It felt like years went by in that genjutsu Father had put me in but in reality, it was only for a few hours. Months have passed since he started using genjutsu on me and I have to say, it did work. Since that day I felt nothing towards any living or once living thing and had thanked him for helping me with my weakness. I mostly felt numb at times barely feeling anything at times. It gave me more time to focus on my tasks at hand instead of wallowing over Father's affection.

Each day, I've been practicing the summoning technique getting further and further each day focusing on nothing but summoning the largest snake. I had just gotten back from dinner and watched the sun slowly start to set along the horizon. My chakra was fully replenished from training earlier, so I decided to try one more time pouring all of my chakra into it then slammed my hand to the ground.

Smoke erupted from the ground reaching the sky making me look up to see a purple snake staring down at me. "Who summoned me?" It hissed with such force, but I stood my ground.

"Me," I answered confidently staring up at the beast showing no fear.

"You? Ha don't make me laugh human! Where is Orochimaru? I know that he summoned me." He proceeded to laugh throwing his head back as he did.

"Is your name Manda?"

"Who wants to know?" He questioned bringing his head down to my level baring his fangs attempting to scare me.

"I do,"

"And who are you human? You looked too puny to have summoned me."

"I am Ko; Orochimaru's daughter."

"Daughter! Ha like he would have a child."

"Well he did," this snake was starting to waste my time. He looked me over as I stared back at hi,

"Hmmmm you do have hair like him...the eyes are different...same pale skin...same body structure...no marks on you face...you have the same aura...you're not as evil as him though...hmmm the blood on the scroll is the same...I guess you are his daughter."

"Told you,"

"How could someone like you summon me?"

"I've been practicing the summoning jutsu for the months now with all my chakra." I informed him remembering all the times I passed out from chakra exhaustion.

"Where's your father?"

"Home,"

"Get him for me,"

"No," he didn't scare me which looked like it annoyed him.

"What did you say human?!" He screeched in anger bearing his fangs at me hoping to get a reaction.

"I said no,"

"How dare you disrespect me! You owe me 1,000 human sacrifices!"

"I didn't disrespect you, I just don't want to do what you told me to." I replied starting to get bored of this conversation.

"Do as I say human!" He commanded but was ignored.

"You can't tell me what to do Manda. I summoned you which means that I order you around not the other way around."

"I can eat you." He threatened lunging forward attempting to follow through with his threat, but I merely jumped onto his head.

"I can chop you up into tiny little pieces and eat you." I jumped above him then kicked his head to the ground followed by getting behind him to grab his tail and swung him around tossing him away.

"How dare you!" He screeched once he landed.

"There's a lot more where that came from Manda. I will not be your slave, you are mine."

A dark aura was surrounding me which made all the animals in the area run away. Manda stared at me with fear in his snake eyes.

"Y-yes master."

"That's what I thought."

"But I will not show any respect for your father."

"I understand...you may go back to where you came from."

"Yes master."

With that he disappeared, so I went back to the base. I went back to Father's office to tell him the good news. Right when I got to his office, he opened the door before I could even knock.

"Ko; just who I wanted to see. Put on some nice clothes and meet me at the entrance in ten minutes."

He left to go to his own room leaving me in the hallway. With a sigh, I went to my own room and changed into a black kimono. I put a red rose clip in my hair holding my bangs back then left my room. When I reached the entrance of the hideout Father was dressed more formal.

"Let's go," He ordered turning away from me and started to walk down the path.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we walked.

"We're going to meet with the Fuma clan to confirm their allegiance. Be on your best behavior."

"Yes sir,"

After about twenty minutes of walking, we arrived at the Fuma clan compound. There weren't as many Fuma people here as last time when we first arrived to create the village. They've been dropping like flies because they didn't want to join us. I saw a young girl about my age with dark orange hair following a young boy with light lavender hair.

"Orochimaru-sama," The boy greeted with a bow.

"Arashi," Father greeted.

"This is my cousin Sasame; who is that with you?"

"This is my daughter Ko; how about while we talk while they play." Father suggested resting a hand on my back to push me towards the young girl.

My eyes widened that for once he actually introduced me as his daughter to a complete stranger.

"Splendid idea," he responded with a smile then looked down at the girl, "be good Sasame."

Soon they left leaving us alone. I looked over at Sasame seeing she was glaring intently at me.

"Why are you still here? Why didn't you leave with the rest of your clan?" I questioned the young girl.

"W-what do you mean?" She was startled by my question.

"I can tell that you're against this alliance." Her glares gave everything away, she was foolish to think no one would notice.

"How can you tell?"

"The way you look at me and my Father, even though you're young you don't believe in this."

"I don't want to leave my cousin, he's all I have." She said softly exposing weakness.

"Ah you don't leave because of the bond with your cousin; how pitiful." I scoffed rolling my eyes.

"How is that pitiful?!" She shouted with anger, but I only waved her off.

"Bonds are weak." I told her repeating Father's words.

"No they aren't!" She argued stomping her foot in protest.

"Just wait, you'll see what I mean."

Just as she was about to say something Father and Arashi came back.

"Ko, were you on your best behavior?" Father asked.

"Of course, Lord Orochimaru," I replied.

"Well, it was nice seeing you again," Father said as we were leaving.

"The girl is going to betray us in the near future." I informed him making him chuckle.

"I know, she doesn't seem loyal like her cousin." Of course, he knew, he knows everything.

"We don't need her anyway; she's weak." I spat wishing we could just dispose of her.

"How's the summoning going?" He questioned changing the subject.

"I mastered it."

"You mastered it in only a few months?" He sounded as if he didn't believe me which I didn't doubt.

"Yes,"

"How do you know that you mastered it?"

"I summoned Manda."

He suddenly stopped in his tracks to look down at me. "Manda didn't eat you?" He questioned showing a look of curiosity.

"He wanted you and didn't believe that I summoned him. He got me mad by underestimating me, so I showed him who the master is. He obeys me now."

"Impossible, you're lying." He accused making me clench my fists.

"I don't lie to you Lord Orochimaru." I answered with a firm tone making eye contact with him.

"Prove to me that you summoned him."

"As you wish,"

I bit my thumb and did the correct hand signs then slammed my hand at the ground. Smoke appeared then cleared to reveal Manda.

"Who dares-...M-master i-it's you." He stuttered curling away from me. He bowed to me showing respect which I appreciated. Then he noticed Father standing next to me with a smirk on his face. "Orochimaru!" Manda shouted lunging trying to eat him.

I stepped in front of him stopping Manda from eating Father.

"Sorry Lord Orochimaru but I couldn't convince him not to eat you. Manda, go back to your home." I commanded the snake making him back up creating some distance.

"As you wish,"

He then was gone so I looked up at Father. "Now do you believe me?"

"I do, how did you get him to obey you?" I continued to walk home making him follow in suit.

"He said that I was terrifying; he was shaking." I laughed with delight thinking how pitiful he looked.

"How could a seven year old make a giant snake tremble?" He wondered as he looked down at me with a wicked smile. Whatever was going through his head didn't seem good.

"Who knows, it must be the genes. What am I learning next?"

"Medical Ninjutsu," he answered making me slightly tilt my head.

"Kabuto is training me?"

"Correct."

We finally reached the base and I changed out of my formal clothes then headed over to Kabuto's room which was closer to the kitchen. I knocked on the door which he answered quickly.

"Ah Ko-sama I've been waiting for you." Kabuto greeted causing me to give him a confused expression.

"Why did you say Ko-sama?" I questioned him as I walked into his room.

"Orochimaru-sama told me who you are." He answered making me freeze.

"Hm I wonder why he would have trusted you so soon."

"I wonder that too but now that I look at you, you do show some relation to him. Your pale skin, the dark hair, and your personality, but your eyes are different."

"I get them from my 'mother'." I answered not wanting to talk about it.

"Orochimaru had a wife?"

"No, he created me from his DNA and a woman from a clan that interested Lord Orochimaru then combined them into an incubation tube. He said that their Kekkei Genkai would come in use someday, but I have yet to activate it."

"So you're mostly an experiment?" He questioned placing his fingers on his chin as he was deep in thought. It's not something I thought about often, when I asked Father about having a Mother years ago, he said that I technically didn't have one.

"Yes, I was created to be the perfect ninja."

"Are you?"

"No, Lord Orochimaru wanted an Uchiha but he couldn't find an Uchiha woman that was alone, so he had to choose my mother. Her Kekkei Genkai is very useful to him."

"Hm how?"

"You'll find out once I activate it. Now can you teach me medical ninjutsu?"

"Ah yes, first let's practice with healing small wounds such as cuts then go from there."

Three months, it took three months for me to complete my training in medical Ninjutsu, well the basics. Kabuto said that I progressed well better than any other child but it was because I was trained well and determined. He's been treating me differently ever since he found out who I really am; treating me with respect.

After hard days of training, I decided to walk around the village checking up on everything. When I entered the village, I saw families peacefully going about their day and children getting out of the academy. I watched as the villagers smiled unknowing of who we really are. I walked past the academy wondering what they teach there. As I was walking someone ran into me. I looked down at the person on the ground seeing that it was only a little kid about my age.

"I'm sorry miss, I wasn't looking where I was going." I watched as she fixed her long blonde hair pulling it back into a ponytail. She looked up at me with her green eyes which widened when she met my red ones.

"Hn," I replied as I kept walking, but the kid kept following me.

"What do you want?" I questioned with a harsh tone hoping she would leave me be.

"Well, I couldn't help but notice that I've never seen you before. I know everyone that goes to the academy!" She replied as she pushed up her glasses to the bridge of her nose.

"Aren't you special," I replied sarcastically.

"Are you new here?" She asked again and brushed her bangs out of her eyes.

"No, I've lived here awhile."

"Then why don't you go to the academy?" She was quite annoying with her high-pitched tone.

"I'm already a sound ninja," I replied showing her my Sound headband that I kept around my waist.

"Wow! When did you get it?!" Her eyes were like saucers as she examined the headband.

"It was almost two years ago," I answered not believing that I've been in this village for almost a year. My eighth birthday was coming up as well.

"That's so cool!" She jumped up and down in excitement starting to give me a headache.

"Go away," I said walking away.

"Wait!" She said catching up to me.

"What?" I replied turning to her.

She looked up at me with her green eyes focused on my red ones. "What's your name?" She asked innocently.

"Ko," I replied.

"Daughterly devotion?" She questioned the meaning of my name.

"Yes,"

"Cool my name is Akira." She said with a smile making me cringe.

"Ugh go away."

She stayed silent for a while, but I kept walking. "Where are you walking to?"

"Why do you ask so many questions?" She was irritating, I never told her she could follow me.

"Because I'm curious,"

"What do you learn in the academy?" I asked wanting to get information for myself.

"We learn about Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and strategies. Mostly ninja stuff duh."

"Anything specific?"

"Uh there's this one class that teaches us how to kill someone without leaving a mess and the best techniques to torture someone." Akira shuttered at the thought of the classes.

"You talk as if you don't like that class."

"I don't, it seems mean." She pouted looking down at the ground and fumbled with her hands.

"Then you shouldn't be a ninja. Ninja's are merely tools of others; they're mindless killing machines."

"But we protect the villagers and our Leader."

"Our Leader can take care of himself. He has his own army and they're not anyone out here in this village. The ones that protect him are the ones that live with him."

"What about us in the academy?"

"You're only here to protect the village; not the Leader."

"How do you know?"

"I'm the one who helped make this village. It's only been here a few years. You should go home and leave me to my business. It's getting dark and curfew is soon."

"Okay, I hope to see you again!" She said waving as she ran to her house.

"So naïve," I muttered. Suddenly, one of Father's subordinates landed in front of me. She bowed in respect. "Tayuya," I acknowledged.

"Ko-sama, Lord Orochimaru has a mission for you." She informed me meeting my eyes.

"And that is?"

"You and Kimimaro are to look for a boy named Jugo and take him to the Northern Hideout."

"What are his descriptions?" I was a bit excited to see Kimimaro once again. We haven't seen each other since he was recruited.

"He has orange hair and red-orange eyes. When enraged he has a killing intent. He destroyed his whole village."

"Where's Kimimaro?"

"Waiting for you at the entrance of the village,"

"Dismissed,"

"There's something else,"

"What is it?"

"Orochimaru-sama said that you're not allowed to bathe, change clothes, or eat from now on."

"May I ask why?" I questioned finding his request odd.

"He didn't say,"

"Alright then," I should know better than to question him, he knows best.

I teleported to the gates of the village next to Kimmimaro. He gave me a faint smile which I didn't return.

"Let's go," I commanded.

He nodded and ran along aside me as we headed to where Jugo was last spotted.