Chapter 39 - Confliction
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!
At this point, I also want to point out that the relationship between these two characters is actually toxic if you are in a similar situation please seek help, it is not healthy and it won't end the same way this story will end.
I do not condone these kinds of relationships, despite writing this story.
Hey guys, I've finally posted the next chapter! At long last, you guys can see what happened after Orochimaru left Kaede choking on the air she needed to breathe!
Enjoy!
Fear was a common emotion for the Oto ninja working around Orochimaru. He exuded danger, venom and all-out murderous intent, and the mere sensation of his presence caused the hairs on the back of the neck to stand on end, no matter how brave the individual near him was. He had scared off beasts and brutes alike, especially when his own temper managed to boil over. Right now, this was one of those moments, as the Sannin himself stormed down the corridor from Kaede's room, holding a book tightly in his grasp until his fingers were cramping against the leather cover.
Every time he passed someone, they would immediately cast their eyes downwards and shudder in terror, knowing just what would happen to them if they caught his attention during one of his more aggressive moments. Right now, if looks could kill, everyone who glanced up from the stone floor would die a painful, violent death.
With a quick turn into his private chambers, the man grabbed the door and slammed it shut with such force, that the wooden barrier almost splintered upon impact. He was furious at this moment in time, and it took everything in his power to keep his composure as he took in deeper breaths in an attempt to calm his rage.
She had betrayed him for a second time since she had been accepted as his subordinate, and he had never wanted her dead more than he did right now. There was a line that should never be crossed with him, and that was it. Not even Kabuto knew these journals existed, let alone had seen them, and to find that someone as reckless and defiant as her had brought it on herself to steal his private property, it made his blood burn.
However, that was not the only thing that was bothering him, though a majority of his hidden anger was directed towards her, there was a small inkling of shame and hatred aimed at himself as well. He hated that despite her obvious betrayal, he could not find it in himself to kill her when she had openly explained that she understood his reasons for his actions up until that point.
Just what was he thinking when he faltered? In that moment, he was tempted to stab himself in the hand once again, to ensure he kept his shame buried deep as he ended her life, but instead, he decided that walking away without giving her any form of punishment was the best course of action.
His cold, yellow eyes locked onto the cupboard holding his books and he walked over with unbridled hatred seeping into his movements, making them slightly more erratic and sharp than his usual fluid, almost graceful, demeanor. The pale man crouched down and opened the small doors, looking at the organized books inside, before he slotted the leather-bound journal into its rightful place.
'Curse you Kaede...!' He thought venomously as his lips curled back into a snarl and he slammed the cupboard shut with the same aggressive bloodlust that he had done with the door. He needed to vent his frustrations, no one had angered him as much as she had right now. 'I should have killed you when I had the chance!'
Oh, he would not let this go unpunished for long, however. His snarl turned into a malicious, devious smirk as he started thinking of the many ways he could torment her for her foolish actions. Usually, he would have taken away her freedom, and be done with it, however, he knew if he did that, he would be going against his former vow to never take her freedom away again.
Though he told lies quite often, he detested them, especially when he had not intended for them to be a lie at the time. No, for that reason, he would find some other way to make her suffer...Perhaps he would destroy her precious books, right in front of her?
Against his own will, his stomach sank at the mere thought of taking them away from her, having subconsciously linked her own books to his own and how he would react should they be burned. A sharp hiss escaped him when he caught himself empathizing with her and he spun around, slamming his hand into a medicine flask atop the cupboard before watching as it shattered against the door to his bathroom.
He took in deep breaths, each one sharp and snake-like in sound as he tried to temper down his anger once again. Her antics would not be excused! If he could not afford to destroy her books and lose the power she offered him, then he would work her to the bone, make her fingers bleed, giving her mission, after mission until fatigue taught her the lesson he vowed she would learn.
By the time he was done, she would not dare cross his path again, in fear of what else he could do to make her suffer. Confinement was not the only form of punishment he could come up with. With that idea in mind, Orochimaru left his room to seek out Sasuke, with his current mood, he knew a rather harsh training session was in order if he wanted to be able to concentrate on anything but his desire for Kaede's death.
Perhaps he would get Kabuto as well, it was likely the poor boy would need medical treatment once the fight was over.
~BHBL~
Two weeks came and went after the ordeal between Kaede and Orochimaru, and the accusing redhead let out an exhausted sigh as she staggered down the steps to the hideout and trudged through the corridor. She was covered from head to foot in scrapes and bruises, soaked to the bone in sweat, and smelled awful from falling in swamp mud. Since Orochimaru had found her with his books, he had given her double, if not triple, the work and though each one was only ranked high enough for a Genin, if not a low-level Chuunin, they were mainly manual labor jobs, which resulted in quick fatigue.
Two weeks of constant physical work was starting to have an effect on her, as her arms and legs ached, and she felt a severe desire to sleep off the next three days in silence.
Oh, she knew she was being punished, do not get her wrong, she was not a fool. But what irked her was not the punishment itself, but the pettiness of it all. Of course, saying that she understood why he was being the way he was, if someone had read her private journals without permission, she may have just ended their lives then and there.
She considers herself lucky that he did not lock her in her room again, to be honest, but that still did not make his actions any less infuriating.
With another heavy exhale, she slowed to a stop by Orochimaru's study and went to knock on the door, only to be surprised when it opened before she had the chance and Kabuto stepped out, closing the door behind him. "Uh, y'mind getting out the way?" Kaede asked as he turned and crossed his arms, refusing to budge. This did not help her mood. "What're y'doing y'asshole, get out of the way!"
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Kaede..." Kabuto stated, pushing his glasses up his nose, hiding his eyes from view as he re-folded his arms. "Orochimaru-sama is in the middle of very important research and doesn't want to be interrupted...I have been sent to take your report in his place."
"Yeah, sure he is!" She snapped sarcastically, crossing her own arms, making the size difference between them and their mirrored actions rather amusing. It was like a mouse standing up to a lion. "According t'you he's been stuck in his research for two weeks straight without breaks!" She clicked her tongue and looked away with a sharp glare. "Is this really necessary? I get it, I screwed up, just let me in there so I can give my damn report!"
Kabuto stayed silent and still did not budge, though he did not know why she was being punished, he would stand his ground as per Orochimaru's orders. In the end, Kaede finally caved, letting out a low growl as her shoulders sank and she uncrossed her arms. "Fine, you're both just bastards, y'know that, right?"
"You may have mentioned that several times, it comes as no news to me at this point." He lifted his head slightly to look down his nose at her, like he was superior, though she could defeat him in combat easily with her many years of experience and training. "Now, will you give me your report, or continue to waste my time with your complaints?"
"Tch, you're lucky I'm already in the shit..." She ground out, before shoving the scroll in his hands. "Y'wanted me t'get this stupid scroll, so I got it. I ran into one or two bandits, but I took them out with no trouble. Other than that, I ain't been followed, and I ain't been seen by any other ninja either."
The young medic pulled open the scroll and read over the contents before he nodded briskly and closed the parchment over. "Everything seems to be in order. Orochimaru-sama has kindly given you the night off, however, expect a new wave of missions tomorrow."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." She waved off his words and turned to leave, her expression sour, which was odd, considering she prefered not to be in the Sannin's company. "Just tell that asshole that he's got to talk t'me sometime, I ain't going t'work for someone who can't be bothered t'look at me!"
With that, she walked away, not bothering to look back as Kabuto watched her for a second, before returning to Orochimaru's study. Irritation spread across her features and she huffed softly, brown eyes glaring ahead.
Never in her life, did she think she would get sick of that snake-eyed bastard avoiding her.
That thought made her falter, and she cursed, slipping into her room and closing the door behind her. Now that she was done for the day, she would take a nap, then eat something nice. She deserved it after all the awful work she had been getting recently. However as she stripped off her robe and sandals and dropped onto the mattress, fully prepared to sleep for a good hour or two, her mind started to wander once again.
Recently, she had been getting a bit too comfortable for her own good. The banter, the teasing, the sparring and the occasional conversation over meals, each of these were things she never thought she would do with anyone again, let alone the person she hated more than anyone else.
It was becoming so comfortable, it was making her uncomfortable!
With a groan, she rolled onto her side, despite knowing she would not be able to sleep in that position, and tried to drown out her thought tangent by forcing other things on her mind. Instead, the end result was not a distraction, but a headache and a bad mood.
Perfect...
~BHBL~
"This is really starting t'piss me off..."
Her own hoarse voice echoed through the darkened hallways of the hideout as Kaede trudged through with a box of liquor in hand, brandishing a black eye and a bruised throat. Another week had passed and she was still doing menial work under Orochimaru's command, only this time, while she had been sent to collect their usual alcohol supply, a barfight had erupted and sadly she was caught in the middle, being the only person there from Otogakure.
"I swear t'god Orochimaru, if you don't get your act together, I'm going t'kick your ass." She turned the corner and stepped into the kitchen, holding the heavy box under one arm as she opened the door with the other. All that extra training was starting to pay off. "D'you know how humiliating it is t'be doing Genin level work as a Jounin? I ain't been this much of a laughing stock since my Chuunin days back in Suna!"
She pushed out a groan as she opened the cupboard for the booze and started packing them inside, musing the idea of actually seeking him out and talking this situation out. But she stopped herself by shaking her head, she was already uncomfortable around them as it was, she would not let herself fall further into the trap by actually openly apologizing to him for her actions.
Blegh. Hadn't she suffered enough yet?
Though she thought that and hated the mere idea of speaking to him, for a second, she hesitated, pausing as she went to stuff another bottle of sake in with the others. She had suffered a lot, yes, but she was not a saint either...She had 'tortured' him numerous times, hell, she had even attempted to take his life, despite him giving her a reason to live, a reason to keep moving forward.
Guilt began to creep into her gut and it sank deeper and deeper as she counted the many things she had said or done to anger him.
With a sharp curse and a grind of her teeth, she slammed the cupboard shut and stood up, tossing the empty box onto the counter as she turned to leave with her fingers buried in her fringe. "I should've never looked at those journals t'begin with!"
Meanwhile, in Orochimaru's silent study, the serpent shinobi sat at his desk, scrawling the contents of a scroll onto parchment as he tried to understand the complex Kinjutsu formula hidden inside the rolled-up paper. That same scroll being one he had Kaede procure before sending her to collect alcohol for their pantry.
Despite his best efforts, his mind wandered from the Kinjutsu inscriptions for a moment and fell towards the woman who had caused his anguish to begin with. The memory of her exclaiming her understanding replaying again and again in his mind as he analyzed her every word, every motion. The mere thought caused his hand to tighten around his pen, nearly snapping it in half with the force.
Just from her body-language alone, he could tell she was scared in that moment, the first true sense of fear he had felt from her since the day they first met. He had threatened to kill her before, once when they were chasing down Tsunade's location, but never had she been so openly terrified in his presence.
Though the sadistic side of his personality rather enjoyed her reaction, there was a stronger, deeper part of him that felt nothing but irritation at the memory. He despised her weaknesses at that moment, mainly because it reminded him of his own, his inability to take her life when it mattered most.
With a sharp hiss, he swiped his hand out and knocked a cup off the table, hearing it shatter as he gripped the pen so tightly in his other hand, it finally snapped and spilled ink all over his usually chalky, white palm. His teeth locked together as his jaw clenched and the only sound that filled the room were erratic breaths and the dripping of ink hitting the floor from the table.
It was rare that Orochimaru lost his temper, he was known to react with control and cruelty, not aggression and mindless violence. But her actions stirred something within him, something he thought he had buried long ago.
Shame, and grief. two emotions that brought down even the most seasoned killer if felt for long enough. However, even deeper than that, there was another emotion, something he could not quite put his finger on, but instinctively knew he did not like and wanted to confirm so he could destroy it before it became commonplace in his mind.
For the moment, though, he would push those sensations down and out of sight, less he wanted his sanity to waver in the process.
~BHBL~
She could not take it anymore.
A month had come and gone since she found those damned journals, and not one word had been spoken between her and Orochimaru since she yelled out her thoughts on the topic of his dastardly experiments. Usually, the silent treatment would not bother her, hell, she would consider it a godsend usually, however with the constant stress of missions, and the silence leaving her with her own thoughts that questioned his morals and character, she was at the end of her tether.
She knew why he was avoiding her, considering the nature of the journals she had read, and the reasons behind her words, but she just could not handle this suffocating silence any longer. It was something that both disgusted her and inspired her to take action at long last. As it was that small sense of motivation that brought her to stand outside his study, preparing herself for the onslaught of rage and rudeness that would follow if she disregarded his desire for her to leave him alone.
With a deep breath, steeling her resolve, her eyes hardened and she rapped her knuckles against the carved snake pattern on the door. After a beat of silence, a familiar voice greeted her. "Yes, who is it?" He snapped out, having been interrupted during important research. "My time is valuable, speak now or there will be consequences!"
"Looks like I caught y'in a bad mood~!" Kaede joked with a raised voice, so he could hear through the muffling barrier between them. "Are y'going t'let me in, or what?"
Another bout of silence.
"Kabuto is in charge of your missions, don't bother me again until I see fit to let you be in my presence." She could hear the venom in his tone, and that was the last straw for her.
With a click of the tongue, she grabbed the door handle and yanked it open, storming inside and slamming it shut behind her. During this, the Sannin himself had stood from his desk in surprise, and the dangerous aura that surrounded him proved she had crossed yet another line. However, at this point, she no longer cared.
"You better have a good reason for disturbing me, otherwise you're treading dangerous waters just to test my patience..." The hiss in his voice and the glare he shot her proved this to be accurate, but Kaede just crossed her arms as a response.
"Oh yeah? Well when y'stop being a brat and talk t'me, I'll leave! 'Cause this is testing my patience too, and I've hit my goddamn limit!"
That was a mistake. This triggered a malicious response within him and he slowly stalked his way over to her, halting right before her, so close that there was only an inch between their feet. The way he looked down at her with cold, dangerous eyes made her shudder, but she held her ground either way and just lifted her head, glaring at him directly.
"If you value your life, you will think twice before speaking to me in such a disrespectful manner..." His voice dropped an octave and he snarled at her, letting her know he was taking no crap from her.
"Oh for god's sake!" Kaede snapped back, shouting in his face now. "Would y'stop saying that?! We both know you ain't going t'kill me, or I'd already be dead!" She let out a sharp exhale through her nose, not breaking eye-contact. "Look, we're both stressed and a little tense from what happened...Maybe we should vent that out before it makes our jobs even harder than they already are!"
Usually, she would scold herself for offering to spar with him and assist him in his emotional turmoil, but she was sick of the petty actions towards her and knew this was the only way to make it stop.
And though the Sannin still radiated murderous energy, his knitted, angry brow arched curiously at her words. "To suggest a battle at such a time, what is your intention?"
"Don't get paranoid on me!" She stated, looking away with a huff, she did not want to explain herself but knew it was necessary. "I ain't going to try and kill y'again! I just..." Her expression softened and she refused to look back at him. "I have something I want t'confirm, that's all." His actions had been questionable from the very first day she started working for him, one moment he was a monster who had no remorse and the next...He was not.
Whether or not he took her life during this spar would prove to her which one he was, and though she feared the prospect of death, she had a sneaking suspicion that death would not come. She had spent many months trying to ignore this fact, but now that the evidence was screaming in the back of her mind, she needed an answer now more than ever.
Otherwise, she would forever question it.
She was doing this to quell his rage, alongside answering the questions she had been asking since he saved her life during the battle with the Third Hokage. She would kill two birds with one stone should this work out in her favor. Not that she would be pleased with the results either way.
Orochimaru stared down at her, contemplating her proposal, and seeing nothing but positives on his end. Not only would he be venting the questionable emotions he had been feeling, but he would also physically punish her for her actions, something he surprisingly had not thought of after she blurted out those few words that saved her life.
A sickening smile curled his lips and he chuckled, his breath brushing against her skin as he did so, which made Kaede shudder again, but not from fear, instead from the surprising sensation it brought on. Like wind brushing through her hair. "Very well, I'll accept your offer..." Though he sounded amused, there was a threatening undertone to his words. "We'll fight on the surface, I doubt my training hall will be able to take the brunt of my strength."
"Heh, who said y'were going t'win?" She asked, but deep down, she had a plan and started moving towards the hallway when Orochimaru gestured for her to walk out of his office first.
After silently traversing down the corridors and up the stairs, the two exited the dark, suffocating hideout and now stood in the vast savannah as the moon hovered overhead, dimly lighting up the surrounding area of long grass and large stones with very few trees littering their location.
The two stood a fair distance away from one another and Kaede shrugged off her robe before discarding it and her shoes by the entrance to her 'home,' while Orochimaru just stood there, still as the boulders surrounding them, watching her every move. An awkward silence passed between them, and after a moment, the redhead went to speak up, to tell him to just get on with the battle, but just as she opened her mouth, he kicked off towards her, eyes alight with a desire for blood.
"Wha-?!" The former Suna kunoichi managed to blurt out before he slammed his fist hard into her cheek, sending her hurtling back. However, she managed to flip herself in mid-air and land on her feet, digging her hand into the dirt as she skidded back with blood dripping from her nose. "Tch! That was a cheap shot!" She snapped back, watching as he smirked and rushed at her once again.
A large part of her wanted to put her all into the fight, but she just scowled and got to her feet, kicking off to meet him in the middle, acting as if she would fight him with all her might. However, he got up in her face once again and kicked her hard in the stomach, making her cough up blood before he slammed his knee into her chin and sent her flying up into the air, jumping up to join her and deal even more damage.
Kaede hissed out as she managed to angle her head so she could see him approaching, and quickly formed some quick, basic signs. Orochimaru shot out his hand and a snake darted from his sleeve, wrapping itself around her neck. She grabbed it and choked out a gasp as she was spun around him and thrown, quite forcefully, towards the ground.
The outmatched redhead slammed into the dirt so hard that a plume of dust surrounded her, shielding her form from view as Orochimaru landed on a large stalactite nearby, crouched with slitted eyes fixed on her very location. "Hm, hm, what's the matter, Firecracker?" He coaxed her, already aware that she was not putting her all into the fight. "Are you finally afraid of me, after all this time?"
"Heh, y'wish~!"
Orochimaru spun around quickly when he heard her voice behind him and crossed his arms in front of his face to block the punch aimed directly for him. Kaede's grin warped into a snarl, having been caught as he grabbed her wrist hard and grinned viciously. "A replacement?" He jeered, yanking her towards him so he was a mere inch from her face. "Do you really believe a mere Genin jutsu will be enough to defeat me?"
Kaede's snarl turned to her own grin. "I could beat y'without even touching my jutsu, Snake-Eyes!"
This forced the smile off his features and he glared venomously at her before throwing her over his shoulder, slamming her back into the stone wall of the boulder beneath his feet, before tossing her up into the air and jumping up after her. Before she could even think to defend herself, he hit her time and time again, a barrage of punches and well-timed kicks that caused as much damage as possible within the few seconds they remained airborne.
Eventually, Orochimaru landed gracefully and stood up without a scratch, while Kaede hit the ground hard, face-first. She was shaking as she took a moment to collect herself, then lifted her head and spat out the blood that filled her mouth. He was not holding back in the slightest, and though it hurt like a bitch, she grinned, which only angered him further.
"Even in the face of defeat, you patronize and mock me...!" Orochimaru snarled, snakes slithering out of his sleeves, hissing at her as four, two in each sleeve, reared back to strike. "Your infuriating attitude will be your downfall!"
Kaede got to her feet shakily as she serpents shot forward, and she started to form seals to protect herself, knowing just what she needed to do to stop her own death. However, the snakes were faster as two of them coiled around her wrists, pulling them apart while the other wrapped around her neck and bit into it, freezing it in place, and the final one coiled around her stomach, pushing the air from her entire form.
She could not move, and could not breathe as she watched with slight gasps as Orochimaru started walking towards her, his aura fit to kill alone, and his glare colder than any ice she had ever seen. For a moment, she thought she would actually be proven wrong, that he would actually kill her, and instead of fighting back, like she wanted to, she just stayed in place, shaking with the fear that filled her.
She had to let him choose her fate, otherwise, her questions would remain until the end of time.
But despite that, she could feel her gaze darkening, her vision blurring. Both the many hits and the headwound she had received from her fall now starting to take effect. She fought it as hard as she could, tried to stay conscious long enough to see what he would do. The Sannin could see this but did not halt in his advances, gagging and lurching forward as the Kusanagi blade protruded from his throat and he took the hilt, pulling it out for use.
"What will you do now, Kaede?" He sneered, twirling the blade before pointing the tip at her, stopping just as it touched the flesh of her collarbone. "I can tell you're not using your full strength against me, whether you're doing so to mock me or not, is unclear...But I will not tolerate your impertinence!"
"I wasn't..." Kaede managed to rasp out, trying to jerk her throat out of the snake's grip so she could speak again, but to no avail. She could feel her eyes roll back, and fought against her body's desire to shut down.
"Oh? Then enlighten me, what did you have in mind?" His eyes narrowed and he pressed the blade into her skin, watching as she flinched back, blood leaking from the shallow cut, dripping from the metal of the sword.
"I-I screwed up...!" She managed to grind out, everything felt surreal, like she was having an out of body experience, and she knew she would not be able to stay conscious much longer. "I-I ain't above paying for my mistakes!"
He halted for the second time since he had returned from his mission, she was fighting her inevitable demise as much as she could without fighting back? All so he could have the chance to vent out his frustrations and punish her properly?
Just as Kaede's vision blackened and she slumped into the grasp of the snakes, the Sannin's lips curled back into a grin and he released his hold on her, letting her fall onto the ground before his feet. Oh, she was far more interesting than he gave her credit for. Something coiled in his stomach, but not in an uncomfortable, disturbing way, no, in fact, it was quite a pleasant, fleeting sensation.
Not many would risk death just to assist their sworn enemy to find the 'justice' they desired.
"...Perhaps my decision to spare you wasn't regrettable, after all...Firecracker~." He stated under his breath, his smile falling away as he lowered the sword away from her limp body.
He had finally punished her enough.
~BHBL~
From feeling a sensation similar to one someone would have leaving their mortal vessel, Kaede definitely knew when she was waking up by the sudden heaviness and aching pain she felt wracking through her once peacefully light body. She let out a heavy groan as she raised her sore arm and covered her eyes with it, hoping to block out the dull candlelight of the room. She hissed when her wrist touched her cheek and lifted it as she opened her eyes.
Oh yeah, there was a huge bruise surrounding the base of her hand, where Orochimaru's snake had opted to restrain her. Anything she did with her hands would ache far more than she was comfortable with, even her beloved reading would become difficult.
Great...
"Do you plan on admiring your wounds all day?"
Kaede jumped slightly when she heard a sudden voice in the silence and let out a cry as jolting agony filled her settled body. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, she was so damn sore it was ridiculous. "Ah, dammit...!" She squeezed her eyes shut as she gritted her teeth, having spotted the Snake Sannin out of the corner of her eye just after her startled reaction. "What're y'doing here? Y'already won, ain't I suffered enough now?!"
Orochimaru chuckled and closed his eyes, lowering his head slightly, hair covering his features as his usual smirk curled his lips. "Hm, hm, that may be the case, but there is a few more matters we need to discuss about your foolish actions."
"'Course there is..." She started, expecting him to take her freedom away from her, not remotely believing he would keep his word, he liked to push her buttons, after all. "Which actions?" She asked, opening an eye to look at him, still tense with pain. "Reading your books, or letting y'win that fight?"
His brows twitched irritably when she said she 'let' him win, either way, the outcome would have been the same. However, for the sake of moving the conversation forward, he ignored her snide remark and looked her directly in the eye with a serious gleam to those snake-like orbs. "From this moment forward, you will no longer be sent on little errands fit for Genin." He found her softened expression of shock amusing, and it made him smirk once again. "You will be placed back on the Jounin roster and get your missions from me directly."
"Why the hell would y'do that?" She asked, sounding confused to the point of suspicion, which just made his shoulders shake with silent laughter. It seemed she was not used to such light punishments from him. "Didn't I break some sort of code?" It was almost as if she believed her own actions would make very little difference as if anything she did only further caused her pain.
"Hm, hm, only someone who understood the gravity of their actions would accept the extreme consequences that follow...Your reaction proves to me that you grasp what you did wrong, therefore no further action is required." Orochimaru closed his eyes again for a moment, pushing himself off the wall he had been leaning against. However just as he was about to open the door to leave, he paused and looked back at her with that same dangerous light burning in his eyes, a warning. "I doubt I need to explain what'll happen if you relay anything you read to anyone within or outside the hideout, correct?"
The injured redhead with bruises and bandages from head to toe let out a sharp scoff. "Y'need more faith in me, Ol' Snake-Eyes! Ain't it a kunoichi's job t'keep important secrets from other people?" She shot him a cheeky grin, though winced when it hurt her swollen cheek. "I ain't like you, y'know! I have standards!"
"Hm, hm, hm...I wonder about that~!" Came his devious reply before he finally opened the door and left, closing it behind him, leaving her alone in her dimly lit room to ponder in silence.
Well, though she hated herself for doing it, and regretted letting it go so far, she finally had her answer. No matter how much she wanted to believe he was a scumbag who deserved death, he had proven to her right at that moment that he was not the complete monster she made him out to be. Otherwise, she would never have woken up from their spar. Of course, this changed nothing, she still hated him with every fiber of her being, and huffed, averting her gaze from the door up to the ceiling.
Even then, any sane person could tell he only became the way he was because of the harsh conditions and struggles he had faced during his younger years.
Maybe she was the same as him, after all.
A/N: Thank you guys so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Please Review, as all comments help me improve as a writer and motivate me to continue my craft!
Japanese - English
Otogakure = Hidden Sound Village
Kinjutsu = Forbidden Techniques
Ninjutsu = Ninja Techniques
-Sama = Lord
