Authoress: I don't know about this one…it's really, really, really odd.

I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this fic. (I think my disclaimers need to get a bit more creative.)


Kabuto stood at the window, staring out at the Rice Field lands, sipping his tea slowly. The clouds that hung over the hills that day were dark and foreboding. It would storm soon. That would be quite a relief, truth be told. The weather had been hot and muggy, and Kabuto hated it. A cold front was moving in, and temperatures were expected to drop dramatically.

He noted that there were no birds in the sky, and the entire area seemed to squirm nervously, anticipating the storm. A rumble of thunder in the distance seemed to make the hills shake.

Kabuto, on the other hand, was at peace with the storm. Such things didn't bother him. He took another sip of his tea and sighed.

A snake decided to drop in on him right then…quite literally. Ikari fell from seemingly nowhere (but probably the rafters above him) onto this shoulders, nearly making him drop his cup.

"Augh, Ikari-san," he cried, slightly irritated. He set the tea down and stumbled over to the couch, trying to support Ikari's wriggling weight. There, he set her down on the cushions, giving her a gentle pat as he walked away.

To his displeasure, Kabuto found that the snake literally grabbed his wrist with her tail as he tried to leave.

"Ikari-san, come on. Let go. Please?" he groaned tiredly, knowing full well that she couldn't hear him.

"She's uneasy because of the oncoming storm." Orochimaru approached the two of them. He picked Ikari up carefully. Oddly enough, she coiled herself into a ball in his arms, as opposed to wrapping her body around him, as she normally did.

"Now, now, Ikari, you leave Kabuto alone. He has very important 'staring out the window' business to do," he teased, looking more at his servant than his snake. Kabuto laughed and petted Ikari a bit. She flickered her tongue at his hand.

It was an unusual sight, two men standing around petting a snake, as you might pet a cat or dog.

"Really though. What were you up to, Kabuto?"

"Oh…just looking at the hills, sir. This storm must have some strong winds; they look like they're moving a lot." Orochimaru frowned, looking out the window. He strode towards it, Kabuto following him.

"Hills…?" he murmured under his breath, then burst into laughter. Kabuto subtly cringed away; Orochimaru's cackles could frighten a statue.

"Child…those are not hills…" his master chuckled in his ear. Thunder crashed. Ikari tensed violently in her master's arms, hissing and coiling angrily. No one but Orochimaru could have seen Kabuto flinch, as slight as the action was.

"Then…then…what do you mean, sir?" Kabuto asked hesitantly.

"Look closer, Kabuto."

As Kabuto examined the hills more closely, he realized that they appeared to have scales. One of the hills rose out of the ground. Two golden eyes stared directly at the mansion. The snake-like animal opened its mouth in an enormous yawn, exposing fangs at least forty feet long. It laid down again, but not before stretching its many muscles, causing every hill in sight to ripple.

Kabuto stared out at the creature, trying desperately not to scream.

"Oh." The word was barely spoken.

"Isn't he magnificent?"

"Who--what--is he?"

Orochimaru walked over to the couch and sat down.

"I really don't know what he is. Some kind of monster, I suppose. He isn't mine…he's been here since before the creation of the Sound. He and the inhabitants, pardon, former inhabitants were always at war with each other. He has scars everywhere from their spears and swords. And…he's not fond of humans in general. I went out to see him once…he threatened my life…very colorful vocabulary he has," Orochimaru snorted, caressing Ikari's head.

"I…I see. So…he's just…there?" Kabuto wondered aloud. His master nodded and sighed.

"Yes, Kabuto." He set Ikari down on the floor, and she climbed up into the rafters a few seconds later.

"People…people are very cruel, Orochimaru-sama."

Thunder crashed again. The monster outside cried out loudly, flexing its muscles to make the hills tremble. He then rested again, and the landscape fell silent.

The monster inside smiled and laughed.


Authoress: I have no idea where that came from. It's not one of my better chapters…but it just needed to come out. Hopefully, I'll get the chance to revise it later on.

Unfortunately, I am officially out of ideas for the time being. This could be the last chapter.