The Windmill Turns Both Ways

Awakening

They passed the next day without incident, which was in itself remarkable.

At least, it might have been a day. It was from the time they woke up until the time they went to sleep again. It was impossible to tell time accurately inside the underground lair.

The only other person they saw was Kabuto, who came back to check on them again. They tried persuading him to come along with them on their next escape attempt, but he declined. It seemed he was determined to remain on

Orochimaru's good side for the sake of his mother and friends. As frustrating as it was, they could hardly fault him for that.

It didn't matter, anyway. They were going to find a way to save themselves and him. If they found a way to undo the jutsu, they could all go home.

Thinking they might be able to find scrolls or other hints around the base, and having nothing better to do, Naruto and Obito spent a lot of time exploring. Because they never went above-ground where the barrier was, neither Kimimaro nor anyone else ever tried to stop them. It was eerie, traveling the halls in the semi-darkness and silence. They filled the time with chatter and joking to dispel the creepy atmosphere.

Orochimaru had to be somewhere inside the base—how else could he direct the war while keeping an eye on them? But despite the hours they spent scouring the place, they never caught sight of him.

It wasn't until the next day, when they stumbled upon a room they hadn't seen before, that they finally found out why he'd taken the trouble to imprison them together for all that time.

#

"I can't believe we missed something this big before. What do you think this room is for?" Naruto leaned over the rail to look down into the large, circular room. It reminded him of where they'd had the Chuunin Exam preliminaries, except it was round instead of square, and the floor below was lined with mysterious doors. They stood on the balcony overhead, looking down to the dim and empty room.

Obito pushed his goggles up to get a good look. "Those doors have to lead somewhere. Let's go check it out." He braced his hands on the railing and vaulted over it, landing smoothly down below. Naruto quickly followed. There was no other way to get down to the bottom.

"Okay, let's start with this one and work our way around." Naruto motioned to the door nearest to him. He turned and reached for the door handle—only to lower his hand when he realized it was missing. "Hey! That's annoying... there's no doorknob!"

Obito looked around. "There's not one on any of these. Guess we'll have to break in?"

"You shouldn't do that. I'd rather you stay here a bit longer."

The two boys snapped their heads up toward the balcony. Orochimaru looked down at them, grinning widely. Kimimaro stood by his side and a respectful step back.

"It's about time you showed your stupid, ugly face again!" Obito yelled, snapping his goggles back over his eyes as if preparing to fight.

"There's something here you don't want us to see, is that it?" Naruto pointed at Orochimaru dramatically.

"Oh, you're not here to do any sightseeing, I'm afraid. Sorry it's been boring for you while I've been busy with other things. I promise that right now, you have my full attention."

A crawling, prickling feeling worked its way up Naruto's arms at the statement. He didn't like the sound of that. He had the feeling it wasn't just a coincidence that they ended up here.

Naruto glared up at him with fists clenched. "Whatever you're planning to do, we deserve some answers. Obito—"

"I know you've told him everything, and that you've figured out part of why I brought you here now," Orochimaru interrupted. "Though I'm sure you had the Kyuubi's help. I can't see what goes on in your mind, but with my control tag, I can see through your eyes and hear through your ears. It's similar to the way I use my Edo Tensei summons."