in spirit. Your physical form is not with us at the moment.

Ino furrowed her brow, confused. "But you said smell, what did you mean by that?"

The soft chuckle that sounded made Ino's hair on the back of her neck stand on end; or at least, she felt like it was.

Your chakra my darling; It smells very good. It reminds me of a sweet-smelling flower that I was given long ago.

Ino looked around, slightly apprehensive while ignoring her comment about the flower for the time being. "Where are you?"

Irrelevant. I require some assistance from you girl.

"What do you want?"

There was another laugh.

You are the young woman who possesses my fan, are you not? Oh, how silly of me; the only way for you to visit me as you are now is because you have the fan… Child, I want it back. It has been so long since I have seen my true reflection, and only the fan can reveal what I want to see.

Ino reached into her pocket and pulled out the silk fan. She didn't feel like chakra. She felt every breath and movement, her blood bubbling in the veins of her neck as she gasped for air when the beauty in her hand delivered a ray of light so glamorous and amazing that she was short of breath. "You can't have it… it's mine now, whoever you are."

The room was silent for a moment. Ino took another step back and held the fan close to her chest. "It was given to me… passed down to me by my father. It's very important to me now, I'm sorry."

I is your name, child?

"Ino. What is yours?"

Inotsuyoi.

Ino froze in place, her heart missing a beat.

"Inotsuyoi…? Yamanaka Inotsuyoi!"

After a brief pause, the voice sounded out once again. That is right, Ino. And you, you are also of Yamanaka descent?

"Yes."

Hum… so you know me. Tell me, what stories have you heard?

Ino counted back the story of Inotsuyoi and her would-be Uchiha suitor. From time to time she received a chuckle or an approving hum coming from the voice of the legendary Yamanaka kunoichi. After Ino was done telling the story, she waited patiently for her ancestor to speak. She didn't have to wait very long, but the voice carried a slightly different tone now though Ino couldn't quite pinpoint just how it was different.

Ino. You seem like a very competent young woman; I'd like to ask a favor of you.

"I'm not giving you the fan."

No, no. I understand, darling; truly, I do! I am dying my sweet-smelling girl… I would like that my memory and legacy be passed on to the next willing… and deserving Yamanaka.

Ino's breath hitched as she looked around the room again, wanting to glimpse at the woman whose beauty was legendary. "Me?"

Yes. You.

Ino bit her lip and nodded slowly, whispering back, "What will you have me do?"

There was a laugh at that, but quickly the honey-soaked voice recovered and hummed tantalizingly in Ino's ear as if the extraordinary beauty was standing directly beside her.

The Yamanaka family scroll is required for what I am about to teach you. You will also need a blank scroll. When you sleep tonight, simply call my name and I will bring you back to me.

Ino whispered a yes, and when she blinked she found herself lying in a hospital bed and shot up immediately gasping for air.

"Naruto, are you ok?" Kakashi yelled out to the young shinobi, his voice nearly drowned out by the shrill cry of the smaller chidori that he maintained in his right palm.

Screaming back, his face an inch off the ground as she screwed his eyes shut from the thrashing pain at his sides. "Kakashi-sensei. Run! Run away! He's too strong!" He could feel his right hand shaking, making it hard for him to even reach for another kunai after the complete bashing that he just took at the hands of the snake summoner.

Kakashi furrowed his brow, surprised that Naruto could tell. Anyone must have been strong to him, but for him to imply as he did that he stood no chance against the snake sannin meant that he had great awareness regarding an opponent's ability.

"I won't, Naruto!"

Orochimaru smiled. "Clever. Mask your fear with foolhardiness."

"Go to hell." Inoichi said with a snarl, his eyes narrowed hatefully.

Standing in an easy stance with his hips jutted outward just slightly as he leaned his upper body back, the very image of self-confidence, the sannin spoke out with a smirk, "I believe we have only spoken scarcely; why do you hate me so? And by the way, how did you find me? Or was it the Hokage that did?"

Before Kakashi could intervene and tell Inoichi to shut up, his pride got the better of him, "It was my daughter. My little girl was clever enough to use the shintenshin on Naruto-kun and she drew us a map that led us here.

"Hah! Quite clever of her indeed; and to think the reason why she was able to do so was because I honored this boy's bargain to spare her life."

Inoichi's eyes widened first, but it was Kakashi who spoke out. "Well done, Naruto."

Naruto shook his head but said nothing. He didn't want the praise right now.

None of them heard the light shuffling as a figure moved about freely and swiftly in the darkness.

"Kakashi-kun, you know very well that you are no rival of mine. If you get down on your knees and beg me to spare your life, I may, but the father must pay for the sins of the daughter." With that, Orochimaru burst out at full-speed after Inoichi, passing by Kakashi who tried to intercept after quickly pulling aside his headband and activating his sharingan eye just a split-second too late.

The first strike missed, much to Inoichi and Orochimaru's surprise. The culprit: a young boy with dark hair and a devilish hue enveloping him like a flame.

Sasuke reached up and jabbed Orochimaru's elbow upwards, breaking it with ease before kicking him in the stomach and forcing him to redirect his assault elsewhere.

When Orochimaru came back to strike at Kakashi, the copycat ninja was ready with his chidori which easily pierced through the sannin's chest, killing him.

But when his body turned into mud and the look of horror on his face changed into one of uncontrollable laughter, Kakashi swiped his arm away from the cavity that was left in the replacement's chest and turned around immediately to block an incoming downward punch with the arm that was broken just a couple of seconds ago.

Inoichi came in to intercept the follow up attack after Kakashi's guard was broken with the first and successfully fought away the sannin as Kakashi threw several shuriken his way to try and catch the powerful ninja off his guard. To no one's surprise, the sannin easily maneuvered away and crouched in low before the two younger jonin shinobi and struck each of them with a rising palm to each of their respective chins.

Kakashi landed on one knee while Inoichi landed on his back, but the two of them immediately dodged an incoming missile projectile as Orochimaru seemed to be shooting his tongue out of his mouth at rapid speeds.

"What the hell is he? A snake or an iguana?" Inoichi yelled, cursing Orochimaru as he dodged another strike of his dangerous tongue.

"Neither, he's a worm!" And with that, Kakashi impaled the tongue that shot past him as he dodged, staking it down into the ground with his kunai just as Sasuke rushed forward and kneed the old man in the nose, cracking it and drawing blood from his nose and mouth.

Naruto stood up then and forming nearly ten hand seals he shot out a burst of fire to the sannin's back, forcing the powerful shinobi to his knees.

"We've got him!" Inoichi exclaimed cheerfully.

"Not so fast! Move!" Kakashi grabbed both Inoichi and Sasuke by their collars and threw them out of the way as the giant snake that was sitting still for a moment behind Naruto suddenly dashed toward them and gobbled up Naruto, Kakashi and the beaten down Orochimaru.

Naruto rolled about in the mouth of the giant snake as Kakashi and Orochimaru began battling again the darkness, clashing kunai against one another even while the snake moved about, expanding the walls to allow it to turn around and chase down the two who survived the unabashed attempt to fill its gullet. He reached into his kunai pouch to retrieve a knife so he could try and escape, but he ended up dropping the first one he reached for, making him retract his shaking hand as he held it against his stomach in surprise.

Outside of the snake's mouth, Sasuke dashed straight at the snake and punched it as hard as he could on its nose, forcing it to a stop. He was delighting in his newfound power, this unholy strength that seemed to have no limit and no beginning, because belonged to him and yet it didn't. It was as if divine intervention caused the snake to stop, because Sasuke knew that this particular scenario could never physically take place in his real world.

Inoichi, shocked but quick on his toes regardless, ran ahead past Sasuke who had taken a few steps back and immediately tied down the mouth of the snake, drawing a disapproving frown from Sasuke.

"That's their only exit." He said, confused, but with no intention of stopping him as a killer headache was starting to come along.

"Not for long." Grinned the mischievous blond as he held up a roll of explosive tags.

"Oh shit!"

Without hesitation, Inoichi leapt up over the snake's down head and slid down its side after tying one end of the roll to a set of kunai and letting it drop on the other side while he was on top. He then jabbed the other end into the snake using a kunai that was tied to the string on the end and activated the chakra necessary to set off the tags.

Inoichi and Sasuke ran away as the explosion went off, blowing its body into halves as if a garden snake had just had a firecracker tied to its belly.*

The summoned snake died, its carcass just lying there as it didn't have a chance to reverse-summon itself away. From the exploded end came Naruto rolling out onto his back with his legs swinging upward as he hit the ground with a heavy thud and a miserable groan. Immediately afterward, Kakashi jumped out backwards, spinning in mid air before landing on the ceiling upside down while he began forming enough seals to create the Raikiri, a much more powerful version of the Chidori that sounded more like an eagle crying as it swooped down for the kill.

Orochimaru burst out and formed his own seals as Kakashi's jutsu came to life, leaving the other three deaf from the loud cry within the tunnels.

Running along the ceiling, upside down as he dragged along his Raikiri above him, Kakashi pinpointed where Orochimaru was and screamed aloud as he jumped down off of the ceiling of the tunnel and dove straight for the legendary sannin, intending to cut into him with his assassination technique.

"Kakashi-kun, won't you learn not to be so fashionably late?" Orochimaru smirked and took a long leap backwards as he formed the rabbit and dog seals three times consecutively before ending with the ox seal. Once he landed, Orochimaru stamped his foot into the ground, making the floor and ceiling rise and fall at the same time, surrounding the man with the Uchiha eye along the expanse of the tunnel. To his surprise, Kakashi easily dodged each of the pillars that grew out from both the ground and the ceiling and moved around with ease, even leaping on top of one which was rising and escaping just as it closed with the ceiling with a thunderous slam.

Orochimaru's eyes widened when Kakashi reached the last few meters when suddenly two pillars appeared on either side in front of him, blocking the path for anyone to fit through.

"Now what, you poor little bastard chi-ah-ugh!"

The eagle made its last call as Kakashi leaned forward through the gap in the pillars, glaring through them with his red eye.

"I just missed your heart…"

Orochimaru shook violently, pulling away as Kakashi's finger tips popped out bloody and black because of the powerful heat radiating off of his chakra-encased hand.

"You hit me… I can't believe it, you truly have grown, Kakashi."

Kakashi continued to glare. Then he heard a rumbling and a shout of, "Naruto, watch out!"

Orochimaru smirked when a scream shot out from behind Kakashi, making the jonin's eyes widen before he pulled his arm out from between the pillars and dashed swiftly towards the source of the scream. "Sasuke!"

To his shock and horror, Sasuke was lying on the ground with his back arched and his legs crushed underneath a giant rock. Kakashi's heart began pounding as he remembered ancient history, and Naruto's hand stopped shaking as he lay on his back.

Staring on in confusion, Naruto tried to make sense of it all, but all he could think about was:

Did Sasuke just push me out of the way?

Inoichi immediately ran toward the boy and knelt down beside him, performing a medical jutsu on him.

"How terrible." Orochimaru lamented, sighing theatrically. "I suppose he is no longer of any use to me with legs crushed like ground sausage meat."

Naruto stood up and turned to the sannin, running toward him through all of the rocky pillars that stood in the way as he screamed. "No wait! Naruto!" Kakashi called out, sliding to a stop as he turned back around to retrieve the blond.

Orochimaru chuckled and dodged the first swing before swinging his arm back to hit the back of Naruto's head and incapacitate him.

"Give sensei my regards." Said the sannin grinning as he caught the boy by his collar before his face hit the ground. "And let him know that if he wants to bargain for the boy then he will be in Mizu. I will sell the chance to kill the Yondaime's son to the highest bidder, and Mizu is the perfect place to gain a bunch of stupid, lonesome, different followers who will do my bidding… all I needed was the right leverage."

And with that, Orochimaru disappeared into the darkness along with Naruto.

The look on Kakashi and Inoichi's faces when the Hokage arrived made the old man fall to one knee, slamming his fist violently into the ground, not himself for a moment when he realized he just lost a boy who was like a grandchild to him.

"Orochimaru… you took two young lives from me today… the life of a shinobi in this talented young boy lying before me, and the boy whose parents were the saviors of the village ten years ago."

*Note: This description regarding the snake and the firecracker is just for the story. Don't actually go trying this shit. That's messed up. And if you do, I hope the snake bites your ass first. :P

Author: So I said was going to answer a question about Naruto's age and I am going to answer it by asking a question. What do you think would happen if Naruto was too old to have the Kyubi sealed in him at the beginning of the story?

Ok, a second question: do you have any illusions that Naruto is actually carrying the Kyubi at this point in the story?

Maybe someone can enlighten me if they know, but a kind soul brought up the argument that it is a kid's manga aimed at children, and so inconsistencies are bound to occur. I knew this, but sometimes I get so wrapped up in the story and trying to please people that I forget that I could give a damn about what is happening in canon. Anyways, thank you for bringing up problems in the story, timeline or plot when they happen, and keep doing so, but know that if you bring it up and I choose to ignore your issue with it from now on, then things are going as they are for a reason.

Again, thanks, and wish me luck this week. I need a C in this Trig class. lol