Twilight of the Thunder God part 3

Uzumaki Karin screamed in horror as her teammate was nearly killed by a massive bear that was unnaturally large.

They'd been constantly harassed by predators throughout the whole exam, not getting any rest.

It was starting to get dark and they still didn't have a second scroll and a new threat came up in the form of a giant bear.

She shakily grabbed a kunai from her pouch and threw it at the bear to stop it from killing her teammate. Miraculously, it hit the bear and was lodged into the paw that was about to strike her teammate, her already bleeding teammate scrambling away.

She hated the two of them, she hated her village, she hated that her mother was used up like a cow and died from her chakra being drained. These exams were torture for her.

But she wasn't alone.

A boy that had hair similar to kaasan's had sat next to her during the written test. He looked feral and was terrifying, but his chakra was so bright. It glowed like the sun, the dangerous feel to him was drowned out by how bright it felt. Another was like that in the room, but it wasn't the same.

Her thoughts went back to the bear, the beast roaring and flailing around. Her teammate pulled his sword out and cried out in fear and rage, rushing towards the bear and driving his sword into its chest, a meaty paw smashing him into a tree with a crack.

She felt his chakra wink out like a light shut off.

Her other teammate was in no condition to fight, and the bear seemed to sense that as it pulled the sword out of its own chest with its paws.

The blade clattered to the ground and her last surviving teammate took off running, leaving her on her own.

She backed away, tears streaming down her face in terror as the bear roared at her.

No one was here to save her. Everything was cold. No chakra was near her except for the bear.

She was about to give up completely, when a familiar chakra signature landed in front of her.

It was the other Uzumaki. Naruto.

"Hey, Hey, Hey," He said with a falsetto tone, his chakra having a sharpness to it that felt like it could cut glass, "Looking for pic-a-nic basket?" He asked the bear.

'He's talking to a bear.' She thought she wasn't seeing things properly. 'Sane people don't talk to bears.'

The bear, unsurprisingly, roared at the new target.

"Fuck you too, Boo-Boo." He replied, charging at the bear.

She screamed, fearing the other Uzumaki was about to die in front of her, but was shocked by what happened next.

Naruto flipped over the bear and at the apex of his jump, a sphere of swirling chakra formed in his right hand, his palm smashing into the bear's back with a wet shredding sound piercing the air.

The bear roared in pain and tried to flail around, but lost what strength it had left and fell to the ground from the jutsu, a massive portion of its back gone completely.

Naruto pulled his fist out of the wound and climbed off the bear.

"You alright?" He walked towards her, ignoring the blood covering him.

She gulped audibly and nodded slowly.

"Yes, I'm alright." She said weakly, looking towards the body of her teammate.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get to your friend in time." He noticed her looking.

"They're not my friends." She growled, remembering how they tried to use her as bait for another team and how she overheard them being ordered by their 'chaperone' to not let her out of their sight or escape.

She noticed that Naruto was alone after not feeling anymore chakra presences.

"Where's your team?" She asked curiously, seeing him chuckle at the question.

"I'm on my own." He said simply, turning to look at the sword on the ground.

She blinked at what he said, but noticed something on his back that had her breathing heavily.

"Where did you get all those scrolls?" She squeaked, backing away from him.

How dangerous was he if he took out that many teams?

"Someone put traps in the forest and I collected these scrolls off the ones that were stuck or killed." He answered without hesitation, picking up the sword.

The clone then took off the scrolls he had strapped to him and gave her a soft smile.

"If you feel my chakra, run." He said, his eyes flashing in the light. A foreign feel to the chakra stained the 'canvass' that was his chakra another colour.

'What kind of chakra has so much hatred in it?' Karin thought as she took a half step back from the boy.

"I'm being tracked by someone who wants me because I'm an Uzumaki," he continued, seeing her flinch at that, "I protected you from the bear because you're family," He then pointed at the scrolls, "Any Konoha team our age can be trusted. Tell them you'll give them a scroll. And tell them you're an Uzumaki." He then cleared his throat, "My sister has blonde hair and whisker marks like I do. Her name is Rin."

He then turned to leave, but she stopped him by putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Why are you helping me?" She asked quietly, feeling him tense under her hand.

She couldn't understand. Sure, she was an Uzumaki like he was, but they were strangers. Ninja from separate villages.

He turned to her and surprised her by leaning close to her and cupping her right cheek, gazing into her eyes.

"I've failed at many things," He said softly, his eyes glistening, "But I will not abandon family, no matter what."

He let her go and took a step back, disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

///////////////

"Fucking die!" I screamed, slamming a Rasengan into the skull of the godforsaken snake that sunk its fangs into my shoulder just a few seconds ago.

The snake hissed in pain as it flung me into the air. I twisted in midair to drive two lightning coated kunai into a tree to stop my flight, both my arms jolting painfully at the abrupt stop.

I jerked them out and sprinted up the tree using chakra and started running again, my eyes widened and my senses stretched out to the point I swore my nose was bleeding.

My mental state was fragile, my mind losing track of how long it had been. The different Genjutsu that hit me made it look like day and night were happening constantly, or maybe I'd truly been here for days, nobody coming to save me.

Constant illusions that had me jumping at shadows now, flashes of memories as my clones that kept protecting me getting torn limb from limb by a gleeful monster that laughed as he tore off arms, legs, eyes, everything.

The amount of trees destroyed by jutsu, exploding tags, and the traps I herded the snakes into was astronomical.

But everything I did wasn't enough, no matter how fast I ran or how quick I was able to fire a jutsu.

Is this what my future was? To forever be hunted by S-ranks? Rin won't survive this.

Rin.

Was she safe? Was she alright?

Why has nobody come to save me? How long was I here? Hours? Days?

"Why aren't you here?!" I screamed out in anguish, my voice raw, "In God's name why?!" I slashed to my right when I thought I saw a shadow, stabbing my hand for almost the twentieth time to make sure I wasn't in a Genjutsu.

No amount of stabbing myself would release me from the absence of any familiar signatures near me, the darkness making me realize the ANBU had forsaken me. I was going to die, all alone, with that fucking traitor being the last thing I saw.

I was a single ember, in a lonely night.

'Focus. Focus.' I tried to not be hysterical. 'Fear is the mind killer. You will not kneel to it.'

Every moment I fought, every moment I refused to break, give in, surrender, roll over. It was one more moment they would be safe.

'My head is bloody, but unbowed.'

I focused my mind, gritting my teeth as I ran back into the torn up landscape of several shattered trees and engaged the overgrown worm.

'I will not run. I will not be prey to monsters.'

'A certain snake may say "Don't tread on me"... But I say...'

'I tread where I fucking please!'

"Come on!" I roared, forming a single half seal and jumping down from the branch, flinging an exploding tag with the other.

Suiton: Teppodama.

The ball of water struck the snake directly in the face, making it hiss angrily, while the explosion made it open its mouth further.

Still falling towards it, I formed a chakra blade and I prepared for a really stupid decision.

I let the damned thing swallow me.

The thing unhinged its jaw and swallowed me whole, forcing me down its esophagus, the hot and wet feeling disgusting as I got forcefully squeezed.

'God, it feels almost like home.' I fought the urge to vomit, the inside feeling very similar to another 'flesh tube' I got pushed out of as a fetus.

"You ever hear the story of Jonah!" I growled, driving a chakra blade into the stomach flesh beneath me with all my hatred.

The entire area spasmed and I fell on my back as the snake flailed around, my face getting covered in stomach juices.

'Fuck.' I spat it out of my mouth, stabbing again.

The snake flailed again and started retching, trying to puke me out.

Another stab succeeded in that.

Again, it felt like being born again as I was forced back up, a bright light being visible.

With my one hand, I gripped it firmly by its tongue. Lifting my right up high, I stabbed a kunai coated with lightning chakra through the roof of its mouth, straight into the brain.

The snake shuddered and fell forward, flinging me from its mouth from the force.

I hit the ground and scrambled to me feet, looking down disgustedly. I was soaking wet, covered in blood and partly digested food that I hoped wasn't human.

The snake vanished in a puff, meaning no other remained.

I didn't hesitate to Shunshin away, still flinching at any sign of movement, many of them being a potential precursor to Orochimaru hitting me with a Genjutsu.

But nothing happened, my straight up terror was rising as no attacks happened, but I swore that I was getting glimpses of him, a cruel laugh as he displayed my sword like a sick trophy proclaiming his triumph.

'The cocksucker took my fucking sword!' I snarled to myself, leaping through the damn trees again to dodge Orochimaru's continued stalking after I drove a fist into his damn face.

This cat and mouse shit felt like I was in a horror film. My chakra sensing wasn't picking him up definitively, now that he was concealing it.

My limbs started to ache from non-stop movement as I kept leaping from tree to tree, even my Uzumaki Jinchuriki levels of stamina starting to be stressed. It didn't help that my tenketsu were sore from the constant flaring of my chakra to break the horrific illusions.

Sensations of my skin getting ripped from my body, bones shattered, my eyes torn out, burning alive.

If Orochimaru had that malicious of a creative mind for Genjutsu, what was Itachi like?

I stuck myself to a branch to catch my breath a bit and pinged my senses, feeling one of my clones close in near me.

'That's odd.' The clone has more chakra than most of the others. I thought, trying to figure out why.

And then it hit me.

I made it right off the bat and had it protect Karin and discreetly guide her team to safe areas outside of the traps and explosives.

The clone appeared in a blur of red and stopped next to me, holding out a sword.

"That's a piece of shit and not mine" I pointed out, taking it anyway, "Where'd you get it and why'd you leave Karin?" I asked in a clipped tone, my sensing focused enough to the point of hurting my head.

I couldn't just belt out jutsu willy nilly like I could earlier. Sure, I still had at least as much or maybe more than Kakashi currently in the tank, but I burned more in my jutsu. My chakra control wasn't the most fine tuned, and the open Gate and nominal amount of Kurama's chakra I was pulling on, not enough to make a cloak or change my eyes, didn't help matters.

"Karin's dead teammate," The clone said, continuing on, "And you need the chakra I'm made of."

"I'm fine." I said tightly, "Protect Karin." I ordered.

The clone's eyes flashed to a very familiar violet colour and flipped me off, spiking a chakra blade.

"Pop me or I'll pop myself." He said, aiming the blade at his chest, "You need everything to hold the bastard off and protect Rin."

I growled at the creation that had my face and mentality.

"I'm fine." I gritted out, refusing to forsake my family.

The clone got into my face, his voice almost unrecognizable. "You have no power over me, boy. Will you be able to protect everything you love when you have no chakra?!" He demanded, "When your broken and shattered carcass refuses to move? I can't put you back together and fix your fuck ups."

"Protect. Karin." I growled, ignoring everything he said.

The clone refused.

"There is no Order 66," The clone glared at me, "I will not listen."

None of my clones defied me like this. I had no doubts about Karin needing protected, but this one did.

"You're an insolent fucker, you know that?" I said, returning the glare.

"Insolence?" The clone raised a brow, eyes alight in amusement, "Hah. I'm an Uzumaki. I don't even know what that means." The clone then stabbed himself, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

I didn't even pay attention to the memory feedback. I moaned softly as I got an influx of chakra that made me feel revitalized more so than I'd felt in awhile.

My clones are assholes a lot of times, even using emotional manipulation by looking at me with Rin's eyes as a Henge.

But the ache in my legs from constant Shunshins didn't seem so bad now. I didn't feel as light-headed now.

I felt a little more adventurous and pulsed my chakra in a wide area, reaching out towards a familiar chakra signature that burned like a roaring fire.

They weren't moving.

'Why the FUCK did they stop?!' I thought frantically. They'd have a scroll of each by now. A team of Ame nin had ambushed them very incompetently and they got a proper set. My clones sent to watch over them saw it and one popped to let me know when it happened.

I readied the shit sword, at least shit compared to mine, fucking Orochimaru, and released my suppression on my chakra, spiking it in challenge.

Orochimaru, several hundred meters away, closer to a mile, pinged his in a pattern in response, moving in a certain direction and pinging it every few seconds.

I saw where he was headed, the realization that I'd been deceived into running away hitting my very soul.

Rin. Hinata. Sasuke.

I howled in fury and tore through the brush covering the top of the trees, the rush of the wind passed my ears matching my animalistic rage.

////////////////

'It worked.' Orochimaru smirked to himself, pressing his finger to the blade he had acquired.

It wasn't anything compared to his own Sword of Kusanagi, but he recognized the exemplary craftsmanship of the hilt and the strip of pure chakra iron that was built into the core of the hilt for ease of molding chakra through the grip and into the blade.

This was an Uzumaki blade.

It wasn't a cheap replica. It was a real one made by the clan, and a good one at that. He had no idea how Naruto got ahold of it, having never seen it in the possession of Uzumaki Kushina.

Sliding it back into his belt, he prepared for the next fight with Naruto. He undoubtedly was a sensor, the reactions his bunshin displayed when engaging him was not possible without having sensory skills to 'see' from behind when they overstepped or Shunshined with such pinpoint accuracy.

He might not have been a sensor himself like others were, but the experiments he did on his current vessel gave him a rudimentary kind that had him able to sense at a distance and large chakra reserves.

Calling Naruto's large would be an understatement. They were larger than his own, and he knew how to use it.

"Yes, Naruto-kun," He chuckled to himself, holding a two-way message scroll in his hand, a message sent, "Come and save your twin from the dreadful traitor." He chuckled, looking forward to marking him.

'Mark him, and he'll join me.' He thought with assuredness, knowing that it was a sure way to get what he wanted.

The two are Ashina's descendants, and I can entice either with becoming a sage to be strong enough to fight the Akatsuki.

Either mark Naruto with a curse seal that helped to harness nature chakra, or run the risk of him taking years to learn Senjutsu, which wasn't safe if rushed. He knew what option he'd choose out of the two.

'Two birds with one stone.' He will have a dangerous weapon to ward off the Akatsuki, who wanted him after that dreadfully unfortunate situation with Itachi, and the other problem he needed solved.

Unfortunately, the girl wouldn't be safe to mark. He had no idea what a curse seal would do if applied to a Jinchuriki. It could do nothing. It could destabilize the seal and unleash the Kyuubi. It could burn away from the caustic Bijuu chakra attacking it like white blood cells attacking a pathogen. He simply didn't know.

And when it was a gamble involving his own life, he'd prefer the more cautious route.

Although, he thought with amusement, he may end up causing Sensei to use the same Jutsu Namikaze did to reseal the Kyuubi. Being deprived of moving on to the afterlife properly for the sake of his village would be a poetic end to a man who served it faithfully for over half a century.

Orochimaru chuckled and checked the message scroll, seeing a new message.

'Team 7 has taken the bait.'

Kabuto was a backup plan in case complications occurred. He was to find a way to delay Sasuke's team before they reached the tower. He didn't want to be ambushed and tracked by the ANBU. It would take too long to throw them off his trail once they had ahold of it, especially since he wasn't at 100% from the unexpectedly competent display by Naruto.

'That just makes you more enticing.' He smirked to himself, preparing for the fight.

///////////////////

I made it to where I could feel Orochimaru's chakra, just a few hundreds yards away from Rin.

I landed on a tree branch and snarled at where I could see his outline.

"Fucker!" I shouted, spiking my Killing Intent, the sword in my hand, even when it was a bad fit.

Orochimaru turned around and I could see a triumphant look on his face as he leaped from tree to tree towards me.

He got within earshot and I heard him chuckle.

"I'm disappointed that you were this predictable." He laughed, "You truly do love your sister."

I hid my hatred behind a mask of bemused detachment, knowing I'll need to approach this differently. I had seal scrolls to act as shields against fire jutsu that would catch and seal them on contact. So, I wouldn't have to burn chakra making defensive water jutsu.

I hadn't field tested them, but I didn't have the luxury of that, now that my chakra wasn't as boundless as before.

"I know it's not Rin you're interested in on Team 7," I said coldly, grinning at his raised brow, "Nor is it the Hyuga heiress."

I wasn't going to let him think Hinata was more than just another member of my graduating class.

Orochimaru looked mildly surprised that I knew that, a scoff escaping him.

"Of course my former Sensei would tell you about the interest I have in his Dojutsu."

Delay. Delay.

"I'll offer a deal," I stated, his interest perked based on the thin smirk on his face, "If you fuck off back to whatever shithole you crawled out of," I saw his expression shift to disappointment, "I won't have the bunshin I have watching them take Sasuke's head off." I finished seriously, noting the temporary look of shock on Orochimaru's face.

The shock faded away, replaced by interest.

"What would my Sensei say about you killing Sasuke-kun, a comrade of yours?" Orochimaru looked extremely interested in me now.

My face could've been carved from stone as he asked that.

"The Shodai and the Nidaime killed an enormous amount of Uchiha in their lifetimes," I looked directly into his eyes, projecting all the hatred I had for him, Madara, future Sasuke, Indra, and Obito," Hashirama is seen as a hero for killing Madara, his best friend. You think I have qualms about tossing aside something as paltry as morality if it meant I could get what I want?!" I demanded, seeing Orochimaru's posture stiffen.

Out of all things to expect, I did not expect him to throw his head back and laugh loudly.

"That, Naruto-kun, is the right question," He continued to laugh, his fangs on display, "You're tired, I can see that. One reveals their true nature when they are brought to the end of their tether, the final inextinguishable spark of fire being your true self."

Orochimaru looked positively gleeful at the supposed discovery.

"You have all of Konoha fooled into thinking you're a prodigy like Namikaze or perhaps a pragmatist like the Nidaime," His eyes were almost glowing with happiness," But I now see you are cut from a different cloth. You are singularly focused on your goals, regardless of the opinion of others or the cost. Morality does not hold you, but only your own ambition. To think I believed Itachi was the only one like me."

No wonder he was laughing, he thinks I'm like him. He thinks he's found a kindred spirit.

Orochimaru licked his lips and said something that had my mind try and reboot.

"What if I told you that there is an organization of S-rank Shinobi that have goals involving the death of your sister?"

Akatsuki. How desperate is Orochimaru to have me if he offers that?

"I would call you a liar, and a shit one at that."

"Yes," Orochimaru chuckled, an expression of agreement on his face, "I would not be any different in your position, I confess. But this organization is called the Akatsuki and I was a member, until their goals were no longer mine."

'This fucker is really trying to twist things without outright lying to make it sound like he doesn't want me or Rin killed. Good cop, bad cop.'

"S-rank shadowy terrorist group wants to, what, kill Jinchuriki?" I asked, knowing I couldn't delay him with talks for long. I needed to know why Rin, Hinata, and Sasuke had stopped. I'd lied about still having a clone hovering, "There's no other reason they'd target my sister unless it was because she's a Jinchuriki." I added, seeing no harm in admitting it because Orochimaru already knew about us.

"I know it sounds awfully convenient to try and convince you with a supposed shadowy terrorist group of S-rank Shinobi," Orochimaru admitted, "But there are things I will teach you that you could never learn in Konoha. Do not let yourself be a pawn of a village that hates you and your sister."

"I will repeat what I said to Mizuki right before I tore his throat out when he offered for me to join you," I said viciously, my chakra flowing faster in my tenketsu, "There is nothing a Sannin can offer me that the prized student of Senju Tobirama and The Kami no Shinobi couldn't."

"Time is not on his side." Orochimaru pointed out, "He cannot protect you from what is out there. Things that you could not imagine."

Orochimaru then added one more thing.

"He cannot teach you to become a sage."

Was Orochimaru truly that desperate to have me?

"Sage," I tested the word on my tongue, "What even is that?"

"As the summoner of the snakes," Orochimaru began, "I have access to sage training, and being a sage means you can absorb the chakra of the environment to give you immense power."

"Why haven't I heard of it then?" I asked flatly, keeping a poker face.

Orochimaru grinned at the question.

"Very few have it in them to learn it without killing themselves," Orochimaru chuckled, his posture shifting some, "You have it in you to be a sage."

"And who can you name is or was a sage, other than yourself?"

I wouldn't know that Orochimaru wasn't a sage without really weird questions coming up, so I won't call out his lie.

"Uzumaki Ashina." Orochimaru smiled, his hand ghosting towards my sword hanging from his belt.

I couldn't hide my shock at the confirmation of my theory from what Zabuza said about the sensors there being unable to feel in front of them and feel like they were surrounded and unable to see.

"You see the power a sage can wield, Naruto-kun?" Orochimaru asked imploringly, "A man over 90 years of age was able to kill two Jinchuriki and the Raikage. What do you think you could become?"

I was silent as my thoughts were at war with what had been offered.

Everything I'd done so far was barely enough to not get killed when fighting Orochimaru. I wasn't strong enough to kill him, and a certain chill went up my spine.

Would Jiraiya train me and forsake Rin? Would he see her as the prophecy child and leave me to try and train myself?

"I will make you one of the most powerful Shinobi in history," Orochimaru promised, his voice now having an understanding tone to it, "All I ask is that you stop fighting me. Let me speak with Sasuke, join me, and I will give you my knowledge to protect her."

His words were like a sweet poison in my veins, the offer of power making me hesitate.

It was one thing to make bold proclamations of refusing Orochimaru before he came here, but now, as he stood before me, offering me everything I could want, I couldn't muster a resounding proclamation of defiance.

Orochimaru was a wealth of knowledge in fighting the Akatsuki. He knew how they operated and he would undoubtedly be holding nothing back in training me to combat them.

Jiraiya in comparison didn't know enough about them and he was obsessed with a prophecy, a prophecy that haunted me every day. Would he focus on me or Rin?

I couldn't stop Orochimaru alone, and nobody was here right now. I was cornered. I had to choose. If I didn't, he'd kill me and mark Sasuke anyway. But if I did this, I'd be willingly descending into hell, my soul forfeit.

Could I make a gamble and let Orochimaru mark Sasuke? Could I sentence Sasuke to another round of pain he never deserved?

He'd mark Sasuke and I could go with him to Orochimaru. I could delay the journey to his hideout to make sure he switched bodies with someone else, freeing me up to train with Sasuke and keep the both of us sane.

But Orochimaru would try and groom me into a monster, and the thought of resisting him and coming out damaged and dirty terrified me.

The Akatsuki worked in pairs, Sasuke and I could as well. The two of us could hunt down and kill the Akatsuki at our leisure after killing Orochimaru, and finally joining up with Jiraiya to kill Pein and destroy the Rinnegan.

Obito would have no more allies other than Zetsu.

Maybe I could convince Orochimaru to abandon his attempt to kill Hiruzen, pointing out that B and Yugito are here, with Ay likely coming during the finals.

Kill Orochimaru with Sasuke, and kill Sasuke if he becomes too far gone after Itachi lets himself die at his brother's hand. Or maybe fix all the evil I let happen, and give Sasuke his brother back.

I would be free. The nightmares would end. The village would be saved. My friends would not suffer anymore loss.

Asuma could see his daughter grow up.

Shikamaru would still have his father, as would Ino.

Jiraiya wouldn't die.

Hinata wouldn't be at risk from Pein.

Neji would not die for Hinata.

Rin.

I would save her from Fate. I would save the world without the chakra of Ashura. The cycle of rebirth would end when the last 3 Uchiha die, no more of Indra's descendants to be reincarnated into. Sasuke would either be good with my help, or I'll kill him to save the world, even if it broke me.

I would defy Prophecy itself and I will be the protagonist, not Rin.

'It would be so easy,' I thought, staring at the piece of metal in my hand, blood staining the blade and dripping down on to the tree branch I stood on. 'Drop the sword and let him go.'

I could almost imagine it was Obito's blood staining it, the image of the light leaving his eye, and his chakra winking out of existence, dancing in my mind's eye like a forbidden fruit.

'I'm so tired.' I thought weakly, not knowing if I could muster up more resistance.

Was this what they meant by temptation? It robbed me of my strength and I just wanted to let go, make the pain and fear end.

The blade started to slip from my hand and I saw Orochimaru smile.

As I was about to drop the sword and tell him to go, I swore I felt something brush against my mind, a feeling that I had felt one other time.

It was the feeling I felt when I was consumed with fury when I found out Hinata was going to be forced to fight Hanabi over who would be marked. The fire seemed to wake me up.

The thoughts that had been warring with each other in my mind focused on one indisputable and salient thing.

Rin would not join me and Sasuke, nor would she let us go. She would fight us as we left.

Could I leave her?

'Would she catch up to us at the Valley of the End? Would she fight me?'

'A hooded figure taking her from me. The hood falls back.'

She would never give up on taking me back. She'd fight until she couldn't.

And she'd die before giving up.

I no longer saw the neverending nightmare of Sasuke taking her from me, a Chidori driven through her chest as she choked on blood, desperately asking why I betrayed her.

It was me.

"Why?" She asks, tears in her wide eyes at the betrayal, "You promised." She gasps, a faraway look in her eyes as she falls still, "We promised."

The light in her eyes fade.

"I don't know you."

The blood on the blade wasn't Obito's now.

It was Rin's.

"I will never forget you. Don't let anyone, not even me, tell you that."

I will not be tempted by a snake that wants me to eat the forbidden fruit, promising me the world.

I will not leave her.

My chakra, for the first time since this entire day began, was completely calm, my mind clear and my sight on the horizon.

The time for talk had passed.

My grip tightened on the blade and I made two shadow clones, the two disappearing in a swirl of leaves with their orders in place.

I made a hand seal as Orochimaru realized I wasn't going to accept.

Gate of Healing: Kai!

I felt my chakra flare and all feeling of fatigue disappeared from me as the second Gate opened, flooding me with more chakra.

I roared in fury and tore through hand seals at a blistering pace, sending a blade of water chakra at Orochimaru.

Suiton: Severing Wave.

Orochimaru leaped from the tree right before my jutsu hit him, the tree getting torn in half as the blade of water cleaved through the trunk with little resistance.

He didn't even reach the ground before I was already rushing towards him with my blade raised, lightning screeching through it.

I smashed my sword into his as he blocked my downward swing that was aimed at his head. Our blades locked for a second in a shower of sparks before I shoved forward with all my strength and staggered him. I stabbed and slashed at him with a reckless hate that had me growling as he desperately backed up and dodged or barely diverted my attacks. A horizontal slash towards his throat caused him to lean back, which I spun with my swing and drove me foot into his chest, sending him back several yards.

Before he could re-engage, my clones Shunshined from opposite directions and attacked. He deflected one stab from a chakra blade and killed that clone, avoiding the other clone's attack by twisting away in an unnatural display of flexibility.

I snarled and, without hesitation, made a half seal to send a jet of water at him, another set of seals shooting lightning through it as the water was replaced by the second element.

The mix shot at Orochimaru's midsection as his body was at a bad angle to block it with any kind of jutsu.

He jumped over the stream, laying flat in the air to avoid it.

I made a hand seal and blasted a ball of water out my mouth again.

Suiton: Teppodama.

He wasn't able to avoid it and was struck by it, getting flung back and smashing through a smaller tree, the whole trunk exploding from the impact.

I sprinted towards him and bent my legs towards the ground, leaping through the air to land on top of him.

"Ragghh!" I roared as I gripped the screeching blade in my hand, driving it into his chest.

What I thought was Orochimaru turned out to be a mud clone when it it fell apart into a chunky mess.

I didn't even see or feel him, I just instinctively made a hand seal to switch with a shattered portion of tree a few yards away.

The Kusanagi tore through where I was a fraction of a second ago, the wood being sliced in half.

Orochimaru looked at me with unmasked hatred, rushing through hand seals as his sword came back up from the slash.

Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu. (Phoenix Flower Jutsu).

Several balls of fire came flying out of his mouth and directed towards me.

I grabbed a seal scroll from my pocket and flung it in front of me, making a hand seal to activate it.

The seal sucked in chakra in a certain radius, acting akin to a shield against Ninjutsu. Fortunately, it worked best against fire and water Jutsu, which was what was coming straight at me.

Most of the fireballs aimed at me were absorbed by it with a loud rushing sound as it sucked the fire in.

I didn't expect the storm of kunai coming through the fire though, my eyes widening in surprise.

I materialized a chakra blade and deflected as many as I could, more than one clanging against my battered chest piece.

Orochimaru glared at me, stalking towards me with his sword in a relaxed position.

I had a clone hovering around us out of sight.

Expecting Orochimaru to have caught on to me shouting orders in a 'made up' language, I shouted random shit in English towards the trees.

He twisted and prepared for another hit and run attack, but nothing happened.

I closed my hands and made a couple clones, one Henging into a kunai with a specific seal tag I gave to it attached.

I grabbed the kunai in midair and charged at Orochimaru with my other clones flanking me.

The Gates were starting to take there toll on me, my fingers starting to go numb and my muscles starting to tickle like when I was hurting, but too souped up on adrenaline to notice.

This will be a big thing if I can get this seal on him. I didn't have trust in pressing a seal into him with my hand, so paper had to do.

I had the Henged clone in my left hand, the cracked and sizzling blade in my right. It wasn't chakra conductive, so it was probably going to break soon.

Orochimaru went through hand seals and fired an even stronger Jutsu, blurring around the flames he just spewed out.

Katon: Goryuka no Jutsu.

The other seal I had was flung at it, my clones rushing forward in case it still went through.

Orochimaru flung kunai at my clones, the clones taking the hit and popping to give back the chakra.

The seal worked and absorbed the jutsu, my path clear.

The two of us charged at each other, my plan set.

I flung the kunai as we were just a few feet away, sending it over his left shoulder.

Orochimaru ducked under it and raised his blade to intercept mine, not realizing that the kunai was a clone.

The clone dropped the Henge and disguised the tag placement on Orochimaru's back with a slash from a chakra blade that opened up a wound from his shoulder blade to his lowest floating rib.

He hissed and clashed his sword with mine, twisting his head around and shooting his tongue out towards the clone, wrapping it around the clones neck and snapping it like a twig.

I strained against the force he had against my arms as he turned his head back to face me.

"I will have an Uzumaki sage," He hissed, his own arms shaking as he overpowered me, "Whether it be you or your sister, I do not care. I have waited too long for this." He kept pushing, my blade starting to crack.

Gritting my teeth from the creaking of my elbows caused by the snake, I made a gamble one more time.

"I won't be your attack dog to get Itachi's body." I glared at him, our faces just inches away.

Seeing his eyes widen in surprise was what had me cry out in pain as I fell backwards when he was too distracted to not overextend.

He took a step too much to balance himself and I drove my foot into his chest while shoving as hard as I could with the sword, breaking the blade and flipping him over me.

I jumped up and ran as fast as I could, feeling him on my heels. I turned and saw him racing towards me, his blade in hand.

With a blast of chakra towards my legs that I was sure tore some muscles, I jumped high through the air, spun to face him, and made a hand seal, blasting lightning from my mouth.

Raiton: Gian. (False Darkness).

I intentionally missed and let the bolt of lightning go over Orochimaru's head, the man not doing anything to stop it.

I made a half seal as my feet hit the ground, activating the tag. The bolt course corrected and flew towards the seal.

Which was strapped to Orochimaru's back.

Orochimaru realized what happened a split second before the Jutsu hit him, the shock on his face being remembered by me for a long time.

A massive, earth shattering explosion blasted me back, something wet hitting me as I felt my back hit the ground.

I got up and staggered, my left ear ringing and the other had no sound coming in, blood flowing from it. Trying to look for any other injuries, I realized what hit me when I looked down.

Blackish-red blood and entrails from Orochimaru exploding had coated me.

'Don't puke.' I needed to tell them to run to the tower. I fought through the pain of my body as the Gates closed from my chakra feeling dangerously low, and raced towards where I could feel Rin, my chakra too low to feel Sasuke or Hinata.

Orochimaru was going to shed from whatever shattered remnants of his corpse was left shortly. I needed to get to the three.

////////////////

Sasuke was pissed that he was outvoted by Rin and Hinata on going forward to the tower, the reason for the decision right next to him.

The one repeat genin, Kabuto, was still shaking slightly right next to him.

Evidently, his team had been slaughtered and he was the only one that survived, staggering towards them by happenstance, covered in blood from a slash across his chest.

Hinata had done what she could, closing it up most of the way and bandaging it.

Luckily for Kabuto, the slash was a clean one that missed any vital area that would bleed in obscene amounts.

The four of them were in a secluded area, with several traps set by Rin for security, when they started hearing loud fighting from what sounded like several hundred yards away.

"Do you feel that?" Sasuke asked, the feeling of a large amount chakra being felt from that far away not boding well.

"Yes," Rin said, standing up and making several more Kage bunshin than she already had patrolling around, "That's a massive amount of chakra."

"Do you think it's the Suna nin?" Hinata asked, glancing towards Kabuto, who wasn't in the know.

Sasuke thought nothing of a flash of realization in Kabuto's eyes, waving it off as him seeing things.

"That amount of chakra means it could be him and Naruto fighting." Sasuke realized, his eyes shooting to Hinata's, "Use your eyes, now!" He said sharply, the Hyuga girl nodding.

The veins around her eyes bulged and she narrowed them in concentration, hissing softly in pain from extending the range.

"There's a large chakra, no, two chakra signatures." she said, still looking.

Sasuke knew it was bad when Hinata gasped.

"Naruto is fighting someone," She started hyperventilating, "And he's losing."

Sasuke turned to Rin, seeing the look of terror on her face at hearing Naruto losing to someone.

"Fuck what Naruto said," Sasuke growled, activating his Sharingan, "I'm not leaving him to get killed by a lunatic Jinchuriki."

He didn't care that Kabuto would hear. He wasn't going to let the dead weight slow him down from saving his friend.

As he was preparing to rush towards the sound of fighting, he heard Hinata's voice through his anger filled mind.

"It's not the Jinchuriki. It's someone else."

Sasuke then heard Hinata gasp, followed by a massive boom and flash of blue seconds after Hinata's reaction.

"What happened?" Rin asked frantically, sending more bunshin to the area.

"Naruto is running towards us," Hinata managed to say weakly, "His chakra is so faint." She said in almost a whisper.

What the hell could Naruto have fought where it left him with so little chakra that Hinata would consider it faint from what it usually was?

Sasuke caught sight of Naruto seconds later.

All of them audibly gasped when they saw him.

He was drenched in blackened guts and blood, his clothes looked like he'd been set on fire and thrown through a meat shredder, and his armour was visible with several gouges and holes in it.

But the worst thing was the look of terror on his face that he had only seen one time. When Ino had used her clan Jutsu on him.

"Run!" He screamed, staggering for a moment on a root, starting up running again, "It's Orochimaru!"

Sasuke caught the flash of movement in the trees with his Sharingan, seeing a man with long, black hair, a purple belt, and a sword in said belt, smash a fist into Naruto's back, sending him crashing into a tree.

Sasuke charged at the traitorous nin, now knowing his identity, spotting a swarm of Rin's bunshin charging in.

Orochimaru pulled the sword from his belt and started slashing through the clones with brutal efficiency.

Sasuke got to him and worked with the remaining bunshin to try and fight him, knowing it was futile to try and kill an S-rank nin that had left Naruto exhausted and bloodied.

Sasuke saw the sword seem to go in slow motion as his eyes slowed everything down to a crawl.

He realized it was Naruto's when he noticed the hilt of it when it beheaded Rin's bunshin.

He caught the swing aimed at him with a kunai, straining to hold it in place.

He saw Orochimaru shift his focus from him and avoid a purple and white blur, that turned out to be Hinata.

The two of them worked together to fight the snake Sannin with their respective clan's taijutsu, not giving him any respite.

Sasuke flipped over Orochimaru's head right as Hinata coated her fingers with a visible chakra halo and blocked the sword strike aimed at her heart. His flip reached its apex and he flung the kunai at Orochimaru's head, the older man shifting his head to the right to prevent it from piercing his throat.

He didn't hesitate and launched a furious series of punches and kicks to try and break his guard, Hinata playing a support role, slipping a juken hit in when she could.

A kick to the face turned into a spinning scissor kick, followed by him ducking under a slash at his head, a few strands of hair being cut off.

He grinned in triumph as he landed a hit on Orochimaru's jaw when he jumped up from his crouch, Hinata landing a hit to his chest.

Orochimaru coughed up some blood and backed away, looking behind the two.

Rin came howling in with a Rasengan in her hand, another dozen bunshin circling them in preparation for an opening.

Orochimaru leaped over his blonde teammate's attack, swinging the sword around his back to try and clip Rin. The girl knew this and had her tanto in hand and twisted around to catch the hit, moving it away from her, with a strip of her shoulder sleeve coming off as the sharpened steel glanced off.

Orochimaru was breathing heavily and looked at the three of them. He looked between them and chuckled, sounding more like a rasp.

"To think I would be fighting a new Team 7." He smiled a bloody grin, "Now, which of you would be like my own team, hmnn?"

He looked to Hinata.

"Clan heiress, and dangerous in close range. Tsunade." He chuckled, looking to Rin next, "Jiraiya, with such fire in you."

His serpentine gaze turned to him.

"Rookie of the year. Determined to be great. A thirst for power."

'I am not him.' Sasuke snarled to himself, not even caring if he was internally thinking of Itachi or the creature in front of him.

"I will kill you before I let you hurt them." Sasuke growled, his eyes catching every detail of his enemy.

"Kukuku," The snake chuckled, "Just as I once was, Sasuke-kun." He then turned to Kabuto, who was still sitting where he had been before, looking at the fight, "Kabuto, I must unfortunately ask for some assistance. Naruto-kun put up such a spirited fight that I must make haste and do what I came here for."

Sasuke looked in shock as Kabuto stood up and seemed to have a completely different demeanor to him, looking much like how the Jonin were in how they stood.

Orochimaru surprised them all by turning and rushing towards Naruto, who was trying to get up and stand straight.

"Foolish little brother." He could hear Itachi's voice whisper in his ear. "You cannot hope to save them. You are weak."

Sasuke raged against his own traitorous thoughts and ran towards Naruto in pursuit of Orochimaru.

He vaguely heard Rin growl in anger as Kabuto rushed towards them, his two teammates getting caught in a fight with the traitor.

'Not again.' Sasuke vowed, chasing the monster that betrayed his friends and village. 'I won't lose everyone again.'

//////////////////

I couldn't see straight. I had felt Orochimaru hit me as I had shouted at the three to run, temporarily blacking out from the pain. My strange ability to remain aware of my surroundings was of little help because I was struggling to keep going from my healing being diminished from less than 10% of my chakra remaining.

The lightning enhancement and opening two Gates, combined with a liberal use of the Shunshin and several high caliber Jutsu, ate into my reserves.

I tried to get up, but immediately fell back down from my legs shaking too much from my muscles being torn, healed, and re-torn repeatedly. I moaned and grabbed ahold of Kurama's chakra and tried to flood my tenketsu with it to relieve some of my injuries.

It worked well enough and I managed to stand, my vision starting to straighten out and my body more responsive.

'More.' I thought, channeling as much as I could without manifesting a weak cloak.

My canines sharpened and I suspected my eyes shifted to a more violet colour from Kurama's chakra bleeding into my blue irises.

My rage, which I had managed to keep in check, was spiraling out of my control as I saw my sister and friends fighting Orochimaru.

'YOU WILL NOT TAKE THEM FROM ME!' I screamed in my mind, the snake turning and charging towards me with Sasuke behind him.

I roared with an animalistic fury and charged at Orochimaru, my focus on killing him no matter what.

His eyes showed an anger that almost matched my own as he closed the distance.

We smashed into each with a resounding crack, our forearms clashing into each other.

I threw a punch, followed by a spinning scissor kick, knocking my sword out of position, a sweeping kick to his legs to try and knock him to the ground.

He jumped over the kick and switched with a tree limb to avoid Sasuke's kunai and Shuriken thrown.

Sasuke raced forward still and I charged at Orochimaru alongside him.

"Formation two." I growled, knowing the different two man call-outs that Kakashi taught Team 7.

Sasuke slowed down and let me attack first.

I rushed towards Orochimaru, kunai pulled from the seal in my sleeve, shifting to the side to avoid the downward swing from the sword. I kicked out towards his head and turned it into a side flip when he ducked to the side and slashed at my pivoting leg.

I didn't even touch the ground yet and Sasuke was already attacking Orochimaru, the Uchiha finding a rhythm to keep Orochimaru fighting to not take a hit.

I needed to get another kill shot to lower his chakra. I only had one idea left.

But one was enough.

Sasuke got one of his kicks caught by Orochimaru and was thrown aside, hitting the ground and swinging his legs out blindly in a series of kicks to fling himself up and ward off an attack.

I shouted at Orochimaru to get his attention.

"Orochimaru!"

Orochimaru looked at me with a look of fury.

"If you were anything other than Ashina's descendant, I would kill you for stopping me from having you both." He hissed, his eyes wild as he was breathing heavily, his left leg being favoured.

Orochimaru looked like death warmed over. If this wasn't as serious of a situation, I would have been overjoyed that he was brought so low by me.

I had made him shed three times, each time being a lethal amount of damage dealt.

I knew placing a seal on anything required chakra. If Orochimaru was forced to shed again, maybe he'd be unable to mark Sasuke and still have enough chakra to evade the ANBU that were somehow not here yet.

I prayed I would survive what I was about to do next. Orochimaru would be pissed from me manipulating him into exposing himself to a lethal hit.

But I couldn't let Sasuke be marked. I couldn't stand by and let him be hurt when I could stop it.

Not again.

I blinked and focused on the S-rank criminal whose entire focus was on me.

Rin and Hinata were fighting Kabuto, someone who I would rate as an A-rank. He was extremely dangerous in taijutsu with his chakra scalpels, making it dangerous for Hinata especially. The two of them could hurt him bad, but he would escape them if he felt the tide turn against him, he took after the snake out of all his masters.

I stared into the yellow, slanted eyes of Orochimaru, the boy that wept at his parents' graves, the man that broke Hiruzen's heart.

"What did I say I'd do if you didn't fuck off back to whatever shithole you crawled from?" I demanded, chakra swirling in my right hand to form a Rasengan.

I turned to Sasuke and, without saying a word, charged at him, roaring in fury.

Sasuke was so caught off guard at the seeming betrayal that he stood completely still, his eyes tracking me as I shot towards him at a blistering pace.

Orochimaru charged towards the two of us to try and stop me from ripping Sasuke's heart out.

Right as I got within arm's reach of Sasuke, whose face showed terror as he raised his arms to try and stop from being killed by a friend, I drove my right leg into the ground just inches from his feet and pivoted to my left, driving the Rasengan into Orochimaru as he tried to grab at me.

He stabbed my own sword towards my heart, but I grabbed it with my bare left hand, the blade cutting into my palm. But I held firm and redirected it into the left side of my chest instead, my hand holding the Rasengan still impacting its target.

"FUCKING DIE!" I roared.

The swirling sphere of chakra tore into his upper chest, the feeling of his ribcage, heart, and lungs disintegrating under my hand being unforgettable.

Orochimaru vomited up blood all over me and flew back from the momentum, landing several feet away with a wet thud.

I coughed up blood and fell forward, my own sword being returned to me in the most painful manner possible.

I caught myself from falling face first, moaning Sasuke's name as I managed to face him.

"He's not dead," I wheezed, blood dripping down my lips, "You have to run, Sasuke."

Before I could say anything else, I saw Orochimaru fly from his old body, his neck shooting forward with us as the target.

I had nothing. No plan, no Jutsu, no idea to pull out of my ass to save Sasuke.

My seal was burning from pulling on Kurama's chakra. The rage wasn't there, Kurama had kept his word on not messing with it, but the tightenings that were on there to prevent my mind as a child from being damaged were now a curse.

'I'm sorry, Sasuke.' I thought as my vision began to blur from blood loss and chakra exhaustion.

But Orochimaru didn't aim for Sasuke.

He aimed for me.

I felt his fangs sink into my neck and my entire body spasmed like I'd been electrocuted.

I felt his mark on me and he pulled away, hissing into my ear.

"I choose you."

He then pulled his neck back and took off running from the area.

My entire body exploded into agony like my entire chakra network was lit on fire, the caustic chakra chewing into every nerve. The only thing that hurt worse was when Kurama was sealed into me.

My eyes rolled into my head as I screamed louder than I ever had in either life. My body hit the ground and I seized up, not being able to breath.

The last conscious image I had was someone with a lightning affinity standing above me, the stench of blood in the air and unable to breathe.

////////////////////

'And so the battle over the Fuzi came to an end. I'm told we killed hundreds of Uzumaki and Konoha Shinobi that day. Even if it had been thousands, it wouldn't have made up for the losses of the 3rd Regiment."

Excerpt from journal of Ozawa Daisuke, Jonin of Iwagakure, 3rd Regiment, Second Shinobi War, Battle of Fuzi.'

End Chapter:

//////////////////

I bet not a single person expected it to go that way.

As I said in the top comment in bold text, the chapter would have surpassed the 40k mark, so I split it. Next chapter will be immediately after the moment of Naruto losing consciousness.

The shitshow does not end here. The next part has the fight between Rin, Hinata, and Kabuto. While the question of the tardy ANBU is answered, with Orochimaru tucking tail and running. (What would possess him to abandon a chief lieutenant of his? Perhaps getting 'killed' four times played a role). And Sasuke isn't out of the race yet, either.

(Again, something happens in the next part. Don't assume things hastily.)

Anyway, more content beckons you, my readers. Have a wonderful day.

Raging.