Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, just this fic. It is enough.
Naruto/Sasuke Eventually! I SWEAR!!!
Yaoi
Rated: R
By: Sunstrike
Chapter Eight Absorbing The Demon
Hunger, anger, hate, fear.
Words, emotions, lost.
Hate! Hate, hate, hate, hatehatehatehatehatehatehate, this.
Coherency.
Trapped!
Why?
Ponder.
Humans trapped me, in here.
With that.
It's screaming!
Shut, up. Shut up, shut up, shutup, shutup, shutup, shutup!!!
Gone. Dead?
Yes, gone, dead.
Satisfaction.
Wonder?
Power, where?
South.
Go south.
Find power.
Change back.
````````````````
The soft sound of scales on rock echoed throughout the cavern. The movement whispered over cracks and crevices, and bounced back into the ears of one man. He lounged against a cushion at the far end of the spacious cave, watching the huddled mass of scales and the cold reflection of light in many glass-clear eyes. Reptilian features were drawn into a long frown that only enhanced its cruel, ethereal beauty and ageless grace.
Orochimaru was worried. Deeply enough to ponder certain thoughts that, until now, would be rather suicidal of the reptilian man. He was slowly stroking one of his many tiny garden snake spies as he pondered what was transgressing within Hidden Mist and in Leaf as well. An ill wind was blowing and the snakes were whispering things while hiding under rocks. It was almost hibernation season, the time of dying. No snake in its right mind should be stirring in panic, but here he was, staring at them as the large group slithered over each other in a large confused accumulation. Their god had been rudely awoken at the worst time, and the repercussions were staggering.
This did not bode well at all, and he would have to tell Itachi what was going on. He shuddered. If he was lucky enough to get a word out before he was skinned alive.
Since the dismal end of their campaign to control the existing continent, the two had been holed up in seclusion, avoiding any sort of contact with the outside world. Itachi, patiently waiting for death at his brother's hands, and Orochimaru, hiding from Itachi. It would have been a far different situation if everything had gone according to plan with Sasuke.
He longed for the day when he had touched that young red-eyed boy and found endless innocence and raw power to tap into. The man shuddered in perverse delight. It had been the closest he had ever come to actually obtaining Itachi's power, with none of the suicidal and insane tendencies, just unimaginable rage and hate directed into one goal, stabbing Itachi in the back. He managed to quickly curb the remembrance before black despair followed. He realized where that mental trail would lead and it was nothing but destructive.
If he hadn't been so drunk with the sheer amount of power within one person, everything might have succeeded and they'd have all been kings. But both had been impatient to acquire their goals and had suffered for it. It was that twisted little demon fox boy, Naruto, which had managed it all, beginning with his own escape from Itachi's extremists to the rescue of Sasuke. The snake in Orochimaru's hand moved before it became crushed in the suddenly tightening grip.
Just as quickly shoulders and fists were put back into a normal, relaxed, and lazy pose, forced to concede to the mind that controlled them. Maybes, and could-haves, must be forgotten. This was a more pressing development and a serious opening if handled appropriately. He may even manage to regain those two that he desired most. Uchiha Sasuke, for power, and Uzumaki Naruto, for revenge. He knew that the new boy would be worthless, an empty husk filled with the ageless power of a leviathan gone completely mad. But the older Uchiha didn't know this, or even if he did would try to use it to his own benefit, with disastrous consequences. Then with Itachi in pieces, all that would be left would be for Orochimaru to clean up the pieces, permanently.
Unfortunately, now though, he desperately needed Itachi's help to pull all of this off, which seriously grated on his nerves, but it couldn't be helped. By now Leaf Village would be gathering its elite to fight the threat, and Itachi would be a wonderful distraction to throw into the forefront of the situation, leaving Orochimaru ample opportunity to take what was ripped from him before.
It wasn't going to be easy to outsmart Itachi, but the catalyst was coming to wreak havoc and the deadly serpentine man didn't have time to ponder his life or death. Either it was going to work or it wasn't.
And from what information he had, he knew it would.
`````````````
Kakashi stared at Sasuke a few seconds before realizing that the thing that he least desired to happen had just managed to sneak past his nose.
"You didn't stay with Gaara!? You let him go off on his own!?"
Sasuke blinked at the unexpected reprimand.
"He said he would probably be a while and that I had other duties to perform, I didn't see any flaw in this, I assumed that they would let us know when we were to lead him back out of the village."
Kakashi could have kicked himself as he felt panic rise from somewhere in his stomach region. This was why he knew he should tell the team everything instead of keeping it to himself, now Gaara was off on his own with a whole head full of new information, and the older nin knew exactly who he would head for, a very confused and good intentioned blond young man. He looked at the slightly confused person in front of him and sighed.
Sasuke didn't deserve any blame for this, he was just doing what was routine for the border patrol, it wasn't his, or Kakashi's, business to deal with the people once they had managed to lead them past all the traps. It was just that he had wanted to talk to Naruto first and at least warn him that the red head was heading his way. Now he knew that the blond boy would be hurt that Kakashi hadn't given him all the information first, especially since it hit so close to home. The teacher was also worried about some of the observations that Iruka had made recently about the boy being more withdrawn, although that may just be a case of teenage anxiety. He shook his head, enough time for analysing later when he actually caught up with Naruto. Now he just had to go rescue him from the problem that had probably hit him in the face.
"Sasuke, quickly go gather Shikimaru's team and tell them their going on early duty, getting rid of as many of the more subtle traps as you can, while I go collect Sakura and disable a few myself. Then meet me at the usual place, I'll tell you what's been going on there."
The dark haired young man blinked, and then nodded quickly before disappearing, and Kakashi blessed whatever god was watching over him for single-minded people who liked to follow important, if vague, orders.
"Sakura!" There was a yell at the other end of his earphone and he winced. He hadn't really meant to surprise her like that. "Sorry, are you okay?" A series of curses were his answer and he was somewhat amused, although it wasn't really the time for it.
"You know, young girls really shouldn't know language like that, it makes them ugly and bitter." Silence was the response and he quickly told her what to do while she mulled over his semi-insult.
Once the handling of the more sophisticated traps had been finished and the listening to sighs of irritation by Shikimaru had ended they made their way quickly to the bridge where Sasuke was waiting.
Kakashi rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to think of the best way of telling the two what was going on causing the least amount of panic as possible. There was a soft cough from Sakura and he looked up hurriedly to two pair of anxious eyes. Well, so much for no panic.
"We have a small problem." The result of those few words were startling, both young ninja's straightened up, Sasuke's eyes going hard while Sakura's becoming thoughtful. At that moment he realized how proud he was of the children that he had taught and fought with up until now, the problem was that there was a gap which should have been filled with a loud voice challenging anyone who stood in his way and that the hokage had better watch out. He also realized that he really shouldn't be so ironic all the time, the situation wasn't that bad, but the fact that he played down on things had a tendency to make people panic.
"It can't be helped that Gaara is now off on his own, but we need to find both he and Naruto before they get it into their heads to do something stupid and suicidal." Sakura made time out motions with her hands and Sasuke actually looked confused.
"Sensei your thinking too fast and your mouth is trying to catch up, why the hell would Gaara and Naruto go off somewhere?" Kakashi wanted to pull his hair out in frustration. Of course! He hadn't told them yet, had he. Damn it, this was going to take too much time! But it couldn't be helped.
"You may have noticed the influx we've been having of water nin coming in and out of the forest runs lately. Well, there is a problem heading straight for us, a big one. A leviathan has been trapped within a young boy and couldn't be controlled, so now it's tearing its way around the continent looking for an out. We don't really know what it is attracted to,"
"But it's probably a safe bet that it's that loud idiot and the freak." Sasuke finished. He then turned around and ran off, straight for town. Leaving Kakashi and Sakura blinking, stunned. When everything caught up to the older nin he cursed loudly.
"That kid's gonna be the death of me some day. Lets go, Sakura!" Kakashi new that Sasuke would probably find Naruto first, he just hoped that the dark boy would have sense enough not to drive his friend away before Kakashi got to them both.
He really hoped Naruto was going to be okay, since it seemed the boy was about to be crushed between a rock and a hard place.
Chapter Eight Absorbing The Demon
Hunger, anger, hate, fear.
Words, emotions, lost.
Hate! Hate, hate, hate, hatehatehatehatehatehatehate, this.
Coherency.
Trapped!
Why?
Ponder.
Humans trapped me, in here.
With that.
It's screaming!
Shut, up. Shut up, shut up, shutup, shutup, shutup, shutup!!!
Gone. Dead?
Yes, gone, dead.
Satisfaction.
Wonder?
Power, where?
South.
Go south.
Find power.
Change back.
````````````````
The soft sound of scales on rock echoed throughout the cavern. The movement whispered over cracks and crevices, and bounced back into the ears of one man. He lounged against a cushion at the far end of the spacious cave, watching the huddled mass of scales and the cold reflection of light in many glass-clear eyes. Reptilian features were drawn into a long frown that only enhanced its cruel, ethereal beauty and ageless grace.
Orochimaru was worried. Deeply enough to ponder certain thoughts that, until now, would be rather suicidal of the reptilian man. He was slowly stroking one of his many tiny garden snake spies as he pondered what was transgressing within Hidden Mist and in Leaf as well. An ill wind was blowing and the snakes were whispering things while hiding under rocks. It was almost hibernation season, the time of dying. No snake in its right mind should be stirring in panic, but here he was, staring at them as the large group slithered over each other in a large confused accumulation. Their god had been rudely awoken at the worst time, and the repercussions were staggering.
This did not bode well at all, and he would have to tell Itachi what was going on. He shuddered. If he was lucky enough to get a word out before he was skinned alive.
Since the dismal end of their campaign to control the existing continent, the two had been holed up in seclusion, avoiding any sort of contact with the outside world. Itachi, patiently waiting for death at his brother's hands, and Orochimaru, hiding from Itachi. It would have been a far different situation if everything had gone according to plan with Sasuke.
He longed for the day when he had touched that young red-eyed boy and found endless innocence and raw power to tap into. The man shuddered in perverse delight. It had been the closest he had ever come to actually obtaining Itachi's power, with none of the suicidal and insane tendencies, just unimaginable rage and hate directed into one goal, stabbing Itachi in the back. He managed to quickly curb the remembrance before black despair followed. He realized where that mental trail would lead and it was nothing but destructive.
If he hadn't been so drunk with the sheer amount of power within one person, everything might have succeeded and they'd have all been kings. But both had been impatient to acquire their goals and had suffered for it. It was that twisted little demon fox boy, Naruto, which had managed it all, beginning with his own escape from Itachi's extremists to the rescue of Sasuke. The snake in Orochimaru's hand moved before it became crushed in the suddenly tightening grip.
Just as quickly shoulders and fists were put back into a normal, relaxed, and lazy pose, forced to concede to the mind that controlled them. Maybes, and could-haves, must be forgotten. This was a more pressing development and a serious opening if handled appropriately. He may even manage to regain those two that he desired most. Uchiha Sasuke, for power, and Uzumaki Naruto, for revenge. He knew that the new boy would be worthless, an empty husk filled with the ageless power of a leviathan gone completely mad. But the older Uchiha didn't know this, or even if he did would try to use it to his own benefit, with disastrous consequences. Then with Itachi in pieces, all that would be left would be for Orochimaru to clean up the pieces, permanently.
Unfortunately, now though, he desperately needed Itachi's help to pull all of this off, which seriously grated on his nerves, but it couldn't be helped. By now Leaf Village would be gathering its elite to fight the threat, and Itachi would be a wonderful distraction to throw into the forefront of the situation, leaving Orochimaru ample opportunity to take what was ripped from him before.
It wasn't going to be easy to outsmart Itachi, but the catalyst was coming to wreak havoc and the deadly serpentine man didn't have time to ponder his life or death. Either it was going to work or it wasn't.
And from what information he had, he knew it would.
`````````````
Kakashi stared at Sasuke a few seconds before realizing that the thing that he least desired to happen had just managed to sneak past his nose.
"You didn't stay with Gaara!? You let him go off on his own!?"
Sasuke blinked at the unexpected reprimand.
"He said he would probably be a while and that I had other duties to perform, I didn't see any flaw in this, I assumed that they would let us know when we were to lead him back out of the village."
Kakashi could have kicked himself as he felt panic rise from somewhere in his stomach region. This was why he knew he should tell the team everything instead of keeping it to himself, now Gaara was off on his own with a whole head full of new information, and the older nin knew exactly who he would head for, a very confused and good intentioned blond young man. He looked at the slightly confused person in front of him and sighed.
Sasuke didn't deserve any blame for this, he was just doing what was routine for the border patrol, it wasn't his, or Kakashi's, business to deal with the people once they had managed to lead them past all the traps. It was just that he had wanted to talk to Naruto first and at least warn him that the red head was heading his way. Now he knew that the blond boy would be hurt that Kakashi hadn't given him all the information first, especially since it hit so close to home. The teacher was also worried about some of the observations that Iruka had made recently about the boy being more withdrawn, although that may just be a case of teenage anxiety. He shook his head, enough time for analysing later when he actually caught up with Naruto. Now he just had to go rescue him from the problem that had probably hit him in the face.
"Sasuke, quickly go gather Shikimaru's team and tell them their going on early duty, getting rid of as many of the more subtle traps as you can, while I go collect Sakura and disable a few myself. Then meet me at the usual place, I'll tell you what's been going on there."
The dark haired young man blinked, and then nodded quickly before disappearing, and Kakashi blessed whatever god was watching over him for single-minded people who liked to follow important, if vague, orders.
"Sakura!" There was a yell at the other end of his earphone and he winced. He hadn't really meant to surprise her like that. "Sorry, are you okay?" A series of curses were his answer and he was somewhat amused, although it wasn't really the time for it.
"You know, young girls really shouldn't know language like that, it makes them ugly and bitter." Silence was the response and he quickly told her what to do while she mulled over his semi-insult.
Once the handling of the more sophisticated traps had been finished and the listening to sighs of irritation by Shikimaru had ended they made their way quickly to the bridge where Sasuke was waiting.
Kakashi rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to think of the best way of telling the two what was going on causing the least amount of panic as possible. There was a soft cough from Sakura and he looked up hurriedly to two pair of anxious eyes. Well, so much for no panic.
"We have a small problem." The result of those few words were startling, both young ninja's straightened up, Sasuke's eyes going hard while Sakura's becoming thoughtful. At that moment he realized how proud he was of the children that he had taught and fought with up until now, the problem was that there was a gap which should have been filled with a loud voice challenging anyone who stood in his way and that the hokage had better watch out. He also realized that he really shouldn't be so ironic all the time, the situation wasn't that bad, but the fact that he played down on things had a tendency to make people panic.
"It can't be helped that Gaara is now off on his own, but we need to find both he and Naruto before they get it into their heads to do something stupid and suicidal." Sakura made time out motions with her hands and Sasuke actually looked confused.
"Sensei your thinking too fast and your mouth is trying to catch up, why the hell would Gaara and Naruto go off somewhere?" Kakashi wanted to pull his hair out in frustration. Of course! He hadn't told them yet, had he. Damn it, this was going to take too much time! But it couldn't be helped.
"You may have noticed the influx we've been having of water nin coming in and out of the forest runs lately. Well, there is a problem heading straight for us, a big one. A leviathan has been trapped within a young boy and couldn't be controlled, so now it's tearing its way around the continent looking for an out. We don't really know what it is attracted to,"
"But it's probably a safe bet that it's that loud idiot and the freak." Sasuke finished. He then turned around and ran off, straight for town. Leaving Kakashi and Sakura blinking, stunned. When everything caught up to the older nin he cursed loudly.
"That kid's gonna be the death of me some day. Lets go, Sakura!" Kakashi new that Sasuke would probably find Naruto first, he just hoped that the dark boy would have sense enough not to drive his friend away before Kakashi got to them both.
He really hoped Naruto was going to be okay, since it seemed the boy was about to be crushed between a rock and a hard place.
