Again not exactly sure where I'm going with this story but well enjoy!;p
Ch19
Orochimaru bent over his latest discovery. Amazing truly! His latest test subject had survived imbued with the cells of the first. He wrote down a quick formula. It seemed that not all cells were compatible with the DNA splicing. Four more years of this and perhaps he could start splicing his own cells. Immortality! The word sounded like honey on his tongue.
Perhaps he should find himself an assistant or two…hmmm maybe his old student would want to join in. A shame he had to leave Anko behind. The curse mark he placed on her was still incomplete. He'd need more time to perfect it. That Jiraya, he had nearly caught up with him half a year ago. But well, he wasn't that good. Orochimaru chuckled to himself as he mixed another batch of cells. Suddenly he heard a loud boom outside. And the unmistakable smell of toad. Curse it all Jiraya!
He hurried outside cursing under his breath and summoning his white snake and standing atop of it arms folded. Jiraya stood across from him frowning. It was thankfully raining indicating that his former subordinate did not have the advantage. The thunder of the skies matched the anger the snake sannin was now feeling at the interruption of his work.
"Orochimaru, I didn't want to believe it but I see it's true. You have fallen."
"You shouldn't be so surprised Jiraya. Everyone has a hobby. Why don't we go our separate way peacefully?" Orochimaru was loath to admit it but Jiraya's supply of chakra had more than doubled since the last time he had faced off with him. He could also sense what seemed to be a clone of Jiraya hiding in the trees behind him possessing around a third of the sannins chakra.
Realizing that he would have to end this quickly because of the difference in their chakra he summoned Kusanagi, pulling it out from his mouth. "What would your students say?"
Orochimaru smirked. "I believe they would understand." He lunged at Jiraya who was strangely agile for his size. The sword cut through the Kunai and Jiraya jumped back allowing his toad to blow oil and fire at his snake.
The snake sannin pulled up an earth wall jumping back onto his snake which he had veer around so it could get a decent bite out of the toad. The clone attacked him from behind with its hair nearly grazing him as he avoided another three shuriken and five shadow shuriken. He lunged at the clone slicing at it. Shearing some of the needles he frowned when the clone didn't discorporate. So the other one was the clone? Clever but a waste of an insane amount of Chakara. "It's not too late to come back!" Jiraya yelled.
He laughed, "Ever the idealist when will you ever learn?" He summoned to earth clones to take each Jiraya. In a fluid motion he summoned ten white snakes from his arm which slithered around the arms of the real Jiraya who used his fire breath to burn them of. Exploding his clone he trapped Jiraya using the mud from the clone.
Jirayas clone jumped in between them and produced more shadow shuriken throwing fire tags at him. Behind him Jiraya dried the chakra infused mud having his clone jump away he lunged at Orochimaru with his stone sword. Orochimaru blocked one of the only weapons which his sword couldn't cut through and parried producing another three clones to take care of Jiraya's clones he willed two more snakes from his hands both which were instantly burned. Using wind he blasted Jiraya of his summoning and jumped down. Both summoning's bit each other at the same time and both sannin unsummoned them reverting to taijutsu they attacked each other.
The clone jumped from behind taking over the hand to hand combat. The real Jiraya summoned a puddle of oil as he fought the clone nearly slipping on the accursed slime. He jumped onto a tree the clone followed. He clenched his teeth in anger as the real Jiraya began a sealing ritual to open his cave. With a snarl he lunged toward the sannin only to have his sword blocked. Kusanagi cut the shuriken like water but the cone reacted instantly producing several fire tags. Cursing under his breath he jumped sown onto the forest floor followed by the clone who flipped over head and lunged at him. It seemed due to the clone's immense chakra would need a tow pronged attack as time was running out a few more hand seals and his accursed teammate would ruin his precious lab. The sannin chuckled. Now was the perfect time to execute the technique he had been working on, would the curse mark transfer on the original owner as well? Now that would be something wouldn't it Jiraya? He summoned a horde of snakes retracting his own head and grabbing the distracted clone by the shoulder who was fighting of the snakes and had not expected the attack eyes widening at hideousness of Orochimaru's form. Fear me all you want, any edge over an opponent was a good one. His teeth sank into the shoulder as his other hand moved with agility, sword penetrated the body but to his surprise the clone didn't dissipate slumping forward instead. A transformation? His eyes widened as he caught the man by the other shoulder.
"Tobirama?" No no no no! He cursed under his breath as his students lifted himself slightly using Orochimaru's shoulders as support. Blood was already seeping from both the wound on his side and his mouth. "Couldn't recognize me sensei?" The hacking cough twisted whatever breakfast he had had that morning. He caught his student as he swayed an arm grabbing at the sword in an attempt to pull it out only resulting in a cut palm. "Tobirama! You fool! Stay with me!" How old was he? Sixteen, Seventeen? That was too young to die! His student was shuddering, the effects of the cold blade no doubt.
He slowly pulled the blade out as he laid Tobirama on the rain drenched ground cursing under his breath. The sword had shredded his students liver nearly in half not to mention the heave bleeding from the hand and the curse mark which would soon take effect. Tobirama was shuddering more violently now hands trying to staunch the wound. "Tobirama you must release the wound so I can treat it."
"So that you can run me through again? Or use me for experiments?" The bleeding was intensifying he needed to reknit what he could know before the wounded cells began dying away. Tobirama may be a Senju but the effects of his sword were more potent than any bloodline. "Tobirama please!" He hissed. Begging he was begging and Orochimaru never begged. He was to proud to stubborn to arrogant but the amount of blood was drenching his students armor at a frightening rate. Anbu? Since when had Tobirama joined? Where was Anko? Was she alive? Defiant eyes met his own, defiant always defiant with a will that could move mountains. "Foolish boy!" He couldn't lose him now! Not now! Not like this by his own hand! It was a fate to cruel! Another hacking cough racked Tobirama's frame his defiant eyes relented his hands slowly moving away from the wound. Rain that was a good thing he was thankful for it. His hands hovered over the wound. There was still time but it would hurt a lot. Gathering the droplets with chakra he swirled them using waters healing properties he began infusing the wound, regrowing the cells. He ignored the bloodcurdling yells as his students hands gripped weakly at his arms eyes wide his body going into shock. Concentrate, divide the cell, divide it once more. The technique needed much improvement and it would have been far easier if he had a proper medical facility or his own medical concoctions and Tsunade but this was all he had. Once he stabilized his student he would drag him into his lab. The curse mark was a different matter. Tobirama was a Senju he would reject the mark that much was a given. The rest was not, in his hands but he was going to try everything in his arsenal to reverse the damage.
"OROCHIMARU! Release the boy!" Jiraya's face was a mixture of horror and shock. "How could you do this to your own student? You've gone too far this time"
"Silent you fool! Help me take him inside or he will die!" The boy was already shuddering uncontrollably. Curse it all. To his credit Jiraya did not protest. Tobirama was to thin for his liking was he eating or even sleeping properly? As far as he could tell the boy was little more than bone and muscle. He lay him down on his research table. First the curse mark needed removal.
"Why did you do this Orochimaru?" Jiraya was frowning over the boys pallid features.
"You fool! Why did you bring him here?" He hissed. What imbecile would let a chunnin or even Jonin fight a sannin?
"He wanted to come!"
"What? Why?" Orochimaru had invited his students to come join him but they had refused. Why go through all the trouble…..
Jiraya's angered features lashed at him. "He heard of your experiments. Heard of what you've become. It's killing him! Can't you see? Look at him! Orochimaru how could you do this to him?"
Orochimaru clenched a hand as he fumbled for several ingredients. How could he? He didn't know. The question was how did he not realize that it had been Tobirama? How could he not recognize his student when the signs were there?"But it's true Sensei! Those who are mad for power slowly begin to reject all contact with others. Eventually even if this "power" was gained for a good cause there is a high chance that those you cared about suddenly become strangers to you. You cannot tell them apart from the crowd even when the signs are there that you must have been that person's friend once. It's what happened to Madara and many other shinobi!" How could this have happened? He was supposed to protect his students not kill them!
"I didn't want this…I DIDN'T WANT THIS!" He yelled at the walls but the accursed things had no ears! He didn't want this! He didn't!
"Sensei…" It was a moan. He hovered over the man as he added more chakra to the wound. Just a bit more he could close the wound rewrite the seal or remove it somehow he just needed time and space and time. How long? How long did the boy have?
"I'm here…." He frowned at the boys paling face now whiter than even his own. A hand gripped his arm surprising him in its strength. "I am a Senju, you can have my blood, experiment with it. My blood may have what you seek. Leave others out of this. No more experiments." The rise and fall of his student's chest was weakening. Jiraya's own face a storm. Blood? Was this all his student saw him as? His forehead touched the boys because he didn't want to lose him, couldn't lose him. And he wept, wept as he held his student because he had never hated himself ever, except now.
He didn't want this! This wasn't how it was supposed to be! He was supposed to discover immortality! Save his students! Give them eternal life! Give himself eternal life! What happened? Where had he gone wrong? Where had his experiments gone wrong? He, didn't want this! He didn't want this future. Here where his student was bleeding out on his experiment table bleeding dying by his own hand. It was a fate to cruel….
He needed to go back. Leave this all behind. "I will go back to Konoha…If you live! Just live!" It was an odd scene to the toad sannin's eyes but it convinced Jiraya once and for all that his friend had always had some semblance of a heart.
Orochimaru crying? What? Caring for his students? Again my belief is Orochimaru cared so much that's why he became so cold. In this one he doesn't lose a student and in a way that saves him because well he didn't fail himself. He didn't fail Tsunade. Um... does anyone see that as OC or is it fine?
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