Chapter 49: The Loathsome and the Pitiful

The gray sky moved quickly above her, the wind blew harder as they traveled, and the coming storm was closing in quickly upon them. Not even the distinctive scent of the pushing showers could bring any sort of peace to Tsunade as she was carried to some unknown location outside of the walls of Tanzaku Quarters. She was still bound tightly by wrappings of stone and threads of web underneath, her mouth was similarly plastered with the sticky saliva, and with the brute carrying her still supplying chakra to the earth chakra there was no way for her to bust out of her bindings. As far as anyone was concerned, Tsunade was at the mercy of her former teammate and his companions. Even without the bindings, though, she would have no choice but to cooperate with Orochimaru's wishes. So long as he had Shizune in his grasp, there was little and less that could be done.

It was a harsh awakening to how far she's sunken in her time away from the Leaf. Not in her wildest dreams did she think that anyone would get the drop on her, not even the vile and scheming snake that led their group now. In her day, not even he would attack her so recklessly, but now she was no different from any other mark that he wished to get his hands on. She was nothing but a pawn in the life that was left behind almost twenty years ago, and only now did she realize how much she hated that thought.

Any of those self-reflective thoughts were now too little and too late to do the Slug Sannin any good. She was at Orochimaru's mercy and her only solace was the white snake that was following their group closely. Its body was almost comically distended and outlined by the bodies of Shizune and Tonton, their figures whole and unmoving underneath the pale scales as the reptile slithered in her periphery. Little could be guessed about their well-being or the possibilities of how long they could last in the belly of a snake, but that only resolved to do whatever it was Orochimaru needed from her faster so they could leave this behind them.

"And fall back into getting into trouble with more loan sharks and creditors. A finer life." Tsunade thought to herself with no small amount of venom toward herself and her own actions. She knew that it wasn't a fanciful life, nor a healthy life by any means, and Shizune deserved better. Maybe in her attempts to feel better about the tragedies she's suffered in her life, she lost sight of what she truly wished to accomplish in her self-imposed exile.

Nothing like a heartfelt reunion to fix one's perspective.

Those thoughts were forced back into the depths of Tsunade's mind as the group stopped their hasty travel and slowed to what must have been their destination. As she was oriented on the brute's shoulders, Tsunade couldn't tell where they stopped or why, but the sound of a creaking door reached her ears and footfalls on rocky steps followed soon after. It wasn't long before she herself was descending and the gray stormy clouds were replaced by a dank, low-hanging ceiling that was only inches away from her nose. Whatever type of underground tunnel they entered was devoid of most light and air flow, making the damp air in the dark tunnels heavy and uncomfortable.

"This was one of my earliest bases that I created to perform my experimentations. It was nothing profound, fitted with only the basics, but it was a good starting place for my works. However, with what we're doing today, it will be more than enough." Orochimaru's sickening voice echoed through the halls they traveled, airiness accompanying the words that spoke of the beginnings of his heinous experiments that left many dead in their wake.

Even though she left the village before Orochimaru got caught of his atrocities in the Leaf, she was still made aware of it in her travels and affected by it all the same. They weren't teammates any longer but the Sannin still grew up together, and knowing that one of the people that she grew to trust wholeheartedly was a monster behind closed doors served to compound the grief she was already carrying with her. Orochimaru was always odd, callous, and cold, but he was as much part of her team as Jiraiya was. This monster that carried them through winding corridors was only a shadow of who he once was.

Their walking soon came to an end as they all gathered within a room that was noticeably chilled compared to the halls they just walked. When Tsunade was set down and propped against a wall with the brute still holding a chakra-supplying hand on her shoulder, she could quickly assess why the room was as chilled as it was. She could also understand what she was brought here for and a pit formed in her stomach as her brain connected the dots within her mind.

On the wall directly across from the one Tsunade was leaned against, there were drawers that littered the whole wall. Drawers that were large, made with thick metals, and clearly the source of the cold air that filled the room. Littering the faces of these drawers were labels that only carried the name of an internal organ or part, the most common of these labels was bone marrow. The room was only fashioned with a single light, white and bright as it cast down over a table that was carrying a body that was fixed with countless wires and tubes. Skin was pale, breathing was ragged, and it was clear to the former medic-nin that the only reason the patient was breathing at all was because of the machines he was attached to, the beeping of the chakra monitor was filling empty silence within the room.

"As you can see, I've taken the time to leave you with any resource you could possibly ask for here. I even reached out to a medic-nin that has as much promise as you once did for the art so he could fill in anything I could have missed. There's nothing you'd be left to want in this room." Orochimaru explained as he walked toward her, yellow eyes drilling into her own. Tsunade let her eyes scan the room past the drawers of the makeshift morgue and the body on the table, eyeing the table of tools and supplies that lined the whole of the left wall. She had no way to refute the man's words. Orochimaru then reached out a hand to the man that wasn't guarding her and that empty hand was supplied with a kunai knife. In a single, fluid movement, the knife blurred in front of her face and her lips were suddenly freed from their coverings. Not a single drop of blood was surfaced from the swipe. "Now, do you accept what's needed of you? Or shall I begin my persuasion?"

There was a glint of excitement at Orochimaru's question, a glee at the prospect of her resistance. That little peek into the mind of her former teammate made her feel sick to her stomach, but that was pushed down as she nodded at Orochimaru in acceptance. With a nod of the snake's head, Tsunade was released and the stone bindings dissolved into dust around her. The man that kept her restrained took an audible gasp of air, the jutsu clearly exhausting use with a constant supply of chakra. Shaking her limbs out, letting them regain their feeling in her renewed freedom, Tsunade watched as Orochimaru flourished an arm behind him to motion her toward her patient, a cruel smile playing at his lips.

Taking a place next to the table that stood at the center of the room, Tsunade let her hands get covered in a deep green haze as healing chakra covered them completely. Her hands ran up the length of the body, searching deeper and deeper with every wave of a hand to get a diagnosis of the boy's condition. However, instead of finding any tell-tale signs of an ailment, the Slug Sannin was met with something more amazing than she could've expected. There were bones layered atop of other bones and then bones with those bones. The boy was like a labyrinthian amalgamation of bones that somehow fit together into a functional skeleton.

It was beautiful.

"What is this?" Tsunade asked, cutting the chakra to her hands as she looked up to Orochimaru who took a place across the table. His smile stretched across his face as he revealed how thoroughly pleased with himself he was. A gentle, condescending chuckle rippled from his throat as the man turned to take a seat in the single chair that was to her right. The snake that carried her companion moved to join the Snake Sannin, its white head finding the palm of Orochimaru's hand like a common pet.

"That, my dear, is the last living Kaguya. They were a vast clan that developed an amazing ability to use their bones at will, and thus growing an abundance of bones that turned them into devastating warriors. However, their bodies didn't adjust to this development as it should've and infections ran rampant among them. Their bone marrow sours and becomes infected, deteriorating them from the inside out." Orochimaru paused to let her digest that information, taking the time to gently brush his fingers over his snake's scales. "I don't have the medical prowess to perform such an extensive procedure, nor does anyone around me. You will fix him, you will heal him, and you will give me back my valued asset. Is that clear?"

Orochimaru's voice turned to steel at the end of his explanations, sending a shiver through her. Tsunade's eyes turned behind her to the two guards that had their eyes on her and only her, then to Orochimaru's piercing gaze with the snake at his side, and finally to the boy that was on his deathbed lest she do something about it. She wasn't given much of a choice in this, there wasn't an outcome that meant she gave up Shizune. So, Tsunade lifted her hands and dove deeper into the boy's bones, letting her chakra seep deep within them to get a better understanding of the task ahead of her.

There were a lot of bones, many times more than any person should have. This boy had more bones than any many who split each of their own bones in half and then each of those in half again, and most of the bones he held were tainted with infection. She then realized the near a dozen drawers that were labeled with bone marrow, each of them likely a cadaver with bone marrow that would fit to replace the tainted marrow in the boy that lay before her.

It was a tall task, especially for a woman that hadn't done any major operations in a long time, but she had to do it now. With a sharp inhale, Tsunade turned to her left and inspected the table that was laid out with sterile tools and supplies. Taking what she needed, she started her work. She didn't think about the repercussions of what she was about to do, she didn't acknowledge the sickness in her stomach at the heavy gaze that followed every one of her movements, and she didn't acknowledge the silent warnings that accompanies the fingers that brushed over the swell that settled in the large reptile's body.

Tsunade only acknowledged the body in front of her and prayed to any deity that would listen that this patient didn't succumb to death as the last one did.

His gaze never lingered from her movements, his eyes not missing a single motion or action as Tsunade operated on his valuable shinobi. Orochimaru wouldn't allow a single instant where he could miss something that could put the boy in danger. Resources were stretched and risks were taken to give Kimimaro a chance at survival, and he'd be damned if he allowed even a single thing to go wrong on his watch. His generals, Kidomaru and Jirobo, followed his lead in keeping their gazes mounted on the kunoichi they recruited, and to her credit, Tsunade didn't flinch at any of it.

Hours had passed already and it was likely that hours would continue to tick away for sometime before Tsunade was done, but there were no signs of slowing. Hands worked smoothly over the affected areas, chakra was supplemental with tools to crack the hard bones, infected marrow was removed, and new marrow was cultivated and replaced quickly before the bones were once again made whole. The Slug Sannin moved as if she hadn't left the field, like she hadn't been wasting her life wallowing in her own self-pity. The makeshift morgue to his right was fully utilized, half the bodies that were brought as proper transplants for Kimimaro's bone marrow were out and open, used as they were meant for. Fortunately, Orochimaru was painstakingly careful to bring the proper body count to account for the excess of bones that the Kaguya boy possessed; there was little threat of the operation being half-done for such reasons.

Watching Tunade perform as she did, perform as if she was a woman decades younger, it made Orochimaru curious as to why she was so content with throwing it all away. He was right to say that she had allowed herself to fall from the top of the mountain in terms of prowess as a shinobi and was little more than a husk of herself. Yet, even as a husk, her movements were as fine as one could ask, making him wonder where she would be if she didn't break as she did. What could they have discovered together, had she worked with his experimentations?

How much closer would he be to true immortality if she aided him in such a task?

Useless questions to ask, as they would never be answered, but they tickled his curiosity. Could he have coerced her to his side? Could he have waved a treat that she'd be unable to resist? The leader of the Sound could only sigh to himself at the thoughts, stirring himself back to the present as his eyes once again focused on the operation at hand. His eyes narrowed at the bead of sweat that trailed down the bridge of her nose, threatening to drip off of her downturned face and into the open body of his precious asset. Orochimaru's brow furrowed at the sweat droplet, at the contaminant that would threaten this whole operation, though before he could get up and deal with said contaminant, Tsunade's hand removed itself from the dance within the body and wiped the sweat off before it could be a problem.

The Snake Sannin could only chuckle to himself, a silent chuckle that couldn't draw the attention of those around him. It's been a long time since he's felt so invested in anything. But how could he not? The body that lay upon the table in front of him was to be his in the near enough future, barring any complications. This body, in all its grace, will grant him the abilities of an extinct clan and provide him access to an entirely different usage of chakra and ninjutsu. It was a thrill that was only overshadowed by the prospect of finally obtaining the ever-elusive Sharingan. Should Tsunade fail, he would be left with a suboptimal sacrifice that wouldn't grant him anything outside of two to three years of timeless living, something that was available anywhere. Only the best of specimens would Orochmaru consider a worthwhile transfer of his being.

Yellow eyes watched for hours longer as more and more bones were opened, more and more marrow was replaced until Tsunade traveled from toe to skull. There wasn't a portion of the boy's substantial skeleton that wasn't open to the occupants in the room. There wasn't a cadaver that wasn't excavated for their marrow, tipping a hat to Orochimaru's calculations of the operation. Most of all, there wasn't a second that Tsunade allowed herself to falter, making his confidence in the operation's success at the highest it could be. When Tsunade finally closed the last opened bit of flesh on the unmoving Kimimaro, only the heaviest of sighs could be heard. In the heavy downlighting of the operation room, a pallid face hung heavily as bags under tired eyes were accentuated to the point that it seemed that the woman hadn't slept for weeks. Her chest heaved and her gasps of air were deep, making her stumble backwards into the supply table anything but surprising.

Orochimaru stood, allowing his reptilian friend, who sprawled across his lap like a belt of some kind, to slide off and onto the ground. A wide grin covered his face as he gave his former teammate the applause she deserved for her impressive showing, not at all surprised by the pointed glare he received in return.

"Dare I say, Tsunade, I bring the absolute best out of you. Who else on the continent could perform such a task? Very few, much less of them are able to do it decades removed from being a productive member of society, and all it took was a little push." He couldn't hide the condescension within his voice, not that he wanted to. Orochimaru was impressed, that was no lie, but if he was going to tell truths he'd rather it be the whole truth. That truth being that Tsunade was not, by any means, what she once was and nowhere close to what he is now. She, on the other hand, didn't find his words to be so well placed as he did.

"Shut up, you snake bastard and give me Shizune back." Tsunade tried to yell back at him but her fatigue made the words little harsher than a whisper. Her heaving breaths didn't slow and whatever look she intended to give made her more pitiable than threatening.

"Now, now, no need to be so rude. Let us return to some fresh air and we'll conclude our business." Orochimaru turned and left the room immediately after his words left his mouth, only his summoned friend able to fully compete with the swiftness of his exit. Despite the lack of urgency he was projecting, Orochimaru didn't have too much time to spare in this country. With the increased patrols, the Snake Sannin knew that someone would find him eventually, be it by actual observational skill or unfortunate happenstance. He led the group of them out of his old compound quickly and it wasn't long before he found himself surfaced in the wet evening of the day.

Rain fell heavily onto them, but Orochimaru paid it no mind as he met Tsunade's gaze across from him. His generals stood at his sides, his friend slithered by his feet, and all was silent as he inspected his old friend. She was getting impatient, her hands twitched even in her immense fatigue to calm her nerves as she knew she was at a disadvantage still.

"As I promised, you're companion and the pig will be returned for aiding my precious shinobi in his condition." Orochimaru snapped his fingers and his summoned snake regurgitated the bodies of both of the swallowed bodies out in front of him before the snake puffed away in a burst of smoke. Both the girl and the pig were unconscious but otherwise fine, outside of the bile that covered them. Tsunade moved to rush toward them, however he raised his hand to stop her in her tracks. "But before we part, I have some parting words for you."

"Make it quick." Tsunade ground out, her jaw clenching as much as the fists at her sides. He would've gifted her with another bout of chuckles as her frustration was always the most amusing, but now wasn't the time for humor. Messages need to be sent and points needed to be made. With another snap of his fingers, Kidomaru rushed forward and injected Tsunade's neck with a concoction of his own design. Had this happened before the operation, the poor boy wouldn't have made it two steps before being rebuffed by Tsunade, but with how taxing such a task was, even one of his generals could best the great Tsunade Senju. Orochimaru's toxin immediately sent Tsunade to her knees, almost wholly to the ground before Kidomaru held her in pace so she could keep her focus on Orochimaru. What good would a message be if she wasn't even watching?

The toxin was a simple paralysis poison that would keep Tsunade incapacitated long enough for them to make their exits without threat of her following. It was probably unnecessary, given how poorly she was doing without it, but he wasn't one for half measures.

"This will be my only warning, Tsunade. Should anything happen to Kimimaro, should he not properly recover from this little operation, I will still come and ask for my payment. This girl's life," he kicked a foot into the unconscious girl at his feet, "is tied to my shinobi's life until this is just a passing memory. Let us both hope that you haven't been gone long enough to cost you someone else you love." Orochimaru's words were harsh as could be, though they were met with stone silence. Only the steady rhythm of the rain's pouring upon them was audible to them as any Tsunade wished to say was halted by the toxin that was still rushing strong through her system.

"Come, Kidomaru, Jirobo, we have a treacherous journey back to the Sound. Gather Kimimaro and prepare him to be moved." The pair was moving as soon as Orochimaru's commands reached their ears, retreating back into the underground compound with haste. Orochimaru was turning to join his two generals when his eyes landed on the unconscious swine that was cuddling next to the girl he had taken hostage. Such a strange choice for a pet, a pig that was dressed with a red vest and a pearl necklace. The sight of the thing annoyed him more than it should've.

"You know, Tsunade," Orochimaru cooed to his downed former teammate, the Senju now limply sprawled on her back as her face was directed toward the stormy sky, "It's negligent for someone of your habits to harbor more than one pet. How can you properly care for both while drowning your sorrows in your vices?" A chuckle erupted from him with no small amount of self-satisfaction. In a blur, a kunai found itself within his grasp and was flying toward the swine soon after. The kunai landed true, burying itself into the pigs head and letting the water that pour from the clouds wash the blood into the puddle around the unconscious girl.

With the small, nonsensical annoyance taken care of, Orochimaru moved to rejoin his shinobi, but the world seemed intent on keeping the Snake Sannin outside on this wet evening. He couldn't put a fine point on what exactly made Orochimaru stop the second time, but that was normally the case with seasoned shinobi. There was a sixth sense that was developed after so many dances with death, a sense that served to save more lives than the lifelong training a shinobi forces upon themselves.

Orochimaru's feet stayed planted in the mud and grass that he stood upon, but the rest of his body bent in ways that most would say is impossible for a human body to do. In a perfect arc, his back bent so that the rear of his head was merely inches from his planted heels and the highest part of his body was his stretched ribs. Just where his head was, a large blur flew through with a bright blue glow leading it and landing only feet away from where orochimaru stood, cutting off his path from the underground compound. Yellow eyes focused on the bright light, trying to identify what it was that impeded him. However, the instant his brain recognized the jutsu that shone so brightly, he was forcing himself into a retreat lest he wish to be caught in the jutsu's detonation.

Like a spring, his feet snapped upward as his spine straightened back to a normal column and his arms pushed into the ground with no small amount of force. In an instant, Orochimaru was several yards away sliding through the mud to stop his momentum and an explosion of chakra echoed through the empty field. Mud and water was kicked up violently as the all too familiar jutsu exploded into the ground to excavate a crater into the land, covering the downed woman that were still something of hostages to him.

No small amount of frustration filled Orochimaru at the interruption, his brain quickly identifying the unneeded guest in this little reunion between teammates, though he couldn't argue that it wasn't fitting. Orochimaru and the new figure stood in place, gazes meeting from several meters apart. Lightning flashed brightly, lighting the scowl that was on the intruder's face and Orochimaru met that intensity with a condescending chuckle.

"My my, this has become a true reunion indeed. How nice to see you again, Jiraiya." The Snake Sannin let his smile practically bisect his face at the palpable tension between them, but he knew that his position wasn't ideal. He needed to return Kimimaro quickly, black ops forces still littered the Land of Fire, and standing between him, the underground compound, and his hostages was Jiraiya, a man that only wishes to see his head on a pike. His eyes flitted across the three important markers on the field, his brain working quickly, and only when a strategy was discovered did he prepare himself for a fight.

It may not have been an ideal set of circumstances, but the buzz of excitement under his skin was undeniable.

Jiraiya tried to take control over himself, he tried to not let the coursing anger limit himself in the face of a formidable opponent, though that was a fanciful hope. The grin that spread across Orcohimaru's face grated on his nerves and pricked at his mind, it was a grin he was too familiar with and brought up too many memories. The only bright side to seeing that ugly face again was that he had the chance to end it once and for all. He had the chance to bring the man that escaped from justice all those years ago on this very night.

Jiraiya couldn't act like he could make sense of what was going on. Tsunade was laying on the ground to his right yards away with a face blank and her eyes open as if she were a corpse already, and only a few feet away from her was the girl that she took with her all those years ago in a similar state but with her eyes closed. Clearly the snake needed them for something, but the dead pig and the underground tunnel to his left only brought question marks into his head. But those question marks had to wait for another time.

Across from him, many yards away, Orochimaru was standing tall and true, waiting to strike in whatever way he planned to. Neither moved for a quiet minute, the showers around them intensifying and the grumbles of the storm strengthening to fill the silence. Then, in a shudder, Orochimaru made the first move. From the man's throat, and out of his mouth, came the hilt of a sword carrying tattered wrapping for a hilt, a hand removed the sword from his throat, as if his body were a sheathe, and out came a double-sided blade that came to a sharp point. Jiraiya was familiar with such a blade, not even needing to acknowledge the snake-skin designed crossguard nor the emerald that sat at the base of the blade to know that it was the Sword of Kusanagi. It was a vicious blade that was as crafty as its wielder, containing a terrible poison that practically guarantees a slow and painful death as well as a shape that constantly changes.

One could be honored that Orochimaru pulled out such a strong weapon at the mere sight of them, but Jiraiya wouldn't let his ego distract from the danger it presented.

Without a word, Orochimaru pointed his weapon toward Jiraiya and the deadly blade charged forth to pierce him right away. As the blade charged forward, Jiraiya noticed that it was favoring his left side, making him jump to the right and over the two unconscious women. The Toad Sannin landed and was forced to jump again to dodge yet another thrust of the lethal blade. Soon, it was Orochimaru that was standing between him and the underground tunnel and not the other way around. Obviously, there was something important hidden in there that his old teammate didn't care for him to dabble in, and so that meant Jiraiya had to start dabbling.

"Earth Style: Earth Flow River!" Jiraiya flew, threw hand seals and slapped his hands to the muddied ground below him. In a single shudder, a line tracking from his hands to the tunnel's entrance dislodged and began to move in a massive muddy landslide that trailed practically in between Orochimaru's legs. However, in a quick answer to the attempt to drown the underground compound in mud and water, Orochimaru laughed into the air and followed through his own seals with his sword in hand.

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Jutsu!" The slimey voice of his former teammate called out as the river of mud stopped its flow to accumulate into a dragon that rose from the ground and spun to charge toward Jiraiya. He turned his gaze to the grounded women who still lay dangerously close to their fight. Mud was kicking up over them, and soon there would be no question that they'd be caught in the crossfire. In an attempt to separate them from the fight, Jiraiya retreated from the mountainous Earth Dragon to gain space between Tsunade's position and his own. As he did so, another jutsu was being prepared as his hands danced in front of him.

"Needle Jizo!" He shouted, initiating his own created technique as the dragon closed in on his position. Jiraiya's long ponytail then grew and expanded as it wrapped around him like a protective blanket, the strands of his hairs sharpening into needles tougher than the hardest metal. Once he was fully covered, Jiraiya torqued himself into a spin as the dragon met him, the tough hair sawing through the dragon.

After his hair finished cutting through Orochimaru's technique, the ponytail shrunk back to its original size, but as he looked around the field, Jiraiya noted the disappearance of Orochimaru immediately. Eyes flitted through his surroundings in an instant, though naught was found. The only warning that came from the next attack was the minute shutter of the ground beneath him, causing the Toad Sage to leap into the air. The ground where he once stood was broken only seconds after he left it, the blade of the Sword of Kusanagi piercing through the ground and climbing toward Jiraiya. Tightening his right hand, Jiraiya let chakra swirl and spin rapidly as he watched the sword approach him. Just as it was to pierce him, the man spun himself around the blade, dancing away from its sharp edges as he felt gravity pull him back toward the ground. As Jiraiya fell, the Rasengan took shape in his hand in a massive ball as he charged toward the ground where the sword poked through it, intent on decimating the ground with his teammate with it.

"Rasengan!" The ball of spinning chakra was ejecting mud and water before it made contact with the ground. His descent added a force that was unneeded with such a technique, which helped dig deeper into the ground. Soon, Orochimaru's submerged form was uncovered and bit through just as easily as the mud was. The tan shirt was discarded like soggy paper, his flesh spun off of his body, and his bones refined into a fine powder. The Rasengan detonated, blowing the earth and remains of the Snake Sannin into the surrounding area in a single burst of power. Though, as everything settled and Jiraiya's feet found the comfort of mostly solid ground, what was once Orochimaru's body then melted into the mud along with the tall sword it held to reveal the clone that it truly was.

Once again, Jiraiya was left searching for Orochiumaru. Climbing out of the deep crater his student's jutsu created, Jiraiya quickly spotted his former teammate who showed himself clearly in the field. The man stood in front of his underground tunnel once again, although he was no longer alone. Behind the man was a trio of shinobi that all wore an attire similar to Orochimaru himself, two men holding the third between them, and in Orochimaru's extended grasp was another body. The muddied form of Tsunade hung in the Snake Sannin's grip limply as he held her by the back of the neck, in his other hand was the Sword of Kusanagi whose tip was directed at the woman's side.

Letting his face pull back into an intense snarl, he let himself join the three Sound shinobi and their leader with controlled steps. He made sure not to make movements that would push Orochimaru to harm Tsunade, keeping his fists balled at his sides as he rejoined Orochimaru and glared into the man's yellow eyes.

"It's good to see that you've kept yourself in shape, Jiraiya. I'd be disappointed if you both let yourselves become leftovers of a different generation. However, we don't have the luxury to finish this tonight. Not yet." Orochimaru spoke with a smooth voice. The voice of a man fully in control of the situation. As much as Jiraiya hated to admit it, the man was usually in control of a situation, his mind being too scheming to allow anything less. "I have to make it to the Land of Rice Fields, or rather the Land of Sound, quickly. I'm on a bit of a ticking clock and because of you I'm behind. Now, unless you want Tsunade to die, you're going to follow my words closely. Do you understand, Jiraiya?"

His old teammate's voice turned harsher the more he spoke, showing Jiraiya how serious he was by allowing his frustration to be seen by others. There was little doubt that Tsunade would be dead the second Orochimaru insisted upon it, the man not being halted by any moral ambiguities or something as simple as a conscience. Even if he hated every second of it, Jiraiya's job was returning Tsunade to the Leaf, and furthermore, he cared too much about Tsunade to let her be butchered. Especially by Orochimaru, of all people. So, instead of arguing, he only answered his former teammate with a nod.

"Good boy." And in an instant a small cut was made on Tsunade's arm from the Sword of Kusanagi. Before Jiraiya could react or his brain could keep up with Orochimaru's logic, the man continued speaking. "Now, I reckon that she has just under two days of painful suffering before she dies. If you want her to live, see us to the border as our own personal escort unimpeded. Tell me, Jiraiya, which is more important? Tsunade's survival or my capture?"

Orochimaru laughed viciously into the air above him, the thunder and lightning dancing with his voice in the air. A heavy weight rested on his mind, one that he knew he would feel for some time. He had to aid the man that he's sworn to put an end to for countless years or save the woman he's grown up with, the woman he's fought beside, and a woman that stole his heart when they were still ankle-biters in the Academy.

His scowl couldn't be more pronounced as he dug his glare through Orochimaru's gleeful eyes, but whatever hate he felt for the man across from him couldn't match the hate he currently felt for himself.

"Forgive me."

This was originally a much different ending, something much more limp dicked and all around disappointing. Fortunately, I changed my mind very soon after I typed the original portion and gave something that I, at the very least, enjoyed much better. There's some wait before we see how this concludes, we have to go back to the Land of Wind next, then there's Sasuke and the case of his Curse Mark.

Gotta say, kinda have to catch up a bit on my personal writing. Got sick recently and really didn't have the constitution to do much of anything. Forewent any and all school work, and soon after whatever writing I planned on doing fell to the wayside. However, there should be no delays in uploads or anything like that.