章 16: Meeting Orochimaru Again
AN: Well, here's Chapter 15. Let's see how Izaya's confrontation with Orochimaru goes...
Chapter 15
The next day we all arrived outside the Forest of Death. I looked straight at the forest as I thought about how Orochimaru would try to disguise himself and make an appearance during the exam. Tch. I'm sure he won't remember me or recognize me as its been so long. The fact that Lord Third is a sensor type ninja but failed to detect the whereabouts of his own disciple Orochimaru means I probably won't be able to detect him either. The only reason I'll know is because of my knowledge from my previous life. I wonder if he's actually here though and going to instigate an attack as he didn't have Kimimaro to help battle it out with the Fourth Kazekage.
As we all stood there in front of the entrance Anko said, "This is the site of the second exam. The 44th training ground, also known as the Forest of Death." Just as Naruto started making another fuss Anko played an intimidation trick on Naruto. At that moment someone also snuck up behind Anko.
Guh! Th-That is definitely Orochimaru in disguise! I mentally screamed. He looks exactly like how I remembered in my previous life. Crap! He really came.
After their exchange Anko stood back at the front of the entrance to the Forest of Death and proceeded to explain the details. From what I remember, we are either given a scroll of earth or heaven and have to somehow get the one we don't possess by any means. Then our entire team brings it to the center of the tower. As there are 27 teams left at least 13 will be eliminated. It's a bit different from my past life since from my knowledge only 26 teams were supposed to pass the first exam, but with the addition of Team 11 we made up the extra team. After the second exam only 7 teams passed out of the 13 total possible. In this case it might be possible for more or less to pass this time depending on our encounter. I wonder how the scroll is going to be divided up then as it'll be uneven.
At this moment Anko said, "Alright, since there are 27 teams in total, 13 teams will get the earth scroll, 13 teams will get the heaven scroll, and one team will get the man scroll. If you have the earth scroll you need to collect either the heaven scroll or the man scroll. If you have the heaven scroll you need either the earth scroll or the man scroll. And if you have the man scroll, collecting either an earth scroll or heaven scroll will do. You won't know who has which scroll at the beginning, so use whatever means you want to in order to find out and obtain the scroll you need once you're inside. You have 5 days to complete the objective. After you sign a death waiver form you can obtain your scroll in that tent over there."
I kept a close eye on Orochimaru's movement as he filled out the form without batting an eye, grabbed a scroll from the tent with his team and stood on standby. I turned to Haku and Kimimaro and pulled them a bit further away before whispering to them and motioning with my head, "Haku, Kimimaro, do you see that person over there?"
Haku and Kimimaro nodded. "What's up big brother?" Haku asked curiously.
Without trying to make them too suspicious of my knowledge I pretended to rely on my sensory skills and said, "I'm not 100% sure of this but his aura is similar to Orochimaru's. Be extremely wary of him if we meet in the forest."
Haku and Kimimaro's eyes widened with extreme shock before anger welled up inside them. "So this is that bastard who caused big brother to suffer? I want to tear him apart limb from limb." Haku sneered.
"Mn. I won't let anything happen to you Izaya." Kimimaro said while clenching his fist.
I sighed at their extreme reaction but at the same time felt emotionally touched. Mn, I made the right choice choosing Haku and Kimimaro as my brothers I thought. "Oi. Hide your rage and murderous intent or else we'll get noticed." I said to them.
Hm? Orochimaru looked over seeming to notice Haku's and Kimimaro's rage. Haku and Kimimaro quickly reigned in their emotions and apologized.
Oh? They seem a bit appetizing. Orochimaru thought as he licked his lips with that long creepy tongue of his before turning away from us and taking a quick glance at Sasuke.
Phew. I mentally sighed. Doesn't seem like he recognized me. It's a good thing that Orochimaru isn't a sensory type ninja, but I wonder what skill he employed to mask his aura that even sensory type ninjas can't discern. Is it just because he changes his host body often or some other reason I mentally pondered.
As the three of us exchanged our death waiver consent form for our scroll I was surprised that we got the only unique scroll out of everyone else. The man scroll. Heh, this will make our job easier since it won't matter which team we steal from. I put the scroll away as the three of us left the tent awaiting near one of the 44 unoccupied entrances into the forest and awaiting permission to enter. Thirty minutes later and the gates were finally opened. It was at this moment that everyone quickly made their way into the forest in an attempt to get a head start and set traps for their opponents. Haku, Kimimaro, and I also headed in albeit at a more leisurely pace, after all, we didn't have to be that picky with our opponents.
Others had to find the right scroll first so they had to plan accordingly, we however, could pick any team we wanted to eliminate. And of course, I wasn't that worried about us actually being eliminated by the other teams. I was most worried about Orochimaru, but at the same time I knew who his target was. I stopped on a tree branch in the forest which prompted Kimimaro and Haku to pause as well.
"Is something on your mind?" Kimimaro asked.
"Mn." I nodded. "Remember that person I told you guys about who I suspect is Orochimaru. If he is Orochimaru then I have an idea as to who he's targeting."
"Eh? You do big brother?" Who's he going to target?" Haku asked.
I paused momentarily before answering, "Uchiha Sasuke."
"Uh? Why Sasuke?" Kimimaro asked.
"Orochimaru gave me the Sharingan for a reason. He wanted to create a strong body with the Sharingan so he could possess the body himself. However, he failed time and time again. I was probably his last attempt before he finally gave in trying to create one himself since he thought I died. Instead, he now seeks to obtain an already living body with the Sharingan. He wants to pursue all Jutsu in the world and in order to do that he believes he needs the Sharingan." I responded.
"Then...What should we do big brother? Do you think he recognizes you?" Haku asked with concern.
I shook my head. "No. I don't think he recognizes me. It's been at least 7 years since he abandoned me in that lab and I've grown quite a bit since then. Plus I'm wearing a blindfold with a powerful seal on it so he doesn't realize I have the Sharingan. He also wouldn't think that my 5 year old self, if I survived in his lab, would have been able to travel all the way from his lab in The Land of Water and come all the way here to The Land of Fire much less be accepted into the Leaf Village. As long as I don't show him my Sharingan I'd doubt he'll figure it out. I may have looked more like an experimental subject when I was 5 but at least now I seem more human than experiment. I'm thinking of helping out Team 7 and Sasuke a bit. Here take this." I took out one of my Flying Thunder God kunai and handed it to Haku along with the man scroll.
"Eh? Big brother why are you giving me these?" Haku exclaimed having a feeling of a bad premonition.
I smiled and said, "Well, I have a debt to settle with Orochimaru. He tortured my mind and body for so long that it forced me to the brink of death more times than I can count and he succeeded once pretty much. Take my special kunai and the man scroll. You and Kimimaro find another scroll from another team first. I'm going to find Team 7 and give them a helping hand."
"We should do this together. We can help you. Orochimaru is one of the three legendary sannin, he will be too powerful for you to take on yourself." Kimimaro protested.
"Mn. Maro is right." Haku said.
Sigh. I stood up and placed both the kunai and the man scroll in Haku's hand. "Kimimaro. Haku. This is not your fight. Not yet at least. Most likely the proctors and sentinels have already discovered something amiss so Orochimaru won't be sticking around the exam site for long. Also, the three of us won't always be together. There are times when we may need to move separately. I know it would be most ideal for us to move together but it isn't realistic. We should always remember that the three of us are sworn brothers and will be there for each other forever. But we also need to realize that in order to grow stronger, sometimes we need to walk certain paths alone. As long as we do not forget where our heart is supposed to be, we will never lose our way."
Sniff. Haku used his arm to wipe the little tears in his eyes and said, "Big brother. I won't forgive you if you die!" He then put away the special kunai and man scroll.
Kimimaro clenched his fist and said, "If you don't return to our side in 3 days, I will hunt down Orochimaru to the ends of the earth, even if it costs me my life."
I put on an appreciative smile and placed my hands on both their shoulders. "Haku, you must take care of Kimimaro ok? His health isn't too good."
"Mn." Haku nodded.
"Kimimaro, you must take care of your health. Support Haku well so he doesn't lose focus in dangerous situations. I promise you and Haku that I will return within 3 days if not sooner. You carry my special kunai so I can get to you at no time at all."
Kimimaro grabbed my shoulder and nodded while Haku gave me a hug before they both dashed off into the forest. Staying any longer would mean they wouldn't have the will to leave. I let out a soft sigh as I inwardly thought to myself. I'm sorry Kimimaro, Haku, I had to do this. Not just for me but for both of you. I want to test my current skill level by fighting with my life on the line. Picking a legendary sannin might be a little overkill, but with the Flying Thunder God I should be okay as long as I don't die instantly. And as much as I want you both to remain by my side forever, you both also need to grow individually or you might rely on me too much.
We're taking baby steps first. If you're this emotional after just leaving my side for the second exam where we haven't even left the village, then how are you going to be your own person in the future? It's best for you both to start getting used to moving without me. That way you'll be okay during the times when we actually need to separate.
Okay. Now to find Team 7 I need to concentrate. I closed my eyes and focused on all the energy around me. 27 teams. 3 people per team. 81 people have entered the Forest of Death. Eh? "Crap. These signatures. They belong to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura and they're engaged in a fight already!"
I quickly dashed in that direction with incredible speed. I grabbed one of my special kunai and infused it with chakra and employed a Taijutsu movement skill before throwing it far ahead. As soon as the kunai reached close enough I activated the Flying Thunder God Jutsu and instantly appeared in the far distance as I grabbed my kunai. I then activated the Body Flicker Jutsu and made it to a tree branch nearby just in time to see Orochimaru brand his Curse Mark Seal onto Sasuke's neck.
"Agggh!" Sasuke screamed in pain.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted in panic.
I jumped out from the tree branch and threw my kunai at Orochimaru. His eyes widened in surprise before swinging his head to the side to dodge it. Then in that creepy and eerie voice of his he said, "Oh. Hehehe, an unexpected guest. And who might you be youngster?"
I turned to look at him and replied indifferently, "Just a passerby."
Sakura noticed me at that moment and replied in shock, "Izaya-kun?! Izaya-kun, that person, be careful! They're super powerful!"
I kept my head facing Orochimaru as I simply nodded before saying, "Take Sasuke and move away from here."
"Mn." She nodded. She grabbed and jumped away with Sasuke while he clutched his shoulder and continued to scream in pain. They couldn't move too far away do to Sasuke struggling and moving around. Naruto lay unconscious on a nearby tree. Orochimaru simply stared at us for a moment before he started laughing as if this was a comedic scene.
"Mhm hm hm-Hehehe-Hahahahaha! Don't tell me that you are the one who's going to face me boy." His long tongue rolled out of his mouth before licking his lip and receding back in his throat.
Ugh...Disgusting as I remembered him I mentally noted. Gotta be careful with what I say. "Who are you?" I asked.
"Heh." He stared at me with a bit of interest. Is he not affected by my bloodlust and murderous intent? Orochimaru thought to himself. "My name is Orochimaru. That girl called you Izaya correct?"
I scoffed. "You are Orochimaru? The Orochimaru that I read about in the history books? One of the 3 legendary sannin? That Orochimaru?" I inquired.
He narrowed his eyes at that moment seemingly bemused. "Oh. How rare. You, a leaf Genin have heard of me have you. I'm honored. Usually they don't mention such things until you've advanced from Genin."
"Reading is a hobby. There's no need for me to wait on someone else to tell me these things. What did you do to Sasuke?"
Orochimaru licked his lips once more before saying, "You're an interesting kid. I feel like you may be a worthy specimen to study. You wish to know what I did to Sasuke? How about I just give you one too!"
He shot forth with incredible speed and struck out with his left hand while I blocked with my right. Orochimaru was inwardly surprised at my ability to react to his attack since I had a blindfold on, when during his fight earlier Sasuke had to rely on the Sharingan to see his speed. He kicked with his right knee then threw a left hook. I sidestepped his knee strike and ducked to dodge his left hook.
I pushed with my right palm and struck his chest forcing him back 3 meters on the large branch we were fighting on. He licked his lips in anticipation before he once more moved at an incredible speed towards me. He performed an axe kick, I shifted right and struck with my right fist. He blocked with his left palm and struck with his right palm. I parried his right palm with my left palm, grabbed the joint of his wrist and twisted hard to the left. In order to prevent his wrist from breaking he spun his entire body in the same direction as my twist. As he was mid twist I pulled his wrist towards me and kicked upwards with my knee. He blocked just in time placing his left hand on top of my knee to stop me from hitting his body.
I dropped my knee quickly before raising it once more and successfully struck his face. I then threw him towards the trunk of the tree causing his body to smash into it. I quickly formed the signs of Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger and shouted, "Fire Style Flame Bullet Jutsu!"
"What!" Orochimaru looked on in shock as a huge blast of raging fire and oil approached him. Soon after the flames wreaked havoc where he was. I didn't lower my guard. Knowing Orochimaru I can't kill him at my level. In fact, I wasn't even sure if this guy was actually killable.
A moment later he jumped up from below the tree trunk towards me forcing me to do a backflip away. He stretched out his right arm and said, "Striking Shadow Snake Jutsu!" A bunch of brown colored balck spotted snakes rushed towards me as I quickly jumped down and threw two wired ropes. One rope tangled itself onto Orochimaru's feet and the large tree branch rooting him down while the other latched itself onto the large tree branch we stood on. I used the leverage of the swinging motion to land on a nearby branch before forming the signs of Snake, Dragon, Hare, Tiger and shouted, "Fire Style Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
I spit a piece of fire on the wired line that quickly moved up to where it was latched onto which was the large tree branch Orochimaru was rooted down on. Orochimaru looked down at his feet and noticed that I had left a bunch of oil on the tree branch from my earlier Fire Style technique. Once the Dragon Flame reached the tree branch it was completely ignited and smoked to ashes along with him. I just stared indifferently from the branch below. As expected, that attack only hurt his host body but he himself is unfazed I mentally noted.
As the branch that Orochimaru was on got incinerated to ashes he started falling downwards, but before he fell all the way down he formed the hand signs of Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram and said, "Summoning Jutsu!" A large brown and black spotted snake appeared catching Orochimaru on its head.
"Damn him!" I cursed.
The giant snake rushed towards me and opened its giant maw attempting to swallow me whole. Just before it could snap its mouth on me I activated the Substitution Jutsu and it ended up swallowing a piece of log. "Hahaha petty tricks. I admit that you are quite skilled. In fact your skills are even greater than Uchiha Sasuke. A pity that you do not possess the Sharingan." He said.
"Tch. He's quite persistent." I complained as I dashed further and further away from where Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto were. Just as I jumped on a large branch another giant snake hidden in the treetops lunged downwards attempting to swallow me. Alarmed I quickly gathered chakra on me feet and activated my tree climbing skills swinging upside down on the tree branch. Instead of swallowing me the snake's mouth ended up biting the large branch.
I quickly pushed off the branch and landed on the ground. Orochimaru standing on top of his large snake caught up at this moment.
"Shit! Now there's two of his damn summons!" I cursed.
He jumped off the snake is it lunged at me forcing me to jump to the left. It was at this moment the other snake whipped its tail at me. I could only curl my body in a defensive position as It whacked me into a large tree. Boom!
"Ugh!." I let out as blood trickled down my mouth when I smashed into the trunk of a large tree. Orochimaru appeared from underneath the ground and was about to grab my ankles when I quickly rolled on my right side and pushed upwards with all the strength in my arm lifting me up off the ground.
He fully came up from the ground and reached out to grab me once more when I twisted my body in a horizontal motion and said, "Taijutsu Shaolin Style Six Kicks of Fury!" Borrowing the kinetic force of my spin I delivered 6 powerful kicking strikes at Orochimaru. He was momentarily shocked at my display of powerful kicks, however, he indeed was named a legendary sannin for a reason. He managed to successfully block all 6 kicks and at the last kick he grabbed my ankle and swung me through the air before smashing me into another large tree trunk.
I spit up more blood before throwing out a shuriken and forming the hand signs of Ox, Dog, Dragon, Rat, Dog, Boar, Snake, Tiger, then shouted, "Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Heh!" He smirked. He instantly sunk into the ground to avoid the 10 shuriken flying his way.
I instantly placed my hand on the ground at that moment and said, "Gotcha! Earth Style Bottomless Swamp Jutsu!" From under the ground Orochimaru noticed that he was stuck in mud all of a sudden. I quickly placed my hands together and said "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Two shadow clones instantly appeared by my side as I started panting out of breath. Damn. I'm running low on chakra. Especially now that I'm forced to split my chakra into three with these shadow clones.
The two large snakes appeared at that moment and lunged at me once more. One shadow clone jumped into one of the snake's mouth while the other shadow clone jumped into the others.
"No choice." I said. While Orochimaru was still trapped in the mud underground I formed the hand sign seal of confrontation and said, "Flying Thunder God Jutsu!" I instantly disappeared and reappeared all the way back to where Sakura, Sasuke, and an unconscious Naruto were. I picked up the kunai that I threw at Orochimaru when I first got there and said, "Heh. Now he'll have no idea how I escaped so quickly. I hope you like my present Orochimaru. I payed a lot of chakra for it."
I took this chance and grabbed Naruto who was unconscious and hanging on a branch nearby and jumped over to Sakura and a screaming Sasuke. I picked up Sasuke as well before turning to Sakura and said, "Follow me!"
"Mn." She nodded.
We quickly disappeared soon after. Orochimaru freed himself from the mud soon after I disappeared using the Flying Thunder God technique. He looked around only to find his two large snakes but with me nowhere in sight. "Hehehe. How interesting. Eh?" Orochimaru felt something amiss when suddenly the two snakes by his side started swelling in size. He instantly had a bad premonition and jumped back as far as he could. Not a moment later both snakes exploded with a huge BOOM resounding through the forest causing debris and snake matter to fly everywhere. The force of the blast pushed Orochimaru flying through the forest for a few tens of meters before he steadied himself.
He stared at the spot where his two large snake summons were before, he put on a sinister smile and chuckled lightly, "Hehehe, how interesting. The Shadow Clone Explosion Jutsu. And two at that. To think a kid would set up a trap like this for me. What an interesting egg." He licked his lips before silently disappearing.
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