Yuzuki Uchiha Gaiden ~Book 1~

Chapter 25: Grudge

Orochimaru folded his arms. "All three of you failed?" he questioned. Katsuko, Anko, and Dei lowered their heads before their sensei. He stood before his students in the dull atmosphere of his hideout.

"And Katsuko, you especially lost to the Uchiha girl. How very disappointing. I had high hopes for you."

"Sorry, Sensei. I will succeed next year." she bowed her head. "I had the upper hand... until her sharingan fully matured during battle."

"Fully matured at her age? From now on, your training will be more intense, more difficult. And you will succeed next year."

"Yes, Sensei!"

Orochimaru turned away from his students and held a hand to his chin thinking. "I've been watching the Uchiha girl for awhile now. I can sense something dwelling within. It's fascinating."

"You're not going to hurt her, Sensei?" Katsuko asked worried.

"Not at all, young one. But you know something I don't." Orochimaru turned his yellow snake eyes on Katsuko and has averted her yellow eyes under his stare. "What is it, Katsuko, do you have something to say?"

"No... Sensei."

"Her chakra levels are oddly high for an Uchiha. Only Hibiki have a high level of chakra like that. I can sense it. Don't lie to me. Is she a Hibiki?"

"...T-technically."

"How so?"

"Her mother was a long distance cousin to the Hibiki clan."

"Are you lying?" Orochimaru tilted Katsuko's head upward. "Because if you are..." his eyes bored into hers.

Katsuko was a terrible liar when it came to her sensei and Orochimaru knew it, he played on that. He could tell. "Her mother had demon chakra transferred." she blurred.

"Oh?"

Anko and Dei looked on curiously. They wondered why their sensei had a sudden interest in the Uchiha girl. Anko wanted to be the centre of Orochimaru's attention, but he always favoured Katsuko and she hated it. She hated Katsuko.

"And how did this happen?"

"I don't know. I'm not lying. That's all I know." said Katsuko.

"A demon vessel. It would make sense. Everything makes sense now." Orochimaru laughed deeply. "And yet, you still lost to her."

"Yes, Sensei..."

"Your poor father, what would he think?"

"Sorry, Sensei..."

"You will strive to do better. To be better. She is nothing compared to you, dear Katsuko. The same applies to all of you my students. Or there will be consequences."

"Yes, Sensei!"

"Dismissed." Orochimaru waved his students off. As Katsuko turned to leave, Orochimaru said, "Except for you."

Katsuko froze in place watching Anko and Dei leave the hideout. "Yes, Sensei?"

Orochimaru placed his slender fingers on her shoulder. "If you so much as tell a soul, Yuzuki or Minato, I will hurt you."

"Yes, Sensei." Katsuko bit her lip and took off running. She broke free from the dark room and into the afternoon sun where a golden glow was set on the village. She came running out of the hideout, down a hill and into the thicket of the village in search of Yuzuki.

She heard that team Minato would be celebrating at the barbecue restaurant tonight, so that was where she would find Yuzuki and hopefully Minato.

She knew that Minato would put a stop to Orochimaru's plan.

When she came to the restaurant, her eyes searched the tables and found team seven sitting at a booth with Minato and Kushina, while hot steaks were cooking on the stove in the table.

"How can I help you?" a waiter approached Katsuko.

"Uh..." she watched Yuzuki laughing with Obito while making fun of Kakashi in some way and Rin laughed. She watched Kushina hug Yuzuki congratulating her and a strange feeling swelling inside her chest. Was it jealousy? sadness? or both.

"Wrong place." she said to the waiter and backed out of the door.

From the corner of her eyes, Yuzuki saw familiar orange hair and she glanced to the front doors to see no one resembling a Hibiki.

"What is it?" Minato asked seeing Yuzuki look away.

"I thought I saw Katsuko." She shrugged it off. "I'm starving after today."

"Dig in!" Kushina placed a small steak for each student. "You all deserve it, ya know."

Katsuko kicked a pebble as she walked with her head down. She was going to warn Minato and Yuzuki that Orochimaru was up to something, but seeing them like that made her feel some different way. A feeling she couldn't explain. Katsuko has a mother, Yuzuki doesn't, so she looks for a mother figure in Kushina. But Katsuko could see what they had was hundred times better than what she had with her own mother. Even what Yuzuki had with her sensei was so much better.

Maybe she'll warn them tomorrow and let them celebrate. Maybe she was overreacting and Orochimaru wouldn't actually do anything to hurt Yuzuki. But he would hurt Katsuko, there was no doubt.

"This is so stupid." she murmured stopping to contemplate turning back. "No." she kept walking forward. Then she stopped again with a sigh. Katsuko spun on her heel back in the direction of the restaurant and decided against it. She turned the other way again and kept walking.

"Just tell them, what's so bad?" she murmured to herself.

"Orochimaru Sensei will hurt all of us." said Anko approaching Katsuko.

"Go away, Anko."

"Orochimaru makes a lot of threats, but he never actually does anything. With Minato around, he can't hurt Yuzuki."

"I guess... why are you being nice?"

"Because you'll get all of us in trouble." Anko explained. "Plus, a war has broken out, so as one of three Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru will be occupied. He'll be too busy to worry about whatever interest he has in Yuzuki Uchiha."

"What if I told the Third-"

"He'll be way more busier." Anko took Katsuko by the scruff of her shirt. "Don't you have any loyalty to our Sensei? He is a Sannin. The greatest shinobi to be led by."

"But..."

"No buts, Katsuko." Anko released her shirt. "Yuzuki is loyal to Minato. You should be loyal to our sensei too. Unlike him, Orochimaru has plans for us. He see's the potential we have."

Katsuko lowered her head with a slight nod. "Okay then. But if anything happens to Yuzuki-"

"Relax!" Anko slung an arm over Katsuko's shoulder. "Nothing will happen."