Chapter 3
Sasuke was now only a mile away from the castle of Lord Redeyes. Yet, he noticed instead of the glorious red, blue, and yellow flags on the ramparts, only black flags hung down. He made a clone and sent it toward the castle, following it silently and stealthily while it ran through the scrubby brush unceremoniously.
Sakon and Ukon ran out from the entrance way they were guarding and attacked the clone, and it disappeared.
"Don't move" yelled Sasuke as he appeared from the brush. "I'm not here for any attack, I'm weaponless. I need to see Lord Redeyes."
An evil smile spread across Sakon's face "Oh, you'll be seeing him soon enough!"
It looked as if Sakon was about to attack when the loose ground beneath his feet shook! "Run Ukon, Gaara's hunting again!" Sakon leapt on to the pure stone of the entrance to Castle Redeyes, Ukon following him.
Sasuke ran up a nearby tree, tried to jump over the sand-sinkhole and miraculously made it! "Let me see Lord Redeyes"
"Fine" began Ukon as he applied chakra binds to his hands. He smiled cruelly as he bound him with rope "But he's dead!" An awful feeling of fear crept over Sasuke. "But you can see the anarchic successor... in fact you will!"
As Sasuke was dragged down the halls of Castle Redeyes, he had a sick feeling that the one that has wanted him sentenced to death was the successor. She seemed cruel enough to ruthlessly take power in a week or two. As they opened the door, his worst fears came true. Orochimaru sat on his usual throne, crying her eyes out.
"Why is this swine back? Wait, don't tell me! Get all the army to the courtyard!"
The confused kimimaro left to meet the princess' demand, and only ten minutes later, the whole army stood before the stage in the courtyard containing Orochimaru.
"Order! State why you trespass on our lands when we specifically told you to never come back!" began Orochimaru
"You cheated me of 80 of my food when your lackey sent me away! I barely survived last week!"
"But you did?"
"OBVIOUSLY!!" yelled an increasingly impatient Sasuke.
"Don't talk to the princess like that swine!" yelled Ukon, prodding Sasuke with his sword.
"Anyway, if you had read the laws, you would know your case is invalid."
"How so?
"We had Sakon lead you to safety. You had to pay a tariff for that, but since you didn't have money, we took food."
"I didn't ask for his protection!" retorted Sasuke!
"You got it anyway!" She turned to her kimimaro army and questioned them. "What shall his sentence be?"
"DEAAAAAAAAATTTTTHHHHH" answered the kimimaro hordes!
"Very well." She stopped and then sighed "But I can't!" she cried. "If I am to be a good queen, I must be benevolent to all ignorant swine!"
Sasuke was really starting to get annoyed about being called swine.
"Instead, we will jail the fool until better choices arise!"
"HUZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAHHHH" yelled the kimimaro as Sakon and Ukon dragged Sasuke to away from the courtyard and to his cold, dark cell.
Chapter 4
"Don't go anywhere!" taunted Sakon as he locked the door to the cell with the chakra binds still on and his arms pinned to the wall.
"Take these chakra binds off!" demanded Sasuke.
"Perhaps when your dead." retorted Ukon. "A hint, that'll be when you look him!" He pointed to the corpse once bound by the chains now holding Sasuke.
The next moment, Sakon and Ukon were gone, leaving Sasuke jutsu-less and bound to a wall.
Once she saw that Ukon and Sakon were present once more, Orochimaru began her speech. "As all are aware of, Haku WAS next in line to secede lord Redeyes. However, after his failed assassination attempt, and the successful one of his right-hand, Zaku, Hake lost those rights. So, being next in line, I must take the throne by doing away with the murderer! Bring him out!"
Kabuto dragged the starved, yet very much alive body of Zaku on to the stage.
"Do you still refuse to plead guilty?" said Kabuto as he drew his axe and his master's sword.
"I DIDN'T DO IT, I NEVER WOULD DO IT, AND I NEVER WILL HAVE!" he yelled.
"Fine" said Kabuto with an air of finality as he handed Orochimaru her sword.
Orochimaru lifted, and seconds later, Zaku's head thudded to the ground, and then was taken away by Kabuto. With the swing of a sword, Orochimaru's plans had come to full fruition.
When Kabuto returned, Orochimaru proclaimed "Lord Redeyes has been avenged!"
The kimimaro repeated it. "Hail Queen Orochimaru!" they yelled.
Orochimaru began her speech anew. " Ever since we arrived in these lands, woodlanders have harassed us! We have been armed to the tooth, just standing idly by, waiting for the woodlanders to strike! But why? Why let our gallant comrades leave ud behind, from the hands of disobedient oafs? Why wait for them to recover when we have the strength to end this foolish resistance? After one week of preparation, we begin the last campaign between us and the resistance! The end of this war is near! But of course...I will need to divide you into strategic positions! Platoons! And these platoons...will be headed by captains, an essential part of an army that Lord Redeyes abandoned."
At the word "captain" all the ranks of kimimaro straightened up.
"First of the three captains under the glorious rule of Lady Orochimaru is: Head Captain Kabuto!"
Kabuto graciously stepped forward to receive the grand cloak of Head Captain. None of the kimimaro reacted. All had virtually foreseen their lord's right hand man leading the captains of the army, in essence controlling the army with Lady Orochimaru.
"The eight I call shall stand before me and are eligible to be captains" said Orochimaru. "And stand in the order called! Tayuya, Dosu, Misumi, Yorio, Kin, and Kidomaru!"
At the mention of the final kimimaro eligible for captain, Sakon and Ukon were shocked and crestfallen. How, after all their services and ruthless judgment they had delivered on her request, were they not worthy to be captain? They at least deserved it more than Yorio and Misumi. Those two would lead an attack on Castle Redeyes before realizing they were attacking the home front!
"Contain yourself brother" said Ukon. "Our time will be soon enough!"
Not wanting to risk the other kimimaro hearing him he didn't tell Sakon the other part of his thoughts. He repeated it to himself: 'Our time will be soon enough. By natural causes or by tweaking of the playing field!'
"Second-in-Command captain will be: Captain Tayuya!!"
Tayuya didn't know what to feel now. Should she feel happy that she now held a great position of power, or act humble and graciously accept the cloak. Seeing as the latter would help her live a little longer, she played it out.
"Final and lowest captain shall be: Captain Kidomaru!"
'Of course', thought Yorio. Out of the four specially trained kimimaro, three of them were eligible for captain. And all of those three wore chosen! 'What foolishness,' he thought, 'was it to expect to be chosen over the elite kimimaro?' The only one of the four "elites" not chosen was such an idiot, he obviously was not an option.
While Yorio fumed, Musumi was using this situation to its fullest. He knew the crowds of kimimaro not even considered would be in an almost uncomfortable stupor around him. Who cared that he wasn't captain? All's he needed was a few followers….
Though Kabuto was now army head, only under Orochimaru, he was greatly worried. He knew his master was not the patient type. He had forgotten all about the Immortality Jutsu while wiping away Itachi, but now that all events concerning it were removed he was in danger.
"You are ALL dismissed for now." cried Orochimaru. "I don't want to see any of you unless I send for you!"
As Kabuto retreated to his quarters, he grew even more worrisome. He was most adept in performing the Immortality Jutsu, even though he hadn't done it yet. He couldn't hone his chakra well enough for him to survive...
Orochimaru lied in her bed thinking of her next move. It was war, and the savages
truly wouldn't sit idly by. She hen thought of it, the perfect solution! She could use the prisoner they recently acquired and bribe the woodlanders! She then grew sadder, realizing that when her dad encountered him, it was established that he was not from these parts. Curses! 'Well then' she thought 'I'll just have to have our army go fetch a savage! If they find a group, this would get very tense...
Many waited that night. Planning, worrying, and all manners of things. Yet the Redeyes home, had two more ones waiting. Two woodland Ninjas laying on the battlements.
"When do you go in?"
"Soon...just have to wait a little longer..."