Chapter 34: Desire

"Why did you lie to me, Arashi?" Kurama asked after returning home and delving into his mindscape.

Arashi smiled playfully. "Lie about what?"

"Don't play games with me!" Kurama snarled. "You said that I would die if I continued to use the second version of my chakra cloak, but when I removed it, there was nothing wrong with my skin. No lingering trauma, nothing at all."

After taking a moment to compose his thoughts, Arashi raised his voice. "Hm... I've got it. I think the reason why you aren't as injured as you were last time is because you went into 'Version Two' in a different way, wrapping the cloak around you instead of forming it with your blood and skin. Or, you regenerated all of your skin before removing the Version Two chakra cloak. If you did that, it would shorten the lifespan of this... this vessel, but you don't need to worry right now, since you've always recovered from injuries quickly."

"... You might be right," Kurama remarked. "Or maybe you're wrong. Maybe I'm not injured because I went out of 'Version Two' by myself, instead of being forced out like before."

"Perhaps," Arashi said.

"But why would you lie?" Kurama asked angrily. "It would undermine whatever you're trying to do! You're supposed to be my conscience, my voice of reason. If you can't even tell the truth, then –"

Arashi raised a hand. "Don't worry about me, Kurama. Everything I do, is for your benefit. Believe it."

"... Fine, I get your point," Kurama answered.

"I'm glad that you did, Kurama," Arashi said. As he dematerialized, Kurama saw Arashi's form shift slightly, although Kurama couldn't make out all of Arashi's modified details at that moment.

"That's unusual," Kurama said after Arashi left his presence. "I'll have to keep that in mind."

The next day, Kurama was currently standing in the middle of a lake as he prepared to try out a new fighting combination. He summoned a clone and had it catapult him into the sky, and once he reached the apex of his jump, he summoned another clone and used it as a springboard to increasing his diving momentum. Before he could make contact with the ground, Kurama tucked into a ball and gathered chakra around the soles of his feet, hitting the water and landing stiffly, but safely.

After he dispelled all but one of his clones, he rushed through hand seals and put his hand next to his mouth. Fire Style: Flame Wave! Kurama pointed to the left of the clone and shot a stream of fire, moving his head in order to form a wall of fire in front of the clone. With an additional hand seal, Kurama blew a gust of wind, fanning the flames and burning the clone into ash.

That was a success. Kurama thought. Deciding to explore more of the training ground he was currently using, Kurama ran on the lake until he reached its edge. Jumping as high as he could, he leaped over the copse of trees and used his Shadow Clones to keep him in mid-air. Maybe I could use this with Wind chakra instead. He looked downwards and saw an interesting sight.

Flames dotted the field as the two combatants continued what must have been a tough battle. One was wreathed in fire and launched three kunai at her opponent, who blocked them with a gust of wind and released a smokescreen, using Wind chakra to spread the smoke across a wider area. Kurama created his chakra cloak and dug two tails into the ground, so he could continue to observe the fight that had piqued his interest. Learning more ways to use Fire and Wind Style Ninjutsu would be great.

The plume of smoke exploded after Kurama heard a faint clicking sound, but when the smoke cleared, the ground was dark, blackened by the high-stakes battle. The man still stood and lit a cigarette in victory, but the woman from earlier reappeared without the cloak of fire surrounding her and threw the contents of the bottle she was holding over the man, before placing the man's arm behind his back and hooking her arm under the man's elbow. Thrusting her arm upwards and placing her hand on the man's back, the woman used her other hand to create a light flame and placed it dangerously close to the man's neck.

Wait, those two look familiar. Kurama thought as he heard the woman, Kurenai, speak to the man, Asuma.

"Do you give up, Asuma?" Kurenai asked. "If the fire touches you, it'll light up the sake I threw on you and you'll die a gruesome death."

"Would you really do that to me, Kurenai?" Asuma asked, laid back as ever, although Kurama could sense his tension, even from that distance.

What an interesting development. Kurama thought. He heard Kurenai say, "Do you want to find out?"

"No thanks," Asuma said before pointing his head at the ground. He blew out a burst of air and propelled himself upwards, taking Kurenai with him. Once he broke free of Kurenai's grip, Asuma kicked Kurenai to the ground and dropped down himself, before he found himself surrounded by trails of fire. Blowing them away, Asuma found that they wouldn't succumb to the power of his Wind chakra.

Before he knew it and before he could dispel the Genjutsu, he found himself trapped within a flaming willow tree, with the tip of a kunai pointed very close to his neck.

"Now do you give up, Asuma?" Kurenai whispered into Asuma's ear. She looked like she was growing out of the tree as she held the kunai steady. "One slip of my wrist and your throat will be cut."

Asuma smiled. "Fine, I give." The willow tree disappeared and Kurenai appeared in front of Asuma.

"It was a great spar, Asuma," Kurenai said. "Maybe next time, you can use your Flying Swallow techniques on me."

"Sure," Asuma replied with a smile. He looked at the general area Kurama was in, before turning his gaze back to Kurenai. "But not here. Next time we fight, it should be private."

Kurenai laughed faintly. "I agree. Who knows what eavesdroppers see if we go at it? You might cut me up in," Kurenai chuckled again, "very questionable places."

Kurama watched them walk off together and smiled, even if he knew that they knew he was watching them. I've learned a lot of things today. Not only were those techniques that Asuma and Kurenai used pretty useful, I can also sense negative emotions from a distance. Kurama dropped to the clearing once the two Jōnin left and leaped to the skies, finding this new method of travel to be more exhilarating than using the Body Flicker.

Kurama landed with a hard thud and found himself in a part of the village he recognized as the Inuzuka compound. Looks like I got carried away with all that jumping. I'll head back to the Market District before anyone sees me. Before he could clasp his hands in the ram seal, he heard a familiar barking noise.

"Naruto? What are you doing here?" Kiba asked, with Akamaru following close by.

"Trust me; I don't want to be here. I just landed here by accident," Kurama replied as his mood quickly turned sour. "See you around. Or maybe not."

"Wait!" Kiba barked.

Kurama scoffed and placed his hands in the pockets of his black-and-orange jacket. "What do you want? To be friends?" Kurama laughed condescendingly. "Should have thought of that before you ditched me, Kiba."

Kiba scowled. "What do you mean? I thought we were friends back in the Academy. Sure we didn't hang out, but I wasn't rude to you, and I'd always be nice if we were put in groups or something."

"What are you talking about, Kiba? I had no friends." Kurama snarled. "You were the same as Chōji and Shikamaru. When you grew tired of my antics, you discarded me like I was an old toy. Either way, it doesn't matter. I have friends now, so..."

"What happened to you?" Kiba asked as his expression softened into a light frown. "You've never been like this, not even when everyone was laughing at you in class, and you were treated like trash by those villagers."

For a brief second, Kiba saw Kurama's eyes turn red, but when he looked again, they were the same blue colour they always were. "I don't see a reason to tell you anything. And why should you care? Why bother being friends with me? You'll just abandon me once I become boring, won't you? Won't you?"

Kiba took a step backwards, but returned Kurama's glare with one of his own. "You think I wanted to abandon you? I was serious in wanting to become a ninja, while you goofed off. While you were pranking everyone in sight, I was training with Akamaru, or my mom, or my sister. But I still thought we were friends! Maybe I thought you were annoying, but it was because you didn't look like you wanted to be a ninja! Becoming Hokage, that's all you said, to anyone who'd listen!"

Kiba spat at the ground. "I want to be Hokage, and I was willing to put in the work. You weren't and the more I heard you damage the legacy that our Hokages made by being a slacker and an idiot, the more I thought 'what's the point of trying to be friends with a loser like Naruto? What's the point of being friends with someone so pathetic?'"

"You're right," Kurama said honestly. "I made too many mistakes and slacked off, and it took me a while, but I overcame my flaws." And I don't know why I did all of those things. Maybe it was bad habits. Or maybe my memory wasn't the only thing that was sealed up. "I couldn't even do the Clone Jutsu." Kurama went through the hand seals of the Clone Jutsu: Ram-Snake-Tiger, and formed three clones.

"But now I can," Kurama said after he dispersed the clones. These clones just aren't the same as the Shadow Clone. Not even close. "When I graduated, I realized that what I was doing was wrong and I decided to change myself right there and then. Looks like it worked out."

"So what?" Kiba asked. "Even if you've become stronger, you'd still be a bad Hokage. Not because you're too weak, but because you don't get the point of being Hokage. You can't become the leader of our village for selfish reasons. Every single person in the village is part of a pack, and you have to be loyal to everyone, even if you don't like them. That's what being Hokage is all about. You don't become Hokage to get respect; you become Hokage because you are respected, and because you're willing to put the village above yourself."

"Looks like you put some real thought into this, didn't you? I know I didn't. I didn't ever care about what being the Hokage was all about. All I wanted was someone to acknowledge my existence, and becoming the Hokage would force this village to do that. But I was wrong. Before you can change the world, you have to change yourself first, and even if the majority of the village doesn't acknowledge me, the few people that do make it all worth it."

"... For what it's worth, I'm not going to be your friend so that I can get something from you," Kiba said after taking a moment to formulate a response. "I don't roll like that, got it? If you thought I was like that, then sorry."

Kurama sighed deeply. "Maybe you have a point there, Kiba. Either way, I have things to do." Kurama disappeared in a cloud of smoke and left Kiba and Akamaru alone.

Is that what Naruto thought? Kiba thought. Wow, it kinda makes sense. I can't really imagine being alone. And Naruto was for pretty much all of his life. Maybe I was wrong. I could have invited Naruto to my place, or something. I don't know. Still doesn't give him a reason to be so negative. Akamaru's barking broke Kiba out of his train of thought, reaffiriming the fact that he would never be alone.

"Come on, Akamaru," Kiba thought, in order to distract himself from negative thoughts. "We have to train that new technique, remember?"

Akamaru barked in agreement, and Kiba could feel his nin-dog's enthusiasm. Discarding thoughts of Kurama for that moment, Kiba and Akamaru ran off to train themselves and get closer to fulfilling their goals.

"And... done," Shizune said, dropping her pencil and closing the completed scroll. It had taken her a lot of Shadow Clones and nearly three weeks of wrist-cramping writing, but she was done. She stood up from her chair and stretched out the kinks in her system. Once she made sure that everything was in its place, she left her office in the hospital, one that she had practically lived in during her stay in the Leaf Village, if the futon placed near the desk was any indication.

Now she could leave and find Tsunade, and when she thought about her master, Shizune's heart clenched. She couldn't hold up her end of the deal, even if she tried her hardest and nearly exhausted her chakra day after day. The only upside to this was that she didn't have to worry about anyone looking for Tsunade again. And it was more agonizing than she ever thought it would be, not being around Tsunade.

She missed Tsunade, missed everything about her. She had her faults, but whenever Shizune helped Tsunade, she felt fulfilled. Tsunade had taken care of her for most of her life, and she felt like it was her duty to be at Tsunade's side through everything. In fact, as Shizune waved to the nurses and medics that had taken a liking to her and her prodigious medical skill, she realized that she didn't really belong in this village. Not without Tsunade being with her, at the very least.

Even so, she enjoyed her time in the village. Whenever she wasn't busy writing down her extensive medical knowledge, knowledge that she took pride in, she would take a long, private walk throughout the village. It wasn't that she didn't have any friends, since she could always speak to Naruto or Kakashi or even her old classmates, Asuma and Kurenai – who had changed remarkably. She just preferred taking time to relax and let her thoughts wander.

And more often than not, Shizune thought about her master. Her voice and how it filled her with pride whenever she congratulated her or thanked her, how beautiful she was and how she always knew about so many different things. Even if Tsunade had her vices, Shizune accepted them, because they were a part of Tsunade, whether she liked it or not. And while they often had problems because of those vices, they always found a way around them, or worked through them.

She found herself walking closer to the Market District and for a moment, she thought she saw her master. Maybe it's because I've been working too hard, but was that Lady Tsunade? Shizune shook her head. I have to be dreaming. Because that can't have been Lady Tsunade. It can't have been.

"Shizune?" Shizune froze in mid-step when she heard that voice, the voice that belonged to the person she loved the most. She didn't love Tsunade like her uncle did, but she loved her all the same. And when she turned to Tsunade, she smiled brightly and felt complete, for the first time in weeks.

"Tonton, the place we're going to now is the place... where I was born," Tsunade told her pet pig, who she had taken care of after Shizune left them to go to the Leaf Village. The gambling tournament was a bust, but she stopped before she could fall into debt again, and had walked throughout the Land of Fire for the last three weeks after leaving Tanzaku Quarters. She only stopped to sleep, and most of the time, she had a long, blissful, uninterrupted slumber.

She wasn't interrupted at the bar either, and took the opportunity to drink sake or vodka or anything that would satisfy her cravings. She also took time to eat at a restaurant to eat something and get some food for Tonton. If she was bored, she would stretch and do some mild exercise, or head to a hot spring in order to relax. But even with the extra amount of time she wasted on relaxation, she still took responsibility for herself, and for Tonton.

She never drank herself into a stupor, because she knew that if she did, she would probably be at the bar the next day, sprawled out like a lunatic - although no one would be fool enough to try and touch her. If she didn't satisfy her alcoholic craving and felt she was drinking too much, she would go to the hotel or inn she was staying at and drink there. She kept a tighter hold on what remaining money she had, since she wasn't willing to gamble it off and risk falling into more debt.

She didn't have to take responsibility for herself like this since Shizune was a child. Shizune would take her to their room if she passed out after binging on alcohol. Shizune would drag her away from the gambling tables if she was about to lose the remnants of their combined cash reserves. Shizune would be a killjoy and a stick in the mud. And she missed it. Other than taking care of Tonton, she didn't have to worry about much of anything. She had no obligations and total freedom.

But it was a lonesome few weeks. Tonton couldn't speak and Katsuyu, her summon, had her own duties to fulfill and was, as a result, barely available. That was a strange occurrence, because with the exception of Shizune, she was the only one that signed the Slug Summoning Contract, a contract that was always kept on her person. At any rate, Tsunade was still lonely.

And it was because of Shizune. She took in Shizune out of an obligation to her lover, Dan, but one way or another, Shizune became the person she loved the most. It was different to how she loved Dan, but it wasn't quite the same as the love she had about Nawaki. For a long time, for almost twenty years she lived with Shizune and developed an intense attachment for her. She taught her almost all of her techniques, and helped her develop her own moves. She even taught Shizune the theory behind her super strength technique and her most dangerous technique, the Strength of a Hundred Seal.

Shizune had grown up to become a remarkable woman, Tsunade thought. And she was the only reason she was even considering returning to the village, since it was where she suspected she would be. If her hunch was correct, Shizune was here and for whatever reason, backed out of her deal. There were times that she laid awake at night, unable to sleep because of how lonely she was. And how the one constant in her life was gone, just like Nawaki and Dan.

"Is that Tsunade of the Sannin?" One of the village guards asked.

Tsunade walked in the village and blocked out the whispers she began to hear about her. While all the attention was flattering, it would distract her from her current goal: to find Shizune. Even after all of this time, Tsunade knew this village really well and traversing the village that her grandfather made was pretty easy. She didn't recognize some of the buildings, and she knew that certain parts of the village were different, but she still knew that the Hokage's office would be close to the Academy and the Hokage Monument.

A lot of things were running through Tsunade's mind, but she stopped walking and looked at Tonton, who had tried to gain her attention.

"What is it, Tonton? We'll be reunited with Shizune soon enough, so don't be impatient." She knew Tonton could understand her, even though the pig couldn't speak. Tsunade looked in front of her and saw a girl with brown hair tied up into two buns, who was wearing what Tsunade recognized as the flak vest that Chūnin and Jōnin wore over a blue shirt with very short sleeves and dark green pants.

"Can I help you, little girl?" Tsunade asked.

The girl looked like she saw a ghost. "You're Tsunade of the Sannin, aren't you?"

Tsunade crossed her arms under her breasts. "Yes, I am."

The girl beamed. "Really? It's so nice to finally meet you, Lady Tsunade! You're the reason I became a kunoichi in the first place! I really wanted to be strong and smart and amazing like you were. No wait, like you are now! I may not be good at medical Ninjutsu like you are, but I'm going to become the village's greatest weapons master, and it's all thanks to you being such an inspiring person!"

"...I'm flattered, kid," Tsunade responded. She was a very famous person, but she wasn't quite used to this sort of treatment. Maybe it's because I'm known more as an alcoholic gambler than I'm known as a famous kunoichi. "I really am. Just make sure not to emulate everything I do. I get away with being me because I worked for my skills, so I can binge off and do whatever I want to, whenever I want to."

The girl nodded vigorously. "Thanks for the advice, Lady Tsunade!"

Tsunade smirked. The girl was definitely fascinated with her, but Tsunade knew that while she wouldn't stop indulging in her vices, they would destroy the lives of anyone who couldn't adapt. "Look..."

"Tenten. Tenten Higurashi," she supplied.

"I want you to do me a favour, Tenten," Tsunade said seriously. "If you want to be a great kunoichi, don't copy what I do, or do what some other famous ninja might do. Find something that you're good at and don't let anyone put you down or keep you from fulfilling your potential. One mistake on the battlefield, and you die. You're a young kid, so enjoy your life, before you throw it away for the village."

Tenten nodded again, although her bright mood began to dim. "I have something to show you." She pulled out a grey hilt with an ornate design. With an application of chakra, Tenten formed a bright yellow blade that had two smaller blades growing out of the main blade.

"That blade belonged to my granduncle Tobirama, the Second Hokage," Tsunade said. Not only does some random ANBU have the Wood Release, now the Sword of the Thunder Spirit is in the possession of some random girl. After noticing Tenten recognize that fact, she continued speaking. "Where did you get it?"

"I took it from a Hidden Rain shinobi while I was in the Land of Tea, and I kept the blade once me and my team finished our mission there," Tenten explained.

Tsunade sighed. "It looks like it's in good hands."

"You really think so? Thanks so much!" Tenten gushed.

"Don't mention it," Tsunade replied dismissively, although she was smiling. "It was... nice meeting you, Tenten. Remember: don't die like a fool, watch out for yourself and above all else, show them hell. And your life is the most important thing you have, so if you're going to lose, get out of there as safely as you can."

"I will, Lady Tsunade, and it was an honour meeting you," Tenten said happily. After deactivating the Raijin Sword, Tenten put it in her pocket and ran off.

She's a good kid. And since she's probably serious about being a kunoichi, she shouldn't waste her life for this village, like Nawaki and Dan did. People's lives are just too important to be sacrificed for the village.

Tsunade continued to walk and she saw Shizune, who was about to leave the street. She found her target, and she would find out why she ditched her.

"Shizune?" She called out.

Shizune turned around and smiled brightly. "Lady Tsunade! You came back!"

Most of Tsunade's anger evaporated after hearing the passion in Shizune's voice. It almost made her regret resenting Shizune for taking more time than she needed to find her. "I couldn't stay away, I guess."

Once they were next to each other, Tsunade wrapped her arms around Shizune and pulled her into a warm hug. Shizune melted into the hug, returning the embrace passionately.

"I missed you, Lady Tsunade," Shizune whispered into Tsunade's ear.

"And I missed you, Shizune," Tsunade replied. "I never thought that you'd be here, though," she lied. "Looks like I got lucky, for once."

"I'm sorry, Lady Tsunade, I really am," Shizune said truthfully. "See, I had to do some work for Lord Hokage. I wanted to leave so that I could find you, but he said that I could only leave if I wrote down everything I learned from you. See, now that I've done that, Lord Hokage won't need to have Master Jiraiya or someone search for you if they need your help."

Tsunade's grip on Shizune tightened. She was disappointed, angry that Shizune didn't hold up her part of the deal. It was like she suspected: the Hokage had forced Shizune to do his bidding. She couldn't blame Shizune if that was the case, but it didn't mean that she had to like it either. She pulled back and gazed at her companion. "These past few weeks weren't easy, and it made me appreciate how much of a difference you've made in my life, and how much you mean to me."

Shizune flushed. "I... I'm so glad, and I'm so happy that you think of me like this. You mean so much to me, Lady Tsunade, and I want to be at your side for as long as I live."

And I want you to stay with me until the day I die. Tsunade thought as she pulled Shizune back into another embrace. She held her student in her arms for a bit longer before letting go as slowly as she could. "Since I'm here, I might as well go and visit the old man. Want to join me?"

"Always," Shizune replied happily.

If anyone else ditched her, Tsunade would never forgive them. Shizune was the sole exception, and she would make sure that Shizune never left her side ever again.

–Scene Break–

"It's been a while, Tsunade," Hiruzen told Tsunade. They were currently seated in the Hokage's secondary office, and one that had its own view of the village. "How have you been?"

"Pretty good, actually," Tsunade replied. "You know, Sensei, when I heard that Orochimaru invaded the village, I was surprised to hear that he, well, lost to you. No offense, but you're not getting any younger and Orochimaru hasn't aged a day. I'm actually glad that you're alive, and I'm happy that you beat Orochimaru and dealt a blow to his massive ego."

"And how would you know that?" Hiruzen asked.

"I ran into him a few years back," Tsunade explained as she adjusted her position on her couch into one that was more relaxing for her. "He lost his hand, apparently, and he wanted me to heal it. He looked like he didn't age a day, which was a definite surprise. But I learned his 'secret', that he swaps out bodies and uses surgery to keep a youthful appearance."

"Yes, I am aware of that," Hiruzen replied grimly. "As for how I was able to defeat Orochimaru without sustaining serious injury? Naruto Uzumaki transferred some of the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra into me, which had the additional benefit of regenerating any wounds that I sustained while battling Orochimaru, as well as regenerating cells and older injuries."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "You mean that the Nine-Tails' chakra actually made your body create new cells?"

"That's right, Lady Tsunade," Shizune said as she stroked Tonton's back. "I tested it out while I was travelling with Naruto and Master Jiraiya. The Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra doesn't flush out poison that well, but with sustained use, the body's natural healing process speeds up significantly. In extreme cases it'll cause the body to create new cells instead of dividing cells, using the external chakra as a medium."

Interesting. Tsunade thought as her interest in something that related to medical affairs was piqued for the first time in a long while. "...This village is truly full of surprises. First I hear about an ANBU with the Wood Release. Then I see the Raijin Sword in the hands of a teenage Chūnin, and now this."

"And not only that, I broke the curse behind your necklace," Jiraiya said from his place on the windowsill, wearing a boastful grin.

Tsunade heard the voice and gulped harshly. She was about to curse her stroke of luck, but when she turned and saw her best male friend, a wide, genuine smile formed on her face. It's been a month, and he's still alive. He did it. He really did it. "How did you do it, Jiraiya? How did you break that horrible curse?"

"Simple," Jiraiya said as he entered the office. "I never wore the necklace, and I gave it to a genetic clone of the First Hokage. That way, the necklace would recognize its true master."

"Let me guess, Orochimaru had something to do with the poor kid who was a pawn in his mad quest for power," Tsunade said flatly. Jiraiya nodded and Tsunade resisted the urge to sigh deeply. Orochimaru was never normal, but for the longest amount of time, Tsunade never imagined that Orochimaru would become so dangerously unhinged.

"Many things have changed," Hiruzen observed. "But at the same time, many things have stayed the same. But I digress. Jiraiya, what new information do you have for me?"

"Orochimaru's mobilized a small contingent. They should arrive here by tomorrow, and if my source is correct, they'll be targeting Sasuke Uchiha," Jiraiya reported.

"So he can get his body, correct?" Tsunade asked.

Hiruzen nodded. "Orochimaru has always expressed an interest in gaining as much knowledge as possible. While I can sympathise with the pursuit of knowledge, his methods are far too dangerous and amoral for us to let him continue. However, what Orochimaru is doing now is not something unanticipated. In order to keep an image of strength after the Invasion, most of our shinobi of Chūnin and Jōnin rank are busy on missions. With our forces weakened due to the Invasion, it gives him the opportunity to further debilitate our village's strength. We still have a trump card, however, in case of another invasion."

"Speaking of our trump card, do you want me to fetch Naruto?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yes, bring Naruto, Sasuke and any other available shinobi of suitable strength that have not been hospitalized in the last week," Hiruzen ordered.

Tsunade shrugged. "I guess Shizune and I don't count, don't we?"

"That depends, Tsunade. Do you want to become an active member of our forces once again?" Hiruzen asked.

"... We'll see how it goes, Sensei," Tsunade replied. "Jiraiya. After you're done with what Sensei wants you to do, we need to talk."

Jiraiya nodded and gave Tsunade a smile, one that Tsunade returned. Maybe I'll stick around for a bit and see what happens. Only for a little bit, though.

Orochimaru was frustrated with his current situation. While Kimimaro had recovered from the symptoms he had been suffering through as a result of Karin's technique, his disease had not gone away like he had hoped it would, making him unsuitable for takeover. He couldn't curse Karin for being incompetent or blame Kabuto for giving an incorrect diagnosis, since they completed their tasks as effectively as they could.

And it was a shame. Kimimaro was one of his most powerful servants and would have made a perfect vessel. Due to Kimimaro's Cursed Seal and his powerful kekkei genkai, the Dead Bone Pulse, Orochimaru anticipated the possibility of using Sage Mode after inhabiting Kimimaro's body. It would give him the edge against Hiruzen-sensei and bring him one step closer to fulfilling his ultimate goal.

But now he couldn't. So he sent Kimimaro along with the other members of the Sound Four to the Hidden Leaf Village in order to abduct Sasuke and mark him with the Cursed Seal. Of course, he made sure that Kimimaro left only a few hours after the others did, so that he could throw off any of that fool Jiraiya's spies.

"Lord Orochimaru," Karin said after entering his office. "Kimimaro has left the country. What do you want me to do now?"

"I want you to tell Guren to come to me as soon as possible," Orochimaru answered. Moving had become a troublesome process, even if his body was technically at full health. "Then I want you to tell Kabuto to prepare the operating room for a body transfer."

Karin nodded. "Yes, my Lord. And I won't fail you."

Orochimaru had tried to wave his hand dismissively, but his hand moved erratically. He scowled. "Do not fail me, for your sake and for mine, Karin. And I expect you to deliver good results from your medical training with Kabuto. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," Karin said, using her hand to stifle a laugh. She took her leave immediately after, before she could incite more of Orochimaru's ire, and soon after, she returned with Guren and with a bow, she left the two alone. Orochimaru memorized her appearance, because if Sasuke could not be retrieved in time, Guren would become his new vessel.

As it was, Guren was a woman with light blue hair tied up in a spiky ponytail, with two bangs framing either side of her face. She wore a green dress that had a long left sleeve and a short right one over a red turtleneck that had a fluffy collar attached to it.

"You called, Lord Orochimaru?" Guren asked.

Orochimaru gave Guren a rough nod. "Do you know why you are here while the Sound Five are going to bring Sasuke Uchiha to me?"

"I don't know, Lord Orochimaru, and I don't know why you want Sasuke Uchiha's body. He isn't loyal to you at all, but I am," Guren replied passionately.

"Do not fret, Guren," Orochimaru said. "I appreciate your loyalty, and you will be rewarded accordingly. All I want you to do now is to put your affairs in order. Anything you want done that is within my power to give you will be given to you."

Guren nodded and left the room, and Orochimaru knew that her hopes of becoming his vessel had risen dramatically. Guren was much like Kimimaro and had her own kekkei genkai, the Crystal Release. And with her proficiency in it, along with her superior chakra reserves, Orochimaru had the feeling that he would be able to use Sage Mode if he inhabited Guren.

He could be patient, and he would make sure that he did not become like the ouroboros, who did the same thing perpetually, even if it would bring it harm. His approach to obtaining Sasuke's power was different this time, and on the off-chance it would fail, he would try again with a different plan.

After all, all paths ultimately lead to the same destination.

Jutsu List

Fire Style: Flame Wave - C-Rank, Ninjutsu, defensive. The user blasts a wave of fire that creates a wall of flames in front of either the user or the target, depending on where the user aims the technique. With an additional hand seal, the user can fan the flames and strike the target from many directions.