When the three ninja reached the site of Orochimaru and Tsunade's meeting, they halted, staring in wonderment at the destruction that surrounded them. The low, outer wall of the castle was all but destroyed, only a handful of half-collapsed sections still standing. The ground was a patchwork of craters, evidence of Tsunade's incredible strength.
"Wh-what's this?" Naruto stammered as he found his voice.
Jiraiya chuckled, though there was a tinge of worry in his laugh. "Looks like Tsunade-hime went a little wild."
Shizune licked her lips. "Does this mean Tsunade-sama declined his offer?"
Jiraiya glanced through the broken wall, along a trail of shattered earth and still-suspended clouds of dust. "We'll find out soon enough."
Kabuto breathed heavily, his gaze constantly flicking between Orochimaru behind him and Tsunade before him. The only reason he'd been able to survive this long was that Tsunade didn't seem terribly interested in killing him, and Orochimaru was too amused by the fight to intervene. He knew from long experience, though, that the male Sanin would eventually get bored and join the battle. And then there would be no chance of victory. He had to finish this quickly.
His body twitched as he shook off the last effects of Tsunade's nerve-scrambling attack. He fumbled for a dagger and rose from his kneeling position. "You're afraid of blood, right?" he asked as he began to advance. "I'll show you some now!" He charged.
Before he could reach Tsunade, he felt more presences coming in from the sides and threw himself backwards. When the dust kicked up by his rapid change of direction settled again, the three ninja who had been following him had interposed themselves between him and his foe. Jiraiya smirked down at him, and Kabuto grimaced. This was going to get... complicated.
Behind Kabuto, Orochimaru laughed. "You didn't tell me Jiraiya was around, Tsunade-hime."
Jiraiya's smirk changed its target. "Heh. You haven't changed a bit, Orochimaru."
Kabuto forced a weak smile to his face and his hand reached up to adjust his absent forehead protector, stopping only inches from his face. "Hello, Naruto-kun," he said to the youngest of the three, prompting a startled cry from the Genin.
"Kabuto-san?!" he asked.
Jiraiya's eyes flicked to his apprentice. "You know him?"
Before Naruto could respond, Tsunade moved. "Out of my way!" she screamed as she shoved Jiraiya aside, hurling herself at Kabuto.
The former Sound ninja barely had time to react, bringing his dagger up. He drew it across his own wrist, spraying the blood over Tsunade. The female Sanin's charge ended instantly. She shivered as she stood, paralyzed by her fear of blood. Before she could get over it, Kabuto shoved her away, sending her flying into Shizune.
"Hey!" Naruto yelled. "Why are you fighting Tsunade?!"
Kabuto struggled to straighten himself, weak from exhaustion and blood loss. "She's betrayed the Leaf. She's going to heal Orochimaru."
Orochimaru laughed, and Jiraiya seemed to wither where he stood. "Sh- that can't be," Naruto whispered, and Orochimaru laughed again.
Kabuto growled as new, desperate strength flowed into his muscles. "Don't laugh so soon, snake," he muttered. He raced forward past Naruto to where Shizune had been unthinkingly tending Tsunade's wounds. The medical ninja reacted on instinct, spitting razor-sharp needles at the oncoming ninja.
Kabuto tried to hurl himself aside, but too slowly. One of the needles scored a glancing wound where his forehead protector used to lie, and he stumbled as he tried to land. The relatively minor wound burned with pain and Kabuto gasped as he fell to the ground. "P-paralyzing poison? Clever girl..." he gasped out, before unconsciousness claimed him.
"Shizune!" Jiraiya's sharp cry made the medical ninja shudder as she realized what she had done.
Orochimaru let out another inhuman-seeming laugh, then vaulted himself into the air, easily clearing Jiraiya and Naruto to land near the kneeling Shizune and the shaken Tsunade. With supreme effort, he made his twitching, half-dead arm move forward and rested his hand on Shizune's shoulder. His voice was surprisingly gentle when he spoke. "I need you to help me, if you want Tsunade-hime to live." For once, there was no mockery in his tone when he said Tsunade's name.
Shizune shuddered beneath his touch for a long moment, then slowly nodded. "What must I do?"
Orochimaru smiled softly. "Take off my left bandage," he began.
Naruto growled, his hands already beginning to form the seals for the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.
"Stop, you idiot," Jiraiya said wearily. "You'll just waste your chakra."
"Crap..." Naruto muttered as he stopped. "Then what do I do?"
"Just stay back," Jiraiya said as he bit into his thumb, drawing blood. "This is out of your league." His bloody hands rapidly moved through a set of seals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" When Shizune's cry faded, there was a sensation of movement, and she and her two companions were carried high into the air on the head of a massive snake.
Below them, Jiraiya stared, at the tiny toad he had managed to summon. Orochimaru snickered. "You're still an idiot, Jiraiya."
Shizune straightened beside him, forcing aside the desire to run with a glance at Tsunade's still-shaking form. "Tsunade-sama poisoned him before you met. He probably hasn't worked it out of his system yet."
"Then he dies today!" Orochimaru said, and responding to his commands the snake began to move.
Tsunade's arm reached up, grabbing Orochimaru's. "No," she whispered. "Let him leave."
For a moment, fury washed over Orochimaru's face, then he nodded. "For today," he snarled quietly. "But no more conditions. From now on you do as I say."
Shizune shuddered, but Tsunade just nodded.
"I'll let you go today, Jiraiya!" Orochimaru yelled. "I wouldn't want you to die without seeing the full extent of my power!" He gestured, and Shizune gathered Tsunade in her arms. The two ninja leapt from the head of snake, which vanished in cloud of smoke. When the smoke was gone, so were they.
Jiraiya shuddered once, then fell to his knees. In an instant, Naruto was at his side. "Are you okay, you old pervert?" The last loyal Sanin muttered something under his breath.
Naruto leaned closer to hear, and paled at the string of vile curses that poured from his teacher's lips in an unceasing torrent.
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(Posted Wed, 04 May 2005 19:13)
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