Naruto : Venom

Once there the tiny spider bobs in victory. I turn to Sasuke. ”Trick question. You’re not drinking tea, you’re drinking coffee.”

”I am impressed. I never considered using summons that way. How do you convey more complex concepts? For instance if you were to ask about someone’s location.” Sasuke asks while sipping on his identified coffee.

...

”I am impressed. I never considered using summons that way. How do you convey more complex concepts? For instance if you were to ask about someone’s location.” Sasuke asks while sipping on his identified coffee.

I scoop the spider up and return it to its web. While I’m doing that I reply. ”I’ll probably have to summon a spider to translate, or if I have a detailed map ready it could just stand on the correct spot. That is assuming the spider in question knows how a map works.”

”So you can’t ask them about Itachi’s location? Or even what he has been doing?” Sasuke asks with a hint of desperation in his voice.

”Maybe. I figure I can give standing orders of sorts to the spiders in this world. If I ask them to tell me if they see someone fitting your brothers description I could probably get some basic info about him, or at least narrow down where he is likely to be. I promise nothing, the odds of anything happening soon are very small. It would take time to build up a spy network vast enough to be effective.”

That is a great idea. I could be a one man spy network. I wasn’t lying when I said spiders are everywhere, I bet there is at least one in every Kage’s office. If not I could ask one to go there for me. I have the potential to be one of the most powerful people in the information business from my summons alone.

Sasuke leans towards me and the spider in the corner. It hasn’t crawled off my hand yet, it is climbing around my fingers. He’s very interested in my summons now. ”Could you? How long would it take?”

”How would I possibly know how long it would take? I haven’t even asked if they can do it yet! Years, at the minimum.” The tiny spider repels down from my hand, it has had enough fun with me for now. It scuttles back to its web. ”I might have to ask Arachne if something like that is possible.” Sasuke has a bewildered look on his face. ”She’s the equivalent to Manda.”

”Ah. The boss summon for the Spiders.” Sasuke clarifies.

Is she the boss summon? Arachne never told me who the boss summon was it might not be her. ”I don’t know if that is true. She introduced herself as Mother of the Spiders, so it might not be her. I’ll have to ask next time I visit.”

”Visit?” Sasuke sounds revolted. ”You want to visit a world full of spiders? Are you crazy?”

An evil thought occurs to me, one that I never considered. ”Sasuke, are you afraid of spiders?”

”Me? Afraid of spiders? Please, I don’t have a problem with spiders.” He’s not lying. How unfortunate I could have had so much fun with my summons at Sasuke’s expense. ”What I do have a problem with is being in a world where there are only spiders.” He shivers. ”How can you want to visit that?”

I shrug. ”I’m pretty sure that signing the contract skewed my perception of spiders a lot. Before I became the Spider Summoner I would never want to visit the Nest, yet now I find myself looking forward to seeing it again. Did the Snakes influence you at all?”

”I don’t think so.” He pauses and thinks for a moment. ”Now that you bring it up, I have been seeking out warm things more than usual. Like this coffee for instance.”

I nod my head sagely. ”Snakes are coldblooded. They seek out warmth naturally. Maybe you’ve picked up that trait.”

Sasuke shrugs in response. ”It is better than changing my entire view on a species.”

I agree with him, my change is severe. It does make sense to have this be a part of the contract, this way it helps insure I will treat spiders with respect and care. I don’t see them as a pest anymore.

I throw myself back onto the bed I vacated earlier. It is still a little warm from my body heat. I snuggle in deep. ”So, are we done training today?”

”Yeah. Orochimaru called it quits after I signed the Snake Contract. He told me to practice summoning the smaller snakes first and I did that for an hour or two. Then we came here and relaxed and you showed up.” Sasuke says over his coffee.

”Good.” I gather more of the blankets around me. ”Because I’m not moving from here until tomorrow.”

Sasuke chuckles at me. ”You have issues.”

...

”Oi. I’m supposed to get you back to your room.” A female voice says from above me, bringing me out of blissful unconsciousness. ”Don’t make me get my bucket.”

I crack open an eye and peer at the speaker. It’s Tayuya. Why is it always Tayuya? ”Why? I can sleep here. I was doing a wonderful job of it too. Then you showed up.”

”Cleaners are coming in.” Is her brisk reply.

I sigh, that is a valid excuse. ”Fine.” I escape from the blanket cocoon I made around myself. ”I’ll learn where things are around here eventually then I won’t need the escort.”

Tayuya laughs. ”You’ll have an escort until you prove your loyalty to Orochimaru. Better get used to it, it took me the better part of a year to be trusted and I didn’t tell him that I’d pick someone else over him.”

I sigh in exasperation. ”Fair enough. Lead the way, oh great trusted one.” I gallantly bow to Tayuya. She walks out the door and into the hallway. I hurriedly follow after her.

”That’s better!” She arrogantly says. ”You look good when you know your place, bowing down to me. I wonder if I can train you? Sit, stay, roll over, play dead, go on a bloody killing spree, you know the usual.”

I roll my eyes. ”Sweetie, we both know I can beat you in a fight.”

”How would you know?” She aggressively rounds on me and pokes me in the chest with a finger. ”You’ve barely seen any of my skills.” Poke. ”You have no idea how I fight.” Poke. ”I’d wipe the floor with you.”

I catch her finger before it can poke me again. She tries to tug her hand away but I don’t let her escape my grip. ”You haven’t seen me go all out either. You haven’t seen all of my skills. You don’t know how many different styles of combat I can switch between at the drop of a kunai. You don’t know me. I could be a crazy lunatic that gets off on torturing others.” I release her hand. She yanks it back to her side the moment I do.

Tayuya snorts at my last words. ”You’re too soft for torture. I’ve seen how you interact with others. The viciousness and malice aren’t there in you.”

I grin deviously. ”Haven’t you heard the tales of the Heart Thief? How he ripped open the chest of a Suna nin and destroyed every organ he had in unique horrifying ways? How he didn’t stop even when the Suna nin died? How he took the heart for himself?”

Tayuya rolls her eyes. ”Orochimaru made sure to tell us himself after the invasion. He made sure we knew to not engage the Heart Thief, that we would probably die if we did. What does he have to do with anything? We’re talking about you.”

”We are.” I smirk and wait for Tayuya to figure it out.

Comprehension dawns on her face. ”You’re the Heart Thief?” I graciously nod. ”I don’t believe it, you’re too soft. Too nice. Too innocent.”

”Tayuya, I literally have the hearts of my fallen enemies beating in my back.” She cringes at that revelation. ”How could I possibly be innocent?”

We walk the rest of the way in silence. Tayuya walks me right up to my designated room and lingers outside of it. I walk right in and plop down on the bed. It isn’t as comfortable as my previous sleeping spot. I’ll have to switch them sometime.

”Alvarcus?” I look up at Tayuya. She looks timid. I’ve never seen her without an air of confidence around her. She’s standing uncertainly in the doorway, she wants to both leave and stay at the same time. ”What did the Suna nin do? I don’t want to believe you would do that to anyone. He must have done something. Something so extreme, so unforgivable that it pushed you over the edge.”

I stare straight into her eyes for a long time. She doesn’t back down, she stares right back at me. If anything my aggressive stare down has strengthened her resolve. ”He killed all of my family right in front of me. I watched him butcher them like animals. I hope he is burning in hell for what he did to me. And when I get down there, I’ll drag him to the lowest pit and break his legs so he can’t climb back out.”

Tayuya nods her head in satisfaction. ”I know you are a good person.” Those are her parting words. No I’m sorry for your loss, no are you okay. She just walks away. It is strangely refreshing to not be doted on like I’m emotionally compromised.

I’m alone in my room. I slowly go through the hand sings for the summoning jutsu.

POOF

Once the smoke clears I can see a white spider the size of a small dog. ”Hey I know you! You were the one who sat on my head!” I say while pointing at it.

The spider bobs in excitement. ”You recognize me? The Summoner knows me on sight?”

”Enough of that now.” I cut in before it can go on a rant. I don’t have the time for that. ”None of this Summoner nonsense. My name is Alvarcus, all the Spiders are free to use it.” The white spider takes a step back in shock. Okay, it is more of a scuttle than a step.

”I would be honored. My name is Shirokumo.” Shirokumo bows. I think that was the spider equivalent of a bow, it lowered its head and raised its abdomen.

”Shirokumo, are you male or female? I keep referring to you as an ’it’ in my head and that is incredibly rude.” I ask politely. Or impolitely depending on how you look at it.

”I am male.” He tells me. ”You’ll learn the different characteristics between males and females eventually.”

Glad I could clear that up. ”Shirokumo, I have a task for you. I don’t know if you can do it so I’m going to outline what I want done.” He bobs in agreement. ”I need to get in touch with someone far away. If I tell you who it is, could you get a letter to them for me?”

Shirokumo thinks for a moment. ”It depends on who it is. If you know their general area that would help significantly. I can get reverse summoned to where ever another spider is, regardless of realms. It is one of my talents, not every spider can do that. Who did you want the letter to go to?”

I take a deep breath. This is the entire point of me getting summons to begin with. ”Tsunade Senju. The current Hokage of Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.”

”I can do that.” Shirokumo assures me. ”Do you have the letter? I can take it now.”

”I don’t have it ready. I didn’t expect it to go this smoothly. Can you wait a few minutes while I write it?” I ask.

Shirokumo climbs up my body and rests on my head. ”Only if I can stay here while you do it.”

”I can live with that.” I walk to the desk and pull out paper and pen.

...

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