~ A Year & 1/2 Later ~

It was early in the morning and she was getting some food to eat since her last meal was the day before. She got an 'on the go rice balls' and some crackers. Once she paid, she continued running like she had been doing before.

She wasn't necessarily going to a certain place, but she felt like if she kept going she would find something. Suddenly she heard someone calling her name.

She didn't have to turn around to see who it was, she knew it was his chakra. She stopped running and confronted him.

"I haven't seen you in a long time, Sayuri." "What have you been doing lately, Orochimaru?"

Orochimaru was one of her moms closest friends when they both lived in the hidden leaf village. They met when Sayuri was visiting a country, before she lived there.

That was when she was five, the second time they met was a year ago when she left the hidden leaf village again.

He chuckled. "Training my student."

They walked and continued to have a conversation.

"Who's your student?" She said digging into her rice ball. "You should know him, his name is Sasuke Uchiha."

"Sasuke!" "So you do know him." She chuckled. "Some what.." "Hmm." He said with his tongue sliding out of his mouth.

"What are you doing in the hidden grass?" "One of my hide-outs is here. But don't tell anyone." "Trust me, I won't." "Where are you going anyway?" "No where specific." "Why don't you come and see Sasuke again, i'm sure he will be thrilled."

Once he mentioned Sasuke's name again, goosebumps went down her arm.

"I don't know.." "He can be scary sometimes but.."

He said in a kiddush voice, not even finishing the sentence. "Please! Please! Please!"

"Fine." "Really!" He said in a loud whisper so no one could hear him. I mean, he was trying to keep a low profile.

~ At the Hideout ~

They got into the hideout and the first place inside was a large open room filled with doors, one of them was to Sasuke, the rest...probably the end of your life.

"This way." Orochimaru walked to the first door on the left. Smart.

Once he opened the door it led to a hallway, filled with other doors. He took the lead until he stopped at a door in the dead middle of the hallway.

Before he could knock, someone came out of another room and walked to them.

Sayuri walked to the side and leaned next to the door.

"Who's this?" "Remember my friend Mai?" "Short black hair, very strong?" "That's the one! Well anyway-" "Is this her da-" "Kabuto how many times do I have to tell you not to cut me off!-"

The door abruptly opened. "What are you two doing in front of my room?"

"Someone's here to see you." "Who..were?"

Orochimaru stepped to the side. She straightened her back and walked over to where he could see her.

He gasped.

Orochimaru giggled and watched to see what would happen next. Kabuto did the same.

Their faces were expressionless, almost ruthless. There was a silence until one of them finally said something.

"He made me do it." They both looked at Orochimaru with the same face. He scratched his face and explained himself.

"I thought it would be nice for you two to see each other." He looked over back at Sayuri.

"How do you know him?" "Moms friend. Anyway..I have to keep my promise to you." "What promise?" "Don't you remember, Sasuke?"

He thought a little about it, but wasn't sure if he was thinking of the same thing she was.

"I promised that once I finished my jutsu, i'd teach it to you the next time I saw you."

His lip curled slightly.

Orochimaru and Kabuto gasped in their minds. They never saw him smile. Besides when he was fighting with him during the chuunin exams, but that was more of a determined/evil kind of smile. This smile now, was almost pure, and genuine.

"When do you wanna learn it?" "Now." "Now!" "Is that a problem?" "I don't know. Lemme finish my food."

She opened her rice ball bag and continued eating. She ripped off a piece and gestured it to him. "Want one?"

"No thanks." "C'mon, I know the food you probably get here is disgusting."

What is that supposed to mean? Orochimaru thought.

"Yeah." Sasuke grabbed the piece and popped it into his mouth.

"What!" Orochimaru yelled. Kabuto chuckled.

"Anyway, I need a big place to teach you. Somewhere outside, in open space."

"You can go outside the hide-out. No one can see you, and it has all the space you need."

Sayuri finished her last rice ball and pulled out her crackers.

Sasuke made a face at her. Not an angry face but more like a 'really?' face. She laughed once she looked at him.

"Whatever! It's good!"

Kabuto and Oro. seemed to be confused. It must be something between them.

Sayuri put her cracker into her mouth and kept it there, then took one cracker out the pack, and shoved it close to Orochimaru mouth, trying to feed him.

"Oh thank you." He stuck out his tongue and grabbed it. After he popped it into his mouth he chewed very critically.

"None for me?" Kabuto asked like she was a kid.

She chewed the cracker in her mouth then popped another one in her mouth. Before finishing that she took out a cracker and handed it to Sasuke.

"No thanks." She nudged it more towards his mouth. "No thank you Sayuri."

She pouted and ate her cracker without using her hands.

He sighed and said: "Gosh you're just like Orochimaru." and took the cracker from her hand and put it into his mouth.

"Can we train now?" She nodded excitedly up and down. She grabbed his hand and walked back to the door they came from.

"Oh Sayuri you should probably let Sasuke lead the way." Orochimaru warned.

Sayuri stopped in place, turned around, walked around Sasuke and faced to Sasuke's back.

"Alright let's go!" She said giving her thumbs up in the air.

Sasuke's emotions went back to ruthlessness. He turned around walked forward. Brushing his elbow to hers.

She turned around and followed him.

Orochimaru and Kabuto walked in a different direction into a different room. "Orochimaru!" She yelled to him.

His head popped out of the room to see what she wanted.

"Don't watch us." "Aww why not?!" "I mean it. And i'll know if you did or not."

He laughed evilly. "Fine." He went back into the room.

Sayuri and Sasuke continued walking.

"Is it the same jutsu you were working on when you were in Konoha?" "Yeah." "How did you get it perfectly?" "I just need more chakra into it I guess, after I kept practicing it, it just got perfect.."

That doesn't make any sense. Sayuri said to herself.

"It does." Sayuri gasped, she didn't know she spoke that outloud. "Are you gonna tell the leaf village where our hideout is?"

Sayuri looked down. "No."

He looked over his shoulder and saw her with her head down.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want them after you and Orochimaru." "Why not?"

"What do you mean why not?" "They want me back in the leaf village, and Orochimaru is, basically wanted everywhere. Mostly dead but.."

"He's my moms friend, I can't do that to her." "Where is your mom?"

"She's gone." "Gone where?" "No I mean gone."

"She died?" "More like murdered." "When did she die?"

"When I was five."

Her mother died when she was five? Sasuke thought. He was the same age when his whole clan was murdered.

"Why didn't you mention this before?" "I didn't? I thought I did."

Sasuke tried to remember if she did, he was pretty sure he would have remembered if she had.

"No, you didn't."

They got to the end of the hallway in front of the door, Sasuke opened the door and light poured into the room.

He walked outside and took a couple steps waiting for her to come away from the door.

Once she did he closed the door behind her and waited for her to start.

"Alright let's get started. Do you wanna use your sharingan to copy my hand signs?"

He was shocked that she knew the sharingan could do that, but he didn't expect anything less.

"Yes."

Without hesitation she walked in front of him. His eyes turned red and he gazed on her hands.

When she was finished doing all the hand signs he had remembered it completely.

Her head lifted high, and a large flame went to the sky.

The flame wasn't ordinary. It was dark red and black. With a face of a dragon. The dragon reached all the way to above the small clouds. But the clouds weren't so small anymore.

More clouds started to appear fierce and circled around each other.

"It's just like the way you wanted it."

Lighting started to stream thru the clouds.

Easily Sasuke did the hand signs and blew out a black and red fire. The fire was almost a dragon, but it was still good though.

More clouds in the sky started to appear and rain started falling down.

"Good." "It doesn't look like yours though." "That's fine, if you keep working on it then it'll be."

This time she wasn't smiling so much anymore. Her face was as still as Sasuke.

"It's fine Sasuke. Now you just need to make a lightning jutsu, because you can use the energy in the clouds to make the jutsu, wasting no energy."

"I have one that could work." "Already? What is it?" "It's a jutsu i've made myself. It cannot be defeated or destroyed."

"You mean like..nothing. I get it."

Sasuke was bewildered, what was she going to compare it to? Is there another jutsu that cannot be destroyed?

He came back to reality when he felt Sayuri's shoulder brush against his. She was going back inside.

She opened the door she walked into the hallway. Sasuke followed and turned off his sharingan.

Something was different with Sayuri. Something more cold, and evil. Maybe something happened with her sisters.

"Is Kimie still alive?" Sayuri looked behind her shoulder. "Yes..why?" She continued to walk. "Nothing. What about your other sister, is she still alive?" "Yes."

If it didn't have to do with anyone in her family, then what made her change this way? Maybe he should ask up front. But, that could be a bad idea. He was willing to take that chance.

"What happend to you?" "What do you mean?" "You used to be very happy, and laughing all the time. Now-" "What about you? You changed too."

Before he could stop himself words started to slip out. "That's different, I have to have no emotions to defeat someone."

She started to walk a little slower.

"Maybe i'm the same way, did you think of that?" "Who do you want to defeat?" "No one. I'm saying you should have considered that."

He made a 'hmp' sound.

"Do you live in this village?" "No." "Then why are you here?" "Just passing thru." "To go where?" "No where in particular. I just feel like..I don't know how to explain." "Then don't."

Sayuri looked behind her and scanned the Uchiha's body up and down.

"What's with that get-up? Is Orochimaru making you wear that or do you just like it?" He didn't answer.

"You look stupid." After that, Sasuke was completely shocked.

He never expected Sayuri to say something like that.

"Tell Orochimaru that." He said keeping his cool. "I did." "What did he say?" "He said: "Oh Sayuri why would you say something like that?!" She said in a kiddush voice mocking him exactly.

"That's something he would say." Sayuri turned back around and continued walking. They got to the other end of the hallway.

"So you're leaving?" "Yeah. I have no other purpose to be here right-"

Soon someone was calling her name. "Sayuri!" This voice was different. She turned around and saw Orochimaru over Sasuke's shoulder.

He was serious this time. "I want to talk to you."

She sighed and walked to him. Sasuke followed. "Sasuke you can go to your room. Training will resume soon."

"What are you going to talk to her about?" "I want to ask her some questions." "Then why can't I come?"

They stood in front of each other with deadly glares. Soon they looked at her. She mildly shrugged and went inside the room. "I don't care so don't ask me!" She yelled from inside.

It was a lab room. One chair in the middle with other seating chairs on the side, and many supplies inside. Also inside was Kabuto.

Orochimaru came inside, Sasuke stood in front of the door.

"Fine." Sasuke finally said giving in.

Orochimaru closed the door. On the outside Sasuke walked to his door.

Inside they listened to the footsteps, when it came quieter they started.

"Is it true about your mother?" "What about my mother?" "That she's dead." "Where did you hear that?" "From you-"

Without hesitation and swiftness, Sayuri was in front of Orochimaru with a kunai to his neck. While Kabuto was behind Sayuri, with a surgery knife ready to attack.

She gave an evil smile.

"Now, didn't I say not to watch us." "W-What I didn't!" "Then how would you know that?" "I heard your voice thru the hallway."

"I really doubt that." "Get away from Lord-Orochimaru!" "Careful Kabuto." He said with his voice sweet as usual.

"She's faster than you think. She could kill you right now."

Kabuto gulped. She must be pretty good for him to acknowledge someone like that.

"What do you want me to do?" "Put your knife down. I'll be fine."

Kabuto did as he was told and took a step back.

"Now let's continue. Are you telling me the truth Orochimaru?" "Y-Yes."

Kabuto was surprised to hear Orochimaru stutter so much, and be hesitant.

"Do I have to go into your mind to find out?" "Since when did you learn to do that?" "A while ago." "If you try to go into my mind. Your body will be sucked up. You already know that."

"Are you sure about that?" Orochimaru smiled confidently, but then it faded.

Had she found out a way to stop it? He doubted it, but her family was smart, very smart. Even smarter than Itachi. He would use her as a new body, but she didn't have the sharingan. That was the only thing he wanted the most.

She put down the kunai and took a couple steps back. Was she planning on going into his mind just to see if he was spying on her jutsu? Was that jutsu that impressive? Or did something else happen.

She sat down on a single chair and folded her legs criss-cross apple sauce.

"Do you really think I would go into your mind, risk my whole life just to see if you were listening? Maybe. But I mostly wouldn't, i'm not that dumb-" "That dumb! You're smarter than Jiraiya, well I wouldn't call him smart..." "He is. But thank you. Anyway about my mother. She is."

They gasped. "Now why couldn't have you just said that in the first place. Wasting all this time." Kabuto asked. "I have all the time in the world right now. Thought I might kill some time."

Orochimaru noted Kabuto grinding his teeth.

"Calm down Kabuto, you too Sayuri, play nice." She gave an devilish chuckle. "Was that all you wanted to ask me?" "Of course not." "Then continue."

"Alright, what jutsus have you learned since the last time I saw you?" "I only learned two, an earth-style jutsu, and a fire-style jutsu."

"Aren't you going to tell me what they are?" He said eager to know.

"Orochimaru." She said concerned. She heaved her chest and sighed. "Fine. The earth-style jutsu is very simple, it's just turns the ground to mud."

He turned away and thought of the past. The fight he had that made him crippled in his arms. When he fought the 3rd Hokage. He had done that jutsu.

He turned to her. "I'm aware of that jutsu."

"You should, didn't Sarutobi do that jutsu?" Calmy he nodded. "I'm sorry for bringing it up." "No, it's fine. That's also something I wanted to talk with you about."

She straightened her spine in the chair.

"I want you to work for me." "Work for you, how?" "I want you to heal my arms. After that, heal us if something happens, basically be our nurse." "Why me?" "Next to Tsunade, you're the only one I know who can help tremendously."

She waved her arms and said: "I wouldn't say that. Anyway what about Kabuto."

"I can only do so much, I can't do anything but temporarily heal his pain." Kabuto answered.

She looked over back to Orochimaru. "Don't you plan to spend your life learning every jutsu there is?" "Yes." "Well I want to perfect a jutsu, until I do that..I can't waste my time doing something like this."

"Perfect a jutsu?" "Yes."

He leaned on the wall.

"I can relate." "Then you understand?" "Yes. Anyway..how are your sisters?"

Suddenly he was lifted up a foot from the ground. When he looked down Sayuri was grabbing the sides of his shirt, pushing him to the wall.

Kabuto and Orochimaru gasped once they realized it. Kabuto now realized how fast she really was.

"If you think they'll help you, you're mistaken." She said with a venomous tone.

"I just wanted to know how they were doing." "Sure. Just heed my warning." "What warning?"

She lifted him even higher, and smashed him on the wall.

"This is my warning."

She let him back down and walked over to her chair, before Kabuto could think of making a move. The wall behind him was crushed. Kabuto realized not only is she fast, she's also strong. But she still seemed like an amature.

"My sisters are fine.." Orochimaru gave a smile. "That's good to hear."

"Are we finished here? I forgot I wanted to teach Sasuke something else." "What?" "I just wanted to help him on his genjutsu." "I see. There's nothing else important for me to ask you."

"I see. I will go see Sasuke." "His room is-"

"I don't need to know-"

She opened the door.

"-Because he's right here." Next to the door was Sasuke leaning on the wall.

"Sasuke were you listening on our conversation?" "Yes." "It's fine Orochimaru."

Sayuri said already walking out the door.

"How come if I do it it's the worst thing in the world, and if he does it it's fine!?"

Abruptly Sayuri was in front of Orochimaru with a kunai to his stomach.

"So you did listen to our conversation." "No i'm saying if I did!"

She lowered her kunai and appeared back at the door. She was so fast no one could see her move.

"Because I told you specifically not to, for Sasuke I said I didn't say anything about it, anyway don't listen on our conversation, i'll be back."

Sayuri nudged her head to Sasuke telling him to follow. She walked off and he did too.

Instead of going back outside, strangely Sayuri went to Sasuke's room. It was dark and was filled with nothing but a bed, weapons, and a single torch.

She closed the door behind her and Sasuke sat on his bed, while she sat down on his bedpost. It was weird because it was a thin bed post, so it didn't seem very comfortable to sit on.

"You can sit on the-" "No thank you. Have heard of shape and nature transformation?" "I heard of it before." "When?" "When I was learning chidori." "Do you remember what they mean?" "Not really, why does it matter anyway?" "Because it'll be important in the future."

Sayuri took a long pause.

"Nature transformation is just what kind of nature type you use in your jutsu. Shape transformation is the shape of the jutsu is. See the user decides how the jutsu can look like. It's very rare for people to be able to achieve both in the same jutsu."

"Can you do it?" "Yes. That's what the jutsu I taught you is. I used fire-style, and I shaped the fire to look like a dragon. But, for you, you need to make a jutsu that has shape manipulation."

"What kind of jutsu?" "That's up to you. Just something that is like a weapon it self. Like a kunai, shuriken, sword, bomb..whatever you pick, so that's all."

She got up and walked to the door.

"You're leaving?" "Is there anymore reason for me to stay?" "No."

She opened the door.

"I'm not quite leaving yet. I'm going to see Orochimaru's latest experiments. Why don't you join me." She left to go back to Orochimaru.

He got up from the bed and walked. When he got back to Orochimaru and Sayuri and Orochimaru was there waiting for him.

"Did you tell him you wanted to see his experiments?" "Yes." "Hmp. You're fast."

"Yes she is." Orochimaru answered.

xxxxx

They went thru different doors and different hallways and ended up in a dark, large lab. There were many pods filled with either water or undefinable things inside, also lab tables, surgery equipment, many scrolls on a shelf.

"I'm impressed." "Why thank you."

Sayuri walked ahead looking at all the odd things and wonders he had in that room. Then she stumbled across a jar with a white shedded snake skin inside, she picked it up and examined it.

"You still have this?!" He smiled and his eyes closed, thinking about old times with his old student, Anko.

He opened his eyes and Sayuri and Sasuke were up ahead.

"Have you helped him with any of his experiments?" "I catch the animals, but that's it." "That's good to hear, Sasuke." She said giving a faint smile.

"Why is that?" He said with the same mono tone. "It's nothing." Her head tilted down looking at all the experiments. Then something caught her eye when something in one of the pods filled with water.

Automatically Sayuri grabbed Sasuke's hand and walked over to it. Orochimaru saw them and wondered what they were looking at.

He walked over and with only seeing a glimpse of it, he knew what they were looking.

Inside the pod was a person!

"Who is this!?" Sayuri yelled concerned. "He's fine." "Oh okay."

So you just give up your suspicious like that? Sasuke wondered.

Sayuri already started to walk to the next pod. Unlike her, Sasuke couldn't help but know more.

"Who is this?" "He's name is Suigetsu." "Why is he in here?" "Sasuke don't ask so many questions. It's fine, he needs water non-stop to live." He made a 'hmp' sound and had no choice but to give up.

Half an hour passed on looking on and giving tips on experiments, Sayuri was in front of hideout with Sasuke.

"Where are you going now?" "Home." "Where's that?" "You asked me that before remember." "You said in the future you would tell me." "Next time Sasuke."

She said patting his shoulder and walking off. Before she could get off the property she was stopped. "Wait." Said Sasuke.

She turned around.

"What?"

"What happened, you didn't answer me before." "I.."

She looked down and seemed to concentrate on it. Was that question that difficult to answer?

"I just wanna focus on training and getting stronger, and perfecting this jutsu. Being giddy all the time can't help me concentrate. So I guess, i'm not the same because of that. It's basically the same reason why you don't smile anymore." "But-" "I know it's not the same, I know you can't stand him." "Who?" "Orochimaru, and the person you want to defeat. But, anyway just like me, having so many emotions can't get to your goal, RIGHT!?"

He made an angry face. His fist tightened and he swung. Sayuri was so surprised she didn't move. But thankfully she wasn't hit, she looked beside her head and saw Sasuke's fist in the wall. "Wh-"

"How can you just change like that?" "You can't change your personality on purpose just to get to your goal! Have you seen N-Naruto!" Her head fell down again.

His first dug into the wall more when he mentioned Naruto's name.

"That idiot is stronger than he looks! He may always act goofy, dumb, and idiotic, but he's strong because he never gives up!"

The wall collapsed when he finished. He was probably getting even more angry from talking about Naruto.

Sayuri's head lifted. She gave a genuine smile.

"I'm sorry Sasuke."

He moved both of his arms and took a step back.

"Always saying sorry." He gave a faint smile.

Abruptly Sayuri jumped a step up and hugged him. "I'm sorry Sasuke, you're right."

Surprisingly he hugged her a little back.

"I can finally go now." She said quietly, but loud enough to hear.

"What do you-"

Before he could finish his sentence she laid her hand on his head, suddenly he couldn't remember anymore about her.

"Wh-"

he collapsed but she carried his body and laid him on the ground, and she vanished into smokes.