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Naruto and all its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto.
I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 114: Meeting Two Sannins
Naruto moved quickly, jumping from one roof to the next until he saw a destroyed castle wall in the distance. However, there were no signs of any giant snake.
'It must be him.' According to what he knew about the Snake Clan, only Orochimaru was in possession of their scroll.
'This can't be a coincidence that he would show up now… is he also looking for that Tsunade?' Naruto thought as he moved around.
Once he got close enough, he spotted a few figures standing in the middle of a road. He stopped on top of the roof tile of the inner wall for a moment and was about to jump again when one of the figures appeared to punch the other wall.
The ground shook violently as the stone structure was reduced to rubble, leaving a large gap where the impact took place.
It was impossible to tell their identities from this distance, but he could at least see that the one who punched the wall was a blonde woman, and next to her appeared to be a younger girl with dark hair.
On the other side were two individuals, one with long black hair and another with silver hair.
'Is that the one?...' Jiraiya didn't mention Tsunade having monstrous strength, but this must be her.
'I need to get a bit closer.'
He carefully continued moving until he could hear some of what they were saying and hid behind one of the many decorative statues that adorned the inner wall.
"Lady Tsunade, please calm down. We are not here to fight you," the silver-haired man said.
'Kabuto?... Why am I not surprised.' Naruto still remembered how suspicious that guy was during the Chunin Exams. There was a strange smell about him, which he now knew must have been the scent of snakes.
"I already told you… get out of my sight!" Tsunade shouted at him.
"You're probably the only one who can heal my arms… does our old friendship mean nothing to you?" Orochimaru asked.
'His arms?' Naruto had heard that Orochimaru got hurt during his fight with the Third Hokage but didn't know how serious it was. 'Looks like he's completely crippled…'
"It's not like this will be a one-sided deal. We have something to offer you," Kabuto tried to appease the angry Tsunade.
"You have five seconds to get out!" she shouted.
"Just listen to us for a moment," Kabuto insisted.
"Five… four…"
Kabuto sighed and glanced at his master.
"Three… two…"
"I can revive your little brother and the man you loved," Orochimaru said.
This made Tsunade stop.
"I can bring them back with a new seal I've developed," Orochimaru said with confidence.
'He can bring back the dead?!' Naruto was shocked. Orochimaru already sounded like the old demonic cultivators from his previous world...someone willing to commit all sorts of immoral acts to achieve his goals. But bringing back the dead? That was something that belonged to the realm of the gods.
'Could this man have achieved something like that?... No, there's no way. This must be a deception,' Naruto concluded.
"You…" Tsunade stared at Orochimaru in shock.
"You've stopped counting. Does that mean we have a deal?" Orochimaru looked around. "I'm sure you want to see them again."
"What will you do if I heal your arms? And don't try to lie to me!" She had a stern look on her face.
"I'm planning to finish the job and destroy Konoha completely this time. The old man is no longer there to protect them," Orochimaru admitted without hesitation.
"Lord Orochimaru…" Kabuto whispered something in his ear.
"I know… we have a curious boy listening to our conversation. You thought we wouldn't notice the scent of a toad, Naruto?" Orochimaru glanced directly in Naruto's direction.
"Naruto?" Tsunade reacted upon hearing the name. She was sure she had heard it before but couldn't place where.
"Tsk, he saw me," Kabuto said.
"I wouldn't worry about that. By now, everyone must have realized that you were on my side," Orochimaru pointed out.
Kabuto withdrew a kunai. "Want me to bring him out?"
"There's no need for that," Orochimaru gestured with his head.
Naruto stepped out from behind the decorative statue he had been hiding behind and jumped down from the wall.
Both Tsunade and her companion stared at him.
"Who is this?" Tsunade asked. "And why was he spying on us?"
"You should have tried to hide your scent too, Naruto. Didn't they teach you that at the academy?" Orochimaru seemed more amused than angry at Naruto's presence.
"I must have forgotten about that," Naruto answered.
"Ah yes… the amnesia."
"Are you a ninja from Konoha? What is your purpose?" Tsunade asked. This wasn't the first time the village had sent people to locate her, but they had never sent someone so young.
"It is as you think, Tsunade. He is definitely here looking for you," Orochimaru said, glancing between them.
"But this isn't just any ninja. Doesn't his face look familiar to you?"
Tsunade frowned. It was indeed familiar, but she couldn't place it at first glance.
"No matter. We can conclude our business here for today." Orochimaru turned to Tsunade. "I will be waiting for your answer. You have twelve hours to decide," Orochimaru said.
"This forbidden jutsu has a small window of opportunity since it requires dead bodies. We have everything prepared, but you must not delay," Kabuto added before handing her a piece of paper. "We will be waiting there at that specific time."
"Lady Tsunade! You can't actually be considering this! We should take this chance to kill them. He's crippled now!" the young girl at Tsunade's side urged.
"Shut up, Shizune!" Tsunade snapped.
Orochimaru laughed. "I may be a bit weak at the moment, but don't think I'm defenseless… I wouldn't have come here if I wasn't confident I could at least escape."
"Master, what about…" Kabuto threw Naruto a glare.
Orochimaru looked at Naruto. "Leave it… this is not the time for you two to fight. However, young Naruto, allow me to give you a warning."
Naruto didn't say anything, remaining fully alert in case Orochimaru decided to attack.
"This is the second time you stand before me and I let you go. Don't think this is mercy...it just doesn't suit my plans. But the next time may be the last… don't tempt your luck."
With those last words, the Sannin and his companion disappeared, leaving only a cloud of smoke behind.
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