Hi everyone! One day I was looking over "Mind of a Monster", and decided I wanted to do one for the Sound Four. Sorry it took so long. I know you all are probably a bit disappointed that this wasn't a 'canon' chapter. But I was taking a look back through what I had so far, after the last chapter, and realized I kind of killed off certain characters cruelly. And some of those characters, unlike in the actual show/manga, had no back-story. So, I decide to give these guys a break.

Make note- no matter what weird innuendo some of you ever seem to think you see, for my Orochimaru, there is NOTHING sexual happening with these four; he is taking advantage of the horrible lives of 4 or 5 damaged kids… and that's it. Enjoy! (I don't own Naruto, Kingdom Hearts, or Magic: The Gathering)

Let's Get It On!

The Dark and Misunderstood

Written By Kylekatarn77

Chapter Sixteen

They Sound Once More. It's the history of more monsters, Naruto!

((Page Break))

A Spider in the His Web

Kidomaru ran. In truth, it was all he could do, the only move he had in a sick, ridiculous game that he was forced to participate in every day. His hands clutched tightly to a loaf of bread… the pair above that onto some apples, and the ones above that onto a skin filled with water. Every item stolen. Technically, these items were the reason he was being chased from street to street.

More than that though, it was all of extra arms he was using to carry those items. They were why he snuck into the village every other day, crawling around in the shadows like the spider he resembled. Why anyone who saw him looked in fright for a moment, before that fear turned to hatred and loathing that made his stomach curdle. He was only 8… why did HE have to suffer like this?

The 8 year old boy rounded a corner, disappearing from view. The mob turned soon after him… and found the monster had vanished. They looked around, even up above them to the higher walls- who knew what the multiple-armed little bastard child could do? Finding nothing, they turned and walked away…

And above them, Kidomaru panted softly, tears threatening to fall as he tight gripped onto the food… and the strand of web he had used to drag himself up. He shook his head, before beginning to carefully leap across the buildings, not wanting any more attention. It was a 10 minute trek before he finally reached the outskirts of town, and then into the forest.

Some travel through the woods brought Kidomaru to a large cave, carved laboriously into the rock face. His home… and his brother's home.

Kidomaru wasn't sure about his brother. He knew, from the story his big brother had told, that their mother had died of the strain of giving birth to him, when his older brother was only 10. He knew his father had, without remorse, abandoned the both of them when he'd seen how Kidomaru had… developed in the womb. Kidomaru only knew that he was 8 now, so that meant his big brother, now 18, had cared for him all that time… maybe there had been a time when he'd actually loved his younger sibling.

But if such a time had existed, it was gone now. For Kidomaru literally couldn't remember a single day where Kodimaru hadn't lashed out at Kidomaru, either with tongue or fist or foot or all three at once. The eight-armed boy hated it, but he literally had no one else, and he owed eight years of life to his teenage brother.

Still, there were days when Kidomaru cried himself to sleep, thinking of how it could hurt more…

"Hey, Kidomaru, is that you?" Kidomaru cringed. As always, the gruff voice was laced with irritation, anger, and a smidgen of the same hate the people of their village carried for him. It was well hidden, not obvious like theirs… somehow, to Kidomaru that made it only worse.

"Y-Yes big brother… I got a little more than yesterday… I- I mean you can eat well tonight…"

"About fucking time…" As he stepped from the cave entrance, Kodimaru held his dirty, lean form with a cocky, arrogant swagger, as if he'd done all of the work in getting the food that day. However, his eyes ever so slightly betrayed the hatred he seemed to carry for Kidomaru; the younger brother that, in his eyes, had made him parentless. An outcast. A homeless beggar who had missed out on life caring for some defective freak he had to call a brother… whatever love Kodimaru had felt for his younger brother had truly and wholly died long ago.

"You take so fucking long" Kodimaru admonished, snatching the water skin and bread from Kidomaru's hands. He took a long swig, and then sneered down in disgust. "I'd think that with 6 hands, you'd snatch shit 3 times as fast."

"…Big brother… please, you know I d-don't like being teased like that… not about them." Kidomaru shivered in embarrassment and hurt, all 6 arms rubbing against each other self-consciously.

"Oh… is that so?" Kodimaru stepped forward, with a dangerous and solid step that forced Kidomaru back. "I'm SO sorry for hurting your feelings. I mean, what have you ever done… except ruin my LIFE?"

Kodimaru then lashed out, his fist slugging his 6-armed little brother to the ground. The unjustified anger welled up in Kodimaru, and soon he was consciously above Kidomaru, lashing out again and again into the boy's stomach, stomping his ribs, bringing his heel down upon every arm.

"You fucking little monster! I still can't fathom why every day, I look out for you, think about YOUR safety and not just my own! Because it sure as Hell isn't love!"

The lashing continued for another few minutes, until Kodimaru stopped; not from being done, but the meager food was barely enough, so both boys were lean and think for their age, and they never had too much work on. He tired quickly.

"You're sleeping outside tonight," As Kodimaru headed back inside, he tossed an apple to his little brother, the sneer returning. "But I'm sure you have enough to cover yourself with, right?"

Kidomaru made no move, wincing and whimpering in pain. He'd be sore the next morning… again. It only made getting back into the village and stealing something so much harder…

For what was far, far from the first time, Kidomaru cursed himself, and wondered why he kept going…

((Page Break))

Just as the day before, Kidomaru had found himself on an even higher roof, again clutching both food and web to himself as he took a fleeting moment to rest. The little boy sighed, wondering if he'd ever figure out how or why the hell he made the gooey webbing…

But today as he again approached the cave he called home, preparing to call out to big brother, he suddenly froze stiff, the food and water falling from his hands. There was a man there, standing before the cave. In itself this was shocking, for no one had ever found where the two brothers lived. But Kidomaru was more terrified by the look in the man's eyes- it was the same look he gave to food before he stole, the look of absolute hunger. This was all the more reinforced when the strange man licked his lips… with an unnaturally long tongue.

"Quite impressive boy… I saw you in the market today. Quite the interesting ability you have… a shame you squander it here, in this meager place." Kidomaru still couldn't move, frozen in place by fear, a fear the stranger seemed to easily pick up on. "Oh, forgive my manners my dear boy. I am Orochimaru… and I have an offer for you."

"Please, please don't hurt me-"

"Hurt you?' The older man, Orochimaru, began to chuckle lightly, with the air of absolute amusement at what he had heard. "Oh, my dear boy. I want to help you, not hurt you. I said I had an offer after all…" Orochimaru stooped down, and laid a gentle hand on the little boy's head.

Kidomaru knew somehow there was something in the man's words. Something about that voice was hypnotizing, like a swaying snake… but he couldn't help himself. He could never remember a time when someone spoke to him like this kindly.

"I want to foster your ability, to see you grow. I want to help you, by unlocking your body's TRUE potential! And in return, I only ask you to serve me, to help see my ambitions done. I can offer you not just a place to live to, not just food and clothing… I can teach you, make you stronger. And I can show you others, who are 'different' like you. You'll never be alone again in this world… so, what do you say my little Kidoma-"

"Yes…" The words flew from his mouth before he even realized, but not for even a second did Kidomaru think of taking them back. Never, never had he even dreamed of something like this being offered to him. He gripped the older man's leg in a hug with all six arms, almost overflowing with joy. Orochimaru had dangled these things before his eyes and he'd grab them-damn whatever came! "Yes! Please Lord Orochimaru, I-"

"Haha, slow down now boy, slow down… there is one thing you must do for me. Nothing too hard, no stealing or hurting or killing or anything… in fact, you won't have to leave the cave. I only need you to make a choice… if you choose a certain way, you'll have everything I offered you. Choose the other way, and I'll give you a good amount of money and food, some fresh clothes, and you may go where you please."

"B-But I said yes! I don't understand what-" Orochimaru suddenly took his hand from Kidomaru's head. Kidomaru flinched for a second, fearing a beating, or anger, or even the man going back on such an incredible offer. But Orochimaru only smiled and turned to head back into the cave. Kidomaru stared, before meekly following. "L-Lord Orochimaru?" The man turned back, a soft smile grazing his terrifying face.

"Please, indulge me Kidomaru… I want to know where your heart lies. But first, I have something to show you." Kidomaru followed, but only had taken a few steps into the first part of the cave when he froze. There was a carving of stone in the center of the room; one that had not been there in the morning. It was a raised stone slab, and above it, protruding from the ceiling, another slab of the same size and shape hung directly over it. The upper slab, however, had at its bottom not a flat bed like the top of the lower slab, but what looked like carvings of hooked and barbed gears…

"Impressive, isn't it? I created this with an Earth style jutsu, but the real thing is so much more exquisite." Orochimaru strode past the stunned little boy, running a hand over the carvings like the caressing a lover. "I always admire what the human body can endure, even though it is limited. It's why I always strive towards achieving human potential and then improving upon it. I thought this up one day as a way to test the limits of pain a human being can endure. The actual device is quite complex- those wheels spin quite rapidly at full speed, or very slowly at minimum settings, and can easily tear into any flesh they come into contact with. The upper slab lowers down, cutting into not even a millimeter of flesh... but each time it raises, a pin inside falls out, so that next time it goes even a tiny bit further… it can take so long before someone actually perishes on this beauty…"

Kidomaru could feel the sweat of terror running down his back. What kind of crazy person was this guy? Were all adults like this? He began to panic, thinking of just taking the smaller offer Orochimaru had made and running as fast as he could-

"Would you like to see the real thing?" The question shocked Kidomaru from his stupor- but before he could even begin to mentally conceive an answer, he suddenly heard a small scream, coming from much further within the cave. As it died, Orochimaru walked off in its direction. Kidomaru followed- whatever that was, an adult as crazy as Orochimaru walking towards it was either really brave, or really stupid. Kidomaru hoped it was the former.

It was only maybe 20 seconds of walking to the larger chamber, where he knew Kodimaru usually slept the day away. Kidomaru saw the usual pile of apple cores, used water skins, bones… and then he felt his stomach clutch as he saw a new sight in the center of the room, which made him vomit up what little food he had within him.

It was the same device Orochimaru had just shown him; like he had said, it was comprised of metal, dull gray steel emerging both from the cave's floor and hooked into the low ceiling. The top slab indeed had every hook and barb and tiny blade on gears, which slowly but surely spun around… but these true sharp edges, all shining like what seemed to be diamond, were covered with blood. Even after all the time from the scream, the upper slab was still rolling up slowly, not finished with its ascent. The source of the blood lay below.

It was Kodimaru.

The boy lay there, strapped so tightly to the lower slab he couldn't even move, could barely turn his head. The entirety of the front of his clothes had been torn away. And the upper most layer of skin was macerated, leaving the muscle visible, from toe to neck. His fingernails had been roughly ground down. Blood poured over the slab in a slow, deliberate manner.

It seemed the portion from the chin to the scalp had the gears raised a bit higher, for the face was still there… the nose had been ground down to nothing, and the cheek skin was torn to bloody rags like on the body… but the face was still there, and it heaved with pained breaths, tears streaming from the eyes. For it to have down so much, while moving so slowly… Kodimaru had apparently been there for some time.

"I saw you yesterday as well, a chance happening of fortune. I came here after you left early this morning, planning to ask of your brother about you. He recognized I was no ordinary person, and tried to pass himself off as more important… I could see, from the very first moment, he wanted to use me, to improve his own life. But Orochimaru is not used Kidomaru, something you should always remember. Yes… I am never used." Kidomaru gulped in horror. Despite his short stature, the lower slab was low enough that he could see his older brother in his entirety of suffering-

"B-Brother…" Kidomaru stumbled back in fright. The lack of a nose had made the voice come out differently, and the lack of skin on the front of the body made his brother seem like a talking corpse… "P-please… save me. He… he said that if you ch-choose, choose to free me… j-just take my hand, and h-he'll let me go… t-take us somewhere where I can d-die with no more p-p-pain-" Kodimaru broke off his tormented, struggling stuttering as he moaned in agony. Above them, the upper slab was nearing the top of its ascent, where another miniscule pin would fall out…

"It is true. I have promised him this one boon- a quick death. It is your choice Kidomaru, the choice I spoke of…" Orochimaru stepped away from the little boy, walking towards the head of the machine. "As I said, I would know your heart in this manner."

"Please… b-brother…" Kidomaru turned back to Kodimaru, wracked with conflict over such a choice. He had no clue which choice would bring him the greater happiness that he wanted. Normally it would seem obvious to save his brother, but nothing seemed normal with this man!

And then…

"Wh-why… why are you not s-saying anything? Y-you can't leave me here… not after everything I d-d-did for you…" His hand twitched, the appendage flayed of skin as it twitched towards the hand that could free him from this torment.

Kidomaru stood stock still. It was as if time itself stood at a frozen moment for him. The gory scene before him disappeared for a few moments, replaced by every memory he could imagine of his brother….

Finally, time seemed to begin to speed up. Kidomaru slowly raised his head, noticing the upper slab was almost at the top. He looked back down at his brother's mutilated body, that gory hand twitching for release. And slowly, ever so slowly…

Kidomaru turned, and began walking away.

"No… NO! NOOOO! You little bastard! You monster! You killed M-Mother, and now you're going to leave m-me here to die!' Kodimaru's eyes bugged in horror, filled with the fear of a coward who was too scared to die with any sense of shame. "Y-you six-armed freak! I should have left you to die when you d-drove father away-"

"Now now… such words to say to an eight year old boy…" Orochimaru grinned and then reached up to the top of the upper slab, hitting a switch as it hit its ascent. Kodimaru sighed in relief. Maybe, maybe he could die now…

"As I told Kidomaru, this device has many slow settings... let me show you the fastest." Another switch flicked, and suddenly the terrible gears started spinning again, but now they moved so quickly it seemed a blur. "They now can do much more damage, and cause more pain… and the slab moves faster as well… if it's any consolation, I suppose you'll die slightly quicker-"

"NOOOOO!" Kodimaru screamed ever louder, as if to try and drown out the loud whirl of the gears as the slab started descending quickly. Orochimaru turned and began a slow walk out, leaving the boy to lie there under the diamond edges. He soon found Kidomaru at the cave entrance, letting the sun and wind gently brush against him, as if really feeling and enjoying them for the first time. The boy was looking away from the cave, but he seemed so calm, even as the now loud screams echoed behind them. The Sanin grinned; any moment now, it would come down again, maybe grazing the boy's lips…

"NOOO! I HATE YOU! NOOO! NOOOOO! NOOO! NOOOOOOOO-" They suddenly cut off, bringing a smile to the Sanin's face. He move in front of Kidomaru and looked down at the boy's face… impassive, but now it was forming a small, innocent smile. Orochimaru grinned widely, laying a caring, tender hand onto the eight year old boy's head.

"Excellent, Kidomaru. I know your heart now… and you… are mine…"

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru. I am yours."

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Horror, Thy Name is Music

Ugly.

Ugly ugly ugly ugly ugly.

It was a word she had heard a lot. Not every nine-year old was called that a lot, but some were and she was one of them.

The fact that it was her own mother that said it made things so much worse.

"Wake up! Tayuya, you ugly little slut, wake up!" The small, too skinny red-head gasped in pain as a foot encased in a high heel embedded itself in her stomach, adding to what were after all these years a collection of bruises. All small, but they came often enough that whenever some of them finally faded, more were freshly forming. She stared up, whimpering softly, into the eyes of an older woman. She had the same red hair, but combed nicely, unlike Tayuya's dirty, matted hair. The long legs attached to that heel led up to a slender, curvaceous, buxom form. The face above all of that was pretty, but caked in makeup and possessing no warmth, at least not for the child at her feet. "Ungrateful little bitch, sleeping in again? I hope you aren't getting lazy as well as ugly. If you still want me to share any of the food that I go out to earn all day, you'll get up soon and get your ugly little ass out the door. You'd better bring home something worth my time today!"

Tayuya nodded faintly, slowly rising to make her way to the door- before her mother shoved her to the side, apparently in a hurry to leave. Tayuya frowned as she watched her mother leave in a dress that left little to the imagination. No one could look at her mother without guessing her occupation, and the stares she got, all of honest sympathy, still cut her to the core. It would have been alright if her mother was a courtesan, an escort, or even simply a stripper… but not.

Her mother was a whore. A slut, a skank, a streetwalker… a whore. She was a whore's daughter. A whore. Her mother was a whore, and it cut into her every day.

Tayuya waited until her mother turned a corner down the street, before going through a ritual that repeated itself daily- she slowly went back into the house, took a seat at the table in their tiny apartment kitchen, and wondered as always why she hadn't killed the bitch.

Tayuya had matured fast for her age- not too surprising, since she had a mother that treated a girl her age like a ward of the state and cussed enough to make sailors blush. She grew up understanding money, sex, and hardship faster than most children learned their abc's. To her credit, she was also a bit bright, but it came from self-teaching, listening closely to other adults and finding what used, or hand-me-down books she could. Her mother flat out refused to 'waste money' on sending her to school, and definitely wasn't making an effort to teach her.

And during all of this watching and self-teaching, Tayuya had seen other children and their parents, had come to understand death a lot sooner than most did, and came to understand that her life was truly a shitty one- she wasn't actually sure if her mother had ever really loved her, but she knew the place she was living in wasn't a home… but it was a structure, a place to stay, and she'd lose that if she left. Her mother DID make a lot of the income between the two of them (she HATED thinking about the obvious how) and she knew she couldn't survive if she left… so here she was, barely living days in and out with her mother, if living was what she could fucking call it.

On darker days, her thoughts turned to a lack of father, and her own birth… those were very dark days.

"Damn cunt…" Tayuya took a deep breath, trying to hold in the tears that wanted to spill. She knew it would probably be better to cry, she'd feel better later- but if she did even once, she'd knew she'd never be able to handle her mother ever again, she'd be kicked out, and soon would starve and die. No way would she go to an orphanage, now or then, and simply be the "whore's castoff daughter"… the castoff part alone would be just too much, even for her.

She finally stood from the chair, noticing it was noon. The market would be busy at this time, and that meant business would be best. Locking the door as she left, Tayuya wandered the streets, trying in vain to enjoy the sunny, cloudless day. She eventually emerged from a back alley into the town's market. People everywhere bartering, chatting, screaming, yelling, and laughing in a hundred more positive emotions than what she usually experienced. The little red-head finally plunked herself down gently against a public fountain in the middle of the market, and removed a small bag from her pocket. Setting it in her lap, she tied the straps to her wrist, leaned her head back against the fountain-

And began to whistle.

Tayuya had never studied music, or known anyone who did. She had simply seen some birds whistling one day when she was only seven years old, and thought it was a pretty sound… this was also around the time her mother had started using the word 'ugly' to her face. To console herself, Tayuya tried to make the same sound… it took her a month to even make the most basic whistle sound, and months more to produce a longer tune.

But when she finally did… she had been walking with her mother that day to the market, and had seen more birds whistling along the roofs, and suddenly started to mimic them, even before she herself realized it. He mother, already in a foul mood, had turned to slap the tune from her mouth… when an old man who had been nearby spoke up, complimenting Tayuya on sounding so pretty. Tayuya found she couldn't help but blush lightly, unused to something as kind as that. It might have ended there, and her mother simply would have beaten her for it when they got home. She could have done it in secret, made it her own little escape-

And then, the old man- damn his soul- had given her a small coin, calling it payment for getting to hear such pretty music. Even as she took the coin, she could FEEL her mother's eyes lighting up behind her.

She had agreed in the end, of course. Her mother could be… persuasive. Tayuya hated it though. She just wanted to whistle for herself, because it was pretty- because it made her feel pretty. She knew her mother calling her ugly over and over didn't make her ugly… but she was 7 then, tough but not as tough as she was now, and hearing it so much got to her so easily, that sometimes she would wonder.

And now years later, every day, Tayuya came to the market. Every day, she had to whistle, not for her own pleasure but so hopefully she'd make a small amount of money to bring home. She'd become good by now, very good- already a few people nearby had stopped to listen, seemingly entranced by her tune. One or two seemed to stare at her for a moment, before their eyes widened and then took on a look of sadness and pity as they began rooting around for a coin to put in the hat.

That was the worst part of it for her. She knew that most everyone knew about her life, her whore of a mother, and that for a child to be living like that was wrong- but no one ever seemed to help at all, never said anything to her mother, never just took her away- she'd resent it after all this time, but it would be better than this. Tossing money in a hat and feeling pity for the 'poor, poor daughter of that dreadful woman'… Hypocritical motherfuckers! It was a slap in the face from reality, reminding her that no one seemed to care, not enough to take her away from the sad thing she called a life. They tossed a coin in, and somehow absolved themselves of any guilt while letting her music cheer them.

Bastards… she hated them all.

But she couldn't say that, couldn't say any of what she thought about them, or things would change… she may not make money anymore. Or her mother would learn about it, and it wouldn't just be those heels digging into her. So Tayuya kept up the tune, one that others would swear was almost hypnotic. She kept whistling, kept bringing on coins and pitied looks and the private Hell that was her one and only talent, her one and only joy…

((Page Break))

"Half… you only bring in half of what you usually do… and you expect me to not be fucking pissed?" Tayuya's mother slapped the child hard across the face, the backhand sending the young, underfed girl into the kitchen wall. She walked over, and started stomping into the girl's stomach with a heel. "You ungrateful slut! You ugly little tramp! After everything I do for you, to keep us off the streets, this is how you repay me?" She raised her hand, curling it into a fist to bring down upon the girl-

But another hand, pale yet strong, clenched her wrist. The older woman gasped- she hadn't heard the door open, heard his steps, heard nothing. She gasped heavily, feeling a sudden pressure on her mind and body, feeling so cold and afraid. She turned slowly, meeting a pale face with dangerous yellow eyes. "Now now, we can't have that…" As if by accident, without any real effort at all, he flung the woman into the opposite wall, ignoring her cry of pain as she slid to the ground. Her ankle was already swelling, obviously broken. He instead knelt down before the real reason he was there… the whimpering little girl, legs tucked into her chest and silently weeping, praying he wouldn't kill her.

"Come come my little one, why are you crying? Someone who makes such a beautiful sound shouldn't cry…" She finally stopped at that, now only at a whimper. She looked up, blinking hesitantly at the older, smiling man. Something about the way he said beautiful… it lifted her spirit for the first time in so long. "I heard you today in the market… you make such a pretty sound…" And even without channeling chakra, she was able to very partially hypnotize people into giving her money. It wasn't just their pity, but a pull by her sound. If I can teach her to harness it, infuse chakra into it, possibly enhance it with an instrument of some sort… "How would you like to come with me? I can teach you to make it even prettier... and more importantly, I can give you a home. A real one. What do you say?"

She felt lightheaded, wobbly as if the room was spinning. She knew nothing about this man, and every instinct born from her unusual, harsh life screamed at her to say no, even after seeing what he did to her mother-

But he had made it sound so enticing, and somehow so very, very real. A place she could feel safe. A place where her gift could be for her… was it really so close? "… What do I have to do for it? I'm not some stupid shithead, even if I am just a kid. There's always a catch."

"Indeed, you aren't stupid. You're more clever than even I, Orochimaru, gave you credit for." He smirked at the pleased blush that got out of her. Children were always so easy to manipulate, "I want you to become strong, to take your gift to areas you never dreamed of before… and use those talents to help me reach my ambition… do that, and you'll rise to heights you could only once dream of… don't say yes or no. I only need you to show me your answer…" He grinned, reaching into the fold of his robe, and withdrew a kunai that glinted dangerously in the lights of the house. She scooted back against the wall, terrified- she had KNOWN not to trust him, she was going to die for letting him play with her dreams, for playing her like the gullible fuck she was!- but then he gently placed it at the ground before her feet, stepping back. "Let your heart guide you child…"

"Well, what are you waiting for? Stab him!" Tayuya's head jerked up. Her mother had been so quiet, even with her whimpers of pain as she clutched her ankle, that Tayuya had forgotten her. But now she looked across the room at the older woman, her ribs still sore and face still red and stinging from earlier. Her mother had shed some silent tears, making her mascara run in an unattractive manner. She was glaring daggers at Tayuya. "You brain-dead little bitch! He hurt me, so stop stalling and kill the dumbass, cut him to pieces or something! Do something right for once, you idiotic cunt!"

Tayuya quivered, new urges fighting some last shred of connection to the woman on the ground across from her. It was her mother, the person who had brought her into this world… and yet what kind of world did she have- what kind of mother did she really have? Tayuya's eyes watered, her mind a torrent of agony from the actual decision she was contemplating making-

"I said move it, you ugly li-"

That had done it. Before even she knew what was happening, Tayuya had gripped the kunai and was running across the kitchen. Her ribs burned in agony as she crossed it in a matter of seconds. Her eyes were wide and wrathful, tears flying from them across the floor, a pained and furious grimace on her face as she brought the small blade down into her mother's shoulder. The older woman screamed in pain, weakly clawing upwards, but the injury and pain from before and now had drained her of strength. More importantly, hew own ungrateful, ugly little daughter attacking her had struck her dumb. She then screamed in terrible agony… as Tayuya started bringing the kunai down in slashes across her face.

"Who's ugly now? Who's FUCKING ugly now you stupid cunt? You ugly, trampy bitch! You evil, brain-dead monstrous witch! Who's ugly now slut? Who's ugly now? WHO'S UGLY? WHO'S UGLY? WHO'S UGLY? WHO'S UGLY? WHO'S UGLY WHO'S UGLY WHO'SUGLYWHO'SUGLYWHO'SUGLYWHO'SUGLYWHO-"

For several minutes it continued like that. Her mother's screams of pain had long fell silent as Tayuya kept slashing and hacking as her face, tears running down her face as blood slowly covered more and more of her. And Orochimaru only watched, absolutely delighted at the spectacle…

Finally Tayuya stopped, slowly backing away from the corpse. Her mother's face was long gone, the kunai having torn the skin to shreds. Muscle was flaid back in a grotesque display, the nose hacked into bits, the lips peeled back and shredded. Cheeks torn into unrecognizable chunks of flesh. The eyes had been gouged, ruined orbs meant to see no more. It wasn't even a face anymore, just a monstrous macabre of horror to make most stomachs retch…

Tayuya just felt oddly satisfied.

"Well, it seems you've chosen… and wisely too." Orochimaru laid a hand on her shoulder, pulling her to his side in a sheltering manner. "Let's leave this place now, and go to your new home. Your real home."

She smiled brightly, her heart lifted to a place she didn't think possible. They left the house, walking slowly down the road and soon out of the town itself. She was so overjoyed, she didn't even look back, didn't even flinch for an instant when the exploding tags he'd left behind in the house burst into a large fireball, consuming the structure and the corpse within.

It was as they had reached and entered the woods, the cries of people far behind them rushing to the fire growing dimmer, that he turned to her during the walk, finally saying something. His voice still that soothing tone that promised so many better things to come.

"Tayuya my dear… I do have one other request. If you'd be so kind as to humor an old man." She looked up a bit fearfully, worried he would ask some terrible thing of her… and they were alone now, with no help should she refuse-

"I told you before, I saw you in the market. Heard you too. I could see how you hated whistling for them, those terrible people. Such hypocrites, making you sing for them without ever really thanking you as they should have. I know your gift, your music, is something that you want for yourself alone. There's nothing wrong with that dear, but…" He smiled widely, and suddenly to her he seemed so big-hearted, so caring about HER-

"Please, will you make that pretty sound again for me?" For a moment she did nothing… but then she nodded softly, her mouth widening into a happy, enormous smile as tears of joy ran down her cheeks. It wasn't because she had to now… it was because someone had asked her to. Wanted her to because it was beautiful, it was pretty…

Maybe, just maybe, because she was pretty too?

Her self-esteem was born anew, her heart soaring on wings of music.

She began whistling, the sound now filled with more joyous harmonies than it had ever given off. The soft, high-pitched sound issuing forth from Tayuya held a joy in it, a sound to make the hearts of harder men weep piteously…

Orochimaru heard none of it. He only heard the same quality as he did in the market, the same glorious and heavenly sound.

The sound of human potential…

And it was MUSIC to his ears.

((Page Break))

All-consuming Terror

The sun shone quite gloriously that day, betraying any signs of mis-happenings or foul deeds. Indeed, the air smelled especially fresh and sweet, the wind soft as a whisper as it rolled alone the dark red, wooden walls of the Kaguido Monastery. Indeed, the outside seemed picture perfect, the monks of the temple strolling along in contemplation, gardening, or even practicing meditation in any one of several varieties, combative or peaceful. And the inside of the temple was just as peaceful- save one out-of-the-ordinary incident.

Gaizan hurried between the wide, towering stone walls, the many torches of the corridor illuminating it almost as if sunlight were shining onto the dull gray stones. Normally the cavernous passage, so much larger than most within the structure of the old temple, always gave him pause. It made him and the other members of his order reflect on how their lives as humans could seem so full, so grand and important, everything did so much more complex and wondrous than all other forms of life- yet in an instant they could seem so small, so insignificant in the grand order of existence. It was a humbling experience, made to give birth to deep and sometimes divine reflection. Such was the reason they even named the long tunnel 'Heaven's Throat'.

Today, it only made Gaizan feel like the passage would never end. He hurried faster, prevented only from a dead sprint by the long, simple dark green monk's robe reaching down to his sandaled feet. Others of the order paused, watching his rapid pace in curiosity. Even when traveler's from the outside came to join the temple and completely missed the meaning f the passage, they never moved beyond a walk. To see a long term member hurrying along in such a manner could only mean something of importance… hopefully nothing grave.

Although, they were all not a little chilled at the sight of a smiling, tall, pasty-skinned man, somehow easily keeping pace behind him. A newcomer who seemed to note not a thing about the massive temple hallway, and whose constant smile was quite eerie.

Gaizan finally reached the end of the tunnel, and after a few more turns and always came to a beautifully carved door, still simple in its design but more ornate compared to most of the temple itself. It was here that the head monk of the Kaguido temple resided, whether in his own private meditation or in going over the affairs of the structure and its inhabitants. He was reviewing the recent purchase of medicine and foodstuffs for the temple when Gaizan burst in unannounced, panting and doubled over as he finally came to a stop. The venerable, sixty-something Master Nadik paused looking over a man he normally associated with the picture of calm and reserve, now flustered and looking as if he'd run the length of Fire Country.

"Gaizan, what has come over you? You look like the Shinigami itself was chasing you."

"F-Forgive me… (pant)… Master Nadik, but this man- please, please come in sir!" Nadik watched the stranger he'd seen in shadow behind Gaizan enter, and almost immediately felt anxious. The quiet, pale stranger made him feel on edge, like a mouse being eyed by a predator. His eyes were calculating somehow, and yet his appearance was quite friendly, bearing a wide smile that didn't seem to reach his eyes… at least not in a way that Nadik enjoyed. And his face seemed to tickle the back of his brain for some reason, like a memory that was just barely awake. He was so focused on the stranger that he almost missed what Gaizan said next.

"He claims he can help the boy…"

That caused Nadik's head to turn, his eyes wide as he stared at Gaizan in astonishment. The members of their temple's order where all older men, the youngest being only 23. And even if there had been young boys in the temple… there was only one child that could have been referred to in such a manner.

"Who… who are you sir? If you think you can help, then you have to have been told what the problem is, which means you know what the boy's condition is-"

"Yes, I do know, and believe I can help. And as for my name… well, forgive me for a little narcissism; a part of me greatly hopes you know the name Orochimaru..." Nadik's brow furrowed for about half a second- and then they stretched wide as saucers, staring up at the taller man in shock… and then moved around the desk to shake his hand vigorously.

"Forgive me Orochimaru-san! Yes, now I know why you seemed familiar. I have heard many things about you, and your team. One of the Sannin does a us great service, visiting our humble place of worship. Forgive me for not recognizing you when you first entered. Most of our recruits are the local farming folk. It is quite rare we get visitors or new members with knowledge of the ninja world or its doings. In fact, the last time I heard anything about shinobi, you Sannin had only recently helped in ending the Third Ninja War! Forgive me for sounding like an old gossip, but I am quite curious. How are things between the five nations? And your Hokage Sarutobi, is he well? Though by now, he must be past the age of retirement, as am I!" The monk laughed hard, missing the tiniest twitch in the Sannin's eye at the mention of the Hokage.

"Oh yes, he is fine… A fourth Hokage was chosen, a student of my teammate Jiraiya. Sadly, he gave his life, incredibly defeating the terrible Kyuubi no Kitsune and saving the Leaf Village… with his death, my old sensei was forced to take up the mantle of Hokage again, until a new successor presents itself."

"Incredible… whoever this man was, he must have been an amazing Hokage. Still, I think all of my monks will breathe a bit easier without that terrible demon loose… come. Please follow me. Gaizan, go ahead to his room and tell the guards that I'm giving Orochimaru of the Sannin my permission to go." As the younger man hurried off, Nadik and Orochimaru started in the same direction from the office at a slower pace. "Forgive me for asking Orochimaru-san, but I must confess to finding it a little odd, you here without your teammates. Is everything ok?"

"Yes, of course. I am merely taking a… sabbatical for my own state of mind, a well-deserved vacation. Not to mention I am always interested in the things I can learn when travelling the nations, the interesting jutsu I can see… or odd cases, like your 'special child'. I felt quite lucky when by chance I met Gaizan while he was purchasing medicine for the temple, specifically those dealing with the effects of chakra exhaustion on muscles. Once I told him who I was, he was quite happy to lead me back here... and of course, my condolences to you. To lose someone in the manner you did…." Master Nadik was silent for some minutes moving alone the long halls of the temple before he finally spoke, his voice carrying more than hints of pain at the recollection of the past few weeks.

"He… the boy, Jirobo- his name is all we've been able to get from him really- was left on our doorstep two weeks ago. We couldn't understand it. We've been left babies or little toddlers before of course, and we always find good homes or orphanages for them. But an underfed, 7 year old boy in those dirty rags… I was just glad he was still breathing really. The odd feature was a pair of extremely thick gloves he had, maybe 5 times thicker than any I've ever seen. Well, he woke up after we took him in, and was the most quite, withdrawn seven year old child I've ever seen. Boys his age should be lively, we should have had to quiet him… instead, getting him to talk was a challenge. And when we tried to clean him up, he refused to let us remove the gloves. You should have seen his face; he looked absolutely frightened at the very prospect."

"Indeed? But much of this I knew already from Gazian-san. You've been feeding the boy and nursing him back to health slowly from what I hear, and the boy has quite the appetite. But the event… it happened a few days ago, correct?" The Snake Sannin watched as Master Nadik's brow furrowed, his eyes darkened with the memories of what he was about to relate.

"Yes. I sent one of our novices to check on the boy. Even after he started eating voraciously and testing, he still had a light fever, which by now has passed. The novice entered, changed the boy's sheets and his damp cloth while he slept, that's all he was supposed to do… the poor man must have thought he could help the boy's fever if he removed the heavy gloves. We believe the screaming was immediate. By the time we entered the room, the novice was already dead. His body… I was a medic before I entered the temple, Orochimaru-san. I wasn't a shinobi, but I've treated many conditions to the best of my ability, even chakra exhaustion. I've seen so many injuries and fatalities… but this man had been sucked dry of what little chakra we civilians have. It was almost like even his life force had been drained. His body was shrunken, dried out… his face etched in a horrified stare. Jirobo was just weeping in the corner near him, clutching his gloves for dear life; he was bawling his eyes out and has refused to let anyone near him since. And as much as it pained me to do so, I set guards on his door and have disallowed anyone to enter." Finally, as he finished his explanation, the pair approached a large, sturdy wooden door, guarded on both sides by monks with staffs in their hands. Nadik waved them to the side, and then took from his belt a large brass key. He stuffed it into the lock, but then paused, looking back up at Orochimaru. "I know your chakra levels are massive, especially compared to the people here, and that boy wouldn't be much of a threat. Our novice was dead before he could get away from the boy's hands. Still, are you sure you want to go in their? It was undoubtedly just an accident, but it could be even more chakra will make him drain you faster. And to risk your own being so easily-"

"Please Master Nadik, I will be all right. After surviving a shinobi war, I think I can handle a small child. In any case, my time not invested in combat deals with research, learning about ninjutsu and human potential… this boy could hold keys to new jutsu, or cures for some condition. I would be heartless not to help him." Nadik smiled, letting go of all doubt that the man's initial appearance had brought to his mind. Truly such a benevolent, kind shinobi was rare in the world that Nadik had first left for a monk's life. He unlocked the door and let the Sannin in, locking the door behind him… and missing the wide, snake-like smile etched on his face. He turned, applying a quick silence jutsu for privacy before turning around.

Orochimaru immediately took in how Spartan the dark, stale room was even by monk standards, nothing but a flimsy bed set in one corner, with a small barred window high above his head on the far wall- and curled up under it was a young boy, orange hair flopping over his face as he sat against the wall, curled into a fetal position and clutching the thick gloves to his chest. There were faint wet spots on the floor at his feet, evidence of a recent bout of sobbing. The boy was probably still in shock over what he had done.

"Are you little Jirobo?" The boy's head snapped up like a whip, wide golden-brown eyes staring back in a mixture of surprise and fear, mostly the latter. The Sannin moved a step or two closer, a hand reaching out gently. "It's alright, I'm not going to hu-"

"Get away!" Orochimaru paused at that. The boy's voice broke as he screamed, full of fear and rage. His body convulsed more as he started sobbing anew. "They told you about me, didn't they? Don't you get it? You'll die if you touch me, so just go away! Just… just go away…"

"I've survived a shinobi war my little friend, I think I can survive you. Now, I'm sure you must feel scared. Scared of what you did to that man, and whomever you accidently hurt before you were left here-"

"No." Jirobo started to shake, but Orochimaru could tell it wasn't out of fear- no, he'd seen too many of his test subjects shake that way to be mistaken. The boy sounded… excited. "I… I can't control it. I touch people, and I take their chakra, or whatever Master Nadik called it. All of it. And I just want more. It's like I'm so hungry for it, not that I'd die without it, but like I'm reeeally hungry. And when I take it in, I can taste it…"

"And I want it. I want more. I killed someone by accident in my old village. I… I got scared, he was yelling at me for stealing some bread, but I hadn't stolen it, I swear! Just because I was an orphan, just because I was there, he thought it was me. And then he grabbed my hand, and I got scared and screamed… and it just started. I was too scared to let go, until it was too late. I felt so full somehow, and I wanted more… I wanted it so badly. I got scared of myself, so I stole those gloves and ran and ran and ran… and now when that monk took the gloves off, he touched me. It started, and suddenly I grabbed him! It wasn't an accident this time- I just held onto him, I could feel myself smiling as I did it. I didn't feel scared of what I did until after he was dead, sucked dry… I wanna touch someone and not hurt them, I want to not be such a freak and love it! Just make it stop, please make it stop!" And with that the boy broke down into sobbing again, tears staining his ragged shirt as the weight of his actions piled onto his shoulders once more.

The Sannin stood for some time, looking Jirobo over, before finally leaning down and taking the boy's hand tightly. Jirobo stiffened, then screamed up at the tall, pale man, begging him to let go. He could already feel the older man's chakra being sucked out… and yet he didn't move. For some minutes in fact, the man just stood there with Jirobo's hand in his, a pale purple glow emanating from the drain of chakra, while the boy looked on. He was partly mystified at how the older man was still standing, unaffected, and partly with a hungry smile. His eyes suddenly turned towards the door, wondering why Nadik or the others hadn't rushed in-

"A special ninja jutsu, designed to block them from hearing us." Jirobo turned back to the older man, still amazed that he looked perfectly fine, and not like a dried-out husk like the others. "I have far more chakra then those poor souls did my dear boy. An hour of this couldn't drain me dry. Now, about your gift-"

"Gift? I killed those men! They're dead! I'm only seven sir, but I know I killed them! It's a curse, what I can do, and you call it a gift?"

"Indeed. You aren't some freak my dear boy… you're special." Orochimaru grinned as the boy's eyes widened. Children were so easy to manipulate. Really, it was far too simple to show them sympathy, empathy. To make them feel so accepted… and to turn them against others. "I see what you can do, and I see potential. Human potential, which if controlled could open so many doors to you. Those men out there… these monks want to stifle you. Want to keep you from being special. And if they can't fix you…" He didn't finish, but the Sannin could tell the seed of the idea was implanted in the boy's mind, the wheels turning as he let the boy finish that magic 'if'. "I only want to see you grow. Come with me… come with me, and I'll help you control this gift, to realize your potential. Serve me, Orochimaru, and I'll make sure you're never alone, never hungry… that you can touch other people, and receive their touch in return."

Orochimaru removed his hand, the purple glow dying off as he stepped back from the child. It had been like throwing shuriken at fish in a barrel… not to mention the gift of his potent chakra. No doubt that amount had only enhanced the child's uncontrolled hunger, made him want more… yes. He could see it in the boy's eyes. Between his promises and the chakra, he'd won.

Jirobo slowly rose to his feet, staring almost hungrily at the taller man. Orochimaru could do it, he could take the pain away, and make it so he could use this curse- gift as he wanted, and satisfy his hunger…

"I only ask one thing of you my dear boy… use your gift on these monks. ALL of them. Satisfy your hunger here, and I will consider it an offering of your loyalty."

There was no need to debate. No need for arguments or thoughts of ethics or morality, even if the boy had words to describe those things. Jirobo felt only his incredible hunger, and a childish, soul-consuming desire to be accepted… Orochimaru would accept him. In an instant, he cast aside any and all feelings for the monks, despite all they had done. They couldn't help him as Orochimaru-san would, couldn't foster his potential or make him feel special… no, they wouldn't. And they couldn't fix him. His gift was part of who he was… the only way to 'fix' him was to kill him. Jirobo wouldn't let them, he'd kill them first!

Orochimaru smiled with utter delight at the look in the boy's eyes. He had turned yet another child, and with great success. The Sannin then spun, roundhouse kicking the door into splinters. The impact blew the two armed monks into the wall, their necks breaking upon impact. As their corpses slid to the floor, Master Nadik started to crawl backwards on the floor where he'd landed, his right ankle completely broken and his head spinning. The boy couldn't do something like this, only the ninja in the room with him. He then watched Orochimaru calmly exit the room, gently gripping Jirobo's shoulder. The Sannin wasn't trying to escape with the boy… he was letting him out! He didn't understand, the Sannin was supposed to help, how could one of the Hokage's pupils do something like this-?

Jirobo suddenly pounced on the wounded monk, both hands gripping his face tightly. The older man screamed as his chakra began to drain, while Orochimaru watched on in delight. Apparently, either giving so much of his chakra or the change in the young boy's attitude had done something to his abilities. From the stories he'd heard before, killing the novice monk had taken a minute or so, even with his tiny amount of chakra…

Conversely, Master Nadik was dead, a dried up husk of a corpse, within seconds.

Jirobo looked back up to Orochimaru, his eyes almost pleading with an unspoken question. But Orochimaru knew. He nodded softly, and the boy smiled hungrily before he took off down the hall. Orochimaru followed at a very slow walk, quickly losing sight of the boy in the torch-lit corridor. He let himself follow every turning corner with glee. He wanted to savor the moment of yet another triumph and all its details- like the sounds of screaming now emanating from far down the Heaven's Throat.

((Page Break))

As Orochimaru finally walked under the front arch of the temple, he could only smile widely at the results of his little trip. The temple was filled with husks of what were once lively, healthy monks. When the boy could properly control his abilities, even shinobi wouldn't stand forever against him. Already the boy was far ahead, running around in one of the many fields in front of the temple. His 'meals' all finished, and his appetite apparently sated, the boy was now running around with all of the reckless, life-loving abandon of a sever year old.

Smirking in amusement, the Sannin took one last look at the temple before he went to fetch the boy- and then he stopped, staring at the name of the temple which hung in large letters just above the entrance.

Kaguido.

Kaguido.

Kaguido…

When the late Gaizan had first led him into the temple, Orochimaru had paused as well, even if only for a second. Something about the name had tickled the back of his mind, and again it did so now. Something about the letters-

No. It was to ridiculous, to ironically amusing…

And then it came to him. So simple, so clear, that he could only laugh, a roar of amusement such as he hadn't felt in a long time. The Sannin seemed to choke for a second, before his deadly Kusanagi was spit out, soaring up in the grip of his stretching tongue. The blade cut each letter one by one from the arch, and they fell to the ground unbroken. Orochimaru swallowed the sword back in, and then laughed even harder- the letters had fallen perfectly, without even needing his rearranging of them. It was just as he'd thought.

Orochimaru turned, walking away to collect Jirobo, the new name for the temple lying behind him.

Gakidou.

"The 'Temple of the Hungry Devil' indeed…"

((Page Break))

A Soul Man…Men?

Orochimaru frowned, his face set into a look of the most intense concentration as he drew more seals along the ground. He didn't mind the light, the torches set along the wall of the isolated cave providing more than enough illumination. He didn't mind the ground he was kneeling on- it was perfectly smooth, as if a gift from on high to his experiment for keeping him from mis-drawing the seal. And the two figures in the center of the massive seal circle, one of whom had some of the seals drawn on him, had remained perfectly still.

No, what brought the frown on was that even for the genius of the Snake Sannin, this was incredibly risky. He had altered genetic configurations, dabbled into cloning, and was close to finishing the research for his special Cruse Mark. But this experiment was dabbling into the realm of the afterlife, of the actual physical soul. The soul had to be physical- he'd studied the sealing of Biju, which were basically souls bonded to massive amounts of chakra. But they were intrinsically different from a human soul. Either this could be potentially disastrous…

Or there would turn out to be a Shinigami, who wouldn't take lightly to a human denying him an almost dead soul, and it would go beyond disastrous. The Sannin prided himself on his objectivity, logic and scientific method, and seemed sure for multiple reasons that a Shinigami couldn't actually exist… but actual proof of a soul's existence made this quite the different situation, and all bets were off. Still, to close in on extending the duration of his soul would be worth the risk.

"Orochimaru-sama? Please, his breathing is getting worse…" He turned back, looking over the pale, bluish-gray haired, 7 year old boy on the floor, kneeling over an identical child. Finding two twins that were as perfect as these two had taken an entire year of searching, but it had been absolutely worth it. They had even been orphans, meaning taking the children away had only been that much easier. Unfortunately, one of them was physically weaker-most likely and original physical or chakra-related illness, for he had never seen anything like it. He had offered to try a 'radical new treatment', and the healthy twin had agreed in frenzy, desperate to save his sibling. Time was of the essence here, however, which made the Sannin exercise a lot of restraint from rushing the seals he had almost finished.

"It is almost finished my dear child… now do remember, I am trying this for the first time. I cannot guarantee this will save him Sakon-"

"I don't care! I don't want him to just die; I'll do anything to save my brother!" Sakon looked up at Orochimaru, glaring with all the teary-eyes emotional stubbornness of a seven-year old, before looking back down at Ukon and squeezing his hand tighter. The boy's breathing had become increasingly labored, weakening as time passed. It was obvious, even to Sakon, that the boy wouldn't last the night.

"Finished." The Snake Sannin stood, starting to press his hands together into a string of seals. He watched Sakon retreat from the intricate seal circle, standing just outside the edge to watch. He grinned, his hands flying even faster. If this worked, Ukon would in fact die- but the seals would force the physical soul back into his body. He'd then probably die again, considering the physical state of his body- but if it succeeded, it meant Orochimaru could devise a way to ensure if he was killed in battle, he could actually resurrect himself somehow. He had already increased his body's own healing factor greatly, which took away that problem…

Reaching the end of the string of seals, Orochimaru grinned a wide, snake-like smile, as the seals on the boy glowed a sickly purple color. Ukon suddenly began to thrash, his mouth open in silent screams of pain. Sakon cried out for him to stop, but it was too late- 30 seconds later, Ukon ceased to move… and ceased to breathe.

Orochimaru frowned, watching the seals continue to glow, and then his eyes grew in astonishment. Something started to rise from the boy's chest, a wisp of something inky black, and from his head a wisp of silver. This was it; he would look in triumph upon a human soul, and hopefully the success of his jutsu-

"UKON!" And before the Sannin could shout for him to stop, Sakon had leapt into the circle, throwing himself onto his twin's body in terror at the thought of losing the only family he had. The seals suddenly began to glow brighter, to the extent that Orochimaru had to cover his eyes, the glow filling the cave like the glare of a second sun being born. He heard two sets of voices screaming in unimaginable agony-

And suddenly, it was done. The light faded as quickly as it had appeared, the only illumination source once more being the torches upon the wall. Orochimaru blinked the spots away from his vision, looking back to the spot where the boys had been… and blinked in curiosity. Sakon lay unconscious on his side facing him- the side his bangs were on was a clear sign- but Ukon was nowhere to be seen. But he seemed unaffected... well, at least it hadn't been a suicide jutsu. He moved towards Sakon, preparing to eradicate all traces of the event.

And then he saw it: sticking out of the back of Sakon's body, right between the shoulder blades, was Ukon. Ukon's actual head. And there, under the clothing, pressing against it above the hips… was that a hand? He bent down, pressing hands to both their necks… and felt under his finger two entirely different pulses.

Orochimaru's curious frown split into a massive grin. This… this was something beyond what he had thought of attempting. True, this would require massive amounts of testing, but from an initial observation, the Sannin's jutsu- because of Sakon's interference-appeared to have actually forced Ukon's soul and body into Sakon's. This was an entire new path to explore. If he could refine and enhance the affect, he could force his soul into the bodies of others… they would be his vessel, to leapfrog the ages until he could find the method of true immortality.

Orochimaru's smile widened further. As a bonus, the potential success of this experiment would ensure the boy's loyalty to him. Who knew what special human potential this had unlocked for them, with which they could serve his ambition?

Oh yes, these boys had afforded him so many opportunities…

((Page Break))

Preview:

Shinigami: I've gotten so incredibly BORED brother… is there anything happening with our little experiment?

Kami: Oh yes brother. These particular humans are getting quite active, all their little activities causing quite a stir, that's only going to make the climax that more impressive…

Shinigami: Excellent. Then let us take a closer view.

Next Time: As the Shuriken Spins. The drama of all their lives brings your story closer to its finale Naruto!

((Page Break))

Wow. Kinda dark compared to some of my usual stuff, right? Sorry for the apparently rare Sakon/Ukon fans, but I just couldn't find anything special to play on like with the other three, and I really want to get back to this story.

I once said I will never abandon this story, no matter how long it takes to get the next chapter out. That has not changed. However, I have two or three other INSANE crossover ideas I want to get to, and now that I've gotten so good with this story and have settled in a general style, I can start my next stories right.

Please keep reviewing.

Ja ne!