Waiting Game

Chapter 36

My eyes were on my feet as I walked on the path somewhat behind the snake summoner. He didn't seem to mind my lackluster pace, instead holding up his head high.

I had learned that the Orochimaru who had showed me my parents was a clone; a mud clone, or something of the like. The true Orochimaru, the one that I was following out of the rubble of Konoha, had almost lost his arms to some sort of Shinigami Jutsu made by Hiruzen - the Shinigami laughed at Hiruzen, and refused. In fact, the pathetic Hokage's last words were to me.

"Tsubaki!" a scream rang out behind me.

I stopped, rigid.

That sounded like... Sakura.

"Onee-chan!" Sakura cried out, a muffled thump sounding out. I turned around, a watery frown appearing on my face.

I was crying? Again?

No, but I was close.

She was kneeling on the ground, holding her abdomen. A dark stain was spreading out through her qipao dress, but she didn't seem pained in the physical sense. Instead, the tears that were falling from her puffy red eyes locked on me were from sadness... Despair.

I decided that, though I would have to survive seeing her like this, I never wanted for her to feel such despair ever again.

I had shouldered that anger, sadness, and desperation so that she never would. My leaving... it was to be stronger to protect her from all of the monsters out there, from Bijuu to the strongest hostile rogue nin.

Sound-hitai-atte now wrapped firmly around my arm, I dropped the metal bolted onto fabric from my hand, turned around, and continued after Orochimaru who hadn't bothered to stop even after throwing the kunai in a non-lethal spot.

"Don't leave me! Please!" A sob escaped Sakura. I couldn't pause again. I couldn't.

So I didn't.

〰️➰〰️

I hadn't realized I was sedated. I didn't know I was unconscious. But I woke up on an operating table, and a smiling Orochimaru.

"Your eyes have nothing to do with any genes. It's like they were implanted in you," he explained. I raised my eyebrows, deciding not to comment on that. This guy really just does wacky operations on people, doesn't he. "Do you know why?"

I shrug, not wanting to speak to him more than I have to.

'Train. Begin. When.' My hands found themselves forming in Konoha Standard, something that he would have been taught at some point, a deadpan expression on my face.

A serpentine grin filled up his face.

"Why, impatient are we?" He cooed. My expression twitched to convey irritation. "We can begin... now!

〰️➰〰️

How many days has it been?

Has it been months? Years?

My hair has grown. I let it down much of the time.

Based on my hair growth, I'd have to say it was... a few or several months. I've changed, in both skill and appearance.

First of all, I had my eyes activated every minute I was awake.

It gave me hours of thinking time for every second that passed in the real world. The mental strain of it was horrible, but the reaction time and the time in general that I had was just better. For example, if someone caught me off guard in a surprise attack, it would happen in the slowest of motion and give me hours upon hours to figure out what to do, why this was happening, what the motive was, and how my schedule would adapt because of this.