15

/~/

The familiar sights and sounds greeted the man as he strode through his home. It was remarkable, he mused, how little managed to change in between his trips. While the outside world was constantly changing, the ever-shifting political climate creating havoc, Konoha stayed the same; the only difference was the people in it.

There was a sense of timelessness to the village of his birth, and it gave the impression that no matter what, Konoha would always endure. Heh, I've been called timeless too, the man mused happily. It was always nice when people inadvertently played to his ego.

The knowledge of why he had returned tempered his good spirits, and he felt slight frown fix itself on his grizzled face. Aged eyes locked on the Administrative Building, and his large form, already hidden from view to all but the most skilled of observers, disappeared completely.

An open window greeted him at his destination and, despite his recently-turned mood, he smiled.

The two occupants of the room shifted their gazes the second he appeared, and it was a testament to the man's immense skill that the ever unflappable Nara Shikaku looked surprised at his entry.

Sarutobi remained unfazed, however.

"Jiraiya," the Sandaime greeted. The old man's expression didn't change a whit, as if he was as unsurprised by his student's return as he was when the sun rose in the east every morning. He turned back to Shikaku. "If you will, Shikaku, drop the drafted plans with the ANBU Commander. You, he, and myself will be meeting tomorrow morning at seven to discuss them."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," said the Nara clan head. The man rolled up a scroll that had been in between himself and the Hokage and departed.

"On the warpath, eh Sensei?" Jiraiya asked rhetorically.

"Once again, it seems," Sarutobi sighed. "You're earlier than I expected."

"My business wrapped up quickly," was the cryptic answer. The Sandaime didn't bother asking. He would undoubtedly receive the streamlined facts when Jiraiya deemed it necessary. Part of being Hokage was delegating duties, and Sarutobi had faith in his student's abilities and judgment after all the years the man had been doing his job.

"Not that I mind, but what brings you here?" The old man filled and lit his pipe with a contented sigh, taking a long drag.

"Looks like you were expecting me," Jiraiya said, gesturing to the open window. "Can't pay a visit to my dear old sensei?" he asked innocently.

Sarutobi rolled his eyes, though the smallest of smiles broke through his mask. Jiraiya inwardly cheered. "The sky is clear, the air is warm, and the hot springs are open. You never come straight to me unless you have something you want to talk about, Jiraiya, so out with it."

The large man sighed almost playfully, but recognized when his sensei wasn't in the mood for banter. He wasn't really in the mood for banter either. "Reports from Rice Country reached me through the grapevine…" he began, tone hard.

Sarutobi exhaled hard, bringing his free hand to his forehead. It was always the same with Jiraiya. When he wasn't barking him up a tree about Orochimaru and how to handle him, he was constantly badgering him about training his godson. In this case, the situation in question involved both.

"He was caught in an unpredictable situation-"

"In a country where you know that Orochimaru is acting openly!" Jiraiya glared at his sensei. "Goddamn it, old man, he fucking fought him!"

"Where I now know that Orochimaru is acting openly," the Hokage corrected. "There was little evidence beyond pure speculation that he had anything to do with Otogakure and its formation."

"You still shouldn't have sent-"

"One of my most trusted captains and jonin into possible enemy territory to retrieve information that has become vital to this village's defense?" the old man interrupted. "That Naruto happened to be on Tenzo's genin squad was merely an unfortunate happenstance, Jiraiya." He raised a hand to forestall the Sannin's next outburst. "And before you begin anew, two jonin or even an ANBU squad do not go as unnoticed through the land as we would like to think. The genin provided a shield of uncertainty to any prying eyes."

Jiraiya's eyes flashed. "For all the good it did!"

"And how was I, or anyone to predict that Orochimaru would decide to liquidate the Fuma clan? And by personally leading the assault?" Sarutobi shook his head. "You are not new to this business, Jiraiya, and yet your judgments and feelings are so clouded by affection for a boy you hardly know."

Only because you've never let me know him, Jiraiya ached to scream. He refrained, however, having no wish to rehash the decade old argument.

"Not the point, sensei. He got the bastard's attention with the stunt he pulled to get his team out of there, and you and I both know that Orochimaru's at his most dangerous to someone like Naruto when he's curious." Jiraiya had his arms folded over his chest and a glare firmly fixed on his face as he leaned against the nearest wall.

"The odds of the two meeting in the exams are minimal at best, given what my advisors and I have planned. Your presence here greatly helps with that." The Hokage took a long drag from his newly lit pipe. "And should they, I expect that Naruto's abilities will keep our old friend close. He always did have an eye for talent…"

Red flashed in front of the Toad Sannin's eyes. "And now he's bait? He's a human being, sensei!"

The sound of teeth clamping around the wood of Sarutobi's pipe let Jiraiya know that he had finally pushed his sensei past his breaking point. "I am happy, now, that you refused my plea to take my place as Hokage all those years ago, Jiraiya, for I am terrified at the prospect of Konoha's future were you leading it," the old man bit out. "Despite all of your experience, you still allow your decisions to be clouded, and cannot make them objectively. Yes, Naruto is a human being, rather than simply pawn on a chessboard as you seem to suggest I view him as. He is, however, one of my shinobi, and as such has a part to play in this village's survival. If that means that he draws Orochimaru's attention and keeps him interested enough to ignore any signs of our knowledge of his plot, then so be it!"

Jiraiya leaned back subconsciously at the harsh rebuke, reminded once more that this was the man who had led Konoha to the top of the Shinobi World through two and a half wars.

"Orochimaru's greatest weakness has always been his curiosity in the face of an intriguing 'specimen'," Sarutobi continued, though he was far less heated. "Any advantage is to be exploited here, and I intend to do so."

The large man sighed heavily, letting the argument fall. He knew there was no convincing his sensei once he had set his mind to a course of action. It didn't mean he had to like it. "And how do I factor into these war games of yours?" the Sannin asked wearily, though he already had an idea.

Sarutobi leaned back, taking a drag and finally happy that the Naruto topic had been pushed aside for the moment. "Both I and my advisors believe that Orochimaru will execute his plan during the final phase of the exams, with the aid of Sunagakure and their jinchurriki."

Jiraiya nodded. His own informants had been crucial in unveiling the plot. "So which of the two am I going to have to fight? The father or the son?" he asked. There was never any doubt that Orochimaru would seek out and attempt to assassinate the Hokage. It was only a matter of when and how.

"I would have you fight both, were it conceivably possible," Sarutobi admitted. "But alas, the odds of both the Kazekage and his son being in the same vicinity are slim to none. I expect that my counterpart will be leading his own troops, whilst young Gaara will be used to sow confusion. The Kazekage will be your target."

"Masa's grown some since he was given the seat, I suppose. Could be fun," Jiraiya declared with a smile that wasn't entirely forced. Sarutobi allowed himself a moment of humor at the amount of confidence his student could show when he was tasked with killing a sitting Kage. It went unsaid that the sensei had just as much faith as the student that he would succeed.

Despite Jiraiya's failings as an objective leader, he was unquestionably powerful.

"And the Ichibi?" the Sannin asked.

The Sandaime sighed once more – a growing habit – at what was going to become a point of much contention. "Containment is all but impossible without either myself or you dealing with the beast, but thankfully Sabaku no Gaara is still far from the most capable of jinchurriki."

The Sannin waited patiently, having gotten used to his sensei being long-winded decades ago. Get on with it already, he pleaded.

"He'll be matched up against the most capable Konoha genin when he reaches the finals-"

"You mean Naruto," Jiraiya interrupted hastily. He felt the stirrings of his anger once more.

"There's a possibility that either Hyuuga Neji or Uchiha Sasuke will prove themselves in the second exam."

"Right, right, and all the big five are gonna end up as allies in a war. Sensei, don't bullshit a bullshitter!" Jiraiya exclaimed. "Me and you both know that Naruto's gonna be the one to fight the Ichibi container, so cut the crap."

The big man sighed as he finally dropped into a chair across from the Hokage's desk. "Indeed he is, Jiraiya," Sarutobi placated. "But he will not be alone. You may not recall, but one of Orochimaru's old experiments with the Shodai's chakra yielded one positive result."

"The ANBU captain. Tenzo," the Sannin confirmed quickly. "With his Mokuton he should be able to handle the container on his own…"

"His suppression skills have yet to be tested," the Hokage said simply. "He has shown remarkable control over the Shodai's ninjutsu considering he was not born with the talent, prodigious skill really, but we've never had the opportunity to test what was the most potent of my sensei's abilities. Subduing Sabaku no Gaara will be his task and his alone, but to have a jinchuriki of our own to support him only makes sense. The match up will allow for Naruto to be close at hand in the opening stages should Tenzo fail."

Jiraiya made a face at the term for his godson, but smothered his displeasure. "So I take it this is why I was recalled?"

Sarutobi nodded solemnly. "Indeed. He'll need training, for even as competent as Naruto is, I don't wish to leave him at the mercy of Gaara's madness should something prevent Tenzo from acting."

The Sannin shook his head. "And you can't think of anything better than matching Naruto up with an unstable container? Surely there's another option…"

Jiraiya flinched as Sarutobi's arms were thrown skyward. "And what would you have me do instead? My jonin all need to be in strategic locations to help command the chunin when the battle begins; ANBU will be stretched thin with their own assignments, and all of this is to be kept absolutely secret for us to have any hope of survival."

The Sandaime stood abruptly and strode to his window that overlooked the village.

"There are no good options Jiraiya. There is no great upside to any possible scenario involving the Ichibi that doesn't leave the village unacceptably vulnerable in some other way."

"There's always assassination," Jiraiya murmured without feeling.

"You know as well as I that it's not plausible. Any attack on the container would be considered an act that would potentially drag us into a Fourth Great War," Sarutobi sighed. "The same holds true for an attack on the Kazekage, and the possibility of both finding and eliminating Orochimaru before the battle is nonexistent."

The Sannin shook his head. "He's really outdone himself on this one, hasn't he?"

Sarutobi said nothing in response.

/~/

Naruto was starting to think that he'd jinxed the team. His foot lashed out, crushing the useless Heaven scroll into dust with chakra. Third fucking time, he mentally groused.

"You guys done?" he called.

"Just finished," came Kiba's reply. The two remaining Team Ten genin appeared from behind a tree, where they had been securing the three hapless wannabes they had just robbed.

Naruto strode over to check their handiwork. All three were bound against separate tree trunks so tightly that not even the greatest of escape jutsu would help them. The blond boy patted the cheek of one of the unconscious genin, and nodded in satisfaction when the boy's head simply rolled from one side to the other. They were out cold, and would remain so for some time.

"They'll be sitting ducks," Ino said hesitantly. Naruto shook his head in response.

"So were the last two teams. We've left them hidden, and it's not like any of them have something to offer anyone else at this point," the boy pointed out. Team Ten had taken the first Heaven scroll for insurance, and had destroyed the scrolls of the second two teams they had found. The fewer competitors the better.

"Let's roll out. Kiba?"

"Yeah, yeah, Naruto. We've got it." The dog-ninja and his partner both flared their nostrils. Their eyes closed subconsciously, and their heads turned seemingly of their own volition before coming to rest facing due east.

"Got one. Straight east, one and a half klicks away," Kiba said quietly. It was always startling to watch the usually loud mouthed boy focus himself so intently, but Naruto was beginning to get used to it.

The blond, unofficial team leader formed a cross shaped hand seal, and three Kage Bunshin formed in front of him. The blondes, clad in the same black pants, shirt, and vest of Naruto himself, disappeared without a word, moving to scout the team that Kiba had identified.

"Let's roll," Naruto ordered, and the three took off through the tree branches at a run. Kiba and Akamaru led, with Naruto and Ino bringing up the rear in a triangle formation.

The trees flashed by them as the three genin hopped from branch to branch without a word. Suddenly, Naruto's eyes narrowed as the memory from one of his clones presented itself.

"Three Amegakure genin. My clones were discovered and engaged them. Kiba, switch out," Naruto commanded.

The Inuzuka and Akamaru fell back as Naruto leapfrogged them to take point in the formation. The second of his clones dispelled, filling Naruto's head with images of senbon needles and oil spread around a ground level clearing. They managed to kill one. They're dangerous…

"Kiba, Ino, fall out of formation and come around from the north and south," ordered Naruto. "Targets are in a clearing half a klick away. I'll blitz from here. Wait a three count before you enter, and give'em all you've got."

The blond spared his teammates a backwards glance and received a nod from both, before he burst forward in an explosive Shunshin.

The surrounding branches and leaves blurred to brown and green just as Naruto's final clone dispelled to give him cover. The speed jutsu was as "loud" as could be chakra-wise, but the trio of Ame genin were both off balance and had no time to react as Naruto charged into their midst like the maelstrom he was named for.

There were no words spoken as the jinchuriki quite simply snatched one of the three by the back of his neck, and ran him bodily into a tree trunk. Blood spattered as the boy's nose was crushed and his face was hacked apart by the unmoving bark. The blond let him drop without a word, watching dispassionately as the unconscious genin fell to the forest floor without a word.

Naruto turned to face the remaining team, making a cross shaped seal as he did. His face was blank, and the Ame genin had no warning as two clones swept their legs from behind. His blue eyes barely had the time to register the unadulterated shock in the two boys' eyes before Kiba ruthlessly pounded one into the ground with his Tsuuga, and the other dropped to the forest floor with a muted scream as Ino sliced his Achilles tendons.

A grim smile crossed Naruto's face at the sight of his teammates' effectiveness, and couldn't help the slight swirl of satisfaction that settled in his stomach at his plan coming together perfectly. It was tempered by the sight of Kiba's target broken and bleeding, unable to make a sound because his rebreather had been shoved back into his jaw at impact. Blood leaked from where the metal had roughly cut into the boy's flesh, dripping into the dirt.

Ino had hauled her target to his feet and propped him against a branch, a line of blood trickling from his forehead where the Yamanaka had brained him with the blunt end of a kunai. The girl patted him down quickly, searching clothing and equipment pouches for any sign of Team Ten's quarry.

"I got nothin'," she stated quietly as she turned to Naruto and Kiba. Her eyes were shadowed, the usual sea-foam color reduced to a muted grey in frustration.

"Same," said Kiba, who had just finished searching his own target. The Ame genin was clearly unconscious, but bleeding profusely from numerous wounds the dog-ninja had inflicted.

That left Naruto, and the blond turned to check his target.

"Got it," he declared with a slight smile, satisfaction coloring his voice. 'Bout damn time!

The blond pumped his fist once in elation, plans already forming about how to get his team to the tower before nightfall. Still the first day, might be a fuckin' record.

"Naruto," Ino called, her voice troubled. The sound of his name broke the boy's inward cheering, and he turned to see his teammates huddled around the fallen form of the boy Kiba had wrecked.

"What's up?" Naruto trotted over, eyes peeled for any and all incoming hostiles. Only the rustling of the trees greeted his keen blue gaze.

Ino shook her head as he approached. "This one's bad," she said quietly gesturing to the fallen Ame genin. She didn't need to tell Naruto for him to know. The boy was sprawled, both arms pointing where they shouldn't have been, and his left leg at a near ninety degree angle. "He's bleeding internally, like, a shit ton…" she trailed off helplessly, gesturing wildly at the unconscious genin.

"How's his heartbeat?" Naruto asked quickly. He shot a quick glance at Kiba, only to find the boy staring resolutely at what had been his target. His face was hard, but his eyes betrayed him. He didn't mean to do this, Naruto realized instantly. The Inuzuka techniques were famous for their destructive power, and this was often the result.

A body, broken and bleeding. More often than not it was unintentional on the part of the user.

"Slow," was all Ino said. Naruto felt a cold swooping sweep through him.

"You got any medical experience?" the blond boy asked his teammates at large. He already knew the answer.

"Just CPR," was the simultaneous response.

He nodded. "Alright, you two go tie up the other two. I'll see what I can do for him." He glanced meaningfully at Ino, who nodded once, subdued.

His fellow blond rose purposefully. "C'mon, Kiba," she said, lightly grasping the dog-ninja by the arm and steering him towards the other two unconscious Ame genin. Akamaru followed dutifully at their heels, a chorus of yips that were undoubtedly meant to cheer his partner up echoing through the clearing.

Naruto shook his head silently, surveying the damage Kiba had done to the boy. Goddamn… He remembered his own pain at the hands of his feral teammate back in Wave Country, and was inwardly thankful that he hadn't been nearly as damaged. He had faith in the Kyuubi's ability to heal him, but he would have been debilitated nonetheless.

The cold feeling had only intensified as his eyes raked over the form of the downed genin, even though he had already been set on his course of action. There was nothing he could do. He had just as much medical training as Kiba and Ino.

Naruto's right hand slipped into the unconscious Ame genin's weapons pouch and withdrew a single senbon. With a sigh, the blond gripped it tightly and drove it into the boy's chest cavity, right through the heart.

The blond genin formed two clones with a quick hand seal, and they picked the dead wannabe chunin up from both ends. Naruto approached his teammates from behind. Kiba's sharp ears picked up his footsteps first.

"Done, then?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah." The two clones set the body down next to the two still live examinees, who were propped against a tree trunk.

"Fuckin' A," the dog-ninja muttered through clenched teeth. Naruto gripped him by the shoulder.

"Nothing you could'a done, Kiba." The blond pulled his teammate to his feet, exchanging a nod with Ino. His fellow blond put the finishing touches on the knots tying remaining genin together, before rising and joining them.

The Inuzuka nodded. "I know, man. But it's just…fuck…"

Naruto spared him a sympathetic look. "I know how you feel, Kiba, but there's nothing we can do about it now. Just gotta keep moving to the tower."

"I got it, Naruto." Kiba's eyes hardened. "Let's roll out, yeah?"

"Yeah. Let's move," Naruto ordered quietly. The trio turned northeast, and bounded forward into the tree line.

/~/

The Central Tower in Training Ground Forty-Four was old; very old in fact. It had been erected by the Shodai to serve as an outpost for high ranking officials in the midst of First Great Shinobi War, and a command post should Konoha ever be overrun due to an invasion. The Training Ground's ten kilometer radius provided ample cover, and the topmost of the five levels was equipped with all the tools the Hokage might need to govern Konoha and its ninja in exile, should the unthinkable happen. Tunnels that stretched from under the Hokage Monument and the Administrative Building served as a Hokage's route to safety.

Somewhat ironically, due to Konoha's longstanding position at the top of the Shinobi World's pecking order, the tower's facilities had deteriorated from disuse. Wood that had once stood stronger than iron was supplemented by steel bars that jutted out at odd angles on the lower levels. Firm cables ran the length of the hallways, both on the ceiling and the floor, supporting and keeping the tower's shape where the steel supports would have made it buckle under their weight.

As ugly as the tower might have been compared to its former glory, Naruto had to admit that the haphazard repairs translated into a plethora of hiding places and vantage points. The gap between the cabling, beams, and the original wood was often large enough for Naruto to squat comfortably; and while the gaps sometimes were too small for that, he only needed them for a few seconds at most. He could tolerate slight discomfort if it yielded results.

That, however, was the sticking point, and Naruto made no assumptions about whether or not he would succeed.

The blond stifled a grunt of exertion as he leveraged himself into a nook on the right side of the hallway that almost completely concealed his body from the rest of the hallway. The blonde's left arm shook with exertion, pressed as it was against a jutting steel beam, to push his body flush with the wall. Naruto relied on physical strength alone, compressed as his chakra was to avoid detection.

He gritted his teeth as his right arm snaked out and parted a grouping of support cables and electrical wires that hid his body from sight. Gotcha, he cheered triumphantly.

The sight of Yakushi Kabuto silently padding down the third floor hallway greeted him from between the wiring.

The silver haired genin's team had arrived earlier that day – the fifth day – alongside Team Seven. After a brief encounter with a surly Sasuke that had left Naruto even more curious than he had been before, the blond had been in full blown stealth-mode, searching for any opportunity to gather information on the mysterious youth.

It had come, and Naruto thanked Yamato and the Sandaime even more for their decision to teach him the Kage Bunshin. It truly was invaluable. With it and a few other techniques he had been working on, his stealth was at an all time high, and was only growing better.

He let himself fall to the hallway floor as Kabuto rounded a corner, a slight inflection of chakra making it silent. Acting quickly, he formed the tiger seal, and steadily pushed his chakra to his skin level. The disturbing sensation of eggs being broken all over his skin made him shudder, and Naruto let loose his breath as he felt the life force settle.

He raised his right arm to eye level, noting with satisfaction that it looked all but invisible. A scowl crossed his unseen face at the slight rippling it gave off as he moved – his chakra's manipulation of the light hitting him was still in need of work. And it takes all my concentration just to get to this…

As potentially advantageous as the Meisaigakure no jutsu was, it was notoriously difficult to perform, requiring pinpoint chakra control to properly manipulate the light that struck the user's body. There's always something else to work on, the blond lamented silently as he spared his nonexistent shadow a glance before swiftly making his way to the end of the hallway. And I'm not even close to managing the scent…

Naruto peeked around the corner in time to catch a glimpse of his quarry striding through the open entrance to one of the dozen training rooms the tower boasted. A quiver of doubt crept into Naruto's mind at the other genin's destination.

The training rooms, with their openness, weren't exactly prime choices for covert meetings between shady shinobi. Once more, the idea that Kabuto might in fact be an undercover ANBU member entered Naruto's mind. It would fit, given his status as a Leaf-nin and his proclivity towards helping the rookies.

ANBU or not, Naruto mused, It's not like I'll be interfering in a mission if he's just meeting with a superior.

Resolve renewed, Naruto took a deep breath and poured every ounce of his focus into his Meisaigakure no jutsu. Satisfied with his near-invisibility, he leapt to the ceiling, and walked upside down to the entrance of the training room.

Kabuto had descended the stairs from the balcony to the main floor, and leaned casually against the banister. Naruto grimaced, realizing that he might be in for a long wait before whoever was meeting his quarry decided to show up.

He wasn't disappointed.

Twenty minutes ticked by, by Naruto's count, before a man with silky black hair wearing the garb of a Kusa-nin materialized from the floor. The man's pale skin seemed to absorb more light than it reflected, and a slow smile spread across thin lips as he took in his company.

Kabuto chose that moment to shatter Naruto's world.

"Orochimaru-sama," the silver haired genin greeted.

All of Naruto's thought processes, all his theories on why Kabuto was here, who he worked for, came to a screeching halt at the name of Konoha's infamous Snake Sannin. What!

The smile became a grin that was just a smidgen too toothy and yellow eyes widened, revealing slit pupils. Naruto shuddered at the wrongness of the man below him, frozen in place.

"Kabuto-kun," the famous criminal returned, the name of his contact rolling off his tongue. "Were you followed?"

From his vantage point, Naruto had a clear view of half the bespectacled genin's face. Light glinted off the older boy's glasses as he adjusted them, a grin of his own forming that told the blond interloper in no uncertain terms that it was time to leave.

"Of course."

Shit! Naruto's brain kicked into high gear as he realized he had been made, and battle tested reflexes fired on all cylinders as he sensed the telltale feeling of a Shunshin.

The blond spun one hundred and eighty degrees in the blink of an eye, and only just managed to duck out of the way of a kunai slash at his neck. Survival instincts kicking in, Naruto powered himself backwards over the railing and the edge of the balcony with a burst of chakra. Idly, the blond noticed his cloaking jutsu had collapsed as he reached for his knuckle knives. Fingers grasped the cool metal firmly just as Naruto landed in a defensive stance, his wind chakra making itself known with explosive force.

The howling element cut deep gouges into the stone tiles, and Naruto bared his teeth in anticipation –

– just as a feather-light touch on his neck froze him in place. The screaming wind cut off abruptly as Naruto's chakra went haywire on itself, sending pins and needles shooting all through the genin's body. An all encompassing numbness followed a split second after, and Naruto realized that he couldn't move a finger.

What did he –?

"Kanashibari no jutsu, Naruto-kun," a voice that was as smooth and sweet as honey whispered into his ear. He would have shivered had he been able. "Or, perhaps more accurately, my own little…twist."

An arm was dragged lazily across the blonde's shoulders as the man took measured steps to face his prey. The same grin that showed just a few too many teeth played across his lips in delight.

"I do apologize," Orochimaru began, and his face shifted into picture perfect contriteness. "I would, of course, prefer to have this little chat as equals, with both of us free to move as we please." The Sannin's tongue flopped out lazily as a smirk crossed his thin lips, almost as if his mouth needed to remain closed just to contain it. The pale man drew it across his lips as if he was savoring the moment before he dug into his next meal.

"But I couldn't run the risk of you doing something rash," the man explained patiently, as if to a small child. "We wouldn't want you to say…dispel yourself, now would we?" Orochimaru's grin widened as Naruto's eyes tightened around the paralysis.

"Certainly not," Kabuto drawled dutifully as he drew even with the Snake Sannin. His eyes raked over Naruto's form with a gleam, as if sizing him up for a dissection. "Too resourceful by far," the silver haired youth complimented.

Orochimaru nodded, a throaty chuckle escaping his lips. "Kukuku. Too resourceful by far," he echoed. "And the Kage Bunshin! Such a wonderful ninjutsu, and for one so young to have such a grasp of it…"

Kabuto nodded sagely. "Quite talented. I almost didn't believe it when I found out, but with that little showing in the examination room…"

"Ah, yes! Quite the marvelous performance that was. Poor Dosu had no idea what happened. But then their attack on you was misguided in itself, Kabuto-kun. Simpering little weaklings they are, but so eager to please."

"It was unexpected to be sure. Though I admit, Orochimaru-sama, I had thought you would inform them of my – ah – allegiance." The young man turned to face his master, the question written plainly on his face in the form of raised brows.

The Sannin shrugged delicately, waving off his subordinate's concerns with a wave of his hand. "One never can trust genin to perform admirably in an unfamiliar situation. Given the knowledge of your allegiance, as you put it, would have compromised their behavior, I have no doubt. You work with genin every day, do you not, Kabuto-kun? Surely you are aware of the lack of discipline most possess," he lectured.

"Of course, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto demurred. "Though their knowledge would have saved me some small trouble."

The Snake summoner chuckled. Naruto was all but ignored completely. "And yet you acquitted yourself so beautifully. Indeed, you managed to insert yourself into Kakashi's team's good graces so easily that even I could scarcely believe it."

"Thank you, Orochimaru-sama."

"And how fares young Sasuke-kun?"

Kabuto's face shifted from careful pride to calculating in less than an instant. "Your juin has taken hold successfully. According to his teammate, he was unconscious for nearly twelve hours and battled a fever. The seal apparently activated when he awoke."

"Kukukuku," Orochimaru laughed. "And so it has taken hold. Is there anything else worthy of report?"

"Only that the use of ninjutsu and chakra in general causes him pain."

The Snake Sannin nodded absently. "A common side effect early in the assimilation process," he observed. "I must say that Sasuke-kun was certainly impressive in our encounter, though perhaps not as much as I would have liked…"

"Orochimaru-sama?"

"Oh he was skilled, to be sure, though he does pale in comparison." The pale man's face tightened in remembrance. "Itachi was far more talented. Is far more talented, and I'm afraid that gap may prove to be truly insurmountable for Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru mused aloud. "Kuku, not that it truly matters, of course."

Naruto's mind was ablaze as the two carried on their conversation. Ignored as he was, he felt the stirrings of pins and needles once more, and dared to hope that the infamous criminal's ninjutsu might be wearing off.

The hope was swiftly obliterated as the legend simply reached out and poked the blond in the nose, and the numb feeling returned.

"Ah, don't think we've forgotten about you, Naruto-kun," the Sannin cooed. "Though we have been so very impolite, haven't we, Kabuto-kun?"

"Quite." The young man adjusted his glasses as he regarded the jinchuriki anew. The calculating look never faded, though a spark of interest shone brightly from behind his spectacles. "It must be insulting for Naruto here, listening to us discuss his friend and not paying any attention to him."

"Indeed it must be. And it is unfortunate, for he is so very interesting in his own right. Why, people start to wonder about such an intriguing genin, don't they?"

"Sneaking around at night, asking questions that can't be answered, learning things that no genin knows," Kabuto said. A smile that would have had Naruto running in fear were he able spread across the older genin's face. "He gets people's attention, and then they start to ask questions of their own." The silver haired youth began to circle the paralyzed blond, assessing him from all sides. "Who is the genin who learns chunin and jonin restricted skills? Who is the boy who returns from, not one, but two missions gone awry? And all but unscathed…"

Kabuto completed his full circle and came to stand beside his master, the two of them sporting nearly identical grins of anticipation. "Who…is Uzumaki Naruto?" he finished dramatically.

"Who indeed?" Orochimaru hissed. A snake slithered from his wide sleeve and fell to the ground, where it slowly began its trek up Naruto's leg. The blonde's eyes widened as he felt the sensation from a distance, the numbness dulling the weight of the deadly reptile as it made its way across Naruto's torso and came to rest around his neck. Its tongue flickered out to tickle the boy's ear.

"Why don't we let the boy speak for himself? What do you say, Kabuto-kun?"

"A good idea, Orochimaru-sama."

"Well then…" The Snake Sannin reached out and ever so gently drew the back of his fingers down Naruto's left cheek in a twisted mockery of a caress. Stinging pins and needles spread forth from the pale man's touch as the paralysis was lifted.

Naruto gasped as he was suddenly able to move his mouth and breathe freely. Air that had only entered sparingly through his nose for the past minutes was taken in huge gulps; his eyelids blinked at a furious pace, causing the boy to tear up as the irritation of temporary paralysis was dispelled.

"Wha-what do you want from me?" the blond demon container finally managed to wheeze.

"So to the point," the pale man muttered with a roll of his yellow eyes. "Nothing that you won't be willing to give in time, Naruto-kun. Of that I can assure you. The more pressing question is what do you want from me?"

Naruto's brows creased in a harsh glare. "I don't want anything from you!" he all but screamed.

"Do lower your voice. No one can hear you, and it is simply impolite," the Sannin chastised. "And you will want something from me, dear boy, for you see, you have a problem; a rather large problem, in fact, in the form of a group of very powerful individuals after the fox sealed inside you."

"Akatsuki," Naruto bit out with vitriol. The blond had the pleasure of seeing genuine surprise cross the infamous criminal's face.

"You've heard of them." It wasn't a question. A grin of amusement crossed the man's face once more, gleaming white teeth showing. "You wouldn't be so kind as to tell me how you came by that name?" At Naruto's stony silence the man chuckled. "Kuku, I thought not, but it is irrelevant. How you came by their name means little, only that you do know their name."

"And how do you know their name?" Naruto asked bitingly, almost despite himself.

"Why we used to work together!" Orochimaru declared like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I had the privilege of being a member of their illustrious organization once upon a time, though we parted on, shall we say, less than amicable terms."

"And here, we come to the root of the issue," the Sannin said.

Naruto held his silence for ten full seconds before the snake around his neck hissed its displeasure in his ear. "And that is?"

"That you, Naruto-kun, are in no way, shape, or form properly trained or equipped to deal with my old comrades." The pale man gave Naruto a pitying look. "You need only look at your situation now for confirmation. You stand before me, helpless. Should I wish to kill you – Kage Bunshin or no – I could, let there be no doubt as to that."

"Now, picture yourself standing alone, against an organization of my near equals…"

The cold feeling of dread that was always lurking at the back of Naruto's consciousness was slowly taking hold. It was the same feeling he had gotten when watching Asuma and Zabuza go toe-to-toe at a level that was utterly beyond the scope of his comprehension. It was the feeling that told him that he was completely outclassed in every way imaginable, and that his life was in the hands of someone else.

"You are immensely talented, Naruto-kun. The potency of your chakra alone speaks of your enormous potential for ninjutsu. Your reserves are massive for one your age. But that talent alone will not suffice against the likes of the Akatsuki," Orochimaru lectured. "You need training. Training to turn that enormous potential into a finely tuned weapon that can destroy your enemies."

"You mean your enemies," Naruto growled.

The grin on the Snake Sannin's face only widened. "Our common enemy, in this case."

The blond stared at the legendary ninja, comprehending what the man was suggesting through the haze of fear and trepidation that enveloped his mind. "And you're suggesting I…I join you?" Orochimaru only spread his arms in confirmation. "You're a traitor! A criminal!"

"Kuku. Is that how I am portrayed in the history books?" the man asked, amused at Naruto's outburst.

"You experimented on your comrades! On Konoha ninja and civilians!" Naruto burst out, mind spewing out every scrap of damning information it could to declare why he would never join him.

"A foolish mistake, in retrospect, to be as open as I was," the man conceded. "Though one that I would make time and again, for what it did for me in the end. But that alone is irrelevant. Do you think that if I had not kept my experiments to enemy shinobi and civilians, they would not have been sanctioned, even applauded by your precious Sandaime?" Naruto's eyes widened, denial coursing through his veins. "Oh yes. Your belovedvillage has and will continue to conduct such experiments, Naruto-kun, though they would have you believe otherwise."

"You're still a criminal," Naruto insisted.

Orochimaru rolled his eyes. "Your argument grows weak. Your Yondaime," he spat with a sneer, "Is this village's greatest hero, and yet a villain of the highest caliber in Iwagakure. To be more relevant, a criminal in Konohagakure – myself, in this case – is a savior to hundreds in the Country of Rice Fields, and their Daimyo pays me tribute. The results of my illegal experiments have yielded medical advancements and care for an entire nation of people who your village would see die without a care in the world."

"But I will indulge you in this, Naruto-kun. Indeed, from Konoha's point of view I am a criminal who abandoned them. And in the midst of a war, no less," the pale man said. "Damning, to be sure, but you must ask yourself this: what allegiance does a man – a man who's talent, and genius, and innovation is ignored by the very village he had served faithfully – owe to a village that does not appreciate him? Tell me," Orochimaru ordered.

Naruto was silent.

"None," was the simple answer from the Snake Sannin. "For as much as the shinobi must sacrifice for his village, so too must the village recognize and reward the shinobi for his service; for his efforts to save the village from stagnation and decline. And when that does not happen, the sacred bond between shinobi and village is shattered, and the two must part."

The blond sputtered, searching for an argument, any argument that would shut the man in front of him up. Anything that would stop his words.

Kabuto interjected before so much as a thought had truly crossed his mind. "Naruto", he said patiently. "Tying yourself to Konoha in these coming days is foolish at best and suicidal at worst. Their decline has happened, and the village is coming to an end. And with its fall, so come do the Akatsuki, seeking you as their prize."

"And they will have you," Orochimaru picked up. "No matter what friends you have that will stand at your side, no matter if Konoha's remnants will stand alongside you in battle, you and they will all die. And your existence will come to a short and anonymous end."

"You will, doubtlessly, come to realize this yourself, Naruto-kun. You will realize that this village, for all of its reputation, can neither protect you nor give you the ability to strike down your enemies; nor, even, would they wish to," the Sannin said. "You are their pawn, a weapon forged in the heat of desperation to be used and discarded. Konoha's to ignore for your service, and held up as a scapegoat in times of strife. And those times are coming."

"You need a teacher," Kabuto said reasonably. A small smile that was one part understanding and one part pity played across his lips. "Someone who appreciates all of the immense talent you have and the knowledge and skill to bring it forth. Someone who can both shield you from the Akatsuki while giving you the skills to strike them down!"

"And that's him?" Naruto asked, breaking the boy's impassioned speech. His voice was heavy with trepidation, and no small amount of confusion at the deluge of information that was hitting him straight between the eyes. Kabuto merely shrugged, his smile still in place, as if to say "Who else?"

"You need not accept now, Naruto-kun." The now-familiar grin returned, and yellow eyes alit with the inner mirth that had been present early, but had disappeared as Orochimaru spoke. "I am offering my services, you might say, for when the time comes, and Konoha can no longer protect you. When this village…no longer has any meaning for you."

"And it will come," the Sannin stated with certainty. "A time when the needs of your own survival will far outweigh the ties that bind you here. When that happens, come and find me."

The blond had no time or means to react as the snake that was coiled around his neck struck suddenly, and the searing bite of fangs was the last thing Naruto felt before he knew no more.

/~/

He watched the explosion of smoke with nothing but the smallest glimmer of satisfaction. And so the great game begins, he mused. Uzumaki Naruto's loyalty was a prize he was far from winning, but the risk was worth the result it would bring.

The boy's potential was just that high.

Beside him, Kabuto let loose a laugh. "Your boldness knows no bounds, Orochimaru-sama. To reveal both of us like that…is he really worth it?"

The Snake Sannin nearly rolled his eyes at his subordinate. For all the boy's shrewdness and skill, he had much to learn. "Your mission is finished, and I gain nothing by keeping you in Konoha's good graces for a month longer." He had no need to speak of revealing himself. Sarutobi had known of his presence in his village for days now, thanks to Anko.

"You're right, of course," the silver haired youth demurred. "But the question remains…"

The smallest twinge of irritation broke through the Snake Sannin's clinical musings. "Despite your best efforts, Kabuto-kun, Kimimaro is dying; and I'm afraid that the Sound Four are simply not as effective as they were with him at their head. I'm in need of a new lieutenant, and Naruto-kun will be a perfect fit."

"Even without your juin?"

Orochimaru sent the boy a withering look, and was distinctly unsatisfied with the smile Kabuto was sporting. Insolent whelp. The youth was pushing his buttons, probing the waters, and testing his patience. And nothing set him off quite like blatant stupidity.

His fingers twitched, itching to form the seals that would summon his Shadow Snakes and end the annoyance standing next to him.

But he refrained. Kabuto was far more useful alive than dead, regardless of the boy's proclivity towards provoking him. His medical skills alone qualified him; the calculating mind and deadly shinobi behind the harmless front he displayed was both a bonus and a great source of the Sannin's vexation.

"Even without the mark, Kabuto-kun. I trust I don't need to explain the nature of a jinchuriki to you." It wasn't a question. And though the older man's tone was just as mild as it had been with the youth all night the undercurrent of promised violence was enough to make Kabuto pause.

But not to stop.

"But to tempt the Akatsuki so…It's an awful risk, Orochimaru-sama." The smile had returned to the boy's face, and it was as sly as a fox. It was the same smile that had been on his face when he had reported that Hanzo had fallen, and Pein and Akatsuki were now in control of an entire Hidden Village.

Two seals and a bite to the neck is all it would take, his subconscious whispered. The poison alone would be enough to override his healing… The Sannin crushed the murderous impulse quickly.

The boy took derived far too much amusement from seeing his master wage a silent war with his former comrades. And not for the first time did Orochimaru doubt his young subordinate's loyalty. The silver haired medic had a treacherous streak a mile wide, and regardless of Sasori's loyalty seal being broken, the youth could very well still harbor some allegiance to his old master. He would hate to have to kill him, however. The boy's skills were invaluable, both as a medic and a spy, and their word games were entertaining enough from time to time, despite Kabuto's willingness and even eagerness to aggravate him.

His face was perfectly neutral as he responded, "A risk worth the reward, Kabuto-kun. Akatsuki has not the means to hold a jinchuriki captive for long, and Naruto-kun, thanks to his biju, must be taken last. With time and training, he will be the perfect weapon to serve as my right hand."

"Of course, Orochimaru-sama. If I may take my leave?"

The pale man waved him away with a hand. "The ANBU are already on their way. I will contact you with any further instructions later."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama." The silver haired boy nodded once before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

The Snake Sannin stood alone in the center of the training room. A productive evening indeed, he mused in satisfaction.

"Kuku. What will you do, Naruto-kun?" he asked the empty air. A single hand seal was formed and orange flames consumed the infamous criminal from the ground up before he had disappeared entirely.

The ANBU Platoon, led by the Hokage himself, found nothing upon their entrance three minutes later.

/~/