Chapter 2: The Wit of a Prodigy

Notwithstanding the imminence of his death, Naruto could hear a passionate voice screaming in the distance.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" screamed the voice at the top of his lungs.

"Wha-"Kimimaro was not able to finish his sentence, as his face met with a very brutal flying kick. The kick launched him several meters away from Naruto, and he viciously landed on the ground.

The boy who delivered the kick managed to land gracefully. He immediately recovered into his battle stance, with his legs together and his right arm outstretched forward, inviting his opponents to attack. His opponents would probably hesitate however, given the boy's…unique attire. He wore a tight, green, body length leotard, most likely made from spandex, with weighted, orange leg and arm warmers. His black hair was cut in the shape of bowl, and it shined very brightly. His eyebrows were amazingly thick, and they appeared to have a life of their own. If people did not know better, his eyebrows could probably have been mistaken for caterpillars or silkworms.

"BUSHY BROWS!" Naruto shouted. He was very grateful to the person he called Bushy Brows, who just saved his life. Naruto and Sasuke were not alone now.

Rock Lee had joined the fray.

A look of disbelief was present in Sasuke's face. It was truly lucky that Rock Lee managed to arrive in time to change the tide of battle. He was certain that, after Kimimaro switched strategies, he and Naruto would not stand a chance. His fears were almost realized as he witness Kimimaro rush in for the kill, which was so expertly avoided by Lee's "Dynamic Entry." The name of the attack was most definitely fitting.

Sasuke's look of disbelief changed into a smirk. Now that Lee was here, he can coordinate an attack that took advantage of the timing of Kimimaro's "ultimate defense." Naruto's relentless assault, coupled with Lee's blazing speed and explosive power will crack a hole in that impenetrable fortress.

"Hmph," Sasuke merely said, hiding his relief in a mask of arrogance. "This is nothing that Naruto and I couldn't handle, but your unexpected help is appreciated,"

"You know?" Naruto asked angrily. "Your arrogance could've taken a nosedive too, prick." Sasuke really hasn't changed at all, and that brought a smile to Naruto's face.

"Is that you Sasuke-san?" Lee had asked. "Does that mean that you were successful in your mission Naruto-san?"

A huge grin appeared in Naruto's face. "Yep!" Naruto answered, outstretching his arm and doing a V-sign.

"Congratulations on successful completion of your mission!" Rock Lee exclaimed. "It is truly an incredible feat, considering the improbability of accomplishment with a rushed group of genin such as you."

Naruto giggled a little bit. He still was not used to much praise, considering his subpar treatment by villagers in Konoha.

"No. Your mission has yet to be completed," a cold voice said. Kimimaro was picking himself up from the devastating kick to the face. He wiped a little blood from his mouth, and spat on the floor. Once again, his Kaguya legacy saved him from what could've been an instant kill. "I will not stop until Sasuke-kun is safely within Orochimaru-sama's grasp," Kimimaro resolved. All three of the leaf genin smiled. Naruto snapped his neck left and right, trying to crack it and reinvigorate his body. Sasuke was rotating his right arm counterclockwise, stretching it out and readying it for battle. Lee began to do basic stretches, itching for a fight right after he left his hospital bed.

"It is good that I am going to be fighting such a determined combatant!" Rock Lee said, excitedly. "However, I will have you know that we too will not fail our mission. So one of us will fall today in this battlefield." A calm breeze entered the clearing from the south, taking with it some of the tension from the earlier fight. Kimimaro's long sleeves and white hair was carried with the breeze, like a wind charm in the middle of a cool summer evening. Sasuke's black hair was also carried with the wind, a dark contrast to Kimimaro's light hair and clothing. This battle was not just simply a battle to determine the fate of Sasuke. It was a clash of ideals, with one side staunchly believing in the dreams and desires of his master, and the other burning with the Will of Fire.

"Lee," Sasuke said. "Your taijutsu is impressive, I must admit. However, even with your speed, this guy has a formidable defense that keeps you on your toes. I've fallen victim to his defenses; I can't even move my left hand anymore." He showed Lee his left hand, which just dangled limply in the air. "We can't hold back, so remove any weights that restrict your true speed."

"Is that so?" Lee asked. "As you know, I have just exited the hospital, fully recovered from my fight with Gaara of the Desert. But I cannot truly go all out unless I wish to risk permanent, irreparable damage to my body. I will fight him as hard as I can, but it will not be me at 100% of my strength."

With that said, Lee disengaged the chakra locks of his leg weights. He reached inside his leg warmers to remove the weights, which he promptly dropped to the ground. The impact left a small crater on the ground, which Kimimaro quickly noticed with wide eyes. 'This genin uses training weights? Those look to be around 50 kilograms each! Impressive…'

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, but he did not need to say more, as Naruto was making more shadow clones. The shadow clones once again charged at Kimimaro.

"Lee, this man attacks with his bones," Sasuke said, noting how Lee's massive eyebrows shot up from his face. "His defense prevents opponents from getting close to him by enlarging his bones. It takes him 4 seconds to lengthen his bones, and 3 seconds to contract his bones. You need to attack him during the time it takes for him to contract his bones."

"Got it," Lee said, with a nod of affirmation.

"Good." Sasuke said. "Stick to the plan, let's do this!"

Lee rocketed off towards Kimimaro in a speed that dwarfed Sasuke's previous best. While recovering from his Dance of the Larch, Kimimaro barely saw the punch that connected to his lower jaw. 'This boy…he's faster than Sasuke-kun…unbelievable!' Kimimaro thought as he was launched fiercely by the power of the punch. All of Naruto clones stopped where they were at to stare at the might of Lee. Even Sasuke was wide-eyed by the explosive power Lee possessed. It was dynamite.

Kimimaro landed violently in the ground, several meters away from Lee and the clones. He certainly was not expecting his new foe to have such power. He had to be weary of Lee otherwise he was in for some intense punishment.

The clones had other plans, however. They all charged, screaming 'banzai' loudly as they reengaged Kimimaro. Kimimaro was annoyed with the clones now. He knew the clones were merely a distraction, to keep his attention away from Lee. But the clones were too much for Kimimaro to handle offensively. The onslaught he was receiving forced him on the defensive. He unconsciously performed Larch as a clone tried to heel drop his back, only to be confronted by Lee and his blazing speed. Within 2 seconds, Lee unleashed a flurry of punches at Kimimaro's torso, which was followed by an upwards crescent kick, which knocked him in the air. The clones capitalized on the opportunity, and jumped high to meet with the descending Kimimaro. Three clones struck Kimimaro's pelvis with their knees, and let gravity carry them straight towards the ground for additional damage.

As Kimimaro rose from the attacks he just received, he saw Lee remove a bottle of Sake from his pouch. He was very confused now. Despite Lee's incredible speed and strength, why was he drinking alcohol in the middle of battle?

"Please allow me a moment of respite." Lee said. "I was just recently released from the hospital, and I must periodically take my medications." Lee was so oblivious about what exactly he was holding. He was in such a rush to leave and assist Naruto and the others he did not even bother to appropriately distinguish his medicine from all the other items on the table. As a result, he snatched Tsunade's potent sake instead.

"I can understand but…" Kimimaro said hesitantly. In spite of his undying loyalty to Orochimaru, he was a man of honor and would not let anything hinder his opponent's abilities. Unless, as in the case of Sasuke, he was the one who disabled his opponent. "…Why would you drink sake as your medicine?"

It was too late. Lee drank the entire bottle and dropped it to the ground. He always hated the bitter taste of most medicines, but why was this particular one burning his throat? He was losing himself. Everything he was seeing became a blur. He was struggling to stand up straight, swerving left and right just to keep his balance. But even that was of no use, as he kept tripping on himself due to his lack of coordination.

"…this is not happening, is this Sasuke?" Naruto lamented. They had Kimimaro on the edge, just to stop that momentum so that Lee could take his meds. Sasuke and Naruto were flabbergasted with this occurrence, even more so than when Kimimaro demonstrated the Dance of the Camellia for the first time.

Lee finally took focus on Kimimaro. He wasn't able to see him properly, but based on his limited perception at the moment, he could tell that he was not friendly.

"Wuzz yuh looggin' ash?" Lee stumbled, trying to speak properly. Apparently the alcohol content in the sake was very high for Lee to get drunk this fast. Or maybe Lee just had terrible tolerance towards alcohol? "Arre yush talggin' 'bout me momma?" At this point, Sasuke and Naruto face palmed simultaneously. Lee was obviously delirious now, and their ace in the hole just vanished.

"No, I never even mentioned yo-" started Kimimaro, but he was interrupted by a backhand to the face. Kimimaro stumbled backwards to see what hit him. Lee was now swerving even more left and right, but he kept moving his torso up and down just to try from falling over in humiliation. His stance seemed to be similar to that of a mantis, but he was just too unstable to know for certain.

"Ish hearz tha tey bee gibbin' a sale don at Walmarsh for pantyhozz," Lee said, shaking his head to rebalance himself. Everyone stared at Lee now, including Kimimaro, just trying to understand the gibberish of his incoherent statement.

Kimimaro rushed towards Lee to deliver a diagonal slash aimed at his torso. Lee dodged by tripping on himself and landing on his butt, much to the surprise of Kimimaro. He followed up his dodge by vomiting on Kimimaro's shirt, to the glum displeasure of Kimimaro. Kimimaro attempted to stab Lee from his sitting position, but Lee rolled over on all four limbs facing away from the bone user. He then proceeded to release more bodily fluids by vomiting on the floor.

Naruto and Sasuke had dumbfounded looks on their faces. Never in their lives have they witnessed such an unconventional fight. Never had they actually seen such an unconventional fight work so well against an opponent of a much higher caliber. Never would they be willing to fight Lee in his drunken state, if they actually cared about keeping their clothes clean from vomit.

Lee got on his knees and kicked Kimimaro on the thighs. Kimimaro could not comprehend the form of Lee's attack. He was just too unpredictable, and he could not read Lee's movements in the slightest. Lee boosted himself with his hands and gave a flurry of aerial kicks. Kimimaro blocked with his forearms and was about to perform the Dance of the Larch, but Lee had already landed on the ground in a split. He balled his hands tightly and delivered a devastating back fist at Kimimaro's groin area.

"WATAAAAAAAAH!" Lee screamed as if he was a professional martial artist. Kimimaro held on to his testes as if his life depended on it, since it hurt excruciatingly. Naruto and Sasuke subconsciously held on to theirs too, desiring to have children in the future after all.

Lee got on his back and used his hands to rotate his legs around. Though Kimimaro was still hazy from the punch to the groin area, he managed to dodge Lee's rotating kicks. Lee continued to rotate his back using his hands trying to kick Kimimaro in a manner similar to a propeller. Kimimaro merely dodged all these attempts with back jumps when Lee stopped rotating his back and got on his hands. He boosted himself into the air and began spinning in a fetal position. Kimimaro tried to dodge this strange maneuver, but Lee safely went over his head. Or it would seem that way, as he stopped spinning to smash the top of Kimimaro with a hard ax kick.

Kimimaro was dizzy after that kick. He couldn't use his Dance of the Larch because Lee's attacks were too unpredictable in nature for his body to consciously counterattack. What's more, his foe's swerving stance and random trips prevented Kimimaro from landing a single blow. Other than Sasuke and his occasional spars with his master, this new, drunk enemy was the hardest opponent he had ever fought. He could no longer hold back.

Lee's vision was returning to him. He could see more clearly now than the blurs from several minutes ago. He was also more stable now, and stopped swerving all over the place. He did not know what happened to him in the last several minutes and he absolutely forgot where he was. Looking around to get a feel for the plain that he was in, he noticed that Sasuke and Naruto were there, with dumbfounded looks on their faces. Their jaws were opened so wide it would not be an overstatement to say that it reached the floor.

"Naruto-san!" Lee said happily. "I see that you have retrieved Sasuke-san successfully. Well done!"

Naruto just shook his head, thinking that this was all a dream. He made a mental note that, when he turns of legal age to begin drinking alcohol, he would NOT invite Lee.

"It appears that you've sobered up," Kimimaro said, finally snapping out of the daze he was in. "I must admit you fought admirably, despite your…odd…attacks." He was still sore about the vomit stain on his shirt, and the stench it oozed out. "However, it's about time I unleashed my full power." Black markings began to engulf his entire body. All of the combatants got on the defensive including Sasuke, despite his limp arm.

The black markings encased him completely. His eyes had a dark tone to them now, and the white of his eyes changed to black. His iris altered to an ivory color that contrasts his new dark eyes. Massive, curved bones protruded from his back, giving Kimimaro a more menacing appearance.

Even though Naruto was wide-eyed from the transformation, he could not help himself from reminiscing his childhood. He was quite fond of a particular manga. In the manga, the protagonists tend to just watch in awe as their adversaries transformed right in front of them. No matter how often it occurred in the manga, the heroes just seemed to never attempt to stop the transformations from happening, despite the obvious consequences of a power boosted enemy. 'What was the name of that manga again' Naruto thought, crossing his arms in deep contemplation. 'Was it Lizard Sphere S? I could've sworn that the main character was a Monkey King…maybe I should reread it when I-'

A tail violently erupted from the bottom of Kimimaro's back, snapping Naruto out of his contemplation. Jagged, sharp bones protruded from Kimimaro's spinal area all the way to the tip of his new tail, completing his transformation. Kimimaro stood straight, taking his time to clench and unclench his fists, feeling for his transformation. His tail smashed left and right at the ground, giving off a feral appearance. 'I don't have much time left. If I don't hurry and end this battle I'll…' Kimimaro thought hesitantly.

"Sasuke-kun, this is the kind of power that Orochimaru-sama is offering. Are you still willing to deny his most generous gift?" Kimimaro said, still swinging his tail in apprehension.

'This chakra is so dense and intense I could feel it without my Sharingan!' Sasuke thought. 'If I can activate my Curse Seal in the same way this freak can, will I have access to this power? I'm sure with this much power I can get closer to killing Itachi…'

"Sasuke is my best friend!"

Sasuke suddenly thought back about what Naruto just earnestly said earlier. "Everything that we've done together, all of our laughs and all of the pain…all of the progress and all of the hardship…all of it will be lost forever if Sasuke goes with Orochimaru! I won't let Sasuke die! I won't let him fall to the darkness!" Would he really abandon his best friend for a blind and hate-filled pursuit of power? Is that what it really means to be strong?

Yet, if he can beat Kimimaro without relying on the power of the Curse Seal, then he will eventually become more powerful than what the Curse Seal, and Orochimaru by extension, can offer. He can only rely on his own strength to beat Itachi, and he will obtain it his own way. That is Sasuke's resolution, and he will not back down now.

"Heh," Sasuke scoffed. "You know, your offer is so good and all, but I'd rather not look like deceased body of a lizard on steroids. Lee, Naruto, stick to the plan. We're gonna take this overgrown dinosaur down!" Lee and Naruto both nodded in agreement as they prepared to resume their assault.

"You'll learn to appreciate the offers that Orochimaru-sama gives," Kimimaro said. He bent over to show his back to all three combatants. There was a large gaping hole in the center, where his spine would be at. Suddenly, his body began to eject his spinal cord, which Kimimaro pulled out with his right hand. "In this form, I do not have access to the previous three dances that I graced you with. However, my Dance of the Clematis will be more than sufficient to end your lives."

"How many dances does this ballerina have?" Naruto asked enraged. He was seriously tired of the bone freak pulling out dance after dance from what apparently seems to be his ass. He produced another 50 clones ready to fight a battle of attrition.

The clones charged recklessly at Kimimaro. However, Kimimaro's new weapon was a bone whip that extends far past its original length. This weapon gives him ranges unprecedented compared to the rest of his attacks, save for his Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets. With a single snap of the whip, the first wave of Naruto clones was dispelled immediately. He continued to swing his whip at all the Naruto clones, dispelling them one after the other until the field became foggy with the smoke of clones. It proved to be a good distraction however, as Lee managed to flank him from behind. He kicked Kimimaro's ribs, but to no avail. Kimimaro did not even flinch, despite Lee giving everything he had on that one kick.

"Is that the best you can do?" Kimimaro said with disdain in his voice. He smashed Lee's own ribs using his massive tail, sending him tumbling to the ground.

"GAHHH!" Lee screamed holding his ribs. Not only did Kimimaro have his whip to defend against frontal assaults, but his back was well protected by his large tail. A two pronged attack would not do well at this situation. Too make matters worse, the bones on Kimimaro's left arm began to burst out and spiral into one another, forming another larger bone. This bone was enormous, far larger than any bone that he produced in this entire battle. And he was aiming it towards Lee's head.

"Now die!" Kimimaro shouted, thrusting the gargantuan bone with all of his might. In a blur, Sasuke used his good arm to grab Lee and move him to safety. The force of the impact of Kimimaro's bone arm was tremendous however, creating a mini-fissure that rocked the ground Sasuke was running on. Sasuke was not able to hold his own, and he tripped with him and Lee rolling on the ground.

Kimimaro turned towards Lee with his whip in hand. "I will not allow you to interfere with Orochimaru-sama's ambition any longer!" He screamed with the whip in the air.

"Rasengan!" Naruto suddenly shouted as he attacked Kimimaro with a small sphere of condensed, spiraling chakra. The Rasengan was enough to push Kimimaro away from both Lee and Sasuke, but it did little damage. Kimimaro held his own on the ground, skidding only a little after being attacked, but he showed no sign of being seriously injured by the Rasengan.

"You're beginning to annoy me you blonde brat," Kimimaro said spitefully.

'What is this guy made of?' Sasuke thought. 'Lee's kick didn't even budge him. Naruto's attack looked like it would have killed a herd of bulls but he took it head on without receiving much damage…It's like he can take an explosive tag to the face and laugh it off…'

Things were beginning to look worse for the three Leaf genin. Their attacks were now ineffective against the skin of Kimimaro, and he could defend anywhere from all types of attacks. The only attack that could probably get through Kimimaro's indomitable skin was Sasuke's Chidori, but his left arm is badly damaged and limp from the Dance of the Larch.

"Lee, are you alright?" Naruto asked. He was panting, rapidly depleting his chakra in this prolonged battle.

"I am fine Naruto." Lee responded. "That tail whip did not break any of my bones, but I am still feeling pain from the attack."

"How are we gonna attack this dude if he can take a full-on Rasengan to the face?" Naruto asked. The Rasengan was his best attack, and if an enemy could take one and still move, he does not have any other options.

Sasuke was deep in thought. He knows that his Chidori is the only attack now that can actually harm Kimimaro, but how is he going to get to Kimimaro? He could do it with right hand, but it would be severely weakened without the support of his left arm. Plus, Chidori was a close range attack. With Kimimaro's whip and tail, he would be hard pressed to get anywhere near the guy.

"I assume that we have no other options," Lee said.

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Naruto said, confused.

"If we are to defeat this guy, then I must open the Celestial Gates." Lee answered.

"But you can't!" Sasuke said, surprising both Lee and Naruto. Sasuke isn't the kind of person that shows concern for anyone. Even in his team, he shows concern only when circumstances are too dire. "Lee, if you open the Celestial Gates, your body is just gonna be brutalized! You may be up and running right now, but if you use the gates, you may never recover again!"

"That is a risk I am willing to take." Lee said with affirmation. "Our mission is to get you safely to Konoha. If Naruto is fighting hard to protect you from Orochimaru, then I will fight hard as well. We are shinobi of the Konoha, and we never abandon each other."

"After all, those who break the rules are trash," Naruto began, reciting a quote from Kakashi. "…but those who abandon their comrades are lower than trash. Lee, I believe in you. Go out there and show him what you're made off!" Naruto raised his fist in the air as a show of support.

"Fine." Sasuke finally said, giving into what his fellow shinobi just said. "But don't overdo it. I still want my rematch, ya know."

"Sasuke-san…" Lee said. "Got it! I will not hold back"

Lee began to gather chakra. He crossed his arms over his chest and widened his legs as the intensity of his pressure increased.

"First Gate…Gate of Opening…OPEN!" Lee shouted, emitting a huge amount of force that even Kimimaro felt from his distance.

Lee jolted towards Kimimaro in such an unbelievable speed. Kimimaro attempted to snap his whip at Lee in retaliation, but Lee was travelling so fast that he left afterimages that disguised his position.

'How can he move this fast?' Kimimaro thought in frustration. 'He already was fast as it is, but to exceed your speed by leaps and bounds…it's astonishing!' Lee finally appeared right below Kimimaro. Using his right leg and arm as support, Lee attempted to kick Kimimaro in the chin and launch him into the air for his "Primary Lotus" attack. But his kick didn't even lift Kimimaro. He stood in his position and took a full powered kick to his chin…and did not even move an inch.

'What is this guy…' Lee thought before being back-handed. His body was tossed violently on the ground, and Lee barely had time to avoid a jumping thrust by Kimimaro's bone arm. Lee tried to leg sweep Kimimaro to no avail. No matter what Lee did, none of his attacks even remotely hurt Kimimaro. Kimimaro used his tail to harshly smack Lee in the direction of Naruto. Naruto made a clone to try to break Lee's trajectory, but Lee was still injured by his landing.

"This guy is incredible!" Lee said in excitement. "A worthy challenger indeed. I must open another gate."

"No Lee!" Sasuke shouted. "I'm not gonna risk you being permanently damaged just to match this asshole. The Initial Gate is the only one you need."

"But what are we gonna do Sasuke?" Naruto asked in desperation. He may be gutsy, but fighting an opponent where all attacks were void was something he has never done before. Even Gaara with his absolute sand defense could bleed with a well-placed fist.

"Let me think…" Sasuke said reluctantly. "He has to have a weakness, I know it!"

'So apparently no physical attack can damage the skin of Kimimaro' Sasuke thought. Opening the Eight Celestial Gates augments the speed and power of the beholder by incredible amounts. But despite this massive increase, it could not even scratch Kimimaro. The Curse Seal took Kimimaro's natural defenses and heightened them to unimaginable scales. 'However, he can still be damaged by chakra based attacks.' This is evident by Naruto's successful, but futile, attempt to smash a Rasengan to his chest. 'Naruto's attack is explosive. It does a large amount of damage by expanding the force against the enemy and damage is dispersed unevenly. But this won't work against Kimimaro…'

"Now can you all see the futility of your actions?" Kimimaro mocked. "You will all die here, your pathetic Konoha ideals forgotten with the wind." He rushed at the three genin, but was intercepted by Lee, who would not give up even with the insurmountable odds.

'My Chidori is penetrating in comparison.' Sasuke thought 'It's the most likely to succeed against the freak's defenses. But my left arm is out of commission, my right arm isn't accustomed to Chidori, and he has incredible range with that whip of his. I can't get close.' Just as he finished that thought, Lee landed right next to Sasuke. He was bleeding through the nose from taking the blunt side of Kimimaro's bone arm to his face. Naruto immediately produced 30 more clones to try to surround Kimimaro.

"Hey Sasuke, how long do you have left?" Naruto asked. "Cuz at this rate, we are all gonna be killed in a couple of minutes!"

"I'm almost at a solution, just hold on for a little while longer!" Sasuke screamed. 'If only Chidori was a ranged attack…' Sasuke lamented. He was certain that if it was a ranged attack, he could pierce Kimimaro's bones. Just then, Sasuke caught sight of his kunai, lodged straight up in the ground. The idea hit him immediately.

"Naruto!" Sasuke screamed. "Can you still do more of your chakra attacks?"

"You mean the Rasengan?" Naruto asked. "Yeah, but I'm starting to run low." Naruto's chakra supply was massive. It is far larger than any normal jounin. Coupled with the fact that he is the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, he had reserves that can last him several weeks of fighting. But he used the Shadow Clone Jutsu far too many times in this battle, which requires vast amounts of chakra to activate. He was gradually running low.

"Alright, when I give the cue, attack his feet." Sasuke commanded, much to the confusion of Naruto. Sasuke noticed the look of confusion on Naruto's face. "Just trust me okay, it's vital to my plan. Lee, can you still move?"

"I *huff huff* can still go…" Lee said, exhausted from the opening of the Celestial Gates. Sasuke knew that Lee was spent out after his failed attacks. But Lee needs to distract Kimimaro for this to work.

"Lee, hold him off for 2 minutes." Sasuke said. "I need time to use my Chidori."

"With one arm?" Naruto questioned. "That's insane!"

"I don't know if I can do it," Sasuke responded. "But I can try, right? Haku did it back in the Land of Waves, I'm sure I can do it too. Besides, if I can't do it, you guys die and I'm subject to that snakes desires. I'll be damned if I let him get anywhere near me again! Now, let's get to work!" Lee and Naruto nodded in agreement and proceeded with the plan. Lee engaged in distracting Kimimaro, who made short work of the clones a little while ago, while Naruto worked on another Rasengan.

Sasuke wasn't sure if he can pull off the signs with one hand. Haku did it expertly when they fought back in the Land of Waves. Right now, Sasuke is stronger and faster than Haku ever was, so it was worth a shot. He became intensely focused on his right hand, pouring all of his chakra as he performed the three signs for Chidori. Fortunately, to the relief of Sasuke, his hand emitted an awe inspiring amount of electric chakra, though to a lesser extent then when he first used Chidori.

'Now to supercharge that kunai.' Sasuke thought as he reached for the lodged ninja tool. Metal conducts electricity, so If Sasuke was right, he can transfer all of Chidori's power onto the kunai. The kunai gained a blue, cackling electric aura. It now contained the same penetrating power that the original Chidori had. 'Perfect! Let's get started!' He activated his Sharingan and ran towards Kimimaro, Chidori-enhanced kunai in hand.

Kimimaro saw through Lee's attempted feint and swung his tail at him in full force. He was hurled back viciously, and could not land safely. Lee blacked out after that attack, completely exhausted from the use of the gates. However, Lee's distraction was more than enough to allow Sasuke to enter inside Kimimaro's defenses. Leaping into the air, Sasuke put all of his force into an ax kick that Kimimaro blocked easily with his bone arm. As Sasuke struggled to put more effort into the kick, he managed to make eye contact with Kimimaro, who was also struggling to push Sasuke back. At that moment, Sasuke used his other foot to boost out of Kimimaro's bone arm.

"NOW NARUTO!" Sasuke screamed at the top of his lungs. It was all or nothing.

"RAAHHH!" Naruto shouted as he tried to attack Kimimaro's feet with his Rasengan. Kimimaro saw Naruto coming though and jumped high and backwards to escape the ball of condensed chakra. The Rasengan smashed through the ground, sending debris everywhere, but the attack missed altogether. "NO!" Naruto couldn't believe that he was unable to hit Kimimaro. It was all over for him.

Sasuke merely smirked. After landing from his boost, he rapidly spun around to face Kimimaro and threw the electric kunai at Kimimaro.

There was not enough time for Kimimaro to dodge in midair. He placed his thick bone arm in front of his body to minimize the damage. But the kunai just effortlessly sunk through the massive bone.

"Orochimaru-sama…" Kimimaro said, knowing his ultimate fate. It penetrated his bone arm and his normal arm and it pierced through his chest and rib cage to strike his heart. It didn't stop there. It slashed through the other end of the rib cage, and exited out of his back, slashing through one of his back bones in the process. Only gravity halted its deadly trajectory, bringing it straight to the ground. Falling at exactly the same moment was Kimimaro corpse, gushing blood out of the exit wound as it landed on the ground.

Undisclosed Location, Land of Sounds

The hideout was in a horrendous aesthetic condition. The roof tiles were cracked and dysfunctional, and the walls had layers of chipped paint. There was no active effort to maintain the vicinity, but Orochimaru simply was not the kind of man who cared for such trivialities. His goals and desires were far more important than the kind of impression he wants to leave on people. The only thing people needed to know about the snake was that he was bloodthirsty, and that you should not even attempt to trifle with him.

Inside the hideout, the lack of maintenance was even more apparent, with mold all over the walls, cracked and irreparable walls, and floor tiles that were missing in all the rooms. The room located in the center of the building was worse off. It was the site of a large battle royale, and corpses filled the floor left and right. The blood has gone unwashed from the walls and ceiling for several hours, and a grotesque stench radiated from the room, disturbing the olfactory senses of all the prisoners and test subjects. Of course, this was intentional. The blood and the stench is to remind all captives of whom exactly has their lives in the palm of his hands.

The stench would never reach Orochimaru's private chambers, however. A fully functioning air filter system sees to that. Although Orochimaru does not care much for the materialistic standards of normal men, he does have other standards. He does not want to smell anything disgusting while he sleeps.

In his chambers, a man wearing a dark robe and bandages covering his face was sitting and staring at a lit candle. Sasuke was not able to arrive in time for him to successfully transfer his consciousness to the new vessel, so he had to settle for someone else. He had recently just awaken, the strain of the transfer knocking him unconscious for a while. But some of Orochimaru's former features were now apparent in his new body. His uncovered eye glowed with a strange golden radiance. It was countered by his menacing slit pupils, reminiscent of a snake stalking its prey. His hair was short and light, unlike his smooth, straight black hair. But once he is fully assimilated into the new vessel, he will regain all his defining features.

He was apprehensive. Impatiently, he tapped on the handle of his chair with his finger, waiting to hear news of Sasuke's capture. The Sound Four had taken far too long in retrieving his vessel, so Kimimaro was forced out of his immobile state to rectify the situation. But even then, Sasuke was taking an unusually long time to come back. Orochimaru simply does not like to be kept waiting.

The door to his room was opened slowly. The man who entered had a look of disappointment in his face. He wore glasses with circular lenses, and had silver hair tied to a ponytail. His shirt was black and sleeveless, with a white t-shirt directly under it. He wore a dark pants, with bandages tightening his right thigh.

"Kabuto..." Orochimaru said to the man who had just entered the room. "Was Kimimaro successful in retrieving Sasuke-kun?"

Kabuto looked down towards the floor. He knew the answer and he knew his master would not want to hear it.

"Orochimaru-sama…" Kabuto started, but he trailed off at the last sound of his master's name. Finally, he clenched his fist in resolution and decided to be the bearer bad news. "Orochimaru-sama, Kimimaro was killed in action by Sasuke and some other Konoha genin."

Orochimaru slammed his fist on the handle of the chair, flinching Kabuto. Kabuto knew that Orochimaru was always calm and composed, but he has not seen him so agitated since the failed attempt to destroy Konohagakure. Orochimaru had risked so much in the kidnapping of Sasuke from the village. He sent his elite Sound Four team to clean up the job, but that did not turn up as well as he expected. Now Kimimaro, his most reliable soldier has fallen in combat.

"Sasuke-kun still rejects the power of the Curse Seal?" Orochimaru asked. He was breathing heavily to calm down and reevaluate the predicament. "I had assumed that his hatred for Itachi would compel him to seek me out…"

"It seems to be that the village has softened Sasuke's desire for revenge." Kabuto stated. "During the battle, Uzumaki Naruto announced that Sasuke was his 'best friend' changing Sasuke's opinion about his pursuit of power. Sasuke has let Naruto smooth his way into his life, and that in turn changed his thinking."

"The Kyuubi brat…" Orochimaru snarled with hate in his tone. "I should have killed him in the Forest of Death. He keeps interfering with my plans…"

"No one could have expected anything from the Kyuubi, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto replied. "He was an unforeseen factor in the grand scheme of things. Even my Ninja Info Cards were off about his skills and capabilities."

Orochimaru thought back on this. For the longest, he was underestimating Naruto. Toying with him, sealing him off instead of killing him, he never took the boy seriously. Based on hindsight, that may have been his greatest blunder in the last couple of years. No, now Orochimaru has to take the Kyuubi jinchuuriki seriously. He has to be a major component in his plans. There must be contingencies if the possibility of his interference should be likely. He won't allow his mistakes to be repeated.

"There's more Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto continued. "Tayuya, Sakon, and Ukon have all been killed by genin of Sunagakure."

That news did not move him as much as the death of Kimimaro and the failure to bring Sasuke to Otogakure. The Sound Four was a wreck without the guiding hand of Kimimaro. Their blunders were due to unfortunate circumstances revolving Kimimaro's hospitalization. Individually, they did not have the group dynamic to function efficiently. They all had undesirable personality traits that made teamwork out of the question. Hindsight once again dictated that Orochimaru acted in haste when retrieving the vessel. Now his greatest fighting force was decimated and Otogakure's power diminished.

"So it seems…" Orochimaru said in deep thought. "This has been a most unfortunate turn of events hasn't it Kabuto?" Orochimaru has mostly calmed down from the bad news, but he was still uptight about the effects it would bring to him and Otogakure.

"Indeed."

"With the death of Kimimaro and the Sound Four, we can't possible hope to be active in the coming years. We need to reorganize and retrain potential for a new Sound Five." Orochimaru did not like the prospect of such an idea, but they had no other option. Although Orochimaru was immensely powerful himself, he was not able to realize all of his goals alone. He has to be patient should he desire to succeed.

"Should we use test subjects for the new Sound Five?" Kabuto asked.

"Yes. Test them all out in pitch battle. The survivors will be engaged in a non-lethal battle royale to determine which among them is fitting for the role of leader."

"At once, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto said, about to make his exit.

"One more thing Kabuto," Orochimaru suddenly said. "The leader of the new Sound Five…do not give them the Curse Seal."

"Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto said, expressing surprise at Orochimaru's sudden order.

"The Curse Seal gives such incredible power to the wielder, and places an indomitable loyalty of the subject to me," Orochimaru explained. "But, as in the case of Sasuke-kun, it does not work all the time. Also, the leader must be level-headed to make important calls for the group. The Curse Seal does such terrible things to the mind, don't you agree?"

"Indeed it does, Orochimaru-sama." Responded Kabuto. Subjects of the Curse Seal tend to display negative personality traits, such as arrogance, bloodthirsty behaviors, superiority complexes, and others. Orochimaru cannot afford his new leader to be misguided by such traits.

"I will personally train the new leader. He will be grateful towards my…generosity…he will learn obedience, like a dog."

"As you command, master." Kabuto said with a smile. He promptly left the room to gather the prospects.

Orochimaru shifted positions on his chair for more comfort. The thought of such a challenging prey now obsessed his every thought. "Sasuke-kun…you may have escaped my grasp…but you will be mine." Orochimaru licked his lips as if sating his appetite. "I will allow you to grow stronger. All the more so that when the time comes, I can be entertained by the hunt. So run off and hide, little mouse. I will find you." A heinous chuckling could be heard from Orochimaru's room as the candle burnt out, fading everything into black.

Plain, Near Land of Fire/ Sound Border

From the tree lines, a cloaked figure can be seen staring at the three young ninja and the deceased corpse. His mask blocked out all facial features, but the hole on his right eye shows the ominous three tomoe of a fully mature Sharingan. Standing on top of the highest tree of the forest surrounding the plains, the man observed the trying battle of survival between the Konoha genin and the ninja of Oto. He was intrigued at the results of the battle, and the prowess of the young Uchiha who, despite his severely injured arm, managed to lead the three of them into victory.

Dashing at a high speed atop the tree lines was another cloaked figure. The figure was a girl with shoulder length orange hair and fair green eyes. She had a small nose and fairly high cheekbones, but she was rather pretty nonetheless. She had three sheathed katanas, two on her back, and one on the right side of her hip. She was holding tightly to a golden lyre that reflected the sunlight intensely. She was panting loudly, trying to catch up to the masked man.

"Aw, Boss, why do ya gotta be soooo fast?" She asked in frustration. She pouted her lips to show her disapproval.

"That question is irrelevant. You know how I got here first." The masked man said, uninterested in the childish behavior of his partner.

"Meanie…" The girl said in a very melancholy voice. She seemed very sad at her Boss's response. She then noticed all the genin lying down on the floor of the plains. "Are those the kids?" Her tone changed quickly from depressed to ecstatic.

"Yes." Answered the mask man. "The Kyuubi jinchuuriki and the last of the Uchiha clan are both lying down, taking respite from their victory."

"Boss, why not just get the kid now?" asked the girl.

"The Kyuubi must be extracted last in order for the process to work." The masked man replied. "Besides, if the Kyuubi went missing after the mission, it will raise suspicions towards our actions. We cannot let the world know that Akatsuki is active yet. The time will come."

"Bummer," the girl responded noticeably disappointed. She then started crying. "It's not *sniff* fair."

The masked man was uninterested in the girl's crying. He knew that it will come to an end shortly. "Itachi and Kisame's failed extraction of the Kyuubi jinchuuriki has lead Jiraiya of the Sannin to catch whims of our actions. That in itself has delayed events for another couple of years. I can't believe that Itachi would be so careless." His tone was disappointed at the mention of the failure of the first Akatsuki kidnapping.

"Well, shit happens Boss," The girl said, putting her hands on her waist. "That kid with the blue shirt, is that Itachi-oniisan's kid bro?"

"Yes." The masked man had said. "It's also unfortunate that he did not go to Orochimaru. His hatred would have made him an invaluable asset of Akatsuki."

"Ohmigosh, I can't wait to meet him!" the girl screamed, like a squealing fan. "Itachi-oniisan kicks my ass all the time, I wonder if he could do the same?"

"Not in his condition. Not at the present moment." The masked man answered, with a strange sympathetic tone.

"Bummer *sniff*" lamented the girl, resuming her crying.

"I must depart for Kirigakure immediately." The masked man said. "I want you to keep an eye on the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. Since you are not an official member of Akatsuki, no suspicious eyes will be turned your way. Do not wear your cloak at any given moment."

"Yes Boss," the girl replied soaking in her sorrows.

"Even more important, I want you to keep a close eye on Sasuke and his progress. Observe his patterns, who he hangs out with, what he enjoys, and report them back to me." The girl was taken aback by the masked man's apparent interest in the Uchiha youth. She thought that the Kyuubi jinchuuriki would be of higher priority than the Uchiha boy. Her boss was certainly an enigma, even to her.

"Yes Boss!" She said excitedly, the apparent sorrow and despair gone from her voice, replaced with glee and excitement. She was very eager to complete the mission that her boss assigned to her.

"Excellent. I trust that you will accomplish this reconnaissance mission with exceptional results." The masked man said, before disappearing into a distortion of the space-time continuum.

"Hmm, this is interesting…" the girl said. "The Kyuubi jinchuuriki and the Uchiha kid! Itachi-oniisan would be so jealous of me right now!" A southern wind blew across the plain and the girl vanished in a puff of smoke, carried along by the breeze.

Hey y'all

Thank you all so much for reading my second chapter of True Pathes to Power. It's been an amazing week and I am thrilled to have finish writing this. I am very happy with the first week stats for my story as well. 113 Views, 11 Followers, 7 Favorites, and 4 Reviews! I even got into a Community! Check them out ( community/Sasuke-is-a-good-guy-Fics/107124/)

And that concludes the two chapter fight with Kimimaro. I hope everyone enjoyed the pitched, life and death struggle against Orochimaru's favorite pawn. I did not want Gaara to be in this battle because he utterly decimates Kimimaro. So Sasuke and all of his battle genius gets to pull of the ending blow. Kimimaro had a "bone" to pick with that after all *commits suicide after stupid pun*

Orochimaru has plans for a new Sound Five. I don't know for certain who will be in the Sound Five, but I will be doing extensive research to see if any canon characters could fit the description. If not, I will fill their places with OCs, as much as I really, really, hate to. The leader of the Sound Five will most definitely be an OC though, count on that. Already have plans drafted up in this cranium of mine.

Introducing my first OC! She is affiliated with Akatsuki (but not a member) and a subordinate to the mysterious masked man (If you don't know him yet). I hope you guys come to like her, as she will be playing a large antagonistic role in the future. However, this story is a Sasuke-centered fic, so my OC will not be the highlight. If there is ever a need to put her in the starring role, I will make gaiden chapters that explicitly state such. If you don't like her, then I apologize for not living up to your expectations. But she's here to stay and she will be important to Sasuke, Itachi, and the Masked Man. Deal with it.

As for the Masked Man, he will be slightly different from canon. The reason being that he has an associate, a subordinate that he talk to and trust. The Masked Man did not have such a thing in canon, since all of his colleagues were merely tools for the grand scheme of things. This is a person he actually trusts, but we will get to that in a separate chapter.

The position for editor is still open for those who are interested. I am only one man, and I DO proofread my work. However, I won't catch most of my mistakes, since I am the one who wrote the piece. Also, my ideas may be limited because of me being one person. If I have an editor, and a good one at that, I will not only grow as a writer, but I will also make quality works that rival some of the best fan fics in this site. The journey is long and arduous, so please remain by my side all the way. I won't disappoint. PM me and I'll let you edit a scene from my work to see your skills.

Now for the questions.

Q: Is your title spelling intentional?

A: You know what? Now that I think about it, its not...I'll go fix that today...

Q: Did the fight atop the hospital never happen?

A: Yes. The fight atop the hospital never occurred because Sasuke had no need to gauge his progress against Naruto. Even if he did, he would be unable to, since shortly after he woke up he was assaulted and kidnapped by the Sound Four. He never even had a chance to meet Naruto again.

Q: Since Sasuke never gets beaten up/mindfucked by Itachi I'm guessing the hospital fight never happens but what does in its stead?

A: Kidnapped and placed in a casket by the Sound Four, so that his Curse Seal can manifest itself. His desire for vengeance is not large enough at this point, however, and he can reject the influence of the Curse Seal.

Q: Nice fight sequence with Kimimaro, will Gaara or Lee show up like in canon?

A: Does this chapter answer your questions?

Once again, Thank you all so much for expressing interest in my fan fiction! Hope to see you all here again next Monday! Now I have to go fix my obvious spelling error *sobs on his sleeve.*

-Blackrazgriz 4/22/2013 12:15 EST