章 125: Chapter 125

It's almost nightfall, Anko jumped through the trees as she searched for Orochimaru. She had been searching for at least two or three hours now and was starting to get both desperate and angry. Desperate at the thought of finally facing him and killing him, and angry that she had yet to find even a trace of the slippery snake. I'll have to find him quickly; once it gets dark I'll be at a complete disadvantage.

She landed on a branch and looked around, trying to determine where to head next.

"Ku ku ku," Anko turned at the sound of the voice and saw Orochimaru sticking into a tree, "Well hello Anko-chan, how pleasant to see you."

"Orochimaru, you sick fuck. Today's the day you die," Anko spun around and jumped back as she pulled out several kunai to toss. The Snake Sannin's tongue shot out before she could throw them, smacking them out of her hand.

Anko landed on a tree branch and looked up to see Orochimaru descending towards her. She jumped back and thrust out her hands.

"Sen'eijashu!" Several snakes shot out of her hands and latched onto Orochimaru. However, as they sunk their venomous fangs into the Sannin he turned into mud. "Shit! Tsuchi Bunshin!"

She spun around just in time to intercept her former sensei's tongue, which she noticed with some surprise looked like a part of it had been cut off. She grabbed it with both hands as a snake shot out of her sleeves and wrapped themselves around the tongue, tightening her hold.

"You're not getting away!" she yanked on the tongue, throwing the surprised looking Snake Sannin over her. He landed on the ground with a thud, and Anko used that opportunity to jump on him and ram a knee in his gut.

Once again Orochimaru turned into mud, and this time, Anko was not fast enough as several snakes wrapped around her and smashed her into a tree. Anko didn't even have time to gasp as Orochimaru appeared right in front of her and jammed a kunai into her right hand and pinned it against the trunk.

"Ack!" Anko grunted as her hand gave a spasm from the nerves being damaged.

"Tsk tsk tsk Anko-chan, you should know better. You know you have no chance against me," Orochimaru chided her, much like he had when she was his student.

Anko grunted as she yanked the kunai out, "Fuck! You!" she threw it at Orochimaru who merely caught it between his fingers, twirling it around before tossing it back at her and cutting her cheek.

Before Anko could respond Orochimaru slammed her into the tree and lifted her up by the neck. "Such anger, are you not happy to see your sensei? You know that hurts my feelings Anko-chan, to know my favorite student hates me breaks my heart."

"You…don't have…a heart!" Anko gasped as she struggled to breathe. She tried to stab him with a kunai but Orochimaru used the Kanashibiri No Jutsu (Paralysis Jutsu) to paralyze her.

"You wound me Anko-chan," Orochimaru chided, wagging a finger at her.

"Why are you…here?" Anko grit her teeth, "Are you trying to…assassinate Hokage-sama!"

"No, no I don't have enough men for that yet," Orochimaru smirked, "So I thought I'd recruit some outstanding shinobi from this village."

"Ugh…" Anko tried to scream as she felt her cursed seal flare up.

"I have to admit I've received quite the bountiful harvest today," The Snake Sannin licked his lips. "I came here for one particularly talented Genin, and I ended up getting two. Both of them have received my…gift."

"How selfish of you…they're going to die," Anko gasped.

"Hmm…the chances are 1/10, however one may survive and the other is guaranteed to survive."

If Anko could have stiffened she would have, "Wh…who have you given your curse to?"

"Feeling jealous are we?" Orochimaru chuckled. "Are you still upset that I threw you away? Even after all these years…unlike you, both of these shinobi are quite talented. One of them is the kid who carries the Uchiha blood after all…and the other." Orochimaru licked his lips. "The other is the Jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi No Kitsune."

Anko paled for a second before she snarled at him, "If you even touch him, I swear to Kami I'll fucking kill you!"

"Ku ku ku, so you two are quite close after all. You know when I spoke of you, he said the same thing." Orochimaru gave a soft chortle, "I didn't realize you were into cradle robbing Anko-chan. Though from what I've heard about your… sexual habits I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

Anko could do nothing but listen on helplessly as her former sensei demeaned her relationship with Naruto. Truthfully she did not quite know what she felt for the younger blond, but she knew she would give her life for him. To listen to her sensei speak of their relationship, something Anko had started holding close to her heart was more then she could bear.

"Just imagine it!" Orochimaru smirked, "With that boy under my control, and Sasuke-kun's Sharingan, Konoha will most surely fall."

"Naruto would never… follow you!" If there was anything Anko was sure of it was that. Somehow despite all the pain he went through, Naruto still loved Konoha, or at the very least several of the people in it, he would never betray it or them.

"Oh I don't know about that. We all know how Jinchuuriki are treated. I will be the one to take away his pain and grant him the power to get revenge on the village that wronged him. Just think! It will be glorious to have him under my control!"

Orochimaru let go of Anko, letting her drop to the floor. "Anyway, I have three ninja of my own participating in this exam. I think I will go and enjoy the coming show." The S-ranked criminal sunk into the floor, yet his final words echoed around Anko. "Oh and be sure not to let Sarutobi-sensei ruin my fun, or I'll burn Konoha to the ground."

Anko was forced to lay there for several more minutes until she could move again. Getting up she made her way to the tower.

Sakura looked at her two teammates in worry as she changed their now hot rags with newer ones. She knew she was in trouble. Both of her teammates were unconscious and there was no telling when an enemy shinobi would show up in this place. She had managed to drag her two teammates to a large hollowed out tree, where she had set them in order to give them some kind of cover, but it would be obvious they were there to anyone who looked.