Chapter 23: Reasons to Stay

Exhaustion was starting to get to him. When Naruto usually did a jutsu, a seemingly never-ending amount of energy just appeared and he would grin at the feeling. It was when he had to try to bring it back that he had troubles, like with making clones back in the Academy. Only apparently it wasn't quite as never-ending as he'd thought, pushing him past even what he'd felt when he was learning tree-climbing.

Not that he was about to complain about it. Sakura and Sasuke needed him, even if it meant getting chased by a giant snake. Even if it meant that his clones kept getting eaten. He kept thinking about what it felt like. Not good. Really, really not good. The inside of its mouth was slimy and the sensation of-

If Naruto never had to look at another snake again, it would be too soon.

The soles of his feet burned as he skid to a stop. Maybe it would have been a good idea to buy new shoes like Rin suggested, now that he thought about it. These ones were wearing out. Although he wasn't sure if it was because of running around the bunker or because he'd gone so many months without getting a new pair.

Better to think about that than the snake a couple dozen feet behind him. Its fangs were shining as the lights flickered around it but Naruto forced himself to stay put. Sakura had said they needed it to destroy as much of the bunker as possible or all this running around would be for nothing. Then again, they didn't have to watch themselves be eaten over and over again. They just had to weaken the supports in the walls, whatever that meant.

Oh, well.

They had some sort of plan.

They always did.

Naruto started down the hall to his left at the last possible second, continuously pushing back the panic. Ignoring the tremble as the snake collided with yet another wall was easier now, even if a couple of his clones were dismissed by flying pieces of debris.

Heh, if only he had the time to glance over his shoulder. Watching it try and get out would almost be worth it after running down seemingly random halls for so long. Only almost. Summoning clones was getting more and more difficult, the Kyuubi suspiciously silent in the back of his mind. At any other time, he would have been grateful. Right now, not so much.

Especially not when the collision wasn't the only sound he could hear. It had started earlier. Tiny cracks, a crumble that he could hardly hear over the sound of his own breath. Now it wasn't quite so silent. It couldn't be when Sakura and Sasuke seemed to have picked up on it as well, staring at the walls like they might just explode. This last one was louder than the rest, forcing Naruto to finally look back behind him.

Oh.

That was what was happening. The crackling grew louder, just in time for Naruto to see a piece of ceiling break away, dirt and rubble pouring down onto the snake.

"Ha! Take that, you-"

Naruto cut himself off as the snake pushed itself back up again. But it was dazed or something. Like when he needed to take a moment after getting hit in the head.

Exactly like after he got hit in the head. So, that was how destroying the bunked was supposed to kill it. Naruto really hadn't put too much thought into how much dirt was between them and the ground above but apparently it was a lot. More than enough to bury some giant snake alive. Maybe it wouldn't be quite as satisfying as driving a kunai into its heart but he guessed it made sense for Sakura to decide they do it this way instead.

For one, he'd already wasted his last kunai attempting to do just that. It really hadn't worked as well as he hoped, not even when he aimed for its eyes.

Most things have vulnerable eyes.

Naruto grimaced and made the quick decision to summon another clone. It would hold the snake's attention for a few moments and hopefully its wounds would do the rest.

If he didn't catch up to Sakura and Sasuke now, they might not even notice what was going on. Even now, Sakura was hesitating when she saw him running towards them, stopping Sasuke from continuing down the next hall. They probably thought he'd forgotten the plan. Whatever. His reasons for abandoning it were more important right now.

"It - the ceiling came down on top of it," Naruto said, his lungs burning as he caught up. "It's not dead but-"

They exchanged a look.

Then their gazes moved to somewhere over his shoulder.

That probably meant something was wrong. Or his clone was trying to get his attention, maybe warn him about the ceiling tiles falling around them. Neither option sounded good.

"How much longer is this going to take?"

"We don't know," Sasuke said, holding back a grimace.

Sakura nodded. "The ceiling should have come down by now. At least three quarters of the supports have been taken out, so it must be reinforced by something. Seals, maybe."

Naruto wasn't entirely certain what they thought was reinforced or how a seal would do that but he went with it. The snake had to be getting closer. Close enough that they were in danger. It wasn't like the snake was quiet, its scales grinding against the floor and walls.

Then it turned the corner, just when Naruto knew it would. It still looked a dazed like it had before Naruto had fled but now it was easier to see the deep gash above its left eye, blood spilling down and dripping to the floor. More than that, it didn't seem like it could focus in on them the way it had before. There must have been more than that, more that Naruto couldn't see behind the corner.

It lunged towards Naruto's clone first, swallowing it in a single bite. Naruto shivered as it disappeared.

That would never stop being weird.

Right.

They couldn't just stay here and let the snake come towards them, even if it was moving slower than before.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he shouted.

A measly two clones appeared in front of him.

They exchanged an awkward look, just as surprised as he was. Maybe if he - no, Naruto could already feel the drain of his chakra. Even worse than it had been back in Wave, when he fell asleep in that meadow. Only this time he couldn't take a quick nap to make himself feel better.

Stuff like this wasn't supposed to happen after yesterday. Naruto was almost entirely certain that having access to more chakra was part of the deal he made, that the Kyuubi was supposed to help him in situations like these. Preferably before he got eaten by the giant snake slowly picking up speed. It wasn't like the Kyuubi could be sleeping through this, was he? If he was, Naruto was going to figure out how to kick his ass all the way into next week, giant chakra monster or not.

Like someone could sleep through your noise, came an annoyed snap from the back of his mind. I just can't do anything.

"What?" Naruto shouted.

Ah.

That was awkward. Sakura and Sasuke couldn't have missed him shouting at thin air but he forced himself not to look at them. Focusing inwards was already difficult with the threat looming over their heads.

Your puny body can't handle more of my chakra right now.

"Like that matters!"

If you want to stay human, it does. Our deal won't mean anything if you're murdered by one of the men you call sensei and one day, I will demand my payment in full.

A growl touched the Kyuubi's words, solidifying how serious he was about all this. Naruto grimaced despite himself. The terrifying monster inside of him really couldn't be all that terrifying but there wasn't the time to argue. Or think about those future consequences.

Dragging those consequences out of the Kyuubi would even have to come another day. Hopefully, nothing would be able to keep him from fulfilling it either. At least, nothing short of losing his loved ones.

"We need to run," he said, as calmly as possible.

"What-"

Naruto turned on his heel and began towards the end of the hall, trusting that his teammates would believe in him. Just like he believed in them.

Without being told what to do, the clones barrelled backwards in a last ditch effort to slow down the snake. It was too close. Close enough that its breath was almost warm on the back of his neck. Close enough that the floor felt like it was shifting underneath his feet, the cracking in the walls growing louder and louder.

No time to help break the supports, like Sakura and Sasuke had been doing before. Not that it was needed. Naruto nearly slid into Sasuke as they turned the corner, Sakura only inches in front of them but the snake wasn't so lucky. It collided with the edge of the wall, barely brushing off the damage, driven only by their scent on its tongue. Clones wouldn't work anymore, not anymore than the last two had.

And then it started.

Physical cracks to match the sound, splintering throughout the walls like lightning. His legs burned. They needed to move faster, go faster, get out of danger.

Then came the sound of dirt dropping into a flowerpot, innocent enough that Naruto almost didn't notice beside the grinding of stone. But it grew and grew, the snake slowing even as it lunged towards them. Bigger pieces of ceiling started to fall, the dust making him close his eyes and-

Naruto crashed into the wall, noticing it only once he couldn't stop himself. Couldn't even slow himself down and he was tensing, waiting for fangs to come down around his head.

They didn't.

His chest heaved with each breath. His face was burning, blood dripping from his nose as he turned and collapsed to his knees.

The snake was dead.

Its open mouth was only a handful of feet away but it was still dead, crushed underneath the weight of dirt and stone alike. Bits of light shone through the rubble above it, a jarring reminder that it was still early afternoon. Dead, Naruto repeated to himself as he let his head fall back against the wall.

"That was anti-climatic," Sakura said to herself, "The reinforcements - they must have stopped the ceiling from-"

"Yeah," Sasuke huffed out.

Great.

Amazing, even.

A grin spread across Naruto's face as laughter burst from him, loud and bright and slightly hysterical. Of course he hadn't doubted that they would make it. Not even for a moment.

But he put an arm over each of their shoulders and pulled them inwards anyways, their heads awkwardly clunking together. Sakura gave in first, her laugh light and breathy as she shifted her head onto his shoulder. It didn't take much more for Sasuke to relax either, content. This was how things were supposed to be between them. Not the arguing or getting angry about training, even if Naruto wasn't about to stop anytime soon. That was just who they were.

And they were Team Seven.

Orochimaru stilled at the silence.

That could only mean one thing. His summon should have been able to deal with any internal enemies without pause, splitting his own effort into two by tracking down the Uchiha boy. It was one of his strongest as well. Most jounin would have had troubles getting past its defenses.

More surprising was that it had happened so soon. Orochimaru was under no illusions as to Konoha's strength and he no longer held the upper hand. But backup had yet to arrive, according his estimations, and all the chunin and jounin guarding this bunker laid at the front entrance, either dead or incapacitated. Mostly dead, if he thought about it. There had been one group of genin who thought themselves strong enough to take him on, all unconscious. They would wake to a broken village and a drive to prove themselves. Even with such determination directed at himself, it would prove interesting.

Maybe one of them would prove to be his downfall. Maybe they would sneak into one of his compounds in five or six years from now, outraged by the loss of a loved one and determined to kill him.

It might even work for a time.

But right now, the bunker had been almost entirely cleared out. Nobody above genin rank had failed to confront him, outside of the few who managed to go for reinforcements and evacuations. Which already raised interesting questions as to who had killed his summon.

Laughter echoed through the hall, drowning out the sound of his soft footsteps. Sasuke and his two teammates then, if only because Orochimaru could still feel the pulse of the Kyuubi's chakra from that very direction. He was so close that he could feel it in his bones, only the length of a couple hallways separating him from his goal.

That Sasuke defeated his summon only supported this line of action, really. His potential was greater than what Orochimaru had estimated it to be and he could only now start to imagine how much more strength was hidden beneath Konoha's prejudice, beneath the village's insistence at holding people back. All of those mistakes personified in a single being. Once Orochimaru took control of his body, they would become both an insult to this village and inconsequential.

"Sasuke-kun?"

The voice was faint but recognizable. The girl, just another turn around the corner.

Even like this, with the weight of chakra deprivation and the throb of the hand-shaped wound on his side, three genin would be simple to take down. They might not have taken down a dozen jounin but the fight had to have drained them.

"There's something wrong," the Uchiha said.

"Again?"

That whine must be the Kyuubi brat. Another person Orochimaru would have to keep an eye on, even after he guided Sasuke away from this place. Strength could be found in unexpected places but this would be unexpected by no means. He had dealt with jinchuuriki before, had faced their monstrous chakra and their ability to tear the world to bits.

He had witnessed the damage the Kyuubi did to Konoha, drive by - something. Its motives had never been closely examined before.

Then there was the matter of Kushina and Minato.

"Yes, again," Sasuke snapped. "I think it's the person who summoned this thing."

"You mean-"

All three of them fell silent.

His own chakra radiated out from him in waves, thick and pressing. It seemed they weren't as oblivious to their surrounding as he believed they would be. Perhaps that would be to his disadvantage now but Orochimaru always preferred to look at the benefits of the long term.

There wasn't enough of his chakra left to use more than one jutsu, however. That would have to be fine. He only needed the one. The Heaven Seal, specifically, and then he would rely on his taijutsu to allow him to leave.

To leave Sasuke cowering in his own weakness, in the amplification of his fears. He likely wouldn't notice it at first but within weeks, he would begin to doubt himself. He would begin to feel the sting of defeat and little would manage to soothe it outside of the search for more. These seals were greedy things, seeking more and more until there was nothing left to give. Stronger emotions only appeared to fuel the process.

Uchiha felt far more deeply than they were given credit for.

Orochimaru turned the corner and satisfaction curled in the pit of his stomach.

This was this generation's Team Seven, on the ground and mere feet away from his summon. Two of them were destined to grow up as powerhouses on the battlefield, monsters in everything but name. Then the girl was meant to be a calming influence, to remind them of their own humanity. Maybe with this, Sarutobi would see everything that was wrong with this particular tradition.

Uzumaki Naruto - the name came with a tinge of bitterness, even now - pulled himself to his feet, determination in those blue eyes. Colouring like that could have only come from one person, making it impossible not to associate him with his father, even years after the fact.

But then his legs gave out from underneath him.

"Naruto-kun," the Haruno girl whispered.

The answering scowl was a sight to behold, one that Orochimaru would feel no guilt in considering more carefully. Determination like that, that unwillingness to lose was Kushina through and through.

"What weak teammates you have, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru said lowly. "Though it appears that you are not so different from them."

Sasuke's reaction was immediate.

Not obvious, which was what Orochimaru had expected, but certainly instant. A hardening of his features that spoke of a deep anger, all directed inwards as if he had just poked a still-bleeding wound. Interesting. Something else must have happened during the exam, something to preemptively remind Sasuke of his own lack of strength.

Certainly of his inability to kill Itachi. It would have been preferable to know what that something was but not necessary.

An extra nudge hurt absolutely no one.

Even more amusing was Uzumaki's rage. Knowing what part of what Orochimaru had said had angered him would be helpful but this was not the time for it. It wasn't the time for much of anything other than goading Sasuke and applying the seal. Letting him know his options extended beyond the borders of Konoha was, naturally, included in that.

Orochimaru let a smirk slip. Everything was finally coming together, obvious slips in his plan or not. "You could change that. This village breeds weakness where others breed strength. It is up to you whether you wish to choose strength."

Sasuke's hand was reading for his kunai pouch.

Of course it was. This would not be so enjoyable if Sasuke was incapable of fighting back, even if all three of them were under the weight of his chakra. Under far more killing intent than any other genin their age had encountered, given how sheltered Konoha kept their lowest ranks.

But the girl shifted first. She drew his attention to the corner of his eye, a steady strength in her gaze as she charged towards him with nothing more than a kunai in hand. Orochimaru stepped around her without thought. Yet, the blade managed to catch the corner of his sleeve before he brought his elbow down into the middle of her back, sending her to the ground.

No need to kill her when that would only drive Sasuke away.

"Weak, you-"

"We aren't weak!"

"Naruto, shut up," Sasuke snapped.

"But we aren't! And neither is the village. Our friends are what make us strong and you know that, teme." Naruto brought himself back up to his feet, legs wavering underneath him but not giving out now. "Like - like when we fought Gaara. You think we would have lasted against him for as long as we did if we were alone? Or Rin! You remember what he was like when he first came to the village, don't you?"

Sasuke's hesitation would have been clear even if Orochimaru hadn't been watching for it. Something about Naruto's words was making him question.

Interesting.

Perhaps he had underestimated the other two thirds of Team Seven. In his own iteration of the tradition, Tsunade had been the only one truly capable of stopping him from crossing lines he didn't truly comprehend. It had been a long time since he had allowed himself to truly think of her. To consider the effect she used to have on his life.

Maybe these children could-

But no, Orochimaru only had enough chakra for one seal, no matter how appealing this new line of consideration was. Yet, he was unable to stop considering it. Unable to disregard the potential benefits of turning all three of them towards Oto, instead of just Sasuke. Of the blow that would strike against Sarutobi. Even in pure logic of strength, they would be capable of tearing down any enemy put in front of them in a matter of years.

It was almost enough to put off taking control of Sasuke's body for a few years. A decade, even. Not just because of the point it would make. But also because their individual growth would be fascinating to track.

If only there were time.

Orochimaru lunged forwards, neck extending as chakra gathered in his teeth. There would only be one clear shot at this. Hatake Kakashi was a formidable opponent in his own right and he was headed in this direction, likely desperate to save his genin team.

He connected. Just enough to latch onto Sasuke's neck. Just enough to register the sharp burn of metal lodged in his thigh. Just enough to transfer the seal, the pain it caused making Sasuke rear back instantly. Regardless of how this turned out, the Uchiha would live the rest of his life branded.

The world blurred, a growl low in his ear.

Of course.

Uzumaki didn't stand idly by as their loved ones were attacked. Especially not when they also happened to be a jinchuuriki, insidious chakra flaring to life once more. Orochimaru gathered himself, limbs aching as his neck snapped back into place.

It was already too late. The exit had been closed off by the death of his summon, All he could do was expect it when a hand came down on his shoulder, the heavy scent of lightning nearly catching flame to the air itself.

"There's no need for that, Naruto-kun," came the low drawl.

And like that, the Kyuubi's chakra vanished.

"Kakashi-sensei! We have to-"

"I know."

Orochimaru kept his head high, overly aware of Hatake's presence. His goal had been to avoid being brought into custody but he could still work with it, turn it to his advantage before the situation began to de-escalate. This would not be simple by any stretch of the word. Not for him or anyone else.