Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Negima.

Chapter 11
The Storm before the STORM

Hokage Office

"So the Kazekage is safe," Minato said, "that's good." He smiled at the Mahora group, Kushina's team, Team 7, and Fate. Asuna released a small squeak and blushed a bit. Everyone looked at her. She shied away and they all looked back at Minato. "Ten days…at the Tenchi Bridge, so you say that Sasori has a spy in Orochimaru's ranks? This is an interesting development. I will plan our course of action until that time. Until then, all of you might want to take a break. I insist. I know this good hot springs near our house. It's my treat. In fact, why don't you invite Kurenai's, Asuma's, and Gai's team? They too came from their missions and are resting in their homes. They need the relaxation."

As they dispersed, Fate turned to his father and said, "Jiraiya will no doubt be there before long."

"I know he will. That's why you will be there. You will be handling him, if not Kushina or any of the other females."

"I see. I will not be held responsible for any damage done to him, then."

Hot Springs

"Ah, this is good~" Asuna sighed as she folded her arms behind her head. "This is better than I imagined."

"It is, indeed," Kurenai said.

"Umm," Hinata started up, "Asuna-san, would you mind if I asked you a question?"

She blinked. "Of course you can."

"How do you know Naruto-kun?"

"Fate, you mean?" She shivered. "Let's just say he's one scary guy when he wants to be. He's our teacher. And he's so super strict that even our most emotionless student is afraid of him."

"But what is he outside of teaching?"

She frowned. "I don't really know. Negi's the guy who's closest to him. We don't even know what he likes, besides his coffee and tea obsession."

"Well," Setsuna added, "he's very powerful. There's that. And apparently, he seems to be very famous with females." A splash made them look at Kushina, who was twitching madly.

"My son…is famous…with females…at his age?" She muttered.

Setsuna started waving her hands. "Uh…that's not to say that he's been doing stuff here and there. I just mean that girls like his appearance and suave." Another splash made her shut up. "I think I'll stop."

Kushina suddenly gave a sweet smile towards her. "No. Please continue, Setsuna-chan." The Shinmeiryuu swordsman gulped before complying.

At the boy's end, Fate had his eyes closed in meditation, which caught the attention of everyone around him.

"Oi, Naruto," Kiba asked, "why're you like that?"

"It's called meditation, Kiba," he replied. "You should try it some time. It would help you control your emotions."

"He's right, Kiba," Shino amended. "It might make you less prone to emotional outbursts."

"Ah, shut up, Shino! Argh, now I know how Gai-sensei feels when Kakashi-sensei acts cool around him!" He pointed accusingly at his teammate and said, "You need to get laid, man!" He stopped before turning to Fate. "In fact, you need it more than Shino or Kakashi-sensei or Neji does!"

Fate opened his eyes and stared at him. "What brought on this hypothesis?"

"You're too uptight, Naruto! You need to relieve some stress, man."

"And you don't? So you mean to say that you have gotten, ah, laid during the years I've been gone?"

Kiba blushed a bit. "Ah, well…it's a personal issue."

"That's exactly my point. What makes you think that you can tell me when I must have sex?"

"Uh…"

"He's got you there, Kiba," Kakashi chuckled, while still reading his book.

"Shut up," he muttered.

Before Fate could return to his meditation, Kotarou suddenly asked, "Hey, Fate, on the off-chance that you want to get laid, who would want it to be with?"

Even the girl's side was silent now, mentally gawking at Kotarou's audacity to ask that, especially Kushina.

Fate raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what kind of girl do you fancy? What is your type of girl?"

This time, everyone, even the girls from Mahora, whose camera is hidden from plain sight, paid attention to his reply. Fate frowned.

"Fate," Negi asked, "what's wrong?"

"I've never been asked such a question…ever. I know that everyone should have faced such a question at some point in their lives but not I. This is my first time hearing such a question…and its answer is somewhat complex."

"Then, tell us, Naruto," Sasuke suggested, "we might be able to."

Taking a deep breath, he rested his head against the rock and said, "My ideal woman…is a woman of natural beauty."

"That's deep, man." Kiba said, "Perhaps you can elaborate?"

"Like all of you, I have tastes. The appearance must be, how would you say, natural, not a single drop of artificial accentuation. Surgery and too much makeup only serves to ruin the face and body that has predetermined for you; accepting those things means that you are escaping what you already are. What I am also looking for besides natural beauty is intelligence and personality. Naturally, I do not want someone who does not even have a shred common sense and I do not desire a woman who is, in street slang, a bitch. The one final criterion is strength. In particular, I look for those who gained strength by training and hard work. Power gained by being given to you easily and by copying is not true power. I don't care for such things. Natural beauty, incredible intelligence, pleasant personality, and hard-earned strength: those are my criteria."

"Um…well…that was a very enlightening explanation, Fate-san," Asuma chuckled

"YOSH," Gai shouted, "Fate-kun, don't worry! I'm sure you will find your ideal woman some day!"

Fate ignored them and went back to meditating but was interrupted by giggling. His brow twitched as a water ship burst from the water and grabbed the limb of a surprised Jiraiya. He had the whip hover Jiraiya right in front of his face. "Jiraiya," he blandly said, "is there a particular reason why you are here?"

He grinned perversely. "You should have known me by now, Naruto!"

The ice blue eyes closed before Jiraiya was flung away. "Target some other hot springs. I will not have you lay eyes on my students, sisters, and mother." Soon, the cries of a man in manhood pain reached his ears and Fate grew a very pleased and sadistic smile as he lay back.

Negi shivered as Kotarou whispered to him, "He can be one cruel bastard when he wants to be."

Meanwhile – Hokage Tower

Minato stared out the village with Tsunade, Shizune, and Shikaku behind him. "What do you think, Tsunade-san, Shikaku-san? What should we do with this information? With less than six days until the intended meeting time, we should decide on the matter now."

Tsunade took a swig of her sake. "It could be trap. Akatsuki is very underhanded. It may be a ploy for us to get rid of Orochimaru for them."

Shikaku countered, "But we must also put into account that some of Kazekage-sama's jonins killed their numbers to allow Sasori and Deidara into Sunagakure. Then, there is also the report from the retrieval group that Akatsuki was using the bodies of jonin from different villages for their impersonation jutsu. I can probably tell thatAkatsuki has someone in their ranks with a mind control jutsu. There's a big possibility that Sasori was telling the truth that he has a spy in Orochimaru's ranks. That would mean that this spy is expecting Sasori at the Tenchi Bridge."

Minato sighed. "So, we have to send a team to deal with the spy."

"If I may, Minato, I believe the Kushina-sama, Mikoto-sama, Hitomi-sama, and your two daughters must not be on this team." Minato stared at him but Shikaku gulped. If there's one thing more terrible than an angry Kushina, it is a passively staring Minato. His pointed stare is so deadly that if you blink, you're dead. "I mean no disrespect, Hokage-sama, but they are the closest to a jinchuriki one can get. They, including you, have chakra coils infused with bits and pieces of Kyuubi's chakra. If it is a trap and this spy is in on it, they may be captured. Even that small amount of Kyuubi's chakra will be a valuable weapon to Akatsuki once they capture her. Plus, I'm pretty sure that Akatsuki and Orochimaru must have gotten the info that Kushina-sama is alive. And since the man that attacked you and her 16 years ago is in Akatsuki and Orochimaru was fairly too familiar with Kushina-sama before his defection, they may sense her chakra signature."

He chuckled. "I would have to agree with you, Shikaku. What would you two suggest as a team then?"

Tsunade looked at her sake cup and said, "A four-man jonin team consisting of Kakashi, Yugao, Tenzo, and Fate."

Shikaku raised a brow. "That's a very good choice of a team but I question if Yugao is emotionally stable. I don't mean any offense to her. But Orochimaru was the man responsible for killing her fiancé, albeit indirectly through the Konoha Invasion. And also, are you sure that we should send your son on this mission? Even though Akatsuki and Orochimaru do not know of his identity, he is still a fresh jonin, not even a year since his promotion."

Minato was silent before saying, "Fate killed the weakened versions of Kisame, Hidan, and Kakuzu during Gaara-san's retrieval." That shocked Shikaku, Tsunade, and Shizune. "And he did it all on his own. If he can beat three Akatsuki members simultaneously, he can beat this spy and whatever comes his way. Besides," he turned to grin at the three, "he's my son, isn't he?" he dropped his grin. "As for Yugao, Inoichi-san said that she is fit for duty. Unfortunately, she is on another mission with Towa-san and Komachi-san. Who will I send? Hmm," then he gave a smile at the three, "I wonder if you're up to this task, Shizune-san." Shocked looks came upon the three.

Tsunade put down her sake cup. "Are you serious, Minato? You want to send Shizune with them?"

"Why should I not? She is an available jonin, isn't she? And her strength is basically up to par with the strongest jonin. Her skill in medical ninjutsu is also important to consider in such a case like this. So, are you up to it, Shizune?"

She nodded. "Yes, I am, Hokage-sama. Shall I inform Kakashi-san and Fate-kun?"

"I'll inform them later. In the meantime, can you call Tenzo?"

As Shizune left with her orders, Shikaku asked, "What about those kids that followed Naruto here? I can tell they're no ordinary kids."

Minato nodded. "I know. The black-haired girl is a kendo swordsman. The brunette is a jonin-level kunoichi. The orange-haired girl is more of a close-combat fighter, preferably fists, I suppose. The black-haired boy is basically the same. The redhead is, what I could guess, is a ranged fighter, preferring ninjutsu. It's quite impressive for kids like them."

Tsunade raised a brow. "And how would you know that?"

"Fate told me," he simply replied, which made the two face-vault at the answer.

Next day

Minato said, "Alright, do you understand the mission given to you?" The four in front of him nodded. "This will be an A-Rank mission, bordering S-Rank, especially if Orochimaru is involved. I want you to be careful."

Kakashi gave an eye-smile. "Don't worry about us, sensei. You might want to worry about Kushina-sama when she hears that you sent her son on an S-Rank mission without her knowledge."

He shuddered. I knew it was a bad idea to keep it from her. "Anyway, you are to leave immediately so that you can plan a course of action when you get there." They nodded before leaving.

En route – Wooden House

The team assembled sat around a lamp, since it is already night out.

Kakashi, still reading his book, said, "Alright, listen closely, everyone. Our mission is solely capture. I'm pretty sure we can handle that. We've had our share of search and capture. Basically, do whatever it takes to capture and not kill. But now, we must work out the kinks."

"Whoever this spy is," Fate started, "he will no doubt be exceptional in the art of subtlety. After all, theoretically, he should still be under Sasori's control. But, this is Orochimaru we are talking about. There is the possibility, however undesirable, that he has already broken that hold over the spy. And if he hasn't, it is also likely that the spy will be followed by someone, if not Orochimaru himself."

Crickets were chirping in the distance as the three stared at Fate. Kakashi chuckled sheepishly. "That was a very interesting deduction, Fate. I think it might have been a mistake taking point, after all. You may as well be the leader."

"Whether I take such a thing or not is nothing to me. I am merely stating facts. Therefore, the closest plan of attack would be for you, Kakashi, to plant a logic bomb on the opposite end of the bridge, me masquerade as Sasori, Yamato-san to hide in the ravine directly below the logic bomb, and Shizune-san to prepare tranquilizer dart seals along the bridge rail."

"Umm…I don't mean to doubt your abilities, Fate-kun," Shizune started, "but why would you be masquerading as Sasori?"

"None of you could match the coldness and ruthlessness of Sasori's aura. And since there would be a direct confrontation between Sasori and the spy, both would be on the spotlight. I don't want that to happen to anyone but me. There is also the underlying danger of being hit. I would suggest we do it tomorrow at early dawn. Shizune-san, coat those seals in the proper color and texture of the rail. Kakashi-san, we will discuss the proper logic for those bombs. Yamato-san, I want you to think of a good jutsu in your arsenal that would block the spy or the potential follower's exit should the meeting not go well. Oh, yes, find a way to mask your scent. The spy and the follower should have an acute sense of smell. We have around three to four days before the meeting. We have to set it up at least two days beforehand."

Yamato furrowed his brow. "And what kind of Henge are you using?"

Fate raised a brow. "I was hoping you would use your Mokuton to create a suitable puppet for me to control. In the meantime, I will change into this." His features slowly changed to that of the real Sasori's, puppet parts and all. Yamato nodded. "Now, let us discuss the very detail of our encounter."

Meeting Day

The traps were all set and the people were in place. Fate, in his Sasori Henge and Hiruko puppet, was trudging through the gravel and bridge in true Sasori fashion. Yamato melded himself into the earth along the opposite side. Shizune hid underneath the bridge, away from any wind direction, Fate made sure of that. And Kakashi stood behind a rock far off from the main group…all according to plan.

Fate stopped in the middle of the bridge and waited for the spy. Soon enough, a figure emerged from the trees, stared at Fate, and continued walking to him.

When they were within speaking distance, the spy said, "It has been some time, Sasori-sama. Five years, wasn't it?"

Sasori's gruff voice left Fate's mouth. "…indeed, it has. Were you followed?"

"Do you really think I would be that careless? I took extreme care not to be followed. You think so lowly of me." He removed his hood to reveal the young face of Yakushi Kabuto, to Kakashi's shock.

"You mistake my cautiousness with underestimation. I do not do that, as you very well remember, Kabuto," Fate said, to the shock of the eavesdropping Shizune and Yamato. "Did Orochimaru notice anything out of the ordinary when I released the jutsu?"

"Fortunately, I was in my room when you released it, Sasori-sama."

"Good, we must make this brief. Leader-sama expects information about Orochimaru's dealings very soon."

"Of course, I agree. It was a pain to leave Orochimaru's base and he might notice my absence."

"Which hole are you hiding in now?"

"Ah, right now, we are staying in an island in a lake north of here. We move in a weekly basis to avoid capture. We are expected to move to our Kirigakure base in three days."

"Tell me of his researches over the past months and of his researches soon to come."

"As usual, he thinks of plans to conquer Konoha and take Sasuke-kun for his own. But, his plans were stopped by setbacks to his health. The Sandaime Hokage's fuinjutsu affected him to the point that he cannot wait any longer. I will bring him a new body within a few months from now." Fate's emotions within the puppet were still stone-ish but the same cannot be said for Yamato and Shizune.

"I see. Is that all, Kabuto?"

"I almost forgot. Ever since Orochimaru transferred to a new body, he's put a kekkai ninjutsu on his old one. Sadly, I didn't get there in time to get a cell sample."

"…"

A shuffle caused all but Fate to tense and focus on the shrubbery behind Kabuto. A small rabbit poked its head out of the bush before it disappeared. "Oh, it was only a rabbit. That was a very close call. I'm afraid that is my cue, Sasori-sama. I cannot linger in this place any longer lest my life will be in danger." He held out his hand. "Please give me the 'item' I requested. I must return to the base before anything else happens."

Fate finally said, "You believe me a fool, Kabuto." The puppet tail slowly slid out behind the puppet. "I can recognize Orochimaru's chakra anywhere."

"Kukuku, you still remember me, Sasori-kun," a silky serpentine voice said from behind Kabuto. "I'm touched."

Kabuto immediately got out of his coat before the snakes summoned by Orochimaru fully constricted him. "I must thank you, Sasori-sama. If you hadn't drawn your tail, I would not have reacted in time."

"Do not misunderstand, Kabuto. I didn't draw my tail to save you. It was to eliminate one of Akatsuki's greatest threats. As useful as you are, you failed in one of the most basic lessons of espionage: always check your tail. Had I a clear shot, I would have gotten through you to get to Orochimaru."

"Heartless as always, Sasori-kun," Orochimaru smirked. "Seeing that puppet of yours brings back so many memories. But I simply came here to thank you. Kabuto is a truly impressive individual. Instead of making me waste hundreds of test subjects, his Shikon no Jutsu can make me use the same person over and over. You wasted such a fine specimen on espionage."

Kakashi cursed. Dammit, with Orochimaru here, this makes the battle a lot harder, especially since he's the most intelligent and cunning of the Sannin. He knows each of our strengths and weaknesses. But I have to stick to the plan. I hope you can push with this, Naruto.

Kabuto glared at Orochimaru, his hand coated in green chakra before suddenly slicing at the Hiruko puppet, shocking the three jonin. Fate, however, emerged from the puppet way before he attacked.

Orochimaru smirked darkly before whipping out his hand, saying, "Senei Tajashu!" Lots of snakes emerged from his hand and covered the Sasori-costumed Fate. Before one snake could bite him, Fate merely flexed his chakra and it destroyed the snake bindings.

As he landed, Orochimaru commented, "Oho, you are still as powerful as ever, Sasori-kun."

"Is this Sasori's true face, Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto asked.

"All the time you've met with him and you've never seen his face?"

"No. He's always been secretive, hiding it that puppet of his."

Fate chuckled. "I should have known you would dispel my jutsu, Orochimaru. Perhaps I should have taken extra precautions in strengthening it. As expected, your purpose was to kill me. You should know by now, Orochimaru. Art cannot be killed."

"Why don't you drop this façade, doppelganger? I know that you're not Sasori because I can sense three little rats in the area, rats whose chakras are so very familiar to me: one on that rock behind you, one directly beneath us, and one by that cliff side."

"You caught me." Within one swift movement, Yamato and Shizune went to the back ground and Kakashi stepped up behind Fate. "But of course, I'm curious as to what you are planning to do." His features slowly changed back to his original form.

Orochimaru frowned. I don't know this child. Who is he? His chakra is unrecognizable. Soon, his face morphed back into a smirk. "Isn't this a sight for sore eyes? Tsunade-hime's apprentice, Minato-kun's student, and my thought-to-have-failed experiment all stand before me. Now what is your plan? You cornered us. Do you have a contingency for such moments?"

Yamato formed handseals and slammed his hand on the ground. "Mokuton," he started, "Jukai Heki!" Miles of interlocking wood burst from the ground and covered the Snake's exit and blocking their view of Shizune and Yamato, both of whom arrived at the very top of the wood wall.

Orochimaru frowned again. This will take some time to scale and with these opponents, I doubt that they would just let us do that. This is some intense strategy.

"Orochimaru," Kakashi started, "under orders from the Hokage, you are to be killed on sight and Yakushi Kabuto is to be brought back for interrogation."

"Kukuku, what made you so sure that we will go quietly, Kakashi-kun?"

Fate answered, "Since when were you under the delusion that you had a choice?" Without warning, thousands of poisoned senbon emerged from the rail and rained down on the surprised duo. They tried to move but sudden wooden entrapments held them there, courtesy of Yamato.

Orochimaru glared before flaring his chakra towards his legs, destroying the bindings easily. Then, he jumped back to avoid the focused rain on the middle of the bridge. However, Kabuto wasn't so lucky. Granted, his chakra storage is bigger than Yamato's. But with Shizune helping him by offering him her chakra, his Mokuton was way stronger. Kabuto fell to the floor due to the senbon. As Orochimaru finally stopped at a specific part of the bridge, it exploded, much to his shock.

Kakashi smirked under his mask, remembering that particular plan Fate devised for him.

"No doubt Orochimaru will have broken that mind control jutsu and will send a follower or himself to survey the event. In any case, I want your logic bomb to follow these exact parameters. First, have it understand us four's chakra. Then, during that meeting, it will first detect my chakra first in a puppet shell. Then it will detect a second chakra source, whoever it may be. Then, another foreign chakra will appear at the climax of the meeting. I will most likely call for all of you, so make sure that the seal would detect your chakras nearby. Afterwards, it will detect Yamato's usage of chakra for his Mokuton wall; whatever jutsu he uses doesn't matter as long as he uses his unique chakra. Next, it will detect Shizune-san activating her trap seals. Yamato-san will use his Mokuton to trap them in that position. Whether they escape or not doesn't matter because when the trap seals run out of senbon, the bomb will explode. Do you get it, Kakashi?"

"Damn, it was actually as he predicted." He muttered to himself as he watched Orochimaru falling below. He stepped forward and sealed Kabuto in a containment seal he kept hidden for such cases. He finished just as large snakes emerged from below and threatened to crush them as they wrapped around the bridge and crushed it. Now Fate and Kakashi stood on one side and Yamato and Shizune were on the other, all of whom were watching as Orochimaru rose from the depths atop a large snake. And he's not looking happy.

"I underestimated you children," Orochimaru snarled. "Take this," more snake heads emerged from behind him, "Kuchiyose: Hidora (Summoning: Hydra)!"

They all tensed as the snake heads started bearing down on them. They scattered and the three eldest jonin kept the snakes busy while Fate met Orochimaru head-on, much to the latter's amusement.

"What an amusing child. How you joined a battle of adults is of great interest to me."

Fate replied, "So says the adult who spent most of his time planning to take a teenager from his home. I don't know what you think of but to others, it means you are quite a pedophile."

Orochimaru smirked. "It seems you do not know your manners, child." He opened his mouth and removed his signature blade, Kusanagi. He brandished at him. "Come then, child. Let good old Orochimaru teach you how to respect your betters."

Smirking, the white-haired boy raised his free left hand and summoned an obsidian blade. Pointing it at the snake Sannin, he said, "Respect is earned, not given. We'll see if you have earned it." Both jumped at each other, clashing in an explosion of air pressure.

Konoha – At the same time

Currently, we find the Mahora group and the blonde twins cowering behind doorposts. Why, you may ask? The reason is that Kushina is giving Minato a beating and preaching of a lifetime.

"What made you think that I shouldn't be told of Naruto's mission?! I know that he's strong but that doesn't excuse you from keeping it from me! He didn't even say goodbye to me!"

Setsuna shuddered as Minato whimpered at another hit from his wife. She whispered to Asuna, "I think she wins the scary mother award."

She agreed just as they all froze at aforementioned mother's voice, "What was that, oh dear, guest of mine?"

"Nothing," Setsuna shouted back. It was clear she was afraid of the redhead mother. How Fate was related to her was beyond her comprehension.

Back to the Tenchi Bridge

Right now, we find Fate and Orochimaru on the other side of the cliff, still clashing. They carried their fighting off the snake heads and are now within the forests.

Of course, Kakashi, Yamato, and Shizune were having some difficulty fending off the snakes. They were summoned by the Sannin, after all.

"I must commend you, boy." Orochimaru remarked, smirking in a snake-like manner. "No one has ever lasted in a kenjutsu battle with me. That blade of yours is also remarkable. Kusanagi is known to cut through any blade it clashes. I would love to have it for study."

"You would be surprised at the wonders of having chakra coat your blade can do." He jumped back and pointed a finger at him. "Now, stay still and witness more of my power…Kudo Senkou."

Orochimaru's eyes widened before he jumped out of the way. He looked slightly back and was aghast at the destruction of a straight line of forest behind him. Then, his shocked look changed to glee. I must have him!

Then, Fate opened all five of his fingers and pointed it at him, saying, "This is a new variation. Please, try and keep up." Orbs appeared on each finger and he said, "Gosei Kudo Senkou (Five-Star Hollow Flash)."

Noting that it was much faster than its first-finger variant, Orochimaru quickly submerged himself under the earth as the attack destroyed even more of the foliage.

Fate frowned. Knowing him, he will wait for the perfect opportunity to strike. Well then, I better give him some leeway then. He jumped high and out of the forest. As expected, Orochimaru soon followed. You're right where I want you. Turning to face his rising face of glee, he turned to face him as thousands upon thousands of runish circles appeared around him and he whispered, "Bansho Tsuranuku Kokkui No Enkan."

Without warning, the same number of blades appeared and rained down on the whole forest, shocking Orochimaru.

On the other side, Kakashi, Yamato, and Shizune were shocked when a sizeable chunk of the raining blades attacked the Hydra. It was dispelled and the three looked at Fate in shocked.

Shizune weakly asked both from fatigue and shocked, "D-Did Fate-kun ever show that much strength?"

Kakashi replied, "I don't think anyone knows of his true strength."

As soon as the rain stopped, Fate finalized it by pointing a palm at where he sensed Orochimaru's chakra to be, bit his finger, and focused a Rasengan-sized energy at his palm. With another whisper, he released his attack: "Sodai-Ou Kudo Senkou (Grand King Hollow Flash)." The energy was released in the form of a razor blade and homed in on Orochimaru's signature. A large explosion occurred and the three ninjas in the distance had to brace themselves for the wind pressure that happened after. Fate stared into the large crater that he formed and flew towards the three jonin. They were shocked that Fate didn't have any sign of fatigue on him. "Shall we go? We have completed our purpose here, that is, to capture Yakushi Kabuto. Come. Let us not waste any more time here."

"But," Yamato suddenly asked, "what about Orochimaru's corpse?"

"No doubt he will have survived my attack. There's no reason to be hasty in his death. Let him waste his energy in planning and surviving. Besides, the tracking device I planted on him will help us pinpoint exactly where he will stay next." That surprised them all.

Kakashi gave an eye-smile. "You truly are a genius, Fate."

"Thank you. Now, let us leave and have Orochimaru lead us to his next destination." They soon jumped off as Orochimaru's severely wounded face emerged from the side of the cliff in silent rage.

Damn that boy! Where was Konoha hiding him? I didn't recognize him from my experiments or Danzo's ROOT or even any missing-nin from the other villages! How did he just pop out of thin air? Then, Orochimaru smirked. Perhaps a long overdue trip to an old organization is in order. His face soon melded back into the earth.

There's the new chapter!

I hope you like it!