Naruto : Venom

AN :

The next 3 chapters will goes back in time to the start of last two Arcs , right when the trio (now duo) leave Sound for Grass. I felt like throwing in Orochimaru in the previous Arc so this should provide some back story as to how he got there and why, since to me it feels kind of forced and random with him just popping up out of the blue.

Oh, and it’s also third person focusing on Orochimaru, so this should be a unique insight to his brand of crazy. Plus he’s a hell of a lot of fun to write. Really messed up, but a lot of fun.

...

”Alvarcus, Sasuke.” Orochimaru’s blandly says to his two pupils, they seemed to be too relaxed. It’s for the best he brings them back to reality. ”Remember, I expect a show. I want you to leave a lasting impression on the spectators, display the power of Sound.”

”Yes, Orochimaru-sama.” Sasuke and Alvarcus chant in unison. They share a quick look between the two of them. They’re like adorable puppies, puppies that Orochimaru himself is training to go on a bloody rampage at his command.

”All in favor of never speaking at the same time again?” Alvarcus casually asks. ”I.”

”I.” Sasuke responds. ”That was just eerie.”

”Glad we came to a consensus.”

’What goes on in that wonderful head of his?’ Orochimaru thinks to himself. ’He’s been distant with me lately, ever since his return from Kusa. Was sending him there a mistake? He’s more than combat ready, it’s like they’ve both said before. No one there will be able to stand up to them. Except perhaps Gaara.’

Orochimaru’s eyes dart over to Sasuke. ’Can’t let that one get damaged. Thankfully my child will look after him for me, he is very protective of him. Even if he doesn’t know it, he’s suiting my needs very well. Maybe I will go after all, just in case. It will be marvelous to see Alvarcus in action against opponents closer to his level.’

”Not to add any pressure to the two of you,” Orochimaru cuts off the rest of his pupil’s conversation, ”but I might be in the crowd. After all, I do like seeing the fruits of my labor. Do not disappoint me.”

”Can we leave now?” Alvarcus whines. ”This is going to suck. Tayuya, in her infinite wisdom, decided to wait until the day before the Tournament to leave. Now I have to carry her sorry ass or we won’t make it in time!”

’How amusing, it would seem that Tayuya is taking to her mission well. And Alvarcus is blindly accepting her affections, exactly like how I planned.’

”Yes.” Orochimaru generously allows. ”I expect no distractions, focus on the task ahead.”

The three of them walk outside into the blazing sun.

Orochimaru stands there for another moment, watching the rapidly shrinking form of his child with glee. ”He’s growing up so fast.”

”Yes, he has made astonishing progress in the short time we’ve had him.” Kabuto strolls out of his hiding place in the shadows. He’s never far from his master. ”He’s almost progressing as quickly as I did.”

”Nonsense!” Orochimaru animatedly says as he’s looking off to the horizon in the direction that Alvarcus and company left. ”He’s advancing much faster than you ever did and will one day be stronger than you. One day soon.”

Unknown to the great Snake Sannin, Kabuto clenches his fists in anger. He’s wondering why Orochimaru doesn’t see him as the prized pupil anymore, why after one meeting has his master abandoned him for this Alvarcus? Kabuto has always been by his side, always eager to please and to help further Orochimaru’s goals.

But all of that changed that one fateful Chunin Exams. He’s been replaced in his masters eyes, no longer is he first. Now he’s second, maybe even third, and he does not like it. No, he hates it.

He may have told his master that he killed off Alvarcus’s parents to further his goal of acquiring the brat, but deep down he knows that is only part of the reason. Even then, it’s a small sliver of his true motives.

He wanted to cause Alvarcus pain for so carelessly and casually replacing him. He wanted him to suffer, to feel agony, to watch as his parents abandoned him. Just as how Orochimaru has abandoned Kabuto. Killing off his teammate was just a crime of passion, how could he resist such temptation? Besides, it isn’t like she would have amounted to anything. A pink haired girl playing at being a kunoichi, how pathetic. He did the world a favor.

”If you say so, Orochimaru-sama.” Kabuto respectfully replies, forcing his hate down. He can’t let his master know how much he loathes his child, that would be foolish to the extreme. Maybe even deadly.

Orochimaru doesn’t reply, instead he turns on a heel and slinks back into his hidden base. He has research to work on after all, it’s possible natural chakra is the key to fixing his arms. He’s been trying to harness it for months, ever since he lost the use of his limbs. Tsunade was right when she said that the Death God, the Shinigami, broke them beyond normal means. Yet natural chakra is made of life, one could even argue that it’s life itself in its simplest form since everything gives off natural chakra just by existing.

Is that why people age? Are they born with a set amount of natural chakra, and as that is expelled into the world the body grows feeble and frail?

These are the kinds of questions that keep Orochimaru up at night, these are the things that drive him to experiment, to find out answers by any means necessary!

...

Later That Day, Six Hours After Alvarcus Left

Two Hours After the Root Slaughter

”AHHH!” Orochimaru is standing over a pale skinned man who is strapped down to a cold hard table. His skin is peeled back off his chest, exposing his internal organs to the world. But something is off about a few of them, they no longer resemble soft tissue. They are hard and unforgiving, they’ve been turned to stone. ”Please stop! I’ll do anything! Just stop!”

”I wonder if Alvarcus has arrived yet?” Orochimaru distractedly says to himself as he lowers another seal onto his experiment’s liver. Even if Orochimaru had full use of his arms he couldn’t harness natural chakra himself. His twisting and perversion of his soul has barred him from ever using it. Instead he has to use a seal to channel natural chakra into a targeted source, in this case whatever it is placed on.

”I don’t know! Let me go and I’ll find out for you! I promise! Plea- AAAHHHHHH!” A piercing scream echoes in the laboratory.

”There’s no way he’s there yet. Factoring in the maximum speeds that both he and Sasuke can travel, even if Alvarcus is carrying Tayuya, they shouldn’t arrive for another two hours at the least.” Orochimaru gets lost in thought, wondering how his child is fairing without him.

The laboratory goes eerily quiet, the screams of his experiment have stopped abruptly.

”How unfortunate.” Orochimaru gazes down at the now completely stone corpse. ”I didn’t take the seal off.” He glances off to one of the corners of the room where four other statues are immortalized in varying degrees of agony. ”Again.”

”That makes five.” Kabuto idly says as he furiously scribbles something down on a clipboard. Even if his master got distracted -again- he dutifully took notes for him. There’s no point in being wasteful with test subjects after all. It’s fascinating to see a complete transition from flesh to stone even if that wasn’t the overall goal. ”Perhaps we should take a break? Forgive me for saying so, Orochimaru-sama, but you’ve been distracted. Your mind is clearly elsewhere, and we’re losing valuable test subjects.”

Orochimaru lets a small sigh escape his lips. ”You’re correct Kabuto, I am distracted and it’s affecting my work. It’s just... I went to all that work to train Alvarcus up and I don’t even get to see it. He could be doing something amazing, using a new move that I’ve never seen before or-” Orochimaru grins sadistically, ”-finally accepting his fate.”

”Accepting his fate?” Kabuto gently probes while still writing at breakneck speeds.

”Of course!” Orochimaru eagerly abandons the stone corpse on the table to face Kabuto. And why wouldn’t he, this is his child he’s talking about. ”He is destined to be mine, to be by my side. To help me further my goals, and for me to nurture into one of the most deadly forces on this planet. I was not joking when I said he is Kage material, I plan to mold him into the perfect son and he will rule Sound in my place! I have much more important things to focus on than running a village. There’s so many jutsu to learn, so many bloodlines to study!”

Orochimaru is excitedly pacing back and forth before Kabuto.

”I simply can’t do it all in one lifetime! See that’s why he’s perfect! Both of us are capable of extending our lifespans, me through my Living Corpse Reincarnation and him through the Jiongu! Once he becomes strong enough no one will be able to stand against us both and we can do as we please! I can finally focus entirely on my life’s work!”

Orochimaru gleefully clasps both his hands together.

”It will be soon. Very soon, I can feel it. Only a few years away at the most. Did you know that he’s officially in the Bingo Books now?” Orochimaru brags to Kabuto.

”No I did not.” Kabuto forces out an interested reply. ”What is his rank?”

”In Konoha’s it is B-rank.”

”Really?” Genuinely curious this time, Kabuto leans forward in anticipation. ”B-rank? Isn’t that a little high for someone so young?”

”You’ve seen him fight. You’ve seen how resourceful he is, how cunning. Even while training against me he’s only truly brought out his full strength once.” Orochimaru smiles fondly as he remembers that day, the day that Alvarcus truly proved worthy of being his child. Simply wonderful.

”You sound... pleased by that.” Kabuto says from off to the side.

”Of course I am pleased! It isn’t every day you get your first Bingo Book page, and he’s already considered B-rank! It’s marvelous! And that’s based off of Konoha’s knowledge of him before I started to train him. Imagine how far my son had advanced since then!”

Orochimaru freezes in place with wide eyes, like he just realized something important. Something life changing.

”Orochimaru-sama?” Kabuto asks in concern he’s never seen his master lock up like this.

”My son.” Orochimaru quietly says. ”He’s my son, yet I’m here. He’s going through the Chunin Exams, a pivotal turning point for any shinobi career and his father isn’t there to see it!”

Orochimaru explodes in pure speed, even Kabuto didn’t see him move. One moment he was frozen in shock, the next he’s over by the wall with the intercom system.

”Remaining Sound Four members, prepare for a four day trip then meet me at the front gates. You have five minutes. MOVE!” Orochimaru whirls around and practically sprints out of the laboratory, most likely to pack for himself.

Kabuto is left standing in the lab with his jaw on the floor. ”I... guess I’ll clean this up?”

...

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