Chapter 18: Warped Perspectives
A/N: I do not own the Naruto Franchise!
I do however own Mari Kaede and any other OCs mentioned.
Warnings: Contains dark themes, such as depression, murder, experimentation, emotional, mental and physical torture, possible attempted suicide and mentions of sexual activities!
Please read responsibly.
Hey guys, here's another chapter of my BHBL fanfic! I'm sorry it took so long to write this one, but good news, I'm finished with University for the year, so I'll have more time to write now! I was so excited to write this chapter but I can't tell you why because it's a spoiler!
Anyway, enjoy!
As Kaede stepped out of the room, she kept her eyes trained on the cover of her beaten copy of Icha-Icha Paradise. She closed the door behind her so Orochimaru couldn't see her anymore, and let her frown curl into a snarl of frustration.
Not only had this madman given her a reward, which she doubted he would do, if anything, she'd expected a punishment for not intervening fast enough, he had given her the most precious reward he could have offered. No matter how much she glared down at the book and thought that Orochimaru had been the one to give it back to her, she couldn't hate it, couldn't hate the irreplaceable object that had been one of the highlights of her time with Kiyoshi.
There were too many memories among its pages, about her life in Sunagakure, her family, her friends, and her deceased ex-husband, who despite his problems, despite their harsh separation, she still held a soft-spot for.
The former Suna kunoichi quickly jerked her head up when she heard footsteps approach and met Kabuto's eyes, who immediately recognized struggle and contemplation in their usually difficult-to-perceive depths. Kaede clicked her tongue and averted her gaze, storming past the young medic towards her bedroom, she would have preferred to sit outside by the lake and catch up on her reading, but with the storm fast approaching, it wasn't worth the risk.
Kabuto stared after her until she rounded the corner and then entered Orochimaru's study with his usual dose of medicine. The man himself looked utterly pleased with causing the poor woman a sense of turmoil and chuckled sinisterly. "It seems she enjoyed her reward~" He started, eyeing the disgusting medicine as Kabuto placed it down on the table beside him. "Though I doubt her hatred of me will make it easy to accept."
"Pardon my curiosity, Orochimaru-sama..." The right-hand man started, his eyes hidden by the candlelight bouncing off his glasses once again, his emotions unreadable. "But why did you reward her, to begin with? If she had control over her ability to ignite her body and came to your aid at a much sooner speed, then you would still retain your ability to use jutsu."
The Sannin looked at the reflective frames with an analyzing gaze of his own. "Still as sharp as ever...Hm, Kabuto?" He looked at the door with a gleam against those snake-like irises caused by the flickering orange light illuminating the room dimly. "I despise showing kindness to another, it is a waste of time and resources...However, I am fully aware of her desire to end my life, and by giving her this book, I feel it may warp her perspective just enough to push those thoughts out completely."
"So it's a diversion tactic? Gain her trust through petty gifts?"
"Hm, hm, hm, your tongue is as sharp as your mind." He smirked. "But yes, in a manner of speaking, I want to divert her away from acts of treason, and towards showing gratitude and loyalty to myself and my village...However, if she chooses to continue stacking these useless dominos towards my demise..." His pupils turned into thin slits radiating pure evil. "Then I have no choice but to knock them down!"
"Why not just knock them down now?" Kabuto pressed.
"Despite her...difficult nature, she is a powerful pawn at my disposal...Her flames, though unpredictable, had the power to interrupt Sarutobi's jutsu. With those flames at my command, I will have yet another reason to be feared." The Sannin's lips curled into a devious grin. "Once she sees things my way, I will become unstoppable~"
Despite Orochimaru's words, the keen-minded Kabuto had a feeling that was not the only reason his lord kept Kaede around, however, chose not to say anything for fear of being decimated.
"Now, onto more pressing matters..." The Otokage started, only to wince and curl forward slightly as intense pain shot up his arms. "Nng...! I have an urgent mission for you...Seek out another of the Legendary Sannin the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Tsunade-hime and report back her location."
"I understand your reasoning towards wanting to find Tsunade-sama, sir..." Kabuto cut in, knowing who he was speaking of, his frown deepening as he stirred the medicine and held it out for the man to take. "However with your ailment, I don't recommend I leave your side in case you need an extra dose of your medication-"
Kabuto's entire body froze up with a sense of terror as Orochimaru shot him a dangerous, vicious glare that chilled his blood in his veins and sent visions of his death through his mind. The Otokage could be a truly terrifying creature if angered, and right then, even the medic didn't feel he was safe from death's cold hands.
Clearing his throat with little noise, the younger man pushed his glasses up his nose and bowed. "As you wish, Orochimaru-sama...I shall prepare some emergency medicine and leave immediately."
Orochimaru smirked and gripped his sheets as the pain washed through his system again. "Good...I eagerly await your return."
Kabuto nodded and left, a disturbed frown twisting on his lips the moment he closed the Sannin's door. Nothing was more frightening than a snake rearing back to bite, especially when that snake held a deadly poison in its fangs. Forcing back a shudder, similar to the one he showed during the Konohagakure mission when he was assigned to kidnap Sasuke, the medic walked down the corridor to do as he was told.
~BHBL~
A week later, Kaede was back to her usual training regimen, having read the book twice times over the course of the past seven days and in need of something else to do for a little while. She had thought a lot about the fight between her and Hiruzen and knew the amount of Jutsu she knew, though extensive with her limited Release types, was not enough against someone with such dangerous knowledge on Jutsu as Orochimaru.
So now she stood there, forming the seals for her Katon: Kasai Suīpu Jutsu, trying to extend the number of times she could use it in a day before she would run dangerously low on Chakra. However after every use of the jutsu, during that few seconds she took a breather to regain her focus, she felt odd.
It was too quiet.
Though she would never admit it to herself, Orochimaru was the only person in this facility worthy of sparring with, since she was stronger than all of his current underlings, and the motivation to kill him forced her to perform at her best to overpower him. So not having him as a training dummy made it difficult to improve at a steady pace.
Shaking the whispering thoughts she barely focused on from the back of her mind, she continued the training until her mouth blistered and she had heavy dark circles under her eyes from fatigue. 'That's enough for now...I need a nap.' She thought as she stretched her arms out over her head and walked from the room with a dull yawn.
As she passed Orochimaru's room, that tired frown stretched into a satisfied grin when she heard a cry of anguish from inside and yet another harsh complaint about his arms. But her moment of joy was ruined when she bumped into a thin, but strong torso, staggering back she looked up and was surprised to see Kabuto stood before her, a brow arched as he had seen her sly grin beforehand.
"Having a good day, Kaede?" He asked with a suspicion in his tone, knowing exactly what she was smiling about, just as another cry, from someone else, emanated from Orochimaru's room, and a thump was heard, possibly a body hitting the floor. "You seem rather cheerful, an odd occurrence for someone who spent every waking moment, from escaping the cell, despising her current role in Otogakure."
Kaede clicked her tongue and glared up at the taller teen, not amused by his attitude. "Haven't y'heard of 'respect y'elders,' kid?"
Kabuto chuckled. "I have, however you act like neither an elder nor someone worthy of my respect."
The woman snarled at him and went to respond, but he swerved around her and entered Orochimaru's room, pissing her off further. As a way of aggravating both the young medic in retaliation and the sadistic Sannin, Kaede decided to enter the room alongside Kabuto, giving them no privacy. If she was cursed to stay here for all eternity, then she'd make sure to piss them off in the process.
However, the moment she stepped past Kabuto and the room became visible to her, she stopped in her tracks with wide eyes. Before her lay the body of Orochimaru's subordinate, one of his more loyal ones, blood pooling around his form, as well as splattered across the carpet, walls and even Orochimaru's sheets.
To think the Sannin, even with his cursed arms and inability to use Ninjutsu, could so easily kill another from sheer anger alone...It was almost too terrifying to think about, and even Kaede, who stubbornly refused to accept fearing this man, struggled not to step back and out of the room.
And though she refused to accept being scared of him some part of her, a part she'd never acknowledge, felt a little bit of hesitation towards her goal of killing him.
Though she would openly admit she was glad she hadn't attempted to kill him yet, not until her new Jutsu had been completed at least, and she'd increased her chakra capacity to deal with his irritating sense of stamina and strength.
Kabuto's sigh interrupted her thoughts and she snapped her attention to him as Orochimaru looked up at the medic through his long fringe covering his exhausted eyes. "I just came back, and I need to clean the room already?!" The boy's own eyes narrowed with an air of seriousness around him, despite the small smile on his lips. "Please take your medicine."
"I don't need your useless medicine." The Sannin sneered as he glared down at his trembling, bandaged arms.
Kaede almost snorted with disagreement as she grinned and looked over his sweating, pain-ridden form. "Doesn't look that way t'me~!" She taunted, placing a hand on her hip, she was thoroughly enjoying his misery. "I'd say your arms are more useless than the medicine right now!"
A sharp angered snarl tore through the room and his dark, malicious gaze met her own gleeful one, and for a second, even she, the woman who did not fear him in the slightest, felt a cold shiver run up her spine at the murderous intent that lay in their depths.
"Get out!" He demanded, assuming his usual, threatening tones would work, even on her.
However it didn't, she crossed her arms stubbornly and grinned at him, though there was hesitation in her movements, even for a second. "Nah, I kinda like sitting here, watching your misery~"
"You have but a few seconds to leave this room before I do to you what I did to that man there..." His eyes moved to the corpse of his other subordinate. "Now leave!"
"No."
Kabuto would have intervened to stop Orochimaru doing something he'd regret, but the look in his eyes, the dark curl of his lips, and the clenching of his fists around the bloodied sheets on his bed make him think otherwise. Instead, he turned to Kaede and smiled at her, a creepy, kind-looking smile she knew was false to its core. "Kaede-chan, could you leave us be for a moment?"
"Heh, nice try, kid!" She said, leaning against the wall, making it pretty obvious she had no intentions of leaving. "If the snake couldn't get me t'leave, then you ain't either~!"
A hiss left the older, wiser shinobi cooped up in bed and he glared at her. "Curse you...!"
"Heh, I ain't the one who's been cursed, asshole!"
Of course, as she stood there, staring into those snake-like eyes, still fueled by murderous intent, which increased by the second, she felt the desire to back down resurface but forced it away from the forefront of her mind. She wouldn't now, nor would she ever, give in to his whims.
Though Orochimaru detested the thought of backing down himself and letting her have the victory, he had bigger things to worry about than her triumphant smirk. No, he had to focus on the rising agony he felt, and the desire to find Tsunade. "This burning pain in my arms..." He started, surprising them both as he changed the subject. Kaede clicked her tongue in disappointment, and the Sannin swam in his own sense of triumph.
At least, until another wave of tremendous agony took over. "I didn't think it would be this painful." He managed to rasp as he shook from the sensation.
"It is the last curse of Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, after all..." Kabuto added on, looking at the bloodied bandages, Orochimaru's own life elixir mixed with that of the dead man on the floor.
Orochimaru lifted his head and gave Kabuto a vicious glare. "Shut up with your explanations." He took a breath. "More importantly, have you found 'that person?'"
Kaede arched a brow as she processed their words in silence, wondering just who 'that person' was.
"Yes." The younger medic confirmed. "It seems 'that person' is in a place called Tanzaku City."
"Tanzaku City..." Orochimaru repeated, his expression of agony slowly twisted into a tormented grin. "I see..."
Kabuto pushed his glasses up his nose again. "But that person is one of the Legendary Sannin...It isn't going to be so easy..."
'Either Jiraiya or Tsunade then...' Kaede mused silently, having seen them in the flesh during the Second Great Shinobi war. 'What would he want with one of those two? It's not like they'd help him...'
The third and cruelest of the three Sannin chuckled darkly, his shoulders shaking with the motions as his grin widened further. Kaede's second nature, the serious side of her mind which had been peaking out during her time in the room, fully surfaced completely and her frown deepened. She knew that chuckle meant something was going to happen, something her former morally-drawn mind would disagree with.
"The best medicines are the bitter ones." He sneered, focusing his attention on his right-hand man. "Kabuto, prepare for departure immediately." Kabuto bowed and left with a simple affirmative, and the Sannin's eyes then moved to Kaede, who blinked curiously. "Despite your disobedience, you're to come with us..." He stated, and she arched a brow.
"And why would I do that?" She asked, letting it be known that she wasn't keen on helping him. "It ain't like I'm much use to you in your state."
He chuckled once again. "And that's where you're wrong, Firecracker~" His grin widened as his taunt made her sneer with irritation. "You showed excellent promise during the mission to destroy Konoha-"
"Which we failed at-"
"-Let me finish!"
It took a lot to silence Kaede, and that was it, she snapped her jaw shut, not out of fear, but out of curiosity for what he was going to say. Giving her a moment to follow his order, his angered frown turned back into a triumphant smirk and he continued. "Your Fire Release talents, despite their unpredictable nature, prove useful to me, therefore you will accompany me alongside Kabuto as my bodyguard. Is that understood?"
Kaede's expression warped with disdain and hatred and she clicked her tongue at the mere thought of protecting him, but a whispering thought in the back of her mind made her rethink her desire to refuse. A musing she refused to acknowledge, just like fear.
The redhead sighed and closed her eyes as she leaned her head back against the wall. "Alright, but only if y'can deal with my attitude!" She opened her eyes and flashed him a cocky grin. "Think y'can do that, ol' Snake Eyes~?"
His laughter echoed the room with a deep, sinister undertone and his irritation faded at long last. "I doubt that'll be a problem. Now leave and await further orders."
Kaede begrudgingly hummed in acceptance and stepped out of the room, leaning against the wall by the door when it clicked shut, her hand combing through her hair as she thought over the realization she didn't want to admit to while in his presence.
The reason she had subconsciously stopped herself from refusing, was because somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt like she owed him for saving her life during the battle with the Third Hokage. How could she, the one destined to rid the world of his evil, feel like she owed him anything?!
She hated him to her core, so why would she care?!
Disgusted and in need of a distraction, she pushed off the solid surface and headed back to her room in hopes of giving her precious book another read, while Orochimaru finally took Kabuto's advice and forced down the medicine he'd been given by the grunt he'd killed.
~BHBL~
It was barely an hour later that Kaede was interrupted during a nap by one of Orochimaru's lesser men, who just had to knock loudly on the door to alert her that it was time to head off. With a grumbling complaint, she packed up her book, which had been resting on her head during the nap, and some supplies in a rucksack she strapped to the back of the sash keeping her robe together and stepped out of her room. She opted to wear her usual maroon outfit, sleeveless short-legged heat-resistant suit and wooden sandals rather than the Otogakure outfit and the full body suit she wore during her last big mission. If she could avoid wearing the Otogakure forehead-protector at all costs, she would, the mere thought of representing the village sickened her.
As the sun began to set and the entire landscape was tinted orange in its dying light, the redhead emerged from the hideout and walked up the steps, surprised to see Orochimaru stood there in a purple yukata with snake-like patterns going from the mid-back to the sleeves. Over this yukata was a jacket-like layer of de-saturated pink fabric that could easily be removed if necessary. However, despite the ease of removal, it was obvious this wasn't his usual outfit fit for battle, which meant he was leaving the heavy duty fighting to her and Kabuto.
She pushed back a desire to smirk as she realized she was finally getting through to him, lowering his guard almost far enough for her to kick his ass to next week. A few more small sacrifices, like that of the Hokage, and she would achieve her sought-after desires.
Little did she know, the real reason Orochimaru had demanded her to come with them, was because he knew of her intentions, and would take every precaution he knew to stop her from completing her goals. She couldn't do any harm if he kept an eye on her, after all.
The day turned to night, and back into day again as the three headed towards the city where Tsunade currently laid her head to rest. Kaede had been informed of their mission at this point and knew the whole reason they were searching for this woman was because she was a famed medic and would be able to heal Orochimaru's arms. The thought of him regaining his strength put a damper on her plans, but she did her duty to protect Orochimaru anyway, knowing any attempt at stopping his plans would utterly destroy her's.
Though she did half-ass her duty most of the time to piss him off, in the end, she walked ahead through the forest, scouting the area with keen, brown eyes as she listened and looked for any kind of enemy or danger. Meanwhile, behind her, Kabuto tended to his lord whenever the pain became unbearable, and sometimes while he did this, Kaede would focus her attention on them for a moment before checking behind them for similar signs she searched for at the front of the cell.
After a few hours, she no longer looked back to check for enemies, instead, she would focus her gaze on Orochimaru, who kept his head held high despite his tormented state. The fierce, intense desire to recover what he once lost was clear in those snake-like eyes that never seemed to wane, even when he collapsed due to the agony.
The redhead with a vendetta never wanted to say it out loud, but even she had to admit that the presence of such a force of nature, a determined, goal-oriented soul was almost inspiring. Though the thought made her gut twist in discomfort, she couldn't ignore this musing like the others.
Was she starting to see some good in him?
~BHBL~
The night soon fell and Orochimaru dropped to his knees as the pain and exhaustion finally set in and he couldn't ignore it any longer. He turned his head to the bright moon in the sky and roared in anger. "Curse you Sarutobi!"
Kaede, who had stood back without really giving Orochimaru any thought, glanced over and her eyes widened in shock as the Sannin struggled to get to his feet, before letting out another angered noise and leveling a tree with a swift kick of his foot. For a second, her resolve towards her revenge waned. Even in his weakened form, the gap between their strength just kept widening.
Swallowing hard both she and Kabuto watched as the man dropped to his knees again and stared down at the ground, gasping for air, as if hoping to fight off the pain with sheer willpower alone. Kaede usually would have taken this opportunity to taunt the older man as he crouched there, but even she knew better.
One taunt and her flame would be snuffed out permanently.
The Sannin grunted as he forced himself to his feet without the use of his arms and started walking forward, past Kaede, without even glancing at her, his expression angered and fierce. "Keep moving. We're not stopping here."
With a sigh, the redhead placed her hands on her hips and gave him look that said otherwise. "Not like I care, Orochimaru, but I think we should rest for the night...I ain't exactly full of energy and I ain't going t'be much use t'you if I'm falling asleep during battle, am I?"
"I don't care." Orochimaru snarled, looking back at her with malicious snake-like eyes. "I will find Tsunade and rid myself of this tedious ailment!"
"Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto spoke up, pushing his glasses up his nose as he walked over to Kaede while the Sannin turned to face them. "Though I detest the thought of agreeing with Kaede...I must do so. You're in need of rest in case a fight ensues, and your last dose of medicine has long since left your system. If we stop for the night, I can prepare more and we can continue with haste towards our destination."
Orochimaru glared at the pair of them and snarled angrily, however his mind was made up for him when he felt a surge of dizziness flood his mind and staggered back, pressing his back against a tree to stop him doubling over and collapsing. Kabuto went to his bag to collect his medicine and the redheaded kunoichi leaned against a different tree and pulled out her Icha-Icha book.
"I told y'so."
If he had been in better shape, he'd have leveled her like the tree, but he was exhausted, and he knew Kabuto's words rung true, if a fight were to ensure, he'd need to be at his physical peak, despite his weakened arms, to stay alive.
Especially with Tsunade as their enemy.
The night passed by quickly as Kaede slept like log, on her back, with her arm across her stomach rather than over her eyes. Kabuto had woken only ten minutes prior and was assigned to wake her, and noticing this, he assumed the arm thing was just her way of telling her body how long she'd sleep for. An arm over her eyes for a nap, and on her stomach for a full night's rest.
It was a strange habit though, none-the-less.
Deciding that Orochimaru had waited long enough, as he stood a little distance from them, glaring at a tree, possibly deciding whether or not to take his anger out on it as he had the night before, Kabuto crouched down and forcefully shook Kaede's shoulder in an attempt to wake her. "Kaede, get up, we're heading out."
Kaede groaned and shrugged his hand off her, rolling over so her back was facing him. "Get lost..." She slurred, keeping her eyes tightly shut.
The medic sighed and dropped his head slightly before he pushed his glasses up his nose and glared at her. "We have to keep moving, Orochimaru-sama is growing impatient."
"Tell 'Orochimaru-sama' to take his arms and shove them up his ass! I ain't done sleeping!"
Orochimaru's dark, threatening voice overtook Kabuto's as he turned and stepped towards them. "You will follow my orders, Kaede...I am in no mood to entertain you."
The bold woman rolled over slightly to look at Orochimaru over her shoulder with a tired frown before that frown curled into a smirk and she opened her mouth to give him a snarky comeback. However. his gaze intensified and. once again, she shivered as she swore she saw her death flash before her very eyes.
Groaning at the forceful awakening, she stood up, stretching out her arms above her head with a yawn before she picked up her book and stuffed it into her rucksack. "Alright, alright...Damn, I never thought the former Konoha Shinobi praised as one of the 'Legendary Sannin' was such a spoiled little bra-"
Before she could finish her sentence, a long, snake-like tongue shot towards her, startling her enough that she jumped back, pinning herself to a tree by accident. The organ swung around the tree, as she watched with wide eyes, and snapped tightly against the trunk, pinning her to the wooden surface by her neck. The tight hold slowly choked the life out of her as she grabbed it and dug her nails into it in an attempt to stop it cutting off her airways.
"Don't antagonize me..." Orochimaru snarled as he narrowed his sharply slitted eyes. "I'll kill you." His mouth was wide open as tightened the tongue's grip further, forcing a choked gasp from her lips to prove just how much he meant it.
If he strengthened his grip any further, he risked breaking her neck.
It was then that Kabuto intervened. "Orochimaru-sama, though I wouldn't be opposed to you ending her life here and now, I feel it is my duty to remind you why she's here in the first place." He outstretched his arms as if pleading for his leader to see reason. "I may be a powerful medic, however, that is where my skills lie, with Kaede's assistance, this mission is assured to be a success, therefore I suggest you wait until after it's over to kill her."
Orochimaru clicked the end of his tongue to the roof of his mouth and slowly unwound it, letting the poor woman take a sharp breath as she dropped to her knees and held her throat, coughing hard as she tried to refill her starving lungs. The man didn't even attempt to speak to her, instead, he turned and walked away without a word, Kabuto following behind, smirking at her suffering.
She stayed there for a moment and glared at them before she winced in pain and held her neck. She stood to follow them, a purple bruise staining the skin of her neck for all to see. She stayed behind them for a small while as they moved forward, not one of them too keen on speaking at the moment as she watched their advance towards the city, which was slowly coming into view, but still very far away.
It was odd, but looking at the man now, and the noticeable lingering pain in her neck made her realize that she did fear this man a little, as the mere thought of how close he came to killing her popped into her mind. This small sense of terror brought on an overwhelming wave of anger and she ground her teeth, clenching her fists to focus her mind elsewhere. Why was she thinking so hard about this dangerous criminal?!
He was nothing more than a bastard worth killing.
Soon they stood over the hill leading to the city they'd been traveling towards for several days. "Tanzaku City..." Kabuto started. "One of the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade-sama, is staying there."
Orochimaru grinned maliciously. "I can finally do something about these arms."
"Although she may be good medicine, she's going to be more than bitter."
Kaede rolled her eyes at the metaphor, but Orochimaru just chuckled and started walking down the path towards the city. "Don't worry, Kabuto...I too am a Sannin, I will be fine."
"I also know a little something about Tsunade-sama." Kabuto started as he and Kaede followed the Sannin down the steps and onto the dirt path nearing the city. "I was part of the medical squad, after all. I know she was the first to come up with the proposal...To have a medical specialist in a four-man cell. That was a landmark in history." He glanced at Orochimaru. "What would happen to a cell if there was no one to administer emergency treatment on the battlefield? The result is quite obvious."
"They'd die, it ain't rocket science." Kaede sneered, but her taunts were ignored.
Orochimaru made a soft noise of agreement with the pair of them. "The countless wars...Brought about many advances. They were made possible by the many sacrifices. When a person loses something, he is able to realize it's importance...And what created one of the Legendary Sannin, who has been praised as a medical specialist, were the sacrifices."
Though the redhead could not recall what Tsunade looked like, she'd heard many rumors, that not only was she a medic, but her strength knew no bounds. If she truly was to fight someone of that caliber, then she knew her skills with Ninjutsu would be useful now more than ever. Plus, as her morality had all but vanished, the mere thought of doing something other than guarding this miserable old fool for the past few days ignited a sense of excitement within her and she itched for a fight.
As they got to the city gates, Orochimaru felt a sudden sense of dizziness and slumped against the large stone gate leading into the bustling marketplace. "Orochimaru-sama!" The young medic said with urgency as he stepped closer to inspect his lord, who just glared back, halting his advance.
"Let's finish this business quickly..." He rasped, sweat sliding down his cheek with his exertion. "Even if we have to get a little rough." His eyes narrowed with that same sense of malicious, evil intent.
~BHBL~
"Wow!" A woman with black hair and a pet pig wearing pearls called out excitedly as she stood with a blond woman in front of the giant castle that stood in the middle of the town. "Tanzaku Castle is impressive! I can see why it was classified as a cultural landmark."
"Don't be so carefree..." The blond woman said, her green jacket having the kanji for 'gamble' sewn into the back. She wasted no time turning and walking away from the amazing structure, as she couldn't douse this unsettling sense of dread she was feeling.
"Tsunade-sama!" The short-haired woman called back, running after her mentor. "Please take a closer look at it. It's free to look at!" Tsunade suddenly stopped and the woman behind her stopped too. "Tsunade-sama?"
The medical specialist raised her eyes to look at the castle, the unsettling sensation she felt deepening every second she spent in this town. As if her mind had been read, that sense of dread became reality when the castle suddenly exploded and crumbled to the ground, causing panic and uproar in the area as the tourists ran for their lives.
However Tsunade and her attendant didn't move, they stared up at the castle one shocked and slightly scared, while the other, wiser woman showed no signs of emotion. Slowly the smoke cleared and a giant brown snake stood in the castle's place with three forms standing on its head. Well, two were standing, Kaede was sat on its nose with a fanged grin curling her lips.
"That's-" The attendant gasped as her eyes locked onto a man with long hair covering his face.
"Orochimaru!" Tsunade hissed out, that was what the dread was, it was the disgust she felt for her former teammate resurfacing as he drew closer.
The white-skinned Sannin chuckled lowly as he lifted his head, flicking his hair from his face with the sudden motion as he shot the two below a devious, dark glare and a vicious grin. "I found you."
Let the negotiations begin.
A/N: And we're at the end of the chapter, the reason I loved writing this and was excited to do so because as you guys can guess from the content, this marks a slight shift in Kaede's perception of the village! Will she become a trustworthy member of Otokgakure...? You'll have to wait and see~
Japanese = English
Katon: Kasai Suīpu = Fire Release: Fire Sweep
(Fan Jutsu, it doesn't exist in the anime/manga.)
Otogakure = Hidden Village of Sound
