Naruto broke off to catch me, clearly noticing something was wrong with the way I wasn't using any chakra.

"Why did you turn on your teammates?" Sasuke asked, stepping towards him.

"Could he be under genjutsu?" Sakura offered quietly.

"A logical conclusion, but no," Orochimaru chuckled. "I am simply not who I appear, I suppose."

Then he lunged, leaving the branch cracked in his wake. Sasuke and Sakura had no chance to react as they were thrown backwards.

Naruto and I hurried to join them, Naruto having to carry me up. I knew I would be useless without my chakra. Naruto might be able to reverse the seal, but we didn't have time at the moment.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Naruto growled.

"Oh, I simply came to visit Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru responded airily, causing Sakura to gasp. "I happen to have a vested interest in learning about the Sharingan. Some first-hand experience with a natural Uchiha will prove to be useful."

The stress on 'natural Uchiha' had me pausing, confused. What did he mean by that?

Well, I could dwell on it later, because the next thing I knew killing intent crashed down on us. My ears rang from the feeling, and I saw Sasuke drop to his knees and spew. Sakura also fell to her knees, unable to do anything.

I felt dizzy from the pressure, but I was still functional.

As was Naruto, he didn't even seem to notice the killing intent.

"Ok pal, this just ain't going to fly," Naruto snapped. "I'm going to take you down for what you did to Sora!"

He launched himself at Orochimaru, and the only thing stopping me stopping him was the fact I knew Orochimaru wouldn't kill him lest he disqualify Sasuke.

"I have no interest in you," Orochimaru informed as he caught Naruto's punch.

Naruto, ripped his hand from Orochimaru's grip and began a barrage of attacks, but he was cut off as Orochimaru kicked him in the gut, hard enough that he flew almost a hundred metres, breaking several trees in the process.

"Asahi!" Sakura cried, horrified.

I was forced to shove my two frozen teammates off the branch when a band of snakes shot towards us. I threw my hands up to protect my face and squeezed my eyes shut.

But the snakes receded before they could bite me, me being completely ignored as Orochimaru followed my two teammates down, who had thankfully broken out of their paralysis in time to catch themselves.

"RUN!" I yelled, unable to join them. I could only watch from the branch as the battle commenced. Sakura was screaming at Sasuke to win, just as in the anime. The battle also played out how the anime had depicted, up to the part where Orochimaru was roasted against a tree.

Sakura shrieked in terror as Orochimaru, despite being burnt to a crisp and pinned by wires, broke free with melting skin and then peeled his face off, revealing serpentine eyes and pale features beneath.

"What? H-how...?" Sasuke murmurred, more to himself than anyone.

"RUN!" I screamed, but that was the same moment Naruto returned. And his eyes...

"DON'T TOUCH MY FRIENDS!" He roared.

It was that exact moment Orochimaru put two and two together, and my heart somehow made its way to my throat.

"Asahi, stop! You can't-" Sasuke was cut off, because Naruto was already rushing for Orochimaru, canines bared.

And it was clear he had dipped into immeasurable power, the moment he smashed Orochimaru's face in and sent him flying. But it was a clone, and instead of a body flying, mud sprayed everywhere.

"Sakura! Go find help!" I yelled, breaking her out of her trance. She looked like she was about to refute me but she never had the chance because Orochimaru-

Smiled.

He appeared before the pink haired girl. She was too terrified to move and she paid the price.

The flick of a wrist, kunai in hand, and her throat was slashed open.

There was silence for only a second as Sakura dropped to the ground, then Naruto, his eyes blown wide, lost it.

Within a millisecond Orochimaru had formed several hand signs and the four of us were slammed with a gust of wind so strong we were blown hundreds of metres in different directions. I was flung above the tree line, flying through the air, and because I could not access my chakra all I could do was curl up protectively as I began my descent.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUU-"

The first tree I slammed into smashed through the meagre defense of my arms, and the next tree I hit knee-first and I felt a sickening 'crack' at the impact. Finally, my body found the ground and I skidded and rolled across it and until I came to a stop against a large root.

For almost a full minute, I could not move, so winded I was. And then the pain in my knee started, and I let out a cry of pain and frustration.

Where had the others landed? Would Sasuke be ok?

Was... was Sakura dead?

I couldn't wrap my head around it, even when I replayed the moment in my head over and over, I couldn't find a single loop-hole. She had... she was...

I could feel the presence of the Kyuubi, a force of power so strong I could feel it even though I knew I was far from where Naruto had landed. He must be fighting Orochimaru.

I dragged myself away from the root, and made an attempt to stand, but it was quickly made obvious I wouldn't be moving anytime soon. The pain in my knee was unbearable without movement, let alone with it.

And I began to cry.

I don't know how long it was that I spent, curled up in agony and clutching my knee, simply waiting for someone, anyone to find me.

It was probably an hour later that Anko appeared, panting, her eyes wide as she caught sight of me. Then her eyes flickered to something behind me.

"Anko-sensei?" I whispered, my voice hoarse. "Wh-"

I never finished, because my body was lifted from the ground by a hand gripping the back of my shirt. I cried out at the pain shooting up my leg from the movement in my leg.

I flailed my arms, knowing who was behind me yet not daring to look.

"Sensei," I whispered. I won't lie that I was terrified, my voice high and oh so pathetic. "Please, help!"

Anko's featured warped into absolute rage, set on the man behind me.

"How does it feel to have your own genin, Anko-chan. A life..." I squeaked as a hand gripped my chin, forcing my face to the side, so I could see his smug face, "...depending all on you?"

"Let him go, he has nothing to do with this!" she spat, taking a step towards him.

"Perhaps, but I can make it so."

I gasped as Orochimaru bared his teeth. Then he pressed me to his chest, holding me in an embrace so he had access to my neck.

The hairs on the back of my neck rose.

"Sensei, sensei HELP!" This time there was pure panic lacing my voice, because I knew exactly what he was threatening to do.

"Hush," he cooed. "Sensei can't help you now."

And he was right, because she couldn't react fast enough. His fangs sank into the soft flesh of my neck, and before I could process what was going on I was tossed aside.

I heard a distorted scream of rage, and the clash of kunai. But I could no longer focus on the outside world.

There were pins, everywhere, stabbing into my skin. Ice poured through my veins. The world turned into fascinating shades of grey and rainbow, fragmented like glass.

Orochimaru continued to rile her up, even as she threw senbon at his face and shot pillars of earth at him.

There was such hatred in her eyes, in her movements, yet she could tell it made him want to laugh. And that just made her angrier.

He was pleased; she could see it in his eyes. Pleased at hurting her, or perhaps at her progress, or at having the upper hand she didn't know. But there was a thread between them, tying them together. There always had been, and she suspected there always would be.

Until the day she killed him, of course.

She threw out her best jutsu, her strongest taijutsu, her sneakiest genjutsu. She was strong, no one could deny that. People feared her for her prowess, her temper and her bloodlust. And yet, somehow he was still far above her, like he had always been.

"How does it feel, to be stuck as a special Jounin? Doesn't it make you mad, that the village you fight for will never see past the fact you were my student?"

"Don't pull your bullshit on me!" She snarled. "I'm going to kill you now!"

And that was when Orochimaru decided to end the fight. He brought up his spare hand and created a single seal. Anko gasped and clutched her neck. She could fight the pain for only a moment, before she sank to her knees with a low groan.

No...

"I miss the days when you used to look up to me with such adoring eyes," he drawled as he walked over to her. "Unfortunately, I do have an exam to finish, so I must be going now. Do tell the Hokage that if he stops the exam, I will make him regret it."

"You arrogant fuck," she manages to gasp out between pained gasps. "I'll tell him, just... just leave Sora."

Her eyes flashed to the still body, and her chest ached.

"As my teammate he is required to pass with me. Don't bother coming after me."

"Orochima-!"

He disappeared with Sasayaki.