Erza didn't give him the satisfaction of an answer, as she instead tightened her fists, once again trying to call upon her disrupted chakra. The very thought of the Snake Sannin putting his Cursed Seal on her disgusted her, she would not allow him to do so.
Orochimaru's smile grew at this petty act of defiance, opening his mouth Orochimaru prepared to mock the girl again, before he could though his eyes widened as he felt something coming from behind him.
...
(With Naruto)
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he looked upon the scene before him.
It appeared he had found Team Seven, all three members were in the clearing, with Mito and Sasuke both down, whilst Erza was struggling to even stand, barely holding her Taijutsu stance as she faced off against a tall gaunt Shinobi, with snake-like features and long black hair.
Orochimaru if Kabuto's memories were too believed, though he could probably have made an estimated guess, having seen a picture of the man before in the Bingo Book.
Crouching on the branch below him, Naruto waited a moment as Orochimaru began to speak. Timing his movements for when Orochimaru would be at his most distracted.
Without a sound Naruto leapt off of the branch, gliding through the air his axe in one hand, and four wispy grey chakra chains extending from his back as he shot at Orochimaru.
A moment later and Naruto was right on top of the man, his axe already moving as it split the Sannin's head like a melon.
Naruto didn't grin though, as a few moments later Orochimaru's body turned into mud and crumbled into pieces. The Sannin had swapped himself out with a clone, it was a cheap trick and one that was in most Shinobi's repertoire.
That being said Orochimaru's technique was flawless, Naruto would not have been able to notice had he not expected the move.
"Pain of Kirigakure, or is it Grimm? Either way it is an honour to meet you, especially after the stories I have heard about your… unique abilities." Orochimaru's soft sibilant voice whispered out, coming from multiple directions.
Naruto didn't even batter an eye as one of his chakra chains exploded forwards stabbing into the earth a few feet away from him.
Naruto remained unsurprised when he saw the Snake Sannin burst out of the earth a few metres away a long thin sword now held in his hand as he deftly avoided Naruto's chakra chain.
"Interesting you were able to find me." Orochimaru mused as he took a few steps back facing Naruto as his yellow eyes trailed over him. "Tell me Pain, why are you here?"
"This is the Chunin Exams, your interferences is not allowed." Naruto replied blandly, pausing slightly as he began to analyse Orochimaru's stance.
His surprise attack had failed, not that he had expected it to succeed against a Shinobi of Orochimaru's caliber. Now it seemed he would have to engage in a drawn out fight, this was not something he wanted.
"Kukukuku, I never imagined that you would be so diligent, especially when it came to looking after Konoha Shinobi.
From memory I thought they had a high bounty on your head Grimm… for killing Kakashi wasn't it?" Orochimaru teased, trying to wheedle information out of Pain as he did so.
Kabuto's little display in the first stage of the exam had warned Orochimaru that Pain was hanging around. Not that it particularly bothered him, the boy was an Outcast and Orochimaru always found the Outcast's abilities fascinating.
Other than that he wasn't too concerned, so far Mei was following his instructions by having a team make it to the finals, as long as she continued to fall in line he wouldn't have any issues with her.
Still though he had not been expecting to confront Pain now, but it appeared that there was no choice.
Neither Mei nor Pain knew that Orochimaru was the Otokage or involved in the plan and with the Hokage's daughter here he couldn't inform him of this fact even if he wanted too.
This meant that for now he would have to fight his way out of this. Still though it did give him an opportunity to see firsthand Pain's unique and mysterious abilities.
"I am doing my duty." Naruto replied neutrally as he shifted his stance, two of his chakra chains sinking back into his body as he moved so that he was now stood in front of the exhausted Erza and Mito, making sure he was shielding them in case the Snake Sannin tried anything funny.
"But I am more curious about what a traitor like you would be doing in Konoha?" Naruto continued, deliberately keeping his responses neutral as he didn't want to alert Orochimaru to the fact Naruto had killed Kabuto and knew exactly what Orochimaru was up to.
"Why I was feeling generous and so I decided to come and give dear young Sasuke a gift." Orochimaru said nonchalantly, a smirk on his face as he shifted his stance, prepared for anything.
He doubted that this amicable conversation would continue for long, already he was looking for the slightest gap in Pain's defense for him to take advantage of, allowing him to either strike the Kiri Shinobi or retreat.
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he heard that, his gaze shifting momentarily to Sasuke, noticing the mark on his neck and recognizing it, from Kabuto's memories, as a Cursed Seal of Heaven. Channeling chakra into his eyes, Naruto's sight turned black and white, the souls of those around him taking on a fiery glow as he subtly looked around.
Looking at Sasuke quickly Naruto saw the Uchiha's own soul and then traced his gaze to his neck where he could see a fragment of another soul bound to the seal.
It appeared Kabuto's memories were accurate, Orochimaru had in fact bound a piece of his own soul in the Cursed Seal, what a foul thing to do, and stupid too.
Turning back to look at Orochimaru, Naruto almost flinched as he caught sight of Orochimaru's soul.
The very sight of it almost made him shudder, it was even more foul and corrupted than Kabuto's, but more than that it had been mutilated in ways that caused revulsion to rise up in Naruto.
Switching his gaze back to normal, Naruto saw that his reaction had not gone unnoticed, Orochimaru had gained an intrigued look on his face, his gaze locked hungrily on Naruto.
"So tell me Pain, those chains of yours, are they Uzumaki Chakra Chains?" Orochimaru asked his eyes flickering from Naruto's face to the two wispy grey chains that protruded from his back.
Naruto's eyes narrowed at the sudden change in topic, his gaze suspicious. Gripping the handle of his axe tighter, Naruto began to extend two chakra chains from the soles of his feet.
The two chains burrowing through the earth and slowly heading towards Orochimaru, it was the same trick he had used on Kabuto.
"Yes." Naruto replied bluntly, shrugging his shoulder as if his admittance meant nothing. Behind him he could fear the sharp intake in breath from the barely standing Erza and the slumped over Mito.
Orochimaru cocked an eyebrow as he heard that, having not expected Naruto to answer honestly or at all. Smirking he moved his gaze back to the chains, studying them as he did so.
"I can see the similarities, but the chakra making them up, it's different, unique. From what I have heard your chakra is able to rot flesh upon contact, why is that?"
"Clan secret." Naruto replied with a thin lipped smile, his red eyes narrowing.
"Pity…" Orochimaru replied, before his eyes suddenly widened and he leapt backwards. Taken aback as two of Pain's chakra chains erupted from the ground at his feet.
Pushing himself backwards, Orochimaru managed to dodge getting a direct hit. Unfortunately though one of the chains managed to strike on of his legs, the thick barbed chain rapidly binding Orochimaru's leg, tearing through flesh and muscle as it constricted his leg.
Grunting in surprise at this Orochimaru slashed out with this sword, the blade striking the chain and sheering through it, causing the part that bound his leg to disperse.
The other chain meanwhile shot towards him, acting like a striking snake as it sought to bind another one of his limbs. Luckily though Orochimaru managed to avoid it, his blade moving again as he channeled chakra through the Kusunagi blade and easily cut the chain in two.
"Chakra metal?" Naruto muttered to himself as he leapt forward, his axe drawn back to strike, his other hand going through number of quick one handed seals.
Chakra metal, the same material his axe was made from, was one of the few materials that his chakra couldn't decay or rot, even so though, he had never seen anyone cut through his chains like Orochimaru just had.
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