Chapter 16: When Karma comes knocking

PLEASE READ: I had a laugh when almost all of you commented about the last scene reminding you of Kagome in Inuyasha...honestly, I didn't even realize it when I was writing it! Sorry for the short update, I am swamped at work.

HP/KH/IU

The sight of Orochimaru on his knees made everyone freeze in shock...no one had been able to capture him, nevermind even managed to somewhat control his actions ever since his experiments had come to light...and now it seemed as if he'd finally met his match.

Orochimaru's minions didn't know what to do now that their master was incapacitated, and if they were to be perfectly honest...he had been getting a bit too crazy with his bid for immortality ideas...and they weren't too keen on angering someone that actually had the ability to stop him in the first place.

Kabuto, on the other hand, had been planning on learning everything he could from Orochimaru before forging his own path, but now a new, more powerful puzzle presented himself...and he was itching to learn his secrets.

Kakashi and Naruto knew that Hadrian hid many secrets, and they knew that he would probably surprise them from time to time...but they hadn't expected him to draw such a reaction from Manda of all summons...not to mention bringing Orochimaru to his knees with nothing more than a word.

Asuma and his team had been monitoring Hadrian carefully during their joint mission upon the orders of the Hokage, but their orders hadn't been to see whether he could be trusted...rather it had been to protect him and to see whether they would be able to work with him when the need arises...and it was safe to say that he seemed to adapt flawlessly with their way of doing things. But true to Shikamaru's words, the man's bloodline seemed to carry a lot of secrets and they found themselves eager to learn more of what the newest unofficial shinobi can do.

Itachi, for his part, didn't know what to think as Hadrian managed to surprise him time and time again...but he knew he was falling for the man more and more whenever he proved that he wouldn't let society's rules dictate what he should think and how he should react. He also knew that Hadrian had a hidden strength about him, but this was beyond what he could have imagined.

Jiraiya, for his part, barely knew the man that had just caused Orochimaru to kneel, but it wasn't hard to put two and two together, seeing as the man in front of him carried the same scar and energy that Kakashi's newest 'summon' did. But for an unknown to have so much power...he'd have to keep a close eye on the man to ensure that he didn't have any nefarious intentions toward the village, and especially, Naruto, since he'd previously written the man off as nothing more than a strange civilian that didn't fear shinobi.

HP/KH/IU

The moment the man appeared, Orochimaru had felt his body freeze and a cold sense of dread had traveled up his spine.

He'd never felt so powerless before...he had made numerous contingency plans for numerous outcomes to ensure that he would never be captured, and yet he could use none of them at the moment because his body was being held completely immobile.

He waited for Manda to attack the man, but the double-crossing snake merely bowed to the man before returning to his dimension.

The sight of it made Orochimaru's blood run cold since even he had barely been able to control Manda even though he'd been practicing the summoning jutsu for years, and yet Manda seemed to fear and respect the man that was currently holding Orochimaru's body immobile.

The moment he felt his body being released, he decided that he needed to kill the man as soon as possible to ensure that he wouldn't trap him again, but the man merely smiled and he neared and Orochimaru felt dread crawl up his spine once more as the man hissed a single word: "~SIT~"

To Orochimaru's horror, he immediately felt his body obey as if it wasn't his own anymore and a few seconds later he was kneeling in the dirt in front of everyone.

Anger and embarrassment rose up inside of him, but he forced himself to keep his mouth shut as he tried to think of a way out of his current predicament.

He knew what awaited him if he were to be captured, and there was so much that he still wanted to learn that he knew he needed to avoid that scenario at all costs.

HP/KH/IU

Hadrian had to admit, even if it was just to himself, that the situation was quite unexpected and funny, but after a moment a sliver of disgust ran through him as he realized that using Parseltongue against Orochimaru was almost the equivalent of casting an Imperius on him, except his mind would be fully aware that his body was being controlled.

He took a step toward the man that had made himself into a snake-hybrid and he couldn't help but compare the similarities and the differences between the man in front of him and Tom Riddle.

Both seemed to be geniuses and both had gone further than most dared in the pursuit of knowledge and immortality...but Orochimaru seemed to be less cold in a sense...more angry.

He also didn't seem to be as one-track-minded as Tom Riddle had been.

After a moment Hadrian realized that the man slightly reminded him of how Sasuke was when Hadrian had first come to the village...a genius, yet so sure that he was the only one suffering that his world had become limited to his immediate surroundings and the people that influenced it.

In fact, it could be said that Orochimaru was a mix between the two and it made Hadrian wonder what would happen if the man used his abilities to protect Konoha instead.

Hadrian was unaware that everyone's eyes were on him as he contemplated the next course of action because he'd seen Konoha's prison and he was sure it wouldn't hold the man, so the only other option would be death.

But having them execute someone just because they wouldn't be able to hold him didn't sit well with Hadrian either...since after becoming the MoD, he'd grown to have more appreciation for the boundary between life and death and he fully believed that one shouldn't cross over before you have lived your life to the fullest.

Decision made, he took measured steps toward Orochimaru, "I know of the atrocities you have committed, and I know that only death would await you if we were to take you back to Konoha and yet I can't simply leave you to plot against Konoha further, so I am giving you a choice, return to Konoha and face your death...or return to Konoha and become her protector under my command."

After he'd given the man the choice, it felt as if even the wind didn't dare to blow as the world seemed to hold its breath to wait for the other man's decision.

HP/KH/IU

Kakashi stood to the side as Asuma's team worked to patch up Jiraiya's body with the potions Hadrian had given them during their trip, but his gaze was fully focused on Hadrian.

He frowned when he heard Hadrian's words but he didn't dare step in because he knew that Hadrian wouldn't have said anything if he hadn't thought it through...and if he didn't truly have a method to ensure that Orochimaru would stay loyal to him.