"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much"

The next morning came before the younger ninja were prepared for it to. Naruto whined when his teacher came in to drag their tired forms out of bed. Out of all their challenges so far Kakashi swore getting the genin to wake up was proving the hardest. Orochimaru was the exception as he seemingly always was, Sasuke also put up a fairly small fight with Sakura getting up when he did. Naruto however was not budging until the group decided to leave without him. He unhappily moved down the hall with a large obvious pout on his face. If he had a choice he would certainly not have been awake when the sun was not yet up itself. They checked out of their inn and left the village with mostly bitter memories behind. Sasuke dismissed Orochimaru entirely, he would not meet eyes with the boy and if he spared him a glance it was one of little tolerance and a great deal of hatred. If he spoke about the boy he would use the word snake instead of his name. Even when he spoke to him he added the negative adjective. The Sannin didn't indulge him in his feelings, he had already upset the copy ninja once and he didn't feel up to dealing with that again. Naruto had a look of genuine regret, he walked beside the Sannin as he was not getting a very warm response from the other two genin he had sided with the night prior.

Orochimaru did not object to his company but he no longer allowed himself to be as polite to the blond. He had seen where they all stood, and if it was with a significant distance he would surely reciprocate their rather cold sentiment. His long hair was once again tied behind him as it danced in the early rising sunlight, his pale skin reflected enchantingly catching the copy ninja's attention as they walked. He sighed, he certainly had wished he had handled matters better the night before their mission. The event was fresh on everyone's mind and the story played out differently in each pair of eyes. They arrived at their post a few minutes before their clients did. The males were rather clinical and formal. None of the genin took a liking to their attitudes of disdain. Kakashi handled all the talking, he informed both his genin and the clients what would be happening on their journey. Seeing as there was an awkward tension between everyone, the white haired Jonin decided he would split the group up in a way they generally did not assemble. He positioned Sakura and Orochimaru at the front of the carriage, he would walk beside it, and then Naruto and Sasuke would watch from the back. It was Kakashi's hope that splitting Sakura and Sasuke would mean the Uchiha did not have a constant vote on his side in everything.
"Good luck with Naruto," Sakura said to Sasuke in a joking manner, knowing he was rather opposite to the high energy blond. Sasuke passed her a casual look before removing his eyes and placing them more coldly on to the Sannin.

"Good luck with the snake," he said.

After that the team didn't complain accepting their teachers word as a tactical move rather than one based on their poor performance so far. Orochimaru kept his eyes on the road but he kept his senses sharp, the girl was glancing behind her most of the journey to see what her favoured team mate was doing but eventually she grew tired of trying to look past the bobbing horse heads.

"What village did you come from?" she finally asked earning the boys attention.

"The Hidden village of Sound," Orochimaru said honestly, she did not seem to know where that was, the village only recently appearing on the maps after the Sannin himself took it over. She nodded as she thought about it, looking much like the horse pulling behind her with its bouncy movements. "Were you born in Konoha?" he asked.

"Yes, I live with my mom and dad who were also born there," Sakura said cheerfully, her long pink hair moved bulkily with her stride. "Do you have any parents left?"

"No, they died," Orochimaru said, it was only once he had said it that he realized his lie contradicted his actual past. He was hoping it would not come up, if he changed his story he would draw attention to the otherwise trivial fact.

"Did you also lose them in the war? Most orphans lost their parents to the nine tails," Sakura admitted.

"No, I wasn't near the nine tail attack," Orochimaru said.

"Right, you were in sound," Sakura reminded herself. They continued with their conversation until Kakashi requested the horses be halted. They nickered softly in a grumbled discomfort as they sensed the unsettled energy resonating off the Jonin.

Orochimaru could sense the change as well, there was a strong aura of chakara to the left of their carriage and the purpose in the sensation made it clear they were headed for the ninja. Orochimaru looked to Kakashi to see if he had formulated a plan or if he needed to suggest one as many already spun in his head. The Jonin seemed ready however and he called Naruto and Sasuke to his side.

"Are there rogues attacking us?" One nobleman asked panicked, Kakashi tried to reassure his client.

"They want the katana you see," the other client said worriedly. "It can't be taken, it is to go to our Fuedal Lord. It is one of great history."

"We will do all we can to ensure the safety of your artefact," Kakashi said again. They both did not seem convinced when they looked at the genin.

"Don't go, send the four of them off," The man said. "Stay here with the sword."

"I will stop the rogues from reaching you. But I cannot stay here to do that. My genin have been trained for this, you are in good hands. Oro-chan, Sakura-chan, stay with our clients and protect them if need be," Kakashi said, "us three will go fight the rogues before they reach here."

"He leaves the two girls," one client muttered in disbelief to his partner. The man joined his panic, Orochimaru didn't bother correct them, he stood by the horses calming them down while he waited for his teacher to depart.

They had no clue what rogues were, but they sensed the threat of danger, they sensed a willingness to kill in the approaching figures. The small boy placed a gentle hand on the creatures large quivering neck and muttered for it to be still until finally the animals breathing returned to normal. Being an animal of prey the horses did not want to stand around and fight, they wanted to run, but they were domestic and they allowed the Sannin to override their natural instinct until finally they relaxed. Sakura was on edge as they moved forwards again. They were three ninja down, leaving only her and Orochimaru to escort their clients. The men in the carriage kept muttering how displeased they were, having no real grasp of how strategy worked. One of them snapped at Sakura when she got distracted by birds rushing past them. The girl startled, it was her first mission and she didn't seem to be handling their harsh criticism well. Orochimaru slowed his pace to reach her side as the man complained about her lack of professionalism.

"It is her duty to be vigilant. We understand you are afraid but Konoha is a well established nation who excels in escort missions such as this," Orochimaru said calmly, almost as Kakashi might have. "Things have not gone without disruption but when traveling with high value artefacts that is normal. For your safety we request you remain seated with the doors of your carriage drawn closed. All matters outside will be handled by us, your safety is our first concern, the sword our second with our own lives ranking last. In the name of Konoha, we will defend you until death."

The two men seemed to be slightly more at ease after the young boy had finished, he seemed to have a high grasp of what was required and furthermore he was stone faced in the panic. Sakura watched him slight in admiration, she hadn't expected him to take control of the situation. He was small and fragile looking and yet he seemed to have an air of competence whenever there was a lack of leadership.

She thanked him for his defending statement but he didn't seem to fully grasp why she had been grateful. Even though he did not see friendship as something he needed he knew full well how to function on a team. He was quick to aid any ally knowing full well that it was a basic requirement for a squad to function. It was not done on the basis Sakura would have liked it, she would have liked it if he had done it because he cared. It was not that, he did it because he wanted to succeed and to do that he needed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of every ninja standing with him. She supposed it was better than the opposite, where Naruto and Sasuke would fight to get to lead, they would risk the mission itself to outdo the other. She glanced in the direction they had gone, she wished Kakashi a great deal of luck.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto and Sasuke threw eyes at one another when they saw the approaching rogues. They did not wear headbands and they covered their faces in black and blue masks. There were six of them, but soon two more joined to make it eight. The Konoha headbands worn by the ninja were instantly noticed and it gave the rogue their command to attack without question. Kakashi took the bulk of the group and he faired with little difficulty. However he could only hope his genin would remember their training, he could not fight for them. Naruto took one of the men on while Sasuke took on another. Kakashi was handling the rest making sure they left his team alone. Naruto threw a kunai at the man attacking Sasuke when he noticed the Uchiha was in tight spot. He was not met with gratitude, the black haired boy taking it as an insult to his ability.

"Focus on your own battle," Sasuke snapped through pants.

"You're welcome you jerk," Naruto said his angry blue eyes leaving his enemy for the few seconds he used to address his team member. It was a fatal move and soon the man had advanced when the boy had looked away.

Naruto was sent crashing in to the ground, he saw a blade hurtling towards his face but he was too slow to dodge it. A kunai intercepted the weapon mere seconds before it hit the blond, it was the same kunai Naruto had used to help Sasuke. He looked back to see it was the Uchiha himself who had saved him the fatal blow, his eyes were still angry.

"I said focus on your own battle idiot," Sasuke said, although it now occurred to the other genin that it was said out of worry not hate. He thanked him before hopping up off the ground to address his enemy once more. The men were struggling with the genin as they were the weakest members of their squad, Kakashi had already killed two of the men, making only six a threat. Naruto suddenly felt the air get colder and denser. Fog started to surround the entire field blocking everyone's vision and senses.

"Are you alright?" Kakashi called in to the fog.

"We're fine," Sasuke replied calmly. Naruto and the Uchiha were still close enough to see one another. They did not know where their two enemies were however, and after a few minutes of looking they realized they were gone. Only two men remained in the fog. They both targeted Kakashi, the rest seemingly vanished. The copy ninja realized it too.

"Get to the others and warn them!" Kakashi yelled to his genin, Naruto and Sasuke nodded, then quickly confirmed their obedience out loud when they remembered their teacher could not see them.

They barrelled through the woods until it was finally less blocked by fog, they could see the carriage and they could hear the sound of blades clashing. When they got there a large serpent hissed in defence, they had never seen the boy summon something the size of a person before. The man eating snake had one of the attackers coiled up tightly in its clutches. Slowly but surely the life was draining from his eyes as he struggled in vein. Sakura fought one of the men standing back to back with the Sannin. He seemed rather calm despite his size. Naruto slammed in to the man facing Sakura and then looked to check both members were fine.

"How many are there?" Orochimaru asked him.

"Six, four should be here," Sasuke answered as he arrived beside the Sannin. Tensions were forgotten in the panic of battle.

"The clients will be killed if we fight here, the rogues will target them to ensure no one runs off with the katana," Orochimaru said to his team, they looked over at him as the rogue slowly advanced, one of their men had already been defeated by the surprisingly talented boy. "Sakura, we will handle the rogues, you get the clients to safety."

She hadn't been enjoying the fight, and saving was far more her passion in the shinobi plight than killing was. She agreed and ran to the carriage to open the door. Orochimaru summoned another large serpent and it circled him protectively.

He had not called it for his safety however, as Sakura ran off with the two men the serpent slipped after. It would aid her if need be, and it would obey her under the Sannin's wishes for it to. The three surviving rogues tried to take chase but they were each blocked by one of the boys. Naruto created multiple shadow clones as he battled the one man, it was a never ending cycle the rogue found out as the demon child had much energy. Sasuke had activated his bloodline limit and the red in his eyes instantly aided him in his fight, he was soon out matching his opponent much to the older ninja's dismay. Orochimaru was making quick work of the last shinobi. That was until he felt something slam in to him, he winced and backed away as a kunai sliced his side. He turned around sharply to be hit form the back by his first adversary. Orochimaru summoned a third serpent to be his eyes while he stumbled to regain his injured self. Three more rogues had entered, but they were not wearing the same outfits as the original trio. Regardless of the fact that they did not look as if they were aligned they seemed to fight as if they were. Sasuke sent fire at the men that had surrounded the Sannin, he was struggling at his young age to keep up. The new arrivals were more advanced than average Jonin. The men scattered for seconds, but then they saw that the Uchiha was a threat, so one of the men left the Sannin to fight him alongside the original thug.

As it was Orochimaru was still battling three ninja, Sasuke two while Naruto seemed to be failing with his one. He got angry at his own incompetence. The more annoyed he got the worse he did.

"Focus Naruto," Orochimaru yelled as he glanced at the boy from the corner of his eye. The last thing he needed was for the blond to get killed out of losing control. Naruto growled as he made five shadow clones, then he made another two until finally he got angry enough to make a hundred. The small army was weak as Naruto did not have much experience in his clone making. Either way it was a lot of bodies to be distracted by and the man fighting the child was thrown off until finally Naruto managed to ground him with a kunai. He didn't kill him, he hovered the blade over his neck but the man pleaded for his life. True to his nature the boy stopped. He snarled at the man, he couldn't kill him if he was acting the way he was. He didn't have the heart for it. He climbed off and ordered the man to run, and the rogue instantly put distance between himself and the children. He stayed on the battlefield and watched from afar as the boy who had spared him moved to help Sasuke.

He took the weaker one of the two and continued to use his shadow clones to overpower people. Sasuke sent a blast of fire at the ninja trying to get him before throwing multiple kunai towards Orochimaru's enemies.

"Your left Naruto," Orochimaru hissed when he spotted the man aiming at the blond, the boy himself oblivious. The three boys rotated around helping one another as they attacked. Sasuke defeated his opponent and slammed a kunai into his chest, the man went limp before his eyes dimmed. Orochimaru killed two of the men, leaving only one by him and one with Naruto. Sasuke went to take on one of the two Orochimaru fought while Naruto finally got the upper hand on his foe. Once again the man caught on to a means of escape and copied his ally begging for his life. Naruto once again didn't want to end the man.

"Kill him," Orochimaru said from afar. His eyes glanced back at the man Naruto had already spared. He didn't seem to be making any moves, but the Sannin was no fool. They would have to keep watch of him. If the tables turned out of the boys favour the man would step in to ensure they were defeated.

"No I don't need to," Naruto said.

"In a perfect world you could teach them a lesson. But that's not how things work, this is a battle to the death. It's us or them," Orochimaru said panting.

"Listen to him," Sasuke said sparing them each a second before continuing his brawl.

Naruto removed his kunai from the mans throat and let him get up, it only took split seconds for him to bolt to the man that had also been spared. Orochimaru cursed as Naruto went to help Sasuke once again. He was keeping his eyes on his opponents as well as the men in the distance. He then saw what he knew was bound to happen, the two ninja who had been spared ran to the carriage and dug around for the katana. Orochimaru summoned wind to bash the men away but he was then slammed in to by his first foe. Sasuke and Naruto defeated their ganged up on rival, but the entire way during the fight the Sannin could hear them arguing. They were working together but not well, he headed for the two thieves in the distance while Naruto and Sasuke bickered and fought. Orochimaru was cut off as Sasuke and Naruto were more distracted by one another than the enemies leaving the Sannin alone with them all. He glanced behind him to see the two ninja the blond had neglected running off with the artefact. He yelled for the other two to help him but they could hear nothing but their own debate.

"Are you blind?" Sasuke snapped.

"I said no, are you deaf!" Naruto snapped back. Orochimaru gave up on calling to them. He fought the last remaining rogues until he had killed them both. Breathless and tired he looked ahead to where he had seen the thieves run.

"We need to chase them," Orochimaru called to his supposed team mates, but they were completely absorbed in their personal conflict.

"You don't always have to be the one on top," Naruto snapped. "You have a bad habit of having to get the last hit."

"The only reason that bothers you Naruto is because you're too pathetic to keep up," Sasuke snapped.

"We're supposed to be a team, but you never listen to what I have to say," Naruto countered angrily.

"That's because what you say is never practical," Sasuke said. "And in case you haven't noticed every word that came out your mouth is hypocritical. The only reason you hate me coming out on top is because you want to be the one on top. And that's why I don't listen to your one sided plans Naruto."

"Come on, we're going to fail our first mission," Orochimaru pleaded anxiously. "I can't go after them on my own they may have back up."

The boys were standing close to one another, and the proximity only intensified the debate further. Sasuke shoved Naruto away to gain some distance, the blond took it as an attack and punched him in return. Then they lunged at one another. Orochimaru had been trying to gain their attention for the entire duration. He didn't want to go after the rogues alone, but it seemed as if he had no choice.

"Both of you stop," Orochimaru tried one last time, he then decided he had to ignore his cowardice thoughts and chase the men alone. He was gone in moments, the two brawling boys did not even notice.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Orochimaru caught up to them, they were both alone holding the katana smugly as they spoke softly. He crept closer with a kunai drawn, if it was just the two of them he could kill the rogues with little effort. He was already tired, his young body not handling the usual strain he could. But he had no choice but to carry on. The blond and the Uchiha reminded him a lot of when Jiraiya and he had been on missions. Except generally the Sannin would back down, he would simply allow the other to say what he wanted to say. Then the white haired Sannin would feel bad and would rectify himself. The problem was there was no calm one between the fox child and Sasuke. It was two flames ready to burn brighter. Feeding one another when they should be trying to calm the other down. He took another step forwards but then felt someone grab his hair tightly. He yelped and spun around to free himself to find a large man his mask cracked to reveal his rugged face. His eyes were rather angry as he dragged the boy out from his hiding, Orochimaru put up a fight but the man was not as inexperienced as his allies. He roughly slammed the boy in to a tree and then shoved him to the floor before adding an extra kick for good measure. Orochimaru made a small sound of pain before trying to get up.

He hadn't sensed the man, but it was only one more enemy. As he tried to get up a kunai was sent at him and the blade buried itself deep in his arm. Before long three more men stepped out of the bushes. He was surrounded and they seemed to enjoy their tactics of sneak attacks. Orochimaru shakily tried to get to his feet but whenever he did a new face would ground him. He regretted coming in for the sword alone. Only two of the men present were worthwhile enemies. But that made the Sannin outnumbered. If he had his team he would have been fine, they could have handled the small extra add on ninja while he faced the real threats. As it stood he could not even attempt to get to the truly strong shinobi as he had others to contend with. The rogue Naruto had spared came up to the man who had the cracked mask and handed him the katana.

"There you go, we didn't kill the two men who had this. A female Konoha genin took them away," the man said somewhat apologetically. The man with the cracked mask nodded. He then held the edge of the blade to the boys throat. Orochimaru was still on the ground resting on one knee. He held his bleeding arm as he considered pulling the blade out from his flesh. He may bleed out, it felt far deeper than was safe. His frightened yet angered eyes met the man as the cold metal touched his neck. A thin line of blood trickled down as the man pushed the blade closer.

"What a foolish village. Sending out such weak ninja to guard such a valuable artefact," the man said coldly. He moved the sword away and took a step forwards, he bent down on one knee to be eye level with the genin. In a calculatingly slow manner he placed his hand around the handle of the kunai and purposefully twisted it out. Orochimaru whimpered from the pain, but he knew moving may force one of the men to act quickly to kill him. When the blade was out he sadistically laughed before driving it back in once more. He then tossed it to the floor after twisting it out again. The boy cried out despite wanting to keep his suffering to himself, he did not want them to have the satisfaction of his misery. Golden eyes frantically looked around, there were too many of them he panicked. He should have left the blade alone, he had been a fool to rush in alone. Why was the mission important to him anyway, he had passed many, it was not as if he were trying to prove a point. The men around the boy laughed, they seemed to think he was too weak to pay attention to. Orochimaru saw his opening, he could run, he had the ability to summon another serpent to force them away enough to grant him an opening. At the same time, the sword was being held carelessly. He could potentially grab it while they underestimated him.

The idea of the mission not being for nothing made him compelled to try, he had a plan on how he would ensure they could not simply steal the blade back from his team. He wasn't fond of the idea, but it was one he knew would work. As he had done with Kusangi, he could easily sheath the katana inside the mouth of his snake. It would then disappear along with the serpent, and they could not simply take it back by force. He considered it but the overhanging realization that he had no time to spare forced him to his feet. He summoned many serpents and the ambush of reptiles startled the men in to messing up. Orochimaru knocked in to the man with the katana and grabbed the sword. It sliced the palm of his hand as it slide across the sharp edge. The boy paid it no attention, he kept reminding himself that he was stronger than them, or more so he deluded himself into believing it. Truth be told he used to be stronger, now he was very much not. He did as he had planned and allowed the snake to consume the blade before vanishing. The man in the cracked mask did not seem to be frightened with the demonic display but instead seemed to be angered by it. The boy had planned to run, but in moments he was surrounded. He had retrieved the katana, that much he had succeeded in. However his plan of getting away proved futile as the men decapitated the snakes he summoned and grabbed hold of him.

"You better give us our artefact back you little brat," One man snapped. He shoved him to another man after roughly handling him. The man that now had the boy grabbed his wrist and twisted it painfully. They were clearly rather used to using force to get what they wanted or needed. He wasn't going to hand it over however, he knew they were unlikely to kill him, he had the sword and they could not get it if he was dead. He could wait it out until someone came to save him he thought. That was his thoughts at first, but he started to doubt his plan when the sun set and night befell the forest. He would soon wonder if betting on allies was a good plan after all.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kakashi found his way back to the genin and the carriage. The horses had long since broken free and galloped off. Sasuke and Naruto were tussling around on the floor, tiredly fighting one another in a angered fury. It took the copy ninja seconds to split them up, his worried eyes searched for any signs of the other two genin and the clients.
"Sakura took the clients to safety," Sasuke said, he then realized it had been half an hour of the two of them fighting. He tried to recall what the Sannin had said when they were both ignoring him. "I think Orochimaru went after the rogues."
"They have the sword?" Kakashi asked, he couldn't see any other reason the boy would run off after their foes. The boys nodded weakly. They were both out of breath and bruises covered their fatigued forms. The copy ninja kept his patience only because the mission was not yet over, and he could not bring any of his emotions to the surface until he had regrouped his students. "Which way did they go?"

"That way," Naruto and Sasuke said at the same time while pointing in two different directions. Kakashi was hardly keeping it together, he was given two very opposite answers. He needed to ensure the Sannin was not getting in to trouble. Sasuke was generally the more reliable source, he kept his eyes sharp while Naruto was prone to making foolish mistakes. That being said the blond cared about the serpent and the Uchiha very much did not. One of them could be lying, or one of them could simply be mistaken. It didn't help matters at all. He had to choose quickly so he decided he would follow Naruto's choice. Sasuke seemed slightly offended at the fact that he had chosen the other boy, he was rather forceful about them going the other way.

"Naruto is blind," Sasuke said. "He went that way I saw them go."

"You were too busy trying to prove me wrong to see anything," Naruto shot back rather smug about being trusted. Kakashi knew the Uchiha wanted to see the Sannin off the team, and he was revenge driven. He had no doubts he may in fact lie. They headed off the opposite way to where the Uchiha had offered, all but the Uchiha himself.

"Kakashi-sensei," he tried one last time. It was clear however that his past tendencies had made the copy ninja very doubtful about his words. He clenched his fist in annoyance, the Sannin could well enough be dead by the time they believed him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Orochimaru was kept near to the men as they waited for him to return what he had taken back. They had grown tired of tormenting and hurting him, and so they had entirely ignored his existence. They had made a fire in the cold night air, the boy was not allowed to move from two of the rogues side. He felt sick from blood loss and he could not manage to regenerate as he usually did. It was far too taxing a jutsu for his young and injured body. He sat with his legs to his chest feeling rather pitiful. He had been so close to achieving immortality until he had weakened himself by turning into a child. His long hair was messily falling around his face, the hairband having snapped in battle. One of the men looked over sympathetically. He was one of the more reserved members, and Orochimaru reminded himself that not all rogues were bad. He tended to group a person with the group they ran with, but perhaps there was more humanity in this ninja than the others.

He hoped he was right in assuming so. He shifted closer to him, closer to the warmth of the fire. One of the men who had been closer to him saw him move and kicked the small Sannin in the side. He whimpered, he already had a gash in the targeted area. He covered his head with his arms thinking the man may strike again but he never did.

"Don't over react you fuck," the more sympathetic rogue said, he had noticed the boy had tried to move across to him. He could tell the Sannin wanted to be by the safer looking man, in other words, he was scared and sought out some form of protection. The sympathetic rogue aided the child to his feet to allow him to move closer. Most of the rogues looked amused, some seemed to be passive about his action.

"Someone's going soft," One amused rogue muttered. "Want to adopt him too?"
"We either kill him or we take him back with us. There is no need to abuse a kid," The rogue countered.

"Take him back? He does want to adopt him," another rogue snickered.

"Take him back because he has the katana, grow up will you," a new rogue said to aid the sympathetic one. The conversation ended there, evidently the last man to speak held a lot of the groups authority.

The fire flickered in the dark sky as little embers glided through the air to settle and burn out on the forest floor. Orochimaru heard movement, none of the other ninja did. Perhaps they were not on high alert like he was in his paranoid and frightened state. He looked to the sound and saw a small figure crouching down in the bushes, then two bright unmistakable red glows appeared. It was the sharingan, and he only knew one Uchiha alive who possessed it. Sasuke crept closer to the group and the Sannin wanted to warn him off. They would over power the Uchiha as they had the serpent. If he was smart he would have a plan, and since he was a known genius Orochimaru did not cause a scene or try and communicate to him. They had made eye contact, Sasuke knew the other boy was aware of his presence. The men carried on talking until the black haired boy threw kunai at them, stepping out of the bushes in a blur. The rogues were on their feet as they rushed the boy. One man roughly held Orochimaru's wrist and tried to drag him away knowing the Uchiha had come for his team mate. The Sannin summoned snakes to bite in to his flesh so he was forced to let go. As the rogues got to the Uchiha the boy turned to smoke. He had been a shadow clone the entire time.

Orochimaru felt someone grab his wrists again but this time it was a much lighter and smaller grasp. Sasuke pulled him into the forest as he ran, he had merely used the clone as a decoy, he had never planned on fighting. Orochimaru was grateful, they would have lost if he had. The forest floor slipped out from under them as they hurried away. The men took chase but it was easier for smaller bodies to cut through the woods. The two genin slammed on breaks and hide behind a large tree trunk breathing rapidly. Orochimaru looked over at the Uchiha, he hadn't expected his help, and he did not know where the blade was. He had come for the other boy not a mission success.

"Thanks," Orochimaru said softly, still panting.

"Quiet snake," he said equally as softly, he didn't really want the other to hush up because he thought the enemies could hear, he merely felt awkward receiving the others gratitude. He and the pale boy had started on rough terms, but for some reason he had felt truly bad about letting him die. Unlike Naruto, he had not been oblivious to the snake summoners attempt to save the mission. He had let him go alone hoping he would die. When the fight subsided he had regretted that choice, he had been terrified that his wish had come true. Sasuke looked at the smaller boy with a sense of relief. He was glad he had not gotten his way for once.

They sat beside one another for what felt like a few hours, merely staying silent to ensure they were not found. Someone moved behind the tree they hid by and they both recognized the calming chakra. Kakashi bent down to them with a look of worry on his face, he was relieved to see they were both alive. He breathed out and then picked the Sannin up in his arms, he could see his injuries were rather bad. Sasuke could stand on his own so he did as he followed his teacher back. Orochimaru didn't complain, he allowed the white haired male to gently pick him up and carry his weakened body to the nearest village. He was still bleeding badly, although Sasuke had helped him tie a makeshift bandage around his side and arm to eliminate the odds of bleeding out for the time being. Orochimaru was comfortable in the man's arms despite his injuries, so he allowed himself to succumb to sleep. It had been a long mission, but he had the sword, the men did not. They were still out there though he realized so his golden eyes opened again to scan the area. Kakashi noticed it and broke away from the conversation he was having with Sasuke, he had been apologizing to him for not listening and praising him for saving the black haired boy.
"I found the rogues before I found you two," Kakashi reassured the youngest member, Orochimaru was put at ease hearing the copy ninja had made good work of the men. He felt slightly bad for the man who had saved him, but it was unfortunately how the life of a shinobi worked.

It wasn't long before the Sannin fell asleep once more.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Are you awake? Oro-chan- are you- ow-" Naruto could be heard saying. Orochimaru opened his dazed eyes and waited until he could focus on things in the room. He instantly recognised that he was in a hospital bed, and he could make out his entire team minus Kakashi. Sasuke leant on a wall looking out the window, still trying to pretend he did not care when the game was up. Sakura looked angrily at Naruto for bugging the other boy before he had awoken.

"You'll be released today if you tell the medics you feel alright," Sakura said softly.

"I think I should be fine, where are we?" Orochimaru asked as he sat up slowly, he could feel his every wound pull as he did so. The other genin with the exception of Sasuke winced as the boy did, they felt his injury for him as they had seen how deep his wounds were.

"The village our clients stay at, Kakashi-sensei is with them now apologizing for the loss of the artefact," Sasuke said.

"We didn't lose it," Orochimaru remembered swiftly, "I got it back."

He tried to get to his feet and Naruto moved forwards to aid him, the boy was off balanced and shaky and if the blond were to move away he would likely fall.

"I wouldn't stand yet," Sasuke said, he moved over to Naruto. Sakura watched as the two older boys helped the younger one stand. It was clear he wouldn't make a journey over to the client and Kakashi. Naruto then decided he would give the smaller boy a lift on his back, Orochimaru first protested saying that he could simply hand the sword to them and they could go, however both Sasuke and Naruto denied him that.

"You got the sword, all on your own, you should hand it in," Naruto said.

"It was a team effort, I would have been dead with it if Sasuke had not come for me," Orochimaru said.

"We wouldn't have lost it if we were not stubborn," Sasuke said softly, he then helped Naruto get the boy on his back allowing no more room for debate. Orochimaru nervously held on around his neck as he was carried once more. They didn't sign out as they were supposed to, they were still young and flighty. They forgot about rules when excitement overrode their other senses. It wasn't long before the boys saw their teacher. He was passive, the man he was speaking to was not.

He yelled at the copy ninja, telling him that failure was not an option. Although both clients were safe the man was enraged his katana was not. Kakashi had never failed any of his missions in his adult life, so he didn't exactly know how to handle the man.

"Our genin are still learning, that is why it is cheaper to hire them," a woman nearby said, she had a Konoha headband on as she also lead a three man team. Orochimaru did not recognise her. "If you wanted a guaranteed success you should have hired Jonin."

"I had one Jonin on my team," the man bit back at her.

"His concern is his genin, not some artefact. Young shinobi have to gain experience somewhere." She said again moving off with her three young shinobi.

"We apologize again," Kakashi said, passing the woman he likely new a look of thanks before returning to spot his team.

"We have it!" Naruto yelled triumphantly.

Orochimaru bit his finger to draw blood before placing it on the ground once lowered, a large snake slipped out from the smoke and upon command revealed the blade from its mouth. The man was both shocked and relieved. He did not make a move to take the sword, the serpent was too close for his liking.

Orochimaru realized it instantly and moved to the floor when Naruto helped him off his back. He picked up the sword and handed it to the man, the serpent who had safe kept it looked rather pleased with itself. As soon as the katana was in the man's grasp the summon returned to its world. Kakashi glanced at the Sannin with an impressed stare, one that also held some gratitude in it. Many genin failed their first mission, however it was always better to start off on a good note. Naruto had a large grin on his face, while Sasuke masked his smile instead allowing it to reflect in his eyes. Sakura giggled softly as she slunk closer to the Uchiha, she was happy her team was getting along again. She had decided she rather liked the snake summoner, and she was glad to see the black haired boy felt the same way despite their small fight. The man had no more words to be angry about, it had been a success despite him having paid for the genin instead of Jonin. There was little more the copy ninja could be grateful for, all he wanted was his team to get along, to work as a unit and to care for one another as individuals and not as a mission pawn. The white haired Jonin had promised the Hokage they would be back on that day, he did not want him to worry so he convinced his tired genin to push for the last stretch. They had rested for while the Sannin was in the hospital, that had been enough time.

Orochimaru was still injured and rather shaky looking, so the copy ninja picked him up, he had done his share and no one expected him to be able to walk any time soon. They returned in different spirits. On the way there his team had been divided, they had split themselves into two parts and that had created a tense rift. Now the genin spoke all as one, Orochimaru joined the conversation from Kakashi's arms while the Jonin merely listened in as the children spoke, retelling their views on the mission and the rogues until finally the topic diverged in to more innocent opinions of life in general. There was a warm breeze blowing against them as team seven arrived at the gates of Konoha, the guards looked up, they were late and they had almost filed them as a concern. After being welcomed home, the two guards once again made a point of ignoring the Sannin, this time however the other three genin did not let it go. Orochimaru and Kakashi didn't have to intervene as the three other members seemed to have it well under control.

"You idiots must be blind because you missed one of us," Naruto said, his final parting words to the men. Sasuke's intense stare didn't make it much better, and Sakura was a force to be challenged in her own right. It was safe to say that for the next few missions the team was greeted, all of them. The men were extra polite and made a conscious effort to include the younger boy.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Orochimaru sat at the windowsill as the sun slowly lowered itself to the horizon, he was always unsettled when he watched the time of day pass by. Most found it beautiful and at times so did he, however more often than not it reminded him of how fleeting everything was, of how there was a deadline. He got to his feet, he needed a distraction. The boy was still living with Kakashi, but at present the white haired male was showering. Orochimaru hated to use that to his advantage but if he did not sneak out the house the other man would follow him. Pakkun was asleep much to his luck, and so he tied a warm cloak over his kimono and quietly exited the house. The boy had one thing he had wanted to do for a long time, something he was denied due to being an enemy of the leaf. He moved through the streets with his hood drawn over his head to avoid any eyes. Thankfully where he was going was likely to be rather isolated, no one ventured there often.

His small form ducked around people who hurriedly moved around in the streets until at last he reached the place he had wanted to come to. The graves all marked similar places, but more were added since his time in Konoha. He didn't have to have a good memory to clearly remember where he needed to go to find the names he wished to see. With light steps the pale boy reached his parents graves, their names faded but still visible. Golden eyes read the text several times, he had wanted to pay his parents respect for a long time, but he was denied access to the graveyard and it was far too risky to come when he had been a rogue. A light wind blew past and swept the hood off his head revealing his tail of long black hair. He brushed any strands that blocked his view, he would forever miss the two ninja buried just in front of him.

"I thought you'd come here eventually," a voice said slightly mockingly. "Orochimaru-sama."

The boy spun around to meet the medics calculating gaze, he did not seem to hold as much respect as he previously had. Orochimaru supposed that was to be expected. The Sannin braced himself for a fight, despite his young features golden eyes narrowed in a challenging manner.

The Sannin would rather die than allow Kabuto the satisfaction of his young fear, he would bury that emotion inside him, he would deny his body the right to its own instinct.

"I'm young, I am not weak Kabuto," Orochimaru said, his voice was tragically small.

"I'm sure you aren't, at least not for your age I suppose," Kabuto said dismissively. "The Chunin exams are coming up soon, the plan will be carried out. We will attack the stadium, we will kill your teacher."

"You won't win against him," Orochimaru said. "The plan will not work without me. You'd be out of your depth."

"That's not true, it's all about ambush is it not. I have had to tweak the strategy a bit, but we will do fine without you. I had a feeling you would go soft once you were welcomed back here," Kabuto said. "I told your men- or should I say my men, that this was your will. They will come here on my command and they will do as we first planned. It's a pity you have done this to yourself, you are thinking like a child. Your former self would have been pleased by this news, you look horrified by it."

"They are not your men, and you will not harm anyone here," Orochimaru said. It was obvious his care for his new team was playing in to this decision, he tried to redirect that. "I need their help to return to my normal state."

"I will attain Sasuke for you," Kabuto said. "Then you can change bodies with him, it won't make much of a difference. A small change to the plan you might say."

"I don't want the sharingan anymore," Orochimaru said, at least not from Sasuke he thought. The other boy had saved him, and perhaps it was his inner child talking, but he would never allow that to fall away into betrayal.

"And why is that?" Kabuto asked seemingly already aware of the answer. Even young the serpent knew how to lie.

"I have discovered a form of immortality, if I work on what I have now I can attain what I'd like, I do not need the sharingan for power. I will get it from my experiments," Orochimaru lied.

"Then perhaps I should take the sharingan for myself, if you don't want it anymore," Kabuto said pushing his glasses back on to his face as he gazed at the boy calculatingly. "The plan proceeds, this was my warning. I suggest you stay away from the exam or you may be killed in the crossfire."

"I could expose your plans, I don't need to know the details to ruin it," Orochimaru said.

"Children should not speak to adults this way Oro-chan," Kabuto mocked, haven evidently been spying on the boy. "If my secret is exposed, your secret will be exposed. You'd hate for the Hokage to find out your true identity. It'll be awfully hard getting their help when they want your head."

It was all he had to say to silence the boy, he was still trapped by his young bodies inability to face such challenges. He did not want the village to know, to come after him. They could easily kill him and he wasn't sure if Kakashi would help him. He could do nothing more than watch Kabuto's retreating back, he could do nothing but stare with shaken golden eyes. His new friends and allies versus his secret and life. It was a call he wasn't able to make easily, and yet he clung to silence. It would inevitably mean he had chosen himself. That guilt ate at him, made him feel as if life was once again trying to crush him like walls closing in. He forgot to pay any proper respects to his parents as he raced home, he would tell Kakashi- but then, it would be up to the Jonin. His life, his secret. He could not put such faith in the man, he had chosen the other genin before. Never had he known guilt to be so violent than when he tried to go to sleep that night. Kakashi had asked where he had been, but upon seeing how shaken up he looked he softened. Naturally the Sannin had lied, had said villagers had chased him, that he had just gone for a walk. Kakashi accepted his words as true, that added to the guilt. That trust, that gesture of belief. They went to bed, all the while Kakashi thinking it was the villagers harsh words that had resulted in the boy shaking in the bed. Kakashi placed a reassuring hand on the Sannin as they lay beside one another.

"It's fine, don't worry about them," Kakashi said. Orochimaru's small form drew into himself as he lay, still trying to establish a plan.

Authors note: Oh my gosh the delay! I'm sorry Vampiredoll666! I'll try keep up to date, but life has been hectically busy… hope you enjoyed the update!