Yo!

Been about two weeks. In all honesty, I've had this chapter done for like ten days, but didn't want to release it so soon. In other news, I've actually completely finished writing this fic! Chapter 9 will come out some time next week-ish, and then Chapter 10 (the finale!) will come out probably around the beginning of July.

Anyways, without any further ado, let's get into it!


Chapter 8: Confrontation


"Under arrest?" Orochimaru found himself repeating as he tilted his head to one side, as if confused. "I don't believe you're allowed to do that, Chief of Police. I am the Hokage."

Said fact did not look lost upon the Shinobi in front of him, judging by the way several swallowed down their nerves, taking and retaking the same ready stances over and over again. Most were Leaf Police – Uchiha – but Tondo was not the lone Anbu either.

He could also sense the chakra signatures surrounding the building growing by the minute. This was not at all a private affair. Hell, he could sense a good hundred ninja around the vicinity, and he very much doubted that was the entirety of their force.

Which meant…

"Normally, you would be immune to something of this nature," Fugaku Uchiha admitted. "However, the one thing that can combat the Hokage's diplomatic immunity is a total agreement of the Leaf and Jonin Council's. Such a tactic was drafted almost as an afterthought, the idea of a Hokage turning against the Leaf all but laughable to most when the idea was first proposed. And yet, it seems the Second Hokage's pessimism has, for once, proven just. You are, after all, suspected of high treason against the Leaf Village."

That sounded like something Tobirama might have thought up. He wasn't alive to see the man while he'd ruled the Leaf himself, but he'd heard from his own master what it was like to be taught by him, and further than that, he himself had gone on to retool and master several of the man's inventions.

Still, more than that (and more than the annoyed way in which the head of the Uchiha clan had given the Second Hokage even the slightest bit of credit), he'd focused on the man's last line most of all.

"High treason, hm?" He nodded his head slowly, as if drinking in the words. "May I ask what evidence you have?"

They certainly didn't have to. After all, might made right in the Shinobi world. All they really had to do was kill him and be done with it, and they could get to fixing whatever 'treasonous ideas' he'd put into place.

Still, judging by the way Fugaku did not move an inch, nor did any of the Shinobi behind him besides the occasional nervous tick, he had a feeling they were still holding onto hope that he'd come quietly.

He understood the sentiment.

He wouldn't have wanted to fight himself, either.

"Half a week ago, a piece of what would've normally been circumstantial evidence fell into our laps." Fugaku spoke, Sharingan never once leaving him. "A person came forward with evidence that you owned a base outside the Village. One in which they thought Earth Shinobi were experimenting."

Ah, Anko, then. He surmised.

"Circumstantial on its own, certainly, but it added another tally to an increasingly suspicious list. However, Shikaku realized that the experiments conducted in your own base were frighteningly similar to the ones carried out in 'Danzo's' laboratories, hidden here within the Leaf."

"Your chakra…" Fugaku continued, shaking his head subtly. "It was all over the victims down there. Each of them was practically dripping in it. We had discovered as such during out initial investigations, but had trusted, even so, that you told the truth, that said evidence was merely from your own investigations into the matters. Combined with what we learned recently, however, that evidence begins to paint a rather clear picture."

So, they'd put that together as well. It wouldn't have been terribly difficult, but he had to give them credit.

"I understand where you've gotten the suspicions of kidnapping, murder, and illegal experimentation from, then," He mused, leaning forward as he leant his head upon one hand, propped up by his elbow. "But high treason is a mighty high thing to claim of me."

"Danzo's death, along with Root's destruction, has resulted in a far weaker Leaf. Something that would benefit an enemy of this Village, as we suspect you are." Fugaku said simply, and though Orochimaru believed they had more than that, he also suspected he wouldn't be hearing it from the man himself. "Thus, the charges of high treason."

Ah, so Danzo would be getting off scot-free, and he'd be taking the blame? No. There was still the evidence of Danzo acting to assassinate the Third Hokage, only…

Ah. That would be what they suspected him for as well.

Conspiring with Danzo, or another outside Village, and, when something went wrong (or right, if they thought him working with Kumo or Kiri), killing his 'ally' and his entire group. Weakening the Leaf Village greatly.

He hummed, even as a Shinobi finally did step forward.

Orochimaru found himself at a small loss as to what to do, or say, as the figure was stopped from advancing any further by Fugaku, even though he seemed to want to break past him.

"Please sir," Tondo, who seemed to always believe in him, even after everything, almost begged as he lowered his weapon ever so slightly. "I'm sure this is all one big misunderstanding, so please, just come with us. We'll get this sorted out, and have these accusations…"

His voice trailed off. He knew why, of course, even as the man's gaze subtly grew both harder and gloomier.

It was the look upon his own face. A resigned, sad smile.

He placed both of his hands upon the desk in front of him and used that to push himself to his feet. Every ninja in the room tensed. A couple stepped back, and the threat detectors he'd personally developed over the years as a Sannin identified them as the weak links in the formation in front of them.

Not like that would matter, what with his planned direction.

"Tondo… for what it's worth…" The words, as dramatic and unneeded as they were, still carried with them a degree of honesty. Perhaps that was what made what he said next hang in his throat for just a moment too long. "I am sorry. And because I never did so before…"

His smile gained a bit of mirth, though lost none of its poignant edge.

"I would like to thank both you and your wife for the meals you provided me. They were truly delectable."

Tondo only looked confused.

"Sir…?"

And then, without any further hesitation…

He backflipped out of the window behind him.

The sound of shouting layered overtop shattering glass briefly overwhelmed his senses, though Orochimaru recovered easily enough to right himself midair, and land on the ground below. His legs took the brunt of the impact, though he was trained well enough to not feel a three or so story fall too terribly much. He took off, knowing that his chances were a hell of a lot better if he didn't so much as hesitate.

His destination was simple: the gate out of the Village.

Three shinobi immediately moved to block his path; more Uchiha members of the Police Force. Even with the Sharingan, they were not automatically his superiors.

In fact, it was quite the opposite. The Sharingan was the only thing that gave them a chance.

He blitzed into the first's guard, barely giving him time to get a stance up in time to block his downwards strike before it could make contact with his neck. His own neck, however, lengthened, and his teeth embedded themselves in the man's shoulder. He went limp immediately, falling unconscious to the ground below a second later.

It was a rather simple paralytic poison. One he'd procured from Shido just for this escape.

Even if it would've been easier to kill those trying to stop him, he took the harder route. Every time he'd thought about his escape by simply blasting his way out with some larger Jutsu, or by summoning Manda, he pictured Akari, or Yugao, or the children who continued to come up to him and ask for his advice on their Shuriken technique…

No… better not to challenge the part of him that had rapidly subsumed 'all of him'.

Better not to challenge the man within the monster.

Two more Uchiha dashed into him, and two more fell a moment later, even as he took in his surroundings with a quick scan of chakra, a technique he'd taught himself ages ago for use in his spy work, even if it were not particularly his forte.

Nearly two hundred ninja stood before him and the exit to the Village, which in and of itself was nearly twenty blocks from his position. Not an easy journey whilst being hounded at every step, and that wasn't even counting the ones now chasing him, Fugaku and Tondo, though he doubted they were the only major players there.

Luckily for him, he didn't sense three particular signatures, and he let out a small breath of relief that, at the very least, he might be able to escape the Village without having to face them.

It was all he could truly hope for.

Just because he didn't want to kill anyone, however, didn't mean that the ninjas ahead of him knew that. The roads leading up to the Hokage's office had been largely cleared of civilians, but those beyond?

Well, they'd clearly intended to keep him trapped within their initial perimeter. That had already failed, which was more a credit to himself than a discredit to them. They may've planned for exactly this, but they must've planned around who they thought Orochimaru to be.

Ruthless. Cunning. Unafraid of getting his hands dirty, and more than anything, almost unfeeling when it came to culling his enemies.

All of said things he'd once considered positives. And some still were. Intelligence was what would be getting him out of this mess, after all, it certainly wasn't to be run from.

But the others, well…

They'd likely had their strongest forces, the most active combatants, ready in or immediately around the Hokage building, prepared for him to put up heavy resistance. For him to blitz out and make a beeline for the exit to the Village… well…

It wasn't much like him, he'd admit, but then again, they likely thought they'd catch him by surprise, stun him into a battle he had no idea was coming.

No. He'd seen the writing on the wall. He'd felt his own body raging at him, urging him to escape…

And he'd sat his ass down in his chair, in his office, and waited.

Just a little longer. That was all he'd really wanted.

Just one more view of the sunset.

His mind was brought back to the present as he dodged around a fireball Jutsu, signaling the arrival of a larger contingent of Uchiha. These seemed more skilled, likely the second half of the force Fugaku and whoever else led this attack was counting on to capture him.

It made sense. If he sat in the office and fought, then those around the building could close in and assist. If he ran, as he had, then they would still possess a decent force to try and stall him. It really was a clever idea, aside from one thing.

He had no reason to stop.

He melted into the earth beneath him to avoid the Fireball, and then slithered beneath the ground like a snake. Normally, the technique was one he used to track someone, or to spy on them. It relied, usually, on the target being unawares. If they were aware of it…

"Earth Style: Erupt!"

He hissed under his breath as he was flung, along with a decently sized chunk of dirt and stone, up into the air.

If the target was aware of it, and of his general location, then it was not particularly difficult to counter if they possessed the necessary Jutsu. Especially using it during the midst of battle. Used as a means to reposition against an opponent without the means to counter it, it was a powerful technique. To try and escape against an enemy who could…

It was useful, sure, but not foolproof.

Even still, he'd simply been hoping this would be easy. That he could burrow his way under the Leaf Village and out without being stopped. That he couldn't was not a terrible thing. It just meant he'd need to step things up a notch.

He drew a kunai into his left hand and deflected the drawn sword of an Uchiha without much care, idly striking him in the back with a spinning kick that simultaneously allowed him to strike another of his brethren across the neck with his right hand. Both figures fell, and he found himself once more trying to escape from the battle, to put distance between himself and the main force.

He would not be threatened by the meagre forces around them. Not at all. But if ten, twenty, fifty Shinobi were to corner him…

Well, he was no Third Raikage in a straight fight. His skill was in espionage and deceit. He could not manage that large a group without risking killing those around him, by virtue of summoning Manda or other large scale Jutsu.

So, he'd simply have to hope it wouldn't come to that.

Luckily, at the very least, this force couldn't stop him. He juked through the guards of two more, knocking them back into their compatriots as he surged forward, trying to gain ground that he could use to disappear when no eyes were upon him.

He didn't get the chance to disappear. Not for the many blocks that he covered on his way to the gate. The entire way there he was hampered from all sides by numerous Shinobi, occasionally even by ones he'd already downed. A part of him was annoyed by that, and admittedly, unfeelingly, he could admit that his unwillingness to truly strike any of them down was hampering him.

Even so, that didn't stop him. He managed, finally, to make it to the very edge of the Village. The gates, much as he'd expected them to be, were tightly closed, an effort, no matter how paltry, to keep him from escaping the Leaf's walls.

It would not work, but he did not begrudge them their attempt.

He heard orders barked around as he took to the wall, running up it with his chakra control, even as those atop tried to rain down at him with a variety of Jutsu. None were too carefully aimed, and to be fair, they didn't have to be. All they would be required to do was dislodge him from the wall. If he were to fall now, he'd be surrounded on all sides, and even for him, he'd at the very least need to kill or maim a few to escape then.

His eyebrows drew down, and his eyes set into a thin line as he vaulted the final horizontal lip, and then he was atop the wall, flanked on both sides by members of the barrier corps, but also a few more powerful ninja who were set to guard this position.

From the looks on their faces, ranging from abject surprise to grim resignation, only a few had known of what was happening today. It made sense. An order to capture and arrest a Hokage, even a traitorous one as they suspected him to be, was not going to be a popular move with everyone.

Better to keep such a thing on the downlow rather than risk a mutiny, or, as had been the case with the Mist Village, a complete civil war.

He shook his head, even as he kicked the nearest charging ninja into a few more, bowling over the entire group and allowing him time to jump from the roof of the wall, and land in the grassy dirt beneath.

He was there. At the end. Only the tree line awaited him beyond.

He had done it. He'd escaped.

The thought brought no joy. Only a grim satisfaction with his work. He had, after all, managed to avoid killing anyone in his way.

It wasn't much, but it allowed him to feel at least a modicum of relief in his heart as he dashed into the trees.

/-/

The distance was easy to create now.

He'd barely caught the orders for the gate to be opened, screamed more than loud enough for him to hear them even a few hundred meters away. That meant that he would be hunted, which he supposed made sense. That anyone who actually caught him would have to contend with him in a small squadron, well…

It was likely the men at the gate were panicking, or, more than that, simply not thinking too harshly. One didn't send unskilled Jonin, especially only a few of them, after a Kage level Shinobi.

They'd be called back before long, and he'd be entirely free to go wherever it was he wanted. Designated task forces would be sent after him within a few hours, but he'd be long gone by then.

He found himself frowning as the thought settled into the back of his head.

Where…

Where was he to go?

He thought, briefly, of his experiences in the Leaf for the past few months. Hell, for his entire life. Surely, he'd had bases outside of it, but he'd truly never intended to leave. Perhaps if he hadn't been granted the position of Hokage, he'd have desired to make it so by… he didn't particularly know, perhaps creating his own Village? Such thoughts seemed almost asinine now. Foolish.

The Leaf, for better or worse, was the place he'd been born in, and spent nearly his entire life within.

And now he was leaving. Not at all by choice.

Before he could allow himself to think any more deeply than that, however, a shout broke him out of his own mind, and caused him to bite down on his bottom lip rather forcefully.

"STOP!"

Ah…

He must've been delusional, honestly, to think he'd escape without being confronted by them.

Even still, he couldn't truly hide the way his hands shook as he balled them into fists, and forced himself to turn around, and stare into the disbelieving, nay, the desolate gazes of his two greatest friends.

And for a moment, the three of them just stood there. Perhaps, like him, the two of them thought of simpler times. Of when they'd been placed on a team to be taught by the Third Hokage of all people. Of his and Tsunade's procuring of the bells in their very first test. Of Jiraiya's endless quest to woo Tsunade…

It all seemed so far away now. So incredibly far away.

It felt like yesterday, too.

"Orochimaru." Jiraiya spoke first, seeming like the only one of them that had the ability to speak at all. "I… we heard some rather… unflattering rumors. That… that you were to be placed under arrest."

"The Hokage can't be arrested," Tsunade cut in before he could. "They are above the law. The Jonin Council and the Leaf Council would both have to agree in order to even try. So… so there has to be some mistake."

The same words Tondo had spoken earlier. That there was a mistake. That something had been wrong.

Something was.

Him.

"I'm afraid there has been no such thing." He found himself incapable of lying, not when it would only come back to bite him. "The Jonin and Leaf Councils have apparently made the joint decision that I am unfit to rule the Leaf."

Tsunade angrily slammed her fist into a nearby tree, causing the thing to splinter and buckle as she gritted out, "Then why were we left out!? No one told the two of us a thing!"

It was obvious to him, but maybe not so to the two of them. Because of that, he couldn't quite help smiling.

It was a sad thing, though.

"Because you are compromised." He spoke, watching the expressions on their faces twinge with confusion and myriad other emotions. "Because you are my teammates."

They looked him dead in the eye, each of them almost shocked to hear his next words.

"Because you are my friends."

And for some reason it was that honest admission that had the two of them finally accepting what it was they'd heard. Each looked gutted, as if he'd ripped their hearts out of their chests himself.

"You… you can't have done what they say…" Jiraiya shook his head, unable to meet his gaze as he stared at the forest floor. "They claim you're a killer. That you.. that you kidnapped civilians, tortured, and experimented on them. That… that you…"

They must've been able to tell by the look on his face, the raw hopelessness upon it, that he wouldn't deny their claims.

"You… you did?"

His mouth flattened into a small, thin line as he nodded his head, and watched the twin faces before him rapidly pale.

"But you… you helped me reintegrate into the Village." Tsunade argued for him, shaking her head all the while. "You… you took Shizune and I out to procure poisons, introduced her to a salesman… you went with the two of us to go apartment hunting, and you talked with me about Dan and Nawaki… about my fears and my doubts… y-you went and had dinner with your guard's family for fuck's sake." Tsunade sputtered out, almost hysterical in her argument. "You… you can't… be…"

What was he supposed to say? He honestly wished he knew. At the very least, then, the hesitation that hovered about him could be dismissed. Instead, it was all he could do to not turn on his heels and run away, even if there was nothing else he wanted to do.

Because as much as he'd thought the chasing Leaf Forces would be no big deal, that a few Jonin wouldn't be able to do a thing about him… well, if they went and gathered their entire force, and he was still standing here, then it would.

He needed to leave. He needed to leave soon.

Jiraiya took a step forward this time, shaking his head. "Old man Hiruzen seemed different the last few weeks. I thought… I thought you and him had just gotten into an argument, like you guys used to, but… He knew, didn't he? About what you'd done."

"He's known for quite a while, I believe." He answered honestly, seeing no reason to keep such a thing secret. "As to why he never came forward with that information, I haven't the slightest–"

"You don't know?" Jiraiya tilted his head like a curious animal, but the look in his eye screamed that he was a bit farther gone than that. "You honestly can't figure it out?"

"I…"

"He wanted to protect you."

He swallowed down on the bile in his throat. "…I know."

Jiraiya continued without acknowledging his words. "Even after everything you'd done… even after everything… He still wanted to protect his student… he still believed you could be better… I…" Jiraiya shook his head, causing his hair to flail around him as he let out a loud, guttural yell. "Goddammit… Goddammit!"

Had he ever seen his friend like this? Perhaps, back when Minato's student, that Obito Uchiha, had been killed, but honestly, Orochimaru hadn't been paying too much attention to his friend at that point. Too busy focusing on his research for immortality. Too busy kidnapping, and torturing, and experimenting.

What a waste. He wished he could have that time back, now. That he could've spent a few more peaceful days with the two in front of him.

Idly, he felt a small itching sensation upon his left cheek, and without really meaning to, he found himself reaching up to touch it with one hand. His finger came away wet, and his eyes widened.

From the expressions on Tsunade's and Jiraiya's faces as they regarded him, the two of them were in shock as well.

He was no idiot. He knew what it must've been, even if he froze in disbelief. He'd simply not thought himself capable of such a thing, and he felt for good reason.

Could a monster truly shed even a single tear?

"Orochimaru…?" Tsunade spoke gently as she took a step forward. "P-Please… come back with us to the Village. You… I know the you that you are now doesn't want to do something like that anymore… or… or I guess I believe you don't. I… you–"

Shouting nearby broke the three of them out of whatever trance they were stuck within, and Orochimaru keyed back into the fact that he was being hunted by more than a hundred ninja from the Leaf and would likely find himself chased by even more if he dawdled here any longer.

And yet… and yet…

He looked up into the faces of Jiraiya and Tsunade… and he found himself wanting nothing more than to just…

Stay.

But… he couldn't.

"I have his chakra signature!" He heard someone far enough away to be out of sightlines shout. "He's close! Stick with me!"

"Jiraiya… Tsunade…" He murmured as he took a step back, until his back was against the bark of a tall tree. "Can I ask something of the two of you?"

They must've sensed what he was about to do, though, truthfully, he was not exactly subtle, so it couldn't have been very hard. The two rushed towards him, reaching out their hands to stop him in his tracks.

"WAIT!"

"OROCHIMARU!"

"If you can… please, forgive me."

And as he sunk down into the earth beneath, as he allowed his form to become one with the bark behind him, he found a small semblance of peace washing over his body. And yet not even the earth could quite protect him from hearing the wails of his two best friends, their pleas for him to reconsider, even as he slithered silently away, without any real direction.

He had no destination, after all, though, truly, where he was going did not matter.

Just…

Anywhere but here.

/-/

In the few months or so that followed, Orochimaru found himself wandering the countryside of the Land of Fire in somewhat of a fractured state.

The initial manhunt to find him had been all but abandoned at this point, especially as the first week had seen no evidence of him at all. He'd stuck to the forests, and even made a quick stop in one of his old laboratories to rest and recover. His time there, however, had only served to remind him of just what it was he was running from in the first place, and so he'd exited before he really had time to confront the emotions waging war within him.

As the weeks went by, however, he grew slightly bolder. Adopting a rather simplistic disguise, one which transformed his normally pale white skin to a pinker shade usual to most in the land of fire, he'd taken to wandering into some smaller villages along the pathway to…

To nowhere really.

What he'd found was hardly a surprise.

The ninja he saw around him hummed and chatted with one another normally, but they kept gesturing towards a poster on the far wall. One that declared Orochimaru, the former fourth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, as the most wanted criminal in the Land of Fire. His bingo book entry had already broken the record for highest on offer, which brought in bounty hunters from all over the world to try and drudge him up.

Not like a single one of them had any hope, but then again, the average idiot probably wouldn't know such a thing. The only thing they knew was that if they somehow managed to catch him, they'd earn a small fortune. That was enough to have thoughts of concern or safety swept under the rug and ignored.

He sighed, forcing himself to look away from the poster that showed off his own face, called him a traitor to the village he'd lived in his entire life, and ducked into a nearby restaurant. He had no real experience in these things (ordering food, knowing what food was what), but he found something on the menu that he vaguely recognized, and ordered that.

He ate what was brought to him around twenty or so minutes later in total silence, trying his best to avoid thinking too hard on the poster. It was difficult, namely because there wasn't much else to think about after having been on the run for so long. He'd abandoned sleeping out of his laboratories rather early on and seeing as how he couldn't exactly go to any of the major villages (or even any of the minor ones, given he didn't feel like fighting and taking over one in his current condition), he was stuck simply roaming the countryside, bouncing from inn to inn on an endless journey to nowhere.

As he downed a bit of his drink – a water, he was not fool enough to allow alcohol to cloud his senses in what could quickly become hostile territory – he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand tall.

Someone was watching him.

That wasn't much surprise. He'd put a decent effort into his disguise, but anyone with the ability to read a chakra signature would be able to pick him up from out of a crowd, not to mention the numerous abilities that the Leaf Village possessed – whether Aburame or Inuzuka – to detect him sight-free.

Still, he'd have expected to be approached by now if whomever was watching him was from the Leaf. They wouldn't be afraid to cause a scene here, especially since a few nearby ninja and bounty hunters would likely join in on the fight against him. They wouldn't stand a chance, but they might think they would.

Whomever this was did no such thing.

A shiver ran across his spine, but he forced himself to partake of the rest of his meal in complete silence, projecting calm as he finally stood some forty minutes later and paid his bill. As he stepped out of the restaurant, he allowed himself to briefly check for nearby chakra signatures.

He of course got quite a few, on account of the mass of people walking both in front of and behind him, but none immediately stood out as the quality of ninja one would need to so much as contest him. He frowned somewhat, before ducking into a nearby alleyway. Once he'd broken sightlines, he immediately sank into the earth, before pushing himself along.

He travelled for quite a while, at least a few miles, before he pushed himself up and out onto solid ground once more. He looked around, trying to see if anyone or anything had somehow managed to track him all this way.

"Ah, so you had cottoned on to me."

His eyes bulged minutely for but a single moment, but he was ready within the next, drawing two kunai from out of his sleeves and pointing them up towards where the voice had originated from.

The man facing him looked almost bored as he stared down at him from atop a nearby tree-branch. How he'd managed to get around and behind him, while also scaling that tree without Orochimaru noticing was unknown, but it immediately spoke of a skill that would be at best annoying.

And at worst…

Still, he forced himself to put away the pondering for but a moment. If he'd wanted him dead, he'd have simply attacked him when his back was turned, when he had every advantage. No, he'd not have called out to him and announced himself.

He took in the appearance of the man before him in a hurry, doing his best to categorize him as best he could. He wore a rather simple outfit, a dark cloak overtop what might've been some standard armored vest beneath. Most strikingly, however, was his mask. A pale thing, with black lines running across it that looked almost like the lines that might originate from out of one of his curse marks.

It had a single hole around the right eye, too dark to see into.

"Who are you?" He asked simply, allowing himself to take a rather simple battle stance. "Why were you following me?"

"I shall answer the second question before the first." The man announced, his smooth, mature sounding voice almost too proud of himself. "I had heard that the ever-illustrious Fourth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf fled the Village a few months back. He went into hiding somewhere in the Land of Fire, and, well, I simply had to confirm such facts for myself."

That answered the question as to whether or not the man knew who he was, though even thinking such a thing made him feel stupid. This was not a random attack.

This had been premeditated. He'd been stalked, followed, and now confronted.

Almost like he would've done once upon a time.

"As for your first question," The masked figure spoke, voice commanding power. "My name is Madara."

Orochimaru's eyes widened.

"Madara Uchiha."

Two parallel reactions ran through him near simultaneously, and he had half a mind to indulge both. To laugh and snarl in equal measure.

"You'll forgive me if I don't entirely believe that." Orochimaru snapped. "Given that Madara Uchiha has been dead a good few decades now."

The man above him simply sneered. "Whether or not you believe me does not particularly matter, I suppose. But I did not come simply to explain myself. I have come to offer an alliance."

An… what?

"I'm listening."

"Simply put, the Leaf Village has wronged you. They have driven you from your seat of power, from your research, and forced you to make for the hills. I find myself in a similar position." 'Madara' explained, jumping down from the branch, and taking a few uncaring steps towards him. "I am much the same. For over fifty years I have bided my time. Now, I wish to strike. At the very heart of the Leaf Village."

He felt shock run through him, but forced his visage to remain unbothered, even as the man crossed his arms cockily and spoke more. "Tell me, Fourth Hokage, do you not long for vengeance as I do?"

Those words, had they been spoken to the 'him' of six or so months ago, might have struck a chord. Yes, Orochimaru had been wronged. Yes, Orochimaru had been driven from his Village, from his research.

Yes, it wasn't his fault at all.

But he found himself picturing the faces of all of those he'd had to leave behind. He saw Jiraiya and Tsunade. Tondo and Akari. Anko and little Yugao.

Hiruzen, his old master, sighing disappointedly as he closed the office door behind him.

Orochimaru tensed up almost against his will, his eyelids drawing down as his body fell into a far more active stance, one which 'Madara' did not fail to notice.

"And if I don't?"

"Oh?" Madara actually sounded surprised, which Orochimaru couldn't help but think wasn't entirely odd. It made sense, really. The Orochimaru he'd been expecting would've taken his offer in a heartbeat.

He was not that man, however.

"Isn't that a shame." Madara clicked his tongue along the roof of his mouth, sighing in what seemed to be acceptance. "Well… I suppose in that case…"

A Sharingan, blazing red and alight with hate, spun to life inside the single-eyed mask that adorned Madara's face.

"You die."

End Chapter 8


Ah, fun cliffhangers.

In all seriousness, welcome to the final 'Act' of WIMTLF! Like I said earlier, I've finished writing the story entirely, so expect to see those final two chapters sometime soon? I think this is going to be my last Naruto story, simply because other fandoms are calling out to me with ideas! I have two RWBY ideas in the works that I've been drumming up for a few weeks now, and a League of Legends/Arcane fic I've had on the backburner for a long time I might consider as well, so I'll probably work on those.

Anyways, I'll see you all in a week or two for the penultimate chapter!