Bad Karma

He was heavy, the Akimichi. His body weighed on my shoulders as I rushed ahead, wounded and groaning under it, passed out from shock. Blood sprayed from his left arm, the appendage nearly torn off, but he was away from combat at least.

Hawk and Salamander were behind me, making sure we had escaped properly, whilst the rest of my squad were completing the mission this fool had fucked up. He rushed in too quick, trying to be too smart. Nearly lost his arm for it, and it would have been deserved.

Jumping from tree to tree, Salamander came up behind, signalling me silently that we were in the clear. I nodded my masked face, dropping down and instantly whipping out a bundle of bandages. Quickly I wrapped it around, pressing against the wound, a makeshift brace slung around his neck to keep his arm in place. Despite that, he had already lost too much blood, he needed a transfusion, and failing that, a refill. My fingers reached to his face, his expression fatigued and anguished, energy empty, opening his mouth and forcing in a blood capsule. He swallowed, and hopefully his reserves would be replenished.

Salamander once again alerted me, tapping me on the shoulder. We both body flickered, my outstretched kick saving Hawk from a ninja's strike. He tumbled over onto his back, where I capitalised on his fall, stomping on his chest, ribs stabbing into both of his lungs in an instant. I turned around, having to duck under a blade swipe. I dodged again, stepping to the side of his quick strike even quicker, punishing him with a kick to the side of his knee, snapping it. I finished the exchange by stabbing his own blade into his neck, ripping it from his grip and forcing it inside with no resistance.

Salamander was handling himself well, but Hawk was outnumbered again. As an overhead strike flew towards her, I substituted, grabbing the arm, pulling the shinobi towards me, and suplexing him behind me. I rolled backwards, standing up quick, pulling my head back to avoid a kunai to the eye from a kunoichi, her face vicious and sadistic. She attacked again, a simple swipe, which I dodged deftly, holding onto her outstretched arm as she stumbled past me, placing another hand on her elbow, and snapping it with a single flex of my own limb.

She screamed loud, anguished, but I gave her no repreave, kneeing her ribs, breaking a few, then lifting her by her broken arm and neck, until her bundled body was upside down, slamming the back of her neck on my knee, breaking it with her own weight and my body's insane strength. Another came at me from behind, hoping a sneak attack would work, but I turned in time, smashing my fist through his body, ripping out his heart. His face was stunned, as if he could barely believe it.

I decided I needed to take this seriously.

I flickered, snapping a man's neck in one pull.

A errant and desperate kunai launched at me missed, the only effect telling me where the next person was, letting me cast an offensive and brutal jutsu right back, the wind blades ripping her shrouded body into a thousand pieces instantly.

Hands ripped through the ground underneath right after, pulling me under, but the bald man didn't realise I had already saturated the earth with my own chakra, spikes of dirt piercing his body from every angle, my real body above, him dying pathetically with a clone, chakra smoke blowing against his cut open face.

I took a second to breath, and moved on, picking the Akimichi back up and continuing on my way, Salamander and Hawk filling in behind me.

And you wouldn't have seen it, the porcelain patterned mask attached obscuring my face, but I was smiling. It had been too long since I had ran a mission. Too long.

…

My squad was discharged whilst ANBU command tried to find a temporary replacement for the Akimichi. I told Dragon he needed more training, that he was talented and smart, but too hot headed. Strong as hell too, but he needed to calm the fuck down.

So,m I had nothing to do. The hokage stated whenever a squadmate gets injured or whatever, each member has to stay for a couple days. It made sense, stops some random idiot from rushing back out into combat and getting himself killed, but it made me restless.

I had Kushina at least, and Minato. But despite the love and companionship more and more I had a sinking feeling, that Konoha was somehow losing, more men and more battles than was ok, and I should be out there killing armies. As much as they were strong in their own right, I worried. What if one day they got unlucky, and died, and I could have saved them by killing the random chunin that threw an accidental Kunai into the future 4th's neck?

I loved being an ANBU, but my era of death and pointless danzo piloted sacrifice was over. Now was the time of true Black-ops, staying safe and killing without making a single sound, not making a shred of evidence. Letting blood over and over again was what he needed, he realised, and he wasn't getting it stuck commanding a squad of well-meaning and talented people. Killing was a part of Me. I am a brute in many ways, and though I definitely could command well, never failing a mission, I needed more than the callsigns being signalled and missions being stricken off as completed.

Perhaps it would be pertinent to become a solo operator. It would give him space to use his more destructive moves, and if I failed (which was steadily becoming impossible) the Leaf would lose a lot less than if I also lost a squad. That, and my bloodlust would be sated for some time.

However, I was brought out of his thoughts by a bundle of red up ahead, accompanied by a familiar warm chakra. Kushina rushed over, tackling him, hugging his ribs, already healed from the earlier mission.

"You're back!"

"I'm back."

She smiled, like she always did. So bright and beautiful. I loved her, I knew it, more than anything.

"Oh, some news. Turns out your sensei is back."

My throat tightened a bit.

"Orochimaru?"

"Yeah, they said he's back from the front. I don't know where he'll be though." My girlfriend said, holding her chin in her soft pale hand.

"Don't worry. I know where he is."

…

It had been so long since I had first stepped foot into this training ground. It was with two other children, and deadness in my eyes, thinking how I was going to pass, how I would undue the insane expectations of the snake sage.

Now I was here again, so many more scars, mental and physical, taller and bigger and stronger. Maybe even stronger than him.

His back was to me, stood tall and slender, his jonin vest on. I realised I looked less militaristic, a casual hoodie, white and black patterns falling down its side, cloaked over my ANBU armour. Despite that, I looked imposing still.

He turned his head, pale skin revealed past long ink black hair, a sharp vicious smile, all teeth.

"My student, it has been so long. How was ANBU-"

The words rolling from his tongue like oil from a geyser stopped, my fist smashing into him in what felt like an instant, body almost teleporting in a single devastating blow.

Orochimaru rolled like a ragdoll, before spring back up in a kneel, arms up expecting a blow that never came. Instead of pursuing, like I so wanted to, I stood, powerful, commanding, imposing.

The snake spoke first. "What was that for?"

"Everything."

Without taking his eyes off me, he wiped his mouth, his busted lip already healing from the cut my fist created. "That was a good punch. You have gotten strong Kizashi."

"I wouldn't have punched you if I wasn't."

He chuckled, bringing himself up, before walking towards me, slowly. Apprehensive his steps were, I wonder if he really thought I would punch him again.

"You went missing for so long I thought you dead."

My eyes went to the blue clear sky, bare ghosts of clouds floating above, I reminiscing.

"I should be."

"Yet you aren't."

I sighed. Looked right at him.

"I regret killing those children, all those years ago. I hate you for making me do it."

His smile came back. "Do you even remember their names?"

I kept my eyes dead centre on him. I was just a bit taller. He had to look up just a bit.

"I guess that makes me just as bad as you then. But I still regret it."

"Well, then you changed. You know what made me accept you as my student? It wasn't the talent, wasn't the studies, wasn't the ability to control someone. Not even to keep Hiruzen off my back. It was because your eyes were dead. Completely. Void of any life.

Now though? Vivid, full of life, but pained, like a dying animal. What happened to you?"

"I found a reason to live."

He laughed again.

"If only it was that easy."

Then I decided something. I decided that I wanted to do something to my master, but I couldn't kill him, and I couldn't leave him alone. Dangerous was his demeaner and goals, in and out of the village, and given the right materials and context he was a despicable threat to the world. And most of that, he was like me. Hurt and wounded and abandoned, but he didn't have anyone. Except me.

I walked past him. "Sit with me."

Pale eyelids surrounded by purple mascara opened wide, surprised.

"Giving me the orders now?" He said, yet he still sat down with me, to my left. I looked up at the sky once more.

"You are like me, sensei. For that reason I hate you, more than anyone else really, but for that same reason I can't let you go. Else you'll destroy some random orphanage or something equally evil for the thrill of it, find some bullshit reason to keep going.

For a bit I was like that, an unending machine of violence, one seeking only strength, not caring for morality, or good or love. I justified every bit of evil I did, thinking it didn't matter, nothing did. Really, the only thing I could care about was myself, and this inane reason to fight on that I had cobbled together as an excuse for my mistakes."

"Is this going somewhere?"

I ignored him.

"And then I found friends, and I put my all into them, as they broke down my every barrier and made me realise that things in the world did matter. People. You know this too, it is why you are so interesting. You had those people you loved, Jiraya, Tsunade, but then they left you. They didn't even care. At least my squad died, and they wanted to save me. Yours chose to run away, you not enough to sacrifice their time for."

Orochimaru was silent, but I could tell he was angry.

"What I am saying, is I found someone else. You don't have anyone, so let's do an experiment. You find someone that matters, and you care for them, and see if that changes anything."

"And if I don't?"

I placed my arm on his shoulder, applied 50 points into strength, and crushed it. He screamed loud, but my grip stayed locked, the nails piercing through flesh.

"Simple, I kill you."

I let go and he retreated with a body flicker, before stopping. I was still sat, and he knew I was stronger. Even if it was just a bit, there was a chance he wouldn't win.

His breathing was heavy, his pain intense, but he managed to cry out.

"Fine! You'll get your stupid challenge! See if it matters you idealistic fool."

I body flickered to him, smiling like he did before.

"I will. I guess the student becomes the master, right sensei?"

He didn't respond, scowling as he ran away, probably to lick his wounds.

Orochimaru wouldn't tell the hokage. Tell him what, the student he abandoned shattered his arm like a twig? It was either so far fetched it wouldn't get him anywhere, or so embarrassing he wouldn't be able to bounce back. Either way, he could just lie and say it was a training incident.

Minato would corroborate that story, he knew, the blond teleporting next to my marker.

"You think he will change because of that?"

"Either way his problem will be solved. I hope he does though."

Minato looked up at me, confused. "Why? Don't you hate him?"

I cracked my neck. "He's too interesting to let go."

…

A/N: Orochimaru moment, ooohhhh

So I had this happen unplanned basically, this entire story is freewheeling at this moment because I have no ideas, so im making shit up on the fly. I have a plan for where I want the story to go, but it is too soon for that to happen immediately so yeah.

Probably something with Oro, something with Mina, a solo thing with Kizashi and story end. Maybe. Who knows I might go fucking crazy and continue the story for 5 years and 1 million words.

Again, reviews are great encouragement for me to write these things faster. Make sure to bully me relentlessly for any mistakes I make.

Thanks for reading, cya.