Chapter Text
Chapter 11: Decision Point
"Face your life, its pain, its pleasure, leave no path untaken."
― Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book
Jiraiya, Boruto, & Himawari-Northwest Forests/Mountain Pass
"I"m sorry, I"m sorry, I"m sorry!" Himawari rasps out, voice falling into a low whisper even at Jiraiya"s light smile.
Boruto rubs at her back; passes her another water bottle and tissue she refuses with a sharp shake of her head.
Water isn"t going to fully take away this coppery taste on her tongue anyways. She needs to see clearly what damage her anger has caused; what she can do to mitigate such a scenario from happening again in the future.
Jiraiya waves up a hand at her string of apologies, glad he at least still recalls some basic medical ninjutsu from his academy days and enduring Tsunade"s attacks from peeping on her as he wraps another swirl of gauze around his chest and forearm.
"Hey now, I"m not so weak that a few scratches like this would have me down for the count!"
Himawari moves to stand before he can reassure her further with what probably just sounds like empty platitudes to her. "Hold on, I"ll go look for some rosemary, eucalyptus, and white willow to help with the inflammation and prevention infection or a fever from coming on!"
She doesn"t wait for Jiraiya"s response, heads for the forest trail towards the south a few meters away.
"Stay where I can see you!" Jiraiya yells after her, not getting any response but a handwave up in return.
Jiraiya sighs at her retreating back. "I can"t have her blaming herself over this."
But any deeper and these wounds wouldn"t be ones he could handle with the current supplies he has on him...
"Hima, there"s no need to panic. I know Naruto can figure out how to get out of that crevice without my interference." Jiraiya begins gently.
Teeth snap back at him in return, scarlet burning on him. Violet locks shift upwards about her face into pointed edges, moving onto all 4"s to attack.
It"s similar enough to how he"s seen Kushina"s partial transformations when the Nine Tail"s seal weakened or when she was conducting in lessons to manage its power. Though Minato had been the one to take the beast on then. He only has what he"s told him of how he stopped her from fully rampaging about the village and losing control of herself.
Jiraiya sighs at said rage overtaking Himawari now.
He cracks his knuckles as she rushes him too fast for him to fully slide out of the way, nails ripping and digging through cloth and armor to strike at his skin.
"Toad Gramps!" Boruto yells out in worry, hesitantly draws up a swirl of wind as Himawari pivots for him again.
"Wind Release: Twister!"
Jiraiya wraps his hair around Himawari"s form out of the vortex"s path, shakes his head in Boruto"s direction.
"No attacking! I got this Kid, just stay back for now!"
He refocuses back on Himawari about to burst from his hold, teeth snapping for his arms, slams a fist quickly into her gut when the first of her front fangs" bites down breaking skin, bubble of blood erupting forth.
The chakra coat instantly fizzles out, breathing a sigh of relief.
Onyx takes in the path of destruction left behind, rocks and branches tossed about like pebbles, scent of ash and dirt in the air.
He washes at the cut to his chest, winces at the sting as he notes the way the blue of the river swishes with thin streaks of bright crimson to deeper maroon.
Boruto plops down beside him, at least not as badly scratched or bruised up as him from Himawari"s attack.
Jiraiya half peers to him, skin tinged a whitish gray.
"So...when were you gonna tell me Hima could do that?"
Boruto startles, azure darkening. "I didn"t know! I know Hima can have a temper, but not like that y"know! It"s usually just with the byakugan, not getting those red eyes like with..."
"With your Old Man?" Jiraiya finishes for him, arches a brow at his silent nod.
He flicks at his forehead to force his gaze back to him.
"I need you to be honest with me Boruto. Everything is okay with Naruto in the future as far as you"re aware; right? For Himawari to have the Nine Tail"s abilities would mean the beast was extracted from Naruto at some point."
Boruto shakes his head vehemently at the very idea. "No, he was fine and working at the Hokage"s office as usual y"know! He came home from work early around lunch time that day I was messing around with the scroll, though he wasn"t acting any different than usual over breakfast."
Jiraiya rubs at his chin, can"t see anything in Boruto"s features that could suggest he"s lying.
"Technology in the future maybe or something related to their genetics perhaps has caused the jinchuriki"s chakra to be passed on to Naruto"s offspring."
Himawari returns before he can inquire more on any other past episodes of her upset or fury causing this explosion of power, cerulean downcast looking away from the pair.
Jiraiya squeezes gently at her hand until she finally peers up.
"I could only find rosemary. I can, err, crush it into a powder or paste the way Mama and Auntie have shown me?" She offers.
Jiraiya ruffles at her hair. "Of course! So something like this has never happened for you before, huh?"
Himawari shakes her head as she settles on his opposite side. "Only Papa has Kurama in him as far as I know."
Jiraiya nods slowly. She could be a pseudo-jinchuriki maybe. There"s tales and some studies he"s done on that infamous sibling duo from Kumo...
"What were their names again?"
He snaps his fingers as he runs through a volley of names.
"The Gold and Silver brothers; that"s right! But they were alive during the Second Hokage"s time, I"ve hardly done any research into that time period."
He"ll definitely need to now.
This isn"t something he can just keep to himself, though Sarutobi-sensei has enough on his plate to add in this development as well.
It will have to wait until the Invasion plans are fully stomped down and all rounds of the Chunin Exams are officially complete.
Boruto moves to help her knead the leaves into a green ointment, stiffens when Jiraiya faintly winces as they apply the salve to his broken skin.
"Ah this must hurt Toad Gramps more than he wants to admit." Boruto admires his tenacity. Himawari stays focused on the task, acutely still avoiding his gaze for the most part.
Jiraiya observes the siblings quietly as they work.
For once, he has no answers for either of them or really himself on how to explain what they"ve just witnessed and experienced.
Naruto-Abyss
"Who is that child boy?"
Naruto stares into vermilion, darkness surrounding him on all sides as he swallows back coils in his throat. His tongue is too sandpaper dry to speak even when the Nine Tail"s teeth snap in warning to answer him.
"So this is who everyone is talking about, this beast who resides within me." Naruto absently notes. He can finally put a shape to this creature besides as just some dark, wild beast that has caused so many people to avoid and ignore him.
"Which one?" He finally ventures back.
The Nine Tail"s snarls, voice guttural and low with rising impatience. He must think he"s joking or messing with him from the way his eyes narrow.
"Don"t play dumb with me boy! Why does that girl have my chakra?!" He roars.
His words pierce him like an arrow.
"Himawari?"
Boruto never mentioned the practice of jinchuriki"s being sealed into others persisting into the future...
Especially into his own eventual daughter.
Naruto blows out a breath. "I don"t know what you"re talking about, but I"m sure you don"t want us to die here in this ravine without finding out, right? Lend me some of your chakra so I can use the summoning jutsu to escape!"
Vermilion hazes over with suspicion, though there"s no time to press him for additional questions the deeper his body falls into this sunken earth.
"...This isn"t the end of this discussion boy. I will get to that girl for answers when I take over your body someday soon. But for now, fine, you can have some of my chakra." He promises.
The wind screeches in his ears bringing him back to reality, nicking his thumb once more.
"Summoning jutsu!"
His body stops freefalling, cheek pressed into something slimy and wet.
A gray haze of tobacco rises up from below him followed by a grunt.
"Now why the hell did Jiraiya summon me in here of all places?" Gamabunta scoffs.
Naruto taps at his head or at least what he thinks is the toad"s head. "Not Pervy-Sage this time. I"m Naruto Uzumaki, the one that summoned you!"
Gamabunta"s gaze slides to him, frown deepening.
"You? A mere child? No, where"s Jiraiya at? He knows I"m not a fan of these types of jokes of his."
Naruto clenches his teeth as the toad wraps his tongue around him to take him in.
"Yes, me. You can ask Pervy-Sage for proof, though don"t try to harm the siblings with him."
Gamabunta ignores him, leaps into the air.
"Oi, where are you guys?!" Naruto"s voice calls out, nose wrinkling at the tracks of upended earth, trio turning.
Himawari jumps up in relief. "Papa is okay!"
She scampers back to over to him as Gamabunta slides him down to the grass. Naruto sends her a light smile and her stomach tilts all over again as his smile turns to worry.
"What"d I miss? Why"s everyone so banged up and look like they"ve seen a ghost?" He questions as he takes in the bandages wrapped around Jiraiya"s forearm to chest. His own body burns with exhaustion, but they look as equally drained as him.
Himawari forces a smile, too strained and cheery for him not to send her a skeptical look. "Training got too rough for a moment is all!"
Her gaze turns to Gamabunta. "Thank you Mr. Toad for your help with Big Bro!" She bows redirecting them, Gamabunta chuckling as he peers to Jiraiya.
"What type of war is this that you"re dealing with Jiraiya? Babysitting?"
He doesn"t question the bandaged wound to his chest as he shrugs.
"Yeah, something like that."
Naruto & Shikamaru-Konoha Stadium
Evacuation procedures start.
Shikamaru stretches in delight. "Well, you heard the man, our match is officially postponed for the time being. Maybe forever at this rate."
Naruto snorts at his light tone and demeanor. "Try not to look so depressed about it."
They split apart to check in on their teammates and loved ones, Naruto pushing through tangled limbs and panicked faces, Hinata"s byakugan active as he forges a path over to her.
"What the heck is going on you think?!" He questions in greeting.
Hinata gestures with her head to the Kage booth as a stream of smoke and fire shoots up akin to a rocket, explosion of yellows and reds following.
"Nobody is saying anything, but something is going on with the Kage that seems to be a skirmish of some sort."
"You two! Stop dawdling! This area needs to be fully cleared!" Genma orders.
He squeezes at her hand as they reluctantly join a line to get moving towards the exits.
"Where are the kids? They didn"t tag along with Hiashi or one of the other Hyūga members; did they?" Naruto murmurs by her ear.
Hinata shakes her head. "Luckily, they stayed back at the manor as far as I"m aware. Father said it would be too risky with so many shinobi from various regions mingling about. Plus, Boruto said he was worried about him and Hima getting mixed up in any attacks here despite the extra security measures Lord Third set up."
Naruto pauses, reviews that twice over in his mind.
Realization seeps in. "Ah, I have more questions for him and Hima then."
"Any attacks here? So he knew then something like this was going to happen?"
He might"ve passed along said information already to Pervy-sage and maybe even Old Man Third, so he can"t fully fault him for lying by omission, but a niggling sensation pokes at him.
"If he and Himawari truly knew about this from future history texts, then it"s only a matter of time before someone else figures out the same thing here in the past that they know too much..."
"We should help with any other rescue and evacuation measures. The Hokage Rock is the best place to go to get additional updates." Hinata points to the monument, Naruto forcing his thoughts back to the here and now.
Boruto and Himawari might be heading there too with the rest of the Hyūga to get a headcount.
They pass various Konoha shinobi fighting a mix of Oto to Suna nin, Naruto perking up as he catches the tail end of a conversation.
"-How could you all already know our plans?! We made sure to cover all bases!"
The man beside him pats at his back to be calm, but the wild look in his hazel eyes doesn"t fade. "This isn"t right Sumiyoshi, why is this happening when we planned everything to a T? Where is Gaara and the other Sand Siblings? Shouldn"t they have at least conducted in the first part of this attack by now by Gaara unleashing the One Tail?"
"Gaara. If the others are giving chase after those guys, then I need to help as well!"
His mind briefly flickers with the fox"s warning from before tightening his fists.
He can"t worry about losing control right now.
"Relax Yoshiwara! We can"t back down until we get new orders from Baki or the Kazekage!"
Yoshiwara twists his rage at him then, swings his kunai precariously close to his neck. "Don"t you get it?! They"re dead! Something must"ve happened to them both for things to have gone to shit this fast!"
Naruto looks over his shoulder at them as a trio Konoha nin approaches both men from behind, haze clouding their figures too late for them to notice in time.
He watches as the first of the men"s blades swings down cleaning slicing at their necks, the bloom of red that spills out as their bodies topple before he forces himself to keep looking ahead.
Hinata rubs gently at his hand tugging him forward as lilac meets blue briefly, and he considers then it won"t be the last time he probably sees death before today is over.
Naruto & Hinata-The Future, Uzumaki Household
"Uncle Sasuke must hate it here, right?"
Naruto peers up from a file regarding a string of parcel thefts at Konoha"s Central Post Office. He knows he"s skipping school (or did it let out early again? Today isn"t a holiday as far as he"s aware.)
He sighs, Boruto staring back unabashedly, cerulean practically gleaming daring him to question him.
"...And just where did you get this idea or information from?"
"Eavesdropping." He can already guess.
Boruto"s grin widens. "Sarada told me, duh! She"s gotta a point y"know. Uncle Sasuke might be cool and all, but he"s been away for years. Hmm, like time hopping or dimension hopping?"
Naruto sets down his folder, glances towards the office clock.
10:42 AM.
"Boruto, why aren"t you in school right now?" Naruto questions rather bluntly.
Boruto"s purses his lips, expression falling and he winces just slightly seeing a fog roll over the blue of his eyes, upset cracking at his grin before it morphs into a full-on scowl.
He grabs the folder right off his desk before he can reach for it again, tosses it up into the air like confetti.
"I"m sorry Dad, no Lord Seventh, that discussing things going on in my life bores you so. I"ll just go-"
Naruto holds up a hand at his theatrics, clears his throat.
"Ugh, was I this easily frustrated and dramatic at his age?! I"ll have to ask Hinata later." He decides.
"I"m just wondering what you"re doing here? You"re not a clone and it"s still morning hours. You"re not bothering me or boring me, so stop assuming that." Naruto changes gears.
Boruto huffs, crosses his arms, still looks ready to argue before deflating.
"...This is a work-assignment day. We all got assigned to see how different jobs are around the village. I unfortunately drew the Hokage"s office."
Naruto shrugs, smile rising up at his icy response. "So why didn"t you just switch with one of your classmates then?"
Boruto stiffens, red hue brushing along his cheeks.
"A-Aburame-sensei didn"t allow us too, geez! Anyways, I"m not sticking around here while you do boring paperwork and meetings all day, I can finish this report at home or the library."
Naruto hums at that, gets up to follow him out, pats at his shoulder before he can truly leap away.
"Hey, I"ll be home a bit early today. An afternoon meeting I had with a Kirigakure representative got cancelled. You can let Mom know so she doesn"t have to scoop out a bowl of leftovers for me."
Boruto brushes his hand off, looks from him before back out to the village.
It"s a clear spring day, blue sky for miles. The opposite of this storminess brewing in him.
"Sure, whatever." He finally grunts.
He shoves his hands into his pockets to get going, pauses midway as he goes down the steps, peers at Naruto again still watching him, probably to be sure he doesn"t cause trouble for his colleagues.
"Since we"re not in your office now Dad, if I find or create a cool time jutsu like Uncle Sasuke, you"re going to see how much I"ve improved and stop babying me y"know!"
Naruto blinks, chuckles. "Alright, I"ll have Shikamaru clear my schedule the whole day for when that happens!"
Boruto openly groans. "I"m being serious y"know!"
Naruto nods. "I am too!"
Boruto rolls his eyes, waves him off before disappearing into the crowds of the growing afternoon lunch rush.
At home, he recalls the story to Hinata while Boruto"s busy with his VR set, Himawari pattering after him all across the kitchen, living room, and onwards to upstairs.
"Big Brother, when is it gonna be my turn?!" Himawari pouts, twisting herself whichever way he turns to block him off. All week he"s been talking about the adventures he"s apparently gone on in this Medieval world, opponents he"s face apparently as tall as the nearby mountains in the northeast woods.
Boruto pats at her arms gently before her patience completely dissolves.
"As soon as I finish this round with Inojin and Shikadai Hima, I promise!"
Himawari stomps her foot, white flashing through blue. "You said that an hour ago!"
Hinata sighs, moves to stand hearing their voices rise in pitch. "Well, we better go put out those embers before they become flames."
Naruto grabs at her hand gently just as she sits up.
"Hold on, we should let the kids compromise and discuss before fully interfering. Unless we see Hima fully activate her byakugan or Boruto use some wind or water-based technique to keep her at bay."
Hinata purses her lips, watches the two continue to skirt about the house before nodding, reddens at being pulled against his chest.
Not that Boruto or Himawari are even looking their way.
"Has Boruto been practicing in any new jutsu after school?" Naruto asks.
Hinata giggles, burrows into him as he wraps an arm loosely around her.
"Outside of the Hyūga clan techniques I"ve been showing him and Himawari? No, but you know how secretive he can be when he wants to impress you Dear."
Naruto leans his head gently against her neck.
"Ah, that"s what I"m worried about. When Boruto sets his mind to something, he doesn"t tend to give up."
Hinata flicks lightly at his nose.
"Huh, sounds like a stubborn boy I loved growing up. He grew up into a man and we married and have two hyper kids, but he still has those same habits at times from his boyhood days. Oh, and I think our son inherited said traits too."
Naruto chuckles, kisses at the open spot on her neck eliciting a squeal.
"Mom? You okay!" Boruto abruptly calls out from upstairs.
All that noise he"s making, and he somehow heard that of all things?
"F-Fine!" Hinata calls back before he can come fully investigate, gently pulls Naruto"s hands from under her blouse at his smirk.
"...I don"t know what you"re talking about! I was a very mature 12-year-old!" He tickles at her sides once they hear Boruto fully immerse himself back into to his game.
That was his first error of many.
He didn"t take Boruto seriously, not really at least how far he would go to get his attention. Hinata reminded him time and again how much their son looks up to him, but he didn"t consider what methods he would go for.
Bringing home that time scroll to investigate further, not locking his office door...
And assuming his children"s curiosity wouldn"t get the better of them.
He rubs at his eyes, ink stuck to his cheek. He drifted off sometime around 2:00 am maybe, checks the clock.
5:27 AM.
The sunrise crawls in on the horizon from his office window, tints of pinks and reds running along the patio outside into the garden.
Hinata pokes her head in before he can fully move, holds up a thermos.
"You should"ve told me you were going to come in here and scour all these books and scrolls again." She scolds him gently.
Naruto laughs dryly, sips at the tea thankfully feeling the thrums of a migraine coming at the back of his head.
"One of us needed to try and get some sleep. It"s been a month now. I want to pester Sasuke again, but he already told me back on Monday that he has no new updates."
Hinata rubs at his back, presses their faces together.
"We might need too...look outside Konoha now Dear. I know Sasuke is searching throughout the various dimensions, though that alone is a slow progress. I"m glad we reached out to the other Great Nations for help, though now it"s time I feel we reach out to the smaller villages. The places both of us have never visited or only been to once."
Blue searches lavender. "Where do you suggest we look first?"
Hinata clicks her tongue, place in mind one that has deep memories for him.
A place the rest of the world has often forgotten throughout history.
"How about Amegakure?"
Boruto & Himawari-Hokage Rock
"Do you see them yet?"
Boruto shakes his head, leaving the manor in the first place felt like a bad idea, but Grandpa was insistent they"d need to all officially check in or else risk the whole clan facing suspicion for trying to hide members during the midst of an attack.
Again, he feels curious to annoyed eyes on him.
Most must think he"s Dad, probably assume he caused bad luck in this all happening during his match with Shikamaru.
Himawari tugs at his jacket to get his attention, points over to meters away.
"Isn"t that one of Toad Gramp"s summons?"
Boruto follows her gaze, nods slowly seeing a mix of toads of various sizes and colors doing battle with Orochimaru"s snakes. 3 serpents the size of small mountains slither and slam their bodies into every building close by, eruptions of gray and black smog rocketing into the air with each strike.
He breaks away from the group to get a closer look as Jiraiya slams down an aquamarine toad upon the snake in the middle.
"Boruto, get away from the edge!" Hiashi or maybe another attendant warns behind him. Boruto ignores the command, eyes scouring about the woods below before he has to move back in line when he sees it.
A flicker of movement in the southwest forests.
Himawari bends down beside him, nudges at his side. "Come on Big Brother, we don"t want to make Grandpa or one of his aides any madder!"
Boruto points discreetly with his finger. "Hey, can you use your byakugan really quick to down below in the southwest direction? I"m sure I saw movement there just now."
Himawari wrinkles her nose but does as he asks. "There"s...at least like 5 chakra signatures moving around maybe? There"s Auntie Sakura and Uncle Sasuke I recognize. I think the ones just ahead are Uncle Gaara and his Big Brother and Sister."
Boruto nods, rises up a hand.
"Shadow clone jutsu!"
The first clone gets beside Himawari on her opposite side, nods at the original and other two.
"Alright, I"m gonna go down and see what I can do to help y"know! They took part in attacking the village knowingly. While I know Papa gets along with them well enough in the future, I can"t stand by and not try to help out knowing that some of this destruction they"ve caused is permanent."
Himawari sinks her nails into his arm as he twists to drop down, nails forming crescents in his tearing skin as her voice drops to a low hiss. "The last time we helped Big Brother you saw what happened..."
A knot curls at his throat seeing tears pool in azure she hurriedly blinks away too late.
He balls his hands at his side to quickly think. Hollow promises won"t comfort her, gritting his teeth. Even if they"re currently retreating, he knows the Sand siblings are formidable opponents. Oto nin will be lying in wait as well to try and slow any Konoha shinobi down from capturing them for interrogation or worse.
Himawari presses at his silence. "Big Bro...Papa is going to be there too eventually. What will he say if he sees you there? Interfering once more?"
Boruto huffs, though his shoulders stiffen betraying his rising worry at the thought. "...I won"t stay long enough for him to notice me then; I"ll leave as soon as he arrives."
If he can give out at least a few pointers to Aburame-sensei, Uncle Sasuke, or even Uncle Shikamaru, it could at least make a difference in preventing further injuries.
Boruto softens his tone, nods to the 2nd clone he"ll watch over her.
"They"re in danger Hima, we both know that. I don"t think any of them know what Uncle Gaara truly is yet."
Hiruzen & Orochimaru-Kage Booth, Konoha Stadium
The stadium is practically emptied give or take a few expendable bodies lying about that couldn"t defend themselves in time, Hiruzen dropping his Hokage robes revealing his armor underneath.
He came prepared it seems.
"Kabuto is nowhere to be found meaning he hasn"t been able to slip away from those jonin who surrounded them I imagine. How could"ve they have known of his planned genjutsu?" Orochimaru considers.
And then there"s his most elite bodyguards, none of them have checked in either.
It"s likely they"ve been captured as well, a Konoha shinobi having recognized their faces.
Has one of them betrayed him? Kabuto he can rule out from what he saw before the smog took over as he at least looked as equally shocked as well to be pinned down.
The traitor could be anyone it seems from Suna or within Oto even...
"I was foolish all those years ago to let you go, I"ll end this here and now!" Hiruzen cuts through his thoughts, draws up his hands.
"Shadow clone jutsu!"
Orochimaru grins in return as 2 clones surround him, rips off the remnants of his burnt flesh, licks his lips in delight that at least they"re alone. No interruptions from his bodyguards or jonin.
He can end this quickly and regroup with Kabuto and the others.
"Interesting. When did you realize I was disguised sensei? Who was the one to tip you off?"
Hiruzen scoffs, clones at ready gathering a mix of fire and lightning respectively. "It doesn"t matter who."
Orochimaru hums at that, he"s specifically avoiding giving out any hints to the identity of whoever passed along said information.
"That"s fine, I"m sure though your little helper didn"t know about-
"The Summoning Impure Reincarnation techniques you"ve been dabbling in from the Second Hokage"s time? I won"t allow you to resurrect their bodies to destroy the very village they helped create!" Hiruzen finishes for him.
Golden eyes narrow, rise of his hands temporarily stilling.
"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!"
Lightning Release: Lightning Bullet!"
The clones beside him come in from his left and right at once, Orochimaru scoffing at the combined torrent of smoke, flames, and electricity close in on him all sides. He bends his body backwards just as the flames and current nick his arms.
"Slower. My body is moving slower. Not only that, but he knew already which jutsu I"ve been focusing my research on?" Orochimaru frowns, clears his thoughts.
He can"t stay on the defensive forever, claps his hands before slamming them to the ground.
"Earth Release: Mud Wall!"
The barrier will last only a minute or two at most, preparing up his hands once more to resurrect the First and Second Hokages even if he"s already aware. A fine mist coats the room, different from the haze from before.
Hiruzen"s voice approaches from the center, shield cracking as he jabs at its weak points.
Orochimaru slides his neck out as soon as their eyes meet once more, coils around his first two clones, squeezing at them until they pop. He draws forth his Kusanagi sword to finish this, stabs at Hiruzen"s side before he can move back.
He spits up blood in surprise, Orochimaru"s grin widening.
"Give up sensei. Your body is no longer in its prime; you"re too weak and frail now to escape my attacks. I can drag out this fight for hours until you finally die from exhaustion."
Orochimaru steps closer, body locking up before he can fully twist the blade in for his heart, coughs up a goblet of blood as well.
"What"s happening to me?!"
Hiruzen watches him steadily through a sheen of sweat, ignores the way his muscles strain.
"Everything you"ve done involving experimenting. I"ve been preparing for this moment since then..."
Orochimaru blinks spots from his eyes, animalistic rage morphing his features.
"Heh, now why would you think you"ve won Old Man? You"re bleeding out as we speak."
"Why? Because I"ve been stalling you here to make sure you didn"t notice until it was too late. This room, I"ve rigged it with traps and slow seeping aconite. Plant medicine I know is a subject that"s hardly ever interested you compared to the experiments you did on humans. Plants, unlike humans can"t give you the power or immortality that you"re always seeking."
Gold eyes widen a fraction, pulls back from him.
"You idiotic Old Man! I won"t allow myself to die from a mere flower"s poison."
Hiruzen laughs dryly. "This isn"t something you can merely run away to a new body to escape from Orochimaru."
He gathers his voice at his silence. "This is no ordinary Wolf"s Bane. It...It was specially created with you in mind to affect your ability to use genjutsu and ninjutsu in the future. It"s already moving at a cellular level throughout your body into your arms, legs, head, all your major organs pretty much."
The roof sinks in before Orochimaru can further curse or question him, Hiruzen"s body falling as the paralysis sets in, heartbeat drumming loudly in his ears.
"Sensei! Get down, I"m clearing the air from this room!"
Jiraiya.
His figure drops down between them in a burst of wind, sits Hiruzen up.
"Where is Orochimaru? What did you do to yourself?! I told you to let me handle him!" He berates him with questions.
Hiruzen looks around slowly, doesn"t see him around either.
"Don"t worry about me Jiraiya, Orochimaru"s probably still alive and just shed his body. Go after him." He rasps out. A trio of medical personnel land in beside them, Jiraiya reluctantly handing over Hiruzen"s body to them once he confirms their identities.
Meanwhile, a snake no bigger than a thumbtack slithers through the cracks of the falling arena.
"How could he know so much?! He knew all my attacks and main experimentations, knew my plans for attacking the village with Suna apparently weeks ahead of time."
Blood fills his mouth, pushes his body to move faster.
This goes beyond Kabuto, beyond the Sound 4 guards he personally assigned to himself.
Someone in this village or nearby has critical intel on him, is going to destroy his plans one by one from the shadows if he doesn"t quickly put an end to it.
Jiraiya? Tsunade? He wouldn"t put it past the man to have spies who updated him somehow, but he told nobody of how far he dabbled in forbidden techniques, ensured he was always alone.
Tsunade hasn"t been anywhere near the village in years, sure she doesn"t even practice in anything related to shinobi duties since the last Shinobi World War.
He would"ve detected even Jiraiya"s best agent or toad trying to look in on him during his research.
"It"s just a minor setback. Sasuke"s body will soon enough be mine once I remind him of what power he"s missing, how he"s forgotten his revenge. But first I"ll need to lay out some new traps that will give me further clues to the identity of Sensei"s spy."
He calms his breathing, tampers his rage for now.
"It"s fine, even a rat can be smoked out when they have but no other choice to come into the light."
-x-
Managed to get one more chapter in before the New Year! I didn"t want to rehash Hiruzen and Orochimaru"s fight, mainly just lay the groundwork for Orochimaru realizing he has a spy that has intelligence on him he will now move forward to seek out!
Also, I don"t want him being a Karma Houdini who basically gets off Scot free like in canon. Yes, I"m aware he and Kabuto redeemed themselves in War and are good now (whatever lol I"m not as forgiving), but that doesn"t negate all the heinous and criminal actions they did beforehand. How they act and operate, and the further consequences will be seen as the story goes along.
Let me know your thoughts as always and Happy New Year! See you all in 2025!
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