CHAPTER 24: The Great Snake

Tsunade opened her eyes groggily. She was lying on the ground, her hands chained behind her back. She twisted them experimentally. Yes, they seemed secure enough.. She hoisted herself upright, her back leaning against the wall for support, and was surprised to find that she could even move. A few days must have passed at the least, since she had used the dragon's fang.

It took her eyes a minute or so to adjust to the darkness, but when they had, she could see that she was in quite a small room, made of stone and with no windows, the only possible light source coming from the tiniest of cracks between the locked door and the ground. And yet, the light on the other side was so dim, that she could barely see a thing.

Do you remember what happened? the White Dragon spoke in the back of her head.

Yes, she thought back, feeling nauseas as she saw Toph's small body hitting the ground in her mind's eye.

The kid? she thought desperately, What happened to Toph?

I don't know. I lost my consciousness with yours.

How long have we been out?

It takes at least two days for your body to function again, after using the dragon's fang... nice name, by the way.

Tsunade snorted.

Do my ears deceive me, or are you developing a sense of humour in your old age?

Might as well go out of this life with a smile on your face.

You think this is it, then?

Beyond a doubt. But don't let that get you down, we spirits tend to take the pessimistic view on things, as a rule..

Why, I'm learning more things about you in these few minutes, than I have in the last twenty-five years combined.. But at the moment, I'm inclined to see your pessimistic view as a realistic one..

Death is but the next great adventure..

So they say.. Do you think Haiko killed the kid?

I think it is more than likely, yes.

Suddenly there was the sound footsteps, echoing down what seemed to be a long corridor, becoming steadily louder, as they drew closer. Then a key being forced into the lock of her door. Tsunade moistened her lips, hoping her fear wasn't too obvious.

Finally the door swung open to reveal two dark figures, silhouetted against the dim light of the corridor. The smaller one was Haiko, now devoid of his mask, his un-aged face looking like that of a ghost.

But Tsunade's eyes were drawn to the other, taller man. His sleek, black hair falling to his waist, his white, thin face with the contorted smile, his eyes. His eyes.

She had known Orochimaru as a child. This child had had the same black hair, its face may have been a little more colourful, a little more natural-looking, but the cold eyes she was looking at now seemed to belong to a completely different person. His eyes weren't the dark brown ones of the boy she remembered anymore, but an eery greenish-yellow. His pupils weren't even human anymore, but black slits, like that of a snake.

She had heard the rumours, of course, but had dismissed them as urban legends. But now..

It was well-known that the Great Snake had experimented on humans, in the vain attempt of finding immortality. But she had never guessed that he had succeeded. What were those snake-like eyes? Had his experiments gone wrong? Or was he truly immortal now?

''It's been a long time, Tsunade..'' he rasped, and she noticed that he was breathing unevenly, as if in great pain, which, she thought with satisfaction, he probably was.

The Great Snake had been notorious. ''Don't stay out for too long, or the Great Snake will get you'' was still a common figure of speech in some areas of the Earth Kingdom that had been most affected by him. Where he had been, people had disappeared, nearly all of them never to be seen again. Those few who had managed to escape told hideous tales of torture, experiments on humans, his everlasting search for immortality. And so the rumours had grown. And so had the fear.

Orochimaru had become one of the most wanted criminals of the Earth Kingdom, with a bounty as big as some high-ranking Fire Nation officials on his head. But not just the Earth Kingdom wanted to put an end to the Great Snake. The Fire Nation was just as eager to stop his activities, as Orochimaru didn't distinguish between the countries of his victims.

And then, a little over two years ago, a battalion of Fire Nation soldiers had stumbled upon him by pure chance and, after a hefty fight, had managed to finally kill him.

That had been the popular belief anyway, although his body had never been found, and one simply assumed that it had been swept down the river, which had been on the scene of the battle.

But Tsunade had known better. A friend of hers, Jiraya, who had made it his task to track Orochimaru down, had sent her a warning to go into hiding. Orochimaru was extremely wounded, both his arms utterly useless, but he was still alive. Chances were high that he would soon seek out a healer.

She had heeded his advice, hiding out in Full Moon Bay, where Jiraya's correspondence had informed her how the few Water Tribe healers Orochimaru had taken had been found dead, not able to heal his wounds. After she had heard that, she had become convinced that at least some of his experiments must have been part-way successful, for without them, he would have surely already succumbed to his injuries. The water healers would not have failed otherwise.

She had known that he was fully aware of her power due to the White Dragon, how, she wasn't sure, but it only made her more determined that he should not find her.

And now, he had.