Only Time Can Tell

OROCHIMARU

CHAPTER 33

OROCHIMARU

BORUTO UZUMAKI

The world seemed to burn all around me. And because of that I could now see much further than before. Orochimaru came into view from the glow. He was pale and slender, decked out in weird clothes, he grinned maniacally at me.

"Very, very impressive."

"Move, damn it!" I grabbed him by the throat and threw him out of my way. He cackled, a snake slithering out of his mouth. "Oh God." I said disgusted. It flew out of him latching onto my shoulder with it's teeth. I hissed in pain. "Get of me!" I grabbed it and it burned as it made contact with my chakra.

"I won't let my delicious prey get away!" Orochimaru laughed, racing after me. I clutched my shoulder, shaking from the poison. With the chakra everywhere, I seemed to be able to move much faster than before. Orochimaru disappeared behind me.

"SARADA!!!" I screamed. No answer.

"Boruto?!" I heard Neji off to my right. "Is that you?!" I turned and had a sickening feeling as I looked at him. He had a kunai stuck in his leg and in his side. He clutched the side of his neck, blood seeping through. "It's as I thought, there were more of them than I thought..." He laughed weakly. "Woah..." He reached out to me, his knees buckling, falling forward.

"Neji!" I reached out but a hand formed out of my chakra, and caught him like a net. I looked down at my hands. I was completely covered in red chakra. What is this? I rushed over to Neji taking in his wounds. "What happened?!"

"Way more-" He coughed up blood. "Than I thought."

"Neji..." I tried to focus, I gathered up my chakra into the hand and picked him up, and extended my chakra, carrying him all the way to the temple. "Stay there!" I hollered to him. I had to find Sarada.

"Oh no you don't." I heard a woman giggle. I turned to find her, when I felt a kunai slash through my forehead.

"Ahh!" I screamed, moving my hand from my shoulder to my face.

"How dare you run from Lord Orochimaru!" The woman said in a high pitched voice. "Not that it will matter anymore. I've got you now." I saw another kunai come whizzing out of the darkness, giving me just enough time to dodge it. "No use, fighting it." She giggled again. "Not that your little girlfriend stopped fighting."

"Sarada..." I growled. "What did you do to her?!"

"None of your business. It's out of your hands now."

"Come out where I can see you!" I roared, whipping around.

"Why? So you can kill me? I don't think so." She said airily. "I'll stay right where I am." Another kunai appeared out of the darkness, cutting into my thigh. I muffled another shout of pain. It occurred to me, that after turning this many times, she must not be on ground level. She had to be either above me or below me... I just had to wait and pay attention to the trajectory of her kunai. That would reveal her location.

I waited for her to throw another one. But this time the kunai came from all directions. I used my chakra like a springboard and jumped up just narrowly avoiding impalement. "Don't screw with me. Where are you?!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!" She giggled in a singsong voice. She clicked her tongue. "Don't be so touchy." Her voice sounded like it had an echo...below me? Taking a random guess, I sent out balls of my chakra towards the ground, hoping to come in contact with something.

Then I heard it connect. "Agh!" She shrilled. She came into view now, balled up in agony. She had light purple hair, cut short, just long enough to cover her ears. She wore the same weird clothes as Orochimaru. She apparently had been hiding in the sand, traces of it covering her person. She looked up at me with a betrayed look in her violet eyes. "How did you-?"