Disclaimer: I don't own, gain profit or have any rights of the Naruto Franchise, those rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.
Beta-Approved by:Rasengan86
Posted on: 03/24/09
A/N:
1) I've reposted a beta-approved version of chapter 13 alongside this chapter. I want to thank my new Beta and Plot consultant – rasengan86 for helping me work the kinks in my plot and now for helping me improve my writing. I wish to extend my thanks to Shelvesinthecloset for all her great work but I we've been out of touch for over a month, and I couldn't wait any longer - I am truly sorry and hope all is well/ok.
2) I know many of you are on Winter Break, but I'm still in the University, we only go on break on the 5th of April, when I'm free and I finish my HW for the vacation I will try and delegate time for writing.
3) Hopefully soon I will begin the rewriting efforts on my earlier chapters 1-9 that weren't beta approved (and have some plot and especially grammar and spelling errors).I will be gradually reposting chapters as they are reposted and inform you if I modified scenes and content in new chapters as I go.
4) Thank you all for the reviews and for keeping around, I hope this chapter is to your liking, I'll try to have another chapter up in the next week or so.
5) Read and Enjoy!
Japanese words Glossary:
Jinchuuriki – 'Power of Human Sacrifice' – the term used for the containers of the tailed beasts.
Konohagakure – Hidden Leaf
Kumogakure – Hidden Cloud
Amegakure – Hidden Rain
Hi no Kuni - Fire Country
Iwagakure - Hidden Rock
Kikaichuu – Destruction Bug/s
Hebi - snake
Yondaime – The Fourth
Sandaime – The Third
Taijutsu – Hand to hand combat techniques
Genjutsu – Illusionary techinque/s
Kitsune – Fox
Kyuubi – Nine Tails
Kinjutsu – Forbidden technique
Bijuu – Tailed Beast/s
Kumo - Cloud
Kekkai Gekkai – Bloodline limit
Hakumei no Kuni – Twilight Country
(Name) – sama – Lord (name)
(Name) – san – honorific for an equal or colleague
(Name) – teme – An emphasized way of saying 'You!'
Nuke-nin – Missing ninja
Jyuuken – Gentle Fist, the taijutsu style of the Hyuuga clan.
(Training area 60, Konohagakure)
The ANBU moved with such speed Naruto had trouble following his motions, the black ops' intent quite clear – the Uzumaki's demise. The blonde's cerulean eyes flashed darkly as he thrust the wind element through his mother's blade. The unique blade resonated fiercely, an inaudible screeching sound filling the silent plateau.
"I don't know who the hell gave you what orders. But you can't really be one of the old man's men. Well, I won't go down without a fight!" He vowed inwardly. With that cemented he pivoted his body sideways, slashing the sword across his body, releasing the compacted elemental chakra as he went – extending the range of his blade via a long curved like construct of raging wind.
His foe replicated himself with a log, vanishing to an unknown location. The ground rumbled slightly around Naruto and he reacted instinctively and leaped upwards, feeling a discharge of chakra in his vicinity.
The blonde genin tossed his sword upwards, freeing his hand in order to quickly utilize his trademark cloning technique. This strategy proved to be crucial as his doppledangers saved his life by pulling him out of harm's way. They tossed him away violently just as massive wooden appendages burst out from the ground beneath him.
The powerful natural limbs ensnared his clones, crushing them with ease. "How the hell can this guy use that kind of jutsu? This is crazy! Only Shodaime could control trees and plants?!"
The blonde sword-wielder landed in a low crouch and turned his head in time to catch sight of a glint of metal reflecting the sunlight. He lifted his own weapon in a sloppy parry motion, the force behind the ANBU's sword thrust forcing him onto his back.
"Who do you work for? Why are you doing this?" Naruto spat out wildly before rolling away from the follow up swipe. His wild dodge left him exposed to physical retaliation – something his foe readily capitalized on.
He coughed as the ANBU slammed a vicious kick into his lower left ribcage. Said blonde exploded into a cloud of smoke, replaced by a log; leaving the ANBU's back exposed. It wasn't long before a wind-enforced kunai struck home courtesy to the original Naruto's new location on a branch nearby.
The man's body stiffened as the bladed projectile ran clean through his upper body. However, there was no blood, no choked gasps of death – only a cracking sound accompanied by the sight of exploding splinters.
The man's visage shattered and the jinchuuriki's eyes darted from side to side, surveying the area around him. He heard the ground split behind him and turned sharply. "Shit!" Naruto cursed under his breathe as he watched the masked assailant burst from the ground, far too close for comfort.
Tenzou thrust his fist forward unleashing what was known as the 'Daijurin no jutsu'. The ANBU's arm shifted unnaturally, the flesh and cloth seeming to stretch and form wooden poles that rammed into the Jinchuuriki's body.
Pain invaded Naruto's body as the collision bruised him all over and sent him flying before he landed heavily on his back.
"Pathetic, this can't be the full extent of the Kyuubi's power?" The man spoke tonelessly and walked towards the fallen Naruto. "What kind of Jinchuuriki are you anyway? Why do you hesitate to use its power?"
"Shut up, I don't need that bastard's help to defeat you! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage and I won't be defined by my burden!" With that said he rose to his feet and crossed his fingers and thrust a massive amount of chakra into his shadow clone technique. "Kakashi-sensei warned me that using too many clones would cause me nightmares, but if I die that won't matter. Since I can't outsmart or outmaneuver him I'll just have to overpower him!"
A massive cloud of smoke spread across the field and revealed a horde of Naruto's spread out across the area, each clone formulating an identical seal sequence.
All the Naruto clones and the original shouted in unison, each wearing an identical wild grin."This ends now! Get Ready!" Their eyes danced with victory as the each inhaled deeply and placed their left hand in an 'o' shape before exhaling fiercely.
The throng of clones unleashed their collective wind chakra into his brain child, a combination jutsu using of the same variant of C-rank jutsu he had learned with Kakashi's tutelage from his mother's scrolls "Fuuton: Kazeryu no Shippudan".
"Oh? That's a rather arrogant statement, Uzumaki. It seems you need to learn your place before my mission is completed," the man known as Tenzou thought inwardly simply and slapped his hands together before starting a furious seal sequence.
The Naruto army unleashed a collective gale of wind of cataclysmic velocity and force. Each low level gust combined with its counterpart, the resulting jutsu of the pressure/force variant of the Uzumaki Fuuton ninjutsu quite awe-striking.
However the ANBU was undaunted and simply thrust his arms forward. "Mokuton: Moku Shouheki no jutsu."
Naruto panted heavily, having expended a massive amount of his chakra. He felt his clones begin to dispel around him as their chakra expired. The blonde genin could only hope that the destructive ninjutsu was enough to deal with whoever that was.
When the smoke cleared the Jinchuuriki groaned in despair as he saw a wooden cocoon like shape standing in the midst of a now barren patch of the training area. The winds had seemingly torn, uprooted and destroyed everything in their path beside his enemy that remained defiantly calm right in front of Naruto.
"You are a genin, are you not Uzumaki? Do you truly fashion yourself on the level of an ANBU? Your arrogance is unbelievable so it seems you're going need a bit more incentive to unleash your full potential..." the black ops agent mused in icy monotone.
He tapped his hand against the wooden barrier, revealing his unharmed form. "By the way, it is regrettable that you chose to be so reckless you killed your own rescuer."
"What the fuck is he...?" the Uzumaki heir wondered before he turned his glance towards a nearby tree that had been toppled over. What he saw nearly brought him to his knees, the immobile form of Iruka lying lifelessly beneath a uprooted trunk.
His heart constricted at the sight of his first precious person and the closest thing to a father he had ever had dead. "NO! I-Iruka-sensei!." Naruto screamed and held his head in his hands, shutting his eyes tightly.
The rage flowed out of him as the tormented cry reverberated through the forest, the heart-wrenching quality coming from the depths of his soul. Tears fell from his eyes as he grit his teeth tightly and opened his eyes, glaring at the man that had attacked him with hateful fury. "Y-you...you made me...N-NO! I'LL KILL YOU!"
The demonic entity within him felt the blood lust, vengeful emotions and grinned behind its cage. It was true he had plans for the boy and teaching the insolent fleshling a lesson, but this was too much of a temptation to give up for the ageless monster. "Such anger, such hatred! How…amusing, perhaps I can finally usurp a bit of control from you after all, you miserable fleshling."
Thus the Bijuu fulfilled its host's instinctive plea and flooded his body with more youki than ever before. Its rolling laughter echoed through Naruto's mind, but he paid it no heed – vengeance came first.
The unadulterated emotions clouded Naruto's sense and logic and thus he embraced the evil energy willingly despite the sickening, violating heat that spread across his body as he snapped glowing crimson eyes at his foe. Burning life force exploded around him angrily, the miasma like substance forming a fox-shaped cloak with one tail.
It started off as a fiery construct before it started mutating into a almost bubbling lava-like construct that flicked and swirled independently. The genin slammed his open palm into the ground and suppressed the nausea and sheer pain of having his skin burn off partially from the youki's intensity.
The ANBU stepped back a step as Naruto threw his hand forth, commanding his prisoner's power instinctively. A bubbling hand of noxious life force forming and shot off towards Tenzou in break neck speed.
The ANBU cursed beneath his mask and somersaulted, dodged and otherwise maneuvered around the ethereal appendage with seemingly infuriating easy. The Mokuton wielder sighed beneath his mask, the task far more complicated than it seemed with the how versatile the ghostly limb was.
"I see...so that is the second manifestation of the Kyuubi's power. Raw youki manipulation along with regeneration and augmented strength and speed. Damn it, that's one dangerous combination – no wonder Danzou wanted to mold him into a weapon. However, as expected, despite the Kyuubi's influence Naruto seems to hold most of his free will even under the influence of the fox's killer intent and blood lust. Though it seems to cloud his clarity of mind as per the jinchuuriki's own admission. I've got what I you asked for, Sarutobi-sama."
He flashed through some hand seals quickly and slapped his hands against the ground. "Mokuton: Jubaku no jutsu" he thought and invoked powerful bindings of wood to rise from the ground and wrap around Naruto, effectively restraining him.
He ignored the blonde's profanity and desperate struggles to release himself and sighed. "I've seen enough, the situation truly is as grim. The boy has much promise but we've got our work cut out for us if we're to help him learn restraint. I hope you return quickly Kakashi-senpai, I'm going to need your help getting through to him."
"Enough, Uzumaki. You didn't kill Iruka and I wasn't sent here to kill you," Tenzou informed him and pointed towards the 'corpse' of Naruto's beloved teacher. The 'cadaver' shifted into a wooden humanoid shape that soon melted into the ground.
"I was ordered by Hokage-sama to test you and evaluate your emotional control; as expected that you failed miserably."
Naruto was confused, thinking was so hard and he wasn't sure what to do. "Wh-Why should I believe you...? All you've done since you got here was attack me, call me a monster and insult me?"
"I had to push you to extremities to test just how deep your control problem raw. I believe that you have decent control over yourself in general but there are many points that need to be ironed out before you can realize your true potential as a ninja," he explained and watched the wary, somewhat suspicious way Naruto still regarded him with exasperation.
"I apologize for the drastic measures but I needed to get a glimpse at your natural, even primal reactions. Had you known my intentions you might have modified your behavior and reacted differently than usual, do you understand?" The ANBU explained and removed his mask slowly.
Naruto nodded cautiously and the elite ANBU was pleased. "I have been authorized to reveal my face to you as a sign of trust. You may call me Yamato. Now if you may, calm down. Kyuubi's youki isn't exactly the most pleasant thing to be around," Yamato commanded firmly.
The Yondaime's legacy shut his eyes, gritting his teeth in preparation for the struggle against the fox. He was surprised by how easily the fox relented and withdrew its power but was too tired and confused to truly question the Bijuu's motives."I'm not sure what you're up to fox...but thanks for not being a pain for once...I suppose."
Yamato released the Jinchuuriki whom dropped unceremoniously like a sack of potatoes, coughing and rubbing his wrists before massaging his muscles, shooting the ANBU a dark glare.
"Now, down to business. I will be assisting Kakashi-senpai in teaching you both restraint and emotional control. I also happen to be a skilled water manipulator so I have been asked to assist you in that subject as well." he informed Naruto simply.
"Here are my initial observations Naruto: You are naïve, overconfident, reckless, emotionally unbalanced and have a tactical disadvantage when it comes to your those closest to you," His part-time new sensei explained, ticking his finger off for each of his disadvantages.
"What! That's not true!" Naruto protested angrily but Tenzou cut him off by raising his hand to silence him. When the Jinchuuriki shook his head and seemingly ignored him the ANBU unleashed a concentrated burst of killer intent.
He assumed the expression he dubbed 'The scary face' and watched his new part-time pupil's eye widen fearfully. "You believed me without question regarding Iruka death even though you should've known better than anyone else that Iruka had no reason to be here in the first place."
Yamato pointed at Naruto. "You, a genin, arrogantly engaged me single-handedly, an ANBU that is way above your level; instead of using the commotion to get one of your clones to call for help."
He then gestured with his hand towards the destruction around them. "You used a wide spread ninjutsu on a singular opponent in close vicinity of Konohagakure without considering the consequences of the collateral damage such a technique might wreak on your village."
Yamato sighed and pointed at Naruto's stomach, towards his seal. "However your biggest flaw is being unable to control yourself at the sight of one of your precious people being hurt and living in denial about your link to the Kyuubi and the impact its burden will always have on your life."
Naruto paled as every point in Yamato's rationale slammed into him like a sledgehammer. Not to mention the fact Yamato's intimidating expression stopped him from looking away or trying to block out the callous, truthful observations. He bowed his head, shutting his eyes "I-I didn't..." he thought as he walked towards the location of his mother's blade, picking it up before sheathing the blade.
The Mokuton user put on his mask once more and secured it before walking off and motioning Naruto to follow him towards the lake. "Come, we need Kakashi-senpaifor your emotional conditioning so I'll help you with your water manipulation in the meantime."
(Forests surrounding Konohagakure, Hi no Kuni, Two hours later)
Orochimaru was very pleased with himself as he traversed the silent woods. His visage, scent and aura were all concealed beneath the attributes of his host body's true form. The female form trailed behind the merchant caravan leisurely as they paved a path towards Konohagakure. "Kukuku...These woods bring back memories..."
The serpentine madman's eyes flicked from side of side, phantom flashes from his past haunting his vision. He was currently clad in a simply ensemble consisting of knee long, black pants and a thin sleeveless shirt beneath an elbow long robe of dark green.
He had sent one of his summoned snakes to inform his subordinates of his intentions to extend his leave for just a few more days. They would only get in the way and in light of what Kabuto had informed him via snake courier.
The sannin had little will to involve them in what was ahead. After all, finding tools of even a modicum of usefulness was hard as it is and he wasn't one to dispose of useful resources.
His sharp eyes caught the blurry shape of the ANBU patrols and his lips twitched into a small smirk. The supposedly flawless invisible chakra barrier that enveloped Konohagakure's proximity was quite easy to bypass with the proper seals sewn on the inside of his clothes.
The powerful geometric constructs suppressed his life force and rending his female form practically invisible to the prying eyes of the Hyuuga that operated the barrier machinery – the same machine he had examined and studied quite thoroughly while he was still a jounin under Sarutobi's command.
Around half an hour later the caravan approached the massive gates of Konohagakure. It was already past sunset, the last rays of the sun piercing through the canopy around them in an almost blood like liquid red. It was almost ironic given what Orochimaru was planning to achieve during his brief visit.
"Passport, miss?" The guard at the gate requested pleasantly and the snake summoner deposited the falsified documents with a sweet smile. He watched bemusedly as the man sighed while rummaging through it. The snake chuckled inwardly as the weary jounin handed his papers back and greeted him a good day. "Kukuku...I knew wearing this petite form and spraying some perfume would make things easier."
The infamous nuke-nin slipped through the crowded evening streets undeterred, his sharp eyes flicking from side to side. Brown orbs widened as he caught side of a ghost. It had to be a ghost as he caught sight of a young blonde teenager with an infuriatingly familiar grin spread over his face. "Impossible...that boy, he looks just like that arrogant bastard did in his youth..."
The snake sannin decided to investigate the manner and followed the blonde towards a ramen parlor. Orochimaru decided to take a detour from his designated destination; he wasn't expected by his subordinate as it was after all.
His hands twitched slightly as he slipped through the flaps of the ramen shop and took the stool on the far end of the stall, listening intently as he ordered some beef flavored noodle broth.
"Oi! Naruto. You look fired up, a good day of training?" Teuchi asked his favorite customer jovially, turning around to prepare his specialized dinner.
"You bet! Old man!" Naruto mused happily, "I can't wait for Kakashi-sensei to come back though. I'm being trained by this really freaky guy who refuses to call me by my name and keeps on calling me 'Uzumaki' this and 'Uzumaki' that! Its kind of annoying...but he's cool, if somewhat spooky..." Naruto prattled on.
"Uzumaki?!" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed and his chopsticks snapped in his hand unconsciously. "This cannot be a coincidence, Minato-kun. That boy is your mirror image in your youth and you and the Uzumaki whore kept on salivating over one another when you thought no one was looking. Kukuku and you've made him a Jinchuuriki no less! It's unmistakable with those markings and unique chakra signature; how deliciously ironic and cruel of you to curse your own child to that fate..."
The snake sannin could already imagine the horrified look on his old teammate and sensei's faces if he killed the pathetic boy right now. The temptation burned through his veins like fire and for a moment he almost succumbed to its call before his logic overcame his passion.
"As much as I would love to kill you right now I think that might incur the full wrath of Akatsuki I can't have that, not yet at least. So it seems I'll have to have Kabuto keep his eye on you. If you're anything like that blonde bastard of a father of yours, you will grow into quite the specimen and you just might be useful in distracting my former associates... "
The snake sannin apologized and took another pair of chopsticks, finishing his broth quickly and paying for it. He ignored the rest of the young genin's jabbering and shot one last glance at the son of the Yellow Flash. He and smirked widely as he stepped out of the ramen shop, "Grow Strong, Namikaze Naruto. So when the time is ripe for me to kill you, the satisfaction will be so much greater than it would be now..."
He then made his way to the a small house on the very edge of the mercantile district, several hundred meters from the Hokage Tower and knocked on the door three times, paused and then tapped another five times.
The door slipped open and revealed the form of his silver haired second in command. The bespectacled 'genin' stood aside and let his master enter, bowing humbly as the master ninja assumed his true form the moment the door slammed shut.
"Orochimaru-sama, what are you doing here? I thought I told you to avoid approaching Hi no Kuni at all costs. Considering what I told you I was sure that..." the medic-nin questioned urgently while pushing his glasses on the bridge of his nose.
"Kabuto, are you questioning me?" the snake sannin asked in a soft and deceptively calm exclaim. The brown eyes of his host were gone, replaced by the eerie; bone chilling yellow orbs of malicious ice.
"Of course not, Orochimaru-sama, I was merely curious as why you decided to endanger yourself by entering Konoha proper after my latest warning..." Kabuto apologized and watched as the S-class criminal's lips twisted into a wide grin that revealed slightly sharpened incisors.
"Do not worry, Kabuto. I won't be staying for too long and I have a contingency plan in case that scenario comes to pass," the kinjutsu specialist declared. His eyes flickered towards his prodigal assistant. "Did you acquire the coordinates?"
The silver haired ninja nodded and handed his master a small note. He watched the snake summoner sneer and shred the piece of paper with a flare of wind chakra. The monster in human skin turned around sharply and licked his lips with his long tongue. "Kukukuku...It's about time I paid my old senpai a visit, it's been far too long since we've sat down and talked."
"He's crazy, he can't be serious!" Kabuto thought, his eyes widening as he gaped at his master incredulously. Becoming a triple agent for Akatsuki, Roots and Orochimaru was no simple task, but it yielded interesting results, like access to Danzou's drones, that after some prodding and 'convincing' revealed a very valuable, very specific tidbit of information.
"I will contact you when the time is right, Kabuto. Proceed with your current mission with one small addition. I want you to learn all you can about Uzumaki Naruto, keep an eye on him, something tells me he's going to become very interesting in the future..."
Kabuto was still stunned by his master's intentions, wondering just how the serpentine murderer planned on pulling it off, his bow stiff and eyes still somewhat wide as Orochimaru reverted back to his disguised form and stepped out of the small house.
"Now, let us see how your hospitality is after all these years, senpai. But first, I have to make a small detour," the snake sannin declared and grasped the knob of the door.
(Twenty Minutes later, Training field nineteen)
Sarutobi Asuma patiently waited along with his two uninjured pupils for Uzumaki Naruto in the middle of a small clearing in the woods. The nicotine addicted Jounin blew a ring of a smoke and exhaled heavily. He was in a thoughtful mood as his dark eyes analyzed Shikamaru and Ino.
He had grown fond of the blonde kid but wondered how effective his team placement could be when his father, Hiruzen, had informed him that Naruto would only be able to participate and train with his teammates on a very loose and dynamic part-time basis.
Asuma's gut instinct told him something bad was brewing on the horizon and that it ran deeper than the excuse of exercising caution due to the tense military atmosphere in the continent.
After all, there had to be a reason behind his father suddenly bending the rules for Naruto after nearly a decade of infuriating neutrality in dealing with the full brunt of Naruto's questionable physical, social and professional affairs."Why the sudden change of policy, old man?"
Another subject on the Sarutobi's mind was that Shikamaru and Ino seemed different to an extent ever since the mission in Fukoka. It was a subtle change, but their eyes gleamed differently and even though they bantered on occasion, one could easily tell there was far less annoyance and far more fondness and routine in their scuffles.
Perhaps their interaction with Danzou's insane puppet and near death experience was a blessing in disguise. It seemed to shed light on their relative inexperience and weaknesses for the first time and force them to deal with the reality of being a ninja.
Three pairs of eyes shifted to the sound of running footsteps. Naruto was panting softly as he recovered his breath. He smiled sheepishly at the three sets of somewhat flat and impatience expressions leveled on him before apologizing. "Damn it, Yamato! Couldn't you have told me earlier about this meeting instead of popping by Ichiraku's and dropping the bomb ten minutes before the meeting started? Damn it! They look pissed…hmmm…hey! Where's Chouji?"
Before Naruto and the others could get up to date Asuma coughed politely to garner their attention. "Save your greetings for later, we're running behind on schedule and now that Naruto is here, I can finally begin."
The Sandaime's son stifled a small chuckle as he watched the three kids start and pause in their motions, his genin wearing curious expressions where the Jinchuuriki's expression contained an additional apologetic quality to it.
Asuma's expression smoothed over to a serious one, "First and foremost, in light of Chouji's arm injury he will not be able to participate in the upcoming chuunin exams."
Shikamaru's hands clenched slightly at the reminder of Chouji's injury, the memories of that battle still haunted the genius shadow manipulator. It was no secret that Chouji was Shikamaru's oldest and closest friend.
The fact that Sakura's perception was what allowed the Nara to save Chouji, no matter how suspicious and questionable it was, made Shikamaru feel guilty and angry at himself for being so careless for all these months. "If only I was sharper, smarter, stronger...I wouldn't have watch you nearly die, Chouji..."
Naruto seemed surprised, he had only returned from his mission yesterday and was unaware the Akimichi had been injured. He glanced at he remorseful and grim expressions and his heart went out to them. "Shikamaru, Ino-chan...it looks like you're going through what I did back then. Well I'll help you guys, Kami knows I know exactly how you're feeling."
The jounin inhaled deeply and then dropped the bombshell. "That being said, Hokage-sama has decided to let you participate in the exams along with Naruto, that lacks a formal team as we all know."
Ino's eyes widened and she sputtering in a protesting, shrill tone, "But, we can't leave Chouji behind, Asuma-sensei! He's our friend and teammate, no offense, Naruto."
Naruto shrugged and nodded his head. "None taken, I feel the same way. I wouldn't do that to Chouji, he's my friend too. I don't want to come in between your team, guys, it isn't my place. I can take the exams next time…"
Asuma smiled faintly and took another whiff of his cigarette, watching Shikamaru intently, "What about you, Shikamaru? You're too quiet. Aren't you going to comment about this 'being troublesome' or something like that?"
Shikamaru scratched his cheek slightly and shook his head "It is troublesome. But this is probably Naruto's only real chance to become a chuunin in the foreseeable future. Besides, even if we did take the exam along with Chouji, there's no guarantee we'd all be promoted together so there's nothing wrong in giving it a shot. Besides, somehow this doesn't seem like a request to me…"
The Sarutobi heir smirked and nodded at his pupil's sharp deduction. "Shikamaru is right, Naruto, this is probably your best shot at becoming chuunin and while I admire your loyalty to your friends, don't sweat it this time. It's highly unlikely for a rookie genin to be promoted to chuunin and there's always the minor detail of this being an order from Hokage-sama as Shikamaru observed; none of you really have a choice."
Ino seemed less pleased with the result, not because she didn't want to spend time with Naruto or help him become chuunin. Rather she worried about her incapacitated teammate's reaction and it showed in the hesitant gleam in her pale blue eyes. "But what about Chouji?"
Asuma rubbed his beard sagely and looked away for a moment. "Don't worry about it, Ino, Naruto. I've talked with him and he said he's okay with it. Though I think I somehow alluded to Naruto owing him a month's worth of meals in Ichiraku as compensation..."
Naruto's eyes widened considerably and even he with his limited to mediocre mathematical abilities knew that was shit load of month's worth in Ramen. "G-Great...that's g-good to hear," the Uzumaki stammered, paling slightly.
The core members of team ten laughed at their temporary additions expense merrily. The blonde soon joined them after a brief sulk and inwardly felt his heart swell."Even though Asuma can't ever replace you, Kakashi-sensei. I can't help it…I can't help but feel that this. This is how it should have been all along. One team, three friends; one family."
(Meanwhile, Training field 42)
Sakura was tired. She had slept poorly for the last couple of days. It was difficult to rest considering her mind kept on wandering to the horrible knowledge that her mother was a wanted criminal and her only protection was the fact she was held captive by Danzou's Roots.
That fact none withstanding she had been working herself into the ground by the one eyed manipulator's personal trainers. The Haruno girl had been forcing herself with obsessive zeal, painstakingly repeating her taijutsu kata, her kenjutsu and chain wielding sets and her lightning manipulation exercises – she had to get stronger!
The skin on her palms was an irritated red, the skin bruised and burned. All the basic medical salves and serums could only do so much when the body was given no respite to heal. But Sakura didn't care, she had taken to wrapping bandages from palm to elbow to protect herself.
"I won't fail again, I'll never fail again. Mother, I won't let you be taken away from me. I'll get stronger, I'll get better and one day I'll take you somewhere safe." Sakura vowed and smashed her palm firmly into the wooden trunk in front of her.
"That's right! We've got to save mom! You can always kill crimson-eyes later. It doesn't matter if you're a ninja or a nuke-nin. The ends justify the means, Sakura-chan. It's not like these peons would ever support or believe in you. Danzou-teme is right, they're all blindly loyal to Sarutobi , the one that abandoned you. The same Hokage that will never turn on his pet monster," her inner-persona soothed her troubled alter-ego, giving her moral support.
The crimson haired kunoichi was currently waiting in this designated training field for the team she was ordered to join by her 'master'. She only knew her new sensei was named Maito Gai and was a prominent taijutsu specialist considered equal in skill and strength to Hatake Kakashi – her treacherous former teacher.
If anyone could prepare her for the monster, it was him. "There is someone watching us, Sakura-chan and he isn't one of our 'benefactor's' usual agents. Exercise caution." the darker side of her psyche warned.
The air shifted somewhere behind her and she spun around and thrust her hand forward, her chakra coated index and middle finger snapping towards the figure's jugular in a mimickery of a pouncing viper.
Her initial blow was deflected easily, the same fate befalling her spinning sweep kick. She rolled backwards and assumed her hebi stance, only to gaze upon a very powerful looking man wearing the tightest leotard, bowl cut hair and large eyebrows. "That's...M-Maito Gai? Why do all my sensei have to be freaks?!
"Oh? While that was an impressive example of the infamous viper style, I'm afraid your motions are far too easy to predict for it to effective. Your motions aren't nearly as abrupt nor are they fast enough to fully utilize such a deadly taijutsu style," someone commented in a clinical tone.
"I am Maito Gai." the man introduced himself in a firm and warning manner that seemed to vibrate with his power. "I will make things clear so there are no misunderstandings, Haruno-san. I don't trust you or your 'master' and if I learn that you hurt or endanger my any of precious pupils, I will crush you."
Sakura gulped and Gai's dark eyes gleamed with violent intent "That said, I am a fair man and I will do all I can to help you as long as I'm obliged to. I doubt you have any flames of youth or passion within like my pupils but I will fan whatever spark you hold, if only to see them become chuunin."
His face shifted completely without warning and he spun around and spread his arms wide. "Oh ho! Tenten, Lee! You're both early. I knew the flames of passion would engulf you the moment you heard our training would begin earlier than usual!"
"W-what...the fuck?" Sakura mouthed to herself as her eyes shifted towards her pseudo teammates. One was a carbon copy of Gai in all by facial contours whereas the other was a very tired, irate and impatient looking brunette kunoichi.
The kunoichi murmured some choice words that were no doubt profane in nature and glared hatefully at her sensei. She groaned pitifully as her bushy brow teammate patted her on the back in a consoling manner before turning his gaze on Sakura.
The red haired schizophrenic's emerald eyes narrowed at Lee questioningly as he perked up and started at her, seemingly thunderstruck by the sight of her. The kunoichi quirked a slender brow and watched the boy's head snap towards Gai abruptly, a light blush on his cheek. "Was he checking me out? This is…fortunate, perhaps I can use this to my advantage."
"Just remember to be careful this time. Don't push them too hard to hate crimson eyes; be subtle and perhaps even evasive. If you alienate them early on it'll only make things all that harder when the true mission commences. And you should listen to me! We can't afford to fail like last time!" the echo of her insanity reminded her violently.
Tenten eyed the black clad redhead curiously who shot her a wide, kind smile and nodded her head in greeting at the weapon mistress. "So that's Haruno Sakura, Naruto's old teammate. She doesn't half as bad as the rumors say. I don't get why Naruto is so tight lipped about her; she looks fine to me."
"Say, Gai-sensei..." Tenten greeted through an audible yawn, as she and Lee approached their sensei and Sakura. "Where's Neji-kun? He's not usually late..."
Gai's smile faltered briefly, but only Sakura seemed to notice due to her extensive training in reading body language and detecting lies under the specialists in Roots. "Neji-kun has been removed from our team by the Hyuuga clan. After the last mission and Hinata's injuries he has been placed on another genin team at the very least until after the chuunin exams."
Tenten's and Lee's faces reflected confusion, their faces scrunching up as they tried to remember what had transpired but failed miserably – a hollow blackness the only thing they could remember. Gai's eyes widened a fraction and he laughed audibly, cutting their efforts with his gesture and shook his head. "Don't worry if you don't remember. You two were knocked out early in the fight by our enemy and suffered from a mild concussion. Luckily Neji, Naruto, Hinata, Kiba and Shino managed to deal with the situation."
"Odd...his answer seemed improvised and forced by the way his eyes shifted and touched his face...I wonder why..." she wondered as Gai coughed into his hand, another sign of concealing a lie.
"More importantly, Hokage-sama was unwilling to let such a hurdle break down your blazing path of youthful glory, my precious pupils! Therefore Haruno-san is temporarily going to join our team for the duration of the chuunin exams..."
Lee seemed to brighten up due to that piece of information and Sakura visibly had to restrain a smirk and instead shoot him a small smile and emulate a light blush. "This one...he will be most easy to manipulate. As for that…Tenten girl. All I have to do is act kind with her like Ino-chan did when we were younger and I'll have her eating from my palm in no time..."
Tenten did not share her bowl cut teammate's enthusiasm and she seemed saddened. She pursed her lips to a fine line and glared at the ground hard, determined to seek Neji out. "Damn them! Who are they to bully Neji like that! It's not fair...he's my friend, my teammate, my...I-I don't want to lose him because of those bastards!"
Tenten gulped and calmed herself down, she would wing it; she had to. She was a strong kunoichi and perhaps on second thought this was actually a good opportunity for her to finally show Neji how capable she and Lee were without him.
The weapon mistress could finally prove her own strength and merit now that she was liberated from the Hyuuga prodigy's shadow. She shot a glance at her new female teammate that smiled faintly. "It's better than waiting another six months...and she does seem capable from her attire and gear..."
Gai watched the proceedings worriedly, though his youthful mask was intact. The psychotic puppet clicked with his pupils far too easily; too smoothly for it to be natural and that worried Konoha's noble green beast.
Danzou was up to something and for the life of him the elite jounin didn't know what he could do about it except keep a sharp eye on the Haruno and protect his pupils from her master's machinations – he only hoped he would succeed.
(Later that night)
There was no moon on that night, the dark streets eerily silent as the serpentine criminal slipped through him, his usually cocky features somewhat troubled. Soon the snake sannin made the nostalgic way to his sensei's office, now empty and abandoned.
Orochimaru easily infiltrated the structure, avoiding the ANBU guard and soon found himself standing behind the desk he once yearned to sit behind. His hands twitched as he carefully opened the drawer at Sarutobi's left and examined its contents curiously.
He picked up a bloodied handkerchief and eyed it with a quirked brow. The treacherous sannin's eyes widened a fraction before he placed the bloodied cloth back in the desk and for next couple of minutes made sure to erase all forensic traces of his presence before reapplying the seal on the Hokage desk and room.
"A terminal disease, is it? You pathetic old fossil, it seems age finally has overcome even the 'God of Ninja' himself! It's a shame, I was hoping to have one last glorious battle with you. But this changes everything. You aren't worth my time in such a worthless state, Sarutobi-sensei."
He slipped out of the complex, moving in utter silence and near invisibility with skill unmatched by any ninja except perhaps his former teammate, Jiraiya. It was simply laughably simple to avoid the non-Hyuuga and Inuzuka ANBU scouring the sleeping city with the intelligence reports and the knowledge of their patrol patterns.
Using his sharper senses and chakra sensitivity to guide him, he was soon safely out of ANBU's patrol routes. He traversed the dark streets until he reached the eastern most side of Konohagakure.
The crisscrossing streets and bridges over the oldest, most humble district of Konoha brought back memories the snake had nearly forgotten. He once lived here, as only the poor and low middle-class civilians dared situate themselves in the forsaken piece of the village.
Its scarred, half broken street and poorly rebuilt visage was a constant reminder of the havoc the earthquakes and hurricanes wrought by demon fox's rampage thirteen years earlier.
He observed the area below and bit his thumb as made some hand seals, "Ninpou Kuchiyouse: Hyakuhebi no houmon."
A cloud of smoke rose into the air, when the wind blew it away it revealed the snake sannin surrounded by dozens of small, black snakes that were only visible due to their golden eyes. The monstrous nuke-nin pointed to the area beneath him "Go, little ones and find the masked humans that are hiding in this place..."
He waited for several moments and then his lips twisted into a cruel grin as he heard a very soft whoosh. His head titled backwards, avoiding a kunai. The S-class ninja maneuvered easily around several sword thrusts of a pair of masked ANBU.
He spun around one of the black masked ninja and thrust his hand sideways shoving his fingers into the man's eye sockets ruthlessly. The ANBU dropped dead and without missing a beat the fallen genius opened his mouth and his tongue shot out, ensnaring the neck of a charging Root ANBU. In one quick motion he snapped said fodder's neck and tossed his corpse aside.
He leaped onto the rail of a bridge, his yellow eyes narrowing as he caught side of more figures shifting beneath him. The Sannin opened his mouth, the snake holding his great sword, Kusanagi, depositing it in his hand and with the blade unsheathed like a great cobra Orochimaru pounced upon his prey.
He moved in blurry speed the emotionless tools could not hope to match. Several quick thrusts and slashes later silence reined once more save the blood of the fallen crying out from the worn stones.
"There!" The prodigal kinjutsu specialist realized, hearing the soft hisses of his familiars. He made a quick hand seal and expelled a concentrated blast of chakra, dispelling the intricate genjutsu concealing a hidden crevice between the debris of a half fallen wall.
His nostrils flared as the scent repellents in the air filtered through his nose,that particular variant the brain child of his and Fufu's earlier Jounin days. "Rather intricate, but my familiars have infra red vision, they need not hear or smell you like the Aburame and Inuzuka, Danzou..."
He swallowed his legendary weapon once more, freeing his hands to run through some rapid hand seals."Fuuton: Shikyo no Boushitsuki."
His hand thrust forward, unleashing a high velocity sphere of sharp wind blades. The jutsu roared forth and carved a path through the stone. The snake sannin ignored the sound of pain as his jutsu sliced, dismembered and tore through several Root operatives that tried to pursue him but were trapped in the confines of the tunnel.
The fallen sannin stepped into the hollow tunnel, kneeling down to lift up one of his summoned snakes. He listened to its silent hisses as it slithered around his arm. Orochimaru smirked, following the inaudible instructions of his summoned brethren, walking through the empty halls soundlessly.
His yellow eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he reached a crossroads of tunnels and his lips twisted into a homicidal grin, "How many of your little toys are you going to throw at me, Danzou?" the sannin questioned under his breathe before he clicked his tongue chidingly.
"Doton: Ishisama no Meiun," was the jutsu he invoked mentally after a series of rapid hand seals. He slammed both of his hands against the ground and watched it shift and crack before him and at his sides. The earth was pushed upwards slightly as the ninjutsu prodigy's creations burrowed their way down the tunnels around him.
The sound of screaming was music the sannin's ears, especially as the melodious sound of torn flesh and spilling blood joined it in a symphony of gore that rang throughout the silent halls.
He stepped around the gory remains and amputated limbs of his victims from both wind and earth jutsu as he kept on pushing forward at a steady pace. It seemed Roots had finally changed their tactics as no chakra signatures of scents filtered his senses. "This is far too easy, Danzou. No kunai, explosives or poison-based traps...I wonder, what are you up to...?"
Nonetheless, he continued his path unhindered until he reached a massive laboratory full of malformed shapes, diagrams and books the snake sannin found somewhat intriguing and familiar.
"I wonder...does Sarutobi-sensei know what you've been concocting down here, Danzou? Kukuku, these specimen are primitive, but you're on the right path, senpai..." His observations ended when he finally found his prize, his metaphorical holy grail – Uchiha Sasuke's sharingan, or at least his left eye from what Orochimaru could tell.
The eye was floating in a long tube-like contraption with oxygen pumping through the water."It makes sense for Danzou to separate his prizes, he always was a paranoid old fart. One sharingan eye will have to suffice for now, " The sannin reached into his robes and took out a small scrolls, summoning a long jar with a small mechanical contraption attached to its bottom, it clear and pure water bubbling within it.
"Orochimaru..." a voice echoed from a set of speakers above him and caused the master ninja to pause. His eyes flickered around him, observing the room and catching the lens of several cameras fixed in the ceiling in hidden locations. "Did you really thing I would let you get away with trying to assassinate me? Get away with humiliating me in my own home?"
"Kukukuku...my my my, Danzou-san, it's been a while. Why are you so upset? I did spare you for old time's sakes, didn't I? Don't tell me you're holding a grudge against me over that, I would have thought such things were meaningless between old associates like us?" The snake summoner cooed pleasantly as he clicked on a button on the contraption, its lid opening.
"The only thing that astounds me more than your arrogance is your stupidity, boy. It was far too easy to lure you're here into this trap. I hope gazing at that sharingan eye was worth it, for it will be the last thing you ever see..." the one armed manipulator exclaimed with an air of finality.
"I beg to differ," Orochimaru quipped bemusedly as he smashed the glass container in one fluid motion whereas his snake familiar slid from his arm and fell to the ground, burrowing beneath the surface of the stone.
His chakra covered hand, repelled the shattering glass as he gently grasped his prize and greedily deposited it into his own container, feeding it with nurturing chakra when it was exposed to the air to preserve it.
He quickly sealed it back into the scroll as he heard the sound of grinding stone as secret pockets in the wall were revealed. His reptilian eyes widened faintly, gazing upon massive amounts of plastic explosives wired with explode. "The only thing you may beg for is the mercy of the Shinigami, Orochimaru. Goodbye."
With that spoken he saw the sannin made rapid hand seals as the explosives went off, an inferno of massive proportions rocking the entire underground cavern – one thought in the ancient ninja's mind: 'Too little, Too late'.
The shock wave ripped through the entire complex. Up above the underground compound the ground rumbled violently before the concrete streets was torn apart as the detonated explosives punched a massive hole in the middle of the city complex above.
The sounds of screaming civilians was brief as the combustive flame fed off the oxygen and greedily devoured both object and living creature alike, consuming all matter hungrily.
Danzou, watched as panic, despair and horror struck the poor, less fortunate and now dead civilians of the eastern district. The flames engulfed as he watched them from the monitor in front of him in his protected location. The electronic device fed him footage from a camera observing center of the catastrophe from a building on the other side of the district that had a vantage to the explosion site.
His single eye narrowed; the loss of life and damage caused by his trap did not bother him one bit. It was a necessary casualty, no – a statistical deviation to him in the grand scheme of things.
He did however regret sacrificing one of the sharingan eyes he harvested off Uchiha Sasuke's corpse, but it was a necessary price if his plan was ultimate to succeed and that weak old fossil Hiruzen received the political and moral blow he intended on landing upon him.
His only hand grasped the radio communicator at his side and he spoke into the mouth piece. "Scour ground zero immediately, if he's alive dispose of him..." The war hawk commanded.
He then put the speaker down before open the cage of a crow with a letter tied to its leg "Go," he commanded and opened the window, watching the crow take flight. He then wobbled out of the room, preparing for the back lash that was no doubt to come when Sarutobi began questioning the turn of events behind the explosion.
Minutes later in an empty clearing away from the commotion of the disastrous fire a pale hand burst from the ground. The snake sannin pulled himself from the bowel of the earth, the 'Hebi Kawarimi' technique he had used to substitute with his underground ,now deceased, snake summon having saved his life.
"Kukuku...that was far too close for comfort - you almost had me there, Danzou-senpai. But unfortunately for you, Fufu always taught me to have a wild card up my sleeve - literally." he thought as he dusted himself.
He smirked as he watched the billowing smoke rise into the night air. He the turned to leave, rushing off in blurry speed to the rendezvous point he had set with his guard detail – there was still crucial work to be done if his calculations were correct this little detour in the fire country would prove most beneficial to his cause.
"I should hurry, I've wasted enough of my time on this cesspool. Until we meet again, Konohagakure..." He thought as he vanished into the night.
(At the break of dawn, several hours later, Amegakure no Sato)
Icy rain showered the earth constantly, the sickly, pale skies polluted by angry black clouds. It was nothing new to the country infamous for its foul weather. The crisp, cool air rushed back and forth on the hands of harsh winds.
The weather was no surprise as it just a normal dreary day for Hanzou, otherwise known as Hanzou the Salamander. He glanced down at his capital from his vantage point on top of the highest building.
The elder ninja, the one considered one if not the strongest in his generation, held his hands behind his back. His powerful frame contained just barely by his infamous armor and for once he refrained from wearing his face mask.
This revealed his somewhat aging face and a long, smooth mane of white hair. His unnaturally black eyes with white pupils narrowed as a familiar aura and scent from his distant past filtered his senses. "What brings you here, Densetsu no Jiraiya?"
The toad sage was standing with his back to the Leader of Amegakure, his long, spiky hair billowing in the harsh winds. He hated this country and its foul weather, it brought back dark memories of the Second Shinobi war, training and then abandoning his first pupils and his former brethren – the other sannin. "I think you know why I've come, Hanzou."
"I am not a man of riddles or games, Jiraiya. If you dared invade my country despite the lock down and the current tension our countries share there must be a reason and I don't have the patience nor the time to waste on idle chatting. So get on with it or leave, before I remove you," The Salamander retorted flatly, turning his gaze over his shoulder to see the sannin had not even flinched in his presence or under his threat.
Despite Hanzou's reputation and power, in comparison with Jiraiya whom stood a whole eight and half inches taller than him, physically he didn't seem quite as formidable as he did back then.
Jiraiya analyzed his counterpart's chakra capacity and physical countenance from the corner of his eye. "You were far more impressive back then, so much you defeated all three of us by yourself. But, you don't seem quite as indomitable as you were. If push comes to shove I believe defeating you is no longer an illusion as it once was..."
"You know very well what Rokushou Aoi and his ragtag group of Jounin were doing, Hanzou. Kidnapping our civilians is a serious breach of our non-aggression pact," Jiraiya accused coldly, and finally turned his gaze, dark piercing eyes locking with unnatural black and white.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Hanzou retorted icily and turned fully towards the toad sannin, who followed suit. He crossed his arms and glared at his counterpart with hollow eyes full of conviction "If you leaf-nin have a bone to pick with Hanzou and Ame, show me your proof instead of accusations."
Jiraiya reached for his side and took out four Ame forehead protectors and tossed them at Hanzou's feet. "The four of them all had identical confessions; they were ordered to traffic chakra-sensitive civilians from Fukoka and the neighboring settlements into Ame no Kuni. Rokushou Aoi, a Konohagakure nuke-nin you harbored against the pact was the ring leader and corroborator with someone within Ame no Kuni."
Hanzou seemed unimpressed outwardly but inwardly he was furious. "Pein! You sonuvabitch, trying to usurp me is one thing, but trying to drag the whole of Ame no Kuni into a hopeless war is just too much! It seems I've underestimated just how far you're willing to go..."
"All I see if the evidence of your country killing four of my ninja," The Salamander bluffed and declared violently. His chakra signature exploded around him, the air shimmering with raw crackles of electricity as his eyes seemed to glow ominously. "Do you really think you can come into MY country and threaten ME on top of my own Kage complex?"
Jiraiya tensed but stood steadfast, "I told Sarutobi-sensei this isn't a good idea. Hanzou is too arrogant and assured of his invincibility to be reasoned with."
"Do not be hasty, Hanzou. While your power is great, you are but one man and from what I could see by a mere surface inquiry into your country, you are in position to threaten me or Konohagakure."
The Salamander's eyes seemed to burn with icy fury but he otherwise seemed completely calm. "Your message is clear, leaf, and so is mine. Amegakure no Sato and Hanzou had nothing to do with these abductions you allege happened."
His fist clenched as he felt the rage pulse through his veins, the temptation to crush the insolent pervert in front of him so strong he could taste it. "Unfortunately, he's right. With that bastard Pein's insurgents badgering my ninja, I would never survive if Hiruzen sent a full blown assault against me. Unless...I see...
The strongest of the Ame turned sharply from Jiraiya and lifted a fist. "Now, if you're done wasting my time, tell Sarutobi Hiruzen this: Amegakure will abide the non-aggression pact between our countries but will pay no reparations or apologize for unfounded threats."
Jiraiya nodded his head, he knew the armored S-class ninja had to save face somehow by denying accountability and unfortunately there was no proof beside four dead corpses and the problematic evidence of their coerced confession.
"Now I am going to give you four seconds to get out of my face and then out of my country only due to our past history, Jiraiya. But neither these unfounded accusations nor these blatant threats will not be forgotten. I demand a cool down period of one month, no Ame-nin will step in Hi no Kuni until the Chuunin selection exams and I demand the same from you..."
The toad sannin sighed "Understood, I will pass on the message. Goodbye" he spoke firmly as Hanzou lifted one finger and turned, vanishing in a burst of speed. His departure was accompanied by a swirl of leaves as he executed the 'Shushin no jutsu'.
The Salamander took the opportunity to grit his teeth and exhaled angrily, trying to vent his frustration and fury to no avail. He stormed off towards his office, walking down the stairway access on the roof and slapped his hand against his desk with enough strength to send cracks through the base of the hardened wood. "Those arrogant Leaf Bastards! How dare that decaying old fool insult me like this? Sending that boy to threaten me in my own capital!"
One of his aides rushed into the room, "Hanzou-sama, is everything...?" the female jounin paused as the S-class nightmare lifted his hand and silenced her. "Are the guests still waiting for an audience with me?" The woman stammered and nodded fearfully.
"I've changed my mind about sending them away. Send them in, now!" he barked fiercely and watched his aide skimpier off before sitting behind his desk. "If you want to play games with me, Sarutobi Hiruzen. So be it. Nobody insults Hanzou and gets away with it unscathed. You will rue your insolence..."
The door opened and Hanzou narrowed his eyes at the tall, broad shouldered, cloaked figure that had to duck in order to walk through the door. "Alright, I'll humor you. Let's hear what you have to offer."
Jutsu List / Glossary:
"Daijurin no jutsu – Great Forest Technique" – Unique Mokuton jutsu – The user will morph his arm and hand into appendages of solid wood and extend them offensively.
"Kage Bushin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Technique"
"Fuuton: Kazeryu no Shippudan - Wind Release: Hurricane of the Wind Dragon" – B rank combination wind ninjutsu. Naruto will create massive amounts of clone and have them all use a C-rank ninjutsu that unleashes a continuous gale of wind. The combination of small scaled jutus will create a massive wave of raging air.
"Mokuton: Moku Shouheki no jutsu" - Wood Release: Wood Barrier Technique – Mid level Wood element technique – Yamato will erect a cocoon-shaped barrier of solid wood that can withstand most physical pressure set against it.
"Mokuton: Jubaku no jutsu" - Wood Release: Tree Resraints – Mid level Wood element ninjutsu – Yamato will erect bindings made of wood that will wrap firmly around his opponent, thus immobilizing him.
"Ninpou Kuchiyouse: Hyakuhebi no houmon" - Ninja arts summoning: Call of the Hundred Snakes – Mid level Summoning jutsu – Orochimaru will call upon the smaller familiars of the snake clan, these primitive snakes cannot speak, but they are perfect scouts and couriers with their speed and infra-red vision and vibration sensing propensity.
"Fuuton: Shikyo no Boushitsuki"- Wind Release: Spinning Moon of Death – High Level wind ninjutsu – The user will create a rotating spherical construct of wind blades and fire it off in a straight path.- a path of death and destruction left in its path
"Doton: Ishisama no Meiun" (Stoneshark doom)" – High level Earth jutsu – The user will touch the ground and create underground burrowing sharks of stone that will collide and tear their intended targets apart.