A/N:
Caliko: wow you review fast- I only posted the chapter and less than five minutes later you reviewed? But don't worry too much about Itachi-kun, Naruto and co. to the rescue- eventually… Hm though, chocolate covered Itachi… nah…
SongoftheDarquePhoenix: no, Naruto IS Minato, he just became an infant again due to the seals, so he could fully absorb the Kyuubi's chakra over the course of his 'new' life
Hate me now; it's another tangent "back at ranch"/meanwhile chapter… and holy crap I already hit 4k hits, wootness! Oh, and two more C2s, thanks everyone- R&R more! Plz!
Oh, and if Suigetsu comes off a lil' OC it's intentional, I plan on playing him a lil' more badass… and lastly no Junko- too many Ino/Sakura type girls already in Naruto… and an OC stand-in- a demon-tail possessed no less- to replace the source of Oorachimaru's curse as well…
End A/N
Sasuke stepped into Oorachimaru's main chamber without bothering to announce himself. Kabuto glared up at him to begin another lecture about his place, but Sasuke glared him down before he opened his mouth, then turned to Oorachimaru, "You, you said you'd teach me another jutsu today."
"Kukukuku," Oorachi chuckled in his trademark snakelike hiss. "Patience Sasuke, wait for me in the arena, and I'll be there once Kabuto has finished."
Sasuke turned on his heel and left the room with an only half satisfied expression on his face. Once he had left the room Kabuto frowned, "Sasuke needs to be taught his place, he should be grateful to you for teaching him so much so fast."
"He is young and hot bloodied, the more powerful he becomes, the better body he makes."
"Perhaps it's time, your body seems strong enough to perform the jutsu necessary."
"almost five months early, this is- fortuitous," Oorachimaru smiled, "yes, you may be right, it is time to curb the impudence of one Uchiha brat, perhaps even two soon."
saSAsaSAsa
Sasuke stood waiting in the large field of a room. Sword sheathed behind his back, he didn't even turn as Oorachimaru entered the room. The room went dark as Ooracimaru pulled them into a mindscape. Sasuke turned to look Oorachimaru in the eyes. Both of them knew what was happening and neither was surprised. White scales rained down from the sky as Oorachimaru asserted his power. Sasuke stared back unfazed. Oorachimaru looked directly into Sasuke's eyes expecting to see despair, fear, or any signs of defeat. Instead he looked into the eyes of the Sharingan, and a defiant expression that he had seen only once before. Oorachimaru narrowed his eyes as he rose up in the form of a giant white naga. Looming over Sasuke he sought to gloat one more time to an unimpressed Sasuke-
"I'll teach you to respect my pow- gah!"
At last Sasuke asserted himself. The white flecks of scales in the air vanished without a trace, and Oorachimaru was frozen in place, staring directly at Sasuke with seething rage. But as Sasuke directed his will, the giant Naga-form Oorachi slowly turned to stone, reliving his defeat against Itachi, "No, I cannot be defeated- I am Eternal- I am Oorachimaru! The White Naga!-"
And with that Oorachimaru spoke nothing more. Sasuke stepped away and out of the room, passing Kabuto as he went-
"So, which one are you," Kabuto was thrown by the brazen attitude, enough to suspect the worst, only to be thrust into Sasuke's mindscape, confronted by the giant stone Naga wearing Oorachimaru's face. Kabuto fell to his knees as Sasuke continued on, a brief smile flashed upon his face- 'The weak deserve to suffer, once I was weak, but now I shall suffer no more.'
suSUsuSUsu
Suigetsu sat contemplating; ever since that Sasuke had come Oorachimaru hadn't been by. Rumors flew like victims of a shoujo mallet: that Sasuke had done what everyone else had been plotting- that Oorachimaru had been killed by the new star child. Suigetsu laid back in the water. No concern of his now. If Oorachimaru still lived, eventually he would come and either be useful or be killed, if not then he was no use anyway.
There was a disturbance not too far off, someone unexpected had arrived. Perhaps the rumor was going to be quashed. When Suigetsu heard footsteps leading strait to his pond he finally looked up. Dark hair and dead eyes, he thought for a moment it was that woman again- but no, those eyes were dead emotionally, not physically. His eyes stared down at Suigetsu with some sort of expectation, waiting for something. A sword at his back, and arms crossed in front, his eyes were quite impatient.
"So, you must be Sasuke, the rumors are true then." Suigetsu rose from the water, standing in front of Sasuke he looked him dead in the eyes, with his wicked teeth gleaming in the sun.
"I have need of your talents."
Suigetsu chuckled, "Be more specific."
Sasuke glared as Suigetsu who just kept smiling. When Sasuke refused to speak for a moment, Suigetsu pushed his point, "Look, don't think you're the boss now just because you killed Oorachimaru. Everyone had plans once he lost his use, you just got there first."
Suigetsu walked around Sasuke, circling him to get a better measure of him. "Perhaps I'll just kill you myself," he set his chin on Sasuke's neck, while he still refused to speak, taking Sasuke's own sword he set it to Sasuke's neck. After a moment Suigetsu was satisfied. "So it wasn't a fluke."
Suigetsu handed Sasuke back his sword. "I'll follow you, but first I wish to visit a couple places to pick up something…"
saSAsaSAsa
This was the third stop, and according to Suigetsu the last, after the first one Sasuke knew this was coming, he had picked up two other of the mists seven swords, and this was the obvious last stop.
Naruto Bridge…
"So, what do you think of this place," Suigetsu nosed.
"Let's just get it and go." Sasuke was beyond this now, this was when he was still weak, weak enough to be beaten, weak enough to die…
He followed Suigetsu to the grave site. Suigetsu now had three of the seven swords, Teshiro's sword of water, Raiga's sword of Lightning- and now Zabuza's sword of wind.
"Now what," Suigetsu said as he turned back to Sasuke.
"Now we get the other two."
shSHshSHsh
A deep sigh escaped her mouth, another uprising was underway. Ever since the rumors began that Oorachimaru was dead, everyone was unsettled. She told herself if she found whoever started that rumor- death would only mark the beginning of her torture of them. For a moment she hoped it was Suigetsu, longing for a chance to wipe that certain smile from his face, dull down those nasty sharp teeth of his-
Someone was coming through the front gate…
Two figures stepped through the door, the infamous Sasuke, and the devil himself, Suigetsu-
"You may be Oorachimaru's favorites, but even you don't belong here unless you wish to die-"
Suigetsu moved with surprising speed as he took half of the lightning sword and plunged it straight into her heart. She coughed up blood and let her head fall onto Suigetsu's shoulder. Her body let out a gasp as her lungs emptied. But as the blood ran down Suigetsu's back, she rose her head and looked back at Suigetsu's face, "I hate you."
Sasuke looked from one to the other.
"I had to see if for myself," Suigetsu explained, "They say she can't be killed," he smiled as he stepped away, "Sheiv." He nodded he head in mock courtesy.
"Can you say the same of yourself," Shiev spat as she pried the blade from her heart.
"Let's find out," Suigetsu boasted, lowering his hands and leaving his chest exposed.
Sheiv narrowed her eyes and struggled internally, after a moment she gave into the erge and thrust the blade towards Suigetsu, only to have Sasuke's hand intercede. The blade stopped as it plunged through Sasuke's hand instead. Sasuke took the blade from his hand with a half-supressed wince before he handed it back to Suigetsu, "He's useful to me alive, as are you."
Shiev burst into laughter and turned away from Sasuke, "You're a bit late if you wanted me alive," She spoke with poison in her voice. She turned in a violent motion as she pulled down at her shirt to reveal a scar on her chest right above her breast, "I was a subject to a monster far worse than Oorachimaru, I'm no longer alive, which is why I cannot die." Shiev turned again as she re-tied her shirt completely shut, she chuckled for a moment, "Oorachimaru wished to understand what methods he used on me, but at last decided he'd rather be alive in his eternity."
"I want you to come with me."
Sheiv turned once more, facing the two of them, "Why should I serve you?" She stopped to think then smiled, "The rumors are true after all I see." She walked around behind Sasuke, "I'm curious to see the power that beat Oorachimaru, curious enough to tolerate even the algae that swims along side."
"Then we have just one last member. Ice."
Sheiv stopped dead- figuratively anyway. "Why would you want him, he's a monster."
"That's why I want him."
icICicICic
Ice slept, he did that a lot since Oorachimaru stopped coming. People were claiming he was dead, but then people claimed he was a monster- no, he was a monster- on the inside anyway. A worm, a shell, and a moth, all monsters within him, but the same one, he was hard to control sometimes- the monster- but wasn't he the monster-
Ice's thoughts were interrupted by someone outside-
The creature stirred-
Blue splotches etched their way up his body- a single tail poked its way through, and his hair went from blond to red in splotches. A second tail inched its way from his back-
"Go AWAY!" he growled in a deathly rage, hoping to warn them off-
shSHshSHsh
"Go AWAY!" Shiev heard ice beginning a rage, and felt the Chakara pushing against the cell door- she turned to Sasuke-
"We should come back later, the demon is taking control-"
An unearthly roar consumed the hall as the hinges shredded from the door which flew across and down the hall- a full eight tails launched themselves out of the doorway towards Sasuke- silver wings pulled Ice out of the room, white hair blowing in all directions and lightning running down his silver skin.
Sasuke smiled as the eight tails wrapped themselves around him. "I can use this."
"Sa-Sasuke," Ice realized, this was Sasuke, the man his friend sacrificed himself to bring. The tails seemed to blow out like a sheet in the breeze, color returned to his hair, and his skin returned to its former color.
"Hm, curious-er still," Shiev mused.
"Let's go," Sasuke said, his team now complete…