CHAPTER 11: The One Who Fell
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Orochimaru was once Sarutobi Hiruzen's prized student. Out of the three Sannin, it was glaringly obvious that the old man favored Orochimaru more than his former teammates. When he was young, Orochimaru would walk around the village and hear the praises from the mouths of the people. How lucky he was that he was being groomed to be the next Hokage.
But that was before everything went downhill. That was before the village – the whole world – found out about his illegal experiments. As soon as everything went down, Orochimaru escaped the village. He didn't bother with explaining or defending himself. He knew that no one would be able to understand the beauty of immortality. No one would understand how ugly it was to simply accept death.
The Fallen King. It was a moniker he grew to love. Really, it was the perfect name to describe him. Him – a person who was on his way to becoming the Kage of a great village, a legendary War Figure, a genius with intellectual capabilities revered through the frontlines. Oh, how the mighty has fallen.
His golden eyes have seen people like him. Met people like him. It was as if life liked to keep them bound together. Him, the Friend – killer Hatake Kakashi, Sharingan no Uchiha Itachi, Shunshin no Shisui, and even Shinobi no Yami Shimura Danzo. The Sannin has seen how deep they all fell from greatness, him and that council elder more so. It was fun at first, but now they were all old news. He wanted to see a new blood, the one who'll fall next because they always do. Sooner or later, the Greats always fall.
Now, he's excited to see how far she'll fall.
"You are Haruno Sakura, correct?" The snake grinned, not at all worried that a genin Nara boy had managed to stop him from putting a Cursed Seal by using his clan's famous technique.
"And you are the Snake Sannin. I'm not pleased to meet you." The pinkette quipped as she retrieved Sasuke's bruised body and helped him lean on a tree beside Shikamaru. From afar, Shino had managed to get both Hinata and an unconscious Naruto to a safe distance away from the psycho.
Orochimaru chuckled, "Tell me, how high will you let yourself fall?" He asked before he let out a strong gust of wind that knocked the nearby trio away from him, effectively making Shikamaru drop his Kagemane no Jutsu.
"Shikamaru, continue with the plan!" Sakura called out as she slapped a chakra seal on the branch she was currently on, a good few meters away from the Sannin.
"Got it," Shikamaru turned to throw Sasuke's arm over his shoulder.
"Oi, you're going to leave her here?" Sasuke protested as he tried to look back to the pinkette, "Are you out of your mind, Nara? We don't leave our teammates behind!"
"We're doing this to help your team. Stop whining and believe in us." Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he followed Shino, who was carrying an unconscious Naruto, and Hinata. "She beat your ass back at the Academy, don't underestimate my teammate."
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"Let's have a little chat, little princess." Orochimaru grinned as he watched the pinkette from his position below the tree branch she was on. "You made my cute, little prey escape before I had the chance to give him my gift. This is the least that you can do."
"I'd rather not, Fallen King." She threw back a taunt of her own. She knew that she was severely outclassed, but she had to buy some time for Shikamaru and the rest to get far away from wherever this place was.
"You misunderstood," The Sannin smiled at the genin, "I wasn't giving you a choice."
Sakura frowned as she eyed the distance between the two of them. 'They better get away as fast as they can.' Neither Shikamaru nor Shino had sent a clear signal for her to signify that they were far enough from the Sannin and she didn't like the predicament that she was in, Rookie of The Year she may be, she wasn't cocky enough to think that she could take on a Sannin.
"Okay…," She bit her lip in hesitation, "What did you want to talk about?" If talking with him would buy them some time, she was going to risk it.
"Are you not curious about what I was trying to give to your precious friend?"
"I'm sure it's not something legal, you don't have a pretty track record with those."
Orochimaru chuckled in amusement, "The Cursed Seal of Heaven is not something that can easily be judged as right or wrong," His long tongue slithered, "I am in a journey of attaining immortality, you see."
He vanished and reappeared in front of the pinkette. "It's a long process that requires me to change bodies every now and then. An Uchiha's body would have been the ticket to getting closer to my dream." Golden eyes clashed with wide emerald eyes.
Sakura glared at him and immediately jumped to a new branch away from him. "Immortality can never be attained. Everyone dies someday. It's basic knowledge that even the dumbest people acknowledge."
"Ah yes, the unassuming assumption that life ends. Not really interested in that concept, to be honest," Orochimaru looked at her with a smile, "The thought that life is a never – ending cycle is so boring and mundane. What I am interested in is how far you'll fall."
"How far I'll what?"
"I've kept my eye on you for a while now. Child Prodigy, Genius, Rookie of The Year. I'm sure you've heard of those titles now. You have lived through the life of being the best among the rest, but have you heard of the other side of that?" He moved to walk towards her but stopped when the pinkette summoned a kunai.
"Stay where you are before I blow this place sky high."
He chuckled, "That's a petty threat, but I'll entertain your ruse." He crossed his arms with a grin on his face, "Now, answer my question."
"I've never heard of that particular story. But what do I know? I'm just a low Genin ranked child with a higher IQ than the rest of my peers. Truly, I'm not really that special."
"My dear, people like us don't simply identify as 'people with a higher IQ'. Going back, it's not a story; it's a fact of life. More like a never – ending life cycle." Orochimaru gestured to the sky, "It's a fact just like how the sky is blue and that the grass is green. People, blessed people, fall when greatness and the favor of the gods have left them."
"People like you?" Emerald eyes narrowed, "I don't see why you'd rather chat with me than go for your precious prey."
"No, it's for people like us." Orochimaru smiled, "I'd admit that I can go after Sasuke – kun, but talking to a fellow prodigy is more entertaining. I'm curious and excited to see the day you fall from your pedestal, little princess."
"Let's say that you and I are alike," Sakura frowned, "I would never 'fall'. Unlike you, I have people I have to protect."
This made Orochimaru laugh like she just told the joke of the year, "My dear, we always fall. And when we do, we fall alone."
Sakura glared at the Sannin, face still set into a frown when she hears a chakra enhanced whistle. Regroup. 'Took them long enough,' she thought as she thinks of the fastest way to get away from the crazy man. Her emerald eyes glanced at the chakra seal she had set on a tree branch above.
"Eyes on me!" Orochimaru yelled as he appeared in front of Sakura with a kunai, his stance poised to slash her cleanly on the face.
'Shit!' She clenched her teeth as she was forced to activate the chakra seal on the branch above and reappeared there. Her prototype chakra seal only worked once before they become useless. Unlike the Yondaime's Hiraishin seal, hers were still in their early works and had a severe disadvantage with both functionality and range.
"Never take your eyes away from the predator, little princess."
"I'm done talking with you," She said before she activates the trap she had set up earlier, 'This was for Plan D, but…' "Release!"
She leaped to the other side of the clearing the moment three trees exploded and a series of chakra threads trapped the Sannin. A futile effort, yes, but the pinkette was not going to pull a Naruto – move and throw a bunch of jutsu to the experienced man. 'Just distract him enough to get away,' she thought as she placed her hands together.
"Suikusari no Jutsu!" Emerald eyes watched as chains made out of water appeared and reinforced her trap, the Sannin calmly watching her despite his predicament.
"We'll meet again, we always do. Life has the tendency to draw us all together at some point," Orochimaru began but Sakura was having none of it. She already felt like she was pushing her luck with how long she had spent conversing with the deranged man, she wasn't keen on seeing this to the end.
Feeling for the nearest pull from the chakra seals her team had placed, she activated one and disappeared from the Sannin's view.
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"You sure you guys will be alright?" Sakura asked as she and her team watched the roughened team 7 with worried eyes.
Hinata gave out a soft smile to the pinkette, "W – We still have to finish the - the exam," she mentioned before turning around to catch up to her teammates that was waiting for her a few paces ahead. "We'll see you at the tower." She waved.
"Stay safe, you guys!" Naruto grinned as he excitedly waved his arms goodbye.
Sasuke sighed before he turned to lead the way for his team. He lazily waved a hand over his shoulder in a typical 'cool' boy pose.
"Let's get going," Shikamaru said as he watched the sky from whatever space he could see from the giant trees, "We're losing daylight. At this point, we might get there around dark." He groaned before he began to walk away.
"That man," Shino murmured, "Is very dangerous." He turned to the pinkette, "You were amazing to have held a few minutes with him."
"Gee, I wonder why I was there in the first place." Sakura scowled before she moved a gloved hand to re – tie her hair into a bun, "Plus, he wasn't serious at that time. It was like he was playing tea time with me."
"That's an odd way to state it," Shino wondered.
"Perfect. It matched the odd situation we were in."
"Before anything else, Sakura," Shikamaru called out from the front, "Plan D."
"Yeah, yeah…" The pinkette sighed as she caught up to both boys and teleported to the chakra seal nearest to the Tower.
Team 10 walked quietly towards the entrance before they stopped in front of large writing on the wall. Not even troubled, Shikamaru simply looked at the pinkette before he gestured to the forest. A soft 'Release' was heard before Training Ground 44 set off like a minefield.
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A.N:
Hiiiii, the first semester is nearly ending in our country, so I might be able to write more chapters :)) Anyways, how was your day :3