Time Skip, 1 year Later :

Jiraiya calmly laid down the Seals, while working closely with that Kabuto boy.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Tsunade grumbled. monitoring the boy's vitals.

Sasuke Uchiha, one of Naruto's teammates, had volunteered to be Orochimaru's next host. However, the Hokage insisted Jiraiya examine the seal, to ensure the boy would maintain at least 50% control. And to make any tweeks needed, so both boy and demon could live.

"And yet you are," Kabuto smiled. Giving his typical condescending grin.

"Don't be an ass," Sasuke calmly ordered.

Kabuto got strangely serious, as he gave a respectful bow. "Hai, Honorable Heir."

That's what the Sound Village called him. Sasuke was "The Heir", and so treated like a proper Prince. They had spent the last few months pampering him, while giving him special training.

And it was finally time.

"I've learned a lot about the sound village," Naruto eyed their Kage.

Orochimaru smiled, condescendingly. He was in his true form, as his last host died last month. It was only Federation technology, that was keeping him alive.

The mighty white serpent, with the head of a man, smiled at the Kyubi's host. "And what have you learned?"

"That you aren't the Monster Konoha paints you as," Naruto informed.

Orochimaru blinked, "Strange words, coming from the Hokage's Honorary Grandson."

"He's the reason I'm here," Naruto informed. "He misses you."

Orochimaru gave a bitter chuckle. "Last time I saw him, he damned and cursed me."

"Just because he's not happy with your life choices... doesn't mean he doesn't love you."

That hit a nerve, judging by the mighty serpent's tail, slamming into the blonde, and throwing him across the room.

Strangely, no Federation Security, nor Konoha's ANBU, tried to stop him... even as they watched him, from outside the force field .

The boy hit the wall, and disappeared in a Flash of Smoke and light.

"Shadow clone," Orochimaru growled.

As another naruto appeared, "You didn't think I was dumb enough to rile you up, and actually be in the same room with you! BELIEVE IT!" the boy grinned.

"You used to be," Orochimaru noted. His respect for this boy growing, by just a smidge.

"You know, if you had just waited a few more years, you'd been made Hokage." Naruto carried on, and Orochimaru chose to just ignore the child... but his ears couldn't leave him. "You weren't ready, when The Old Man chose The 4th, you cared too much about your own self interest."

"Its in your best interest to stop talking," Orochimaru warned.

"But you've proven you can think selflessly. That you can put a village above yourself."

"Shut. Up."

"You teach the Sound Genin, that Konoha betrayed you... and Pervy Sage is convinced that's propaganda... but I think that's how you actually see it."

"Enough!"

"The Sound Shinobi don't even realize. They think you're guiding them to some divine goal they can't comprehend... but truth is. You have no plan. You're goals begin and end with saving them."

Orochimaru blinked, looking at the boy. The growing urge to smash this clone... strangely fading.

"You know what it's like, to lose your family, to feel helpless... to be alone...

"Yes you experiment on them, when their kids, but that's your way of giving them the strength to protect themselves.

"And even then, from what I have heard, you never actually experiment on the Orphans you save. That's reserved for bandits and murderers... and child abusers..." Naruto spoke that last one with meaning. And Orochimaru glared at him, daring him to continue that line of thinking.

Naruto didn't, though the implication he knew something was there. "You only upgrade the orphans you save, when You're sure they'll survive the procedure. You've cured most forms of mental illness, even many genetic disorders. and you give your children full lives... even when their too weak to work... There is a reason they love you so, despite how cruel you appear to the outside world.

"Fact is, you don't NEED an army. You're a demon. You could crush entire villages, all on your own... yet you never have.

"You even attacked Konoha, with the purpose of conquering us, not destroying.

"And even now, you send out shadow clones, to rescue orphans who've lost their families to bandits... because you won't trust anyone else to save them.

"You're a Good Man, Snake Face, you just need to accept it." The clone laid a gentle hand on the serpent. "Thank you..."

Once the seals were laid down, Orochimaru was "beamed" into the cargo bay, where the ritual would take place.

When Kabuto was sent out into the stars... Orochimaru trusted him with a summoning scroll, of himself. So that the leech demon could come and go between the Sound Village, and this ship.

Jiraiya glared up at the beast his friend had become... but Orochimaru... felt odd... that Uzumaki brat hadn't tried to persuade him of anything... he just pointed out the leech demon's own views... simply acknowledged them... and left.

The boy just wanted to thank him for looking after the children from the Bloodlimit massacres. Thank him for his attempts to resurrect fallen clans... and thank him... for... for protecting children like them...

Orochimaru... was feeling oddly truth-some after that.

The mighty serpent, looked down at the hate filled eyes of his former best friend... and let it hurt.

"Do you remember the night you chased me from the village?" Orochimaru asked.

Jiraiya's glare intensified. "How could I forget," he didn't really ask.

"Did you ever wonder why there were more bodies then their were missing villagers."

"You were kidnapping the homeless."

Orochimaru gave his friend a hurt look. "You never asked where they came from? Even after 100 years?"

"Is there a point to this?" Jiraiya demanded.

"I wanna hear this," Tsunade insisted. Glaring up at Orochimaru. "Go head, try to justify killing your countrymen."

"I..." Orochimaru looked pained. "I tested on rats, at first... seeing if I could clone them... with no higher brain functions... it wasn't until I was sure I could do so consistently... that I turned to human cloning."

"So... the people you experimented on..." Tsunade trailed off.

"They were never self aware," Orochimaru insisted. "It wasn't until after I was driven out of the village... that I began experimenting on criminals... but even then, my first test subjects have always been brain dead clones..."

Jiraiya was staring at Orochimaru in... something. His face warred with emotions... wanting to believe him... but the century of hurt he's felt over this.

It was still pretty messed up... but it wasn't nearly as bad kidnapping people to experiment on them.

Orochimaru informed. "If you don't believe me... then ask Sensei. He's the one that approved my experiments."

This shocked the two to their core... they didn't know.

"The fact of the matter is," Orochimaru sneered. "I never betrayed the village. I LOVE Konoha!!! It was YOU who betrayed ME." having said his piece. He slithered over to his new vessel... who already knew.

Sasuke had been taught the Origin of the Sound Village... and told Naruto, despite being ordered not to... Orochimaru couldn't feel angry over that, however. Both boys meant well.

"This seal will keep your two souls from merging," Kabuto explained to the mighty serpent. "So you won't be able to pass the Sharingan to your next host.

"A small price to pay," Orochimaru assured. And it was.

Kabuto had taken many samples of Sasuke. They could clone a new Uchiha clan, for the Sound Village. Orochimaru was bound to find a new host out of one of their descendants.

Besides, not having to merge with his host, was a pleasant thought for Orochimaru... he didn't like having his personality altered, each time he merged with someone new. They were each a part of him. Nearly a century worth of lives.

Orochimaru looked at the boy, his new vessel, and tried his best to appear friendly. "Are you scared?"

Sasuke gulped, "O-of Course not!" He might have been more convincing without the stutter.

"Indeed," Orochimaru smiled. "Cuz you're strong and brave."

"And NOT a child!!!" Sasuke snapped.

Orochimaru chuckled, "Certainly not." Looking over at his former teammates. Orochimaru saw their shocked expressions, at how gently he was treating the defiant child... but what did they expect?

Orochimaru had raised a large army of mentally traumatized orphans. He was basically a foster mother. He would have to know how to deal with them.

"Let us proceed."