Remember what I said a few weeks ago about waiting to see how the filler arc featuring Anko turned out? Well cancel that. Since the fillers seem to have obvious difficulty keeping their timelines straight, I've decided to go with my original plan and completely ignore them. So when Anko does come into the story (which will be soon, I promise!) don't expect to hear anything about the Ocean Country or some lame fish girl.

But for now I give you chapter 8, featuring our other favorite student, Yakushi Kabuto. Kabuto timeline isnot cannon. Enjoy and please review. I enjoy getting feedback, be it positive or negitive.

-sor

Yakushi Kabuto was a slight child and at nearly seven years old he might have been mistaken for five. His one saving grace was his eyes; eyes that betrayed a maturity far beyond his years. His father attributed it to trauma from the war, but I knew the first time I saw the boy that it was more than that. He was analytical and studious, just as I had been, though I would never go so far as to say the boy reminded me of myself. He smiled far too often for such a comparison to be apt. But it was the cunning behind his smile that I recognized as so similar to my own. This boy was a perfect match to my needs.

The common perception of the boy was not appreciative. Though his father, one of our most accomplished medical nin, insisted that the boy remembered nothing of his life elsewhere, most were dubious where he was concerned. Children did not play with him, though Kabuto did not seem to mind; he was not a boy who played in the manner of normal children. Certainly, like many boys, he enjoyed the same hobbies such as pulling the wings off of flies and the legs off of beetles so he could watch the wounded insect squirm. He also very much enjoyed casting those injured insects into spider webs, where he would watch in rapt fascination as the spider calculated its attack, entrapped the insect, and finally devoured it.

Above and beyond all this, however, was the one thing that held my attention. The boy had an impressive amount of chakra and was unusually strong for a mere child. Even then, I thought him comparable to that Hatake boy that Yondaime praised so frequently. No one else paid him enough mind to notice it, a fact which I was endlessly pleased with. In fact, the only man in the entire village who paid him any mind at all was his foster father, who trained the boy quite thoroughly in the art of medical jutsu, a field in which I, admittedly, am lacking.

I first encountered the boy face to face a few months after I had begun my observation. Ever since my less than enthusiastic reception for Yondaime, it seemed I had been delegated more than my share of solo missions. The village was hardly lacking in highly talented ninja, yet it always seemed to be me they turned to. I was not sure if they truly had need of my strength, or if they were merely attempting to keep me out of the village as often as possible so that they might avoid my wrath. Jiraiya did not tend to nearly so many missions. In fact, he had spent more time as of late on those ridiculous books of his, a pointless enterprise that nonetheless seemed to be encouraged by Yondaime.

It was mid-afternoon when I returned from my latest mission. This one had not been a total loss, however, as I was able to procure a few rare scrolls from one of my most cunning associates, a young man who had a rare talent for acquiring valuable, secret knowledge. Indeed, this time he had truly discovered a treasure, a collection of most dangerous kinjutsu, including a few very handy techniques that I planned on putting to full use.

I was absorbed in this scroll when I first sensed it, an unusual presence lurking in the underbrush to the left of my currant path. Whoever it was was under the impression that he could evade me simply by avoiding my eyes, which had been until that point focused on my reading. Some sneak in the bushes didn't concern me so much, however. It was only a mild annoyance and I brushed it off with a sigh, rolling my scroll and slipping it into one of the pockets on my vest. "You can continue your futile efforts at stealth, but I can assure you such effort would be wasted."

There was no reply at first, but a few moments later the bushes rustled in earnest and a boy stepped out into the path, looking absolutely furious at having been discovered. This changed, however, when I showed no interest whatsoever for his attempt at hiding. Rather, I was quite interested in what a brilliant stroke of luck this was. An opportunity to speak with Yakushi Kabuto without risk of arousing suspicion from men who already watched me far too closely.

"Kabuto-kun. You're far from home."

My somewhat friendly tone did not fool the boy and such a thing pleased me immensely. He was no fool. He was, however, an admirable liar. His lip quivered as if he were on the verge of tears and his voice was suitably upset. "I got lost. I was out in the woods looking for bugs and I can't find my way back."

It was a lie. It takes a talented liar to spot that trait in another. It also takes a talented liar to know when his lies are ineffectual. It only took the boy a moment to realize I had not been taken in by simple crocodile tears and they faded as quickly as they had come as he crossed his arms, regarding me with an unhappy scowl. "You're Orochimaru-sama, aren't you?"

"Indeed I am." I had been absent so often from the village it was a wonder the brat recognized me. "And you are not lost. So why are you so far from the village?"

Kabuto maintained his angry pout, though the effect was somewhat diminished when he was forced to lift one hand to push his glasses back up his nose. Even that small motion made him seem less cold, less threatening. I wasn't sure if he'd done it for that express purpose, but I took note of the result. "It would only incriminate me if I answered you, so I'd rather not."

He surprised me with such an answer and I could not help but chuckle. The boy was certainly much more than the village gave him credit for. I found myself being more friendly with this child than I have had been with anyone in quite some time. It might have pleased Jiraiya very much to know I was smiling again, much as I had in our youth, though this time my reasons were entirely different. "Would you allow me to guess?"

He looked terribly unsure of me in that moment and I could hardly blame him. It was not easy to feel at ease when caught in the gaze of a predator. So, it was admirable when he lifted his chin slightly and gave a small nod.

It felt strange to smile so readily as I squatted down in front of him, putting myself on his level so that I could examine his expressions more closely. "Judging by your incriminating behavior at the roadside, I suppose you did not wish to be found, so you can hardly claim to be lost." His eyebrows creased a bit in response, giving me the indication that I assumed correctly. "And judging by your distance from the village and your proximity to the road, one could guess you have been traveling."

His scowl only encouraged me. So I rose again and stepped towards the place he had emerged from the underbrush, searching for a moment until I found it, just as I had suspected. "And I would suppose, given the placement of this bag of supplies, that you did not intend to return."

His small face had contorted in anger by that time, but I could only laugh all the more when his tiny fists clenched as if he were prepared to strike me. He was brave. I liked that, as well. I plucked the bag out of the brush and handed it to him, giving his hair an almost affectionate pat as I did so. I even surprised myself with such a gesture. Why in the world was I already so fond of this brat?

With my hand still on his head, I guided him back off the road, putting enough distance between ourselves and the chance of meeting another traveler that I could feel safe and he could feel less defensive. Once I was satisfied, I sat down in the grass and after a moment's hesitation, Kabuto did the same. Already he felt comfortable enough with me.

I believe Kabuto sensed in me an ally from the very start, otherwise he would not have trusted me so freely. The boy had always possessed a keen intuition and such was a trait that served me well for years.

"Tell me, Kabuto-kun. Why are you running away? Surely you did not think your father would not send someone to find you… with all those medical jutsu floating around in your head."

Kabuto's face twisted into an expression somewhere between fury and surprise, but he schooled it into neutrality with admirable swiftness. It had never crossed his mind that he may be pursued for any reason other than his father's affections. Despite surprise, he answered quickly. "He's not my father, you know."

"Of course, forgive me. Your foster father."

He seemed no more pleased by that title, though he said nothing of it, deeming it pointless to argue such a trivial point. "And it doesn't much matter if he follows me. I don't intend to be found. I left a trail leading in the other direction before I traced my steps back this way. He'll only find a dead end."

"Very clever, Kabuto-kun." I did not bother to tell him that no jounin of his father's level would ever fall for such a simple trick. I needed the boy on my side rather than suffering from the sting of insult. "But that does not answer my question. Why are you running away?"

I had never in my life seen a child make such a serious expression, but then I had already begun to think of Kabuto as more than merely a child. There was something more in him, more than even his uncanny intelligence or his immense chakra. "I would rather not say. It would only incriminate me."

So it seemed he was not so trusting as I had first hoped. Still, it should be no difficult task to get the boy to open up. He and I had certain things in common, after all and I had my theories. "You have already incriminated yourself, Kabuto-kun. But you have no reason to worry. I have no intention of forcing you to return if that is not your wish." I paused, watching as the boy perked up curiously. I had captured his full attention at last, which was what I needed if I were to convince him of my sincerity.

"However, I wonder what you will do on your own. Do you not intend to become a ninja? A boy with your potential?"

Kabuto smiled to himself when he heard my praise and for a moment he forgot his determination to be secretive. "Of course I want to be a ninja. But I can do that elsewhere."

"Certainly you could." Kabuto had sincerely impressed me when we first began to converse, but as our conversation wore on, I began to wonder if the boy was really so bright as I gave him credit for. When I had been his age, I was already studying difficult kinjutsu and planning my own future. Kabuto had not even bothered to fully plan his own escape.

"Though I wonder who would teach you. Who out there in the world could even hope to instruct you so thoroughly as you could be taught in Konoha? Who in the world can even compare to being the student of one of the Legendary Sannin?"

That peaked his attention for the last time and from that moment on, Kabuto was enthralled by the possibility of receiving such training as I could give him. He even seemed to forget that such training would require his return to Konoha. "You would train me, Orochimaru-sama?"

"I would consider it." He did not seem to realize there was a catch to my consideration. In fact, I could see by the far off look in his eyes that he had already begun to think ahead, no doubt dreaming those wonderful dreams of power and strength that every ambitious young ninja dreamed at least once in his life. Even those who claimed to hold to a higher principle at one time had such dreams. Even that high and mighty Yondaime himself.

Kabuto, though, considered these ambitions in a different manner from most boys. His expression was thoughtful and he only allowed a faint grin, giving no hints to the exact nature of his thoughts. He was subtle in movement in such a way that it was easy to imagine he was only thinking of what game he might like to play when his journey was over rather than how many lives he could destroy with only the simple desire to do so. Over time I learned to read Kabuto more clearly, but at first his innermost thoughts were a mystery even to me.

"Only consider it?" He spoke unexpectedly, peering at me over the rim of his glasses for a moment before pushing them back into place. "I won't go back just to have you refuse me. I want a guarantee."

"Do you?" Such a demanding boy he was in those first few months I knew him. It is hard to imagine such a thing now, when he is the most loyal man I have, the only soldier under my command who never demands a thing from me. "Well, I suppose that's fair enough. I will offer you a deal."

He canted his head to the side and examined me in much the way a young lion examines its first kill. Such an expression gave me chills. "Any training you receive from me must be done in the utmost secrecy. If at any moment you reveal our work to anyone, I will never lift a finger to give you aid again." The request was simple enough and a good start, as Kabuto surely had no qualms with lying to the village elders. He hated them nearly as much as I did, as I came to find out.

"And you will continue to train under your foster father. And when the time comes, you will attend classes at the academy, all the while never revealing that you know me as anything more than a name."

I saw my first protest at that second request, though it was silent and had I not been watching so intently, I would have missed the way his small hand briefly clenched in the grass. "Train with him? Why?"

"Simply because he is one of the most skilled medic nin in the entire village and no other village can match the strength and power of our medical specialists. You are a bright boy, Kabuto-kun. I could use you in such a capacity. Payment for the time I waste on your training."

I could tell right away the boy wasn't the least bit happy with me, but he offered no further complaint. As I had hoped, the faint praise had managed to soothe whatever insult he found in training with his foster father. Such was the partnership Kabuto-kun and I had from the start. Above everything else, we had respect for intelligence and strength and despite my demanding schedule and his bouts of independence, we worked together as if two halves of a whole. It was the single reason I put as much trust in the boy as I did. Our goals were mutually inclusive… and we both adored the opportunity to study beyond the limits placed upon us.

For the four years I worked my experiments beneath the earth of Konoha, Kabuto-kun never breathed a word. He enjoyed assisting me far too much to spoil our fun simply to curry favor with the Hokage. In fact, it was because of Kabuto that I was able to pursue my experiments so easily. The boy's mind was really astonishing and I'm not afraid to admit that some of my best ideas were born from one offhand comment or another from my student.

Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself. The bulk of my work had not yet started when he and I first began to train. At that time I had only been allowed a small lab hidden away in the basement of the administration building. Certainly I understood their reasons for tucking me away out of sight, but I preferred it that way. It meant fewer people to disturb me and as it turned out, they wished to avoid me as much as I wished to be left alone. That lab was, I must admit, a sanctuary – a place where I was free to pursue science to my heart's content. Only I still could not be content within the limitations pressed upon me.

I was free to study anything I wished so long as it had no harmful effect on the village. I was allowed plants, even a handful of animals, rats and such, to do what tests I pleased. At first, the rats were indeed fascinating, but they died far too easily to be of any real use. Human beings were much more resilient. Of course, they never would have allowed me live humans and it was a limitation I lived with for a time. There were still things I could learn from rats, though I knew the time would eventually come when my desire grew too strong and I would be forced to take bolder steps to further my work.

I knew from Kabuto that the medics allowed minor research to be done on the dead to increase their ability to heal the living. This was what the Hokage would no doubt consider a noble cause and thus his morals did not prevent him from allowing the mutilation of falling ninja to serve the purposes of the medics. However, when I made a request to delve into their oh so generous supply of dead bodies, I was turned down flat.

"I'm sorry, Orochimaru-sama." Strangely, Yondaime didn't look the least bit sorry about any of it, though I'm sure I looked absolutely ill at having to ask him for any favors. He looked odd seated behind that desk, mounds of paperwork piled around him as if he were somehow qualified to do paperwork at his age. He should still be off playing his stupid games around the bath houses. Who was I kidding? He probably still played those stupid games. "The medics only have a few corpses to work with and they can't afford to part with any."

It was an almost believable excuse and I might have left things at that had we not been at war and losing men nearly every day. Not to mention the ninja from Iwagakure, who might as well be dropping their own corpses on our doorstep. I didn't bother arguing, though. Yondaime was obviously a bit drunk with power and no doubt he didn't wish to offer any further edge to the man who would one day replace him when the village returned to its senses. He had to understand his days of power were numbered. "Of course. I wouldn't wish to take what is necessary for the medics' research."

Like his teacher, Yondaime was never good at masking his feelings and so I caught quite easily the gleam of suspicion in his eyes. At least he was sharper than Jiraiya ever was. Sharp enough to suspect my easy compliance with his orders. I didn't give him a chance to question, however, and took my leave without properly being dismissed. It seemed for a moment as if he wanted very much to stop me, but in the end he clamped his mouth shut and allowed me to leave without protest, probably recognizing that I would not have stayed even if he had asked.

So focused was I on my amusement, that I didn't notice right away the presence in the hallway. Not until he spoke, that is.

"What is it you're trying to study now, Orochimaru?"

I paused, not even sparing a glance over my shoulder. "Are you not enjoying your retirement, Sarutobi-sensei?" Just finding the old fool lurking around the Hokage's office was enough to temper my irritation with amusement. "Shouldn't you be off playing chess with the other old men?"

He laughed at that, apparently humored by the fact that I thought him old. Poor man. He was obviously in denial regarding his advanced years. I was above to tell him so when he spoke first. "Come walk with me."

This, I hadn't expected, but his offer intrigued me. Why in the world the old man would want me to walk with him was beyond even my ability to guess, which I suppose was why I agreed. He said nothing for a time, waiting it seemed until we had left the administrative building and made our way towards the less populated districts. He was leading me towards the village walls, it seemed and it wasn't until we had climbed the stairs and reached the walkway that circled the village that he broke the uncomfortable silence between us. "What do you want with corpses, Orochimaru?"

I laughed heartily at this for what felt like the first time in ages. "So retirement has driven you to listening at doors to conversations that do not concern you?" Ah, but I shouldn't have been surprised, really. Sarutobi was as talented a snooper as Jiraiya ever was. More so, in fact, because in all his years, I don't think he was ever caught. I suppose I should have commended him for putting such skills to a better use than spying on women.

He seemed to understand my humor, though, even smiling himself, albeit a bit sadly. "Come now, don't change the subject. Why are you asking Yondaime for corpses?" When he noted my reluctance to answer, he pressed on. "You know I'm a great respecter of your genius, Orochimaru. I know you are capable, above anyone else in the village, of a breakthrough that will help us to end this war. If that is what you seek, I can help you."

The old man's offer came as a surprise. He was offering his aid to me and not to that ignorant child behind his all important desk? It was now my turn to look a bit suspicious. "Why would you want to help me? You did not trust me to become Hokage, yet you wish for me to work towards an end to this petty little war?"

Perhaps it may be difficult to believe, but in all the time since Yondaime's promotion, Sarutobi and I had never once discussed the particulars of his choice. In fact, he and I had not even spoken to one another. I'm sure he was more than reluctant to face my wrath and I cannot blame him. Even now I was still furious at him for his betrayal, but this sudden and new generosity was enough to give me pause. I was willing to listen, for now, to whatever explanation he was inclined to give.

"Trust had very little to do with it." He came to a stop in his strolling, standing along the edge of the wall where he could peer out over the village. It had grown considerably since the last time he and I had gazed upon it from the top of the Hokage monument and I got the sense in that moment that Sarutobi was feeling his age just as much as I. "Don't forget, I know you, Orochimaru. I know your loyalties and your ambitions. I know while you are the strongest shinobi in this village, you would have been miserable as Hokage, smothered in paperwork and the mundane chore of running Konoha. You would have neglected your studies and eventually come to hate me for putting such a burden upon you. Or you would have eventually come to neglect the village in favor of your studies and left us all in quite a bind. Besides, it would have been a great waste of your intellect to have it burdened with such tasks far below its capabilities."

It all sounded very contrived and yet also very logical, though I was certain there was more to it than simply concern over my well-being. I knew there was more, but I chose not to let on. After all, if he had his mind set to aiding me, I was not fool enough to anger him and lose my only chance at moving forward in my research. "I appreciate your concern, sensei, but you needn't worry about me. I would not allow a little paperwork to stop me from pursuing my goals."

He seemed more at ease with me when he found I was not going to respond harshly, even going so far as to chuckle lightly. "I said the same thing." Seeming to forget himself for just a moment, he reached up to pat my shoulder firmly, the way he used to when I was a boy and had done something particularly pleasing. Even I was given pause by the gesture and it threw off my defensiveness without my notice.

I smiled at the old man in a sincere way I hadn't expressed in quite some time. "You said you could help me?"

"Ah, yes." Sarutobi-sensei let his hand drop from my shoulder, clasping it with the other in front of him. "But, we are still left with the question of your intentions."

"Now, sensei, you know me better than that." I managed to avoid even glancing his way the entire time, determined to give the impression that I was completely unconcerned with the current topic of conversation. "I don't set out with a particular plan in mind. I merely go where my work leads me."

He was not pleased with my answer, but I could tell by his resigned posture that he knew the truth of it. "I understand, of course, but I doubt very much the village will. It is a difficult matter to allow the medics to do their work, let alone request one of the deceased for unknown experiments. The clans are already skittish about offering any of their own and some have outright refused."

There was no need for him to elaborate on that matter. I knew as well as anyone that most of the Konoha clans were secretive to a fault. The refusals were likely to have come from Hyuuga and Uchiha, which I must admit, were two of the clans I most wished to study. They possessed the most powerful doujutsu in existence and I would have been a fool not to be curious. Especially regarding Sharingan, which could, if duplicated, make my goals all that much easier to accomplish. "I understand. Your effort is appreciated, though I don't expect you to go out of your way simply to indulge my mind. We are in a time of war, after all." Whatever I said, though, it was exactly my intention that he should go very much out of his way for my sake. It would be the first step to making up for all the wrong he had dealt me.

There was a faint look of relief in his weathered features. Again I was surprised by the sudden effects of age that I'd never seemed to notice before. I still saw him in my mind's eye as he had been when he was our sensei and to realize that he was such an old man now came again and again as a shock. Still, I knew better than to underestimate his power or his influence. There was no doubt in my mind that he would put forth every effort towards getting me what I wanted as he always had. "We'll see what can be done."

He reached up to pat my shoulder once more before turning back towards the ramp leading down to the village, leaving me alone on the walls to ponder my next move. Things had certainly begun to look promising once more.