A/N: Gettin' writer's block.
Disclaimer: I do not own original Naruto characters.
Shadow of the Blue Sharingan
Chapter 7: Seed
Written by: teckno
He could feel it, coiling around his neck. Harsh in texture and stinging cold on contact, the long serpent tongue spiraled along his tight skin until the last quivering muscles, saturated in prickly slime, could not stretch an inch any further. He was still breathing. The forest was dead black. Why couldn't he see anything? Where was the moonlight? The stars? His thoughts ended as a sudden pressurizing squeeze broke into his throat, robbing him of his ability to inhale. Choking feverishly, he felt wisps of hair, like razors scraping against his cheek and ears, before unseen fangs pierced deeply and forcefully into the vulnerable flesh. Crunch! He threw his head back. Acidic poison surged into his swollen veins like stubbed needles, tearing holes and tracing cuts on everything dear and vital inside his system until numbness struck his conscious. He wanted to scream, shout, gasp, wince--anything to express the shooting pain that he felt from his pumping neck but he stayed silent and motionless, unable to follow through with the desired actions. He changed somehow. The fangs withdrew with a distant chuckle from its beholder.
"Your beautiful body is no longer yours, Sasuke-kun." The beholder whispered, trailing its wet tongue down the young boy's cheek. "You belong to my immortality now."
The jounin shot up from his bed, panting heavily as he clutched the sheets up to his neck. Chilled sweat sprinkled along the regions of his face. He looked around to find himself alone in the familiar mini hospital room that Tsudane had customized in the Hokage Tower--her headquarters. He wasn't sure how he got there but was glad he didn't end up elsewhere. An exhausting sigh of relief escaped his trembling lips.
"Fuck." It was another aggravating flashback-type nightmare but he hadn't had this one in a long while. "Orochimaru…" He seethed, fingering the bruised marks of the cursed seal at the side of his lower neck--an unfortunate gift received from the snake devil himself at the beginning of the chuunin exams, five years ago. Letting go of the sheets and massaging his distraught temples, Sasuke shut his eyes in efforts to calm his elevated nerves.
Uchiha-san? Tsudane-sama insists you drink these herbs she has prepared for you." Came a child's subtle voice followed by a soft knock outside of the door.
"Come in." replied Sasuke with eyes still closed, not aware of the unfamiliarity of the youngster's voice.
The door slowly and steadily creaked open, revealing a rather pale and bony child wrapped loosely with a white robe that wreathed the wooden floor beneath him. The size of the child's robe was apparently a couple sizes too large, making his attire similar to that of a despaired ghost. His lengthy crow-colored hair rested gently over one side of his face and amid his weakening shoulders as he gazed at the older patient with trenchant eyes too distinct to be called human.
Sasuke lifted his head from his sweating fingers and opened his tired scarlet eyes to see what damned drugs he was to consume today. To his horror, he saw the colorlessly sinister face that only existed in no other place except in his haunting nightmares. He froze as he watched the demon child walk in kindly with a tray of small plates of food and a beverage cup of herbs. Am I still asleep? Sasuke questioned, continuing to glare in disbelief; his hidden hatred boiling excitedly from within like steaming volcanic lava, seconds into a gushing eruption. I never knew what happened to Orochimaru after Sondaime sealed the bastard's arms. No one has heard of him since. Did he die off somewhere or is he still alive and transferred himself into this kid? How could he possibly perform such a jutsu without functioning arms…?
The child's long dark hair fell passed his face and shoulders as he sat the tray down at the foot of the jounin's bed. "Tsudane-sama said that you must eat a little before downing the herbs." He explained looking up at the patient with a smile. His olive reptilian eyes blinked at the sight of the petrified jounin. "Are you alright, Uchiha-san?" He asked in concern.
Before the child could get an answer, his small and frail body was already thrown against the wall in what seemed like a flashed explosion. The sound of the falling tray and splashing herbs from the shattering porcelain cup ricocheted across the room as the raged patient charged at the poor child, who laid helplessly on the ground. His white robe draped around him like layered wrinkling sheets. From the floor, Sasuke's shaking hands gripped the child's slender neck with a murderous crave as he slowly dragged the monster up the oak walls.
"U-Uchiha-san!?" The young one gasped in between chokes as frightened tears streamed passed his chin and into the crevices of the attacker's hands. What did I do wrong? Why is Uchiha-san so angry with me? We've never met! Wide soaking green eyes stared shockingly into the chilling red orbs of the furious Sharingan that threatened to annihilate the child's very being with the next blink. "W-What are you doing, U-Uchiha-san!"
"Shut up…snake bastard." The jounin tightened his grip until his fingers turned a faint shade of blue, waiting for the moment when the demon would chuckle and reveal his dirty scaly self.
"I…didn't…d-do…" The child struggled to produce the words as his lips began to change into a deep purpling color. "…Any…thing."
Sasuke hissed angrily. His red eyes burned frenziedly in reminisce of the night he received the cursed seal, along with the years of not knowing what plans the devil sanin had with his poisoned body after the unfortunate incident. My life never was the same, yarou! Images of the wicked sanin began to spin wildly in front of his eyes.
"Stop fucking with me, Orochimaru!" He banged the little boy's head against the wood in means of forcing the devil out of play.
"He's not Orochimaru! Put him down this instant!" bellowed the voice of the Hokage, who stood by the doorway, eyes tightening with disgust and arms crossed, not at all surprised by Sasuke's violent scene. She had heard of the noise from her office and quickly rushed to the room.
Sasuke eyed the dark plum face before him, still holding his hands in place, not sure of what the Hokage meant.
"I said put him down!" Tsudane repeated, reaching out and then grabbing the jounin by the collar, from the back. "He's not who you think he is! Orochimaru hasn't been seen or heard of in well over half a decade! It's been said he's dead! Let the boy go!"
The shorthaired tyrant obeyed and released his hands from the child's neck with a grunt. Sasuke watched the small body hit the floor soundlessly; he was utterly weightless. The older one then turned and shot a glare at the blonde and asked. "Then who the hell is he?"
"Doku, my new assistant. Son of our late Anko and the father is unknown." Tsudane answered, letting go of Sasuke and walking towards the tormented victim on the floor. She looked at the slightly sobbing assistant as she helped him up to his feet. "Are you okay?"
The child responded with a weak nod.
"Yeah right." Sasuke almost laughed. The little demon's features were so obvious. They were completely identical to Orochimaru's except younger and not as sharp. A dumb ass would even know. Was she smoking something? "You're not that stupid, Hokage-sama."
"Hey, my job as Hokage is not to walk around Konoha and make assumptions or judgments on people and children. He was starving to death outside the gates of Konoha Hospital a few nights ago. I had to take him in. So what if he was the offspring of so-and-so? It doesn't matter. He could've died. I couldn't just leave him there."
"Big mistake." The jounin shook his head and sighed.
The blonde's face glowered at his words. "Getting Ino laid was a big mistake, Sasuke. My choices are not for you to criticize. I wouldn't have made such a decision without expecting the consequences. I took this child in because I cared, unlike you. Everyone in the village use to look up to you and your high prestige but now, they think you're a pile of scum after they heard about your affair with Ino. Where were you when Ino was delivering your son?"
Ignoring Tsudane's implication on Ino, Sasuke simply smiled and said. "Do as you wish Hokage. It's gonna be Konoha's funeral." After one last glance at the whimpering snake child, who clung tightly to Tsudane's hips, he turned his back, showcasing the red and white fan of the Uchiha Clan symbol behind him and walked out of the room, leaving the blonde to question the humanity of the absurd and difficult jounin.
The child stared at the symbol as if he was in a trance. Uchiha Sasuke?