Chapter 4 - The Gift

Rating: PG13

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters etc. etc.

I hope everyone enjoy's this chapter and thanks heaps for the reviews! Keep them coming in please.

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Anko watched her sensei closely as the silver haired man slowly approached. One that was not so well acquainted with Orochimaru as she would have missed the slight change in his stance. His entire body seemed to tense slightly, growing in stiffness with every step Jiraiya took. Anko couldn't understand how this man could cause such turmoil in her sensei, he seemed so very beneath Orochimaru. No match for Orochimaru's strength, a strength which carried with it a certain grace that made his already handsome exterior seem all the more beautiful.

"So are we going to go now or what? Yirokoshi, you've got everything right?" asked Jiraiya to the blonde haired boy. Quickly checking his holster and backpack the chuunin boy nodded confidently, "I'm ready for whatever gets thrown at us" he said calmly in a surprisingly soft but somehow strong voice. Anko found herself mirroring her sensei at this boys approach, tensing up as she recalled with anger the abilities this boy had displayed in the forest.

"Come, I'll explain the mission on the way" Orochimaru muttered, just loudly enough for them all to hear before he jumped quickly off towards the tree's. Anko strained to keep up with the man, so fast were his movements. She wondered at the cause for this speed, if their mission had required such haste then why was she and the other boy being sent; two jounin could move much faster without chuunin with them to slow them down. The answer to her question flew by her, moving with even greater speed than her sensei. He smiled broadly, angering Anko. She knew Orochimaru would be angered by this mans actions, and that smile he wore… he seemed to enjoy toying with Orochimaru. "Bastard" Anko whispered into the forest through which they fled.

"Our mission is quite simple" came Orochimaru's soft voice. "A caravan of merchants recently came to Konoha to trade various items such as kunai and bandages. All items we very much need. However it seemed their true motive extended beyond simple trade. Somehow they successfully managed to steal recent reports from our ANBU throughout the land. This information pertains to ANBU members who are responsible from anything from simple patrol duties to infiltration of other villages. Further investigation has revealed the supposed merchants to in fact be ninja's of another village, however we have yet to determine which one. Our mission is simply to get the reports back… and ensure none of them are able to speak of anything they may have read in them."

"Sensei… if they're ninja we're after then why are we moving this way, leaving in the morning rather than immediately setting off?" Anko questioned. "Simple little girl. The ANBU reports aren't things that fit on just one scroll. Rather there are about fifty very thick scrolls they need to carry. They won't be moving fast" the silver shinobi said, butting in before her sensei. Anko tensed slightly at Jiraiya's address. "Little girl?" she questioned angrily under her breath. This was going to be a long mission.

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Over an hour had passed before they found any sign of their target. The silver haired jounin stopped them just as they were about to cross one of the few roads leading from Konoha. "They've been here" he announced to the group as he looked down on the road. Anko followed his gaze and quickly found what drew his focus. Tracks lay in the ground, parallel lines in the dusty road, looking to be made by a carriage of some sort.

"How can you be sure this is them?" Anko asked with a mild note of contempt. "She's right, surely merchants pass through Konoha everyday?" questioned Yirokoshi. "Look closer Anko" Orochimaru commanded. Both of the leaf chuunin's leaned in to more closely inspect the tracks. Anko stared blankly at the ground, nothing else seemed to be there, nothing but the tracks of the carriage, nothing to indicate it was their target.

"Nothing…" muttered Yirokoshi. "You couldn't figure it out either?" Anko questioned. "No, that's just it. There's nothing here, only the tracks of a carriage, a very small one at that, more likely to be used just for hauling cargo. If that's the case then there should be more tracks, tracks of the people that were traveling with the carriage but there aren't any, which means…" the blonde boy trailed off. "Which means that the people with it are not normal people, most likely ninja's specializing in stealth who's footsteps are so soft so as to not make a sound that they would not mark this road" Orochimaru finished, a slight glare cast towards Anko.

"I've disappointed him again" Anko thought sadly. "No time to be idle, we need to catch up to them before night falls. It's less than an hour before sunset. Let's move!" Jiraiya commanded, the group of four swiftly moving along the edges of the road, doing their best to avoid detection.

It did not take them long to find the source of the tracks. It was them alright. Three ninja in dark back cloaks walked alongside the carriage, a fourth pulling it alone. All of them appeared worn, the strain of carrying the scrolls obviously taking its toll on the group. "This looks simple enough. Anko and I will take the two at the rear, the other two are for yours" said Orochimaru calmly. "Go" he whispered.

The four shot out of the tree's with incredible speed, the enemy ninja barely had time to react. Anko quickly set about putting her new holster to use, tensing her arm slightly, causing three needles to drop down to her open hand. Swiftly she threw the three needles, each flying towards her assigned target at critical points. The needles struck their target in succession, each hitting a critical point. Anko was about to rejoice when the ninja she had targeted dissolved into a puddle of water. "Shit! It's a trap!" she yelled.

A hail of shurikens fled from the tree's focused on the four konoha shinobi. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" came the cry of the young blonde chuunin, a large red frog appeared at his side wasting no time to let its great tongue fly, sweeping away the incoming shurikens. Anko scanned the treeline, but could not see the ninja who had thrown the shurikens. "Where are they?" Anko questioned with a whisper. "I'm not sure. Be on your guard" Orochimaru whispered to Anko.

The four stood still for many moments, scanning the area. No sign was found of the four enemy ninja, not even any sign that they were fleeing through the tree's. Anko was about to ask what to do when a gentle voice alerted her to the enemies plan "the water! They're in the water from the bunsin!" he cried, taking no hesitation to form a series of seals. "Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" he cried, as did the two jounin, the blasts of flame evaporating the enemy ninja before they could escape, the screams of the ninja echo'ing through the coming night air. The screams of all but one.

Swiftly he rose out of the ground towards Anko. She attempted to release a kunai from her holster, but a swift kick to her neck stopped her, dropping her slender body to the ground. She gasped for breath, a drop of blood leaking from her lips. She looked up and found the ninja filling her view, kunai bared, ready to strike. Anko in desperating cast her left arm forward toward the shinobi, a kunai flew free of its holster, flying down her arm, leaving a thin cut across her pale flesh before it left her sleeve, finally taking rest in the shinobi's exposed neck. He collapsed to the ground, dead.

Anko fell back onto the ground, what little strength she had seemed to have fled. She slowly attempted to breath but labored hard for each breath. A stinging pain down her arm drew her eyes. Her sleeve was stained dark red. "Must be a bad cut" she murmured without concern; she felt too light headed to worry about anything, save for one thing. She had been little other than a disappointment on this mission. Before unconsciousness claimed her she thought softly "I wish I could be stronger Orochimaru-sama." Anko felt herself rise off of the ground, and then she knew no more.

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Anko's eyes opened slowly, blinking for a moment. She did not recognize the ceiling that stood above her. It was not remarkable, merely simple wooden boards pieced together. As she slowly returned to consciousness her eyes trailed down slowly, taking in the surroundings. The room walls of the room she lay in did seem vaguely familiar. Like everything else in the room they were wooden, but were a pale blue colour. And the thin door… thin … her eye's snapped open as realization dawned upon her. "Orochimaru-sama's room…" she whispered quietly.

She was in his bed. The simple sheets of the bed were not what she had expected of such a man. She didn't know what to expect truthfully, a part of her felt surprise that he even slept. Her eyes searched the bed, finding some disappointment that Orochimaru himself did not lay there with her. She smiled at her foolish, child like obsession with Orochimaru. Her eyes continued to roam the bed and were drawn to a red mark upon the sheets. Blood. Her blood.

She started to sit up but a calm voice stopped her. "Don't get up Anko." Turning her head she found the source of the voice. Her sensei sat on a small wooden chair next to the bed, his eyes trained upon her. For many moments they did not speak until finally Orochimaru broke the silence. "Anko… how much would you risk to be stronger?" he asked simply. "Everything… I'd risk everything" she murmured in response, her body still to weak to do little more. "You'd risk your life?" Orochimaru asked. "Yes."

Orochimaru stood slowly from his seat, walking around to the other side of the bed. Sitting down he looked down at Anko, brushing a hand through her hair. Anko felt her breath quicken, her cheeks warming quickly as Orochimaru slowly bent down towards her. She closed her eyes as his head lowered towards her own. She was unsure what to expect, perhaps she was simply dreaming? "Please somebody pinch me" she thought. As if in response to her request she felt a slight pinch at her neck, then a greater pain as two of Orochimaru's teeth pierced the warm flesh of her neck. She reveled in the exquisite mixture of pain and pleasure she felt, biting her lip to stifle her moans. Her teeth began to draw blood as a new feeling raced through her body, it felt as if her veins were on fire. She clutched tightly to the thin sheets of the bed as the pain continued to intensify, blood now ran freely from her lip.

She felt cold slender fingers embrace one of her hands, clutching it firmly. Another more intense wave of pain raced through her, and then she knew no more.

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Yes, another ciffhanger. Please don't kill me! _

Don't worry, I'll have the next chapter up in a day or two.

Hope you're enjoying it, despite my no doubt terrible writing (I haven't proof read any of it _).