Thank you all for your continued support of this fic. I'm glad to know that it has become a favorite of so many people.

Also, thank you Swizz for that unbelievably flattering review. I only hope I can continue to live up to it as I begin to delve into much more complicated subject matter. We're entering into a very complicated era in the Narutoverse timeline and I only hope I can do these great moments the justice they deserve. In the future you can expect to findretellings of Kakashi Gaiden (including a brief cameo by Kakashi), the Kyuubi attack, and Orochimaru's time with Akatsuki, among other things.

So please continue to enjoy the fic and I eagerly await more feedback. If there are any scenes you're hoping to see, let me know and I'll attempt to include them if at all possible. This fic is far from complete and there is always room for a bit of outside influence.

-sor

Sarutobi-sensei was as good as his word. He managed somehow to procure a single corpse, just as he had promised. He refused to explain how and I did not ask, not wishing to put any tension between us when he had done me such a great favor. Plus, he placed several restrictions upon me and for the first time in years I was inclined to listen. Restrictions were not always bad and when they served to prevent the entire village from rising up against me, I was more than happy to follow them. Or at least, to give the illusion of following them.

For the first time, limitations were placed on my studies. I was instructed to search for certain things. This was something I had never done in my life, hard as it might be to believe. I have always believed that knowledge flows as it will and one fact will lead to another, providing a path of learning that takes us where we are meant to go. To attempt to force facts to conform to a desired result will only color those facts based on what you are trying to find. Facts can be interpreted a million different ways and any information can be twisted to fit a theory if shown in the right light. With all knowledge, all history, it only comes down to the perspective of the man relating it.

Such a thing is true regarding myself, as well.

I related my findings to the council, colored with a perspective that would please them. They wished to know the body's reaction to certain jutsu commonly practiced by the Rock nin. It was a task I thought better suited to medics, but it was also the single condition to my work, so I concocted a simple explanation. It was little more than some nonsense about the rate at which chakra escapes the tenketsu in relation to certain jutsu and their ability to diminish a ninja's chakra power. In the end, my studies were 'inconclusive' but contained enough information to be of use to the medics. However, my real studies proved more conclusive than I could have imagined.

My goals included a multitude of things that one corpse simply wouldn't satisfy, so to learn as much as I had from the man only made my desire to go further even stronger. My work suggested that it was indeed possible to implant genetic information into a human body and allow it to take root. This could allow a man to learn not only common jutsu, but techniques tied to a bloodline. Nothing connected to kekkei genkai, but certain jutsu held in the blood, such as Shodai's Mokuton techniques, the Aburame clan's pact with insects, or the Akimichi body alteration jutsu could be transferred through blood. True, anyone with enough time and determination could learn these techniques, but there were certain components of the host clans' blood that made them more compatible. Or at least, that was my hypothesis. A hypothesis that did keep me busy with my rats for at least a few more months, work I was glad to have. The academy would be releasing a fresh batch of monsters within the week and I would be glad to be locked away in the basement, if only to avoid the noise.

Of course, I was well aware of all of it, thanks to Kabuto who had begun his tour at the academy earlier in the year. He wasn't exactly the most social of children, but he was amazingly observant when it came to his fellow classmates and upperclassmen. He came to me a few days before graduation, catching me in the process of expanding my lab. There were many advantages to being in the basement, as I've said before; not only for privacy, but for concealing the second lab I intended to create. Hollowing out the earth beneath the administrative building was of little difficulty, but equipping it properly would take a bit more time. I was in the process of ensuring the stability of the walls of this new hidden room when Kabuto found me.

He was smiling quite pleasantly, which was the first thing to give me pause. Whenever that boy smiled, it sent chills down my spine, if only because I knew what kind of mind lurked behind those smiles. Finding Kabuto amused was often a dangerous thing. "Do you plan to bother me with that ridiculous grinning all day? I could find better uses for you than that."

Most children, when faced with one of my ill moods, would be frightened to tears, but Kabuto only smiled all the brighter as he clambered up onto one of my work tables, small legs swinging freely when he finally took his seat. "I just heard that Sandaime will be paying you a visit later. Something about training a genin."

If there was anything that would have put me in an even worse mood, it was news like that. I had no desire to deal with yet another attempt to pawn off a trio of brats into my care, especially now that I had much more important work to attend to, not to mention seeing to Kabuto's education. There was no room for some idiot child in my plans. Or at least, that was what I though. When I hadn't responded, Kabuto pressed on, pushing his glasses further up his nose in that infuriatingly innocent manner of his. "I heard she requested you specifically."

That, indeed, gave me pause. It was rare to find anyone in the village who didn't paint me as a villain or at the very least an eccentric and odd man who should be avoided. Children found me frightening; adults didn't trust me. I didn't need them. However, to hear that there was a child in the village that possessed enough sense to admire a true ninja rather than the perverted trio who seemed to earn the adoration of all, honestly intrigued me. Never before had I been requested. "Does this bright girl have a name?"

Kabuto beamed, obviously patting himself on the back for winning my attention away from my projects. "She's a few years older than me, pretty loud and a bit of a troublemaker." His nose wrinkled, causing his glasses to slide down the bridge once again. "Her name is Mitarashi Anko and if what I've heard the other kids saying is true, she absolutely idolizes you." He didn't seem the least bit pleased by that fact and I began to wonder, much to my delight, if Kabuto was somehow jealous that someone else actually paid me some mind. It only then occurred to me that I probably spoiled him with my attentions. That was further incentive to actually accept this girl as my pupil. Allowing Kabuto to think he had exclusive rights to my attention could become very dangerous as the boy grew.

From the very start, Mitarashi Anko fascinated me, even before I ever laid eyes on her. That she was bold enough to request my teachings when so many of the elders stood against me said a great deal about her independence. She was like me in that she was not willing to settle for what the village defined as the norm and thus, she had the makings of a perfect student, shapeless clay free to be molded by my hands into the form of a real ninja. The village had been lacking in real ninja for many years now. Whatever Kabuto may have thought of my decision, I admit that I was a bit blinded by the girl's admiration. It was that which led me to accept her as a student without so much as laying eyes upon her, a decision I regretted for many months to come.

On first sight, I knew right away that I had condemned myself to years of mild torture. Kabuto had not lied when he called her noisy and at first she reminded me of Yondaime, a comparison which absolutely made my stomach churn. Rather than showing off for girls, though, she showed off for the entire academy class, bullying a much larger boy into turning over the sweets from his lunch. When he eventually did so with a grudging glare, she held aloft the dango as if it were gold, laughing in such a manner that I was shocked the boy did not strike her right then and there. I learned later that most of them were afraid of her; that beneath that somewhat foolish behavior, the girl was immensely skilled with her fists and there had yet to be a classmate who could best her in combat.

Sarutobi-sensei managed somehow to persuade Yondaime to allow me to take her on alone, without the encumbering presence of two other brats. I later learned that Jiraiya had also spoken for me in this regard, a fact which surprised me more than I would ever admit. He and I had not spoken often as of late and I had observed with pleasure the rift between us widening. Still, Jiraiya knew me better than anyone else in the village and I suppose he understood my temperament well enough to judge that I would only be exceptionally cruel to the other two intruders. However, they both said it was 'good for me' to take on a student; that it would improve my relationship with the village and give me, at long last, a chance to pass on my legacy.

I, on the other hand, never intended for Anko to be my legacy. That position had already been filled by Kabuto-kun and I had no intention of replacing my most loyal soldier, even if the girl was older and seemed to like me even more than Kabuto. Legacy was a thing to be treated with care, not thrown away upon the first interested party. I suppose that was how Jiraiya's own legacy was so sloppily passed along, right down to that stupid Kyuubi brat. A legacy of idiots who, with the exception of Hatake Kakashi, didn't share a lick of sense between them.

Anko would have fit in much more quickly with Jiraiya's brood than with mine. Still, she did provide me that link to the village that, for a time, fooled the elders into thinking I cared for Konoha's future. And for all her faults, she was a quick study and she had an affinity for my difficult techniques. She didn't even mind that many of my most well known jutsu were deemed revolting

The only real problem I had with Mitarashi Anko was tolerating her presence.

"Oi, Orochimaru-sensei!" She had obviously been waiting for some time, even though I had not come tardy to our first training session. Her eagerness was a promising sign, though I could have done without the shouting. "I'm so glad you agreed to train me! Everyone said I was crazy for wanting it but they don't know what they're talking about." She didn't seem the least bit deterred by my silence and continued to babble on and on while I stood by, watching her bounce happily on her heels. "Kotetsu-kun said you didn't like kids, but I know that can't be true, otherwise you wouldn't have agreed."

"I hate children."

That seemed to quiet her for a moment, but it was not long at all before she came up with a counter, brightening up again as if I hadn't spoken. "Well I'm not like other kids, anyway. They're all stupid and want to be like Jiraiya-sama or Yondaime, but those guys are really just perverts." She leaned a bit closer, as if divulging some secret, even though we were the only two within a radius of miles. "I heard Jiraiya-sama writes dirty books. Is that true?"

I couldn't help but regard the girl with a somewhat surprised expression, but I turned it quickly to indifference. There really was no point in discussing Jiraiya, though it did please me that this child had the sense to realize that Jiraiya was little more than a pervert who knew a few flashy jutsu. "Yes, it's true. But we did not come here to discuss Jiraiya's many faults."

She deflated for an instant, but not a moment later she pumped a fist into the air, grinning in a manner that reminded me far too much of Jiraiya. "Right! I'm ready to train!"

As objectionable as her energy was, it was still nice to see a child in this village that was eager for knowledge. It made the morning's training sessions much more bearable than I had originally assumed they would be. I taught her a few of the minor jutsu I had first used as a boy and by the time I released her for lunch, she had already made admirable progress. Perhaps Sarutobi-sensei had been right all along. There really was something satisfying about watching a student progress. Certainly I had watched Kabuto progress over the past months, but for some reason Anko was different. Perhaps it was merely that I could take official responsibility for her advancement; that I could show pride rather than feigning indifference.

Or perhaps it was because Anko truly admired me. She didn't understand me, but she admired me.

I had been on the verge of retreating to the village for a few hours of work, leaving the girl time to eat and train independently, but before I had gone more than a few steps, she stopped me with that same shrill noise as she had greeted me with. "Oi, Orochimaru-sensei!" If she noted my flinch, she gave no indication. "I brought lunch out here so I wouldn't have to go back to the village."

I didn't quite understand her reason for telling me something so pointless until I turned and found her arm outstretched, offering me quite a generous helping of dango. This I hadn't expected, but the girl looked so hopeful, it made me honestly debate my initial instinct to refuse the gift. However, I didn't debate long. "I don't like sweets."

That simple proclamation seemed to strike the girl with such force one would have thought I'd just admitted to cutting her mother's throat. For all her intelligence, Anko could not comprehend that there was a man alive who was not obsessed with something so trivial as dango. She recovered quickly, however, as she always did, shaking her head as if I had no sense at all. "I'm not going to give you another chance to take it, sensei. I'm just as happy with eating it myself."

She'd obviously anticipated such a threat would bring me scrambling to take what I could before she devoured it, but when I merely shrugged and turned away again, she was scampering on my heels within seconds. "Sensei, please! I brought it for you. It's really good." And as if it would entice me further, she waved one of the skewers right under my nose, causing me to jerk backwards in a most ungraceful manner.

Still, she was not deterred, and it was after at least a minute of dango being unceremoniously shoved into my face that I finally conceded and very reluctantly ate one – only one. It was just as I'd expected, terribly sweet and not at all something I would enjoy. I made no effort to hide my distaste, but I don't think she noticed as she was too busy consuming the rest of the skewer herself, laughing happily with her mouth full. At least, having eaten her damned dango, she made no further effort to stop me from leaving.

However, there were other obstacles standing in my way that afternoon.

I noticed him as I stalked past his hiding place in one of the denser trees. It was a testament to Anko's promise that I hadn't noticed the snooper sooner, but it was clear by the way he laughed at my attempts to erase the taste of the dango from my mouth that Jiraiya had been watching for some time. The only indication I gave of my notice, however, was a rather venomous glare, which only amused him all the more. "I told you you'd enjoy it, Orochimaru-sensei!"

"Do I look like I'm enjoying myself?"

Still laughing like a fool, Jiraiya dropped to the ground to walk at my side, giving me a firm pat on the back. "I never would have predicted you'd take a kid like her, though. Always pictured you as the type to teach some grumpy little egomaniac."

I wasn't entirely sure if I should be insulted or not, but that was only further reason to completely ignore Jiraiya. He had obviously come to gloat, over what, though, I wasn't sure. He and I hadn't exactly been on the best of terms as of late, even if he wished to pretend that nothing at all had occurred. "And I always pictured you laying face down in your own drool outside the hot springs. At least one of us was correct."

My insult had the intended result of killing whatever further humor was lodged in that thick skull of his, prompting the rare appearance of a more serious Jiraiya. "I'm just glad to see you have something else to focus on now. You've been off on your own a lot lately, accepting all those solo missions." He paused, fingers threading through his white hair as he attempted to find the right words, a talent he certainly did not possess. When he finally came up with something, it was completely unrelated to his previous words. "You know, they say you can learn a lot from your students."

Of course I had heard the saying before, but not once had I believed it; at least, until I had taken on Kabuto-kun. That boy had indeed taught me quite a bit and that was one of the most fascinating things about him. His medical knowledge had been a major boon to my work and his unique perspective had been helpful in more ways than one. He observed things as only an outsider could. However, when it came to Anko, I was not such an optimist. That girl could teach me nothing. "And what did you learn from your students? A better appreciation for the written word?" I knew well enough that Yondaime was an avid fan of Jiraiya's 'novels.'

"I'm being serious, damnit!" He looked quite exasperated, which pleased me very much. Perhaps that would be enough to discourage him from prying into my life any further. Sadly, it didn't serve to stop the current lecture. "I've known for a long time you needed something to connect you to the rest of the village and now that you've finally taken that step, I'm not going to let you waste it on your stupid ego." His words had their desired effect, bringing me to a halt right there on the path to the village.

"You're one to speak of wasted opportunities."

"We're not talking about me." He had stopped as well, though his posture was not its typical, relaxed self, but rather he was more tense than I had seen him in years. "I've watched you for years, Orochimaru. You're the smartest guy I've ever known, smarter than Sandaime, smarter than every last elder on the council. Yet I don't understand how a guy like you can be so damn stupid sometimes." He sensed my coming protest and silenced me in advance with a harsh glare. "Every ninja in this village would kill to have the kind of talent you have, but they don't realize what a total bastard that talent has made you.

"Your entire life you've put up this wall between yourself and the rest of us. Even at your best moments, you've never opened up completely. I wish you'd just…" There was no telling how long he would have gone on, so rather than give him any indication that I cared one bit about what he had to say, I simply walked away. I didn't even make an effort to quiet him; it would have done no good. Yet Jiraiya was persistent as ever. "Why don't you even try, Orochimaru?"

I hesitated a moment, then, if only because I could not focus on the path ahead due to the laughter that had suddenly gripped me. Try? What did he want from me? To become just another carbon copy of a typical Konoha pervert? Would my genius only then be appreciated? Finding myself unable to speak for my laughter, I merely waved him away, indicating without words that I was through with such inane babbling. I would have rather sacrificed my genius right then and there than conformed to Konoha's standard of normalcy.

I learned years later that Jiraiya had still clung to that vain hope that Anko would somehow change me, even when I was still isolating myself with my work whenever I was not with the girl. As far as I was concerned, Jiraiya's concern had come too late. My feet were set firmly on the path of discovery now, and once I had completed my hidden lab, I took advantage of the war to procure what Yondaime had refused me. With blood falling like rain, it was only natural that I gather a few of the dead for my own purposes. I'm certain Jiraiya would have considered it a waste of my genius.

How fortunate that I never cared at all for a thing Jiraiya thought.