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Between Dimensions: Chapter one
"What?! What did you mean he disappeared?! How can anyone disappear like that from nowhere?!"
"It is what it is, Hokage-sama." Karasu said kneeling down.
"We chased him to the end, where we found a room that apparently would be his personal quarters. We saw the trail of blood left behind by his injuries, and then the trail ended in an ordinary place." Kitsune explained, also kneeling.
"There were no walls nearby, and the floor was solid. And due to his condition, Orochimaru would not have the time or the required chakra to perform some kind of complex jutsu."
"This means he used some other way to escape." Tsunade concluded, sighing. "What a sneaky bastard."
"Although…" Karasu resumed his mission report. "We find something near where the major blood concentration on the floor was." Karasu said, extending a scroll. "This means that maybe he used somehow this scroll to escape."
"What do you mean maybe he used?" Tsunade asked, taking the scroll from the man's hands. She gasped. "What the hell is this?!"
"That's why I said 'maybe', we don't understand the language in this." Karasu replied.
"We were hopeful that you could understand the scroll's contends." Kitsune said.
"Take that to the Konoha cryptography division." Karasu took the scroll again. "Something else?"
"Yes." Kitsune said. He pumped chakra in a scroll, and a vault appeared. "It was also on the ground. We believe that this scroll was being guarded in this safe." Tsunade widened her eyes.
"That… Was Sarutobi sensei's personal safe!" She took the vault, analyzing it. "Well, now we must have caution, because he may be learned a dangerous jutsu. Karasu, Kitsune, go to his last location, and do a thorough search of the entire area. Maybe we will find some trail at some distance, so take Kakashi with you. His summons will be useful. And don't forget to hand over the scroll to the cryptography division. Dismissed."
"Hai!" They both said, vanishing in a whirl of flames and golden lightning, respectively. Tsunade sighed, turning her chair to the window and admiring the village, deep in thought.
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He was not fully healed, but at least now he was able to stop the bleeding. And thanks to the time at rest, he recovered almost all of his chakra. No longer feeling so exhausted, he emerged from the root of a tall tree, which offered him temporary shelter. He decided to leave that dense forest, and watched around him. He walked a little, without letting his guard down; after all he had no idea where the hell he was. On top of that, he lost the broken kunai, which meant that he could not return for the same object from which he came. It might not have been a good idea to have let it go seconds after being sucked, but he wouldn't blame his survival reflexes. Lost in his thoughts, he arrived in an open field. He narrowed his eyes, and concentrated. He felt three chakras, one medium, one weak, and one that swayed, as if struggling to be alive. But there was something different about this last swinging chakra ... It was hard to describe, but it felt like it was just a fraction of something bigger. Orochimaru frowned. His curiosity spoke louder, and he headed toward where the chakra signals came from.
After a while, he detected two more chakras, one weak and the other ... Different, as if emanating two different types of chakra. And the weirdest thing is that one of these two chakra readings is identical to that of the weak creature. Orochimaru frowned, what the hell is going on in that place? He approached, and identified an old building, with a tall grass garden. Would that be ... A house? But by the state of this, it hasn't been used for decades. On guard, he entered the house, camouflaging himself in the shadows. He froze when he heard screams, which slowly became groans, and then the sound of something, like a body, falling to the floor. He went up a flight of stairs, and heard a scraping noise. Her eyes widened when she saw a huge snake, feeding on what appeared to be an elderly man. He was static, the two chakra readings came from that animal. He got closer, he wanted to study it. The snake stopped what it was doing, and watched him. Orochimaru smiled. When he tried to do something, the snake rose and hissed loudly. And then, a weak but firm voice, coming from the room whose door was ajar, caught his attention.
"What is it, Nagini?" The voice asked. The snake dragged himself backwards, still staring at the pale man in front of her, hissing all the time. "What? Who's there?" The voice screamed. The door was abruptly opened, and a short, fat, bald man with a little bit of front teeth, looked at him, his eyes widening.
"Hello" Orochimaru said, smirking. Then, another man, apparently in his middle thirties, with a slightly pale freckled skin and a tuft of blond hair appeared, pointing a strange and thin thing at his chest.
"He saw too much, kill him!" The weak voice ordered.
"Avada Kedavra!" Shouted the two mans. Orochimaru saw two strange green beams, and his instinct spoke louder. He was quick to replace himself with a log and with one movement, appeared behind them and smacked their necks, knocking them out cold.
"Kukukuku. That's how you treat your guests? How rude." Orochimaru said. He then walked to the chair, and gasped. "What… The fuck…?" In front of him was a kind of malformed body, as if it were a giant fetus. Bald, thin, and weak-looking and sick.
"I could say the same… I can tell that you aren't from here…" The thing replied. Orochimaru smirked.
"Clever little alien, aren't you?" Voldemort gave a weak laugh.
"You wouldn't be so cheeky… If I was in my prime." Nagini hissed.
"I like your summon. In all these years that I have been the summoner of snakes, I have never seen her. "
"Summon?" Voldemort asked, clearly confused. Orochimaru arched an eyebrow. A brief moment of silence invaded the room.
'How does he not know what a summon is? If that snake is not an invocation, what is it then?' Orochimaru thought. He decided it was time to get some information. "Where are we?" Voldemort gave a weak chuckle.
"I knew it all along… Nagini said your smell is… Different." Orochimaru frowned. Watching that being fidget with difficulties in his chair, he decided that he would gain nothing by being there. He turned his back, but before he could do anything else, that voice spoke again. "Wait…" Orochimaru turned his head, observing him from the corner of his eye. "Maybe… We can help each other…"
"I'm listening."
"Maybe we… Can send you… To where you came from…"
"How?"
"Help me, and in turn… I'll help you…"
"Or I can kill you right now and go find a way by myself." Voldemort chuckled.
"Yes, you could… But maybe I have something that… Can be of interest… For you…?" Orochimaru took his time, thinking.
"Again, I'm listening."
"I can tell… That you are very… Powerful. I ask myself… What a man as… Powerful as you… Possibly wants?" Orochimaru crossed his arms.
"They say that flattery is the safest way to stay alive, you know…?"
"I'm well aware…"
"Okay, I'll play along. I can detect that you are… Exquisite."
"Don't be fooled… By my looks…"
"That's not what I'm talking about. I can see that your chakra is a mere fraction of your true pool."
"I don't… Know what is… Chakra. But in some way… You are right."
"Then how you can summon the snake? What are these green beams your lackeys fired at me?"
"I don't summon her, Nagini is… My friend. And the beams… Are spells."
"…Spells…?"
"Yes. I think that… What you call chakra… We call magic. Maybe… They can be… Similar in a way…"
"I see. So I presume that you don't know what a shinobi is too."
"Correct."
'Crap. Where the fuck am I?'
"I can see that you are… Confused. Let me… Explain. I think that… You're from another realm… Or must I say… Another dimension…" Orochimaru widened his eyes. "Dimension hopping is… A very advanced branch of magic… One that I sadly… Can't execute… Yet."
"Yet?"
"Not in this… Current form."
"Ah, that explains why your chak- I mean, magic, looks like a fraction."
"Wrong. What you see… Is a piece of my soul." Again, Orochimaru widened his eyes.
"Care to explain?"
"To summarize… I cut my soul into pieces… So when my body was destroyed… I still wouldn't die." Orochimaru's jaw fell to the ground. And there he was, the secret to something he had always sought for his entire life: immortality. A secret well hidden, in another dimension.
"Now that interests me!" Orochimaru gave a wide smile.
"I'm the only one… That I know could do… That kind of magic. Help me… And it shall be yours as well."
"But what assures me that this magic will work?"
"As you can see… It worked with me…"
"And it will work in my dimension?"
"Why not try… To do now something that… You can do there…?" Orochimaru raised his chakra, the blue overwhelming aura impressing Voldemort. From his arm, countless snakes enveloped Voldemort's lackeys, lifting them in the air. Then, a sword came out from his mouth. With just one hand, Orochimaru made some seals, and encrusted his sword with fire. Voldemort smirked. That bastard wasn't just testing his powers. No, that was a demonstration of his strength. He was clearly showing the dark lord that he is not a person who can be provoked. This was clearly a message of intimidation.
Orochimaru on the other hand, was smiling all along. He could feel that this deformed man was powerful, so it wouldn't hurt to show just a small part of everything he could do.
"I need to ask you ... not to kill them yet. They ... Will still be useful to me ... To make my return… And give me a body…"
"You know, if I kill you now, I can resurrect you later." For a moment, Voldemort widened his eyes. Maybe if he teaches this man how to make his own Horcruxes, then he will teach him how to do that. But for now, this was not the best option. Aside from having to die five more times, and revealing his most valuable secrets, he did not trust this man at all. He stank of betrayal. It could be his deliberately fragile state at the moment that put him in guard, but he was always sure that one snake could feel another one from miles away. Not to mention that he knew nothing about this man's strange abilities, and reliving him would certainly cost him a price, perhaps greater than the loss of his own life.
"Thank you but… That won't do… For now." Orochimaru raised one eyebrow. This man was smart. But for now, considering his options, he may be one of the strongest beings in this reality, so he doesn't have much to do but go according to the tide. He released the man's lackeys, and smirked.
"Fine, let's do it your way."
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He woke up, alarmed, sweating. What the hell was that dream? Who the bloody hell was that guy that was with Wormtail? And on top of that, who in the nine hells was that pale, hairy and extremely creepy guy?! He woke up before he could see his face clearly, but he would never forget that cynical smile, and how he defeated the other two with extreme ease. And there was an old man too. Harry brought his hands to his face, more precisely where his lightning scar was, throbbing so hard that he thought he would lose consciousness. He looked at the calendar, a little less than a month to go back to Hogwarts. He looked at the birthday cards that he received a few days ago from his friends and smiled.
But then, he took his hand to where his scar was. If there was anything he learned in those three long, crazy years of his life, it is that nothing, nothing at all, should be ignored. In the magical world, everything can be a sign of something much worse. Or the smallest of the actions leads to insane consequences. When he go to a bank guarded by elves? Dark lord tries to return using the philosopher's stone. When a house elf visit him in a Muggle house? End of the year he ends up fighting against the memory of said lord and a basilisk. When an assassin escape the best kept prison in the wizarding world? He has to face a werewolf and a horde of dementors to save this murderer who ends up being his godfather. Definitely, Harry didn't even have a normal year at Hogwarts. And, thinking like that, while picking up a pen and paper to write a letter, he is excited to know what this year awaits. But… What to write? And for who? Not for his friends, that's for sure. He already could see in his mind Hermione telling him to write to Dumbledore, and Ron freaking out, trying to see a good side in the situation. And so, he decided. He will inform Sirius.
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Dumbledore was circling in his private room. The recent events of that week are still fresh in his mind. He has a bad feeling, which has been hammering in his mind since the minister of magic brought certain events to him. Minister who became a frequent visitor.
"Albus!" Said man opened his door, screaming his name.
"What now, Cornelius?"
"Berta. Berta Jorkins is still missing!"
"I see, if-"
"And that's not all!" Cornelius interrupted. "My aurors said that suspect activities are in all the corners of the country! Apparently, some people are messing with dark magic."
"And there is the rumor, too." Dumbledore pointed out, darkly.
"You don't think that is true, right? I mean, a new Dark Lord?"
"Life can be full of surprises, Cornelius." Dumbledore remembered the letter he received from Sirius, saying that Harry's scar reacted to something, and throbbed madly causing a hell of a headache in the boy. The last time the boy's scar throbbed, Voldemort was in Hogwarts. So the boy's scar hurts is never a good sign. And on top of that, there's still that event this year. Something in his mind alerted him that something big will happen. And so, he must be prepared.
"And look at that!" Cornelius screamed. At that time, Snape and Minerva entered his office.
"Headmaster" Both said.
"Ah Severus, Minerva. Our friend Fudge is about to show us something interesting." They both looked at the man. Cornelius then fished something from a hidden pocket of his pinstripe suit.
"That is a memory from an auror, collected before he died. Would you be so kind to let me borrow your pensieve?" Dumbledore nodded. Cornelius then poured a strange silvery liquid into the pensieve, and soon shapes could be seen appearing in the water. "I already saw that, but I want your opinion. That type of magic isn't common!" His voice was a mixture of doubt, confusion, and bewilderment and above all, fear. The three stared at him, it is common knowledge that Fudge is impressed by little, and his courage is also questionable. But as soon as Snape and Minerva noticed fear and a certain fear in the director's eyes as well, they knew instantly that something bad is happening or is going to happen. Dumbledore shook his head positively, and they all sunk their faces to observe the memory.
The shapes took form of a dark street, where some cloaked figures were together; apparently deciding something, while another one stood out, as if it were a kind of leader.
"Drop your wands and don't move!" An auror screamed. The cloaked figures turned to stare at the group of newly arrived wizards. The auror, whose memory is the one being watched, gasped when he saw the mask on their faces.
"You're Death Eaters, aren't you?" And to his surprise, they laughed. The figure in the center took a step ahead, making the aurors to grasp firmly their wands.
"Kukukuku what a cute little toy. But I prefer mine!" And with a swing of his hand, he threw a pointed object at one wizard's chest, instantly killing him. In his spectral form, Dumbledore widened his eyes, very surprised and terrified. The aurors were petrified by surprise and fear, as if the air around then irradiated death, making even breath almost impossible. The masked man with black robes vanished, leaving only the masked leader behind.
"What… what…" All of then widened their eyes when the figure did some gestures with both his hands.
"I think I'm a little rusty, so I beg your pardon in anticipation, in case you agonize instead of die instantly." He smirked behind his mask. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" And then, out of his fucking mouth, a giant fireball was lanced against the wizards, and that was when the memory ended.
"Holy crap Albus, what was that?!" Screamed Minerva, almost instantly as the memory faded.
"I think that is something we can't ignore. Nor, in case of many of us, confront."
"What we will do, Albus?!" Cornelius asked, visibly freaking out.
"I think that it's best to not mess with then for not. Not alone, that is."
"What do you mean?!"
"I think I have a… Solution of sorts. Cornelius, please try to stay calm and collected, and keep that information down. Let's keep this year's schedule. I'll now who can help us with this new threat."
"I hope you are right, Albus." The man seemed to relax a little. "Well if you excuse me, I have to go."
"Ah yes, of course. Minerva, please accompany him to the gates."
"Of course, headmaster. Let us go, sir." Minerva said, already opening the office's door.
"Albus." The man said in a goodbye tone. Dumbledore nodded, and the two walked of the office, closing the door.
"Headmaster, if I may be so bold, but why that magic seemed so… Odd? And what is your solution if I may ask?"
"Patience, Severus. Better than answering, I can and will show you. Now what you are about to see here, I must ask you to keep it ultimately for yourself, am I clear?"
"Of course, sir."
"Great." Dumbledore then picked a safe, and opened it. Snape's eyes widened, as he instantly recognized the object that was inside. It was the same of the one that mysterious man used to kill a wizard. Only this was a little old. Dumbledore then, cutted himself, and did some strange signs, like that man did too.
"Albus, what is the meaning of this? What are you doing?"
"I confess that I haven't done it for decades, so I will probably end up exhausted. If that happens, please, continue from where I left of. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Now, let us go."
"Where, if I may ask?" Dumbledore gave him a wide smile.
"We will meet with and old friend of mine!" And after that, they both got sucked, vanishing in thin air.
To be continued
And that's it folks. I hope you guys liked it. See ya in the next one!