"Well, did you bring my guests safely?"
Orochimaru straightened from where he had knelt to perform the summoning and regarded the pale-yellow serpent coiled in the middle of the rapidly dispersing smoke.
"I bring your ssseven targets and two additional children who might be of interessst," the serpent answered, its voice slurring slightly with the effort of protecting the children as they slept within its digestive tract. "The morsssel seems to have performed hisss final task exceptionally well."
"Really?" Orochimaru's amber eyes shone with interest. "Gaichūmaru was unable to endure Jūgo's gift, hm? I was hoping to test his improved reflexes when he returned." Grinning maliciously at the thought, the pale man indicated that the boa ought to deposit its captives on a bare patch of floor in the middle of the small stone room. "I'm quite interested to hear about his passing. After I greet the children, I will call you again so that we can talk."
As the small forms were slowly regurgitated onto the hard, stone surface, the serpentine man took the opportunity to inspect his new 'guests'. "This must be Shino-kun. Excellent, his hive seems to have survived mostly intact. And here we have the newest iteration of Ino-Shika-Chō. It's rather incredible how strong the family resemblance is, even at this age. Hyūga Hinata-chan. I wonder how her father will react to realizing that he sacrificed his brother for nothing. Hello, who is this?" Pale hands reached down and grasped Haruno Sakura's chin, turning her face to get a better view of the sleeping pinkette. "I take it this is one of the extras Gaichūmaru sent with you?" The question was addressed to the serpent, which had just finished regurgitating a slime covered Inuzuka tag team.
"Yesss," was the reply. "He sssuggested that you might be interesssted in her and thisss last one." The pale scientist was barely listening, though, as he had turned back to Sakura and begun to poke and prod at her with long fingers. Knowing that its presence was no longer desired or necessary, the boa regurgitated its last passenger, the blond with the extremely potent chakra, onto the floor and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Having temporarily satisfied his curiosity with the unexpected acquisition that the pink-haired child represented, Orochimaru turned his attention back down the line to the remaining bodies. "Oh, Sasuke-kun, how exciting to have you join us," he drawled as he smirked at the clan emblem emblazoned on the back of the Uchiha's shirt. "I haven't had an opportunity to study your clansmen in detail, but don't worry; we'll learn the secrets of the Sharingan together. I have several hypotheses that you can help me test." The unconscious boy flinched at Orochimaru's words, and the thin man smirked to himself. Looking down the line, the Sannin no Hebi nodded in approval at the sight of Inuzuka Kiba curled protectively around a small white puppy. Good. There was little use for an Inuzuka without their familiar.
Finally, the man's yellow eyes fell on the blond mop of hair at the end of the line. Intrigued, Orochimaru rolled the child onto his back and, noticing a slight bulge in the hideous orange jacket, the snake summoner leaned down and drew a scroll from the boy's pocket. Unrolling it, the pale man eyed the rudimentary seal array inked there with mild interest. A quick application of chakra dispelled the seal and revealed a wrinkled picture of the grinning blond wearing the Hokage's crimson hat of office and surrounded by more than half a dozen ninken. Turning it over, the Sannin gave a cruel smirk at the epitaph that Hatake Kakashi had apparently bestowed on the otherwise uninteresting child. It would be amusing to see how much leverage over the 'Gekage' this little trinket would offer.
As he withdrew through the room's only doorway, Orochimaru released a burst of chakra to break the genjutsu that was keeping the children unconscious. That done, he ran through several hand seals and cast a second illusion that would cause the children to perceive a flat wall where the room's only door ought to be. Seeing their responses would be entertaining and informative as he planned their training. It would also make their fear when he revealed himself even more delightful.
Unsurprisingly, it was Sasuke-kun who woke first. Orochimaru licked his lips in anticipation as he considered how powerful the Uchiha's blood must be to completely throw off the jutsu within moments of having its hold on his mind loosened. The raven-haired boy stretched for a moment before his brain seemed to catch up with what he was seeing, and he looked confusedly around the bare stone room. Taking note of the prone forms scattered along the floor, the young Uchiha began looking around with wild, wary eyes.
Both Sasuke and Orochimaru's attention was drawn to movement within the room, as the pink-haired girl beside him began to stir. Now, this was unexpected. To have a clanless nobody escape the effects of the genjutsu before many of her clan-born peers should not be happening. The pale man found his interest in the girl rising for a moment before it was dashed to pieces by the terrified shriek she let out at the sight of her unfamiliar surroundings.
Reaching over and clinging piteously to the startled Uchiha, the pinkette began to wail. "Sasuke-kun, what happened?" The last thing I remember, we were in the forest with Daikoku-sensei, and then I felt sleepy." Looking around at the bare stone walls, she continued. "Now we're here in this cold, scary room. What happened?"
"Sakura, shhh," the dark-haired boy commanded softly. Sakura's sea-green eyes asked her question, even as the small girl clamped her mouth shut, so with a sigh, Sasuke elaborated. "My nii-san said, if you ever wake up in a place you don't know or remember how you got there, it's best to be quiet. You need to look around before you do anything else. That way, you can identify threats and collect information without other people noticing you." Seeing that some of the other children had begun to stir, the Uchiha directed Sakura's attention (and iron grip) to them. "Since there's two of us, I'm going to start exploring this room while you go and check on everyone else."
Sakura nodded eagerly and went over to start shaking the Yamanaka heiress. "Ino-chan, be quiet," she hissed as her blonde friend's pale blue eyes groggily opened. "Sasuke-kun says we need to be quiet because we don't know where we are. We need to see what's going on without anyone knowing we're awake."
Ino pulled her friend's hand away from her mouth and sat up roughly. "What's going on, Sakura?" the blonde hissed back. "That's the kind of stuff Daddy told me to do if I was ever captured on a mission or kidna-." The girl's sharp voice caught as she realized the implications of what she'd been about to say and took in the unfamiliar stone walls that surrounded the group. Despite her sudden distress, Ino's face remained mostly composed. Rising stiffly, the platinum blonde began to prod the boys next to her while directing Sakura. "I-I'm going to wake up Shikamaru, Chōji, and Shino. You get Hinata-chan, Kiba, and Naruto, okay?"
Sakura began to tear up as Ino's comment all but confirmed what she had begun to suspect. No, she chastised herself, she wasn't that crybaby anymore! Besides, Sasuke-kun had asked her to check on everyone. She couldn't let him down. Angrily wiping her face, the pinkette nodded and made her way past Hinata, who had woken at some point during the conversation with Ino, to Kiba and Akamaru. Turning to the small Hyūga, Sakura began to whisper hurriedly. "Hinata-chan, can you wake up Naruto? Sasuke-kun is keeping watch and looking around while we make sure everyone else is okay, and Ino-chan is waking up the others."
The small Hyūga nodded hesitantly and silently pushed herself to a sitting position before she scooted over to Naruto's side. "N-naruto-kun, you need to wake up," she murmured, gently shaking the blond's shoulder. Naruto made no response but to roll onto his side and start to drool. "N-naruto-kun," the voice was louder now, and the shaking more insistent. "Please wake up!" Despite her increased efforts, the whiskered boy slept on. Looking behind her, Hinata realized that the rest of the group was awake and were beginning to whisper among themselves as they waited for her to rouse the blond. Seeing the other girls coming to help, Hinata resolved to try one more time before allowing someone more assertive, like Sakura-chan or Ino-chan, to step in. Kneeling by the blond's side, she channeled a bit of chakra to her fingers before poking him in the side. "Naruto-kun! Wake up!"
Naruto flinched away from the charged digits and jerked to an upright position. The whiskered blond sat blinking for several seconds as he tried to properly wake himself. Finally, with a stretch and a yawn that took several seconds to complete and drew incredulous stares from everyone in the room, azure eyes assumed their normal shine, and the young Uzumaki looked around him in confusion. "Hey guys, what's going on? Where are we?"
"Man, Naruto, do you wake up like that every morning? No wonder Daikoku-sensei doesn't want you to fall asleep in class. We'd all go deaf whenever you woke up to answer a question." Kiba cracked a smile at his own joke, but the room's tense atmosphere quickly stole it away.
"Well, there's no doors or windows that I can see," Sasuke commented as he made his was back to the group from his inspection of the walls. "Just solid stone walls." Looking around, the Uchiha asked a tentative question, "What's the last thing that everyone remembers? For me, I was putting up the tent fly with Kiba, and then I woke up here."
There was a general murmur of agreement around the room as each of the children told a similar story. When everyone had shared, Shikamaru spoke up. "What a drag. Come on, someone say what we're all thinking." At Naruto's quizzical look, the young Nara amended his statement. "What most of us are thinking, at least. We've been kidnapped. Someone came and took us while we were on that field trip with Daikoku-sensei. Then they dropped us in this room here for some reason."
"What?!" the blond burst out; his whiskered cheeks screwed up in confusion. "What do you mean we've been kidnapped? Why would anyone kidnap us?"
"The answer is obvious if you stop to think," Shino replied, using a finger to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "The reason is that many of us are children of clan heads: the current leaders of Konoha's most influential families. Anyone who controls our location can demand quite a bit from our parents, our clans, and the village in exchange for our safe return, whether in money or favors." The bespectacled boy nodded in both Naruto and Sakura's directions. "I do not understand why you two were taken, though. Though there might be those who would miss you, to the best of my understanding they possess no real power within the village."
"Hey! Jiji's the Hokage! He's super important! And Kaka-nii's a super important ninja, too." Naruto retorted before his face screwed up in confusion. "So, you're all important because of who your parents are? And someone took us to try and make them do something?" When all the children but Sakura nodded to show the blond's correct understanding, he hunched his shoulders and puzzled for a moment before turning to face the stone wall nearest him and shouting at the top of his lungs. "I know you're watching us, dattebayo! Come out, if you're not scared!" Almost instantly, the blond was tackled to the floor by the rest of the boys while several sets of hands clamped over his mouth and around various other parts of his forehead.
"What are you doing?" Sasuke hissed. "We need to be quiet so that we can find out more information before we do anything. Maybe they don't know we're awake yet."
Prying the grasping hands off his mouth and rolling onto his back, Naruto looked up at the group incredulously. "Why wouldn't they be watching us?" the blond asked confusedly. "That sounds stupid to steal us from the village and then not bother to watch us. What if we managed to sneak away? Then they did all that work for nothing. Besides, you already looked around, and there was nothing, right? There has to be a door, or how else would we get into the room?"
Sasuke's sputtering response was cut short as a harsh, menacing chuckle cut through the air. The wall opposite the one Naruto had been yelling at began to ripple and fade to reveal a pale, dark-haired man clad in a tan robe who strode casually into the room even as the children fled to the opposite wall. "You're quite correct," the man replied, his pale lips curled up in a spiteful smirk and amber eyes glittering ominously. "I've invested far too much effort to allow you children to disappear on me. My name is Orochimaru. Perhaps you've heard of me?"
"Hokage-sama, there is a priority one situation north of the village."
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Hyūga Hiashi looked up sharply from the paperwork spread across the desk to regard the Hokage's secretary as she burst into the room. In the hall behind Minori-san, the Hokage recognized the out-of-breath young woman as Mori Ume, a part of the Barrier Division's Messenger Branch, which she had joined after an impressive showing at the Chūnin exams in Kirigakure four years ago. Rising from their seats, the two men raced out the door. "Hyūga-dono, assemble the village council," the Hokage commanded his noble companion who bowed before disappearing in a swirl of leaves. "Minori-san, secure my office and prepare the war room. Ume-san, tell me what I need to know as we travel." With his orders given, the Sandaime opened the window and pushed himself through to the rooftops outside.
His temporary guide followed him through, pushing herself to catch up to the Sandaime as the pair raced northward. Matching his guide's pace, the Hokage waited for her briefing. "Hokage-sama," the young woman began. "At 11:24 this morning, the Barrier Division detected chakra emissions commensurate with two upper-Jōnin level jutsu at training ground 94. No one had reserved the training ground, so Commander Hideo dispatched our squad to chastise whoever it was, thinking that someone hadn't bothered to follow proper procedure. However, instead of Jōnin breaking protocol, we found a class of academy students laying unconscious around the training ground. Their sensei had two kunai embedded in his chest and was bleeding out, while another, unknown individual was already dead when we arrived. Harada-taichō sent me to summon you and Isao-kun to request more help from headquarters and the hospital while he and Tamotsu-san stayed behind. I'm sorry, sir, but that's all I know."
Hiruzen nodded grimly to acknowledge that he had heard. "Ume-san, I'm going ahead. Please join us as quickly as you are able." With that, the old man exploded forward, losing sight of the young messenger nearly instantly, and moving quickly enough that even his hidden ANBU protectors began to fall behind. Moments later, Hiruzen alighted on a branch just outside the perimeter of the clearing. From his vantage, the aged Hokage took in a hulking Akimichi who was collecting the scattered forms of limp children and the young captain administering first aid to the wounded Chūnin in the center of the clearing. Sarutobi's heart clenched painfully upon recognizing that it was Naruto's instructor laying in the pool of blood.
As his ANBU squad materialized around him, the Sandaime began directing their efforts. "Kuma, relieve the captain. I need to hear her report. Nezumi, assist Akimichi-san with the children. Medical diagnostic: we need to know what happened to them. Kiji, establish a perimeter and begin to collect evidence and look for points of entry and exit. I'll assign you support as it arrives. Yamori, report to headquarters and have the commander send all available squads to this location. After that, make a visit to the academy and find us a class roster for Funeno Daikoku." The masked agents blurred away to follow their orders, and the old man jumped down into the clearing.
As soon as she was relieved from tending to the wounded instructor, the squad's commander rose and made her way over to the waiting Hokage. Bowing deeply, the young woman tucked a streak of auburn hair behind her ear as she straightened and began to deliver her report, expertly ignoring her blood-soaked hands. "Hokage-sama, my team was dispatched to this location for reasons that Ume-san should have shared with you. After she and Inuzuka Isao-san left, I worked to stabilize the instructor while directing Tamotsu-san to secure the area and then collect the children for easier transport to the hospital. We did not approach the corpse," here she indicated a blackened, malformed shape laying in a pool of blood between the tents near the river, "as we felt that the Hunter nin and the coroners might want to take special precautions before handling it."
"A prudent measure," Hiruzen nodded his approval. Looking around, the old man asked the question that had been nagging at him since the messenger had first explained the situation. "Harada-san, was there any indication of other adults in the area? An outing of this size ought to have at least three additional chaperones."
The young woman shook her head. "No, sir. We haven't done a very thorough investigation after Tamotsu-san's initial sweep; I felt that it was more prudent to tend to our casualties and send for reinforcements when there were no immediate threats. Nevertheless, we didn't see indication of anyone other than the Chūnin instructor and whatever that is." Again, she gestured at the blackened form, face twisting in unease.
"I commend your decision, my dear. Please return your attention to Kuma and Funeno-san. We need him to tell us what happened here," the Hokage replied as he made his way over to the charred figure. Leaning down, the old man stretched out a wrinkled hand and pushed a bit of chakra at the still form, trying to see what impressions he could develop before the medical teams arrived. The feeling that came back was powerful, dark, and chaotic: a flood choked with debris after a fire instead of the well-travelled river of most shinobi or the quiet stream of an untrained civilian. And beneath that lay a tinge of conceited malice that was all too familiar. Sarutobi felt his heart drop as he probed the strange figure again, hoping against hope that his initial impression had been wrong. The feeling that came back did nothing to change the Sandaime's initial conclusion, however. This creature, who or whatever it was, had belonged to the Hokage's traitorous pupil, Orochimaru. The old man felt his blood run cold as he recalled the snake's vile experiments several years previous and contemplated what fresh horrors his once-prized student hoped to wreak with his actions today.
"My name is Orochimaru. Perhaps you've heard of me?
Most of the group pressed themselves up against the room's back wall as the serpentine man made his entrance, but Naruto raced forward, his fist cocked back to deliver a blow. "Nope, never heard of you. But I bet if I beat you up, we can go back home." The pale man easily stepped away from Naruto's strikes for several seconds before contemptuously backhanding the blond, dazing him and breaking his nose as he crashed to the floor. Ignoring the flow of blood that had started to pour down his chin, the whiskered six-year-old shook his head to clear it before pushing himself to his feet to continue his assault. He stopped abruptly, however, as a familiar scroll and a wrinkled photograph appeared in the man's pale hands. Franticly, the blond began to check his jacket pockets, trying to find his completed seal-work. Not finding it, Naruto's blue eyes turned to the smirking adult and glared venomously.
"Well, that's terribly disappointing," Orochimaru simpered. "I wonder whether sensei's keeping my work a secret or if you just aren't old enough to have covered the story in your history lessons. Ah," he raised a pale finger sheathed in green flame to the scroll as Naruto resumed the stance for his charge. "You wouldn't want anything to happen to this, now would you, Gekage-kun? It's clearly important to you." The blond tensed at the threat, but he didn't move, still glaring viciously at the vile man. "I didn't think so. Now, don't think I had forgotten the rest of you," Orochimaru returned his yellow gaze to the rest of the children, releasing a small, subtle pulse of chakra designed to increase their feelings of unease. "Your guesses were nearly accurate, Shino-kun, but not quite. I want all of you to help me. You see, I'm a scientist and something of a collector. I want to know all the world's jutsu, and you represent prime examples of most of Konoha's prestigious bloodlines. You're all going to help me discover how your clans' jutsu work so that I can learn and master them myself."
"Why would we betray our clans by helping you?" Sasuke asked, stepping forward boldly, though not to the level of his blond classmate. "Besides," he continued, growing in confidence as he spoke, "we only know the basics of our clan jutsu. We can't teach you what we don't know."
"Oh, that won't be the case for long, though," the serpentine man responded, grinning menacingly at the Uchiha. "I possess extensive records of the hand seals and intended effects for most of Konoha's clan jutsu that have been compiled from years of observation. You children are going to rediscover the chakra manipulation patterns and describe to me, in detail, how they are performed. Eventually, with tissue samples and your insights, I'll be able to perform all the jutsu that Konoha has ever created. As for your first question, Sasuke-kun," the hand lit with green fire disappeared behind the pale man's back and reappeared holding a kunai knife, "you'll find that I can be quite generous when you do what I say and quite strict when I am not obeyed." Orochimaru tossed the knife gently so that it clattered to the ground at Naruto's feet. "For instance, if Naruto-kun here picks up that kunai and wets the blade with one of your blood, I won't destroy his precious trinkets. If, however, he decides to do something foolish, such as attack me, I'll demonstrate why none of you will leave this place without my permission." Blue eyes stared at the weapon in disbelief as the cruel voice taunted merrily. "Tick-tock, Naruto-kun. I am not known for my patience."
"I need each of you to be at your best."
Hiruzen looked around the war room, making eye contact with a collection of clan heads and village elders to make sure they understood the gravity of his statement. "I need the shinobi, the leaders, that have helped Konoha survive through the end of the Third Great Shinobi War, the Kyūbi attack, and the loss of the Yondaime Hokage." Many in attendance straightened at this comment, aware that the Sandaime would not invoke such tragedies if he didn't attribute a similar gravitas to today's events. "This morning, while on a field trip to practice outdoor survival skills, a class of academy students was attacked. Their sensei, Funeno Daikoku-san, was stabbed twice in the chest and is under the care of the best medics that our hospital can offer." Still scanning the audience, Sarutobi saw many of the clan heads pale at the news. They had likely spent weeks hearing about and preparing their children for this adventure. Now, the Hokage would have to deliver news that would break their hearts. "At this moment, Akimichi Chōji, Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Nara Shikamaru, Haruno Sakura, Hyūga Hinata, and Yamanaka Ino are missing and presumed kidnapped. The other eighteen students from the class have been recovered and are being held for observation at the hospital."
The tail end of the Hokage's declaration was lost in the roar of bewildered shouting that erupted from the parents whose children had been named. Rising from their chairs the collective of clan heads shouted questions at the Hokage, though the din made it impossible to understand any one voice.
After several seconds of shouting, the Sandaime's chakra flared, layering the room in an oppressive atmosphere that reminded the shouting adults what was needed at this moment. Once the room quieted down, the old man continued. "I need each of you at your best because it is your children that have been taken. I need you to act with level heads, using the full extent of your skillsets, to drive our efforts to bring them back safely. I need a united, focused Konoha to bring the full weight of its wrath on those who would attack our home and our children." As he watched the shinobi in each adult reassert control over the parent, Hiruzen sent a silent wish out to the captured children. Be strong, children. Konoha won't rest until you're found.
"Tick-tock, Naruto-kun. I am not known for my patience."
Orochimaru took a moment to savor the fear scent that flooded the room after he delivered his ultimatum to the blond. While the whiskered boy was largely an unknown, he referred to the Hokage as Jiji and seemed to have some connection to such senior ninja within Konoha as Hatake Kakashi. Those connections, combined with the picture, strongly suggested that this child had caught Sarutobi-sensei's attention with a powerful desire to take up the Hokage mantle himself one day. While the old monkey was a sentimental fool, he wouldn't encourage anyone who he felt had no chance of taking the hat. If the snake summoner could sow the seeds of obedience now, he might be able to cultivate a powerful servant in the future. Deciding to give the blond a small push, Orochimaru spoke up again. "Kakashi-kun apparently thinks you might be Hokage one day, Naruto-kun. If you take the hat, you'll be using your subordinates to do all sorts of things that they don't want. Why not get started now by taking a little bit of blood?"
The shouted protest of his peers fell on deaf ears as Naruto reached down and slowly picked up the kunai at his feet. As he held the heavy steel handle in both hands, the blond considered the snake-man's offer. Really, it would be easy. He wasn't as good as Sasuke, but he was at least good enough to score a hit on someone like Shikamaru or Chōji. Just a little cut and he could get his scroll and Kaka-nii's picture back. And didn't the snake have a point? When he was Hokage, everyone would have to do what he said. Jiji had even told him to prepare for being Hokage now. Then… why did it feel so wrong? As he pondered, Naruto found his thoughts drifting to the seal work clenched in Orochimaru's pale hand and one of the lessons Jiji had shared in the process of learning to make it.
"Ne, Jiji, why is this so hard?"
Sarutobi looked up from his reports to see a pouting Naruto seated at a small desk in the corner, his sealing practice scroll rolled open and smudges of ink everywhere. Smiling to himself, the Hokage rose from his seat and made his way over to the sulking blond. "Naruto, you've made tremendous progress," the old man offered encouragingly after a moment's inspection. "You've learned the foundation glyph for your seal in just a month. There are very few others who pick up this art that quickly. Why, based on your progress, I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to complete the entire seal before your birthday."
Naruto brightened at the praise, but his foul mood returned when blue eyes returned to the open scroll and unfinished seal. "It's just so hard. And that's so far away. Isn't there a way so I could do it faster?"
"Of course, there is," was Sarutobi's reply. Startled, Naruto looked up at the old man, confusion and eagerness written on his face. "The shortcut is to simply copy every brush stroke in the order I tell you without understanding what it does," the old man explained. "You can get the seal made, but you won't understand how it works, and you won't remember it. Tell me, Naruto, why did you want to learn how to make this seal in the first place?"
"So that I can prove I'm an Uzumaki!" was the blond's enthusiastic reply. "And I can be like my daddy!"
"That's right," the old man replied, grinning at the boy's excitement. "If you simply copied the seal, you would get the short-term benefit of having completed it, but you would miss out on accomplishing it in a way that moved you toward your real goals. It's difficult to say that you're going to be a seal master like the Yondaime and the Uzumaki were without putting in the effort to learn how sealing works. In the same way, no one will want you to be Hokage if they don't know that you'll do a good job from what they see you do before you wear the hat. Do you understand what I mean, my boy? You always need to keep the reason for your actions in mind when you decide how you're going to do something."
A sudden silence brought Naruto back to the present where he saw each of his classmates hunched and terrified against the wall. Their smiling abductor leaned lazily against the doorframe. "Your classmates' shouting was rather annoying, so I took the liberty of… convincing them to be quiet while you thought. Well, Naruto-kun, do you have an answer for me?"
Looking over the tear-streaked faces of his peers, Naruto was suddenly struck with an intense understanding of their terror. Like a physical pain piercing his heart, the blond knew, with absolute certainty, how each of them was feeling. They had never been away from their homes and families before, and now they were here in this unknown place, with an evil man who was promising to hurt them if they disobeyed. Thanks, Jiji, he thought to his memory of the old man, I know what to do now.
Turning, the whiskered blond regarded his captor. "You're wrong," he declared loudly to the smirking snake. "They aren't just my classmates. I'm not the boss of them, and even when I'm Hokage, I'll never 'use' them for anything, dattebayo. The Hokage has to put his family ahead of everything, even himself." Raising the steel blade, Naruto slashed it along his left palm, cutting deeply so that the blood traced down his arm and pooled on the floor. The blond held the kunai in the flow for several seconds, completely coating the blade before he tossed it back at the snake's feet. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I'm going to be Hokage one day, and I don't need that scroll or the picture to prove it. Besides," he continued in a softer voice as a somber realization struck him, "I don't think you were actually going to give them back to me anyway."
The dark chuckle that erupted from Orochimaru's throat seemed to push physically against Naruto's act of defiance, but the blond didn't back down. "Maybe I was, and maybe I wasn't," the tall man allowed as he leaned down to pick up the bloodied weapon. Depositing Naruto's seal work and the photograph on the floor next where the blade had been, he lit a finger with green fire and touched it to the parchment, burning everything to ash in seconds. "You'll never know for sure now. But you know Naruto-kun, you aren't the Hokage, and none of these children are your family."
Looking at the hunched bodies behind him, Naruto took a moment to make eye contact with each of his friends. Their eyes were wide in disbelief, and some of their faces were blotchy with tears. Turning back to the man in front of him, the blond fought against his suddenly flagging energy and offered a brave smile. "They are my family, 'ttebayo. They just don't know it yet." Walking forward, Naruto spread his arms, as though to shield the others behind him. "If you're going to hurt any of us, hurt me. I'll take it, and I'll protect them. That's what the Hokage does, after all..." The last statement was more of a whisper than the proud declaration it had been intended to be, as the blood loss began to catch up to the whiskered boy. Still locking eyes with Orochimaru, the young Uzumaki collapsed on the floor.
For a moment, the Sannin no Hebi eyed the small boy at his feet before he calmly reached down and rolled the still form onto its back. Then, with slow, deliberate movements, he raised the knife and plunged it into the blond's bleeding palm, leaving the blade buried deep in the muscle. Looking at the whiskered blond, the pale man responded conversationally, "That was a poor decision, Naruto-kun. I believe that you'll come to regret it… if you survive." Rising, Orochimaru kicked Naruto back toward his friends with a mocking sneer. "He's your family, children. Don't you think you should take care of him?" Turning, he sauntered out of the room and slammed the heavy steel door behind him, locking it with several ominous clangs.
There was silence in the room for a second before a sniffling Hinata inched her way forward and, with some effort, pulled the bloody kunai from Naruto's palm before letting it fall to the floor with a loud clatter. As though a spell had held them captive to watch the blond face off with their captor and only been broken by the noisy ringing of steel on stone, the rest of the group rushed forward as one. They looked on as Hinata produced a small container of medicinal cream from her pocket and began to apply it to the blond's wounds and Sakura began to cut strips from his shirt and tie them around his hands to stop the bleeding, just as they had learned to do in class. The girls then rolled Naruto onto his side after his hand had been patched to make sure that the blond wouldn't choke on the blood dripping from his broken nose.
Eventually Naruto's breathing evened out, and the crimson flow from his nose and hand seemed to stop. The children sat in stunned silence for several minutes, processing their new situation and the ferrous tang in the air, before Shikamaru spoke again. Turning to the rest of the equally lost faces around him, the young Nara asked hollowly, "What do we do now?"