My apologies for the late chapter, finals just ended yesterday. This will be a bit shorter than last, because it's been so long since a chapter has been published. I'll be drilling out chapters all month long, and even though i won't meet my goal of six or seven chapters, ill do my best. I'm also going to write one story I've been thinking about for the last three months. All i'm gonna say is that it involves a manga that 'everyone' likes to complain about but loved reading it every week. Thanks for staying with it y'all!

-K

Tayuya stared at the odd man approaching them, noting the familiar eye mark of Orochimaru. Having spent time in his presence, she remembered the way he stalked his prey, and the way he spoke down to everyone. She remembered him looking for a potential body, but did not expect him to come out so soon. She backed up remembering her company of Ino, and grit her teeth in frustration. Tayuya flexed her muscled and walked towards the snake.
"What do you want?" She spat out with as much venom as she could muster.
"Is that any way to talk to your master, Tayuya?" Orochimaru spoke lightly.
"Newsflash dipshit, i don't follow you anymore." Tayuya grinned while throwing up her middle finger.
"As long as you have that curse mark, you are mine to control!" He snarled.
"Only if I'm in a life threatening situation, dumbass."
"You are in one!" yelled the snake before dissolving into snakes. Ino backed up with obvious disgust, while Tayuya smiled.
"Who the hell is that guy?" Ino asked Tayuya, before getting daggers shot her way.
"He's the guy that killed your third hokage, and i would advise you to stay back and let me handle this Yamanaka." She added with immediate satisfaction, switching her attention to the multiple snakes around her.

Naruto stared at Danzo, who was brushing dust off of his robes nonchalantly. Walking around the old man, Naruto noticed his now uncovered arm covered in eyes.
"Time out. How in the hell did you escape that explosion?" He asked casually.
"I have a better question. Why did you kill the fifth hokage?" Danzo questioned.
"She was an obstacle to peaceful living. Same as you and the snake." Naruto replied with a simple smile, annoyed slightly by the smirk of Danzo.
"At least we agree on Tsunade. She is much more effective to the village dead rather than getting drunk and attacking her own jinchuriki." Danzo walked over and gazed upon the charred corpse of the slug ninja. Sighing, he turned back to Naruto with a hard gaze.
"Will you work with me to fortify the village?"
This question raised red flags in Naruto's already quite suspicious mind. He met Danzo's gaze with his own in deep thought. For about one moment. Naruto shook his head disappointed. "You tried to have me killed by Orochimaru already, as well as attacking Tayuya at this very moment. Why would i trust you?" He rattled off while Danzo said nothing.
"Tayuya will destroy Orochimaru in his current state. I hope you know that." Naruto chided the old man, brimming with pride about his girlfriend. Danzo did not break his smirk.
"This is one of the Third Sages, and he's fighting his lackey. You know nothing of his power." Danzo said simply. "Moving on to our previous discussion, I'll cut straight to the point. I cannot allow our only Jinchuriki, a skilled shinobi and one so in tune with his beast, roam free. My original goal was to allow Orochimaru the Tailed beast, but seeing the state in which you are in currently, I would not be against destroying the Snake right here and now. His goal is to destroy Konoha entirely, whereas mine was to change it from the shadows, and due to your help, two of the three roots have been dealt with."
"Two of the three roots?" Naruto raised his eyebrow in question.
"Tsunade and the tailed beast. Tsunade was a drunk and a irresponsible hokage for the village. While she did have the lineage, she followed in the footsteps of Sarutobi, and we both know how well that worked out for you too. As far as the tailed beast goes, you have shown incredible power and strength both with and without the Kyuubi. My one and only dream is to secure this village for what it is now. I will do whatever it takes to secure this village." Danzo finished with a firm resolve that resonated with Naruto.
" An interesting proposal Danzo, and it has saved your ass for this moment. Now that Tsunade is dead, i will join my girlfriend in slaughtering Orochimaru. If you are true to your word, then Tayuya and I will meet you in the Hokage's office after we are through. Any attempt to interfere and i will replicate that explosion to cover the entirety of Konoha. I'll warn you this last time since you appear to understand what's important."
Danzo weighed his options carefully, and only nodded in agreement.
Naruto felt his chakra ignite and he turned to face Danzo with orange violent chakra emulating from his body.
"Good boy." He spoke before rocketing towards Tayuya and Ino's location.

Ino could only watch in horror as snakes of different sizes swarmed around Tayuya, all of their hissing converging to create a maelstrom of invading sound, a struggle to breathe, impossible to think. Tayuya smirked and opened her mouth in a high pitched scream, drowning the snakes hissing and causing Ino to yell in pain, closing her eyes and ears. To Tayuya's dismay, the snakes appeared unaffected, as one wrapped itself around her ankle. She panicked in confusion as more snakes wrapped themselves around her entire body. Bound and unable to move a muscle, Tayuya could only watch in horror as Orochimaru's head popped out of one of the snakes mouths.
"I expected much more than that from you, Tayuya." He layered on in his trademark bone chilling voice. "I could break every bone in your body without a problem, but since we've gotten so close recently, i think i'll save you once more."

Naruto rocketed across Konoha's rooftops, mind occupied from the earlier conversation with Danzo. His thoughts did not wander to the outcome of Tayuya, as her chakra was still very alive, nor did he waver when he felt her chakra grow colder, as her curse mark reminded him of Sasuke's. His skirmish with Tsunade and meeting with Danzo did not take long, so there was no need to worry. Naruto landed upon the ground at the old Uzumaki compound, eyes scanning the area for a fight, or something at all. He could not see Tayuya, but he could feel her chakra loud and clear. She was on the move, with Orochimaru no less. Naruto moved to take off in her direction, before a weak voice called out to him from one of the bushes near the front porch.
"Naruto.." a very faint Ino called out, spurring him to drag her out of the bushes, before reacting in horror upon the sight of Ino's body. She had been impaled by multiple sharp objects, five holes scattered across her torso and blood gushing out dramatically.
"What the fuck happened Ino?" Naruto yelled before coursing Kurama's chakra through her body.
" Tayuya turned. She's with that snake guy." Ino coughed before closing her eyes. Naruto gazed at his chakra working its way through her system, before halting in its place, and receding back to his hands. He gazed down on his hands, covered in her blood, before her words ran his blood ice cold.

"Tayuya?"