Naruto laid in bed, staring at ceiling, contemplating the events that would transpire tomorrow. He had trained, and hard. Orochimaru had power well beyond that of anyone he had met before, possibly even more powerful than the Sandaime. He smiled at that thought…Orochimaru had outlined the plan to him yesterday, and it was brilliant, as everything that Orochimaru did was. They were to sneak in during the Chuunin exam, and when the time was right, they would spring their trap. He wasn't entirely sure of the particulars…he hadn't asked, and he didn't care. He left the details up to Sensei and Kabuto. His part in the plan, however, he was very well aware of. It was simple. He was to use his training up to this point in controlling the Kyuubi to simply wreak havoc upon the village, causing as much death and destruction as was possible. He smiled again. The very thought of it once again made his hair stand up on end. "Revenge…finally…!" His mouth was up curved in a tight and trembling smile as he said those words to no one in particular. The anticipation was maddening, and he was sure he wasn't going to get any sleep.
Of course, this was tempered somewhat by the knowledge that there would be another Jinchuuriki accompanying him. Apparently, it was the one tails, Shukaku, sealed in the body of some psychopathic kid from the Hidden Sand village. He had met him once, briefly, while on a trip with Orochimaru to the wind country. At first appearances, he seemed to be rather normal, save for the massive-sized gourd on his back. Orochimaru had asked for a demonstration of the kid's abilities, and while they were adequate, to Sensei at least, to Naruto, they were sub par. "But when you're like me, everything seems a bit lacking" he chuckled to himself. However, where the kid had really shined was when he managed to do a full transformation into Shukaku, or the avatar thereof. Apparently, Shukaku himself couldn't be fully summoned without the medium being asleep, and Orochimaru wanted this kid to save that part for when he got to Konoha. Right before they had left, the kid had asked Naruto what his name was. He had replied, and then asked the same question. The kid's name was "Gaara". The next words out of Gaara's mouth were, "I have been told that you have a monster inside of you as well…perhaps we will find common ground on the killing fields." Naruto had simply smiled, nodded, and walked away with Orochimaru. Now that he thought about it, maybe he did like this Gaara person after all.
Much to Naruto's surprise, he had slept, and rather well at that. Perhaps it was Orochimaru's doing…he had used a forced sleep technique on Naruto once before, and it would make sense that Orochimaru-sensei would want him at his fullest potential for the events to come…he shrugged it off. Whatever Orochimaru-sensei wanted to do was fine by him. He had immense respect and an equitable fear for Orochimaru-sensei. To not fear him was folly. But he laid aside his internal feelings for the moment, and focused on the task at hand. They were jumping between trees and moving at a very fast pace towards Konoha now, and he could just make out the walls from where he was. The fools in Konoha never knew that Orochimaru's base was just outside of Konoha, and he had easy access to the city, posing as an instructor for the mostly fictitious "Hidden Village of the Sound". Naruto had actually been in the city a few times with Orochimaru, using an advanced Henge technique he had taught him that not even the Sandaime could see through. He had scoffed at how peaceful and tranquil the village looked…and how unawares the population was. He wondered, if they could see him now, what they would say…they would certainly call him a monster, but it would also certainly be the last words out of their mouth. He chuckled at that thought. Once again, the thought of killing all of the people who had tried to kill him…made HIM into an outcast…made the hair stand up on the back of his neck. He couldn't wait. He was ready to strike. He was ready to destroy. He was ready to kill.
As they approached the walls of Konoha, Orochimaru and Naruto used the advanced Henge technique to transform, while Kabuto simply stayed in his getup…he wouldn't be noticed. As they passed the gate itself, he chuckled to himself, looking at the Ninja guarding the walls. It would be their last day on this earth.
