Chapter/Episode 36
Activating the Seal
Kyoko stared in horror at the vile human being that stood before her. The same man who had threatened Victorique's life before, Orochimaru.
"Now let's find out how strong you are with that seal of yours," Orochimaru hissed at her. He took a step forward through the Konoha gates.
Naruto got in front of Kyoko and held out his arms as if to protect her from an attack, "You won't get close to her! I'm going to knock you into next week! Believe it!"
Kakashi and Sasuke got in front of Kyoko too, and stood on either side of Naruto. "He's mine," Sasuke replied bitterly.
"Oh Sasuke," Orochimaru rasped at him. "We'll have to settle things another time. I'm afraid it's not you I want anymore, it's Kyoko.'
"What Sasuke means is that if you want to get to Kyoko you'll have to get through us first," Kakashi informed Orochimaru.
"Stay with Kyoko," Sai ordered Sakura before he appeared beside Kakashi.
Kabuto smiled sinisterly, "We don't have to get through you if you're not in the way."
Kyoko wondered what he meant by that went the earth began to tremble under her feet. She looked down at the ground and wondered what was causing it when a giant snake broke through the earth under her, causing her to fly up in the air.
She screamed, startled, and before she knew it, she was being wrapped by the giant snake.
"K-Kyoko," Naruto yelled up at her as she winced in pain at the tightening hold the snake had on her. He gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Use the cursed seal," Orochimaru ordered Kyoko. "And you won't die."
"Don't make me laugh," Kyoko yelled down at him. "You want my body or whatever, right? You can't have that if I'm dead!"
Orochimaru chuckled. "Smart girl," he sneered. "I guess we'll have to use a different form of persuasion."
Kyoko tried to figure out what he was going to do when he heard a girl's scream.
Looking down, she saw Orochimaru had Victorique by her hair and a kunai at her throat. "Use the curse seal or your pathetic friend dies," Orochimaru threatened.
"Victorique," Kyoko screamed.
"Don't be deceived," Kakashi called up at her. "That's Kabuto, not Victor-."
Kakashi was abruptly cut off by another scream from 'Victorique'.
"No," Kyoko yelled again, who never heard Kakashi. "Let her go!'
Orochimaru pulled on Victorique's hair again and dug the kunai into her skin a bit so a trickle of blood rolled down her neck.
Kyoko's eyes went red as her Sharingan activated and the cursed seal on her neck began to burn. "I said LET HER GO," Kyoko yelled out again as black marks in the shape of flames began to cover her body.
Orochimaru sneered. "That's not a nice way to ask," he taunted her. "Looks like I'll kill her anyway."
He moved the kunai away from Victorique's neck and struck her in the abdomen with it, causing her to yell out in pain as he tossed her aside.
Rage built up in Kyoko. "You bastard," she screamed. "I will kill you!"
A purplish-black chakra energy formed around her as the black flame-like marks on her body came together, turning her skin black.
"Oh," Orochimaru questioned. "Going into the second stage of your seal so early? It seems pretending to wound your friend made you very angry."
"Pretending," Kyoko wondered when she saw Kabuto getting up from where Victorique's body had lain, healing the wound Orochimaru had inflicted on him.
"Don't do it Kyoko," Naruto yelled up at her, but it was too late.
"How dare he pretend to do something like that," Kyoko thought fiercely.
"I am so sick of you," Kyoko spat at Orochimaru. "All you do…is cause me pain and unhappiness. I will kill you!"
The next thing she knew her black skin was turning darker and turning into, what looked like, scales.
Sakura looked on with fear at what Kyoko was becoming before her eyes. Kyoko's hair was getting much shorter and was spiked backwards. Her eyes were black with a golden-yellow pupil, which was slit and looked more like a cat's eye. Her nails became more like claws and her teeth were sharp as she bit down on Manda II body. The giant snake hissed in pain before retreating back into the hole it had made earlier.
Kyoko dropped to the ground. She stood, a bit hunched over as two black wings protruded and stretched out from behind her body, from her back. The wings were black and scaly and resembled a dragon's wings.
"Wh-What is this," Kabuto asked aloud. "This is like no other second stage I have seen before. Could this possibly be a third stage?"
Orochimaru grinned maliciously. "This is wonderful," he congratulated himself. "Truly amazing. You have and such power. Greater than the Uchihas' even…and to think it'll all be mine. Come…demonstrate your power to me!"
"It'll be a pleasure," Kyoko replied growly-like. "To demonstrate my power and destroy you in the process!"