DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from the Naruto universe.

Thinking (+ flashbacks, "Naruto speaking to Kurama in her mindscape," etc.)

Emphasis

Bijuu, etc. speaking

Bijuu, etc. thinking

Naruto almost agreed to at least wait for her father to respond for at least a few minutes until a terrible thing occurred to her. "IS ERO-SENNIN STILL THERE?!"

Naruto snarled from the Mokuton cage Tenzo had surrounded her in. "Let me out of here right now."

"Calm down, Naruto," Tenzo insisted.

Naruto looked at Nawaki - no "DRAGON" because she would NOT call him her uncle right now - and hissed despite what she was about to say. "I'm not an animal and do not deserve to be caged. I have done nothing to make you attack me! Don't. Make. Me. React. To what you've just done." She could get out of this thing. It would make a disastrous mess and probably shatter and splinter her team so it was fair to warn them before she either Rasengan-ed the thing into oblivion or maybe turned into a huge fox just because.

"Don't make me take your chakra," Tenzo fibbed. Thanks to Tsunade's scrolls, he was finally learning how to do that as Lord First had done but so far, the jutsu wasn't anywhere near consistent.

"I can make my chakra unbelievably poisonous, Tenzo-san. Trust me: that is NOT what you want to force me to do." There were grimaces all around.

Naruto was being quite rational - and damn scary. She may have channeled the Kyuubi's chakra and let out some absolutely disgusting KI but maybe they'd gone too far. "We need backup from Hokage-sama."

"I don't want to hurt anyone, you dumbasses. Seriously! Anyone," Naruto insisted before crouching to gather nature's energy. Her cage might be too small to drop clones beside her but in probably a couple of minutes, max, she could go into Sage mode by herself. She gasped upon realizing that she wasn't completely still and tried to relax. I am not turning into stone!

"Kid."

Naruto could have cried. "Gyuuki! What has… what's going on?!"

"You should've come when I called," Kurama said in aggravation. He'd been worried as hell about him and Matatabi, too.

"Yo, yo, yo," Bee greeted them, suddenly sprawled out on Gyuuki's nose.

"Shut up, Bee," Gyuuki furiously scolded, flipping the rapper off his snout. "Kumo was attacked by the Akatsuki."

Naru tried to keep the fear off her face. "Tobi and Kisame?"

"And others."

"Who? Zetsu?"

"I don't know, Naruto," Bee admitted. "I was with bro when their operation went go. Then I went to aid Yugito."

Matatabi finally showed up and Naru ran to embrace her. "Hello, kitten," she said sweetly. She sounded tired, though. "Yugi was attacked by the men you warned us about." The two-tailed cat turned to Gyuuki. "WHAT did I tell you about the two of us sticking together?!"

Gyuuki sighed, ignoring Bee as he jumped back on his face. "A didn't give Bee a choice, imouto. …I don't think he'll make that mistake again."

Naruto tried to swallow down the lump that was still in her throat or heart - whatever it was felt stifling. "If you're all okay, do you know if Jiraiya was in Kumo when they attacked?"

"He was," Matatabi admitted. "He saved my kitten from the sharklike man and that sword," she said, spitting the last words.

"Toad-mouth bind," Naru guessed. That's exactly what Ero-sennin had done when she saw him battle Kisame and Itachi in her first life. She really needed to learn that technique: it was an especially difficult one to master. "Is it over?"

"That's the thing, kitten. This TOBI person just teleported Hoshigaki and that Uchiha away."

Well, that was scary, Naru thought. "Tobi was able to do that even from within Ero-sennin's binding jutsu?" Matatabi nodded. Additionally, she'd heard rumors that Itachi had either died - she hoped that wasn't true - or left the Akatsuki but apparently those were false.

Fuck. Obito escaping meant that he could do the same thing to her even if she was able to eventually learn the technique. "What about Yugito? And who else attacked you? Are A and your team okay, Bee?" She almost called him shishou again but caught herself. If she wasn't so worried, she'd definitely be more grateful for the way he looked at her like he used to when she asked about those important to him.

"They're good," Bee said without rapping. He felt a little emotional that the blonde cared about those who'd basically kidnapped her on his orders. "We've been relocated," he admitted although he was pissed that his brother forced him and the injured Yugito to Turtle Island. "Bro's requesting medical backup from Kono-ho."

That was alarming. Things had to be bad for them to be requesting someone like Tsunade, didn't they? From what Dragon said, the meetings between her father and the Raikage had not gone very well. …Not to mention that the Raikage was pissed that her father had been able to keep up with or surpass him in everything but arm-wrestling in front of his shinobis. –Which Naru was a bit proud of him for.

She jumped (hitting her small cage's ceiling) when a slug showed up in the hotel room and swallowed Shizune.

"What the hell?! Does Shizune have the slug contract?" She didn't in her last life, but Tenzo nodded. A toad with a bow on its head then appeared and looked at Tenzo with absolute disgust in his eyes when he saw that he'd caged his summoner. "Hey, Gamariki."

Naruto didn't exactly love Gamariki.

He batted his heavily lacquered lashes at his female summoner. "It's been a while, Nah-ru-to," he purred in a somewhat ladylike voice. He hopped closer to Tenzo and his other voice was revealed. "FREE HER AT ONCE, YOU ANT! I'M TAKING HER BACK TO KONOHA!" The Mokuton receded and Naruto shrieked when she was wrapped in the toad's long tongue and spun into his mouth.

SOMEHOW that medium-sized toad transported her to her father. –His mouth expanded or something! She didn't know Gamariki could do that!

"I know what you're thinking, tadpole, but Jiraiya will be fine," Gamariki assured her before poofing away again.

Minato grabbed his daughter's shoulder and flashed her back to the estate. "You need to stay here. Everything's under control."

"Is Ero-ojii really okay?"

"He'll be fine," Minato said as he tried to restrain his temper. "Do. Not. Leave."

Naruto nodded stupidly but he was already gone again. "Dammit!"

He's alright… He's alright. THEY are alright. They would not have lied to her about that.

Jiraiya was alive and Tsunade was probably on her way to heal him or Yugito.

Seeing that one of her favorite photos - the one Kakashi had taken of her and Jiraiya smiling (rather goofily) at him; her grandfather had his arm around her - that it had cracked glass? Kami… It was almost too much to stay here and obey orders!

Naruto's eyes moved to Kakashi's nearby Genin team photo. She clearly remembered Kakashi's voice as he told her, with DETERMINATION, about his worst psychological wounds. …Now, he almost always speaks in a soft voice unless…

She felt her eyes burn. Jiraiya had survived; Kumo may have been attacked, but her friends were okay…

Kakashi's words when he talked about his team and father back then had been filled with remorse, but little else. Back then it was like he was reporting something that was terrible about himself; it was like he was giving her a warning about him. She shook her head, chuckling, or maybe it was sneering at herself… or at one of these boys in the photo.

In the picture, her father didn't look all that much different than he did now. He was just younger. Kakashi, of course, had grown up exceedingly well. The girl - Rin - was very pretty but Naruto blew that off. Then there was that kid.

The kid that was wearing orange and goggles so much like she used to, once upon a time. His Sharingan wasn't showing in the picture - he didn't have it when the pic was taken - but Naru knew for a fact that he eventually activated it. This boy gave one of his eyes to Kakashi.

Obito… Obito and Tobi: the names seem much too similar to Naru to be coincidental. And then there was the orange they both wore.

Naruto had spent nearly this whole life hating Tobi. Kakashi has spent two lives wishing for more time with Obito. –Even wishing that he could change places with him! That knowledge made her feel sick.

Kakashi opened the door. "Hey," he greeted her while pulling off his headband.

Naru's eyes popped open wide and she became completely still. "H- have you heard anything?" she asked quietly.

Kakashi shook his head but nodded down to what he was carrying. "Got you something."

"For… for me?" Naruto asked in wonder. She couldn't believe it. "As in…"

"Yes," Kakashi drawled as he placed the puppy in her shaking hands. He had a mission to take her mind off things and guard (or rather, hang onto) her so the timing had been perfect. "The Inuzukas had a new litter I was interested in a while ago…." It probably wouldn't be appropriate to mention that the Golden Retriever with the rather interesting blue eyes had reminded me of her. –Or the fact that he wanted one because it might help her acclimate to at least the idea of having future (human) pups of their own soonish. "I - I thought you might like her," he said uncomfortably.

Shyly.

"I - I love her! I can't believe it… Thank you, Kash," she said, her eyes beginning to tear up again. "Thank you so much!" Oh! She smells like a puppy! "Did you name her?"

The puppy looked exhausted even as she panted and her tail wagged. Naru would've worried about it had Kakashi not been the one to hand her over. She'd bet that he loved dogs more than anyone.

"Maa, she's quite young so we can still change the name she was given. If you want." His little wife was rocking the puppy that he'd earlier worn out as if it was a baby, making his heart swell as she looked at him like that: one of those smiles that were reserved for him. "I love you."

Naru was surprised. About everything, but… "I love you, too, Kashi." Naru had NEVER had a pet before. "Oh - sorry. I know you don't care for that nickname." She pouted and whispered the truth. "It's just so cute, ya know. But Kakashi…"

"Ah, ah, ah. I don't mind when you're the one calling me that," Kakashi said and then laughed at himself. Drawing his hand through his unruly hair, he considered why he previously didn't care for the nickname. "Your mother was the first to call me that, that I can remember." –Not that it bothered him then.

Ah. It was when the fangirls started calling me that and sensei thought it was "cutesy" that it began to tick me off.

"Are you still crushing on my mom, Kakashi-kun?" Naruto half-teased. Kakashi gawked at her, both of his eyes opening wide for a second as she stroked the puppy's soft fur. "What?! You told me that my mother was your first crush."

"When did I tell you that?!"

"That time you were drunk," she drawled, smiling more at his discomfort. "When you passed out while sloppily trying to molest me? – Before Wave." Kakashi groaned and pulled at his hair as he sank down to sit sideways on his big recliner.

…In this life, the first time I saw Jiraiya was in Wave.

"Providing intel which allowed you to tease me," he said, scolding himself. "And no: believe me I uh - never think of your mother when we're… together: romantically. Maa, I can't believe I called it a 'crush.' I may have had a crush on her for a month when I was 6." Then I got to know her. She could be very scary.

"Aww. …Really?" Naru asked in a small voice. Kami: she felt ridiculous having apparently harbored that fear somewhere deep, down inside of herself.

Kakashi wondered if she was serious! "There's only you. It will only ever be you. …And Naru-chan: everything's under control. Don't worry."

Naru stared into his dark eye and then into both when he opened up his Sharingan again. It spun lazily around and she felt her cheeks heat up. "You shouldn't look at me like that. I mean, if puppy-chan wasn't here and I didn't have all this stuff to worry about, I'd take you on this recliner right now."

Kakashi summoned his pack while Naru baby-talked the puppy who was quickly falling asleep.

"The village is secure. I don't want Naruto to do anything stupid or rash. Keep an eye on her and take her mind off Jiraiya-sensei, Kakashi."

Yeah, he could definitely do that. "Guys. You remember Jazu."

"Jazu?" Naru asked, looking between her husband and the puppy. "That's a cute name."

Pakkun looked at his summoner's wife and gave the pup a large grin. "Sure! She's a pretty little bitch."

Naruto took a step back - and then another - as she glared at Kakashi's oldest friend. "Stay away from her, you old pug-perv!"

"Hey," Pakkun shrugged, "I'm just sayin'."

"You are really killing the mood here, Pakkun," Kakashi said in exasperation. "I need you guys to watch over Jazu. I took her to the park earlier so she shouldn't be any trouble" He looked up at his wife to find her still glaring at Pakkun and protectively holding the retriever to her breasts. Lucky puppy. "Don't worry: they'll take good care of her. …Somewhere where you will NOT be watching," he added, addressing his pack seriously. He pulled down his mask, smiling charmingly at his wife - and maybe flexing a little. "You were saying?"

Naru tried to hide her grin and reluctantly handed the sleepy puppy back to him. "Those dimples are dangerous. They'll get you everywhere and anything."

She took a deep breath and looked inside herself, grateful that all of the bijuu that she'd encountered thus far were there: present and accounted for. It was kind of weird that they were all sleeping, but then again, she'd seen most of them like that often enough before.

Kakashi rushed the puppy to the ninkens' room before whistling for the rest of his pack and returning to her. He strategically threw a thick towel down on his favorite chair. "Only one place I want to be right now," he ground out in a low predatory voice, looking her body up and down.

"Wait," Naru insisted. She wanted to hold or play with the tired puppy or wallow in worry about her friends and grandfather but then again… "I get to be in charge."

"Oh, you think?" —She just made a mistake.

"I do. – Please?" Maybe it was a good idea to take her mind off things, yeah? Or maybe she was just a pervert.

"Pervert." –Please be okay Ero-sennin.

Kakashi smiled but swallowed thickly as he began to untie her yukata. "Since you asked nicely; I suppose it's alright." She pushed him back but seemed to change her mind when he reached inside of what she was wearing to run his palm over her breast as he backed up a few steps, guiding her by the waist with his other hand so that she'd follow.

Naru screwed up again when she pushed him into the recliner he was already going for, Kakashi thought. He couldn't help the smile that grew on his face. "You look so good. I want to feel you."

"Um, thank you. Now: take off the rest of your… clothes." Kakashi had taken them off so quickly that it almost took the fun out of it. On the other hand, he was already at full mast now and lookin' real incredible. She dragged her eyes away and tried to come up with a plan. She didn't have one! Naru pulled off her panties and smiled when her husband sucked in a breath but still tried to (half) hide behind the yukata.

Kakashi watched her hungrily as she sauntered up to him, bending over to kiss him. He grabbed and pulled at her hair and she moaned into their kisses. Fuck, she could kiss! He grabbed her breast with one hand and untied the yukata with the other. The noises she was making were driving him wild. …And the way she smelled? And the way she tasted?

Yeah, he was lost as she climbed on top of him, half of his "mission" long forgotten and already being accomplished.

Kakashi immediately pulled her hips down to meet him and began rutting into her heat. When he reached up to massage her breasts again, Naru used the moment to crawl onto his thighs.

Hovering over her husband, letting out a giggle, with her knees on his thighs even as his hips continued to desperately flex toward her, she kissed up his chest, smirking at the noises he was making. She reached down to feel him off, paying special attention to the large mushroom-like tip of his cock and biting him as he hissed. Kakashi - already gritting his teeth with his eyes closed - didn't even seem to be aware that he was trying to push her down to get relief. She moved up to give him an aggressive kiss but gods: his tongue was everywhere! It took her a while to get her wits about her again and pull back. "Sometimes I think you are always horny," she whispered into his ear teasingly.

"Your fault. I wasn't like this before."

He had no idea of how happy that made her. Naru sucked down his neck and bit at his adam's apple and nipple, licking it shyly since playing with it more would make him insane and she wanted him to behave for her.

Kakashi grabbed and pulled her up into a searing kiss. He pushed her hips down but Naru fought back, making him growl at her – which seemed to be what she wanted. "Bad girl."

"Yeah," she agreed, kissing him more - slow and sloppily - as she moved back and forth, dragging her breasts over him when he reached to squeeze her ass. She moved from his knees, straddling him enough to easily allow his cock to brush her folds. "You want that, baby?"

"Tell me you took your temp this morning," he growled. "You're so fucking wet for me and I want to feel every bit of you!"

"Kakashi! Oh, my gods," Naru whined as her face burned red. "You really hate condoms, don't you?!"

She yelped when he bit and sucked at her neck and chakra but sat up and held him close as he attacked her breasts.

Massaging, playing, circling her hard nipples with his hand and calloused fingertips, he pulled her toward him and began licking them, up and down and in circles as he stared into her eyes, recording everything. Naru collapsed with a cry on his cock and soon started grinding with him. "Fuck." he moved to her other nipple, teasing it mercilessly as his fingers worked on its twin. He swapped to grab her ass with his other hand, trying to move her so that he could more easily get inside of her heat.

"Wait," she begged, rubbing her wet folds back and forth along his dick, anyway. The expression on his face was one of absolute domination as he thrust one finger after another inside of her. She shrugged off the yukata that was hanging on her shoulders and cried out when he grabbed his cock and lined it up with her. He immediately pulled her hips and ass down so that he'd finally be inside her.

"Ffffffffuck!"

"Hey! ….Kash," Naru gasped - her voice going high. "Take… it easy on me, bad man!"

"Can't."

"Kash," she squealed. "—Oh!" Naru tried to get her wits about her and quickly adjust to his size. It was sometimes so hard…

It's always hard.

Geez, she was such a perv.

"Fuck," he gasped. "…Did I hurt you?" Kakashi tried to get his breathing and compulsions under control. "Tell me I didn't hurt you.'

Naru let out a single, breathy chuckle. "Just - just give me a sec."

Kakashi was shuddering underneath her before Naru could begin to move at all. When she felt his hand stroking her cheek - he was looking at her as if she was precious to him - she felt everything change. "Love you, Kashi."

"Love you, baby. Be careful. …Oh, God."

She smacked his hands away from her and put hers back on his hard abs. "Hands off."

"What did you say?"

Naru finally moved up, clutching his cock with her muscles as she did. "I said no touchies."

"You gotta be kid– Oh, gods… Too tight!" Naru grinned at him victoriously.

It took her a minute or two but she'd really begun riding him. —Very, very well. "Fuck baby girl: where'd you learn to do that?"

"I learned it from you," Naruto smirked, unable to help herself after that teasing in Kumo...

- Kumo: fuck.

Kakashi grabbed her hair harshly to regain her attention and pulled her toward his lips, making her gasp into his mouth.

She grinned, her mind hazy but returning to something that she had teased him with then. "Does this feel good… Daddy?"

Kakashi's rational mind disengaged. He pushed her upright again, grabbing her ass as he sucked her tits and pounded into her from below her, making her howl. It wasn't until she bit him rather viciously - on his head, right on his scalp: what the hell was that about?! - that he slowed down although his thrusts were still incredibly hard.

"You've got a bad - bad kink!"

Kakashi broke out into a fangy smile between grunts. "So bad. I'll… get my… revenge. Say it again."

"Nn-no!"

Naru licked his lips and stuffed her tongue in his mouth but found herself overwhelmed again. She stretched out over him, pushing him back into the reclined chair. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she drew her knees up a little more to enjoy what he was giving her since he was holding her hips in place. She was definitely going to be bruised.

Unaware of her mewls or what she was incoherently saying, Kakashi was rubbing and hitting her in all the right places. Before his fingers made it to her clit she was already cumming hard and chanting his name. Then the onslaught began.

"Kah-Kah— TOO MUCH!"

"Take it!"

"Yes! Oh God, YES!" She barely stopped herself from tearing his hair out.

The emotions and tears had already fallen and he had long since cum before he stopped.

"I'm sorry, Naru. I… may have gotten carried away."

"You think?!" she said, wiping her face and wanting to smack him - and also laugh at his sad face. "I am NOT calling you that again."

"Maa, maa! Never say never, eh?"

Naru glared at him although it was only an act. "We'll see, I guess. …Stop looking so happy about that!"

Kakashi refused and snuggled into her breasts, kissing and rubbing his face against them like a cat.

"Bossy maniac," she said while playing with his thick hair. Kakashi sighed as she was wondering what was going on with Kumo and her grandfather - although doing so felt as if she was wronging her mate. "Next time I'm going to put a paralysis seal on you so I… Never mind: I'm not telling! And since I can't MOVE, now we have to wait a little bit before I can do that."

Kakashi looked up to see whether or not she was serious. Frankly, he couldn't tell. "And you say I'm the one who's always horny," he muttered under his breath. He could keep up, but Naru's sex drive and stamina were real forces of nature. He was also afraid of her seals, although using a paralysis seal as a surprise for that could be fun. "Keep in mind that if you ARE able to move, I haven't done my job properly."

Naru gasped. "The puppy!"

Kakashi hummed, knowing that if there was an issue, Pakkun would have reported it and began to doze off again. "Maybe we aren't quite ready for one of our own."

He'd said it to himself, but she heard it. For a second, Naruto thought he wanted to take the little golden retriever away from her. "You really want a… that badly?" she asked nervously, always finding it impossible to talk to him about wanting to have children. "We haven't been married a year yet."

Kakashi sighed, pulling them both to their sides. He gave her a sad smile. "And you're so young."

"I'm almost 34 so that's not it," Naruto admitted again, ignoring her husband's snort. She liked the way his fingers were traveling up and down her hip and side. "It's the Akatsuki that worries me. –And the fact that we haven't been together very long at all."

The Akatsuki is on the move, after all.

"That's what I meant," Kakashi admitted solemnly. "I want to enjoy you before I share you with anyone. For a long time"

Naru smiled at that. "Me, too."

He propped himself up on his arm and moved her sweaty hair away from her face as he thought about the Akatsuki and war in general. "It will always be something." He steeled his resolve, knowing that he had to be honest and if he wasn't - or couldn't talk about it - he'd never deserve to have what he'd found he wanted more than anything. Not that I deserve it or anything else, especially not her.

Here goes nothing, though... "Naruto,"

*POOF*

She'd disappeared on him.

"Human," the big purple fox addressed her once the smoke had cleared; Naruto struggled to get to her feet but finally settle for just sitting there, trying to look like that's what she intended to do. Her legs were definitely not otherwise cooperating. She was with the large foxes in their forest, all in a circle again. "Oh. You were copulating."

Naruto was beyond shame-faced. She was naked and had no weapons on her. And these foxes liked to eat people!

"This is why humans aren't fit for those as great as we," the fox Naru had decided she'd always call "the silver cow" said.

That one was a real bitch.

"The summoner performed adequately in battle," the big pink one she'd summoned once so far admitted. "I feasted on the one known as Hidan and wasn't forced to eat his head." He turned more to Naru. "The head is always the worst part."

"Ah," Naru said, deciding to completely give up ever having a normal life, but still feeling incredibly self-conscious in her naked state. She continued to clutch her hands in front of herself, trying to cover up her… well, her everything as she sat on the ground. The toads would be laughing their slippery asses off if they caught her like this. "So! What can I do you for?"

"It has been decided that we will work with you."

"Thank you? …Will it uh, be any different than it has been?"

"We will not eat the toads and will find our own humans to feast upon as is customary."

"As is customary?" Naru wondered what that meant. "So can you work with the toads, too?"

"Perhaps," Silver Cow said, looking haughty.

"I am known as Qetflbendigo," the lavender leader said and then spelled it. "You may refer to me as Qetflbendigo-sama. Get it right, human."

"Her name is Lei and only two of them that I know of actually like to eat people," Kurama finally admitted.

It took a LOT for Naru NOT to drop into despair at their ridiculousness, much less school her features. "Hai. I look forward to working with you," you idiot. –That wasn't fair, though. She SHOULD be able to tolerate and even appreciate a fellow prankster. She was just tired. "Please take care of me."

*POOF*

Naru could've cried and Kurama's howling laughter in her head only made it worse. Those fuckers dropped her right in front of the Hokage Tower at the height of the lunch rush - and considering the way Tenzo, Shizune, and her father shrieked - at least they're here: that had to be good news, although it meant that Tou-san probably flashed Tenzo here - she couldn't be sure that she got her (clothed) henge up before her shock wore off and the smoke was gone. She sunshinned back to her home. "How am I going to get revenge on a bunch of kitsune tricksters?!" She laid down in the grass and pouted.

And why the hell hadn't she henged at once?!

What was she: a civilian?!

Suddenly, Naruto felt too old for all of this shit. Especially when she saw a frazzled-looking Kakashi glaring at her from the engawa. "Sorry!"

Sasuke swallowed hard.

He had been escorted by a terrified Karin to Orochimaru, in the flesh, and although the man looked sickeningly pale and was seated, Sasuke didn't begin to question whether or not he was weak. This is Sannin. Orochimaru was supposed to be as or even more powerful - and far more experienced - than his older brother or cousin at the moment: Shisui said so.

Shisui admitted that the only two people that could rival Orochimaru and defeat him at this point in time were the Yondaime Hokage and Jiraiya.

"Sasuke-kun," the Snake Sannin said almost desperately, "I have had the most horrid of dreams. Come, my son."

Sasuke twitched but otherwise didn't react, although he was disgusted. My parents are DEAD. There might be other Uchihas alive and in hiding, but his parents weren't among them. He couldn't move. "Hn."

Orochimaru's gaze, if possible, only became fonder. "Sasuke-kun. Is it true that Namikaze Minato lives?"

Sasuke nodded. At this point, the Yondaime's re-emergence was common knowledge.

"Fascinating," Orochimaru admitted as he bit his lip and looked toward the ceiling, lost in thought for a few moments. "I am feeling… generous. If my vision is to come to fruition I will need allies and Konoha is my first choice."

Sasuke nearly faltered. "You recently attacked Konoha."

Orochimaru smirked, thinking about how humorous that was. "I suppose I did!"

"I left Konoha behind," he reminded the snake-like man.

"So you did. But why, Sasuke-kun? THAT is my question."

Sasuke remembered exactly what he needed to stay and stick to and was extremely glad he wasn't faced with Orochimaru's wrath or KI right now. Jiraiya and Yondaime-sama warned him of what he could experience with this man, (and gave him a horrid taste of it,) along with explaining when he should run, and how to react. "Why would I remain in a village that allowed and encouraged the extinction of my clan?"

"Interesting," Orochimaru eventually breathed. "So you are aware of Danzo's treachery?"

Sasuke inhaled a quiet, deep breath but nodded at the Oto ruler. Since Shisui told him what had really happened - and that he still had family in hiding out there - his world had been rocked. He really didn't know what was motivating him more now. His internal turmoil went by the wayside for a moment when Orochimaru slammed his hand down on his desk.

"Sensei was a FOOL!" Orochimaru wiped the sweat from his brow and regarded the young man in front of him carefully. "I wish for you to arrange a meeting between Minato and myself."

This is a test, Sasuke told himself. "I do not wish to return to Konoha," he said honestly - feeling the loyalty seal on the roof of his mouth burn a bit. Yes, he wanted to see his brother again but he had felt free ever since he was out of Konoha's grip. He wondered if his clan felt the same way. "Do you have a plan?"

"If you don't wish to go, you won't return to them, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru said as he sat back in his chair and intertwined his fingers. "You have the cat contract?" Sasuke admitted it and he sighed. "You will sign with the snakes," he said firmly, not giving a damn if Sasuke's cats would become snake food. He might even soon encourage it. "You will send a cat to Minato."

Sasuke again nodded in agreement. He was doing that already - well, he was reporting weekly to the Hokage through Jiraiya. "As you wish."

"Huh," Orochimaru snarked, "so compliant. We'll have to change that. Tell me, Sasuke-kun: did the Hatake brat teach you the Chidori?"

"I've seen it, but no."

Orochimaru hummed, finding that very interesting. "Then we shall begin working on that or something similar to it now."