Warnings: Well, if you don't know who Orochimaru is (cause if you know Orochimaru, you know what he wants to do) then I suggest you go to a fansite immediately and read up on him. Best. Villain. Ever.

Pairing: Oro/Naru

Summery: Maybe Orochimaru has another reason for hating Konoha, maybe one of the reasons he wishes to destroy the country of his birth, is all because of a little boy.

Genre: General, Paternal-type-love

Rating: PG

A/N: Hey, this is a big thanks to all who've read and reviewed this pile of one shots. If there were some fics where my characterization of someone was poorly done, or my plot did not seem adequate then I apologize for it immensely. I do hope that you, for the most part, enjoyed this collection and sincerely thank you for the encouragement you, the readers, have given me.

""-speech

''-thoughts

He had always carried a bit of a grudge against Sarutobi-sensei, choosing the student of Jiraiya to be the fourth Hokage instead of him, but that grudge had faded away when Arashi, the fourth Hokage had passed away.

He was sure if he had become the fourth Hokage he would have been able to take care of Kyuubi without having to sacrifice himself.

But he decided not to gloat during the time of mourning; it would be disadvantageous if the whole village hated him. They already distrusted him enough, and for good reasons too, not that he would let them know that.

To be completely truthful he only really began hating the country of his birth and the people of that country when the whispers began.

Hushed voices were constantly talking in the shadows, whispering about whom to blame for the fourth dying, the destruction of the village, for everything.

An infant called Uzumaki Naruto, who was the host for the dreaded Kyuubi.

It at first started as a topic only the brave would talk about, and only in the company of trusted friends. But soon word got around and before to long Orochimaru could hear the outright hatred spewing from the uneducated mouths of inconsiderate people who hadn't stopped their self-righteous ranting long enough to consider that the baby they were cursing so violently just so happened to be their savior.

Orochimaru had caught sight of the infant on more than one occasion, and even though the rumors of the baby's evil hadn't affected his thoughts, he still couldn't believe how innocent the child looked with his wide, dazed blue eyes.

He was not a sentimental man, nor was he full of goodwill, but he wanted to protect the keeper of those innocent eyes, and did so on many occasions from renegade ninjas who tried to hurt the child.

He had left Konoha not even a year after the fourth's demise, all his wishes to be Hokage gone. He would never bring himself to rule such thoughtless people who would dare to hate their hero. No, he would create his own country and become the Kage of that, and he would crush Konoha. Sarutobi-sensei for not defending the boy enough, the common villagers for speaking ill of the infant, the nins of the village for more than once trying to do away with the child…

Every once in a while he'd sneak into Konoha under the cover of night and check up on the growing boy. He'd feel oddly pained whenever he saw wet streaks on his scarred cheeks from the tears he had shed before sleep or in his dreams. And the pain in his chest only made him want to crush Konoha more, leaving nothing but ruins, dead bodies and destruction as he brought the child to a place where he wouldn't be treated like scum.

He supposed he felt like a fatherly presence, which in itself was a strange occurrence since he'd never really cared for anyone other than himself. But as the years passed and the young Naruto grew up, going into the Academy where he made no friends and cried about it each night, Orochimaru grew used to the paternal love he had for the boy.

He had once been an outcast as well for his strange looks, but he grew strong quickly and was suddenly surrounded by fake friendships and admirers. His only real friend had been Jiraiya. Naruto's only real friends were the Third, who was far to busy to dote on the boy, and his school teacher.

So he supposed that was why he wished to defend the boy with such vigor, he knew what it was liked to be hated for no good reason.

So for Naruto, a boy who did something wonderful and was hated for it, and perhaps a bit for himself, to claim revenge on the town that never understood him and to prove his power to everyone, Konoha would fall, and the only one standing unharmed at the end would be the reason for its destruction. A demon, a brat, a nuisance…

An innocent boy who was cursed by fate.