So I've made great progress since the last update! Chapters sixteen-twenty-three are completed and I came up with another idea so I'm going to have to rewrite chapters twenty-four and twenty-five then we will be all set to move on. Things are heating up. :D

This is a flashback chapter, so yes, it's supposed to be italicized. :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. This is just for fun, no profit will be made from this (and I don't want to either). This is purely for my and the entertainment of Naruto fans.

Dedication: To my beautiful, amazing, intelligent, girlfriend Phillipa (Shadow Spirit Dragon-wolf) for being there for me through not only my writing (both fanfiction and my original story) but real life in general. You have been my inspiration and my support through everything.

Warnings: Violence, explicit sexual conduct (no rape!) homosexual relationship, relationship with a large age gap, struggles with belonging, self-hatred, obsession, self-harm, self-experimentation, human experimentation, mental disorders, a dark view of the "afterlife", (bonding of) pain and isolation, self-worthlessness, and male pregnancy.

Pairings: OroNaru, cannon pairings (except, obviously, NaruHina).

Summary: Sometimes, the deepest scars are the ones no one can see, but in a world moving into the light even the oldest inner wounds can be seen

Enjoy! :)

Chapter Fifteen: Shaken

Orochimaru

I beam inside as I put my headband on. I'm finally a ninja. This is when things are going to get really fun! I get to fight for real and show everyone what I'm made of! I'm one step closer to being Hokage!

(Of course, I realize it'll take time. But I'm ready! Ready to be the best ninja ever!)

I practically run home, ready to show my parents and Tsuru that I'm finally a ninja!

I feel Nagi's snoot push against my lips and I open my mouth to let her out.

"Hello, precious," I say as she slithers out and coils around my neck.

"You're growing up so fast! Your parents are going to be so proud!"

"Well, I'm only a genin," I say, trying to suppress my excitement.

"Now, now. I know you're excited," my bond snake hisses, amused, flicking her tongue in my face.

I flick my tongue as well. "As are you."

"Of course! My human is a ninja now. You know more than most adults. Haven't you heard people talking about you?"

"I try not to," I mutter.

"No. Not those. I mean the good things. Do you not pay attention to such things?"

I shrug. "Humans are weird."

She boops me gently. "Let's get home. Your parents-"

"Mongooses! They're everywhere!" I hear someone scream.

'Mongooses?'

"Let's see what that's about, Orochi."

"Right," I say, running towards the sound. I'm stopped by my mother's personal summons, Kirsu.

The purple and black horned red-eyed snake flicks her large tongue out. "Orochimaru," she says softly, yet deadly all at once. Sweet beauty I hold dear in my heart. "What are you doing?"

"I was going to find out what's going on-"

"Nope! You stay here."

"I'm a ninja now. I can handle this. I want to know what's going on."

"We've been put under attack."

"Under attack? Why?"

Nagi stretches, lifting her head and flicking her tongue. "It seems as though the Kokueiryoushi clan has found us."

"How?!" I exclaim.

An ancient rival clan of my clan that dates back to before the villages were created. Both my clan and the Kokueiryoushi originated where the Land of Rice Patties is now. Once the nations began to form, my clan headed to Konoha and the Kokueiryoushi headed to Ame.

We were let in Konoha because of our ability to create poisons and antidotes for those poisons as well as our ability to summon snakes (as snakes are feared for some strange reason.)

It is said that our clans hadn't had any conflict after that, so then… why this? How did they find us? How did they get past our barrier? Only those of the Yashagoro clan are allowed on this land.

I flick my tongue. "I smell a rat."

"You will smell a lot of rats, but you will not eat them."

I frown, clenching and unclenching my fingers around the kunai. "And why not? Perhaps I'm hungry for mongoose?"

"Hatchlings must never fight the mongoose or the hawk."

"Then how will I know how to strike them?"

"You must become a stronger snake. You must become wiser. You ought to know not to rush into battle, Orochimaru," Kisuru says, coiling herself around me and Nagi. "Now then, I will protect you. By order of your mother."

I sigh. "How can I learn how to be stronger if I don't fight?"

"Don't argue with me! You are a hatchling! Most of your clan is dead!"

My eyes widen for a moment. "Then all the more reason-"

"No, all the more reason to stay put as your mother commanded!"

"I'm not going to just stand here while my friends and family die!" I hiss jumping over her coils.

She hisses, starting to coil around me again. Nagi, fortunately, blocks her.

"Nagi?"

"Lady Kisuru, you know that it's no use. Orochi is going to do what he does. He's determined."

Kisuru looks between us. "His mother-" She stops midsentence and quickly slithers off in the direction of the fight.

I follow her and catch up to her quickly. My eyes widen when I see bodies of my clan and the Kokueiryoushi everywhere in my mother's garden. A garden that takes up most of the land we own.

"Orochi, behind you!" Tsuru exclaims.

I turn swiftly and blast the enemy with a wind-style jutsu.

"That was close! Be more careful, Orochi!"

"Right! Come on, Tsuru! Let's protect our home!"

"Right!" my friend grins.

We fight through the enemy as best we can.

"There's just no end to them!"

"You're telling me," I pant, wrapping my tongue around the neck of a Kokueiryoushi woman and ripping her head off.

Tsuru burns three more members with a fire-style jutsu.

"There's an opening. Let's find Mother and Father."

"Right," he says, striking another enemy down.

Just as we're about to make a dash for the opening we made, Tsuru lets out a scream.

"Tsuru!" I exclaim, turning around to see a mongoose licking its mouth and staring down at me.

Kirsu strikes the back of the creature's neck. It hisses before falling over, dead.

"Tsuru! We have to get him out of there!"

"He will have to wait, Orochi. You must go to your mother since you didn't listen to me," Kiri says as she smacks three Kokueiryoushi ninja with her large tail. They land in Mother's chakra-eating plants. Their screams echo as their chakra is sucked dry.

"But Tsuru!"

"Focus," Nagi hisses. "You're a ninja, no?"

"Right," I swallow and ready myself.

More Kokueiryoushi ninja come. Nagi, Kirsu, and I fight them off as much as possible.

"You have to get to your parents," Kirsu hisses as she injects her venom in another Kokueiryoushi ninja. "I'll hold them off."

"Are you going to be alright?" I shout out over the roaring battle cries, screams of pain, and death cries around me.

"Yes. Just go!" she hisses as a mongoose sinks its teeth in her tail.

I blast the creature away with a wind-style, slicing it to bits before I shushin away from the area.

I land in the forest. A few Kokueiryoushi ninja attack. Most of them believe I'm some weakling, so they go easy on me until they see what I can do. I gasp as a sword slices through my left side and sticks between my ribs. The man rips the sword out, smirking.

I hiss, anger boiling within me. "You dare stab me with such a pathetic sword?"

"Pathetic? Boy, what the hell are you on? My sword is not pathetic in way, shape, or form! In fact, I could easily kill you right-" the bulky man hisses, charging at me. He's stopped by a green and blue anaconda wrapping around him.

He gasps, struggling to get free.

"Don't let him summon, Iri," Mother commands as she appears in a whirl of leaves.

"Of course," my mother's bond snake says, squeezing the man tighter.

"I… I wasn't going to k-ki-"

"Enough from you!" Mother hisses, throwing a flower dart straight in the man's neck. "You may eat him."

"Treats! I'm so spoilt today!" Iri hisses as the man slowly loses his life.

Mother turns to me, golden eyes that would be identical to mine if she had the same vertical pupils I do.

A slap so hard it forces me to spit up blood makes contact on my face. I lift a hand, rubbing my now bruising face.

"Why the hell are you out here?! I told Kisuru to watch you!"

"Well, I didn't want to just sit around, Mother!"

"You could get hurt! I know you want to be-" she pauses, licking my headband. "So I see. You are one. I knew you'd always be," she mutters, smiling kindly. "But that gives you no excuse to disobey my summons!" she hisses, protective mother mode in full bloom once again. "Where is she?"

"In the garden. She let me and Nagi get past the garden. She sensed you and Father. Where is Father?" I ask, looking around.

"He's fighting Kokueiryoushi clan leader. I was aiding him, but I smelt your chakra."

I frown. "I had it under control."

"Orochi, this isn't some battle that you can win easily with intellect alone. You can't just rush into these things. There's a reason why the Kokueiryoushi have been our enemy for centuries."

I sigh heavily. "I just want to help, okay? I want to prove that I'm not some weakling, Mother! I want to be Hokage! How can I be Hokage if I can't even protect my clan?!"

Mother studies me for a moment. She stretches her tongue out, licking the blood from a cut on my face. "Orochi, my beautiful boy. You've always been so sweet. You care so much. And yet, you don't know when it's time to pull back and do as your mother asks."

"Mother, I just-"

She freezes, looking in the direction she came and flicks her tongue. She prepares a shushin.

"Hey! Wait for me, Ayame!" Iri hisses, legs hanging out of her mouth.

"Then let's go, Iri!"

The snake swallows her food and slithers over to Mother.

"I'm coming too," I say, preparing to do one as well.

She gazes at me then closes her eyes. "Prepare yourself. Things are about to get ugly."

"You mean a real fight?" I ask as we shushin and land where Father and the clan Kokueiryoushi clan leader are fighting.

Father is on the head of his personal summons, Jiranu. A large black cobra with large red rings surrounding it and green and blue within the hood.

Opposite of him, a tall, short haired man stands on top of a large mongoose. The mongoose has yellow stripes running from the edges of its eyes along the sides and to the tip of the tail.

Jiranu strikes and the mongoose jumps out of the way, baring fangs and chomping at the bit to get to Jiranu.

"We should help, Mother," I say, turning to look at her.

Mother doesn't say anything. She just stares at Father, flicking her tongue through the air. "Your father has been injured."

I flick mine as well. "How bad?"

She doesn't reply. She jumps onto Jiranu.

Iri coils around me protectively, unleashing a genjutsu when the man's men start to surround me. They freeze for a moment before attacking each other.

"That should hold them off," the anaconda hisses. "Then it's dinner time!"

"How many humans have you had today?" Nagi asks.

"Lost count."

"We should be focused on the battle," I say, biting my thumb. I push up the sleeve of my left arm and stare down at the tattoo on my arm. A tattoo passed down in my clan through generations. One that binds us to our summons indefinitely. I start to spread the blood across the tattoo, but Nagi stops me.

"Nagi, what are you…?"

"Nothing you summon right now will be of any use right now. There are too many mongooses around. They will tear your summons to shreds."

"I wasn't planning on summoning something small," I frown.

"You don't mean to tell me you're going to summon Manda!" she hisses. "Orochimaru, be reasonable! He will eat you! You just became a genin! He's not going to listen to you!"

"She's right," Iri says. "Manda will only listen to those who defeat him. Your parents weren't even able to summon him."

"Well then," I say, preparing the summoning and jumping out of the anaconda's coils and slamming my palm into the ground. "I'll just have to defeat him!"

A large purple and black snake, who looks nearly identical to Kirsu except in size and the eyes appears. The large serpent flicks his large tongue before turning towards me, mouth wide and strings of saliva sticking to his fangs.

I jump back, watching him carefully.

"You dare summon me, a mere hatchling? What is the use of you?"

"I am stronger than most of my clan and I'm a ninja now."

Manda chuckles. "I am highly amused at your stupidity, hatchling. What makes you think I have any interest in helping you?"

"I just figured you'd want to eat some mongooses and humans," I shrug, running my hand over my bloody kunai in mock boredom.

The snake beams. "Food?" he hisses happily, flicking his tongue. "Where food?"

"All around you. But you'll have to help me out."

He laughs, leaning down and flicking his tongue right in my face. The tips nearly poking me in the eyes. "I will not be baited by a hatchling. Prove yourself to me, and I may consider your-"

Iri hisses, spitting out blood.

"Mother!" I exclaim.

"She and your father are in trouble. They're surrounded!" Nagi hisses as I run towards them. I use the striking shadow snake technique and my kunai to fend the fools trying to attack me.

I hiss as I'm forced to freeze. A paralysis… No! There's something else going on here. But what?

"Orochi!" Mother exclaims, wrapping her tongue around me and throwing me.

I gasp as my back hits a tree hard. My mind spins as I slowly get up.

"Now, I've got you," I hear someone cackle.

I slowly open my eyes. A man starts walking towards me, stalking me like a predator. He's less than a foot from me, smirking.

"What a pretty boy you are. You know, I'll keep you alive if you're willing to-"

"Not a chance in hell, you bastard!" Mother hisses as Kirsu appears, attacking the man.

"Well, Mama, I didn't realize you were in this fight," Manda hisses, flicking his tongue in amusement as his mother squeezes the man.

"Would you actually do something for once!" Kirsu hisses. "Orochimaru summoned you to fight not to look beautiful!"

"Aww! But that's why everyone summons me!" Manda grins. "Besides, I'm not listening to a hatchling-"

"We have no time for your stupid games! This clan is going to die if you don't come on and stop being a moron!"

Manda scoffs. "I have no time for this. I only-"

I summon a large gust of wind, blasting away the mongoose that was about to tear into Manda's beautiful tail.

I pant heavily, sweat covering my entire body.

"This fight is too intense for a genin," Kirsu says. "It's why your mother wanted you to stay with me."

I sigh as I look around. "Where are my parents?"

"They're-"

I gasp as something pulls me through the tree truck. I try to get free, but my body won't move!

"Orochimaru!" Kirsu hisses.

'Nagi, what's going on?'

'I'm not sure. I think it's some ability this woman has.'

"Now, you and the rest of your clan will perish!" the woman exclaims as she does hand seals and her body starts disappearing.

"What are you doing?" I ask, curiosity peaking high.

"I can turn my body into a ghost and possess you from the inside, destroying your very soul."

"And slipping yourself and others through solid objects is another one of your abilities?"

"Indeed. You're smarter than you look." She lifts into the air, a clear-white being. "Now, you die!"

Nagi prepares to launch an attack on the phantom woman, but something pins her down.

"Manda?"

"Who else?" the snake scoffs. "Well then, I never had ghost human before, but-"

"No!" she panics. "Let me go! I'll do anything! Just-"

"Anything?" Manda smirks, flicking his tongue in her face.

"Yes! Anything! Just let me go! Please!"

"Well, alright then," Manda grins.

"Thank you- hey wait!" she screeches as the large snake swallows her whole.

"What?" he asks. "She said she'd do anything if I let her go. I let her go and I wanted to eat her."

I shake my head. "Let's get going. We need to find my parents and help them. Mother is seriously injured."

"Right," Nagi says as we make our way back to the battle.

"Mother! Father!" I exclaim as Manda lifts me high into the air.

"Orochi, I threw you for a reason!" Mother exclaims.

"But-"

I freeze when I feel someone behind me. I flick my tongue. I dare not move. I know this chakra is stronger than the rest. Then that must mean…

The man pulls my hair, yanking my head back and pressing a ring against my neck. I scoff at the idea until I see it's an extremely sharp weapon.

"Let him go, Huna!" Father growls between clenched teeth. He pants heavily. He and Mother have lost a lot of chakra and blood.

"Never! This child will be coming with me and the rest of you will perish!"

"What do you want with our son?!" Mother hisses, coughing up blood.

"Why, fun for my lovely, Bitsu, of course," the man grins as his summons. "You see, Bitsu is a bit cranky and he loves to eat children. Especially those that summon snakes. So I figured I could-"

I gasp as father's large tongue grabs me the moment Mother tackles Huna against Manda.

"Stay here, Orochimaru," Father says, placing me on top of his summons.

"But Father-"

"No buts, young man. You will do as I say. Understand? I am your captain now."

"Yes, sir," I mutter.

I can't disobey the captain, after all.

I watch as my parents fight the man. When he tries to get closer, they throw themselves in harm's way to protect me.

They're close. They're so close. This battle. So many lives have been lost already. When will this nonsense end? What is the point in this? What are they after?

And as Bitsu appears out of nowhere to eat me, Iri is bitten right in two.

"Iri!" I exclaim.

"Ayane!" Father exclaims.

In that moment, Mother, too, is bisected. "Mother!" I exclaim, rushing over.

"Orochimaru, I told you to stay over there!" Father hisses, grabbing me with his tongue and placing me down.

"But Father! Mother is…!"

"Your mother will-"

Hanu sneaks up behind me, but Father blasts him with a fire-style jutsu.

"So the real one was lurking near Jiranu. I should have known."

"You wouldn't have because you can't taste my chakra. Stupid Ryoku. You never had a chance in hell against me."

Father smirks as vines encase his body. "Looks like you're the stupid one, eh, Hanu?" he coughs.

"What is? Help!" he hisses, trying to get free from the plants.

"You can thank my wife for the parting gift. Those flowers are chakra eating flowers. The vines wrap around the body like snakes and suck the chakra right out of a person."

"But when did she do that?" Hanu exclaims.

"When she struck one of your clones with her flower dart, of course. You see, the flower darts have the vines within them, and once they find the true body, the flowers are unleashed. Oh, and did I forget to mention that the flowers are full of the most venomous snakes in the world?"

"I ain't scared of no damn snake! Bitsu!"

"That won't work. You see, the flowers give off a pleasant aroma that puts any animal within a thirty-mile radius to sleep. Your summons won't be waking up anytime soon. And by the time it does. Well, I think you know."

"You won't be getting away with this!"

"Ryoku, tell that fool to shut up," Mother complains.

"Shouldn't you do that, my dear?" Father smirks.

And with that, she throws another flower dart into the screaming mouth of a fool.

Suddenly, Father falls forwards. I flick my tongue. Shit! Dangerously low chakra levels! Stupid chakra! Why can't we have chakra like the Uzumaki?! It always fails!

(doesn't it fail us all?)

"Father!" I shout, rushing over to him once I've used the escape jutsu.

I pull my parents into my lap. They look up at me, reaching to touch either side of my face.

"Orochi, you did well today. I'm so proud of you," Mother gasps.

"You will go far in life, my son."

"Don't talk," I whisper shakily, holding them against me. "I'll get you help! Just stay with me, please!"

"I'm afraid it's the end," Father coughs.

"But… at least… we did our job."

"What job?! You're dying! You didn't achieve anything!"

"We protected our son."

This chapter has changed about three times, and I finally decided this was the way to go. I suppose I should explain some things.

1) Nagi and Iri are bond snakes. I explain more about them later. But it's a headcanon Pippa and I came up with.

2) I chose (okay, Pippa chose :D ) Kokueiryoushi for the rival clan because we thought it would be interesting to have a clan of expert assassins/hunters. Although mongooses are diurnal creatures, most snakes are nocturnal so they (in my head) started hunting them at night. I'm not quite sure as to why they were fighting before the clans moved to Konoha and Amy respectively, but we all know that mongooses and snakes fight. Mongooses are not immune to snake venom. They have a high tolerance. It all comes down to who has the perfect first strike. (and in this case, neither one of them did because both clans were destroyed in this fight).

3) I always imagined Orochimaru's clan to be experts on poisons, venom, toxins, etc and how to get rid of them. I've mentioned about their saliva having special enzymes and such to break down such toxic things. Of course, I remember that Orochimaru had made his students resist, but not immune, to toxic substances and the like. I figured they would have a large garden where plants were grown and animals (mostly snakes) would thrive.

4) I had Orochimaru be able to summon Manda because 1) they get their contracts pretty early 2) I figured he could summon the snake, but wouldn't be able to control it. Of course, we all know he defeated Manda.

I think that's it to explain :)

Preview

Naruto

"Why did you cut off your summoning tattoo?!" I demand, my own chakra and Kurama's rising and swirling around me. "What's going on?!"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," he hisses.

"That tattoo is important to you! It's from your clan! It's a part of who you are! Why the hell would you just cut it off?! I understand you miss them, but is that any way to-"

"He's gone!" Oreo exclaims.

I blink, frowning. "Who's gone?"

Next update date: August 26

I hope y'all enjoyed! Until next time :).