This story is not dead - sorry for the long wait.
Got more on my plate at the moment so social and writing life suffered a bit - i've got things almost sorted, but to soon to tell.
I will finish this story, invested so much time into it and i'd hate to disappoint you guys.
Enjoy.
…..It is time.
Sasuke observed Leo as he ushered his sister into his private rooms. The girl had an inclination of events to come, and despite her fears she remained silent and compliant, her only outburst was in worry of her brother's welfare.
"Time is moving against us" He ignored her flinch and focused on Leon. His attendant nodded and gave her one last hug while whispering gently to get her to relax.
Sasuke cared very little for the sentimentality of it; he was eager to begin.
His face twitched and his brow furrowed; that awful ache was back with vengeance and the smell of wet rot was intolerable; a repugnant mix of dead bamboo and stale medical waste.
It made him want to kill something, anything.
"Sasuke-Sama…" Leon's voice broke through the red mist and he came back to himself.
Sasuke took a deep breath and let go his restraints. The first level of his cursed seal spread like wild fire, roaring through his veins like the adore of a lover. A wide smile grew on his face, distorting it in a fit of madness.
Leon nodded and built his chakra much more slowly. Sasuke drew his blade and held it towards his attendant; the Nin reached for it and ran a hand over the edge. His arms took a silvery sheen and his fingers sharpened to talons. A subtle wind blew around him followed by a steady hum.
Sasuke's blade sparked with lightning, producing a much louder hum.
"Now" Sasuke drew out, his euphoria overtaking his ache, "Time to bid farewell to my teacher and thank him for his contributions."
Kabuto felt it before he heard it.
That indescribable feeling, that something was inevitable. The certainty that lives would be lost.
He glanced over his arm, and noted the exposed hairs standing on end.
Sasuke….
Yes, that was the only thing that made sense, something that was bound to happen, regardless of what Orochimaru-Sama had planned or understood.
Perhaps…it was time…..
Not yet…..
Kabuto sat at his terminal, his head bowed and body unmoving. Only he and the senior researchers were present in the room. Orochimaru was in his private chambers, resting.
While not completely defenceless, the Sannin wasn't in the best of conditions.
"Seal the room." His voice rang out, almost alien to his ears. Conversation around him ceased.
"Kabuto-Sama?" One of the researchers ventured lightly as the others looked on confused.
"Seal the room, now." Kabuto glanced backwards; his gaze firm and brooked no contents. The researchers tensed with fear, one of them gulped and nodded rapidly, before moving to a terminal and locking down the controls.
"The room is secured Kabuto-Sama" he called after the last locks fell into place. They all turned back to him, but Kabuto focused on the security feeds.
"I want a log of all research data on Orochimaru-Sama and Uchiha Sasuke. I want test results on all viable tissue samples collected. I want the latest analysis results on Jugo. No one is to leave this room; if you do you will die."
The researchers looked at each other wary and confused before facing kabuto. Seconds later the alarms in the base went of sending a wave of alarm and fear. A cacophony of noise burst from them as they tried to identify the cause and what they could do.
"Sasuke-Sama has gone mad." one of them breathed out as she looked at the security feeds, just in time to see the Uchiha cut through an Oto Nin.
"No, it cannot be possible" Another cried out, even as the evidence was clear to them. More and more feeds showed the Uchiha sweep through their ranks, Oto personnel falling quickly with no end to his rampage.
"What do we do Kabuto-Sama?! What can we do?!"
All eyes turned to the white haired Nin. Kabuto sat in slight slouch, reclining the chair as far as it could go. The air around him was far too calm, almost nonchalant, to the point of uncaring. His lab assistants shuffled, uneasy at the turn of events.
Kabuto paid zero attention to their unease; unawares his finger drummed a steady tic on the arm rest.
"….You can get started on what I asked you."
Sasuke was in rapture as he tore through the base. Everywhere he stepped, death followed. With his Sharingan everything was laid clearly before him. With his blade he cut through them with contemptuous ease.
These were not yet the targets he sought, but they were ideal for sowing terror.
His glee grew as he cut through yet another comrade.
Shadows flashed on the edge of his vision. His blade came up, locked against a kunai and halting his opponents advance.
"You have strength behind you" Sasuke mused, even as his opponent noted he couldn't push the Uchiha back. The Oto Nin growled in anger and lashed out with his free hand, another kunai gleaming for his eyes.
Sasuke chuckled and ducked below the swipe. He let go of his sword and had both palms on the figures stomach.
Lighting Release; Black Pain.
Lighting chakra surged between his fingers and spread from his palm and over opponent. The Nin seized up and he screamed out as the chakra surged through him. Sasuke smiled as the cries grew louder every passing second.
Leon looked up quickly from his position as he dispatched another Oto Nin. So far they had encountered the stragglers, it won't be long until the real trouble started; and if Kabuto deigned to show himself then it only made their situation harder.
But from the look on Sasuke's face the Uchiha was beyond caring at this point. Whenever he got like this it was often best to let him be, work through the excess instability and aggression, he was more approachable afterwards.
Leon's face jerked as a lucky blow struck him. The skin flashed silver for a brief moment, deflecting the worst of the blow.
"Forgive me" he called in a low voice, just as he struck back. "It's one of the little vanities I allow myself to indulge in; my mother always valued my looks, and my sister couldn't bear to see it scarred" he told the gurgling Nin as he pulled his arm free from his chest.
He turned to the other Nins approaching and prepared again for combat; the skin of his shoulders and chest cracked, revealing a craggy and rocklike texture.
"So please understand if I deal with you very quickly."
"Betrayer!" A cursed Oto Nin screamed out as his cursed seal overtook him; his skin darkened to level two and his fingers fused together to form elongated talons. His face distended and oversized fangs grew outward. The crazed Nin lunged recklessly at Sasuke, driven into frenzy.
In a spark of lightning Sasuke appeared, breaking his momentum. The Uchiha's sword hummed as it spun around; with a flick the blade pierced upwards, through the lower jaw and all the way out the top of his head. The force of the strike carried the sword and the cursed Nin upwards, pinning him to the ceiling.
"You cannot betray something that did not have your loyalties in the first place" Sasuke intoned before dismissing the dead body.
Another cursed Nin tried to stab him from the back. The attack passed through an afterimage; Sasuke struck back with a lightning enhanced palm strike to the face, frying all higher brain function in one instant.
Chidori Senbon
He spun round to the oncoming Nins with his hand charged with lightening chakra. He gave a broad sweep and needle like lightning shards erupted forcing all but one to scatter. Sasuke narrowed his gaze as he picked up a subtle flutter of nature manipulation from the still charging Nin.
"Wind User, how unexpected" He called out as he tilted his head slightly to the left, just as a sharp blade of wind made to sweep past.
He stiffened as he saw the chakra shift and the air pressure change suddenly; he snarled as his Sharingan broke down the jutsu formula from the Nin's handseals. He swore an oath as the effect took shape, and promised bloody murder to the Nin.
The wind blade hummed violently and suddenly expanded outwards, losing much of its speed for greater coverage.
Sasuke reappeared in a burst of static. Within seconds he crossed the distance and his sword sang out unerringly for the wind user's neck. His opponent hastily brought an arm up; the muscles rippled and pulled, the arm shivered and shifted with the cursed seal, forming an armoured carapace.
The transformation held the sword at bay for only a second.
Sasuke immediately dismissed the now kneeling Nin from his mind. With a flick the Nin's body fell headless, joining his comrades littered about them. He turned his attention to the other three that were gearing up to face him; from what his Sharingan could decipher they were much stronger and more capable than any he had faced so far.
"Hmm, I suppose I could indulge you for some time." Sasuke flicked the blood of his sword and his chakra rose. He looked on with mild approval as his opponents tensed. His appreciation grew as they too activated cursed seals, though surprisingly they shifted only to the first level like he was; what was more impressive was the fact that their chakra grew considerably, making them just the challenge he sought.
"I do not think I have encountered you before" He murmured as he slowly stalked around them. As he moved they shifted accordingly, trying as best to keep him in the middle. "You are not like the rest of the trash in this place. Tell me, which hole did the snake pull you out from?" He called out imperiously.
Shurikens were his answer.
Sasuke barely had to move to deflect them meanwhile waiting for the real attack. One of the figures ghosted through the assault and immediately went on the offensive. Kunais appeared in each hand and the Nin launched into a flurry of attacks.
Sasuke parried and countered each move as they began. His chakra surged suddenly and he was behind the Nin stunning him completely; he reversed his grip on his sword and thrust backwards.
Katon: Goukakyou No Jutsu
Sasuke swore again as he was forced to abort his attack. He looked on incredulous at the apparent insanity of launching a large scale fire jutsu in a fairly enclosed area. Already the temperature had risen exponentially and if he hadn't been an Uchiha and bred for fire jutsus it would have been extremely uncomfortable.
His hands lit up with chakra, slowly shifting into flames. Chakra surged and he took a single step forwards and gave a reinforced clap. Immediately the fireball choked and burnt itself out instantly.
Sasuke frowned as he was assaulted, this time by two of the Nins. Again his blade came up in parry. The kunai user was all over the place, making wild sweeps and jabs. The real problem was the other Nin; he was wielding a Kusarigama and had the mid-range covered well. His attacks came from the blind spots his companion was creating, and the strategy was fairly effective much to Sasuke's chagrin.
But what stood out most, was the third Oto Nin. Other than the fireball he had yet to make a single move or take any real action. If anything he seemed to be observing him intently, taking in every action, every motion. His eyes were hidden, but Sasuke could practically feel their gaze on him at all times.
He deflected the Kusarigama and reached out for the chain with his left hand; lighting chakra sang as he grabbed hold of the metal conductor, sending volts of electric energy coursing through the Nin.
In a flash he was behind the Nin and had the chain wrapped firmly around his neck. He spun both of them around as he felt the air displace beside him. His hostage gurgled as he was stabbed straight through from the back; the blade carried on and hit the kunai wielder, though non-fatal.
The Oto Nin flinched and tried to back away. Sasuke scented blood in the water and pounced; he flung the dead body away and made to close the gap. Suddenly the wounded Oto Nin reversed direction and crashed awkwardly into the Uchiha. Sasuke froze at the unexpected change; his opponent took advantage and locked his arms around him with a vice grip.
A loud shrieking caught Sasuke's attention and he looked on with undisguised amazement as a familiar jutsu came to life on the third Oto Nin's hands, the one who had been mostly inactive.
"Sasuke!" Leon called out as he rushed to intercept. The Oto Nin charged for the immobile Uchiha; his free hand shot out towards Leon, unleashing several snakes and forcing him to break his intended assault.
Sasuke however shifted from surprised to neutral. Moments before the jutsu could strike; a foot appeared and struck the Oto Nin full force. The blow sent the Nin hurtling backwards and the Chidori fizzled out.
Meanwhile Sasuke shrugged and his lightning chakra flexed, shocking his would be captor. The air parted twice from behind the Oto Nin; split second later his arms detached and fell uselessly to the floor. The Nin stepped away in shock; he opened his mouth to scream.
"None of that." Sasuke commented idly as he caved the Nin's chest in. A wet gasp was his rewards and a brief splatter of blood and saliva on his sleeve. The body wheezed as it fell, the mind unable to resolve its fate. A few feet away stood Kage Bunshin of Sasuke, wiping the blood of his blade; the clone held the weapon out to the original and dispersed as the blade was sheathed.
"Leon, what do you make of this?" Sasuke asked his attendant as the both observed the Oto Nin rise to his feet. The Nin was still fairly obscured, though his hood was ripped and tattered from scraping across the floor.
"That he can use your Chidori is a surprise. That jutsu is very difficult to master; had you not been….held down, it would have been just as easy to miss the target. It was a reckless move." Leon reasoned as their opponent took stock. The white haired Nin turned to Sasuke and gave him a quick once over.
"Are you calmer now?" Sasuke gave a sidelong glance at the statement, "for a moment back there I was…concerned. You seemed out of control."
Sasuke hummed slightly as he stepped forward, but offered no further words. He drew his blade just as their opponent pulled back his tattered hood, allowing his black limp hair to come free.
And then he looked up, a rictus grin on his face. Leon tensed and took in a sharp breath; the Oto Nin's grin grew even more macabre.
Sasuke however was locked in fury. His chakra bubbled and his cursed seal seemed to suck in the ambient light. His chakra shifted, from a lighting tinge to an inferno.
"It seems I misjudged the snake. It's funny; Naruto once told me he called the snake 'patchwork' and 'flesh-weaver'. I didn't appreciate it then" Sasuke's voice dripped with acid, as he faced an almost identical image of himself, "I do now. You are an abomination."
The false Sasuke gurgled; the sound was so alien Leon leaned backwards, clearly disturbed. It hunched over and flexed its chakra, letting the energy grow wild and free.
Sasuke narrowed his gaze; whatever it was, it was clearly unstable, probably incomplete. Already its body was beginning to fall apart, the chakra though was substantial.
Even more distressing however, was the 'Sharingan' the abomination bore; it was wrong; three tomoe (swirls) in the left eye, and five in the right! They were also different sizes and some faced backwards. Even the eyeballs themselves looked distorted. Despite these however the Sharingan appeared to function on some level, almost as well as his.
Sasuke's chakra surged once more; he couldn't let the abomination live, its very presence was an insult to the Uchiha Clan.
The abomination screeched and launched itself at Sasuke; it drew a blade as it moved and came with an overhead blow. Sasuke stepped into the strike and countered. Both swords rang out. Each wielder pulled back slightly and seemed to flinch.
To Leon, they all but disappeared; the ringing of steel filled his ears as he desperately tried to follow their blows. The clone fought with all of Sasuke's skill but none of his usual grace or verve. The constant flux of chakra coloured the atmosphere, causing him to grit his teeth.
A dark chuckle came from behind him, sending chills down his spine. He made to turn, but his legs got taken out from under him. Instinctively he rolled; Leon tried to scramble to his feet but a sharp pain halted him in his tracks.
He roared out and glanced at the blade pinning his leg to the floor. The abomination chittered with eyes full of malice. It made to pulled the blade and rip into the leg, but Leon grabbed firm hold, locking them in place.
Uchiha Hijutsu; Enkai
The temperature rose significantly, catching both Leon and the abomination of guard. Sharply a veil seemed to fall over both their eyes. Leon recognised it as Genjustsu and made to dispel it, only to find another layer.
'If you wish to stay alive and at my side, remain as you are. Undo my barrier at your own folly'
The words seemed to echo from around him; Leon gritted his teeth from the pain and nodded, keeping a firm hold of the blade still in his leg and ignoring the cuts to his hand.
The Abomination however spun its Sharingan and tore through the illusions quickly. Its eyes widened at the sight before it.
Sasuke's chakra burned like fire; the air wavered around him with heat and built up to a crown of flame above his head. The crown seemed to pulse, much like a heartbeat.
"An abomination like you has no business bearing the pride of the Uchiha." Sasuke, slowly raised his left hand; flames danced around his fingers, picking up speed as the limb stretched out with the palm upwards. At the same time the crown spun on its axis and a slit of flame grew from the middle.
Begone!
The flames traced from his fingers through the air and up to the crown. They converged around it and into the slit in the middle. The fires grew and suddenly the slit opened, revealing a burning eye bearing the mark of the Sharingan.
The eye swivelled and dilated, before focusing on the abomination. The Sharingan spun deceptively; the abomination stood frozen and its Sharingan tried to match but failed.
The flame eye narrowed its gaze and chakra surged; the abomination gave a scream.
Setsuna's Gaze
Legend speaks of an old one, solemn and wise. A simple hermit, yet many would seek him out. His voice was soft, but his mind was sharp.
The story tells that his gaze could set the world alight. Those who could meet it, felt a flame grow within them, spurring them to great deeds. Others with wickedness at heart felt scorched by it, their ambitions withered in a blaze and bereft of all feeling, an empty husk.
The lord of the lands soon heard of this, and he sought the man for his court. Many messengers were sent, each with more extravagant gifts than the last.
Each one returned empty, a shell of their former selves. The lord grew ever more amazed at such power, and ever more fearful; should his enemies find a way of acquiring the old one, then all he had would be lost to him.
And so, in the dead of night, his elite guard stole the hermit away. The old one was brought before the lord, and in his greed, the lord tore out the old ones eyes.
However, without the wisdom and temperance of the old one, the power proved to be too great. The eye brought great strife to the lord of the lands; a great blaze engulfed his home and a scorching of all that he ruled.
Now left as a wanderer and vagrant, the former lord wept bitterly, until his death. He learned only too late; the hermit stayed away, to keep the power of the eye from enflaming the hearts of men, and only by sheer will could its fury be contained.
Setsuna….the eye was called, the name literally meaning an instant, or a moment.
From the moment he stole the burning eye, all that was his was forfeit.
In the wreckage of that forgotten land, no one could find the eye that he stole, or the body of the hermit. Some say he was consumed in the flames, others say he was borne away and buried in the mountains. As for Setsuna, none could say where it had fallen, many still sought it power; the power to enflame a man's heart, or to utterly consume his being.
Sasuke looked on dispassionately at the mewling burnt body in front of him. Just above his head the flame eye blazed with malevolence and he could feel it tug on his chakra and iron clad control. He spun his Sharingan and slowly the flames died off, the crown dissipated and the eye sealed away.
Just to the side, Leon struggled to pull the blade free from his leg, whilst keeping his eyes firmly shut. Sasuke moved closer to his attendant and clasped his hand around the hilt; he ignored Leon's gasp as the blade came free and flicked the weapon to the side.
"You can open your eyes now Leon" Sasuke said without much inflection. He turned back towards the abomination, its movements had slowed and its breathing was raspy.
Sasuke drew his blade once again, the edge glowed with heat and the air around it sizzled.
"A stunted imitation like you has no right to exist in this world." One quick swipe and it was done; the abomination ceased all movement.
Sasuke ignored Leon as he rose to his feet; his temper had simmered, but was by no means gone. He gave the snake latitude in his tests and experiments; after all, all power came at a price.
What a fool he had been, to allow his bloodline to be harvested like wheat. To allow a madman play with the essence of what it meant to be an Uchiha.
By blood and fire; he would purge the Sannin's existence.
"Can you still fight Leon?" Sasuke queried without looking back.
"My leg should hold out for now Sasuke-Sama" Leon replied as he tested his weight, wincing periodically, "However I will be of no use against Orochimaru-Sama or Kabuto-Sama, should he eventually arrive."
Sasuke cocked his head and pondered.
"By the time he returns, the snake will already be dead. You should be able to hold back anyone else that tries to interrupt. Release as many of the rejects as you dare; sow havoc in what is left of this place."
Sasuke slowly moved forwards, his goal firmly in grasp.
"Just as I thought. The Sharingan and even the Uchiha body are too complex" Kabuto slouched into his chair as he continued to observe the footage. On the screen to his left medical data on the Sasuke and the 'clone' processed freely.
"Despite the obvious change to the Sharingan, it appeared to be functional Kabuto-Sama" one of the researchers spoke up from another screen.
"We have been working to account for the genetic degradation. The data shows some promising prospects." Another chimed in from a second station.
"We have only managed to confirm the ability to see chakra and the copy function are relatively intact" Kabuto retorted. His fingers danced across the keyboard, "The problem is constant mutation; so far none of the Sharingan we have developed has been stable and our latest success has been reduced to cinders. And that is if you discount the fact that it's the only one to have actually worked for more than a few weeks."
He was met with silence.
Kabuto glanced again at the data; part in amusement and part contempt. As fascinating as the Sharingan was the level of avarice Orochimaru displayed for the doujutsu, often at the expense of other avenues of research, frustrated the Med Nin.
He had picked up the slack on several of those projects, but without Orochimaru's true genius there was more errors than he would have liked, the successes had been far and few between and his resentment only grew.
A lesser person would have accused him of Jealousy. But to Kabuto his contempt was only from the wasted potential in their work and the criminal naivety of the Uchiha, unwilling to see the nets that had been cast all around him.
Kabuto looked over another screen; one of the secure labs with containers filled with various stages of developing bodies.
Each tank bore the symbol of the Sharingan.
"Destroy the copies, keep the data."
The great doors opened to a room veiled in shadows. The torches on either end did very poor work of illuminating the room; however they provided a sense of atmosphere to the current circumstances.
The torches flickered with the sudden rush of air; the doors closed and the torches stabilised, content to burn away once more.
None of that mattered to the occupant, sat in the far end of the room. Feverish yellow eyes looked on with undisguised malice and raw hatred at the intruder.
The barely heard footfalls swept the length of the room, coming to a stop roughly six feet away from the Sannin. His fury grew to a blistering rage, as his usurper smiled mockingly, bent at the knee and gave a sweeping bow.
"Is there no end to your impudence? You, who was but nothing more than a footnote in the eyes of the world." Chakra simmered in the air, deadly and volatile.
"You" Orochimaru's eyes glinted in the darkness, "whose very existence was destined for ignominy. You forget so quickly where your power comes from. I! I am the one who remade you! I am the one you took you from that squalor! I am the one who have shaped you! Moulded You!"
I AM THE ONE WHO GIFTED YOU THIS POWER! AND YOU DARE TO CHALLLENGE ME!
IN MY HOUSE!
Dark chakra broke free of their restraints. All the torches went out. Killing intent permeated every crevice; rodents stopped, shivered and died, insects shrivelled as they were. All over Oto those who survived, felt the ghost of a blade bared across their throats.
In Orochimaru's chambers the feeling was much worse.
But then…a small chuckle sounded….and grew into quiet laughter.
"This amuses you?" the words came with a hiss that would have corroded steel and stone. Sasuke looked up at the Sannin; his Sharingan glinted with a fey light.
"Indeed Orochimaru-Sama." He rose elegantly, deliberately. "You did seek me out. You did bring me here, and yes you had a part in honing my craft."
"Yes, as you have so rightly said, you indeed gave me a great gift; but that was all it ever was, a gift." The implications rang clear; Orochimaru had no hold on him. The Sannin narrowed his gaze.
"I do not suffer betrayal lightly child; do not overstate your value"
Sasuke smiled again "Betrayer; one who is absent of loyalty" he shook his head, "Answer me this, Ohh Snake Sannin, exile of Konoha, the village you abandoned and tried to destroy, and student of the late Sandaime, the man you wilfully murdered"
'What is it that you, of all people, could possibly teach me of loyalty?'
In a flash of motion Orochimaru was out of his seat; lightning chakra sparked, disrupting the Sannin and slowing him down. Sasuke had just enough time to deflect the first blow. The second came, hidden in the wake of the first, however his Sharingan picked up the trail with ease and his body hasted to follow.
The third blow however came much faster; even with his gift of foresight, Sasuke could barely evade the blow. The force clipped him and left him breathless. His body flung to the far end of the room. With sheer force of will he regained control and slammed feet first into the side wall, cratering it in the process.
"You think yourself special. You think to challenge me. I had fought and killed more dangerous foes at your age than you can possibly comprehend, brat." Orochimaru hissed out as he tried to control his breathing, the exertion clear on face, "Clearly I have allowed your arrogance to grow unchecked; this a reflection on me, my flaw in not keeping you disciplined, in letting you run wild."
Sasuke jerked at the words and his chakra rang bitter.
"Watch your words snake; you are no father to me, and the man who was is far greater than you would ever be."
Orochimaru stepped away from his seat, gliding across the floor.
"After all that effort, it is truly a waste to kill you now, but I see I have no other recourse." Orochimaru stopped and his body language altered slightly. The hairs on Sasuke's neck stood out as the all-encompassing sense of danger filled the room.
"Make no mistake Sasuke-Kun, in time I will fully harvest the secrets of you accursed bloodline from your corpse." Orochimaru finished; the smile faded from his eyes and all that was left was death.
Sasuke faded in static and reappeared several feet away from the Sannin, his smirk wide on his face.
"Well now, I had hoped to see how far I had come. Afterall, what good will all this work be, if I cannot face the man it was all intended for?"
Lighting chakra screamed and Sasuke ploughed into action. Chidori Spears formed in each hand with a wrathful cry and Sasuke disappeared in high speed shushin.
Decades of combat experience and battle shifted Orochimaru's senses. Despite his fever he moved with every skill and grace known of the Sannin's. The first spear barely even scrapped him and the second was easily avoided. He retreated slightly and his chest bulged.
Futon: Gale Force Winds
Sasuke's Sharingan spun rapidly. He threw one of the Chidori Spears and watched as it ate the distance in a blink. The Spear pierced clean through the Snake Sannin, forcing a gasping and disrupting the wind blast.
Sasuke frowned; the Sannin fell to the floor, only to fall apart as mud.
Wind Blades.
His eyes narrowed and he spun round, just in time to see Orochimaru, a hair's breath away and completed wind seal on his fingers. Before he could get away the Sannin's tongue shot out and held him in place. The air shifted rapidly; Sasuke swore out and flicked his wrist, the second Chidori jabbed through the Snake's abdomen and sent a surge of lighting chakra through him.
Then, the wind jutsu hit; Sasuke screamed as several sharpened blades of wind tore into him at close range. He gasped as he felt his left arm come free, and had enough time to see it fall before a sharp line cut through his vision.
Orochimaru too fared no better. The lighting chakra was running rampant within his body, his nerve endings were screaming from abuse and his muscles contracted and convulsed beyond their threshold. The lightning chakra boiled and fired his insides all at once.
Their controls suffered and the chakra's warped and flexed; the jutsus distorted and exploded in a thunderclap. Sasuke and Orochimaru were flung apart; Sasuke skidded along the floor, using his bleeding right hand to slow him down, his fingers peeled to the bone from his death grip. Orochimaru was barely managing to keep his feet as he was sent backwards. His ankle gave out and he tumbled over himself, before coming to a rest. He rose gingerly on one knee; he tried to stand, only for his muscles to lock up painfully and he fell flat on his face.
The Sannin hissed with malevolence; once he could he pushed his face up to see his Sasuke in similar straights.
"You had to go and ruin what I have worked so hard to keep safe" the Sannin's tone was part mocking and part pained. Sasuke blinked one eye; the other has a scar running over the closed lid. "See the price of your folly."
"Shut up, we both know better than that Snake"
Orochimaru chuckled again at the disrespect; chakras flared and both Sasuke and the Sannin bulged, the skin stretching and swelling. The mouths gaped wide and slowly they pulled free from the old and damaged 'skins'.
Orochimaru made it to his feet first, followed swiftly by Sasuke. The latter popped his neck and gave a satisfied sigh.
"That never gets old" He opened both his red Sharingan eyes and smiled. The smile grew wider as he took in the Sannin's chakra activity.
"Ohh, is that rejection I see" Orochimaru stiffened. He refused to leave Sasuke's gaze, but his hand twitched lightly. The Uchiha's smile was damming, "Still, it's impressive you have fought it off this long, but your body betrays you; fitting don't you think?"
Suddenly the lightning chakra died away; the air simmered, and heat began to rise.
Uchiha Hijutsu: Enkai
Orochimaru narrowed his gaze as he felt his sweat literally evaporate of his skin. Already the heat was becoming more uncomfortable, plus it seemed young Sasuke was in no mood to extend their fight.
Still….
"You assume so much Sasuke. You think this power you have is yours to command as you will." Orochimaru shook his head; a white snake appeared over his shoulder, its hood flared and it hiss long and slow.
Sasuke cocked his head curious; his cursed seals pulsed, and his heart gave a wet thud.
He gasped for air and clasped his chest, as he felt his chakra run riot within him.
Orochimaru looked on smug.
"Alas, young fool; you flew to close to the sun, and now look at you," The white snake kept up its hiss and with each new sound Sasuke buckled under the onslaught. "How quickly you forget. This power that you revel in, that you hold and so greedily delved in; it is mine!"
The snake hissed again and Sasuke groaned as he doubled over and fell to his face. One hand braced against the floor and he coughed up blood.
Your power belongs to me; your chakra belongs to me! The mark you bare is borne from me! A part of me runs deep within you Sasuke-Kun, did you really think I would not have a way of taking back what is rightfully mine?
The words filtered through his ears as Sasuke desperately tried to focus. He felt his sides and shoulders contract, the skin bulged and two white snakes tore free, writhing and hissing in fury and pain.
Orochimaru stood a few feet in front of him, content to watch him squirm and struggle. His cursed seals writhed over his body and pulsed rapidly.
"All those tests, all those procedures and therapies. Everything was done to ensure your body could adapt to the Curse Seal. Everything was meant as a housing of my chakra. Now you understand don't you Sasuke-Kun? In the end the Cursed Seals are made from my very being, my chakra grows stronger each time you use it. And you adapted to it so quickly and easily."
"You were meant to by my vessel Sasuke, it is such a shame that I am forced to take back what is mine."
The white snakes on his shoulder glowed in tandem; as the pulses became weaker the snakes seemed to grow larger. They hissed as they struggled free and Sasuke knew that if they left his body he would have lost.
Heh Heh….
Orochimaru narrowed his gaze; the heat spiked for a brief second and his white snake froze.
"So what if it was made from your power?" another pulse rang out, stronger than the last.
"It doesn't matter what you did to my body" another pulse; the muscles in Sasuke's neck bulged and the snakes in his shoulders hissed in pain.
"This power within me belongs to no other" Sasuke rose slowly to his feet; with each effort the heat rose again, until a circle of fire surrounded him. Orochimaru stepped back away from the flames, his every instinct warning him of an imminent threat.
"It is bound to my will" Sasuke looked up; his Sharingan shone with a blaze; the pinwheels in each eye seemed to blur and shift as raw power swelled with power, "and my will alone."
The Cursed Seal seemed to burn further into Sasuke's skin, drawing all light into its inky blackness. The markings travelled swiftly over the white snakes on his shoulder and choked them. Rapidly the lost size and strength while Sasuke's chakra continued to grow unrestrained.
How can this be possible? How can he have this much power?
Sasuke took a step forwards, the flames parted and circled round his feet and arms.
"When you think about it, this is no different from Jinchuriki and its Biju, would you not agree?" Sasuke cocked his head with a smile, "Jinchuriki's can wield the very might of their Biju, but have the willpower to keep control; I am an Uchiha, you have no dominion over me."
Orochimaru took single step; Sasuke appeared beside him, flames trailing deceptively in the air.
Ryuujin Jakka.
Several wisps of flames wrapped around Orochimaru before he could act. Then the pain hit; his head flew back in a loud scream as the heat and flames burned right through him.
Sasuke stood a few paces behind Orochimaru, a flame roughly shaped as a sword held in his left hand. The moment he let go the fires dissipated and the temperature dropped. He felt the heat go out behind him and heard the body drop to the floor.
All was silent. He breathing slowly and his heart rate dropped; Sasuke relaxed a fraction-
Only to be sent flying sideways.
You are foolish to think you could kill me brat. I will never pass from this world; you however are not so fortunate.
Sasuke winced as he stood up; he had braced his side with chakra, just as the blow made contact. Still he was sure his ribs were cracked, possibly broken.
He looked before him; taking up a large part of the room was a myriad white snakes, impossible to count. All of them bore the same yellow eyes of the Snake Sannin. The moved in one mass; the 'head' of the conglomerate shifted and bore the face of the Sannin.
"Well, aren't you a sight" Sasuke couldn't help the remark, even as he braced his ribs.
Orochimaru chuckled.
"Defiant and foolish" the air tinged a light purple. "I will not allow you any more respite. Here is where the legacy of your forgotten clan dies, worthless and broken." Amid the poison cloud Orochimaru reared backwards and then lunged at Sasuke, many mouths and fangs poised to for the kill.
"You were right, all those years ago." Sasuke stated with an odd voice. "Back then in the Forest of Death."
The Sharingan is an emotional charged bloodline. Powerful emotions and the truth of one's mortality are often required to awaken it.
"There are many secrets hidden within these eyes; secrets I had yet to understand, secrets I had yet to know. But one thing never changed, through trial and error, through blood and sweat."
"You see, the Sharingan operates under very specific conditions, and within certain triggers, shaping and changing it, but ultimately unlocking the truth of its power."
A force suddenly slammed into Orochimaru, halting the large snakes progress, several of the smaller snakes withered and died in an instant, the others struggling desperately.
"Impossible!"
Orochimaru could only look on in fear; the slow deceptive spin of a Sharingan.
"You see, all you need to do, is find a way, anyway, to open the door. That is the difficult part"
Sasuke took a step and the air felt thick and tangible, a ghostly prescience followed.
"But once the door is open; well it never closes."
He took another step; unbidden Orochimaru found himself at eye level with the mad Uchiha. All his snakes bent in submission.
"So now tell me, Ohh Snake Sannin" Sasuke placed his hands around one of the Sannin's eyes, and smiled.
What secrets of my fathers do you possess? And how can I attain them?