Alright, here's chapter 6.

Honestly, traveling with Sakumo wasn't terrible at all. I would hazard to say that it was enjoyable. The guy was as laid back as anyone would perceive him to be, despite his chakra constantly being on edge. He was a good conversationalist, knowing exactly when to talk and what to talk. To be honest, I'm a bit jealous of his knowledge of social cues and the application of said knowledge. Most importantly, we didn't run into any major snags, meaning that neither Sakumo nor I were cursed with the protagonist curse. Well, not yet, anyways.

This was a massive shift from my previous missions with team Tsunade, which consisted of Jiraiya or Tsunade getting sidetracked or some random ambush or assassination attempt. This lead to very inefficient trips that were, while much shorter in terms of physical distance, ended up taking twice as long as they should have been. This also directly contrasted with my current trip, which consisted of Sakumo and I traveling at a brisk pace during the day and well into the night, with five hour rests.

To sum up our thankfully uneventful trip, we made it, in five days, to a massive mountain range, with the one directly in front of us slightly darker than the ones around it. I glanced at Sakumo, who smirked back at me.

"So this is where it is, Orochimaru-san?"

"Yeah," I replied blandly, roving my hands over the dark stone to try to find a way in.

"Did it really take us five days to get to the only mountain range in the Land of Rice Paddies, which at the pace we were going, should have only taken one day, two days tops? How strange," he said, looking at me expectantly.

I could feel the smugness oozing off of him as I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye.

"I admit I'm being a bit paranoid, despite us being in relatively friendly territory. You just never know if someone is following you, no matter how skilled you are at perception," I drawled, thinking of the monsters from the manga like Zetsu or Obito.

He stepped next to me.

"So what are you doing now?"

I grimaced. Damn snakes, being so secretive.

"Trying to find a way in. I'm one hundred percent certain that this is the correct mountains, but the snakes have sealed themselves off ever since my father died."

"Oh, right. I've heard stories. If your father was the previous owner of the snake contract, why didn't you just inherit the rights when he died?"

He bit his thumb and slammed his hand to the ground, creating a sizeable cloud of smoke. When it cleared, an average-sized white wolf was nestled next to him, rubbing its snout into his hand.

"That's how I got mine. I thought all summons worked that way."

I shrugged as he whispered something to his wolf and dispelled it.

"Snakes don't work that way, based on my fathers notes. Granted, this whole process would have been much simpler had he granted me access to the contract scroll before his demise."

Sakumo stepped away and sat on the ground away from me, leaning on a stump.

"Sorry, I just felt that this might turn into a lecture," he said, grinning at me. I scowled back. Smug prick.

"As I was saying, my father's passing changed things with the clan. I was too young at the time, with not enough merits for my father to even think about recommending me as a next generation contract holder. This should show how selective the snake clan is. With his death, the leader, or leaders, of the clan called back the scroll, as there was no human they saw fit to sign it. So, that's why we're out here, with me groping at rocks for some kind of secret entrance."

Sakumo laughed and leaned his head back. To anyone without the slightest hint of perception or combat training, he looked incredibly vulnerable. Fortunately, I was not one of those people. His chakra was still sharp and extremely tense, despite his lax demeanor. I knew that he was still watching my back, which was a good feeling, I suppose. I turned my attention back to the stone face, sending small probes of chakra to various points. I'd have to harvest some of this stone for myself at a later date. It was extremely conductive of my chakra.

After about another hour or so of investigation, I had more or less explored every nook and cranny of this side of the mountain, which was were the entrance was, according to my late father's hints. I thought back to the manga to remember what the various summon clans valued. The toads valued a yakuza-esque loyalty, based on how the toad bosses called their contracted humans subordinates. I honestly have no clue what the slugs valued, but it seemed to be something along the lines of compassion or understanding since their contracted humans were, for the most part, medics.

The snakes were different. The manga always painted them in a negative light, being contracted to heartless, villainous characters like Kabuto, the other me, or even Sasuke. I don't believe the snakes were really evil, however. Such a concept for a race was no doubt just stylized to illustrate a more attractive moral spectrum. In reality, all of these summon clans were probably still very neutral. Based on Manda, the snakes valued sacrifice, so I had to sacrifice something to get in; that much was obvious.

I doubt money would do me any good, and ninja tools were of no use to them, even with Kusanagi being one of their treasures. Well, it was worth a shot. With a swipe of my arm, Kusanagi appeared in my grasp. I stabbed the sword through the stone, but, as I expected, nothing happened. Maybe they wanted something more drastic. I stabbed the sword into the ground and summoned a shadow clone with a one handed seal. I nodded at my clone, who grimly nodded back at me.

Wordlessly, he grabbed the sword and slashed at me in a wide arc, spraying my blood over the stone. I winced in pain and dispelled the clone, catching Kusanagi at its apex and dispelling it. Sakumo sprung from his resting spot and bounded towards me.

"What the hell are you doing?" he said, panic tinting his usually calm drawl.

"I believe the snakes want sacrifice, and I couldn't very well ask you to let me attack you," I replied, shrugging off my tunic to reveal an already closing wound. "Besides, it was a calculated and very light wound, done only to draw blood."

Our conversation was cut short when the blood splatters seeped into the mountain and created a complex array on the ground beneath me.

"I believe my sacrifice was adequate. Please keep watch for me, Hatake-san."

He simply stared at me, still surprised as I felt foreign chakra tether itself onto me.

"Hopefully, I'll be back within a day."

With that said, smoke filled my vision, clearing to reveal a wall of red stone, covered in moss. It was littered with various arched window-like openings. The lighting was sparse, so much so that I could only see darkness within the structure. I stepped through the largest arch and waited.

Hissing echoed around me as a disembodied voice began to speak.

"We know of you, son of Yashagoro," it hissed out.

"If you remember my father, then you also know what I'm here for."

"Yes," it replied. "You seek our contract. You view yourself as worthy, despite obvious deficiencies."

Very clever, trying to rile me up. That would've worked on almost anyone else.

"Well, you brought me here, away from that false entrance," I drawled back. "That has to mean something, no?"

Peals of laughter, raspy and dissonant, echoed around me.

"You are a clever one, Orochimaru, son of Yashagoro. I do believe he was sworn to never tell another of the clans values."

I said nothing, waiting for voice to continue.

"Good, you know when not to speak. This is something to be appreciated as well."

The room around me brightened; unrevealed torches lit with chakra-fueled flames, revealing a massive purple snake with a ridged brow. If it were more human, it probably would have been sneering at me.

"I am Manda, combat leader of the snake clan. Normally, I would be testing your worthiness. However, our leader sensed something special about you and has granted you an audience."

He scoffed and turned around, nearly hitting me with his massive tail. Why is it that everyone I'm with as of late is a smug prick, my clones included?

"You will follow," he hissed, even though I was already walking with him.

We traversed through a winding hallway torches springing to life ahead to reveal the path. Damn theatrics.

Eventually, the hallway widened into a massive chamber that actually resembled a cave. We were completely surrounded by white scales that stemmed from behind the massive throne before us. A massive white snake rested on the throne, its long body was decorated with golden bands. Its head was adorned with a strange turban-like headdress with two black horns sprouting from its front like a samurai's helmet adornment and orange fur running down the back.

"I have brought him as you ordered, Hakuja-sama," Manda hissed, speaking in a tone of deference that didn't suit him.

"Very good, Manda. You may go," the white snake, Hakuja, responded, not taking its eyes off of me. Manda complied, once again swiping at me with his tail on the way out.

"So, you are Orochimaru," the White Snake Sage said, puffing a massive cloud of smoke at me. I nodded in response, as his chakra enveloped me.

It was extremely strange, unlike any other chakra I have ever felt. It had the standard mix of spiritual and physical energy, but it had a third facet that I have never felt before. It was calming and peaceful, and felt strangely familiar. This must have been the natural energy that Senjutsu practitioners like Hashirama employed. However, this snake's senjutsu was different from that of Hashirama. Where his felt like walking through a forest, this snake's felt like being coiled tightly by a constrictor. It was still calming, but it also invoked a sense of commanded respect and eloquence.

"I'm sure you are familiar with this energy due to your acquaintance with the now dead Man of the Forest, but I sense that you know more, much more than a youngling as yourself would normally know."

I finally found my voice.

"I do. I can feel your intent and hints of your personality in your aura."

He puffed out another cloud of smoke before continuing.

"You are an interesting one, Orochimaru."

"I'm guessing that's a good thing?" I asked.

The Sage laughed before continuing.

"It is both good and bad."

He slithered down from his perch before his snout was almost touching me.

"I commend you for figuring out how to get in here. However, what makes you think you are worthy of signing our Contract?" its gaze rested on my covered stump. "You are clearly not even a full human, with a handicap as blatant as your own."

"I more than make up for any deficiencies with my knowledge, creativity, and skills," I replied, trying not to sound too arrogant.

"I see. As Manda said, we have been watching you, for a number of reasons," it glanced at something among its coiled body before continuing. "Did you know that your father's last request as our summoner was not to save him, but rather to look after you?"

I shook my head.

"Yashagoro was a good summoner. He fully embodied our ideals of sacrifice in many ways. However, he was lacking in other senses."

The White Snake Sage looked back at me scrutinizingly.

"You are very much the same in many ways, but I believe you are more. That why I personally exempted you from the trials all potential signers of the Contract must pass."

His massive body moved around me, completely surrounding me.

"You are without a doubt, the most fitting contracted human to my knowledge thus far. You willingly gave up your arm in defense of another. You seek to unravel the mysteries of this world and the chakra within it, and exist on a plane of intelligence beyond that of all your peers. Most importantly, you are still conscious and intact, despite my forcing my chakra on you since you set foot in this room. That's some impressive control of your chakra you have there, youngling, even subconsciously so."

I suddenly became more aware of the coating of chakra I had created to repel the suffocating nature of Hakuja's chakra. How curious.

"Normally, we do not offer such an honor to someone not even one of our own…" he grumbled.

Was he really going to do so now? I was only fourteen. I don't think Naruto even started learning about senjutsu until halfway through Shippuden.

Smoke once again filled my vision, clearing to reveal a scrolled lain out between Hakuja and myself. There was a considerable amount of crossed out names signed onto it, with the most recent name being that of my deceased father, Yashagoro.

"This is our contract. Sign it quickly so we can continue."

I bit my thumb hard enough to draw blood. As neatly as I could, I stroked "Orochimaru" onto the chakra-laced parchment. With another smoky discharge of chakra, the scroll was gone.

"There, you are now our contracted human. However, I have devised a new trial for you, due to our unique circumstances," he said, looking at me intently. "Do you wish to become one of us? A true member of the clan?"

"I do," I replied.

"Very well. Prepare yourself, Orochimaru. This will hurt greatly."

Without warning, he sprung forward, sinking one of his massive fangs into my left trapezius. Then, all I felt was pain. It felt like my body was both melting and turning to stone simultaneously. At first, my chakra pushed back futilely before changing to adjust its ratios to match that of the foreign chakra invading my system as closely as possible.

As suddenly as it came, the pain ceased when the White Snake Sage dislodged its fang from my body, the wound closing as well, most likely due to the his intention to heal me. I tried to pull myself onto my feet, but felt too stiff to do so.

"Very impressive. I didn't expect you to stay conscious after such a large injection of natural energy. From what I've heard from those toads, their human is still struggling to function with half as much."

I blinked at that. I had honestly forgotten that the summon clans stayed in contact somehow.

"That being said, I refuse to be behind those toads in any sense," he grumbled, slithering closer to me. I could smell the familiar smell of smoke on his breath. "Unfortunately for you, you joined us later than the toad's brat joined them. You're just going to have to be trained twice as hard."

I smirked.

"I'll do what I must to meet your expectations then, Hakuja-sama," I replied. "However, I must return to the false entrance now. I have a comrade waiting, so if you would so me how to desummon myself from this realm, it would be much appreciated."

If he had eyelids, I'm sure he would have narrowed his eyes at me.

"Very well, I will send you back. However, you will return here every for two days every week to further your training. I will oversee it personally, so consider yourself honored. Furthermore, you will not be able to summon any of the clan until I deem you worthy."

I didn't even get a chance to respond before he puffed yet another cloud in my face as I felt the familiar pull of chakra sending me back to my previous location. I nearly fell when my feet made contact with solid ground if not for Sakumo's incredible reaction speed.

"You alright? What happened in… wherever you went? You were in there for the whole night" he asked. He pulled me back, examining me. "You look different."

Damn snake must have made me even more snake-like with his chakra bite.

"I'm officially the holder of the Snake Clan Contract. As for my appearance, their leader bit me and infused a chakra-infused venom into my bloodstream, making me into whatever I am now. Now, I would like to head back to Konoha. I'll admit that I'm curious as to what I look like now."

I slid his hands off my shoulders and straightened my back, stretching the kinks caused by the nature chakra injection. Before I could head back to Konoha, Sakumo interrupted me with a panicked shout.

"What do you mean venom? I barely just met you, and I feel like you're already going to die."

I shrugged and continued ambling back to Konoha.

"I'm sure I'll be fine. The snakes are known for pragmatism and cunning, not wanton cruelty and stupidity. They need me as much as I need them, after all. And two consecutive summoner deaths really won't look good for them," I replied, in a tone not unlike the one he used for the duration of the journey.

Sakumo growled angrily, though it wasn't serious anger, and ran past me. He looked over his shoulder and grinned at me.

"If you're so sure you're okay, then how about a race? Last one back to the village gates has to buy dinner for the winner."

With the challenge proposed, he raced off towards the rising sun.

What a cheater, he totally had an unfair head start. I grinned as I pushed chakra into my feet, racing past him to his surprise.

Take that, you cheeky bastard.