Primal
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Naruto talking to Kyuubi in bold.
Kyubbi talking to Naruto in bold italics.
Chapter 5
Naruto blinks as he tries dodges Suki's rather vicious kick. Her hands were cuffed and she couldn't use chakra, but that didn't stop her fury. If she couldn't use her hands, she'd try kicking. If that didn't work, she'd try biting. Suki was relentless.
"Such a fiery vixen. She reminds me of her ancestor Madara, but with less hair and she's obviously, softer." Kurama says conversationally.
That was annoying. Kurama seemed to think all of this was funny. The Nine Tails thought it was funny that Suki was currently trying to kill him for the crime of saving her!
"I have no idea who that is, but come on! I need a little help here!" The blonde exclaims.
There was something really beautiful about an angry Suki. It was like watching an erupting volcano. She was magnificent in her fury. Naruto just wished that her fury wasn't directed at HIM!
"If you Mark her, she'll settle down." The Nine Tails replies as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Naruto still didn't know what Marking was, but he knew that Suki wasn't going to stop anytime soon. Damn. She really was angry.
"Do you have any idea, what you'd just done?!" She demands as she aims another kick at the blonde.
"Dodged your kicks? Suki, I just saved your life! You should be thanking me! You shouldn't be trying to kill me! You don't make any sense!" Naruto protests as he moves to the side.
Suki twitches and the blonde gulps. That was probably the wrong thing to say. The other ninja lunges at him once more.
"She's excellent for your agility training. I must give her that much." Kurama says with a smirk.
"You're not helping!" Naruto says.
Suki glares at the man she loved. Suki supposed that apparently love and hatred were similar emotions. They were both passionate and intense emotions. Half the time, she wanted to kiss him and the other half of the time, she wanted to strangle him. That was just how her relationship with Naruto worked.
Why couldn't he see that she didn't need rescued? Suki didn't enjoy being in the Sound, but it was a necessary evil. She was a big girl and could take care of herself. Naruto needed to get that through his thick skull.
"What doesn't make any sense is you "rescuing" me, when I didn't need to be rescued!" She says as she slams a kick into his stomach.
That probably wasn't her wisest move. Naruto grabs her leg and sends the raven haired woman flying over his shoulder. Soon enough, he was on top of her AGAIN.
This was getting to be a habit, Suki muses to herself. A habit that she was going to have to break. In this position, he could easily bite her and she doubted that he even understood what Marking was at this point.
"For someone so smart, you can be really stupid sometimes! You were at the top of our class in the Academy and actually thought it was a good idea to go off on that creep?!" The blonde demands.
"I never said that it was a good idea or that I wanted to go with him. I needed to get stronger and I still do. Obviously, I do. Even a loser like you can knock me out." She mutters as she tries to shove Naruto off of her.
Falling back into their old rivalry was easy. It was also likely piss him off. If she pissed him off, maybe that would make him less likely to Mark her. She couldn't let him bite her, until after Itachi was dead.
"Oh yeah?! If I'm such a loser, how come I got you back here?!" Naruto demands.
"After three years of trying. Mostly because you got lucky. I can't believe you got passed security. It's almost like he let you go." She says and then her eyes widen in horror.
He had. Orochimaru had let Naruto take her away. He wanted the blonde to Mark her. The Sannin had probably figured he'd do so in the Leaf Village faster than he would in the Sound.
It was certainly a risky strategy, but then again this was Orochimaru. The older ninja didn't shy away from pushing his body to the limits. He wanted to find the key to immortality. That meant he was a gambler by nature. He might actually be crazy enough to let Naruto "escape."
"Suki, are you alright?" Naruto asks in confusion when he realizes that suddenly she wasn't struggling anymore.
"Yeah. I'm fine. You are SUCH a loser." She growls at him.
She was fine for now. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of Orochimaru. He was going to come for her and hard. He was likely just waiting for Naruto to Mark her.
The last Uchiha wouldn't put it passed the snake to have spies inside the Leaf Village. He'd know. Orochimaru would know, if Naruto Marked her. It was yet another reason to make sure that the blonde's teeth stayed far away from her neck.
"Pft! Please! You're such an ice princess!" He grumbles.
"And you still sound like a Genin." Suki tells him with a smirk.
Meanwhile Orochimaru was back in the Sound and in his bed. From this point on, he wasn't certain that he would be able to leave his room until the transfer took place. That was fine though.
He was so close to achieving his goals. Soon enough, he would have an Uchiha Vessel. Orochimaru also knew that it was likely that he would have a future Uchiha Vessel lined up as well. An Uchiha Vessel that would be sired by a man who possessed the power of the Nine Tails.
"You seem in high spirits, considering that Naruto escaped with Suki. I'm confused Lord Orochimaru, why aren't you upset?" One of his followers asks.
Orochimaru hadn't even bothered to learn their name. This wasn't Sasuke or Kabuto. This was just a pawn. One day, they would likely be used as a decoy in a larger plan. The pawn was living on borrowed time. Their name wasn't important enough to remember.
"I wanted him to escape, you fool." He says.
"I don't understand. Why? He took Suki with him. Do you no longer desire for her to be your next body?" The pawn asks as he holds a cup of tea to the Sannin's lips.
Oh how he hated this part. He hated being weak and vulnerable. Fortunately, Orochimaru knew that it was only temporary. Soon enough, he would have his new body and be more powerful than ever before. He just had to bid his time.
"You don't need to concern yourself with such things. I have my reasons. If that isn't good enough for you, then I have no use for you. I will not tolerate any disloyalty. Do I make myself clear?" He asks through the pain.
His entire body was now constantly screaming in agony. That didn't matter to Orochimaru though. He had been through this many times before. In a twisted way, he was used to it.
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru! I would never question your judgment! You should know that I'm completely loyal to you!" The pawn exclaims desperately.
Despite the situation, Orochimaru found himself smirking. He did so enjoy listening to the fear in the other man's voice. It meant that he had him firmly under his control. That was exactly how he liked his villagers.
Sadly, Suki was going to take some work before she got to that point. The only thing that seemed to scare her at all was not killing Itachi or losing the Jinchuuriki. That was fine though. The Sannin certainly knew how to take advantage of both of those facts.
"Send for Kabuto. I need to speak with him, immediately." Orochimaru snaps and the younger man quickly takes off.
Good. He liked it when his dogs were well trained. That always made things easier.
"Lord Orochimaru? You wished to see me?" The silver haired medic asks as he cautiously enters Orochimaru's room a few minutes later.
He knew that when he got like this, the Sannin could become rather unpredictable. Unpredictable ninjas with Orochimaru's abilities were extremely dangerous. Kabuto wasn't foolish enough to underestimate him.
"Yes, do we have our spies in place in the Leaf Village? I need to know when Naruto Marks Suki. That is of vital of importance. That and has Itachi Uchiha been spotted recently?" He demands.
Kabuto nods in acknowledgement. He wasn't entirely certain this plan would work. He couldn't lie though. The silver haired medic was very interested to study the results of a Mating.
The few secondhand accounts that had been written were rather vague. He knew that was on purpose. None of the Mates had wanted to give away any important secrets. They had just left behind a vague blueprint to help anyone else who came after them.
"Our spies are in place. Nothing will happen in that village without our knowledge. I will inform you the moment that I hear anything. Itachi Uchiha was spotted recently. I have sent out a team to track his moments." He says.
"Good. We will need his location once the Marking is compete." Orochimaru says.
Kabuto sighs and nods once more. He still didn't fully like this plan. While he was certainly fascinated by the concept of a Mating, Orochimaru was taking a gamble here. A very dangerous gamble.
The Sannin was betting that Suki would be Marked before long and kill Itachi in short order. Orochimaru didn't have much time left before he had to take a new vessel or die. They all knew it.
"Are you certain this is a wise plan? We can likely still get her before the transfer. I know that you would be missing out on Itachi and the Jinchuuriki, but at least this way we would know for sure that you would get your new body." The medic inquires.
Orochimaru's eyes narrow. Kabuto was questioning him. He was questioning him out of concern, but that didn't change the fact that the man was questioning him.
He didn't care for that at all. The medic was his most trusted follower. Not only for his medical skills, but also for his loyalty. If Kabuto couldn't be trusted, then no one could be trusted.
"Do not question me." Orochimaru hisses at him.
"My apologies, Lord Orochimaru. I assure you that was not my intention. I would never question you. I was merely discussing strategy." He apologizes.
Orochimaru didn't believe that. Kabuto was rather fortunate that his medical skills were too valuable for him to lose. Well, he mentally corrects himself. Kabuto's medical skills were too valuable for him to lose at the moment.
That might change in the future. There were few medics on par with the silver haired man, but they did exist. He could find a replacement. It would be difficult, but he could do it. The Sannin just hoped that it didn't come to that.
A few hours later, Suki was in Tsunade's office. Naruto was likely asleep at this hour. The last Uchiha didn't think that the timing of meeting was a coincidence.
"Suki, you've put me in a rather uncomfortable position." She says with a sigh.
"That wasn't my intention, but that doesn't matter to me. I'm going to avenge my family. If you try to execute me, I will fight back. I will take as many Leaf Villagers down with me as I can before I go. Other than that, I don't care what you do with me." She retorts.
Tsunade sighs. The woman was stubborn. If she was in the raven haired ninja's position, she likely would have hunted down Itachi as well The Hokage could hardly blame her for wanting to avenge her family, but that didn't change the fact that this was a very tricky situation.
"The Council is going to want you to be punished somehow. You're the last Uchiha though. It would be genocide and the village would lose a powerful bloodline. Killing you isn't something that I want to do or really even something the Council wants to do." She says with a heavy sigh.
Suki raises an eyebrow. They wanted to use her for her Sharingan. She wasn't surprised by that fact. That is what the Leaf Village had done to her Clan since the founding of this village. They used their strength.
To a certain degree, the Leaf did this to everyone. The extent varied, but not the intent. The Leaf was very good at using their strongest villagers and then casting them aside when they were no longer useful.
This village had been just fine with her when she was the lone survivor. The prodigy with the tragic past. That was until she decided to start making her own decisions that they didn't like. Now things were different.
"Good. If you had decided to kill me, I would have warned you not to do it for another reason. Naruto wants to Mark me. I think it's subconscious, but he almost did it earlier. I'm fortunate that the chakra transfer didn't go through. I can't allow it to happen. I have to kill Itachi. Linking myself to Naruto in such a way, would make him very vulnerable while I avenge my Clan." The raven haired woman says bluntly.
Tsunade's eyes widen. She knew enough about Jinchuurikis to realize what that meant. If they tried to kill Suki, Naruto would have likely leveled the village to the ground in a blind rage. It was only sheer dumb luck and her bloodline that had prevented such an outcome.
"We shall have to figure out what we are going to do with such information. A Jinchuuriki who feels rejected by their Mate is a very dangerous animal, even if you haven't taken his Mark." The medic states.
Suki bites her lower lip. She hadn't thought about that. It hadn't been a rejection, but the Mark hadn't been finished. The Nine Tails might feel rejected. That might transfer to Naruto. This situation could get out of hand and quickly.
"I didn't reject him. I didn't even know what he was doing. Kabuto is the one who saw the Mark on my neck and told me the truth." Suki whispers.
Tsunade frowns. She knew what that meant. Kabuto knew. That meant Orochimaru knew. The Leaf was in serious danger.
"You realize what this means?" She asks.
"Orochimaru knows that Naruto tried to Mark me. I'm afraid that he left Naruto escape with me. He wants him to Mate with me." The last Uchiha mutters.
The Hokage raises her eyebrow at Suki's response. That wasn't what she had been expecting. She had expected that the other woman would know that the other Legendary Sannin was aware of the situation. She never would have dreamed that Suki would believe Orochimaru WANTED her to Mate with Naruto.
"Why do you think that he would desire for you and Naruto to become Mates? It doesn't make any sense." She demands.
"Orochimaru loves power in all its forms. The Nine Tails is certainly powerful. He has a crazy idea in his head that I can kill Itachi and Itachi will be his vessel. Naruto will be loyal to him as long as Orochimaru "gives" me to him. It all makes sense in a psychotic way." The raven haired woman replies.
Tsunade frowns as she considers Suki's words. As much as she was loathed to admit it, they rang true. The Uchiha was telling the truth. Well she was telling the truth as she saw it anyway.
Whether or not that was actually Orochimaru's plan, remained to be see. Sadly, in some ways it didn't matter. Orochimaru knew that Naruto wanted Suki to be his Mate. That was horrible news.
"Do you want to be Naruto's Mate?" She asks.
"That's really none of your business. That's a very personal question." Suki snaps at her.
The busty blonde couldn't help but smile. That response meant that the question had hit close to home. Suki may be a criminal ninja, but it was obvious that she hadn't been able to severe at least one connection she had to the Leaf Village. Her love for Naruto.
It wasn't the love that one had for a teammate. It wasn't even the love that one had for a friend. Nor was it the love one had for a family member. This was obviously more than that. Suki actually did love him.
"Personal or not, it impacts this village. I'm not sure you realize what a dangerous position you have now put yourself and him in." She says.
"I realize it. That's why I was trying to stay away in the first place!" Suki growls at her.
She wished things were different. If the Massacre had never happened, then she never would have gone to the Sound. Naruto probably would have already Marked each other and she wouldn't be a Criminal Ninja. Things weren't different though.
She had to find a way to protect him. At least for a little while. Suki just wasn't sure how she was going to do that yet. She'd figure something out though. Failure wasn't an option.
Meanwhile Itachi was on the move again. This time he had come to the Sound Village. If all went well, today would be his last day alive.
Suki would finally get her revenge. She'd be the hero in the eyes of everyone. The hero who had killed the Clan Slayer and hopefully, his sister would finally be able to move on with her life.
"I don't sense her chakra." He mutters to himself as he stays hidden on the outskirts of the Sound Village.
That thought unsettled him. He knew Suki's chakra signature like the back of her hand. Was she no longer in the Sound Village? Had something happened to her in his absence?
"Looks like we got ourselves a game of Hide and Go Seek." Kisame says with a smirk.
Itachi would have rolled his eyes at his teammate, if it wasn't beneath his dignity. Uchihas didn't roll their eyes. They were above such matters.
"It would seem so." He says as he performs a Transformation Jutsu to look like Kabuto.
Kisame follows suit. He now looked like one of the Sound Villagers. His partner had chosen a high level villager for a good reason. No one would be suspicious, if they were walking around the village.
"Did you hear?" A Sound Villager asks another.
"That the Uchiha left with the Jinchuuriki? Yeah. I heard. Lord Orochimaru is going to be furious." The other replies.
Itachi's eyes narrow. So that's why she wasn't here. She had left with Naruto. That was mostly a good thing.
At least this way, she wouldn't end up giving Orochimaru her body. On the other hand, now it meant he had to track her down again. Well at least now he knew where to start looking.
The Leaf. She'd likely be in the Leaf Village. That was going to pose a challenge. He couldn't allow himself to get caught and somehow, he had to leave her away from that placed. They would need privacy for their final battle.
"Well I guess that answers that question. We need to get going." Kisame says as he teleports off with Itachi.
He knew the truth. Itachi was really sick. If they stayed there too long, he'd launch into another coughing fit. Someone was definitely going to notice if "Kabuto" started coughing up blood. It was in their best interest to get out of there and quickly.
Meanwhile back in the Leaf, Naruto had just woken up fro another dream. A very vivid dream. He was starting to get a little concerned.
"Kurama, tell me what's going on! Why do I keep dreaming about biting her like that?! It's not normal!" He demands.
They had been fighting. It was after the Retrieval Team found Suki and they were along. Naruto's teeth had sunk into her neck. Only this time, it didn't stop there.
"Naruto!" She gasped and arched against him.
This time, he knew that was giving her some of his chakra. He knew that it was important, but not why. That and she felt so good pressed up against him like that and he really liked it when she said his name that way. It was exciting for reasons, he didn't completely understand.
It felt even better when she bit him back. After a moment or two, he saw that Orochimaru's Mark had been covered over by an orange spiral pattern. It was like she had his name tattooed on her neck in a way. For some reason, he found that extremely satisfying.
"It's perfectly normal for someone who with a Tailed Beast inside them to take a Mate. I suppose I shall try to simplify things for you. My kind doesn't believe in marriages. We show our…appreciation for our lovers in different ways." He says.
"You don't get married? Then what do you do? Wait. What do lovers have to do with anything?" Naruto asks in confusion.
Kurama just shakes his head. Maybe Naruto was just one of those humans who reached maturity later than others. He didn't know.
Sometimes it was amusing. At other times, it could be rather annoying to have such a naïve host. How the blonde had kept his innocence when he was taught by Jirayia and Kakashi was completely beyond Kurama's understanding.
"You want to bite her because she's your Mate. Once you two bite each other and exchange chakra, by demonic standards you are what humans call married. There are many advantages to such an arraignment. Though there are a few disadvantages." The Nine Tails explains.
Naruto blinks. Wait. What?! Kurama was trying to say that he wanted to MARRY Suki?!
"Well that's really interesting and all, but I don't like her that way. I mean she's Suki. She's my teammate. She's my rival. She's my friend. I don't like her THAT way." Naruto insists.
Kurama just shakes his head. There were many strange things about humans. One of the strangest was how difficult they made it to Mate. He would never understand it.
"Do you honestly believe that the reason why you chase her is merely because she's your friend? So you wouldn't mind at all if say, Kabuto was to express a romantic interest in her? Hmm. Well she doesn't seem too fond of him. Perhaps Neji instead? They would seem a rather compatible pair." The Nine Tails taunts him.
Naruto clenches his fists and grits his teeth. He wasn't sure why, but the thought of Neji with Suki like that made him see red. He shouldn't be angry about something like that. Suki could date whoever she wanted, as long as she wasn't with that snake creep. That didn't change the fact that he was angry about it though and that disturbed him.
"That'd be completely up to her. It wouldn't bother me at all. " He lies.
"You are an extremely pathetic liar. You chose her at a young age. It's not surprising that you didn't recognize what you chose her for. At least she isn't as oblivious as you." Kurama continues.
Naruto blinks. The Nine Tails was basically saying that Suki knew about them being Mates. She knew and she didn't tell him!
"I'm going to go talk to her right now! You're crazy." Naruto grumbles.
He quickly rushes off to find Suki. The blonde had to talk to her. One way or another, Naruto was going to find out if Kurama was right or wrong. He just wasn't sure what he was going to do, if Kurama turned out to be right.