Chapter 64 - Fandango Bellicoso

Orochimaru seemed more exhausted, that morning. The ANBU had not allowed him to sleep much, and his meals had been small, little more than swallows of water, a small bowl of rice, fed to him with a spoon. His hands were still bound, but not his feet, and they had moved him to a proper interrogation room, this time, with a table, and chairs for the incoming interrogators.

He was dressed in the off-white uniform of a prisoner, now. Stripped naked, first. He said nothing during the task, save for a playful tease when told what would be happening: "Oh, boys, boys, I don't mind at all. Look all you want."

They took their time in examining his hairless, cold body, after blasting him with water from a hose to clean him. His arms were unmarked, with nothing to summon.

And the red circle of marks on the back of his neck? "Proof that this body is mine. Now may I have my clothes back, please?"

They did not comply, not immediately.

This was not yet torture, no. Just practicality. Sleep deprivation and hunger and humiliation could loosen many tongues.

And yet, he greeted the Hokage and his companions with a flippant, "Good morning! I assume you have more questions of me?"

"Yes," Naruto said, "we do."

"Well, goody. I figured there was a reason why you were buttering me up so," Orochimaru replied. He yawned, widely. His teeth were white, and clean. "Well, then, what do you wish to know? Mind, I do have some questions of my own. Should we get those out of the way, first?"

Sasuke, sitting beside Naruto, rolled his eyes, and prepared to speak.

But Naruto leaned forward at the table and said, "Sure, why not. What questions do you have?"

A thin, almost grateful smile folded itself onto Orochimaru's face. "That medicine, has it been found yet?"

"Nope, but we're looking for it."

The smile folded, once again, into a neat little frown. "Dear, dear, we're rather cutting it close, then, aren't we."

"We'll find it. Don't worry," Naruto said again. "We all wanna make sure Karin-san's okay. No matter what."

"Does this somehow have to include his wellbeing too?" Sasuke said, lowly.

"Well, we do have, like, prison laws and stuff, Sasuke," Naruto replied, almost whispering. "So we kinda have to."

"What other questions do you have, Orochimaru?" Sakura nudged in. "We have a lot to cover, so. If you please."

"Well I can assume that the state of my dear darlings hasn't changed much since yesterday," Orochimaru said. "That is, unless something has happened?"

A pause full of narrowed eyes.

"…gosh, must I spell everything out." He rolled his eyes like a grandmother. "I mean Karin, and all the rest. I'm aware that my dear little Suigetsu and Juugo are in town as well? And those lovely, lovely little boys of theirs."

"They are, and they're all doing well," Sakura said. "Is that all?"

"Well, I do want to see them. Or at least Karin."

"No." Sakura's voice was firm, and so were her fists under the table.

"Sorry, we can't do that," Naruto added, when she glanced sideways, needlessly, at him.

Orochimaru sighed. "Fair enough. So, then. What questions did you have for me?" he asked. "And do keep in mind that I'm extraordinarily tired, so I'd appreciate if you kept it fairly short…"

"You don't tell us what to do," Sasuke said.

"Sasuke, hey. We'll try an' keep it short," Naruto said. "But we won't leave 'til we get our answers, y'know? I don't wanna have to use our interrogation guys, an' I'm assuming you don't either."

"Well if things have somehow gotten less barbaric since I left then I might not mind so much, actually," Orochimaru replied.

A strange, unfitting silence.

"But I digress. Go ahead. Ask away," he added, almost melodically, shifting a shoulder in substitute of a hand.

Green and blue and red eyes exchanged glances. Naruto spoke first.

"Well, so, we're really kinda curious about this thing we heard," Naruto said.

"And what have you heard?" Orochimaru said.

"Well, Sasuke said he saw you—well, at least someone that looked a lot like you— at Karin's house, and he says she told him you—or whoever it was—were her son. Adopted, y'know." He was almost laughing, though it was a nervous, awkward laugh, bringing such a thought to the man himself. "Can you tell us what's up with that?"

Orochimaru's smile stretched wide across his face, his lips closed.

"So she stuck to the story, did she?" His voice was a deep, dear purr. "What a good girl. Yes, that's the little charade we made up, for whenever I'm home. The darling, doting son. No one in the village suspects a thing, naturally. After all, they've watched little 'Ooda' growing up." He began to chuckle, softly.

"So it was all a lie, wasn't it," Sasuke said.

"Well, only a half a lie," Orochimaru replied.

"…what do you mean," Sasuke said.

"Karin did come adopt a little boy named Ooda, and I was the one that left him there," Orochimaru replied. "Oh, and before you ask, yes, he was a clone of me. Hand-grown. I put such effort into him, the little dear. He made for the most perfect vessel, once he was old enough."

"…explain," Sakura said, with a hushed voice.

Orochimaru tilted his head forward, languidly. His bangs fell into his face. "Ooda was my last resort. In case anything ever happened to me. A chance to start over, as it were. I always had a backup plan in mind, in case my research into the immortality jutsu proved too difficult. And, well. Given how things turned out, I am more than grateful for my own forethought."

"And how, exactly, did… Ooda factor in?" Sakura said.

(Behind the one-sided glass, Andou's pen was paused only momentarily. His eyes were focused on ten thing at once.)

"Well, obviously, I'd developed mind-transference techniques, you all know that. The problem is mainly in getting the proper vessel; a good, clean target. And I'd been researching human cloning for a while but I'd only just started to make headway maybe a year before, well." A yellow glance in Sasuke's direction. "You decided to take things into your own hands, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke didn't look at him.

"Regardless, I had figured out enough to put an experimental failsafe in place. I set up a highly concealed base and left enough of my genetic material behind for both the pure clone and a… well, lesser being for which to deliver it once enough time had passed. Not designed to last long, just enough to pack the poor dear up and bring it to Karin. I had always intended for her to take care of it, so I made sure she could be tracked as well and found without mishap."

"And when was this failsafe designed to trigger?" Sakura said.

"Two years following my death or so. Well. More like demise, I despise the word death." He shook his head, mouth curling slightly, as if the words tasted rotten. "I improvised a sort of vessel for which to hold my consciousness until the clone was of a more mature age."

"Hold your… consciousness?" Sakura said.

"Highly advanced jutsu, dear," he replied. "Offshoot of my immortality technique. Quite useful, really, but difficult as anything to set up. Very delicate. It was very much a… light at the end of the tunnel experience, I think. Of course, I don't rightly remember anything between when I lost consciousness and when I woke up in that child's body, but there you have it."

"And when did this… transfer occur," Sakura said. She had to swallow to keep her mouth from getting too dry.

"When the clone was about three years of age. I'd planned it all out ever so carefully. The brain was mature enough to handle my consciousness, I reasoned. Plus," he added, leaning back, smiling, pleased with himself, "it was enough time for Karin to get attached to it. Make it harder for her to reject me when I took up residence in my new body."

He shook his hair out of his eyes, fully. Dark, exhaustion-shadows were blurring into bruises and swelling.

"It took a while, since I played along with the baby-act until I was certain I could use her again, but I think that rather worked out in my favor, in the end. She's so devoted to me."

That was where Sasuke reached across the table and smashed Orochimaru's left cheekbone with his fist.

"SASUKE, what are you-!"

Sasuke shoved the metal table aside and grabbed Orochimaru by his shirt.

"SASUKE!"

Naruto had his arms under Sasuke's arms, and was pulling them apart.

The Hokage was involved, so the ANBU weren't.

"Let GO of him, c'mon!"

Sasuke's eyes were spinning in full, hot, red-furious glory, and all of it was focused on Orochimaru's face.

The snake, if he was feeling any fear, was very good at disguising it. Yes, his eyes had widened; yes, he had gasped; but he did not resist at all, not even with his shackled hands.

"You're a monster, you're a monster." Sasuke's lower lip curled, baring the teeth he could barely speak through.

"That's just one point of view, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru replied, coolly, calmly, quietly. "What's keeping me from calling you a monster, hm?"

Naruto finally managed to wrench Sasuke's arms apart and Orochimaru stumbled to the ground, falling, hard, against his elbow and back.

"Sasuke, can you calm down, y'know? Am I gonna have to make you wait outside?" Naruto said. He hadn't let go.

Orochimaru tried, weakly, to sit up. He moaned, slightly, almost child-like.

Sasuke continued to struggle, wanting, more than anything, to hurt and hurt and hurt that horrible.

"SASUKE!"

Face.

"Just get him out of here, Naruto, he can listen from outside!" Sakura said. She was shoving the table back into place.

At that, Sasuke stopped struggling.

(His anger remained. But he could hide that.)

"I'll calm down," he mumbled.

Naruto let go. "Dude, you promise?"

Sakura was, reluctantly, helping Orochimaru back into his chair. Blood was leaking down one side of his face. She didn't touch it.

"…promise," Sasuke said.

"No punching?"

"Naruto." Sasuke pulled away and sat back down in his chair, crossing his arms, leaning far back, like a schoolboy.

"No punching," Naruto said again, nodding. "Not even to this guy. Okay?"

"Naruto-kun, you are truly the kindest Hokage this village has ever had," Orochimaru said, with a careful humor in his voice that wasn't clearly sarcasm or sincerity.

"Yeah? Thanks," Naruto said, though without much of a smile. He sat back down, himself. "Sorry about that, y'know, can we continue?"

"…an apology, too? Child, I will tell you anything you want," Orochimaru said. His smile looked like a wince. "Goodness, how times have changed. I haven't been treated this politely in years."

Sakura had gotten back in her chair, and she kept her eyes warily on Sasuke.

"Well, awesome, cooperation," Naruto said. "Well… huh, where'd we leave off?"

"How you revived yourself using a clone," Sakura said. She spoke the words quietly, as if regretting each one that passed her lips.

"Oh, yes. Well, I already explained all that, as well as I could," Orochimaru said. "Unless you have further questions?"

"My only question," Sakura said, after a moment of trembling thought, "is what you've been doing since. What have you been doing with Karin?"

Orochimaru tilted his head backward, slightly, as if recalling a pleasant memory. "Ah, Karin… She and I have been making wonderful progress since I came back. Been such a cooperative little thing in it all."

"Explain," Sakura said again.

Under the table, Naruto put a hand on her fist and held it, tightly.

"Well, let's just say she's been integral in the success of my… latest project," said Orochimaru.

"Let's not 'just say.'" Sakura's tendons tightened like rubber bands beneath her skin. "What have you been doing?"

"Dear, I hardly think you need to ask." Orochimaru's subsequent smile was, of all things, gentle, and not even remotely condescending. "I am well aware of your efforts in uncovering my work. And despite mine and Karin's actions in keeping you from it, you still seem to have uncovered a great deal of the truth. You do have my respect for that, I'll have you know."

Sakura let the compliment pass over her in a hot, prickling wave, before.

Noticing a seed of something she could use in her reply.

"…you and Karin both?" she said.

"What, it's not like she isn't complicit in all of this," Orochimaru replied. "We're a… team, as it were. Though she needed a little bit of... encouragement at the start. I got around that, however. A little... persuasion works wonders."

Sakura had to swallow again, to wet her mouth. Naruto's hand on hers tightened, almost on instinct.

Sasuke kept himself from touching the table.

"No, but that's—she can't."

"Sakura-chan, dear, really, why ever did you think otherwise?"

"…those scars," Sakura replied, almost in a whisper. "On her stomach. Those aren't—nobody asks for scars like that."

"Sakura," Naruto said, actually whispering, "what scars…?"

Sasuke said nothing.

And Orochimaru said, "Oh, so you saw those, did you? Nasty bit of business, but I suppose it can't be helped."

"What are they from, Orochimaru," Sakura said.

Orochimaru, surprisingly, had to think his reply over. Slightly.

"Well, dear, it's a simple fact of science and the innate, inevitable superiority of the human body over any sort of artificial construct," he said. "I'm so lucky that Karin's such a resilient surrogate. She's really been a wonder."

Sasuke said something under his breath, squeezed between his teeth, and it sounded like "Despicable."

Or "Typical."

"…you've been using her as a surrogate?"

"For a few of the clones, yes. Mostly the ones that were too difficult to maintain in an artificial womb. Her blood is wonderfully nurturing."

"A few of them?"

"Not all of them, heavens no. I'm not that heartless." Orochimaru looked almost insulted. "Just the more delicate ones. The prototypes."

(Horror like cold and downy feathers snaked down Sakura's arm and into Naruto's hand. He could feel it all the way up to his head. He held tighter, mooring his confusion there.)

"…then the child she's having now…?"

"Oh, come now, you don't have to make me say it," Orochimaru said. "You do know I intended to let her keep it, actually. Let her raise it as her own, instead of giving it away like I did with all the others. A reward for all her hard work. It's only fair. Part of the reason why I'm so concerned, you know, she's invested so much in this one."

"So it's a clone," Sakura said.

"Yes. And before you ask, dear, it's an Uzumaki she's having, so it might as well be her own. Dear Karin has to continue her bloodline somehow. I can't be terribly discriminatory."

"An Uzumaki?" Naruto, suddenly, was speaking. "Y'mean someone from… my family?"

"Not your immediate family, I don't think, Naruto-kun," Orochimaru replied. "Almost certainly not an acquaintance of yours, though. After all, the Uzumaki massacre happened when I myself was still very young. I collected quite a bit of material from it."

"…massacre?" Naruto said, quietly.

"We're getting off the subject," Sakura said. She pulled her hand away from Naruto and his loosened grip, and laced her fingers together on the table. Tightly. "Have you made any other Uzumaki clones?"

"Again, dear, you don't need to ask. I'm well aware that you already know."

The blood from Orochimaru's face had long since begun to stain the collar of his prison uniform.

"Taki Kiine."

"Exactly that," Orochimaru said. "Such a pretty one, her. I ensured such a good life for her. Suigetsu told me she's been acting quite impressively, lately. Something to do with Cloud ninja and negotiations and hostages and such, it sounded so very exciting."

"So he's working for you, too?" Sasuke said. There was something sour, almost self-depreciating, in his tone.

"And has been for quite a time, dear, yes," Orochimaru said, nodding, once. "He's, shall we say… my little darlings' guardian angel. Keeps tabs on them for me when I can't."

"And to think he hated you more than I did," Sasuke said.

"I like to think that was just him being a rebellious young lad," Orochimaru said, pouting slightly. "After all, I was nothing but good to him. And I'm even better to him now, you know, much better."

"Really," Sasuke said.

"We're getting off the subject," said Sakura. "Is Taki Kiine another one of those… anonymous Uzumakis? From the—massacre?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Orochimaru said. "I hardly think it matters, really. She's just an Uzumaki."

"Just answer my question," Sakura said.

Out of the corner of her eye, Naruto wasn't blinking.

"Just an Uzumaki," Orochimaru said, losing his smile, and staring back, "anonymous, and female. Nothing more. Even I don't know what her original's name was."

"And why her, exactly?" Sakura continued. "If you didn't know who she was, even."

"Well, dear, considering my mission, her blood more or less fulfilled all my requirements by default."

"Your mission?" Her nose curled with the word.

"To restore lost bloodlines to the world, naturally," Orochimaru said, as if this were the easiest thing in the world. "I actually began with the Uchiha clan in mind, but you wouldn't believe how difficult it is to grow them, much less find viable material any more. I had to settle for just dear Yakata before moving on. What a lucky thing it was, that I had bothered to take flesh samples from Itachi while he and I were still in Akatsuki together?"

Sasuke sat up in his chair. His eyes were spinning again.

Naruto put a hand on his shoulder.

"So it's all for… bloodlines?" Sakura said, slicing into the thickly-growing anger.

"Of course. Really, you wouldn't believe how many clans have been lost to us, throughout history. I thought it only fair to... make up for that, give them a chance to repopulate. I was ever so surprised to find that the Mizukage had much of the same idea I did, actually."

"Mei-san?" Naruto said.

"Mm, with that little breeding program of hers. She seemed to be taking care of most of the barely-living clans. So I decided to focus on the dead ones. Really, it's a wonder I even considered such widespread cloning of the Uchiha clan. I almost thought you wouldn't reproduce, Sasuke-kun," he added, with a sparkling titter of a laugh, "but I see you've done well enough. And, again, I am satisfied enough with Yakata, so."

Sasuke's glare was a murder of the first degree.

"Wait, so you're talking about that… thing they have going on, for the families with kekkei genkai, right?" Naruto said.

"Exactly that. Really, is what I'm doing any different?"

Naruto just shrugged, uneasily.

"Well beyond the Uchiha and the Uzumaki," Sakura said, "what other clans have you… focused on. Asaoto's clan?"

"Ah, yes! The Kaguya," Orochimaru said, cheerfully. "Though I was really more concerned with just one particular member of that clan, because of that beautiful gift of his. The rest of them were all rather worthless."

"So it's just Asaoto?" said Sakura.

"Indeed, and he's safely with Juugo, and happily so."

"I wouldn't say happily," Sakura said. She noticed that her head was beginning to lower, as her anger rose. "The boy is suffering."

"I don't think you have any right to say that, now, Sakura-chan. He is cared for enough, isn't he? And barring his condition, he is comfortable, and loved. I think that's fine enough."

Her teeth pressed firmly against each other. "What other clans did you decide to focus on," she said.

"Hm, well, let's see…" He looked up as he thought. "Hozuki—though that proved far too troublesome to continue, so I stopped after one and gave him to Suigetsu to keep him appeased—Senju…"

"Senju?" Naruto said.

"Why of course. I'm ever so fascinated by that little clan," Orochimaru said, "almost as much as I am by the Uchiha. I suppose that's only fair, isn't it?"

"I don't understand," Sasuke said, suddenly. And all eyes were on him.

"What don't you understand, Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru said.

"Why you're telling us all this. You're just condemning yourself."

And there, Orochimaru tossed his head back a little, and laughed.

"My dear Sasuke-kun, do you really think I'm such a fool?" he said. "I wouldn't be telling you any of this if I knew I couldn't get away with it."

Sasuke leaned forward. "So you're saying you can?"

"Sasuke, dear," he said, "I already have. Twenty years of work hasn't exactly been for nothing, you know! There have been results. You've already met but a few of them. Though I doubt you'll ever meet them all. And even if you kill me, there's nothing you can do about them."

"Just how many… clones have you made? And of whom?" Sakura said.

Orochimaru shook his head, clicking his tongue. "They are children, Sakura-chan. And who they are, where they came from, does not matter much at all, I don't think. As for how many I've made, well." A tired, triumphant tilt of the head. "Even if I told you, I doubt you'd be able to find them all, there are ever so many of them. So I rather think it doesn't matter."

"Tell us," Sakura said.

"I'm too tired," Orochimaru replied. He yawned, for emphasis, leaning further back into his chair. "And my memory isn't what it used to be, anyways, you shouldn't trust me."

"Stop playing with us, you bastard, this isn't a joke," Sasuke hissed. "You said you would tell us everything."

"Yes, but not that. I do apologize, but even I have standards."

"Standards? You, having standards? Bullshit," Sasuke said, toying with a sarcastic smile before tossing it away. "Tell us."

Orochimaru crushed his own smile, and quickly.

"Why do you think, Sasuke-kun?" A pause. "No, really, why do you suppose I'm reluctant? Why is it so essential that I tell you where I've placed them? Do you intend to do things to them? Round them up, perform experiments on them because I've chosen not to for once? They are children, and aside from my most careful selection of their bloodlines and, well… their unique origins, they are not unlike any other children I have ever encountered. I see no reason to tell you anything. Do you have any other questions?"

Under the table, he crossed one leg over the other.

"Because if you do not, then I am finished here. I am most fatigued by all of this."

Green, blue, red eyes exchanged glances.

"I think," Sakura said, "we should all take a break."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," said Naruto.

"One more question," Sasuke said, quietly.

A brief silence.

"Oh?" Orochimaru uncrossed his legs. "Well, then, ask away, Sasuke-kun, I'd be more than happy to listen."

"You put your mind into your—clone. Ooda," he said. "Was… he the only one you have done this to?"

Finally, a condescending smile, another matronly roll of the eyes. "Sasuke-kun, do listen to yourself. That sort of thing is nonsense, why would I even have an interest in that sort of thing?"

"You wanted to use Itachi. Use me. As a vessel," Sasuke said.

"Oh, that's all rather in the past," Orochimaru said. "I have no need for a Sharingan now, given how my priorities have changed. I do hope you're not offended or anything, I'm just not interested any more."

Sasuke didn't say anything.

Then, "So the… clones, any of them, their minds haven't been taken over by... who they used to be?"

Orochimaru actually laughed. "Child, please, stop it! That is utterly ridiculous, you should hear yourself talk." He paused, his laughter ceasing to make way for a slight moan. "Goodness, all this laughter is hurting my ribs, how inconsiderate of you."

"Sasuke, we should go," Sakura said. She was standing, now, as was Naruto. Her hand was nearing his arm.

Sasuke glared for one second more.

And was then the first to leave.

He didn't bother sticking around to listen to Naruto and Sakura discuss their further plans. "He's just… upset, y'know. We should let him calm down on his own," Naruto said.

"Yeah, I understand…" said Sakura.

There was a very uncomfortable pause. Raw information, fresh and congealing, made attempts at settling.

"The fact that he won't tell us how many he's made. That doesn't seem right," she said, finally. She was almost surprised at herself for choosing it as an opener over his sudden concern about them experimenting on children. "I mean—how many could he possibly have…?"

"Heck if I know," Naruto said. "But we gotta find out. I mean… well, I guess he did have a point, but…"

"But it's a secret he's keeping, when he's been so open, otherwise," Sakura said.

(Trying, so, so desperately, to ignore the fact that Naruto had said, "He did have a point.")

(Mostly because she almost had to agree.)

"I'll… send T&I down later. I don't think that us talking to him ourselves will get much further with him, y'know," Naruto said. "He started getting, well… weird."

"Disrespectful, Naruto."

"He looked like he was getting bored," Naruto continued. "I don't get that guy."

"Yeah, well… me neither."

"But at least he's not being violent! And Sasuke didn't even try to punch him again!"

Incredible, how Naruto managed to smile, even at times like this.

"I… guess that's a plus," Sakura said.

"Yeah! Total plus."

"Hokage-sama, Chief Medical Officer-sama, if you please."

A small squad of ANBU had suddenly materialized in the hallway. They wore tan cloaks.

"Oh, hi! What's going on?" Naruto said.

"We appear to have found the, ah, medicine that Orochimaru mentioned in his previous interrogation." The ANBU at the head of the squad made a motion with her hand and a leather bag was passed forward.

Sakura was the one who took it, and she opened it with the fervor of a child with a present.

Inside were several plastic bags filled with white, folded triangles of medicine. A few of them had ruptured. Red powder stained their insides. Her heart quickened.

"I'm taking these back to the hospital," she said. "Naruto, I'm sorry, I-"

"Nope! Go ahead, I understand, y'know," he said. "Get that stuff to Karin-san."

"Well, I need to have it tested first, make sure it's… not poison or anything," she said. A smile, reluctant and reactionary, wrinkled her face. "That is, unless it already has?"

"Not yet, ma'am, no."

"Well, then, let's hurry." Sakura slung the bag over her shoulder. "I'll see you later, Naruto."

"Later, Sakura."

Sasuke watched her leave from a neighboring hallway, arms crossed, his mind in combat with itself.

(Just a delusion, see?)

(…but he couldn't be trusted.)

And Naruto, alone, found his brow wrinkling at an uncomfortable thought.

"…was there really a massacre?" he said, quietly.