"Then what is your goal?" Sasuke presses Orochimaru to reveal his plan.
Orochimaru merrily leans back into his chair and smiles deviously at us. "I've been bored lately and I think it will be entertaining to watch."
...
Silence falls in the room. Sasuke and I both can't believe it.
"Really?" Sasuke asks in confusion. "That is it? You just want to watch?"
"Kukukuku, boys not everything I do has to be part of a bigger scheme. I do enjoy watching the fruits of my labor." Orochimaru says with a very smug face.
I shake my head, trying to re-boot my brain. Or Jiongu-brain. "Alright, I'm going to ignore how unexpected that was and simply accept it and move on. So when are the Chunin Exams starting?"
Orochimaru hands us both forms. They're exactly like the version Konoha used. "A little over a month from now."
"Who is going to be our third teammate?" Sasuke asks. He's got a good point. The exams in Konoha required that we be in teams of three. "The Sound Four are out. It'll have to be someone else."
"The exams in Grass are for single entrants only. There are no teams being sent. If a group works together or not it is up to them." Orochimaru cheerfully informs us. That is very convenient, it would be hard to bring in another person to our team. Sasuke and I work exceptionally well together, adding in another person could ruin our team dynamics. "I leave it up to you two to decide to work with each other or not. I expect to see you both in the finals."
Sasuke and I share a look. "Work together as needed, but otherwise go alone?" He says.
"Sure, why not." I agree to his idea. "If the proctors force us into teams of some sort we'll try to match up. If not we will avoid each other. A nonaggression pact."
"Good!" Orochimaru claps his hands together. "I can't wait to see how much you both improve in the coming month. Don't think I'll take it easy on you, if anything expect me to push you further."
I groan. "You already kick my ass every time. How can you possibly push me further?" I should not have asked that.
"I can cut off a limb or two." He blandly replies. "There is always a way to advance."
"How about no?" I weakly ask. He just smiles his creepy smile. "Training tomorrow is going to be hell, isn't it?"
Orochimaru's malicious smile widens. "You have no idea."
"On that lovely note, I'm going to go sleep some more. I have a feeling that I'll not be getting that much over the next month." I briskly walk out the door. Sasuke follows after me two seconds later. I make my way towards my room and he falls in step beside me.
"I have no idea how you're still alive." I send Sasuke a questioning glance. What is he talking about? I haven't done anything life threatening today. Well, excluding training with Orochimaru. I'm still waiting for the day he destroys one of my hearts. "The way you talk to Orochimaru. It is a miracle you're still breathing."
Why does everyone not understand that Orochimaru likes me being informal with him? "He obviously isn't bothered by it. He would have told me to stop or cut my head off a few times. Is it really that hard to believe?"
"Yes." Sasuke instantly replies. "That man is all business. If you screw with him he reacts violently. Most people die."
"I'm not most people, am I?" I have things he wants. He doesn't want to kill me, so I am using that to my advantage. I am still dreading the day he finally asks for something from my memories and I'm secretly hoping he never does.
"No, you most certainly are not. It's not like he calls everyone 'child.'" Sasuke agrees. That comment kills the conversation, we walk in silence back to my room.
"Alright, scram! I wasn't kidding when I said I wanted to sleep more." I shoo Sasuke away. "Go bother someone else!"
He leaves with a shake of his head. I enter my room and firmly shut the door. I'm not sleeping yet. I sit down at my desk and pull out a piece of paper. I write only a few sentences on it.
I run through the hand signs for summoning.
POOF
Shirokumo pops out of the smoke and scampers up to his web in the corner. He likes to be high up, I have no idea why. Heights are terrifying. "Hey Al. How's things?" He greets me once he's settled in.
"We have a new development and a potentially bad situation." Shirokumo stills in his web. "Sasuke and I are being sent to the Chunin Exams in Kusa."
He tilts his whole body to the side. It is the equivalent of an inquisitive look. "And? I don't see how that's a bad thing."
"You know how I'm spying on those here right?" He bobs his body in acknowledgment. "I'm considered a missing nin from my home village, everyone there thinks I abandoned them to come to Sound. They could have a kill on sight order out for me. Only Tsunade, the crazy lady, and Kakashi-sensei know that I'm loyal to Konoha still. The reason the situation could turn very sour is because Tsunade is obligated to send an overwhelming amount of gennin to this exam. Most of them are my friends, if they recognize me I'm screwed. I need to show that I'm loyal to Orochimaru if I want to keep playing spy, so if they do figure out who I am I'll need to brutally put them down. I can't display one moment of hesitation or Orochimaru may decide I'm a risk and kill me."
"You're playing a dangerous game." Shirokumo is all business now. He's pacing back and forth in his web. "Can we help at all? We could make you a mask to hide your face."
I hold up the dark green mask Orochimaru provided me with. "I've got one already. I could use a hood or a cowl though, something to help obscure me even further. I'll also need a long sleeved overcoat to help hide my scars. A lot of bandages to wrap up my limbs as added insurance for my scars wouldn't hurt either. Oh, and maybe a scarf? If the hood doesn't hide my neck very well I'll have to use a scarf to hide my scar on my neck."
"Any material preference?" Shirokumo isn't phased by my tall order. I'm basically ordering a whole custom outfit just for one occasion and he's not batting an eyelash. Do spiders even have eyelashes?
"The coat should be a flexible yet durable material. I need maneuverability but I don't want it to be easily ripped or torn. Make the hood, cowl, scarf and the bandages out of spider silk. That is simply a wonderful material, much better than wool. If I have to have it rubbing on my skin for hours, I want to feel good about it."
My summon beams in pride. I did compliment the Spiders in a round about way. "I'll pass along the order. Any color preference? The weavers sometimes take artistic liberty and make things ridiculous colors."
I know, Tayuya has one of the ridiculously bright yellow shirts. I have three more. "Make the coat a dark green, match it to the mask as best as possible. The hood and cowl can be black. Make the scarf a brilliant eye catching red. I want it to draw the eye and distract observers."
"Simple enough. How many sets do you want?"
I pause and consider his question for a moment. "Bring me one but keep four ready in the Nest. I'll summon someone if I need to replace anything."
Shirokumo climbs down from his nest. "Works for me, I'll pass it along. Now, do you want that letter delivered?" He holds up his two front legs and I pass him the letter. He latches it onto his back. "I'm off, unless you have anything else to add?"
"Don't be seen."
He screeches in amusement. "I'm not an amateur, thank you!"
POOF!!
Shirokumo vanished into a cloud of smoke. I finally plop down on my bed and cocoon myself in blankets.
I hope he doesn't get almost squished this time.
...
( Hokage's Office )
POOF!!
"Sup Tsunade. How ya been?" Shirokumo happily greets the Hokage.
WHAM
A paperweight explodes in the spot that Shirokumo was in, denting the floor. "Sorry! Sorry, reflexes. I remember you, you can come out now. There is no need to hide under the couch." Tsunade coaxes him out of his new hiding spot.
"We have to stop meeting like this." He climbs on top of the Hokage's desk. "One of these days I'm not going to move fast enough." Shirokumo says with a waver of fear in his voice. "I'm too young to die!"
Tsunade rummages around in the bottom drawer of her desk. She pulls out a bottle. "I'm too sober to deal with this right now. You want a glass?"
Shirokumo shrugs. "Why not. You better read the letter first though. I'd hate for you to forget it because you were intoxicated."
Tsunade waves a hand dismissively at him. "You don't know how much I can drink."
"How about you read the letter and do everything you need to and then we get trashed?" Shirokumo offers. "It has been a very long time since I got good and proper drunk."
"You want to be my drinking buddy?" Tsunade sounds surprised, but that doesn't stop her from pulling out two sake cups and pouring a healthy amount in both.
Shirokumo places his legs over each cup before Tsunade can drink hers. "After you handle the business." He detaches the letter from his back and holds it out to her.
Reluctantly she takes and opens it.
Lady with the Hat,
The wayward Snake and Spider will be at the Chunin Exams in Kusa.
Do not try to retrieve us, we've been ordered to remain anonymous. Tell anyone you send to avoid us, it will make things easier. We have been ordered to win, to make it a show. The Traitor wants to watch us, we can't afford any missteps. It is just us two going, I don't think that anyone else will be sent.
Don't tell me anything about your plans or who you are sending. I need my act to be genuine, the Traitor will know if I'm faking.
We are doing well, as well as possible considering where we are. My training has been brutal, but I fear that it is going to get worse over the next month. If I ever make it back, you'll have one hell of an asset at your disposal.
Spider
"You have got to be shitting me. How does Alvarcus keep getting into these situations? I swear he's a magnet for crazy." Tsunade burns the letter with a minor fire jutsu. "Are all of your summoners this unlucky?"
Shirokumo screeches out laughter and he takes a drink of the sake. "Nah, just him. I never really interacted with the other three that much, and that was a very long time ago. I was much younger then but the stories I would hear about them were very mild compared to the things Al finds himself in."
Tsunade throws back her glass of sake in one big gulp. "We'll have to save drinking for another time. I need to get a plan together. I never expected Orochimaru to do this."
Shirokumo slides his glass over to Tsunade. "You need it more than me." She tosses his back too. "I'll leave you to it."
"Thanks." Tsunade gratefully says.
Shirokumo vanishes in a puff of smoke.
"Once you get past the fact that he's a giant spider, he's actually a swell guy. Never would have guessed that." Tsunade hides her sake back in her desk. "SHIZUNE!"
Shizune calmly walks through the doors. "I'm off the clock in five minutes. Can this wait until tomorrow?"
"Probably, but I want this done now."
Shizune sighs. Her shoulders slump in resignation. "You have the worst timing to finally get a work ethic. What do you want done?"
Tsunade stands up and starts pacing. Shizune's face becomes grim, she knows that something serious happened. Tsunade wouldn't be this animated otherwise. "Get me Kakashi. I have a task for him. He's going to thin the herd."
"Excuse me?" Shizune falters. "Thin the herd? What herd?"
"I need to cut back the amount of gennin that are being sent to Kusa. He's going to come up with a way to do that. And I'll have him be the leader of everyone sent. That should make things much easier for me, then I can have someone very skilled who actually knows what's going on there. Perfect!"
Shizune looks very confused. "I thought we wanted an overwhelming number to go? Now you want to limit it? What don't I know?"
Tsunade stops her pacing and give Shizune her full attention. "Shizune, can you keep an S-rank secret? If anyone hears about this one of Konoha's most loyal shinobi will die. Violently."
Shizune raises up to her full height. "Yes, Tsunade-sama, I can. Not even Ibiki could get it out of me."
"Good!" Tsunade's eyes light up in glee. "Alvarcus says hello from Otokagure."
"..."
"Shizune? You alright? You're not going to faint on me are you?"
"THAT IRRESPONSIBLE LITTLE BRAT! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HIM HE BETTER BE READY BECASUE HE'S DUE FOR A MAJOR TALKING TO! I CAN'T BELIEVE HE'D DO SOMETHING SO STUPID!"
...
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