"You might want to check your hood before trying something like that." Orochimaru spoke up as Jiraiya was still too shocked at my eyes, to which I blinked before my eyes widened as I felt a shuffle in my hood, quickly dropping back to the ground with a flip before letting out a relieved sigh as Sesshomaru gave me a happy bark while wagging his tail.
"Hah, you're okay."
"That's a ninja hound. Where'd you three find him?" Tsunade asked and the three of us shrugged in unison as I placed Sessho in my rain coat with his head poking out from the front of the jacket.
"He found us actually. Stole half of a can of bacon and beans before I caught him and made him mine. So far, he doesn't seem to mind since he gets free food. Isn't that right, buddy~?" I cooed as I rubbed the purple dot on the forehead of the silver-furred puppy, who yipped before I looked up as Jiraiay finally snapped from his shock.
"How the hell did you get those eyes?!" He exclaimed, confusing everyone as I blinked and shrugged.
"I was born with them, like every other person that has eyes." I answered, hoping he doesn't keep shouting and it appears my prayers were answered as Tsunade spoke up before he could continue.
"Oi, what the hell is with you? First, you stay silent like a green-skinned shinobi in their first battle and then you start shouting without caring for the fact that some shinobi might hear us." I ignored Jiraiya grinning sheepishly and turning to speak to Tsunade as I walked over to Orochimaru, who had decided to stand near the entrance to get away from the talking.
"Hey, mister. What's your name?"
"None of your business. Go bother the others." He spoke and I shrugged as I sat down while he was leaning against a pillar of stone.
"Nah, they're too loud for me and when Yahiko starts talking right now, it's just going to get louder."
"Oi, you! Train me!"
"See?" I said as Yahiko spoke to Jiraiya, grinning as Orochimaru glanced at me before rolling his eyes and looking back out at the outside with a narrowed gaze.
"Very well. You can stay here, but no talking."
"Sure." I answered with a shrug as I slowly rubbed Sessho's head, a calm silence hanging between us as it was only broken now and then by Jiraiya and Yahiko speaking to each other.
"So~" I began as the silence grew to be too much for me, smirking as I heard Orochimaru sigh to himself before speaking.
"Yes?"
"Think you could train me?"
"No." He answered instantly and I frowned as I looked up at him.
"Why not?"
"Why should I?"
"That other guy looked shocked at my eyes, which means that they're probably some kind of jutsu or something. That should be enough, right?" I spoke up, watching as Orochimaru gave me a quick glance before looking back out in front of him.
"Just because Jiraiya thinks your eyes are special doesn't mean they are. That buffoon thinks everything unique is powerful."
"Sounds like Yahiko whenever he finds a special rock or stick." I answered and I was surprised as I heard a soft chuckle escaping the man's lips.
"You are a weird kid, you know that?"
"You look weirder than I do." I answered back with a huff, Sessho barking in agreement as Orochimaru simply hummed before turning his gaze towards me.
"The reason I don't train children is because you are weak and can be killed very easily. Therefore, I wish to find a student that won't die in their first battle."
"You say that, but you don't know how strong I am." I spoke with a shrug and Orochimaru simply hummed before I frowned as the man made a few hand signs before taking a deep breath.
I watched as he moulded chakra in his core and made it shift from a purple flame to a swirling mass of purple wind right before I stared in awe as he blew out a strong gust, dispersing the rain in front of us for a few seconds before turning back to look at me with a challenging smirk.
"Do that and I'll teach you." He said, expecting me to not be able to, but I surprised both him and myself as I trusted my instincts.
Replicating his hand signs quite crudely, I moulded chakra in my abdomen before thinking of shifting it from the violet fire that it was to violet winds, taking a deep breath before blowing out a small blast of wind that flew for a few meters before dispersing.
Unlike his however, I was unable to stop the rain from falling, but I did manage to do it and turn to stare at his surprised look with a smile.
"What's next?"
"How did you do that?"
"Oh, I just replicated what you did." I answered with a shrug and he looked at me with a slight frown before humming as he looked back just as we heard footsteps nearing.
"You saw how he moulded his chakra, didn't you?" Jiraiya spoke with a smirk and I shrugged and nodded, to which the man chuckled while making his own hand signs and took a deep breath.
This time, I watched as the dark blue flames that was the chakra in his core went from a small ember to a blazing fire, Jiraiya expelling out a blast of hot wind that shifted into a torrent of bright orange flames the moment he did so.
"Can you do th-!" Before he could finish talking, my hands were already flying through hand seals as I copied his exact movements, taking a deep breath before expelling out a stream of orange flames that evaporated most of the water it touched.
"Hahahaha! Hey, Tsuna! Did you see that?"
"I saw it. Kid, you have a real knack for chakra manipulation." Tsunade spoke with an impressed smirk while both Yahiko and Konan looked at me in shock and awe, to which I gave a smile and a bow back before spinning around at the smirking Orochimaru.
"So?" I asked and he hummed as he looked at me for a while before answering.
"…I won't train you."
"Wait, what?!" I exclaimed in surprise before stopping myself from talking as he held up a hand.
"Let me finish speaking. I won't train you, but I am going to teach you one special technique. If you can do it, I shall leave you with a few of my jutsu." He spoke before my eyes widened as he weaved through five hand signs, watching as chakra flowed from his core to his hand before he knelt and placed his right hand flat onto the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu." With a simple chant, I watched in awe as his chakra was transformed into kanji patterns on the ground, watching as a puff of smoke erupted from under his hand.
As he picked it up, though, excitement flooded my body as a white snake slithered out from under his hand and around his arm, Orochimaru smiling softly as the snake rubbed its head against the side of his face before he looked at me.
"You saw what I did?"
"Y-Yeah."
"Good. Sign this with your name and family name in blood." He said as he rolled up his right sleeve, making me blink as I stared at the black tattoo that went from his wrist to his shoulder before I frowned as I saw the chakra patterns that ran through the tattoo.
"You sure, Orochi? I thought only you were allowed to sign the scroll?" I heard Jiraiya ask as I took a kunai and cut my thumb open, hissing at the pain before slowly signing my name on his arm as Orochimaru simply looked at Jiraiya.
"I'm allowed to let one person sign the scroll and if the Sage finds them worthy, their name will be removed from my arm and they'll be allowed to have their own summoning tattoo."
"Okay, done." I spoke as I lifted my hand, surprised to find Tsunade next to me before my eyes widened as she healed my injury with a single tap of medical ninjutsu chakra from her index finger.
"Can't have you passing out from blood lo-!"
"How sure are you that this is your name?" Orochimaru cut her off and I looked at him before cursing myself as I had written out my full name in my excitement of actually getting a summoning scroll, the shinobi looking back at me with a narrowed frown that caught the other two's attention.
"Why do you ask?" Tsunade asked and Orochimaru simply gestured his arm, my mind ignoring Konan and Yahiko walking towards me as both Jiraiya and Tsunade walked over to look at the name before they both froze as Jiraiya looked up at a stunned Tsunade.
"…What are your parents' names?"
"I don't know Dad's family name, but his name was Ise and Mom's name was Fuso Uzumaki. She told me that she was from a special clan and that she had red hair."
"And she was killed by Konoha shinobi. Oh, the world likes messing with us." I heard Jiraiya mutter with a groan as he palmed his face, watching as Orochimaru lowered his sleeve after doing something to the name with his chakra before looking at Tsunade as she knelt in front of my with a soft expression.
"How would you feel about coming with us to Konoha? Your friends can come too. You will all be taken care of and I'll make sure that each of you-!"
"Sorry to interrupt, but no thanks. I can't go and stay in the same village that made me an orphan." I answered bluntly and with a shrug, catching both Jiraiya & Orochimaru wincing at my response while Tsunade looked a bit saddened at my response.
"There's no way I can change my mind?"
"Not at all. Until I die, Amegakure is my own…as messed up as it is."
'That and I have my own plans for making this place into something good.'
"Yep! That's right!" Yahiko spoke up with a nod and Konan did the same, Tsunade looking between the three of us before she smiled and nodded.
"Very well. I won't force you to come with, but allow us to at least make sure that all of you survive." I knew that her words were mostly aimed at me, but the more people I got to train with, the stronger I could become so it was all right with me.
"That's not going to be possible for all three of us to stay here and train them." Jiraiya spoke up with a frown and I remembered that there was still a war going on right now, the Sannin looking at each other before Orochimaru shrugged.
"I already have a way to contact my student here so I don't mind going back to the village as I'll pop in now and again."
"Wait, I'm your student?" I asked in surprise, Orochimaru smirking & nodding as he crossed his arms.
"I gave you the unique ability to summon snakes, something that only I can do so of course, I'm making you my students. However, which of you two are staying?"
"I'd say I should stay considering your efforts in the war are too valuable to lose." Jiraiya said to Tsunade and I watched as the blonde woman bit her lips before letting out a soft sigh and nodding.
"Fine, but before I go, here." She spoke as she took out a whiteand& green scroll from her pouch, making me frown in confusion as I took it before my eyes widened as I rolled it open to see a series of storage kanji written on the inside.
"Each kanji is a storage seal that holds all the basics that I was taught about medical ninjutsu. Use it well."
"A-Are you serious? Isn't…isn't this very valuable, then?" I asked and she smiled and nodded while patting me on the head and ruffling my hair.
"It is, but I don't have anyone to give this to and I'd rather it be in the hands of someone I can trust."
'Does that mean Nawaki has already died?' I thought with a frown as I looked at her before smiling softly and nodding.
"Okay, I'll take it."
"Good, because if you didn't, I wanted it." Konan chimed in before giggling as I gave her a deadpan stare, raising the scroll above my head to stop Yahiko from swiping it from my hands.
"I would have shared it, you know?"
"I know. I'm just playing."
"Okay, then I guess I'm staying and teaching you kids a thing or two about ninjutsu." Jiraiya spoke up, drawing our attention back as all three of us looked at him before Yahiko cheered while Konan looked excited.
I just smiled and nodded while putting the scroll in my inner jacket pocket next to where Sesshomaru was, the puppy in question leaving the scroll alone as he gave a happy bark when he saw Yahiko and Konan looking excited.
"Looks like he agrees." Jiraiya spoke while stroking a finger over my puppy's head but I smirked as he yelped when Sessho latched onto his finger, letting it go only when I gave him a soft tap on the head.
"Sorry, he takes a while to get used to new people and only I can touch him without him trying to bite off your finger."
"Don't worry, old man. I've tried touching him once too and he almost bit off my arm if Nagato didn't stop him." I rolled my eyes at Yahiko's whispers to Jiraiya, the man in question giving an exaggerated nod and frown while Konan and I turned towards Orochimaru and Tsunade as they looked at us.
"Remember the hand signs I showed you and master the technique."
"And don't forget about the scroll." Tsunade added and I chuckled while nodding as I gave a bow of my head before standing up.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure to do both and I'll try & learn everything that's in the scroll."
'Forget learning. I'm mastering everything that's in the scroll.' I thought with a smile as the two Sannin nodded, turning to Jiraiya and the three shared a glance before Orochimaru and Tsunade vanished, to which I stared in awe at how fast their chakra was disappearing into the distance before turning back to Jiraiya as the man spoke with a groan.
"So, what's this you guys said earlier about having a lot of food?"
"Oh, Nagato's got it all." The orange-haired idiot I call a friend spoke with a happy smile and Konan snickered at my sigh as I took out the food scroll before unsealing four cans of beans and one can of dog food.
"Before you ask, I do have other non-canned stuff, but I save those for once a week and we had our once-a-week yesterday." I answered as I sat down, taking Sessho from my coat & placing him on the ground before smirking as Jiraiya grumbled while sitting down along with the others.
"A meal is a meal so I won't explain."
"Good, because if you did, Sessho would be stealing your plate." I said as I sliced off the top of all the cans with a chakra blade, each of us picking up our can before Jiraiya frowned while staring with a narrowed gaze at the puppy as Sesshomaru looked back with a sly look in his eyes.
"That's no dog. That's a demon." He answered, to which Sessho responded with a bark and made me smile.
"He says 'thank you for the compliment'."
"…Hah, this was a bad idea."
In the middle of nowhere, in an empty cave, there sat a colossal earthen-coloured statue, having a mummified humanoid form with numerous spike-like protrusions from its back,
Seated in the middle of a large lotus flower, the statue was kneeling as if in prayer with its hands held up as if in prayer, but shackles kept its hands together and its nine eyes were hidden behind a tattered blindfold while it bit down on a scroll that stayed attached to its form with two ropes extending from beneath the blindfold to either side of its head.
However, the statue's flower sat on a large platform nearly the width & length of a city block that was lowered down behind another platform, upon which sat a single throne.
Seated on the throne, though, was a decrepit and old man, his mane of white-grey hair laying on the throne he was on while three long tubes of some white material extended from the chest of the statue behind him and into his neck, upper back and lower back.
Dressed in a simple dark kimono and a ragged blanket thrown over his lap, a large scythe rested next to the man's throne as he took deep yet raspy breaths, a blindfold wrapped around his head to hide his empty eye sockets from view.
Yet, even with no eyes, the man turned just as the ground besides him rippled right before a white lifeform grew out from it, the spiky-haired being giving an eerie smile as it climbed out of the floor before stretching with a groan.
"Did you get them?" The man asked and the being giggled and nodded as they took out a glass cylindrical flask from their chest that was filled with a yellow viscous liquid in which sat two eyes with red irises and three tomoe around each pupil.
Taking the flask, the man didn't even flinch as he took out the eyes and implanted them into his own eye sockets, blinking a few times to make his vision steady before frowning as he could feel how utterly weak the eyes were compared to his last pair.
"Zetsu, did you take this from a genin?"
"No, I learned my lesson last time, Lord Madara. These are from a special jonin." The being, Zetsu, spoke with a happy smile and Madara looked at the being before shaking his head as he found himself too tired to argue.
"It is at least an upgrade."
"Well, I knew that would upset you so I brought good news."
"And what good news would there be in this accursed world?" Madara asked and Zetsu grinned before speaking.
"Well~ It seems that the kid you gave your eyes to is being trained by Jiraiya of the Sannin."
"An adequate teacher for someone that is supposed to resurrect me in the future. Very well, you can pull back the Zetsu clones we placed around him as added security."
"Don't you want to know more?"
"No. Now go and leave me be." Madara muttered and Zetsu groaned but did as the man asked and sunk into the ground, Madara looking at the darkness in front of him before humming & leaning back into his throne with a sigh as he began to circulate the chakra of the statue behind him through his body once more.
Hopefully, this pair doesn't explode like the last pair did.
A/N: And Mr. Big Bad has been revealed~! Not really a Big Bad since he isn't a problem right now, but one never can know what will happen~!
Also, I wanted to keep Orochimaru instead of Jiraiya, but I also wanted Yahiko & Konan to get some training as well and Orochimaru is the type to focus on one student & make them stronger than the others.
However, I did make sure Nagato signed the Snake Scroll because I'm not doing the toads or the slugs as there are already a lot of characters with them & not the snakes.
That and I like snakes over slugs & toads so I decided to go with them.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
Anyway, as always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one...
Ba-Bye~!
