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Pupil of the Serpent	By : Mario Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 2253 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters contained herein. I make no money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
A/N: Rewriting chapters takes even longer than writing them in the first place! I'm chugging along, though. Enjoy!

To my reviewers:
@Small Fox: Never fear, I will never abandon a story, although they might be put on hiatus for renovation and improvement from time to time. I humbly apologize for the delay. In any case, Anko's a predator—it's Orochimaru that needs to watch his back.
@The Perverted Mind: Ahem . . . I suppose I should apologize in advance for somewhat dousing the flames of passion in this chapter. Forgive me! On the bright side, if we measure hotness on an absolute scale, we note a general trend of increasing temperature—good things will come if we wait long enough, I'm sure. Thank you for your review, I love hearing from my readers!
@Wolfboy1988: Thanks! I hope this story continues to capture your interest. Please continue reading and reviewing; I look forward to hearing from you in the future!
@weaselchan: It is always a great honor and pleasure to read your reviews. I cannot express how much I appreciate your support.
@Lynn: I'm overjoyed that you can forgive my delay in providing the previous installment. Your support means a lot, and I'm glad that you continue to look forward to the next chapters!

The silence in the cave was deafening, stretching on and on until it seemed that it would never end. Anko bit her lip, wishing that she could snatch the words back. Had she lost her mind? She couldn't believe she'd actually asked Orochimaru-sensei to kiss her—she’d be lucky if he didn’t kill her! Still . . . the way he had embraced her before . . . She wanted to experience that feeling again, more than she had ever wanted anything.
"A kiss?" Her teacher drew back slightly, regarding her intently through those beautiful golden eyes. There was a hint of a smile playing about his pale lips. "Is that really what you want?"
She quickly turned her gaze to the ground once more. She couldn't meet that stare; it was too dangerous. When he looked at her like that, as he had the first time they'd met, she felt as if she were falling into a dark abyss, where he would consume her utterly. There was something dreadfully tempting about that; a sweetly seductive urge to subsume herself in the darkness that surrounded him. But the terror was stronger—some instinct warned her that if she ever gave into that longing, they would both be lost forever.
"Yes," she whispered.
"Why?" He looked truly curious. "Now you've seen what kind of monster I really am. Aren't you afraid?" He had deliberately subjected her to his killing intent—yes, partly because he'd thought that he might be able to scare her into staying behind, but at least some part of him had wanted her to see what he was capable of; what he could do to her. The thought sent a chill through him. Tsunade had been right after all—only a monster would inflict that on a child. What was he becoming?
Anko's reaction shocked him. Her head shot up, fury blazing in her large, round eyes. "Orochimaru-sensei isn't a monster!" She reached up and grabbed his robe, bringing him down to eye level. "I'll fight anyone who says that, even if that person is Orochimaru-sensei."
The golden eyes widened with surprise. This child . . . ! After taking the full force of his killing aura, she shouldn't have been able to do such a thing. A Genin her age shouldn't have even been conscious!
"I'm not afraid," she whispered at last. "You won't hurt me. I didn't know that before, but I'm sure of it now." She let go of him, breathing heavily. "Orochimaru-sensei means everything to me. I want you to like me, too . . . even if you're just pretending."
"You're a child," Orochimaru sneered, standing up. "Children shouldn't talk about things they don't understand."
Though her limbs were still shaking slightly, Anko also managed to get to her feet. She lifted her chin stubbornly, amazing herself with her own daring. "Do you have time to be staying here, Sensei? I thought you were in a hurry for that mission that's too big and important for me to come along on. If you leave without doing what I want, I'll just follow you."
He smiled despite himself. "You little brat . . ." He sighed with just the right note of resignation. "All right. One kiss."
Anko narrowed her eyes, regarding him suspiciously. "Really?" That was too easy. The Orochimaru-sensei that she knew wouldn't succumb to blackmail.
He motioned toward her with a finger. "Come here."
Sucking in a deep breath, she moved closer until she was standing directly in front of him. Was he actually going to do it? Her heart hammered against her chest, beating rapidly with anticipation.
"Are you ready?"
Not trusting herself to speak, she merely nodded. Her eyes traveled to his lips as she ran her tongue over her own; an unconscious, nervous gesture. He reached out with his pale, slender hands, placing one on each side of her face. Slowly, he lowered his head until their lips were almost touching, his expression almost tender. Their eyes met, molten gold staring into soft amber. Unlike before, there was no darkness; no clawing shadows seeking to grasp her heart. She didn't feel terrified, but rather extremely warm, and there was a tingling heat that seemed to pool in her belly. As she stared into his eyes, they began to glow—softly at first, then brighter, until they were nearly incandescent. Anko found herself blinking sleepily.
This is . . . genjutsu . . .
Too late, she noticed the foreign chakra flowing through her. As tired as she was, she was succumbing easily. Slowly, she reached out with one small hand, touching the face of her teacher. Her expression was an odd mixture of a smile and a pout. "Orochimaru-sensei is a liar," she murmured.
Again, he couldn't help but smile. "Yes," he agreed. "Sensei is a liar. Sleep, Anko. I can't fight if I have to worry about you getting yourself killed."
Her body went limp, slumping into his waiting arms. Lowering her to the ground, he pulled a blanket from her traveling pack and placed it over her sleeping form. He wondered if he should leave behind a few more supplies. If everything went according to plan, he would be back for her within a few days, but there was no sense in leaving her stranded if he should be unable to return . . .
He froze in mid-thought, revolted with the direction his mind had been heading. Anko didn't need to be coddled like some soft civilian child. And had he actually been making a plan in consideration of the possibility that he might die? Dying certainly was not in any plan of his. I must not be ruled by emotion. A ninja is hard and ruthless, he reminded himself. Affection is a weakness that can be used against you. It is my duty as Anko's sensei to teach her that. Snatching up the pack, he started to walk towards the mouth of the cavern, but stopped to look back at the sleeping child on the cave floor. She looked so innocent . . . almost angelic in her peaceful slumber. He felt a pang of regret.
I don't ever remember being able to sleep like that. What am I going to do to this child? I'm not suited for this; I should never have taken another student.
After a few moments of contemplation, he sighed. Walking back to his student's still form, he knelt and carefully tucked the blanket up underneath her chin. "I suppose I did promise, didn't I?" Smoothing back her hair, he lightly pressed his lips to her forehead. He watched her for a few more seconds, then stood up and walked out of the cave without looking back.

Jiraiya winced as a kunai he’d failed to dodge slammed into his thigh with a dull thud, burrowing itself deeply into the flesh and muscle of his leg. The detached part of his mind that seemed to be watching all of this from a distance observed that the pain was like having a hot lump of coal trapped beneath the skin. Maintaining his focus, he raised his hands, fingers flicking rapidly through a number of seals.
“Katon: Karyuu Endan!” He sucked in a deep breath, instantly converting the inhaled oxygen into fuel for the flames he expelled in the general direction of the attack. He was quickly rewarded by agonized screams and the sickening smell of burning flesh as a few of the enemy ninja stumbled out from behind an immolated bush, their clothing and skin aflame.
Sensing motion behind him, he turned to see Tsunade slamming her fist into the chest of another enemy, a woman that had been sneaking up behind him with a silk garrote. There was a hideous cracking sound as the kunoichi flew backwards from the force of the blow, landing motionlessly on the ground several feet away, blood leaking from her mouth. His blonde-haired companion came up beside him, looking with concern at the kunai imbedded in his thigh.
“Hold still,” she warned, pulling the knife out of his leg with one swift motion and tossing it aside.
He grimaced. “Damn, that hurt! You know, we'd get along better if you were a little more gentle.”
“I'm gentle with people who deserve it. Quit being such a baby.” Before too much blood could be lost, she placed her hand over the wound, channeling her chakra into healing energy. The cut closed slowly as the skin sealed over. “I’m running out of chakra . . . that’ll leave a scar.” Tsunade was panting slightly, her breathing labored.
“Ah, well,” Jiraiya huffed. “Something to impress the ladies with, eh?”
Tsunade launched a kick into the chin of yet another shinobi. The man’s head snapped back and he crumpled to the ground. Sensing that their prey was almost exhausted, the rest of the enemy began closing in cautiously, forming a ring around the two Sannin to ensure that they could not escape. “I’m sure they’ll be very impressed . . . if we survive, that is. What’s taking Orochimaru so long?”
“I don’t know; he should have been here by now.” His hands formed several seals, and then he knelt, placing a palm against the ground. "Doton: Yomi Numa!" The grass in front of him melted into a thick, syrupy swamp, catching four of the approaching shinobi before they could escape. The men screamed as they sank beneath the black mud. "It's kind of ironic, isn't it? We're on a mission to infiltrate enemy territory, and yet we're caught in an ambush before we can even leave Fire Country."
"Better us than a Genin troop," she replied, her eyes narrowing as she considered how easily one of the messenger squads might have fallen into this trap. They would have to warn Sarutobi-sensei to reduce the safety perimeter for D-rank missions. They're just children. They should never have to see death like this.
"Definitely," agreed Jiraiya. "I wonder what village they're from? None of them are wearing a forehead protector or distinctive clothing, and they're not using ninjutsu, either. It can't be one of the villages we're officially at war with; why would they go to so much trouble to hide their identities?"
One of their enemies leapt over the swamp that Jiraiya had created, brandishing a sword. Tsunade caught him as he descended, wrestling him to the ground and forcing his head into the mud. He struggled madly against her superhuman strength, and her arms began to tremble with the effort of holding him down. The man's head broke the surface momentarily, and he managed to croak a single word.
"Please!"
For a moment, the strength left her arms. She clenched her teeth as she felt him begin to surge upwards, but couldn't find the will to drown the man. Just before she entirely lost her grip on her enemy, a memory flashed through her disjointed thoughts. Orochimaru, his face blank, handing her the necklace she had given to Nawaki just the day before, on his birthday.
"I'm sorry. This was all I could bring back."
New strength surged into her limbs, though she felt oddly numb inside. She drove the man's head back underneath the swamp, and this time, she held him there until he stopped thrashing. She stood, glancing over at Jiraiya. "I guess I shouldn't be calling Orochimaru a monster."
"There's a monster in all of us," he noted wryly. "But these guys attacked us. We're just defending ourselves." He left out the obvious: that there had been many missions where they had been the aggressors.
She sighed. "Do you think he's coming?" she asked bluntly.
“Of course,” replied Jiraiya without hesitation. “Orochimaru will definitely come, because he’s our friend.”
The blonde kunoichi looked at her partner, startled, before nodding determinedly. “You’re right. Orochimaru won’t let us down.”
The fighting ceased momentarily, the enemy ninja falling back to plan their next assault. An emotionless voice rose above the hushed babble. "We're wasting too many men here. I'll do it."
"But you were told not to reveal your power to the enemy!" protested one of the ambushers.
"It will not be revealed. These two will die here."
The ranks of the enemy parted, shuffling aside to reveal a man with short black hair and piercing blue eyes. He stepped forward into the circle formed by his comrades, looking at Jiraiya and Tsunade without expression.
“You are strong,” he noted flatly, looking at the devastation surrounding them. Flames still licked hungrily at any fuel they could find, and fissures ran through the ground. There was a strange silence in the air as the two Sannin faced off against their new opponent, punctuated only by the moans of the dying. "Our mission is a failure, because of you."
"Pity." Jiraiya watched the man warily. "Now, what village are you from? And why are you attacking Konoha ninja within our own borders?"
"I have no reason to answer that question."
"It's still not too late to walk away. No one else needs to die." The toad Sannin attempted to sound confident, but he knew that both he and Tsunade had nearly exhausted their chakra.
The man inclined his head slightly, as if in agreement. "No one except the two of you."
"No choice, eh?" The white-haired shinobi sighed. "Let's get this over with, then."
Both men acted at the same time, running towards each other. Before they made contact, Jiraiya skidded to a halt, swiftly forming hand seals.
"Hari Jizou!" He crouched down, his hair lengthening around him until it wrapped his whole body, forming a defensive shield. His opponent brought his charge up short, narrowing his eyes as the shaggy mane extended towards him, the ends of the hair lengthening into dangerous needle points. "Hari Jigoku!" Without warning, hundreds of the deadly barbs flew outward to pierce the toad Sannin's enemy. The sheer number of the projectiles caused a cloud of dust to rise, obscuring the target. Jiraiya panted heavily as his hair receded to its normal length, squinting into the dust. "Did I get him . . . ?"
As the dust cleared, a ray of reflected light caught the eyes of the two Sannin. The sun glistened upon the edges of a multifaceted shell of diamond-clear ice, which surrounded the shinobi. Most of the hair-needles had been deflected by the shield, and it was clear that the ones lodged within the frozen barrier had not compromised its integrity. With a wave of his hand, the emotionless ninja allowed the shell to crumble away.
"Ice . . . ?" Tsunade clenched her jaw, stepping forward to stand beside Jiraiya once more. She looked over at her teammate. "Doesn't that kekkei genkai belong to . . . ?"
Jiraiya nodded grimly. "Yeah." He turned his attention back to their enemies. "Tell me, what does the Mist village hope to gain by betraying Konoha?"

A/N: I've tried improving this fight, but I've pretty much given up on trying to write a good fight scene. Please review if you get the chance.
- 6
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- 8
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Pupil of the Serpent