"Hey everyone! Since it's Christmas, I thought why not treat you all with an early chapter release? Hope you're having an awesome holiday season!" 🎄✨

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wish though.

Chapter 3:

"Lord Danzo...It seems that the Kyubi has been secured by one of Orochimaru's underlings." Reported the Anbu who rescued Sasuke.

"I see..Who was this underling? Did you identify him or her? Can we track them down?"The old man asked, his curiosity sparked.

"This underling went by the name Tayuya...We searched through the bingobook's database but found almost nothing about this individual, it seems that Orochimaru's people keep a tight lid on their information or that he does."He explained."However she seems to be quite proficient in Genjutsu. It seems she also accomplished an S-rank mission alongside Orochimaru and the other of the so-called "Sound Five''.

Danzo seemed intrigued by this, tapping his chin thoughtfully:

"Do we have information on that S-Rank mission?" Asked the old man.

"The Yondaime Kazegake's assassination. The Five of the Sound, Orochimaru, and Kabuto were present at that time. They ambushed the Kazegake and killed him. We also don't know Tayuya's origins or full information."

"Then, track her down. Get as much information about her and what she did for Orochimaru as possible. Something doesn't seem right, she abandons Orochimaru and just decides to help the fox?..Whoever she is, we need to learn more about her." The old man insisted."How did she manage to flee with Naruto? Where are the units I sent to collect the Kyubi?"Danzo rubbed his chin, slightly annoyed.

"Lord Danzo, two units disappeared, we found what seems like bones scattered around their supposed disappearances...We lost them close to the Valley of the End. According to the reports we have from all the battles our Genins had. Rock Lee confronted a certain Kimimaro who seems to possess the Shikotsumyaku(Dead Bone Pulse) kekkei genkai. He might be the one who disposed of our men. "Lowering his head, the Anbu explained.

"Well...Orochimaru always has so many little puppets like these..It is annoying... Do whatever necessary." He commanded."This must not happen again. The Kyubi is important, without it Konoha would be vulnerable."He warned."What about the Uchiha?"

"It seems that Kabuto Yakushi made contact with him inside of his cell. "Shaking his head, his agent answered. "It's unclear what he did or tried, however there was a change in the Uchiha's chakra. We suspect the words of Kabuto made him awaken his Mangekyou Sharingan. "

"Whatever Kabuto did. It might work in our favor..Maybe he is planning something, either way...This stupid Tsunade..This is why I requested the Uchiha to be in our custody and not in a prison out of the village...I want a couple of units constantly monitoring him. I want to know what Sasuke does at any given time, be it when he eats or whatever. Not a single detail missing. Any person getting in contact with him shall be investigated. Am I clear, Sai?"The old warhawks ordered.

"Understood, my lord."Bowing his head Sai replied. "Is there anything else?"

"Make sure to send reports to me. No one but us should be aware that the fox is still alive."He answered."For now we can't let Konoha find out the truth. I have a feeling something else is going on and Shikamaru Nara...Get a team ready to dispose of him when I'll order it. He seems unstable right now. Useful though."Danzo added.

"Understood, lord Danzo, I shall deal with everything." Keeping his head low, Sai agreed to his master's orders.

"Dismiss."Danzo waved his hand in a dismissive way as if to end this conversation.

Sai bowed once again, turning on his feet to leave. The old man sighed once he was alone, turning his back against the window:

"If only you listened to me, Hiruzen." Danzo stared into the clouds moving fastly outside the window. For a long, long time he was planning ahead and protecting Konoha the way he saw it...Danzo was thankful that someone as useful as Sai was under his command, able to do what was necessary, without hesitation or remorse.

He couldn't help but think about Itachi. This man threatened him after the Uchiha's massacre that if something were to happen to his brother, he would share classified intel of Konoha to the other nations. This made Danzo frustrated and angry, something that he kept to himself all these years. Now Sasuke was in Konoha's custody, he believed that Itachi wouldn't stand by it. He would have come back or made the information about the massacre public himself, Itachi never seemed like a traitor despite the massacre but his brother was offlimit. Danzo needed to deal with him if necessary.

Danzo smirked, thinking about Nara's heir. This boy would be the perfect scapegoat if he had to frame someone for killing the Uchiha or release him. Now all he had to do was to wait and see. The game wasn't over yet and for once. Danzo felt he was ahead, finally something was going as he expected. No one stood against him now that Hiruzen was no longer around to control his actions.

His finger lightly tapped against his desk. He was enjoying everything happening so far. He was missing some pieces to succeed on his ideals but everything would be settled soon. That's what he was hoping for.

"I'm done playing nice Hiruzen..Your legacy and foolish beliefs shall fade. Finally Konoha shall belong to me..."Danzo closed his eyes. This was all so interesting.

-Tayuya and Naruto. Close to the frontier between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water-

The redhead was sitting on a branch looking at the forest before her. She had her flute in her hands, playing a soft melody that sounded a bit sad. It reminded her of her past, everything Orochimaru and Kabuto ever put her through, how helpless she was back then, a girl who didn't know who to trust..Until she realized how strong and determined she could be by herself. This flute gave her so much comfort and reminded her that she didn't need anyone in her life...Not Orochimaru, not Kabuto. She could protect herself and plan her moves to success.

She played another sad melody before her eyes fell onto the blond, resting next to her, almost asleep, probably bored...Tayuya didn't know how but she cared for this yellow head despite knowing him just for a few days...And that made her laugh. She softly grabbed his head and put it on her shoulder. Out of tiredness Naruto didn't mind and fell asleep on her. She smirked at this and put away her flute, wondering about this cretin and what was waiting for them in Orochimaru's hideance...There should be no problem at all there. The other members of her group should be dead or captured by the leaf. Kabuto should be with his Orochimaru. At worst there might be some mercenary or experiments left. But nothing Tayuya and Naruto couldn't handle.

Her hand ruffled Naruto's hair slightly, she enjoyed his presence despite everything. There was something trustworthy and real about this jinchuuriki...For someone with no trust, Tayuya was impressed about the changes this guy did to her in a matter of days. Really this blond was weird as fuck and still she couldn't help but smile for once.

"You're a weird dumbass..."Her whisper went almost unheard by the Uzumaki. But this didn't bother her at all. He snored slightly on her shoulder, making her laugh again.

She put her hand behind her neck, where her cursed mark was and sighed softly. Soon she would get rid of it and finally be free from Orochimaru, or maybe take on the snake...But she could feel the snake's influence inside of her and it pissed her off. She wanted to get rid of it now but it also was a powerful thing in her arsenal...It was annoying but she had to relay on it for a bit longer.

She sighed...Another problem for another time. Right now all Tayuya wanted was to rest and get some shits together. Her revenge was almost over..At least the first part of her revenge..

"Uzumaki...Perhaps I should ask him...But why do I feel like he knows nothing about fuinjutsu?"She thought, softly rubbing Naruto's cheek, a smile formed on her lips...He was kind of cute..And strangely vulnerable. A blonde idiot..But cute..

Finally Tayuya laid her head over his, closing her eyes...She was exhausted. Tired..She wanted to rest, sleep and just get a good night, without worries...But something told her this wasn't possible yet, something in her stomach screamed danger. But for now she would enjoy this small moment..This silly snoring on her shoulder, his heat and weird presence, his smiles and stupid behaviors. For a few moments everything was safe..But she wouldn't sleep..She needed to stay vigilant.

She wondered about Naruto..This blond nitwit who she was ready to die for to escape...This strange, surprising imbecile...Tayuya yawned slightly and snuggled closer to him.

Maybe in this shitty life. She found something good after all.

-Valley Of The End. Somedays prior.-

A couple of days prior, Kimimaro stood on the edge of the Valley of the End. He stared at the statue before him, the statue of Madara Uchiha, the blood splattered on the stone telling him that the two boys had fought. The blonde boy who he managed to block for sometimes did fight with the Uchiha. His eyes were distant, full of memories of the life he once knew, full of loneliness and disease. Kimimaro felt he was dying, his body was fading with his life energy..His bones were slowly falling apart, and with it his life..

His gaze was soft, tender...He didn't hate Orochimaru..He didn't care if the old man forgot him..Kimimaro had nothing to lose anyway. No friends, no family, just a hollow purpose, just something that he clung to in this short life..Maybe in a better world, in a better place, he would have friends...He would have a purpose..But he had nothing...

His fingers touched his chest slightly, remembering his purpose, his dying words...Kimimaro would die with his bones.

"So in this shitty life...I will just die for nothing..."Kimimaro giggled with no humor..Not angry nor mad...Just tired. His voice was barely a whisper, nothing much left of him anymore..He was nothing..No one gave a shit about him anyway..

With this Kimimaro fell on his knees..His bones ached..Finally...It was time. He had completed his mission by freeing the Uchiha. Not that anyone cared anyway..This blondie was nice, strong, so full of life..Kimimaro was jealous. Blood escaped his mouth..He felt weak..Yet he didn't want to give up on life just yet. Sakon. Ukon. Jirobo. Kidomaru. They were dead... He found their bodies but...Another bloody cough...He couldn't find Tayuya..

Kimimaro wanted to believe..That she managed to run off...She didn't deserve to die...None of Orochimaru's servants deserved to die...They weren't evil..Just empty and lost...They were nothing but...She didn't...

Kimimaro hugged himself...Alone..He always felt alone, full of sadness, just sadness and nothingness..He didn't deserve this. But maybe that was for the better...

Suddenly a chuckle escaped his mouth. For a small, stupid moment he remembered the jinchuuriki..Not fighting him...But looking at him and asking...Kimimaro about himself..Asking if he was fine. So human, kind. A momentary distraction, but enough to confuse the dying boy.

Kimimaro smiled at the thought..It made him feel human..At least someone cared enough to remember him, well..He wasn't sure...But Naruto Uzumaki...As he called himself..Smiled at him at the end of their battle before that green guy in spandex outfit appeared and Kimimaro felt real at that time..Like someone was seeing him as who he really was..

And yet...Despite everything...Kimimaro was annoyed..This blonde jinchuuriki reminded him of who he always wanted to be..A shinobi full of passion and determination...Full of something..Kimimaro felt he was pathetic..Weak..Always dying and half dead...

He chuckled..Another blood cough escaping his lips..Finally he tried his best to get back on his feet...At the very least...He'll manage to find Tayuya and help her if he could..He didn't care for Orochimaru anymore...It felt right..To find her or...Die..

His fingers reached for his cursed mark, still there, full of poison and power..It made him happy to think that he might still be useful if just for a bit..Kimimaro didn't deserve to die completely..Not until...He knew Tayuya was ok.

"She might have...managed to flee.."

Kimimaro kept repeating this like a prayer..He will find her and..Hope for the better..He deserved this at least...

-Some Words-

"Yo ! I've got some burning questions rolling around in my head, for y'all!"

First off all I'd like to answer a couple of things.
Firstly, Naruto won't get a harem. It's a Naruto X Tayuya.

Someone pointed how did Kabuto manages to visit Sasuke because of well known his traitor status is in the village.
Well, based on what we see in the anime, the prison isn't situated inside of Konoha and I'd like to remember that he sneaked inside the hospital of Konoha, clapped an anbu squad before Kakashi arrived so sneaking there isn't that hard for him!

Naruto will learn Fuinjutsu yes!

Tayuya's sudden shift: She went from Orochimaru's underling to Naruto's unexpected ally. What's your take on her change of heart? Do you think she's got an ulterior motive or is this the real deal?

Tayuya's Melody: Tayuya's got some deep thoughts going on while she plays her flute. What do you think the melody symbolizes for her? And, how do you see her character evolving from here?

Kimimaro's Reflections: It's kind of a heavy moment for Kimimaro. What are your thoughts on his internal struggle and his feelings towards Tayuya? Any hopes for his character?

Feel free to share your thoughts, theories, and even your own plot twists! Can't wait to see what you all think!

Merry Christmas !