Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Ch 10 Orochimaru
Sasuke covers his face to protect himself from the oncoming slaught. "What is it now!" He yells.
The Chunin Exams have been occurring exactly like last time. Team 7 is currently deep in the 'Forest of Death' about to face off with a destructive rival.
A decision was thrust into Sakura's face; she is literally caught between choices. This time around Sakura has options she didn't have before.
[Sakura's pov]
To destroy the snake sanin now or to let him go? Which one?...
I think back to all the suffering Orochimaru put everyone through, not just team 7, but also her mentor, Jiraya-sama, and the third Hokage. He cuts inside innocent individuals and uses them as patients in his deranged experiments. Orochimaru is a monster, and has been for quite some time.
'I'm going to fight.' With that final thought she makes her decision.
Before I fight I have to let Sasuke and Naruto fight him first. It's my second time experiencing this and I'm now a more advanced ninja because of that occurrence. I can't cripple Naruto and Sasuke's learning potential by shielding them from every dangerous situation.
The gush of a strong wind finally approaches, separating Naruto from Sasuke and me. I'm nervous, I can feel my heart beating frantically in my chest, but I refuse to let that affect me in any way. On the outside I have my poker face on and I am ready to face whatever happens head on. I dodge a hit by jumping to the side and hide in a bush. I watch as Orochimaru and his minions appear in the exact position my team was just in.
"Alright you two fan out into the woods and keep your eyes open" Orochimaru says in his female voice "I'll handle this alone."
I walk over to join Sasuke who has also hidden under a bush and I accidently startle him a bit.
"Suki!" he says surprised.
"Sasuke, what was that?" I start to approach him.
"Wait! Stay there, first answer the question. When does a ninja strike?" Sasuke stops me.
"Oh yeah, A ninja waits until the time is right. When the enemy sleeps and drops his guard. When his weapons lie forgotten in the stillness of the night that is the moment when a ninja should strike."
"Good," he says and visibly relaxes.
Then Orochimaru walks up to us, although he is disguised as Naruto. "Hey what's up" he shouts at us in Naruto fashion. "You guys ok?" he asks us. Cheah as if he really cares.
"Don't come any closer," I tell the creep. "What's the password?" I ask him.
"Oh sure no problem," he says then continues to recite the password, word for word.
Both Sasuke and I look at him like we caught a phony! Although I look at him a bit more coldly.
Sasuke throws a Kunai in the direction of Fake Naruto. Orochimaru dodges it by lunging on his side. "Huh?" he says. Oh please as if you didn't really know why we were attacking.
"What was THAT! You could have killed me!" he yells at us. I wish it would have
"Got to hand it to you, you're quicker than the last one," Sasuke tells him, and then gets into an attack stance.
"Naruto would never have gotten that password right. He couldn't memorize all that, much less get it right word for word." I confront Orochimaru in a somber manner. God I hate this man.
"Besides, the way you moved when you dodged my attack was definitely not a Naruto move."
"Alright come on out whoever you are, party's over." I side glance over at Sasuke, and feel a bubbling nervousness start to come up.
"Hmhm," the legendary sanin proceeds to lick his lips in snake like manner. "Aren't we the clever one."
Then poof, he transforms into the grass ninja he is impersonating. "Tell me, if your teammate is really that dimwitted, why would you come up with a password he would never be able to remember?" he/she asked.
"You see it wasn't meant for Naruto, so much as for anybody who might have happened to be nearby trying to ease drop on us. It was meant as a trap and you stumbled right into it." Sasuke's eyes are boring into the man; he's not going to let up his guard for a second.
"I'm impressed; you certainly haven't dropped your guard have you. I expect nothing less from a future clan leader, especially of the Uchiha clan." Orochimaru again did that tongue thing.
Orochimaru brings out his earth scroll. "Ah you would love to get your hands on our earth scroll; it would go so nicely with your heaven scroll." He opens his mouth and chugs the thing inside, swallowing it whole just like a snake.
"Well when this is all over one of us will have both scrolls and the other will be dead" he said just try it Orochimaru, I'm not afraid of you anymore.
Suddenly, bam! We were hit with his genjutsu paralysis. I was able to just barely dispel it making its effects meaningless on me, but it still made me go down on my knees just like last time. Sasuke on the other hand got the full dose, so he was having difficulty of snapping out of it. Come on Sasuke, you can do it.
Sasuke started turning his head towards me slowly. "Suki" he said while looking at me expectantly. I'm sorry Sasuke-kun, but you have to do this by yourself. I won't always be there to protect you; I have to let you become strong so that you can protect yourself. I just kept my head down and let my hair cover my face, so that he couldn't see me.
Orochimaru speaks bringing Sasuke's attention to him "You're paralyzed with fear" he states.
Little by little Sasuke began moving his hand toward his Kunai pouch, till he finally was able to grab one and slowly pull it out.
"Very good, now what happens" Orochimaru says, but Sasuke is still paralyzed with fear.
"Don't worry, I'll make it quick, but I don't have to tell you that do I. You've seen it with your own eyes" Orochimaru calmly says while taking out 2 kunai and walking towards us.
He lifted the kunai up and over his head, about to throw them in our direction.
"I expected you to be more of a challenge. How disappointing." He says then lets the kunai fly.
That's it. I can't take this anymore. Maybe in the past I did nothing and sat around waiting for Sasuke and Naruto to save me, but no more. I'm strong now, this time I will save them.
Immediately I knock Sasuke unconscious with my genjutsu and flick my whip to divert the kunai away. Yes, it was fast and yes it was draining to do two things at once, but I can handle it.
"Whaa!" Orochimaru yells, he is completely caught off guard, but he recovers somehow.
"Now Orochimaru, why don't you pick on someone close to your level, you slimy bastard." My inner darkness rises to the surface and I get prepared for battle.
"Oh, it looks like the Uchiha princess has something to hide," he says. "Maybe I should use my curse mark on YOU!" Then he starts charging at me in his quick snake like manner.
I don't want Orochimaru to find out my secrets either so I stick mostly to my ninjutsu and genjutsu, which is more than enough for him.
With my steel whip in my hand I begin thrashing Orochimaru sticking mostly to my Uchiha sharingan attacks. I put some distance between us and use a minor genjutsu, which would seem incredible for a girl my age to use on him. The genjutsu immerses Orochimaru into total darkness, the only thing he can see are my very bright snowy owls. They stare him down in silence surrounding him in what seems to be the inside of a Giant tree. Then they begin attacking, by slashing at him with their beaks, cutting him from left and right. Orochimaru manages to break free of the genjutsu.
I'm ready for him and bust out my whip again. "Blazing steal," I yell. It hits Orochimaru on his upper back and severely burns his upper right shoulder.
"AHH!" he stops his snake crawly thing and runs up to me wanting close combat. I quickly put my whip away and oblige him. Fighting him blow for blow. Then I high kick him away. "I think it's time we end this."
I focus my chakra and use Shisui's Mind Controlling Dojutsu. Orochimaru looks me in the eye with rage, which allows me easy access into him and instantly his pupils dilate. I know the technique has worked.
"You have no more interest in Sasuke, you have fought me and have seen more potential in me, Suki Uchiha. " I tell him in a powerful voice; while I'm talking he is repeating quietly exactly what I'm saying "You have marked me with your curse seal and know of my thirst for revenge. You are confident that I will seek you out for power one day" and with that final technique we finish and part ways.
This battle is over.
I leave the bastard and go looking for my teammates.
Naruto has been beaten up by Orochimaru's goons, and Sasuke is still unconscious for my genjustu attack. For not I've got to take my teammates and rest under that big tree, too bad we won't be resting for long, will we…