Vision of Truth I: Cat and Fox (Naruto)

Orochimaru Strikes

"I can finally see it
Now I have to believe
All those precious stories
All the world is made of
Faith and trust and pixie dust

So I'll try 'cause I finally believe
I'll try 'cause I can see what you see"

- "I'll Try" by Jonatha Brooke

Chapter 31: Orochimaru Strikes

"Double crossing little vixen," Jiraiya said. We sat outside on the deck in a circle to hear about his encounter with Tsunade the previous night. "She must have spiked my drink while I wasn't looking. I can't build up any chakra. My body is so weak. I don't think I can even throw a kunai straight."

"Great, Pervy Sage," Naruto said sarcastically. "And you're always going on about what a great ninja you are. What? Did you get distracted by her pretty face?"

I snorted. "Everyone has a weakness."

"Shut up!" Jiraiya said, proving our point. He grimaced. "She possesses a healer's knowledge of herbs and elixirs. I should have known better. Only Tsunade could whip up a knockout drug that even a ninja couldn't detect. But still, to be caught off guard like that, I must be losing my touch."

"Maybe it's because you weren't expecting her to betray you. The two of you are close, right?" Jiraiya looked at me but said nothing. Shizune left for a minute and returned with water to help him recover. All the while, I pondered what everything meant. "Okay, so, why did she do it? What is Tsunade after?"

"That is what I would like to know." Jiraiya gave Shizune a hard look, which caused her to flinch. "All right, Shizune, it's time you told us about your mistress and Orochimaru. What kind of deal are they making?"

"Orochimaru?" Naruto said in surprise.

Shizune lowered her head so her hair covered her face. " I never imagined she would go through with it," she whispered. "And that's why I - I didn't say anything about it before. But now, there's no time to lose." She stood up. "You must come with me quickly. I'll explain on the way."

"Let's go then," said Jiraiya.

We all got up and followed Shizune through the city while she relayed the story. Orochimaru wanted Tsunade to heal his arms so he could use jutsu again, which made sense. In return, he promised to raise both her brother and lover from the dead. The others were rightly shocked. For my part, I did not think such a thing could be possible even in this world. It definitely had to come with steep consequences.

We continued running until we reached a field. At first, I did not understand what was going on. A man with bandaged arms stood way off to the side down a hill, watching as another man ran at Tsunade with a kunai. I assumed the first man was Orochimaru, and the second was... Kabuto?! For some reason, Tsunade was frozen. My companions and I jumped in front of her stopping Kabuto's attack.

"It's been a long time, old friend," said the observer.

"Long time, indeed," said Jiraiya. "And I can't say it's improved your looks any, old friend."

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing at the man closest to us. "Kabuto."

"Naruto," Kabuto said with a smirk. "And Katsumi."

"You two have met this guy before?" Jiraiya said.

"Yeah, at the chunin exams," I said. My eyes narrowed at Kabuto. "He was an infiltrator, I suspect."

"Not bad," said Kabuto. "I knew you were the smart one."

"Out of the way!" Tsunade shouted. She shoved Jiraiya aside to get to Kabuto, who she instantly attacked. "Stay outta this. I can handle them!"