Chapter 19: Negotiations


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.

It's been less than a week since my last update, but I felt so inspired I just had to write more.

I feel a little nervous about this chapter, it's one of the two/three chapters that change the entire mood of the story, so I wanted to make sure Kaede came out right, so I'm really worried she didn't.

If you guys get the chance, let me know how she sounds in this chapter.

Enjoy!


The sound of crumbling walls and falling debris filled the air of Tanzaku City as Orochimaru, Kaede and Kabuto were lowered to the same level as Tsunade and her attendant by the largest of the giant snakes they had appeared on. The two male ninja were the first to step off its large nose, and the moment the redhead followed, the snakes both disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the three staring at their target.

Kaede knew which one Tsunade was by the way she stood and how she glared at Orochimaru, no fear, just mild disgust, while the black-haired, younger woman at her side seemed to tremble slightly in fear of the dangerous, villainous Sannin.

The silence seemed to stretch through the small pathway they were confined to by two large cobblestone walls, the two Sannin stared at one another as if gauging the others reactions and movements. It was Tsunade who broke the strained quiet of the area. "It's been a very long time, Orochimaru."

The deathly pale man smirked at the sharp way she said that sentence. "I've looked for you everywhere."

"What do you want from me? Don't tell me you want to talk about old times."

A soft laugh left Kaede's lips and she grinned, placing her hand on her hip as she looked the blonde medic over. 'I like her, she ain't scared of pissing him off!'

"Well..." Orochimaru started, his hands beginning to twitch as he forced back a wince through the pain that flooded his arms. "I do have a small request for you."

Tsunade looked him over, and judging from how her eyes snapped to his bandaged arms more than once, Kaede assumed she was analyzing his condition. Hopefully, the medical specialist felt as much satisfaction as she did whenever she saw him suffer.

"Tsunade-sama." Kabuto stepped in. "You should have already guessed by now..."

"Ask someone else." The speed in which the older woman brushed off the younger medic had Kaede beaming with amusement and pure joy, she was liking this woman more and more by the second. "I quit medicine a long time ago."

"We can't do that." The white-haired shinobi responded. "You should be able to tell how serious the wound is. No one else can cure these arms. The legendary Sannin that won her fame as the medical specialist...Tsunade-hime, only you can cure this."

A silence stretched for another second and the specialist spoke up once again to dispell it. "The wound affecting your arms isn't an ordinary one, is it?"

Kaede chose to input her opinion then, humming as she looked down at the bandaged limbs. "I wouldn't call it a wound, per-say..." She stated, grimacing slightly when she realized she agreed with Kabuto's wording for the ailment. "I'd say it's more like a curse."

Tsunade nodded, agreeing with Kaede. "It seems like some sort of Juinjutsu..." She looked at Orochimaru, who was still smirking. "What did you do?"

"Nothing much." His expression turned from a smirk to a bored, tired frown. "I got wounded when I killed the Third."

Both women before them froze with shock and horror and the redhead at Orochimaru's right-hand side groaned and forced back the urge to slap herself in the face for his stupidity. 'Why tell her the truth?! That'll just make it harder t'get her t'do what y'want!'

Tsunade spoke with a venomous, angry tone after that, her eyes sharp and distrusting, which she didn't blame. "You...Did you really...?"

The black-haired Sannin huffed with amusement and lifted his head to look down at her over his nose with a cocky smirk. "You don't need to look that scary. All things with form eventually perish. That goes for people too."

"Says you." Kaede butted in, earning an irked glare from the unamused Sannin. "Don't y'give me that look, y'know it's true!"

"Ignoring my subordinate's unwanted words." Orochimaru hissed out, which just made her roll her eyes and look the other way. "You, Tsunade-hime, should know what I'm talking about..." The black-haired woman looked at Tsunade, who lowered her head, shadowing her eyes from view. "Since you let two of your loved ones die." As the medical specialist raised her head once again, the vicious anger in her eyes became apparent, and with what Kaede knew of her strength, that was not a comforting thought. Why was Orochimaru antagonizing her so much? Didn't he realize that was just going to get them killed?!

If any more silence filled the small space, they would suffocate in it. 'Two loved ones?' Kabuto mused without speaking a word. His eyes snapped to Orochimaru who just stood there, grinning. 'I see. He has conjured up a terrible plan.'

The villainous Otokage lowered his head and chuckled darkly, before looking Tsunade in the eyes with sharp, evil intent. "Yes...Their deaths were gruesome."

"Scum!" The black-haired woman finally snapped, stepping back and pulling up her sleeve to reveal a contraption strapped to her arm holding various needles in small tubes.

Kabuto and Kaede were quick to move, Kaede formed seals and shot air bullets at the needles, which the attendant fired at them by pulling a string on the contraption. Her jutsu knocked a few of them away, while Kabuto took care of the ones that made it through and were hurtling towards their leader. He used a special, hooked kunai he often carried with him. However, one stray projectile made it through his deflection and he had to grab it from the air with his bare hand. He stared down at the tip of the needle near his nose, which dripped a deadly purple fluid.

"Poison?" Kabuto ground out, dreading the thought of how close he came to being killed. "A hidden weapon, I see."

"Nearly got y'there Kabuto!" Kaede taunted, but she didn't get time to enjoy his irritated glare as the attendant dove forward to attack once again, moving from side to side with intense speed as she did so.

"Out of the way!" The woman roared as she pulled out a weapon.

"I won't let you!" Kabuto snapped back, both he and Kaede moving to stop her attack, the former Suna kunoichi pulling a kunai from her sleeve as Kabuto moved forward to halt the black-haired woman's fatal blow.

"Calm down, Shizune!" Tsunade shouted, forcing them all to stop, the woman, Shizune, only mere millimeters from stabbing Kabuto in the neck with the poison-tipped needle she held in her hand. She stood there for a moment, glaring at the young medic as Kaede stayed close by in case she was needed.

Once Shizune caught her breath and calmed her mind, she dove back and stood in front of her mentor in a protective stance. While Kabuto stayed in front of his leader in the same way, and the redhead who accompanied them, stepped back to Orochimaru's right side, not really caring enough to guard him.

Tsunade's emotionless frown warped into a soft smile. "Orochimaru..." She started, her tone sweet and far too kind to be genuine. "You've been like that since the old days. You know what my personality is like, right?" Her bright expression had to be fake too. "Stop joking around."

Kaede knew she'd guessed right when Tsunade's smile turned bitter and in a split second, she swung her fist into the cobblestone wall behind her, shocking both the redhead and Kabuto as the surface dented inwards and cracks formed on its already rocky surface. Another second later, and the damaged wall fell to the ground with the same destructive force they had used to level the castle that once stood behind them.

"Holy crap!" The Ninjutsu expert exclaimed, despite having gotten used to surprises, as of late. "I heard she was strong, but I wasn't expecting her t'be strong enough t'level a wall with one damn punch!"

'She's strong...' Kabuto thought silently as Tsunade shot them a dark, murderous glare. 'And scary...I bet she's single.' The young medic calmed his nervousness from the strong woman's temperament and finally spoke. "We did not come to fight. We came to negotiate."

Kaede looked at Kabuto with knitted brows. 'Negotiate? I knew we were going to talk t'her and make her heal ol' Snake Eyes arms, but what could we possibly have to negocia-' She stopped immediately as her serious, calculating mind took control and her expression softened with realization. '...So that's his plan? Huh, it might actually work.'

She hated to admit it, but it was a decent plan.

"Negotiate...?" Tsunade repeated, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"Yes," Kabuto confirmed.

"Don't make me laugh!" The blonde woman snarled. "I told you before, get out of my sight."

"We can't do that!" The young white-haired medic outstretched his arms as a plea for her to listen to their words.

"Get lost."

"Only you can cure Orochimaru-sama's arms."

"Get lost."

"We're not asking that you do it for free. We will make a trade." Kabuto stepped forward, pushing the matter further, while Kaede ran her fingers through her wild fringe, thinking over the many scenarios this conversation could lead to, while Orochimaru had done nothing but watch the commotion in silence.

"I'm going to count to five. Get lost before I'm done. Otherwise, I'll get rid of you." The female Sannin's snarl turned into an intense glare, she was serious, and with her strength, both subordinates knew they would be pulverized.

"Please calm down." Kabuto continued to plea. "This isn't a bad deal for you-"

"Five..."

Kabuto was silenced then, as he listened to her countdown slowly, each number causing intense discomfort between him and Kaede. At one point through the countdown, even she started to get nervous enough to speak up. "Hey, he's telling the truth! It ain't a bad deal!"

"Two..." When she reached that number, Shizune moved into a battle stance, ready to attack when she reached the final digit.

"One."

Both women dove forward then, and both Kaede and Kabuto prepared for the assault, ready to attack to protect their leader. Well, Kabuto was, Kaede was more interested in protecting herself.

It was then, in the midst of this intense, terrifying situation, that Orochimaru spoke up at long last. "I will revive your beloved little brother and man..." A chill shot through the air and both Tsunade and Shizune stopped in their tracks, while Orochimaru's right-hand man smirked and the redheaded kunoichi sighed in relief. "With the Kinjutsu I developed."

A gust of cold wind interrupted the silence that stretched between them and Orochimaru smirked as a few moments passed with no movement. "You haven't gotten rid of us yet, which means..." His small smirk warped into a devious grin. "You're thinking it over?"

Tsunade stood there, an expression of turmoil twisting the fair skin of her features as she trembled, his words playing over and over again in her head. "You don't want to see them, Tsunade?" Orochimaru jeered, which just intensified her struggle.

She remained quiet for a moment before her face softened back to seriousness. "What will you do if I cure your arms?"

'I bet he tells her the truth again and screws all this up...' Kaede mused. 'I don't blame her for wanting to hear more though...' Her eyes softened with a sorrow of her own. 'If I could revive Kiyoshi...I would.'

"I don't like to lie..." He started and Kaede all but screamed 'I knew it' in her head. "So I'll tell you honestly." His devious grin turned malicious and ambitious. "I'm going to take what I want, and...This time, I'm going to crush Konoha for sure."

Shizune's shock was short lived as she snarled. "Crush Konoha?!" She asked only to blink and turn to Tsunade who was staring intently at the dirt floor beneath her feet.

"What's your answer?" Kabuto asked, satisfied that they had at least made her think it over.

She closed her eyes as memories flooded through her mind.

The sheer lack of response frightened Shizune to no end. "Tsunade-sama!" She shouted, snapping the poor woman from her trip down memory lane. "You musn't trust them! Your little brother and my uncle do not wish for that!" She stepped closer to her mentor. "Their wish...More importantly, your wish...Did you forget them?!" She received no response, so she smiled softly to comfort the poor woman. "I know how you feel...You're like this now, but you still..." When even that didn't wake Tsunade up, she desperately cried out. "Please wake up!"

"Be quiet, Shizune!" The medical specialist finally snapped, silencing her attendant.

Another moment passed before Kabuto intervened. "You do not have to give us an answer now. But we would like one within a week." He smirked. "Also, this Kinjutsu requires sacrifices. Please, have two ready on your side."

The black-haired woman clicked her tongue and slammed a foot forward, reaching into her robe for a weapon. "Tsunade-sama, let's kill the three of them right here! It is a good chance, we can take them out in their current condition..."

"I uh, kinda doubt that." Kaede piped up, then pointed to the attendant's mentor, drawing her eyes to her. Tsunade was in no condition to fight, she barely had the motivation to look up.

Orochimaru decided to add fuel to the fire, slowly, shakingly lifting one of his hands to his face, before he bit his finger hard, drawing blood which then dripped down onto the ground below. The 'medical specialist' looked up quickly and began to shake in fear as he held out his finger for her to see. "It's true that I am weak right now, but..." He started, chuckling as both his subordinates shared a look of surprise and confusion. "We know your weakness. You still carry that fear...The fear of blood."

Kaede's eyes widened and she looked back at the blonde woman. "Hold on, a medic like her is afraid of blood?!"

"It's called Hemophobia." Kabuto clarified and Kaede clicked her tongue.

"I don't care what it's called, it's still weird for a medic to be scared of blood!"

"Now, now..." The devious Sannin chimed in, looking between them. "Let's save the debate for later...Let's get going now, the pair of you." He turned to walk away but shot the terrified female Sannin a dangerous leer. "Tsunade, I expect a nice answer from you."

And then, with amazing speed, Orochimaru and Kabuto disappeared from sight. However, Kaede remained behind for another moment, staring at the medic and her attendant. She felt a little sorry for her, she knew what kind of decision this must be for her...Closing her eyes and suppressing her sense of guilt, she too dove into the air and behind the wall to escape.

'Don't lose sight...If it comes to a fight, they're just sacrifices for my revenge...'

~BHBL~

A few hours passed and the three had sought out a cave near the city to spend the night, as Orochimaru's condition made it hard to travel far distances without a struggle. The two villains sat beside a campfire they had created while Kaede stood at the mouth of the chasm, staring out at the lights from Tanzaku City as the sun had set maybe an hour or two ago.

"Hey..." She started, not looking over at the Sannin as he gave her his attention. "I'm going for a drink...It ain't like we can move tonight, and it's been at least a decade since my last taste of liquor." She looked over and couldn't hide the hatred in her eyes. "Thanks t'you."

Orochimaru met her gaze with suspicion, staring at her for a moment before he begrudgingly accepted her decision. "Fine. Don't cause any trouble for us, or I'll pick up where I left off and snap your neck."

"Really?" She taunted, grinning at him in a way, Kabuto noticed, looked a bit like how Orochimaru would when he took a jab at her. "You say that you'll kill me a lot, but y'never do, d'you?" She chuckled and gave them a mock salute. "If y'don't see me by dawn, I've run off~"

And with that, she used Shunshin no Jutsu to vanish from sight, leaving the Sannin to fume over her words, while she appeared in front of the town gates, in desperate need of sake. She walked through the markets, watching as most of the stalls packed up for the day, scouting around for a decent bar when she slammed into a rather large man's chest.

Stumbling back she growled. "Watch where y'going asshole!" She snapped, glaring up at the tall man with spiked white hair tied in a long ponytail, a wart on the right side of his nose and red markings down both his cheeks, which vaguely reminded her of bloody tears.

He gave her a grin which resembled her own and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Ah sorry, sorry~" He kindly apologized. "I wasn't paying attention!"

She huffed out a laugh, his grin rather infectious as she shot one back. "Y'must be going blind in your old age~" He didn't look much older than her, but she wasn't going to tell him that, she was tiny in comparison though, so she probably didn't look her age.

His grin dropped into a pout and he placed both hands on his hips. "I can tell you for a fact I'm not old!" He heard her laugh and smirked, pointing his thumb at the bar to her left. "Want to grab a drink?"

"Heh, only if you're paying!" She said, making him chuckle as they walked into the establishment.

"You're a fireball, aren't ya?" He stated as they sat down and he ordered two bottles of sake. "I'm not usually this lucky~"

She hummed as the bottles arrived and she poured herself a drink, shooting him a confused look as she lifted the cup to her lips. "What d'you mean?" She asked as she took a sip.

"It's rare a beautiful woman actually agrees to have a drink with me!"

The poor redhead choked and spat the contents of her cup across the bar, earning a complaint from the bartender as she coughed and used her sleeve to wipe her chin. "Y-you're definitely blind!" Her cheeks were tinted a rose color and she dared to peek at him, surprised when she found him grinning brightly, no sense of teasing or joking in his honest expression.

He was blind, no way could she be beautiful, not only was she a ragged middle-aged woman, but she had scars littering the entirety of her form and a misshapen tooth that resembled a large fang. No one could find that attractive.

But his infectious grin gave her a sense of relief, despite her doubt and she beamed at him, lifting her cup. "Cheers!" She said brightly and the two tapped their ceramic dishes together before taking a swig of their sake.

Once she had finished, she put the cup down for a second and looked over as the man did the same. Though he was smiling on the outside, she could tell by his eyes, that those black irises carried a sorrow within them, an inner turmoil that he struggled to keep hidden. "What's up with you?" She asked, bothered by the all-too-familiar expression.

He hummed and glanced over in surprise, he knew how she carried herself that lying would just make her push further, so he sighed and poured more alcohol. "It's nothing." He said, taking a swig before he leaned forward and stared at the bottle on the top shelf behind the bar. "Just caught up with an old friend..."

Kaede stared at him for a moment before she smirked, a sad, empty curl of the lips and rested her cheek on a scarred hand, swirling the liquid in her cup. "You're lucky." She stated, as a means to cheer him up, but deep inside, she felt jealous...She once had friends, a family, a home...Now she was all alone.

"Huh?" He mumbled, shooting her a confused, blank look. "What do you mean?" However she didn't elaborate, instead, she chose to take another swig of her drink. She then stood and placed what little ryo she had saved onto the counter.

"The next drinks are on me!" She said brightly, flashing him a fake grin, which looked all too real and turned to leave. "Thanks for the bottle~"

"Wait!" The man called back, spinning on the barstool to face her as she stopped and refused to turn back. "What's your name?"

She blinked in surprise and smiled, a warm, relieved smile. It had been a long time since she'd felt...important enough to reveal her name. "Kaede." She said without hesitation, believing she'd never see him again.

With that, she left the bar and slowly walked down the path towards the gates, no wanting to just Shunshin back to the cave, as her emotions bubbled to the surface and she took a deep breath to hold back sorrow and joy all at once.

'Ten years and this is the first time someone wanted t'know my name, and it was a man at a bar who probably only wanted a date out of me...' She thought silently, tears pooling in her eyes. 'I guess I'm just that insignificant...'

Life was cruel and kind all at once, and such a small, sweet moment made her feel both important and useless...It was a painful cycle of self-hatred.

And it was all Orochimaru's fault.

~BHBL~

A day and a half passed since that moment and the three Otokagure ninjas returned to their hideout to await the moment Tsunade made her decision. After returning, Kaede had gone for a walk to clear her mind a little, reading her book as she did so, only for a sudden downpour to catch her off guard. She had barely made it back to the hideout before her hypothermia symptoms kicked in and Kabuto was forced to act so she didn't collapse.

Despite the fact that she hated the thought of getting assistance from her enemies, she was glad they had been quick to act, as she stood in Orochimaru's throne room, wearing her full-body flame-retardant suit until her usual clothes dried off, there was even a towel around her neck from the medic's rushed attempt at drying her. If she had been alone when that downpour caught her, she would have died, especially since, by the time she had gotten inside, she was too numb and shaking far too much to move.

Orochimaru himself was sat on his throne, both his arms on the rests as they trembled, the pain intensifying by the day, while Kabuto stood a small distance from him, preparing more medicine to ease his suffering. "Awaiting Tsunade's response will make this week feel longer than usual..." The Sannin pointed out, eager to start a conversation to distract his mind from the agony.

Kaede turned her head to look at the tormented man with a curious frown, crossing her arms as her serious side took over. "What happened...I mean, with Tsunade's 'loved ones?'" She asked.

He chuckled. "Curious, are we?"

"Yeah, I ain't ashamed, I like t'know what I'm dealing with!"

He lowered his head slightly, still smirking. "It was during the Second Great Shinobi War, Tsunade had a little brother...and the day after his birthday, he died in battle...That's when she decided to propose adding one medic to a four-man cell to reduce casualties." Luckily for Orochimaru, Kaede was too far away to see the solemn, dull emotion in his eyes before he managed to force it back behind his usual malicious mask. "And then, only a year later, her beloved man was killed in the same gruesome fashion. That's where she developed her fear of blood."

"Because she tried to heal him?"

"Exactly, and her hands were coated in it."

The redhead hummed slowly and looked out in the corridor at the candles flickering on the wall-mounts. One of them dimmed more than the others, and only a moment later, snuffed out, leaving a shadow against the patterned stone surface. She knew what it felt like to lose loved ones and though it wasn't in the same fashion, the pain was identical and unbearable.

Orochimaru smirked at her silent, blank expression. "Oh? Care to share your thoughts, Firecracker?"

Her empty eyes closed as she let out a bold laugh. "Curious, are we?" She said, mirroring his words in a taunting fashion.

The Sannin laughed at her tease and Kabuto looked between them with a calculating gleam in his empty, black eyes. This was the first time they had been in the same room and their banter had not reached violent levels. It was rather unsettling for the young medic.

Perhaps Orochimaru was trying to win over her trust, rather than intensify the desire for blood between them. After all, his attempt at taking her life must have put a damper on his plans. Though he couldn't be certain, with the current events unfolding before him.

He decided to change the subject and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Which will she choose?" He asked, referring to Tsunade. "If she agrees to our condition...Your arms will be cured, and we can immediately resume the destruction of Konoha. And Tsunade-sama can see those two again."

"So you were serious about bringing them back?" Kaede asked, arching a brow in mild surprise, Orochimaru would resurrect lives rather than destroy them? The mere idea was ridiculous.

"Of course," Orochimaru told her, smirking arrogantly when her surprise intensified. "I despise lies, after all, ~"

"Yeah, sure y'do." She rolled her eyes and looked back out at the candles, seeing another two flicker out.

Kabuto cleared his throat and continued the topic beforehand. "But, if she shakes her head the other way..." The redhead's eyes narrowed at the thought.

The villainous Sannin's eyes sharpened and he glared ahead with a dark smirk. "I will have to make her cure my arms by force."

The young medic stepped forward, concern in his tone. "Will it be easy, though?"

"I have you." He clarified before allowing his gaze to glide over to the woman who seemed very bored at that moment. "...And her."

The ninjutsu expert, who had only been half-listening at this point, blinked when she realized who they were talking about and swung her head round to meet his eyes. She was silent for a moment before she pointed at herself with disbelief. "Me?" She asked, doubtful in tone. He used her as a comforting thought in the possible fight with the strongest woman alive?!

Why did she get the feeling she was going to die? And why did it matter so much that Orochimaru found her useful? She should be sickened, not shocked.

"There's no need to look so surprised, Kaede..." He stated, chuckling at her reaction. "You have the power to assist the fight, you just lack the ability to follow orders..."

Kaede huffed out a forced laugh and grinned, her eyes sharp with disdain. "Careful, old man...I'm doing you a favour by even going on this mission in the first place!"

"Of course you are..." The snake-eyed shinobi turned his attention to Kabuto. "All that aside, there's no need to worry. I know her best." He grinned as if he had already triumphed over the second of the three Sannin. "I know her ultimate weakness, as well. She will definitely accept the conditions."

"Now we just have to wait." Kaede mused out loud, surprising the pair of them when they looked over at her to see a dark smirk on her lips, and a sense of mirth in her eyes. With her morality gone, she was itching to fight someone, even if that someone could level walls. She chuckled and watched as another flame flickered and fizzled out.

'Whatever it takes...'


A/N: And that's the end of this chapter! The next one is a massive one! I can't wait to write it!

Japanese = English

Kinjutsu = Forbidden Technique

Juinjutsu = Cursed Seal Technique

Otgakure = Hidden Village of Sound

Konohagakure = Hidden Village of the Leaf

Sunagakure: Hidden Village of Sand