When it was decided that they were to climb to the lair of Son Goku, each of the men of the fellowship had a different take on how it would occur. Naruto imagined that it would be like the stories the men told in the taverns; an adventure filled with peril and life threatening situations. Sasuke, having never experienced climbing a mountain, had thoughts of narrow cliffs where one small misstep would spell the end. Kakashi, who was well-versed in travel on the mountains of dwarves, thought that the paths would be rather well-kempt albeit a bit steep, and the atmosphere would be a bit nippy for this time of year. What none of them were expecting, however, were to be led to a door inside Oonoki's kingdom that opened to a passageway, where they would travel to their destination from within the mountain.

"Don't tell me you actually thought you'd have to climb it, did you," Sakura asked, looking at them in disbelief. None of them would look her in the face, each of them suddenly finding a different corner of the room fascinating. She frowned, placing her hands on her hips as she stared at them; Naruto was the first to crack.

"It's just," He began, boot scraping along the ground, "Well, how else were we going to get to the top of a mountain?"

"Climbing the mountain would put Lord Roshi at risk," The dwarf accompanying them explained, "It would provide enemies with a clear path to him, as well as increase the chances of weary travelers stumbling across his path by accident."

"So as a way to protect him, the majority of the path is underground," Sakura finished, "This path will lead us directly to the entrance of his cave. No one will be able to follow or track our movements while we're underground, so we'll be fairly safe."

"At least until we get above ground."

Sakura nodded, acknowledging Sasuke's grim statement. "Yes, well, danger is to be expected, especially in our profession. So to get by, best not to complain much about it, right?"

He grunted at her response, earning a grin from her. Turning away from the group, she entered the tunnel leading to the dragon's lair.

"Onwards," She said as she pointed forward, stepping into the dim lighting. The others went to follow after her, but were stopped as the dwarf blocked their path with his axe.

"Do not let any harm come unto the princess," He growled, "The king has great plans for her; plans that cannot be fulfilled if she dies."

Sasuke frowned at the underlying message as Naruto nodded his understanding of the request, oblivious or choosing to ignore his implications. "Of course we won't let anything happy to her," Naruto reassured him, "She's our friend, and they'll have to climb over our dead bodies to get to her!"

The dwarf stared at him for a moment, before his eyes flickered over to Sasuke and Kakashi, searching for any discrepancies towards Naruto's feelings. Slowly he lowered his axe, nodding in approval at what he found.

"Oi, don't tell me you guys got scared," Sakura called from within the tunnel, breaking the tense atmosphere. Naruto quickly headed into the tunnel, protesting her accusation along the way. Kakashi merely sighed as he followed after, Sasuke and the dwarf bringing up the rear.

As Sasuke entered the tunnel, he glanced over his shoulder; his eyes locked with the dwarf's. An unspoken exchange occurred as their eye contact never broke, not even as the dwarf closed the entrance to the tunnel behind them, plunging them into a deeper darkness.

The journey through the tunnel was similar to when they visited Shukaku; torches lined the walls, illuminating the path and casting long shadows towards the ceilings. Patterns similar to the ones carved into the front gate of the kingdom lined the walls. However, unlike the tunnel that had led to Shukaku, there weren't any depictions of Son Goku displayed; one could say that the walls were almost barren in comparison.

"Not really singing his praises here, huh," Naruto muttered, looking around the walls; his voice echoed slightly.

"King Oonoki works very hard to keep his existence a secret," Sakura replied, "In order to keep him safe from any enemies, outside of ourselves and the king, not many people within the kingdom are even aware that he's alive. Even I've never actually met him, despite hailing from the Haruno's ruling family. "

Naruto frowned; each time they came across a dragon, it seemed to lead a different lifestyle. Shukaku led a life of isolated veneration, his self-preservation tactics being seen as keeping the village safe from intruders. Gyuuki and Killer B, on the other hand, had more freedom much to A's chagrin; their existence was known by the entire village, and even those outside of it. And now added to the ever growing list was Son Goku's life of absolute solitude, where he was only seen as a myth at best. As he thought about it, he wondered what the other dragons' lives were like; were they happy with their situation? Or did they long to return to Kaguya's side, to reunite with their lost brothers, sisters, and creator?

"It must be lonely up there…" He murmured, speaking his thoughts aloud. Sakura glanced back at him, her eyebrow raised in question.

"Well, I suppose it is rather lonely." Sakura admitted, frowning as she thought about it. "But it's a vital job to protect the rest of the mountain, so one person's loneliness isn't powerful enough to change the system entirely."

Naruto took her explanation into consideration as he thought of the other guardians they had met. He thought how none of them had really chosen their path, but were rather coerced into it due to their compatibility with the dragon. The most glaring example that came to mind was of Gaara, a mage chosen before he could even formulate an opinion, who now struggled with soothing Shukaku while also staying connected to himself. Yet never once, not even from Gaara, had Naruto heard a single complaint about the constant fear for their lives, or how isolation was their only true companion. And their only reward as far as Naruto could tell was existing in the same manner, never being praised for their job, and merely preserving the position for the next unfortunate soul who would undoubtedly come.

"But aren't we doing the same," He thought to himself, staring at Sakura's back as they walked. He knew that she was loathe to marry anyone from dwarf or human nobility, as back in the village they had spent late nights making fun of the pompous attitudes that suitors had portrayed. They had even teased each other about marrying the other, only so that they could continue to be free to do as they pleased. Now that his royal lineage had been revealed, he wondered if perhaps it actually would; he knew though that it wouldn't solve the problem. Knew that, although she would be happy to continue as she always had, she wouldn't be happy with essentially being forced into marrying him, unable to choose a person who she loved as more than a brother.

It was with this that he realized that, if he wanted to change anything, the change would have to start within their very small group and spread like wildfire throughout the lands. Before he could properly form the words and give a powerful speech about how he would make sure no one would ever shoulder such a burden alone again, they stood before massive stone doors that marked the end of the tunnel.

Unlike the rest of the tunnel, a massive carving depicting the dragon atop the mountain was displayed. Fragments of rubies and emeralds were embedded into the rock of the dragon's skin, giving it a scaly appearance; it was so lifelike, it looked as if it would leave the wall and confront them right there and then. While the others were appreciating the craftsmanship, Sakura had already pushed all her weight against the doors; sunlight began to slowly stream into the tunnel as the doors were pushed open.

A great expanse of the mountain was revealed as the doors were fully open; boulders were scattered around, and straight ahead of them was a large cave. While nothing seemed out of the ordinary, when Naruto heard Sakura take a sharp intake of breath, he moved his eyes to focus on what she was staring at. In the distance, near the cave entrance, were what appeared to be two bodies lying in a heap on the ground, their weapons a few feet away. Before he had time to properly react, Sakura had dashed towards them, throwing caution to the wind as her desire to protect her people overtook her. Before he even realized it, Naruto was jogging after her with the others; she was already crouched down by their sides, examining them.

He blanched as he looked at them, knowing that it didn't take a trained healer to know that they had already passed. Flies and other insects swarmed the masses, looking for what little flesh and tissue was left to feast upon; the rest of it had turned into a foul smelling liquid, permeating the ground beneath the bodies. Waxy flesh and bloody muscle still clung to the bone in some places, almost as if it was too stubborn to decompose with the rest of the body. But what caught his eye was the way he imagined that their faces seemed to be screwed into painful surprise, as if they hadn't been expecting an attack; so focused on them that he barely registered Sakura speaking.

"…Whatever it was, it wasn't pleasant." Sakura muttered, standing up from her crouched position. She wiped her gloves on her skirt, "But it's safe to assume that Son Goku isn't here any longer."

"We should head back before we meet the same fate," Sasuke said; Sakura and Naruto nodded, turning to head back towards the tunnel entrance. Kakashi however, kept his lone eye trained on the cave, hand clenching and unclenching around his staff. The three stopped, staring at him curiously; it was Naruto that spoke.

"What's up Kakashi?"

Suddenly, Kakashi slammed the end of his staff down onto the ground, erecting a giant stone wall in front of him. Before any of them could ponder the reason, the wall was immediately destroyed; they quickly raised their arms, blocking the debris that flew. Once the wind calmed, they slowly lowered their arms, eyes widening in shock at the sight in front of them. The slab of earth that had risen in front of Kakashi had been reduced to a pile of rubble by the mysterious blast; despite this, Kakashi still seemed calm.

"Why don't you actually show yourselves," Kakashi asked, staring intently at the cave. Slowly, from out of the darkness two men and a woman appeared, each wearing a long scarf and trousers that were patterned to appear like the body of a black and grey snake.

"Heh, looks like the rumors are true," One of the males said, grinning. He wore a plates of armor on his face to protect his temples, causing his black hair to be pushed up into spikes. He wore a thick yellow shirt with two columns of runes written on the front of it. "This will be far more enjoyable than killing those dwarves."

The female, wearing a dark green vest, hummed in agreement as she tossed her long black hair over her shoulder. "Yeah, they were barely worth the effort. What a pathetic excuse for a race!"

Sakura grit her teeth, hand flying to the handle of her axe. The antagonizing female smirked, placing her hands on her hips.

"What's wrong princess? Don't like hearing how weak your people are?"

"Enough Kin," The other male said, keeping his visible eye trained on the group. The other one, as well as the rest of his face and the top of his head, was covered in bandages. There was slight movement beneath his cloak; from the way the other male immediately closed his mouth, it was most likely a signal for silence. "You too, Zaku. We came to do a job, and the boss won't be happy if it isn't completed."

"Your…your boss," Naruto asked, slightly confused. So far, they had only ever heard Kaguya's underlings address her as a lady, as if she were some type of royalty. But hearing him speak so nonchalantly about their superior made him believe that it was someone else. His suspicions seemed to be confirmed as Zaku smirked, arms unfolding from across his chest.

"Yeah, our boss," Zaku said, jerking his thumb towards the cave. "He's a hands-on kind of guy; likes to watch us work up close, you know?"

"Only because you consistently screw up spectacularly." The bandaged man spoke, glaring in his direction. Irritation flashed across Zaku's face, his mouth opening to retort; he instantly closed it though when shuffling was heard from the cave.

Time seemed to stand still as everyone's eyes were trained on the cave. Seeing the opportunity to strike, Naruto tried to move his body to attack the bandaged leader; to his horror, he found that he couldn't. A quick glance back towards the other members of his band showed that he wasn't the only one in such a position. He tried to quell the rising panic, frantically wondering what kind of being their employer was if he could paralyze them without showing his face. It was only until the white robes and bandages appeared from within the darkness that he realized who it was.

"Heh, they seem surprised." Zaku commented, smirk still gracing his features. "Of course, I'd be surprised too if I saw an old man like yourself up on this mountain."

"Shut it," The leader of the team spoke; he turned to face their boss fully, head bowing slightly. "My apologies, Danzou; you know how those two like to play with their prey before killing them."

Danzou said nothing in reply, his gaze merely sweeping over the fellowship that had ruined his previous plans. His gaze locked with Sasuke's, as if comparing him to the person he was the last time they had met. Sasuke felt his blood sing with the urge to slaughter the man that stood in front of him, yet the paralysis that he was put under prevented that from happening. Just as he was mentally trying to work out an escape, he felt his body fall forward slightly, the tension from before setting him off balance. He stumbled forward slightly, raising his head just in time to watch Danzou's retreat back into the cave.

"Looks like he wants to settle the score." Kin said, "Or at the very least, not waste our time with killing you."

Sasuke grit his teeth, looking to the others; to his chagrin, the others still seemed paralyzed, though their eyes were focused on him. He directed his attention back to the trio that stood before him, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Why should I go?"

Zaku shrugged. "If you enjoy watching your comrades die without being able to defend themselves, that's fine. We can easily arrange that, right Dosu?"

Dosu nodded, his eyes meeting Sasuke's. "However, if you want to give them a fighting chance, just cross into the cave and give Danzou the fight he wants. The choice is yours."

Sasuke's hands clenched into fists as he reviewed the options set before him. He knew that what they were offering him was most likely a trap; but was he willing to risk their lives on the off chance that it wasn't? And if what they spoke was the truth, would he be able to fight off three opponents at once while defending his frozen companions? Before he even realized that he had made his decision, he rushed past Dosu and into the cave, body slowly becoming one with the darkness.

The pounding of his feet as he ran echoing throughout the cave, his path only lit by what little sunlight entered the cave. Ahead of him he could see Danzou moving, his movements so quick that he seemed to glide along the ground. Soon they were so deep in the cave that not even the sunlight could pierce the veil of darkness surrounding them; despite knowing it was a wide cave, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a touch of claustrophobia. Still, he continued to run after Danzou, knowing that eventually they would reach the end of the cavern. Despite this, he was surprised when Danzou suddenly stopped, his body turning to face towards him.

Sasuke felt the magic flow through his veins, eyes turning red under Danzou's scrutinizing stare. However, now that he was given time for the adrenaline to settle, he couldn't help but feel that something was off about the encounter. During the entire chase, Danzou hadn't uttered a single scathing remark nor made any attempts at stopping him from giving chase; in fact, running away from him seemed odd for his character.

"What game are you playing," Sasuke hissed, eyes narrowed at him. Danzou merely tilted his head to the side; Sasuke's eyes widened as he watched the motion detached his head from his body, hitting the ground with an echoing thud. He felt his heart stop in his chest as it slowly rolled towards him, Danzou's unseeing eye hitting the tip of his boot.

He swallowed, shakily raising his hand. "Koron en' naur," He choked out, the magical fire flaring to life in his hand. He felt his breath catch in his throat as the cavern was instantly bathed in light, illuminating the creature before him.

What he had assumed to be Danzou's body was merely the tail of a great white snake covered in his robes; he noted that the tip was covered in blood from having speared the head. His eyes trailed over the massive body, parts of it seemingly writhing with a mind of their own, independent of the entire being. His gaze finally locked with the yellow eyes set deep within the bone white head; the monster roared, its black hair flying as it tossed its massive head.

Smaller snakes suddenly sprang from its body, fangs dripping with venom as they lunged at Sasuke. He launched the fireball towards them, the snakes screeching in agony as their bodies caught fire. He quickly grasped his bow and notched an arrow, focusing to hear the movements of the snakes as the fire slowly died down. He caught the noise of scales sliding along the rocks, letting his arrow fly into the darkness; he quickly notched another, repeating the process automatically. Still, no matter how many arrows he launched, they kept coming; soon, they began to wrap around his legs, climbing up his body to trap his arms. The bow clattered to the ground as his vision was blinded by writhing, tightening scales.

"My, what a shame," The monstrous snake scoffed, observing the scenario. "Lady Kaguya made me believe you would be ssssuch and interesssting fight. But thisss…thisss makesss me wonder if you and Itachi are even remotely related."

The snakes surrounding Sasuke's body suddenly ceased their movements as a bright light shown through the seal their bodies made. Fire burst from within his imprisonment, sending the charred snakes flying into the darkness. The beast tilted its head in interest, its eyes locking with the blood-red glare of Sasuke.

"Ah…thossse eyessss," It seemed to hiss in adoration, "The sssame eyessss asss your brother. Ssso full of maliccce…sssso cold…"

"How do you know my brother? Who are you?"

"My name isss Orochimaru, the Great SSSnake Mage of the North. Your brother wasss sssent ssso I could assisssst with capturing SSSon Goku. Lady Kaguya sssseemed to think highly of him, asss he arrived by himssself, and I mussst sssay, watching him fight wasssn't a disappointment. In fact…it made me want him for myssself." Orochimaru leered at Sasuke, the fire making his eyes glint dangerously in the darkness. "But I guesssss I'll have to sssettle for the elfling."

"And what makes you think I'll agree to side with the likes of you?"

"Who sssaid anything about you agreeing?"

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as he felt his knees give out; he fell to the ground, arms shaking as he struggled to hold his weight up. He forced his head upwards to glare at the beast, body wracked with incessant tremors. Orochimaru merely laughed at his predicament, lazily moving towards him.

"Thisss form hasss a rather ssspecial property: when the blood of any of the sssnakesss evaporatesss, it becomesss a rather potent numbing agent. It will wear off eventually…" He said; another snake slipped away from his body. It crawled towards Sasuke, winding itself around his forearm until it was level with his neck, where Kakashi's seal currently lay. It bared its fangs for a moment before sinking them into the supple flesh of his neck, injecting its venom.

Sasuke could only howl in pain as he quickly clasped the spot where the snake had bitten; already he could feel the venom coursing through his veins. His body felt like it was on fire while his mind was quickly retreating towards unconsciousness to escape the pain. He fought to stay awake though, despite already feeling the darkness of his magic taking the place of his own consciousness. The last thing he saw before slipping away was a different body emerging from the great beast, this one resembling a tall, pale man with long black hair and the same golden eyes as the snake.

The man grinned, eyes glinting as Sasuke's slipped closed. "But a moment is merely all I need."

A/N: *waves* Japan is wonderfully amazing, by the way. As for this chapter, well, this was another "I either stop here or go on for another five to seven pages". But hey, got to keep ya'll coming back somehow, am I right? Also, you should follow my tumblr, bingbong21, and watch me spazz about life and this fanfiction!