Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters in this story

More Than Just Comrades

Chapter 54

Naruto stayed rooted to the spot as he stared up in open mouth horror at his lover's murderous older brother. Even despite the intensity with which those cold Sharingan eyes stared down at him, the pregnant jinchuriki found himself yet again unable to look away. Like before, it were as if those eyes had him hypnotized, the way they seemed to bore their way into his very core in a way words could not describe.

Even though his mind screamed at him to slam the door and hide somewhere, Naruto's body refused to cooperate, his legs visibly trembling. Everything else around him seemed to blur out of existence as he became transfixed on that all too familiar Sharingan pattern. For what seemed like hours, but really only a few moments, Itachi and Naruto merely stared at one another in silence, the latter not even noticing that he was holding his breath in anticipation for the worst.

'T-This guy again? It can't be! What the hell is he...'

"Naruto-kun," Itachi spoke, causing Naruto to visibly jump as he was torn from his thoughts, "I need to have a word with you for a moment."

As Itachi took a step forward to come inside, sudden shock caused Naruto's body to go into autopilot, and he found himself quickly slamming the door and locking it in place without actually being aware of doing the action.

With his hand still on the top lock, Naruto let out the breath he'd been holding in rapid pants as he attempted to calm himself, though the effort was practically futile. Fear had his mind, thoughts, and heart going a mile a second, and his hand shook as he struggled to let go of the lock, afraid that Itachi would somehow unlock it from the outside if he let go.

Of all the times for Itachi to suddenly show his face again, why did it have to be now? It was obvious that he'd been watching his brother and Naruto all this time, calculating his next strike for when Naruto would be most vulnerable. His only means of survival would be to escape, which was easier said than done considering he was on the top floor of his apartment. Either way, if he could at least make it outside, he would be a little safer. Itachi wouldn't come after him out in the open.

As he turned and prepared to make a run for the sliding screen door that led out to the patio, Naruto let out an "Oh!" of surprise as Itachi materialized in front of him in a murder of crows, having flown in from the open window above the kitchen sink.

Gripped with fear, Naruto hurriedly unlocked the top lock and attempted to escape out the front door. Unfortunately, Itachi was faster. With a burst of speed, Itachi easily rushed forward and pulled Naruto back in, slamming the door back closed.

"Get off of me! Get your hands the fuck off me!" Naruto yelled as he punched, scratched, and kicked, struggling for his very life. His very skin crawled from being locked in Itachi's cold grip, which might as well have been the grip of death as far as Naruto was concerned.

Due to his pregnant condition, Naruto knew that he had no chance of winning, but he would fight anyway to his last breath for the sake of his child. Even if Itachi did take him away, he would do everything in his power to draw blood. If anyone came looking for him, they would see the blood, realize he'd been attacked, and go for help. At least then he'd have a chance to be found...or at least his body.

Itachi, meanwhile, struggled to hold onto the struggling jinchuriki in his grip, at the same time being mindful not to put too much pressure on the boy's protruding belly. He knew he had to resolve this situation quickly, for Naruto's struggling was going to put both himself and the baby in harm's way. If Naruto miscarried, all of this would've been for nothing and Itachi would never be able to forgive himself.

He'd wanted to settle this in a matter which didn't involve having to use force, but when Naruto began to scream for help as loud as he possibly could, Itachi knew he had no other option. He had to gain control of this situation before it grew even more out of hand, and fast, lest Naruto's screaming draw unwanted attention.

As he turned in Itachi's grip in an attempt to spit in the elder Uchiha's face, Naruto made brief eye contact with his attacker, though that brief moment was all Itachi needed. In an instant, Naruto found himself trapped in Itachi's ocular Genjutsu induced from looking directly into the Sharingan. The world around him quickly blurred into nothing more than a red void, nothingness surrounding him on all sides.

Suddenly, Naruto felt his body being impaled all over by numerous black feathers. He did not feel any pain, but he could feel the sensations as they penetrated his body like a pin cushion. Back in the real world, Naruto ceased fighting as he felt almost all of his strength just suddenly leave him. Muttering Sasuke's name one last time in a last ditch cry for help, Naruto succumbed to his exhaustion and passed out...

Almost an hour later, Naruto finally awoke feeling groggy, as though he'd gotten too much sleep.

'Damn, how long have I been asleep? My body feels like I've been sleeping on a rock or something.' Naruto thought to himself drowsily. He yawned and attempted to stretch his cramped muscles, but found that he couldn't. After looking down and taking stock of himself, Naruto instantly saw why. For starters, he was still in his apartment, on his couch more specifically, but both his wrists and ankles were tied together with two thick pieces of rope. 'What the fuck?'

"Glad you're finally awake, Naruto-kun." said a voice adjacent to him.

Looking over, Naruto's breath lodged itself in his throat when he saw who the voice belonged to. Itachi Uchiha sat properly upright on the couch adjacent to him, as though he'd been waiting patiently for Naruto to wake up. "I'm sorry, but I had to tie you up. You were making quite a commotion and I doubt you'd listen to me otherwise."

Naruto said nothing, instead opting to just stare back at Itachi with fear evident in his eyes. He considered screaming for help again, but second guessed it in fear of Itachi slitting his throat or breaking his neck. As his fear began to mount even more, Naruto began to shake uncontrollably. Being this close to Itachi was so uncomfortable, Naruto couldn't stand it. He had to get away...somehow.

"Naruto-kun?" Itachi said questioningly, concerned at Naruto's shaking.

"...Why?" Naruto asked as his tears began to flow like a waterfall. "Why are you doing this? Why can't you just leave Sasuke and I alone? What do you want from us?"

Instead of answering immediately, Itachi merely stared back at Naruto for a moment before rising to his feet. Slowly, he began to make his over to Naruto, his hand reaching out. As Itachi came closer, Naruto began to hyperventilate involuntarily, on the verge of peeing on himself in fear. Completely helpless, Naruto clenched his eyes and waited for his life to be ended. Instead of a cold hand choking the life out him, however, Naruto was completely taken aback when he felt a soft tissue dabbing gently at his face. After drying Naruto's tears, Itachi retook his place on the adjacent couch and waited for Naruto's breathing to return to normal before finally speaking.

"As I tried to explain earlier, I only wish to speak with you, Naruto-kun. I am not here to cause you or your child harm." Itachi said, placing the damp tissue on the coffee table.

Puzzled, Naruto shifted uncomfortably on the couch, curling his toes into the carpet. Much like during his first encounter with Sasuke's older brother, he couldn't help but have this odd feeling that Itachi was being sincere and really posed no threat to him. Even still, that certainly didn't mean he trusted the elder Uchiha in any way.

"So then...you aren't going to kill me or take me back to your organization?" Naruto asked meekly.

"No. If I were going to kill you, I would've already done it by now. And if I were going to take you back to the Akatsuki, we'd already be on our way." Itachi reasoned.

Realizing that Itachi made some very valid points, Naruto's fear eased itself slightly. It was safe to conclude that Itachi really wasn't going to hurt him, but that still didn't excuse the fact that the elder Uchiha was a madman who murdered his innocent family all for the sake of testing his own ability. No matter how harmless Itachi appeared to be on the surface, Naruto kept in mind that it was all an act. He knew what Itachi was capable of. The one thing he didn't understand, however, was how someone capable of doing something so evil could act so...human and caring.

Itachi's personality didn't match the character of a serial killer at all. It puzzled Naruto so much to the point where he actually found himself curious. If Itachi wasn't here to kill or kidnap him, then he wasn't really evil...right? No, he had to be in order for him to murder everyone close to him. However, both his current and previous actions from their original encounter spoke otherwise. Furthermore, Itachi didn't seem threatening at all. In fact, the air around him was...actually rather friendly.

"I don't understand you." Naruto finally said after going over the enigma that was Itachi. "I know I'm supposed to hate you for what you did to your clan, but...you don't seem...evil at all. I'm just so confused. What exactly are you?"

Itachi remained silent and briefly looked away before he spoke. "...That's what I'm here to talk about, Naruto-kun. It's true that I did slaughter my family overnight, but there is more to the story than people know."

"...Well do you mind if I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Do you really not like Sasuke at all? Is that why you took everything from him?"

Again, Itachi took a moment before answering as he appeared to get lost in thought. Then, unexpectedly, Itachi...smiled. "I could never hate Sasuke. I love my younger brother."

"See! That right there is exactly what I'm getting at!" Naruto exclaimed in frustration. "How can you claim you love your little brother when your murdered your own parents? That's the most fucked way I've ever heard of someone showing love for somebody."

"...I did it in order to protect him, Naruto-kun. The termination of my clan was the mission assigned to me by the Konoha Elders." Itachi revealed.

That bit of information made Naruto perk up. "Wait, what? That's a lie. The Konoha Elders would never order someone to do something so heinous!"

Itachi sighed. "My story is long, Naruto-kun, but I can assure you that it is the truth. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here speaking to you."

Naruto scoffed. "Alright, point taken. But you expect me to just believe anything you say? Seeing as how you've lied to Sasuke for all these years, I'm really not sure I can trust you."

"That is a reasonable point, Naruto-kun. The only thing you know about me is that I am a murderer, so I don't expect you to trust me so willingly. Whether or not you believe anything I say is up to you, but if you'd like answers, then the least you can do is hear me out until the end."

Naruto pondered it in his head, mentally fighting with himself. A part of him told him not believe a word that came out of Itachi's mouth, seeing as how he easily deceived his clan and Sasuke. What was to stop him from deceiving Naruto now? On the other hand, the other half of him was actually interested in hearing Itachi's story. There was just something about Itachi that intrigued Naruto. Even though what he did was unforgivable, Itachi's character just didn't fit with the persona of a psychopath. Furthermore, even though Itachi claimed to have murdered his clan for his own sake, his actions spoke otherwise. He'd had two opportunities to kill Naruto as Sasuke suggested he would more than likely do, and both times he hadn't. Maybe there actually was more to Itachi than meets the eye, more than anyone could ever imagine. There was only one way to find out...

"Fine. Then speak" Naruto said, firmly making up his mind.

Itachi gave a single nod. "In order for me to tell you about the night of the massacre, I must first inform you of the past in order for you to understand how everything escalated to that point, including the rivalry between the Uchiha & Senju Clan and the founding of Konohagakure. Since I have only a limited time before Sasuke returns, I will answer any questions you may have afterward. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded.

Itachi let out a deep breath before continuing. It was going to be a long tale, but it had to be told. It was imperative that he relay this information to Naruto for the sake of his little brother. "The story begins about eighty years ago, during an era of warring states..."

Meanwhile, 4 and half hours elsewhere...

Sasuke sat by himself on a thick tree branch that was high enough to overlook the horizon. Below him were his comrades, resting in small groups scattered here and there in a small radius. The Land of Sound was still several hours away, but the small platoon had been traveling for nearly 4 and half hours straight and needed to rest. No point in being exhausted by the time they reached the enemy.

While his comrades took the time to have a snack and catch a breather, Sasuke contemplated simply moving on by himself. Sitting around resting was just wasting valuable time, time that could be spent moving closer to their destination. Though he outwardly kept his composure, the burning anger and anxiety made it almost impossible to sit still. Simply the thought of facing Orochimaru again had Sasuke subconsciously bringing a hand to the spot on his neck that sported the Curse Mark.

'I'm going to enjoy making you suffer, you bastard.' Sasuke thought to himself as he tightened his grip on the Curse Mark, a burning sensation beginning to radiate from the spot. The burning pain had long ceased to faze him, but looking out over the horizon and knowing that he was closing in on the root of his pain seemed to make the burning intensify with his anxiousness.

Truth be told, even if it didn't bother him all that much anymore, the burning was beginning to piss him off and he wanted it to stop for good. He wanted to get this mission over with as soon as possible so he could go back home to his Naruto, who was no doubt waiting patiently for his return back at their apartment. Leaving Naruto on his own, especially at this hour, tore at his nerves till finally he couldn't stand it anymore. Sasuke decided he was going to go on ahead after all. Things simply weren't going fast enough for his liking, and the others could simply catch up when they were done bitching around.

Strapping his sword to his waist as he stood up, Sasuke had just prepared to bound off when he felt a hand on his shoulder, using all of his willpower not to jump at the sudden contact. Looking to his right, Sasuke saw that it was none other than his silver-haired father figure.

"Well now, aren't we a little impatient?" Kakashi reprimanded.

"Hn. Mind your own business." Sasuke replied, shrugging Kakashi's hand off his shoulder.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say some of Naruto's tendencies have begun to rub off you. You're usually more collected than this."

"Don't compare me to that dobe. I'm not about to let Orochimaru slip away simply because our men are too weak to persevere. Besides, I wasn't actually gonna rush in, just meet you when you caught up. I don't like sitting around. Every minute gives him the chance to escape right out from under us."

Kakashi chuckled softly. "There's no need to worry about that happening. Master Jiraiya is monitoring surveillance on the hideout Orochimaru is currently using. If he makes a move, we'll know about it. Now, do your best to relax. Trust me, you'll be with Naruto again in no time."

Sasuke ground his teeth together as he was powerless to stop the blush creeping across his face, instead settling for folding his arms within his sleeves. If there was one thing he hated about Kakashi, it was the way the Jonin was able to read his body language so perfectly, even when others saw his behavior as nothing out of the ordinary. While the uncanny ability greatly intrigued Sasuke at times, it also greatly aggravated him. Now was definitely one of those latter moments.

"I wish you'd stop doing that." Sasuke ground out, glaring at Kakashi.

"It's no big deal, Sasuke. If it makes you feel any better, I'm just as anxious to get back to Iruka." Kakashi replied, smiling with his visible eye.

"Like I care about your personal feelings. Just remember that when we get there, Orochimaru is mine."

Sasuke then crouched and leaned up against the tree to relax before it was time to head off soon.

"Have it your way, so long as you don't do anything too crazy." Kakashi said before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Sasuke replied with his usual "Hn" before closing his eyes and drifting off into his own little world, foreshadowing the battle to come in his head.

After about another hour of allowing everyone to regain their strength, the platoon was off again toward Otogakure. During the remainder of the trip, no one really said much of anything. Half of it was because no one really had anything to say, but mostly it was to keep the noise to a minimum in case there were enemy Sound shinobi nearby.

Half an hour into the resumption of their journey, Kimimaro noticed something peculiar. What looked to be a giant green toad was staring at them from a branch up ahead. Normally, one would not see anything unusual about this. However, Kimimaro wasn't naive. He suddenly had the feeling that this was no ordinary toad. With a wave of his hand, he silently commanded the platoon to come to a halt.

"What is it? Why did we stop?" Asuma asked as he came to land in between Kimimaro and his small group.

"It's that toad. Something isn't right." Kimimaro replied as he extended a bone spike from the palm of his hand.

Before Kimimaro could actually mount an attack, the toad opened its mouth and allowed a hand to emerge from within. A few seconds later, Jiraiya stood before them, having emerged completely from the toad's mouth.

"Easy there, tiger. I assure you I'm on your side." the white-haired Sannin said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. Realizing there was no danger, Kimimaro retracted his bone spike and lowered his guard. Apparently, this was the man they were supposed to meet.

'Hn, interesting jutsu he's got there.' Tayuya thought to herself.

"It's been a while, Master Jiraiya." Kurenai said with a bow. "Do you have any intel regarding the enemy?"

All jokes now aside, Jiraiya dropped his hands to his sides and his joking exterior suddenly become very serious.

"Well, to make a long story short, infiltration is certainly not gonna be a cakewalk. The entrance to Otogakure is just ahead, however the entire perimeter is heavily guarded by enemy Sound shinobi, almost all of which are of Jonin rank. Even if we do manage to get past the enemy shinobi, the actual entrance to Otogakure is fortified by a chakra-lock mechanism that would take hours to unlock without a special code. On the bright side, however, we can at least officially say we've found Orochimaru."

"Just leave that door to me." Kidomaru said with a knowing smirk. "That mechanism is a bitch to unlock manually, but a little brute force will blow that baby apart as though it were made of rice paper. Only thing is, it's gonna make a lot of noise, so we can kiss the element of surprise goodbye."

"I'm afraid that's not gonna work out just yet." Shikamaru said after landing on a nearby branch.

"I don't remember anybody asking your lazy-ass for your opinion on the situation." Tayuya snapped.

"On the contrary, I actually do have a say-so, being a Chunin Officer and all." Shikamaru replied, slightly annoyed at Tayuya's unnecessary aggression. 'Give me a break already. Sure my mom might be a real pain, but she's got nothing on this bitch. Hats off to the poor bastard who has to deal with this piece of work...'

"What were you gonna say, Shikamaru?" Asuma asked.

"Well, I figured since there are enemy shinobi on the outside, it's safe to conclude that there enemies on the inside as well. I mean, I highly doubt Orochimaru would be alone down there. If we make a big commotion now, we'd have to deal with the ones both on top and bottom. I think it'd be best if we take out the ones guarding the perimeter first and make it a little easier for ourselves, rather than just go in guns blazing. Otherwise, dealing with that many enemy shinobi is gonna be a real drag."

A moment of silence passed as everyone considered Shikamaru's words.

"He has a valid point. The base up ahead is relatively smaller compared to the others, however it is still likely that there are more of them below ground than above. Even with our army, a combined force may still be too much for us to handle." Kimimaro agreed.

"And just how exactly do you suggest we locate the enemy positions?" Sasuke asked. "It would take us hours to search the entire area for them."

"My "little friends" and I can handle that as well." Kidomaru replied. "Just tell me the game strategy, and I'll get right on it."

Shikamaru thought for moment before squatting down, putting his fingers together to make a circle, and closing his eyes, a habit that everyone, except the Sound Ninja 3, had become all too familiar with.

"What the hell is he doing?" Tayuya asked, only to be sharply nudged by Kimimaro to be quiet.

After only several minutes, Shikamaru opened his eyes and let out a bored, exasperated sigh as members of their platoon began to gather round. "Alright, people, here's the plan..."

15 minutes later...

Kidomaru cracked his knuckles before creating a bed of webbing between his middle pair of hands. He then bit his right thumb and went through the correct sequence of hand signs before slamming the palm of his hand on the bed of webbing.

"Summoning Jutsu: Kyodaigumo!"

As Kidomaru's hand made contact, his entire body was suddenly engulfed by an enormous puff of smoke. A few seconds later, the smoke cleared to reveal a gigantic black tarantula with orange stripes going down the back of its abdomen, with Kidomaru safely on top of it.

Without even having to be told what to do, the giant spider known as Kyodaigumo quickly released a large egg sac, though still attached to its abdomen. With a devious grin, Kidomaru pulled out a kunai knife and swiftly cut the egg sac open, releasing the contents inside.

"Go, my minions! Pick up the scent of our enemies and show us the way!" Kidomaru commanded as hundreds of spiders the size of small dogs emerged from the egg sack. Within minutes, the arachnid offspring picked up the scent of the surrounding Sound shinobi and sped off in their respective directions.

"That would be our cue. Team 1, let's move out!" Errol said before following the trail of the closest spider.

Under his command, the rest of Team 1, which consisted of the rest of the Fuma Clan and roughly half the platoon, each picked out and followed a path set by one of the numerous spiders. Their mission as Team 1 was to follow the spiders to the locations of the enemy shinobi and take them out as quick and quietly as possible.

Staying on the heels of his own spider, it took Errol only 10 minutes of traveling before he came upon a pair of Sound shinobi in a nearby tree. Forming his iron sand into a spear, Errol quickly impaled one through the chest, catching the other by surprise as he watched his comrade fall dead to the forest floor below. Before he could comprehend what was happening, Errol swiftly came up behind him and slit the bastard's throat before following his spider to the next pair of targets.

Elsewhere throughout the forest, the same thing was taking place. With the spiders acting as bloodhounds and guiding them, the Leaf shinobi made quick work of the patrolling Sound ninja. By the pairs, the enemy was dealt with swiftly, effectively, and most important, quietly. Not a single enemy had been aware of their impending demise before it was too late.

After all members of his team had reported to him of their success, Errol contacted Kidomaru via an earpiece walkie talkie.

"Kidomaru, this is Errol. All surrounding enemy shinobi have been dealt with. You are now clear to proceed."

"Roger that. Now moving on to Phase 2." Kidomaru replied before dispersing Kyodaigumo.

After making the Ram hand sign, Kidomaru concentrated and began to draw power from his Curse Mark. Within moments, the change began. As he succumbed to the foul chakra of his Curse Mark, Kidomaru's skin quickly became noticeably darker, his canine teeth and fingernails elongated, horns grew from his head, the white part of his eyes turned black, his irides became yellow, and his hair grew significantly before turning a grayish color. Within mere moments, Kidomaru had become what could simply be described as a monster straight out of horror movie.

'Guess I won't be needing this piece of crap of anymore.' Kidomaru thought to himself as he removed his Sound headband and discarded it, revealing a third eye on his forehead. Seeing with the third eye's telescopic vision, Kidomaru was able to zoom in on the entrance to Otogakure even from his spot in the trees, and judged the distance to be at least 50 meters ahead.

Using his (*)Spider Sticky Gold secreted from his mouth, Kidomaru quickly formed the material into a giant war bow before crouching down on one knee for better accuracy. He then secreted more of his Spider Sticky Gold from his mouth, though this time in the shape of an arrow, adding a drill to the arrowhead to increase the force of impact.

"Alright boys and girls," Kidomaru said as he pulled back on the bow and took aim, "it's GAME ON!"

With unmatched precision and accuracy, Kidomaru released his grip and sent the arrow ripping through the forest, easily tearing through the trees and anything else unlucky to be in its path. The drill on the arrowhead prevented any sort of change to its trajectory, so it lost no momentum even as it tore through tree after tree.

Only moments after being released, the arrow plowed into the entrance door that lead to the underground base of Otogakure, blowing it to pieces and sending a loud BOOM echoing throughout the forest.

Upon hearing the destruction of the entrance to Otogakure, Team 2 rushed forward through the trees, leaving Kidomaru behind to provide any needed cover fire. Since any outside interference had been taken care of, there was really no rush, so they traveled at a leisurely pace.

By the time they actually arrived at the clearing, the battle had already begun. As expected, the explosion from the impact had roused the majority of the underground Sound shinobi to the surface, instantly on the alert. Following the plan, Team 1 rushed into the middle as soon as they'd heard the impact. Since they were closer, they reached the clearing first and met the enemy head on as they'd emerged from underground. Their job was to hold the enemy off while Team 2 infiltrated.

Needless to say, Shikamaru's plan was working perfectly. Sounds of shouting and metal hitting metal filled the forest as Leaf and Sound clashed with kunai knives and swords. The once green grass was stained bright crimson with fresh blood as Team 2 rushed onto the battlefield and bee-lined straight for the gaping entrance, Kimimaro and his crew in the lead. After having to fight their way through the crowd here and there, the infiltration team successfully breached the entrance and began their search for Orochimaru.

Ironically, the last member of Team 2 to arrive on the battlefield was Sasuke. Ever the opportunist, Sasuke had chosen to hang back a bit and allowed the others to clear a safe path before finally charging forward himself, sword drawn. Coming to his aid was Kidomaru, who effortlessly shot down any enemy that wandered into Sasuke's path with a precise head shot.

'Thanks, Kidomaru. Guess I owe you one after this.' Sasuke thought to himself as he ran down the staircase and emerged into Otogakure for the first time. What he saw made him almost stop completely in his tracks.

Instead coming upon an underground city as he had imagined, Sasuke instead found himself in the largest corridor he'd ever seen in his life. Both sides of the corridor were lined with doors that lead to individual bedrooms, which Sasuke assumed were the sleeping quarters for the enemy shinobi. Also along both walls were numerous lit candles, providing the only source of lighting. The dimly lit corridor seemed to go on for miles, branching off every now and again to lead down a different hallway.

No different than on the surface, the carnage continued. The sounds of fighting rang out through the endless corridors, along with the anguished cries of the dying and wounded. The stone walls and floor were smeared with fresh blood as shinobi, both Leaf and Sound, met their end at one another's blades. The bodies were scattered all around him like lambs to the slaughterhouse.

As his anger grew from watching his comrades die, Sasuke voluntarily allowed the Curse Mark to come to life. Within mere moments, the black flame pattern had spread to cover his entire body. Just as his older brother had done when he'd murdered their clan, Sasuke killed any trace of humanity within himself and instead replaced it with the will to murder.

With lightning chakra surging through his sword, Sasuke made his way down the corridor and brutally executed every Sound shinobi he came across as he began his search for Orochimaru. While some of his victims pleaded for their lives, Sasuke paid them no mind and killed them regardless. To him, these men were nothing more than animals, one of the many things in life Sasuke hated anyway. And though he acted to satisfy his own lust for blood, Sasuke did managed to inadvertently save the lives of many of his allies along the way.

Frustrated, Sasuke searched room after room, dragging out any cowardly Sound shinobi that may have been trying to hide and butchering them in the hallway. Though he did a great service for the battle effort, his real target was nowhere to be found. And his team, keeping in contact through the use of earpiece walkie talkies, were having no such luck either.

"Orochimaru! Where are you, coward!" Sasuke yelled in frustration after vertically slicing open an enemy ninja.

As he voiced his anger, Sasuke became of aware of an ominous melody floating through the air. Because it was further down another hallway, the sound was faint, but Sasuke managed to hear it over the sounds of fighting. Though he continued on his path of death, Sasuke followed the melody, letting it lead him down several other hallways.

As he got closer to the melody, there were a couple things that Sasuke noticed. For starters, the corridors were becoming more and more deserted. Eventually, there was nothing around him but the bodies of the fallen. Secondly, he noticed that all of the bodies had their heads missing. Curious, Sasuke continued on his way. As he turned the corner, what he saw made him stop in his tracks and raise an eyebrow.

A large crowd of Sound ninja were making their way toward two figures at the dead end of the corridor, both of which Sasuke recognized as Kimimaro and Tayuya, the latter playing her flute. As the Sound ninja advanced forward, Sasuke noticed that something was very off. They staggered like zombies and carried the same blank expression, as though they were in some kind of trance. Suddenly, all at the same time, their heads exploded, coating the walls with a combination blood and brain.

'So that explains all the headless bodies.' Sasuke thought to himself as the Curse Mark receded.

"Do you like it, Uchiha? It's a jutsu I created myself." Tayuya said as she took her flute away from her lips. "I call it the Melody of Death. Any dumbass within close enough range falls under a powerful hypnosis jutsu. All I have to do after that is play a certain note and...well you saw what happens."

"I don't care. Where is Orochimaru? I can feel him, but I cannot pinpoint his location for some reason." Sasuke said, ignoring the dark look Tayuya was giving him.

"A jamming jutsu is in effect, one that only Orochimaru can release. As long as it is active, you will not be able to track him." Kimimaro explained.

"Then where is he?" Sasuke asked again, growing impatient.

"He and Kabuto are probably trying to make a run for it near the arena. Fortunately for you, the time he has in his current body is almost up, so the motherfucker shouldn't be able to put up that much of a fight. I'm sure that really disappoints you." Tayuya said.

'You have no idea...' "Take me to him anyway. This mission is not over until he is dead." Sasuke replied.

"You happen to be in luck, Sasuke. Tayuya and I were just on our way to handle him, and then Kabuto afterwards. We'd be more than happy to assist you." said Kimimaro.

"No. I will be the one to kill Orochimaru. I've waited too long for this. Besides, you already said he is in a weakened state."

"Orochimaru is still dangerous, even if he is weakened. Even someone like you is gonna need help." Tayuya objected.

"I agree with Tayuya. It would be best if you called in some more support." Kimimaro agreed.

"No, my own power is sufficient enough. I have a score to settle with him for attacking my squad during the Chunin Exams, and I am more than capable of holding my own. Besides, I have grown stronger than him since then." Sasuke assured them.

Tayuya sighed before she and Kimimaro transformed into the 2nd Stage of their Curse Marks. "You really are a stubborn bastard. Fine, have it your way. Me and Kimimaro will take Kabuto, and you handle Orochimaru. Deal?"

"Deal. Now, lead the way."

As he followed Kimimaro and Tayuya deeper within the bowels of Otogakure, Sasuke began to secretly reconsider calling in backup. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to meet up with Kakashi and have him on standby just in case something did go wrong. In the end, however, he shook the thought from his mind. If he'd been able to go against Orochimaru on his own in the Forest of Death, then he was more than a match now that the snake Sannin was in a weakened state. Kakashi would simply have to get over it.

Sasuke continued running with Kimimaro and Tayuya, through the maze of corridors and down a dark staircase before finally emerging into the uppermost lower level of Otogakure. As they made their way down the barely lit corridor, Orochimaru's presence intensified. What struck Sasuke as odd, however, were the numerous other chakra signatures that were just up ahead. As they neared the end of the hallway, frightened whispered voices could be heard, as well as indistinct shouting.

"Who're all of these other chakra signatures?" Sasuke asked. "There's hundreds of them."

"Orochimaru's prisoners. They can feel the commotion from above, and it has gotten them into an uproar. The prison cells are on the same lower level as the labs and the arena. That is where Lord Orochimaru conducts his experiments, and where Kabuto usually spends most of his time." Kimimaro said.

"Did you say arena? Why would there be an arena down here?"

"Orochimaru is very picky when it comes to choosing the right body for his soul to inhabit. He needs a strong body, and what better way to get one than by pitting his prisoners against each other in a fight to the death. Only the strongest warrior survives, and that warrior then becomes Orochimaru's new vessel. It's usually a total bloodbath." Tayuya explained.

After what felt like an eternity of running, the trio finally emerged onto the platform overlooking the arena Tayuya had been talking about. On the upper levels where the trio stood were the prison cells, surrounding the entire fighting arena. All around them were loud whispers and angry hollers and curses of the prisoners, causing Sasuke to fight the urge to wanna covers his ears due to the echoes. It seemed none of the prisoners had even acknowledged the presence of the new arrivals, and the trio quickly discovered why.

There, making his way across the arena to a doorway on the other side with help from his spectacled assistant, was the man who embodied evil itself. Although his clothing was different, consisting of a mahogany shirt with a design of two white snakes on the back of the sleeves and black pants, the waist-length black hair was a dead give away. Sasuke's blood boiled at the very sight of seeing the monster known as Orochimaru, and it took every ounce of his strength not to just charge down there. A feeling in his gut told him it wasn't as easy as it seemed, and Sasuke would've been a fool to ignore it.

As though finally sensing a disturbance, Orochimaru, with Kabuto supporting all of his weight on one shoulder, turned to look up at the new arrivals. At seeing that Kimimaro and Tayuya stood amongst the three, Kabuto's calm expression quickly turned to a mixture of surprise, disbelief, and anger all in one. At that moment, the other prisoners seemed to finally take notice of the new arrivals, and the loud yelling and cursing died down to hush whispers:

"Huh? When did they get here?"

"Hey, it's Kimimaro and Tayuya! But who's that other guy with them?"

"What're those two doing here? I thought they were dead."

"Kimimaro? Tayuya? So you're the ones behind this betrayal. You traitors!" Kabuto exclaimed.

"Look who is calling the kettle black." Kimimaro retorted. "If I recall correctly, was it not you who sent a hit squad after us?

Kabuto began to grind his teeth together in frustration. 'This isn't good. Not only did they survive, but now they've brought Konoha down on us from the looks of it. Those idiot henchmen really are good for nothing, even in numbers. What's worse is that Lord Orochimaru is no condition to fight anyone right now. I've gotta find a way to get him out of here, and fast. There's no telling how much longer his current body is gonna hold out.'

While Kabuto's mind was racing as he thought of a way to escape the present danger, Orochimaru could only smirk as he gazed up Sasuke, whose Sharingan bore into his yellow, slit pupil eyes. After all the trouble he'd gone through to finally obtain Sasuke's body, his prey had come straight to him. Orochimaru licked his lips as he returned Sasuke's glare with a look of mild delight.

"Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru said, his voice hoarse due to his weakened state. "What're you doing here with these low-life shinobi? Have you forgotten your goal to seek vengeance against your older brother? Don't you remember what he did to you, to your family?"

Sasuke remained silent, though he did raise an eyebrow as he thought back to that night and how he'd been so powerless to stop his brother. Ever since that night, he swore that he'd never be that helpless ever again. How could he ever forget something like that? Feeling that he'd struck a nerve in the Uchiha, Orochimaru continued.

"It's not too late to gain what you seek. Come with me, Sasuke-kun. I can give you the power you've been looking for. Ever the Forest of Death, and being able to use your Sharingan so masterfully, I knew you were something special. With me as you guide, you'll become an outstanding talent that will surpass even the likes of Itachi. With the burden you bear, you will need power, power that only I can give you. In return, your soul will live on through me and be immortalized. Your destiny lies with me, Sasuke-kun. No one is more fit to train you than me. Sever your bonds with Konoha, and I promise you the power to get the revenge you seek."

Sasuke merely stood there as Orochimaru finished speaking. Kimimaro, Tayuya, Kabuto, and Orochimaru waited in tense silence for Sasuke to respond. Not even the surrounding prisoners dared to move a muscle, for fear that they would draw unwanted attention. They did keep their fingers crossed, however, for their freedom now depended on this boy.

Suddenly, Orochimaru's eyes lit up in delight as he watched the Curse Mark come to life once more and cover Sasuke's entire body.

'Excellent! Konoha can have this pathetic little bat cave. I now have all that I need.' Orochimaru thought, practically shaking with anticipation as he foreshadowed all that he would receive.

'I don't believe it. Lord Orochimaru actually got through to him. We may have lost the base, but oh well. It was a necessary casualty.' Kabuto thought to himself with a satisfied grin as the Raikiri sparked to life in Sasuke's hand. Things were beginning to turn around already.

"Why, you fucking asshole!" Tayuya screamed in anger. "Of all the dirty tricks, you lying piece of sh-"

Before Tayuya could even finish her insult, Sasuke transformed the Raikiri into the Chidori Spear and shot it forward faster than a bullet, barely giving Orochimaru enough time to let go of Kabuto and throw his arms up in the shape of an "X" in front of him. Needless to say, the attack easily went through both of Orochimaru's arms before piercing the snake Sannin through the chest, the impact knocking him down and pinning him to the floor.

Resounding gasps could be heard throughout the arena area as the prisoners gaped in shock at what was happening. Even Tayuya grew quiet as she was left standing there dumbfounded with Kimimaro.

"Lord Orochimaru!" Kabuto cried in alarm.

"W-What is the meaning of this?" Orochimaru stammered, unable to move from his position. 'This is the same jutsu he used against the Sand jinchuriki. The electricity is paralyzing me!'

"There is nothing I could ever learn from the likes of someone like you, Orochimaru." Sasuke said in a dark tone, the air around him growing cold. "I don't need you teach me how to become heartless. It seems I can do that on my own."

As his aura continued to become just as dark as his tone, Sasuke charged the Chidori Spear with more lightning chakra, watching with satisfaction as Orochimaru hollered and screamed in agony as he was electrocuted.

"Stop this! Stop it right now!" Kabuto hollered angrily, feeling helpless at being unable to come to his master's aid.

Sasuke scoffed, but ceased his torture nonetheless. "Orochimaru, you are weaker than me. Therefore, there would be no point in me giving you my body, not even for the sake of revenge."

"Big words for a mere Uchiha hatchling!" Orochimaru spat.

Sasuke scoffed again. "If I wasn't a hatchling, I never would've considered seeking you out, right? During our fight in the Forest of Death, you repulsively evaluated the worth of this hatchling, calling me your prey. That is why you put your leash on me, the Curse Mark. However, it wasn't enough. You wanted to make sure I came to you, which is why you tried to have Kimimaro influence me. It is true that I still do seek revenge, and I once thought discarding my body was worth it. However, I have a new resolve now, a new reason to become stronger. And that reason is the one you refer to as the Nine-Tails Brat."

At hearing this bit, Orochimaru's eyes widened in shock. That blonde haired child! To think, after so much planning and going so far as to give Sasuke the Curse Seal of Heaven, Orochimaru would lose Sasuke to him of all people! Before Orochimaru could voice his disgust, however, a sudden surge of electricity had him snapping his mouth back closed.

"You disgust me, Orochimaru. Perhaps the world did consider you a genius, but someone like you could never reach the level of an Uchiha. Before my last name, your methods of obtaining the power of an Uchiha are laughable at best. For you own selfish reasons, you view people as toys and continue to play with their lives, just like a certain someone else I plan to kill. You've even gone so far as to drug and transfer your own body. And all for what? The Sharingan, an ability that you will never have. Your entire existence is nothing but a mistake, but I intend to correct it!"

As the Lightning Style Armor burst to life around his body, Sasuke rushed forward faster than the untrained eye could follow and drove his fist into Orochimaru's stomach with earth-shattering force. The impact was strong enough to not only crater Orochimaru into the ground, but also knocked Kabuto clear to the other side of the room and bouncing off the wall.

When the smoke and dust finally cleared away, Sasuke stood over what looked liked a deflated Orochimaru. Puzzled, Sasuke was about to poke at the snake Sannin's lifeless body when he suddenly felt an enormous, ominous chakra behind him. Casually turning around, Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he gazed up at what appeared to be a gigantic white serpent made up of a multitude of smaller white snakes. Although his body form had changed, the beast was still undoubtedly Orochimaru, although with spiky black hair, a scaled face complete with snake-like teeth and a long tongue, black eye markings, and a pointed chin.

Even despite the great danger that he was now faced with, Sasuke showed little emotion other than annoyance.

"So this is your true form: a white-scaled serpent." Sasuke said as he unsheathed his sword. "In order to transfer from body to body, you've repeatedly experimented, and in the end, this is how you turned out? You're not even human anymore."

'So that's Lord Orochimaru's true form... Even I have to admit, I never thought it would be this fearsome.' Kabuto thought as he shakily rose to his feet.

"Now then, Sasuke-kun, I'll have that body of yours!" Orochimaru hissed in his raspy voice as he lunged forward, releasing some of his snakes in the process as Sasuke leaped into the air to avoid the attack.

Sasuke effortlessly cut down his attackers in midair before landing safely behind Orochimaru, only to be attacked by more white snakes as the giant serpent turned around with an angry hiss and lunged again. With the Lightning Style Armor stimulating his nervous system and quickening his reflexes, Sasuke was easily able to avoid Orochimaru's attacks while at the same time cutting down his "minions" as they came at him again and again.

Finally seeing an opening, Sasuke timed the moment just right before he leaped backwards and quickly went through the necessary hand signs for a Fire Style technique.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

After making the last hand sign, Sasuke blew a multitude of molten fireballs from his mouth before unexpectedly dashing forward with a burst speed, just as his attack hit and incinerated the incoming snakes. Orochimaru, who'd been momentarily blinded as a couple fireballs hit him in the face as he'd lunged, had no way of avoiding Sasuke's attack as the Uchiha's fist caught him in between the eyes with enough force that would've killed him had he been in his normal form, sending him crashing headfirst into the wall behind him.

Up above, the prisoners hooted and hollered as they watched the battle unfold below, cheering Sasuke on as the fight began to turn more in his favor. After so long, their freedom was finally close at hand.

"This isn't looking good. Sasuke is moving too fast for even Lord Orochimaru's true form to keep up. I have to do something fast before this turns even uglier." Kabuto said to himself before beginning the hand signs for the Earth Style: Hidden Mole Jutsu.

Before Kabuto could complete the last hand sign, however, he was forced to move out of the way as a barrage of finger bullets struck the ground where he once stood. A moment later, Kimimaro and Tayuya appeared to block his way.

"We will not allow you to fight a battle that is not yours, Kabuto. If you must do battle, however, it will be with us." Kimimaro said in a cold tone.

Kabuto let out a growl of annoyance, but nonetheless went through a set of hand signs and formed the Chakra Scalpel in both hands. "Fine. Have it your way..."

Sasuke watched as Orochimaru slowly rose from the rubble of the destroyed wall, gazing hungrily at him with his slit pupil eyes. Just by looking at him, Sasuke was filled with complete disgust. To think he'd actually considered giving his body to such a low form of life...it sickened him. As Orochimaru unleashed another wave of his bothersome snakes, Sasuke showed no fear. Instead, he showed only a mixture of anger and annoyance at the thought of how such garbage had managed to evade death for so long...

With Orochimaru's snakes surrounding him from all sides and the snake Sannin himself attacking from above, Sasuke merely closed his and concentrated his chakra from deep within before allowing it to explode out of him in a huge burst of lightning chakra. Instantly, the multitude of snakes were torn apart by the intense energy and the powerful arcs of electricity sliced Orochimaru clean in half in three places. With a cry of defeat, Orochimaru's head hit the ground at Sasuke's feet with a hard THUMP and he lay lifeless.

"Are we finished already? How disappointing." Sasuke said as he raised his sword to make sure Orochimaru was really dead. "I was hoping one of the Legendary Sannin would've put up more of a fight than this."

As he prepared to deliver the deathblow, however, Sasuke suddenly became very light-headed right before his body was hit with wave after wave of intense pain. Suddenly left with almost no strength, Sasuke dropped to one knee just as the Lightning Style Armor flickered before going out completely. As Sasuke struggled to even breathe, Orochimaru began to chuckle.

"It looks like it's finally starting to take effect." Orochimaru said, picking up what was left of his body to look at Sasuke.

"What the hell did you..." Sasuke trailed off as his body was hit with another wave of pain.

"When the body fluids of this Great White Snake evaporate into the air, they turn into a paralyzing drug. By slaying my snakes, you were only sealing your own fate! Now you understand, Sasuke-kun. I am immortal! Even with your impressive power, you still cannot kill me." Orochimaru explained.

'That bastard. No wonder this fight seemed so easy. He was intentionally letting his snakes be cut down just so he could release their body fluids. I don't see how I didn't pick up on this earlier.' Sasuke thought to himself in frustration. He attempted to stand, but gave up when it became apparent that it was futile. He could just barely move his pinky finger, let alone his entire body. Sasuke mentally slapped himself a thousand times for being overconfident in himself. He was fighting one of the Legendary Sannin, so of course the simplicity of the battle should've been a dead giveaway. It was a careless mistake, and now it was about to cost him.

"Now..." Orochimaru said as he rose to tower above Sasuke, "I shall have you, Sasuke-kun!"

With his body paralyzed, Sasuke was left helpless as Orochimaru lunged at him again for the final time. An image of Naruto was the last thing that passed through his mind before he was engulfed...

Darkness surrounded Sasuke on all sides as he looked around him. There was nothing for as far as he could see, only never-ending darkness. Looking down, Sasuke was both confused and disturbed at seeing that the ground he stood on wasn't even ground at all. Rather, it appeared to be living flesh. It squirmed and pulsed underneath his feet, making lewd squishing sounds as it sloshed and moved against itself. Sasuke cringed slightly in disgust.

"What is this place?" Sasuke asked aloud to no one in particular.

"This a dimension that exists within me. This is where the Rebirth Ritual takes place." said Orochimaru's voice, echoing in the never-ending empty space of whatever dimension they were in.

Suddenly, Orochimaru rose up from the fleshy ground, completely covered in fleshy material himself, save for his face. "Now then, let us begin."

Looking down again, Sasuke raised an eyebrow in mild interest as the living ground beneath him quickly engulfed his feet before he could have a chance to move. Gradually, it continued to engulf more of him until his body was completely enveloped in it except for his face, much like Orochimaru. Surprisingly, the fleshy material wasn't as slimy as Sasuke originally thought it would feel, though that doesn't mean it still didn't make his skin crawl upon contact.

"The power of those eyes...absolutely wonderful!" Orochimaru said as he ghosted his way over to Sasuke, gazing deeply into the Sharingan as he connected himself and Sasuke together via a fleshy cord that extended from his body. "Those eyes of yours, Sasuke-kun... Those eyes will soon be mine!"

As he prepared his soul to dominate Sasuke's body, Orochimaru halted the procedure as Sasuke's fleshy cocoon began to turn black as the Curse Mark suddenly began to spread throughout the Uchiha's body. Within a few seconds, it had spread to Orochimaru's cocoon as well before beginning to spread even more at an alarmingly rapid pace.

"What! But...this is impossible!" Orochimaru cried in despair as the effect of the Curse Mark continued to spread faster than an out of control wildfire, transforming the entire landscape from fleshy pink to a nightmarish, charcoal black. Sasuke's own cocoon, meanwhile, began to slowly recede before finally receding completely, freeing Sasuke from his restraints. 'This isn't possible. Sasuke-kun's will is corrupting the entire dimension! That can't be! I created this dimension, he can't turn it against me like this!'

As the Curse Mark's influence completely took over Orochimaru's dimension, the dark intentions of Sasuke's will personified itself in the form of a gigantic monster with a mouthful of pointed teeth that rose up from the black, flesh-like ground, letting out a hideous roar as it towered above the snake Sannin, blasting him with its breath.

"It's as I told you before, Orochimaru. Before my eyes, all of your jutsu are... Well, I'm sure you get the idea by now." Sasuke said with a smirk as his creation let out another demonic roar.

With wavering eyes that looked as if there about to pop out of his head, Orochimaru gazed up at the hideous monstrosity with a mixture of both awe and, for the first time since his fight with his late sensei, genuine fear.

"No, this can't be! You can't do this to me! I am Orochimaru, the Immortal. I am the one that will reveal the answers to this generation, not you! I am the one that will inherit everything in this world! I will inherit it all!"

In his final moments, Orochimaru let out one last cry of anguish just as his soul was devoured.

(*) Kidomaru uses technique to harden the golden metal that releases like sweat. The weapons created from this process form the core of his style of fighting. This metal hardens like steel upon contact with air, so by chewing it in his mouth and changing its shape, Kidōmaru can create weapons appropriate to each battle. Because it instantly hardens, direct attacks from a distance are possible.