Kabuto made his way through the dense forest. The Forest of Death they called it. Full of dangerous creatures. He had once scoffed at that notion, content in the knowledge that the most poisonous things to haunt the woods was he and Orochimaru. He felt comfortable here, blended in. The forest was like an old companion, all its secrets laid bare long ago. According to the data, he had less than a day's travel.
Both of us living on the fringes of Konoha. A part and yet apart. We'll always be outsiders. We always have been. But Mitsuki...he's found a path of acceptance and that's all that matters. The day might come when a less lenient Hokage may choose to make us answer for our transgressions. But our sins will not be his. He is worthy to call himself a shinobi of the Leaf.
It was past dark when he arrived. The unmistakable twin snakes adorning the outside. He was unconcerned with any physical traps. Orochimaru always preferred emotional ones.
He views this as a safe haven. As home. This is no underground hideout. This is another shrine to your vanity. I refuse to worship here ever again.
He walked inside, making mental notes of what twists and turns the many corridors took. He stepped into a clearing and found himself face to face with a young man holding a clipboard and wearing a lab coat. Suigetsu of the Mist. Grown now. No longer an experimental subject but head scientist from the look of it. Transformed from victim to victimizer.
What a heady power that can be. I should know. What lies do you tell yourself, Suigetsu? How do you cope with it all in the darkest of nights?
He had a suspicion he knew the answer and it turned his stomach.
Does he tell you that you are beautiful? That all your flaws, all those cracks are what make you perfect? Are you prepared to dance that dance? Are you skilled enough? I had it mastered while you were still nothing more to him than a collection of jutsu. I pity you, boy, and I pray that you don't ever make a misstep. For your own sake.
"Hey, Kabuto," Suigetsu said, in a conversational tone. "Lord Orochimaru told me to be expecting you."
Yes, he would have. I know he's here skulking about. I can feel it.
"Er," the young man continued. "Is everything okay, Kabuto? You look a bit pale. Hey, I guess it has been a while since you've set foot near a lab. I've gotten so used to the smell that I had forgotten it can overwhelm other people."
"It wouldn't if you cleaned them better," a voice said.
Orochimaru stepped out from the shadows.
"Kabuto has come some distance," the Sannin continued. "He's probably tired, poor thing. You shouldn't treat our guests so stingily, Suigetsu. Why don't you go run along and see if you can find some way to amend that, won't you?"
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru," his assistant replied, rolling his eyes.
He turned and walked off, grumbling about how he wasn't a housemaid and personal chef.
Orochimaru turned to Kabuto.
"Kids these days, hmmm?" he said with a shrug. "They take no pride in their work."
"Suigetsu?" Kabuto asked, with a raised eyebrow. "I'm surprised. Though, I suppose I shouldn't be."
"I needed someone to assist me," Orochimaru replied. "Though, truth be told, he's a poor replacement for you. He does so hate structure. We've lost much valuable information when he misplaced his data card this week. This new technology does take some getting used to."
"Why was I the last to know?"
"I wanted you to see for yourself." Orochimaru said. "Mitsuki is what we could have been had we been born into a time less cruel. "
Rebirth. Renewal. Reincarnation. Shedding the husk of their former lives, their former selves. Yet, they always seemed to find one another again and again. Once, Kabuto had longed to join Orochimaru in immortality. As a youth, so that he could live to watch his enemies torn down one by one. As a young man, so that he could pursue Orochimaru's vision. And now...
"You see, I wish to help the next generations thrive." Orochimaru continued. "Not to build or shape or interfere but to simply be. In the background, ushering them along."
"Our ideals. Our goals. They are still the same," Kabuto replied.
Orochimaru held out his hand in offering.
"Will you follow me, Kabuto?"
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
FIN
A/N: It's been so long since I've written anything. It's probably not even close to my best work but if anything was going to bring me out of this writer's slump of course it would be this damn pairing. I usually don't add OC's into my work, but Kojiro belongs to MorteRedPanda and he's added here because I needed a name. In fairness, I think he'd fit right in at the Orphanage and would be a hilariously adorable teacher. It was my husband's idea to add Hokage Naruto because we recently watched the Boruto movie together and he said he wants more of him. It's so bizarre seeing these two magnificent bastards not being considered villains anymore, but I'd like to think Orochimaru is still a manipulative prick, even when he's mellowed out and trying to do the right thing (and it's still ultimately the wrong thing). I wanted Kabuto to be plagued by some sort of guilt and self-doubt but to have also matured. I'm still a bit miffed he got off that easily, even if I absolutely loved the back story we finally got for him. Also, yeah, I'm sure Mitsuki's identity will remain a mystery or he'll end up being a chimera of the strongest ninja but until that day I refuse to believe he's not Kabuto's kid in some way. As to whether Orochimaru is Mitsuki's mother or father, my husband's response of "yes" is my favourite answer.
