'Now, Mika darling-'

'I'm not your darling.' she spat without looking at Orochimaru who was standing just behind her, his hands on the top of her upper arms as though he was directing her in that direction.

'You're not all that good with jutsu, are you?' he continued as though he hadn't heard what the girl had said, or at least that he was ignoring it. She didn't say anything, sore at the knowledge that she had always been best at defensive dodging rather than attacking. 'So I'm going to teach you some very interesting and useful jutsus.'

'You mean forbidden.' she interrupted, still acting as though he wasn't right behind her instead opting to stare directly ahead of her where a large bulls-eye stood propped up against the wall.

'You're in a very bad mood today.' commented the older man without withdrawing his hands and smiling slightly to himself at her cheek. 'You shouldn't be… after last night.'

'You took advantage of me.' she snapped, suddenly scowling at the bulls-eye as though it had personally insulted her. 'I have every right to be in a bad mood.'

'You wanted it as much as I did, Mika, and you know it.' he said bluntly, removing his hands from her bare skin and making his way unenthusiastically around her to stand directly in front of the girl who glowered up at him rebelliously. 'You may even have been more willing than I.' The brown eyed girl looked away still scowling in the knowledge that he was right yet again. 'Do as I do.' he finished looking steadily at the rebellious young girl as she glanced up at his face unwillingly but when the sannin put his hands into a hand sign she mimicked obediently.

He did the dog snake bird tiger signs in quick succession, glancing up to see if she was following which she was before there was a faint puff of smoke and both shinobi had switched places. Mika's eyes widened in surprise as she looked around inquisitively, wondering if they had teleported somewhere but found the familiar surroundings of the training area.

'A reversal jutsu?' she asked incredulously, looking over at him with an sceptical expression. 'Are you serious?' Orochimaru didn't say anything. 'Is that your big forbidden jutsu? A dumb reversal thing? I was expecting something a bit more exciting than that… I already knew that one!'

'Then why didn't you recognise it?' he asked finally, cutting across the girl's angry monologue. 'I am aware that you know this jutsu, but I simply thought that you would benefit from a reminder.'

'I… well… I didn't recognise it because I was expecting a different jutsu.' she stuttered angrily, by this time scowling at her new sensei. 'I thought you were going to teach me something new… not some crappy reversal. I thought it was going to be some… random… reincarnation… to the… umm… impure… w-world… or something.' she said quickly, trying to make up the dumbest name she could think of.

'That will come later.' answered Orochimaru quietly, aware that she didn't realise that she had just mentioned a very powerful jutsu. 'First we have to get the basics perfect, and for that you will need to know the most basic jutsu which will be of great use to you because most qualified shinobi don't expect them. They only ever use very complicated and difficult jutsu, while they forget the most important.'

Five hours later they had covered all of the academy jutsus including clones and transformation, they had seen shadow clones, reversals and substitution jutsus… and Mika had had enough. She was torn between boredom and exhaustion and wondered how on earth that was actually physically possible. She transformed into a perfect copy of Kabuto even though she couldn't see him, watched Orochimaru wave his hand dismissively and changed back into herself with a look of incredulous frustration.

'Show me the person you most want to see.' he said unenthusiastically, his expression bored as the young girl dropped her gaze to the floor to think. She wanted to see Sasuke… but she wanted to see Yama too… and Mizu… and Keamon… Orochimaru knew that it would be a difficult decision for the girl with the plum coloured hair, and half expected her to look back up at him with a furiously frustrated expression and tell him that she couldn't choose. But she didn't.

'Transform!' she cried screwing up her face in concentration and putting her hands into the tiger hand sign, disappearing in a cloud of smoke. He waited anxiously as the smoke slowly dispersed to reveal an old lady in her slippers with her dark grey hair pulled back in a tight bun and her eyes all scrunched up as she frowned over at the older man who gazed back curiously.

'Who is this then?' he asked smoothly, hiding his curiosity sufficiently to throw the girl off a little.

'This is my grandmother.' answered the old woman who was in fact a young girl, her voice was shaky and yet intense as it pierced through the air like a needle. 'I was always her favourite because I was her only female grandchild.' she continued loudly without moving forwards. 'I want to see her the most because that would mean that she was still alive, and that would mean that everything was back the way it was before.'

'No it wouldn't.' retorted the snake-like man blankly, still watching the old woman steadily as she glowered at him viciously. 'It would mean that she had survived Itachi's assault. She had escaped.'

'My grandmother would never have deserted my clan.' came the severe voice with a faint accent, stabbing at the older man's eardrums. 'She would have fought till the end… that's what she did. She died for her clan, and that's why if she was alive then they all would be.' There was a long silence in the spacious room, the two occupants staring at each other from across the expanse of empty silence, one's eyes full of curiosity the other's full of dislike. There was another puff of smoke and Mika was back in the room, staring angrily at Orochimaru. 'And that would mean that I wouldn't be here.'

'You're perfectly free to leave.' answered the man with the ghostly white skin, watching the girl's rebellious expression and taking care to keep his neutral if a little sinisterly playful.

'No I'm not, so don't fool yourself into thinking so.' she snapped shortly, looking him up and down with disdain. There was another uncomfortably long silence. 'Teach me something decent.' she ordered firmly, making Orochimaru want to slap her for insolence… but he restrained himself: she wanted his help, she was with him, she didn't want to leave.

'Fine.' he answered after a moment, sighing angrily as their eyes stayed locked. 'Have you ever heard of the "Demonic Illusion; Hell Descent Jutsu"?' he asked in a matter-of-fact tone as a perverted smile snaked across his thin lips. Across the way he watched Mika smile satisfactorily.