Luna's POV

After I heard the door close to Iri's room, I turned to glare at Orochimaru. He stood up from where he was sitting and looked at me. "What do you want?" I demanded. "I just wanted to see how you were doing." He answered with a smirk.

"No, you didn't. You came here for a reason. I want to know why." I said, getting annoyed as I folded my arms over my chest. He didn't say anything as he just smirked. "Answer me, dammit!" I snapped, losing patience with him.

"I came here because I heard it was your daughter's birthday." He finally said. "Don't fuck with me! Why are you really here?" I yelled at him. "Milady, please calm yourself." Julia said. I closed my eyes and sighed. I reopened them once I calmed down a bit.

I actually don't know when Nue's real birthday was. Today is actually the day Nue became part of the family. Since then, I decided that, that day would be her birthday.

"I suppose there's no point in hiding it anymore. I came here because I sensed a great amount of power coming from here. It never occurred to me that it would come from Nue." He said, smiling. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What do you want with her?" I demanded. "I'm just coming here to claim what I've been looking for. Nue holds unspeakable power and she belongs to me." Orochimaru explained. "I don't understand. What are you talking about?" I asked, getting angry again.

Is he saying Nue is a relative of his? Impossible. There's just no way. Orochimaru began to laugh with excitement. "I've known Nue for a long time now. It never occurred to me she'd still be alive." Orochimaru said.

"Alive? What do you mean by that?" I asked with a frown. "I know Nue more than you do, Luna. Much more. It makes me wonder if..." He trailed off. I thought back to when I first met Nue. It looked like she's been running, but from what? Or from who? From Orochimaru? Does she know him?

"What do you mean Nue belongs to you, and why doesn't Nue remember who you are if you've two met before?" I demanded. "That's what I want to know as well. But it doesn't matter because sooner or later, she will be mine." Orochimaru said.

That made me snap. I quickly summoned my sword and held the blade against his neck. "Milady!" Sharon called out of worry. "I swear, if you go anywhere near my daughter, I'll kill you." I threatened with venom dripping from every word.

"Would you really want to kill me in front of your daughter, Luna?" Orochimaru said, moving his eyes to the side. I looked behind him and saw Nue staring at us. "Okaa-san?" She said, looking at me. I backed off of Orochimaru.

"Nue, I told you to stay upstairs. Where's Iri?" I demanded. Just as I said that, my eldest daughter came running down the stairs. "I'm very sorry, Mother. I turn my back for one second and she's gone." She apologized.

I sighed and put my sword away. "Sharon, take Iri and Nue back upstairs." I said, turning to Sharon. "Actually, I had a reason to come down here, Okaa-san. I was thinking if I could go to the training room and train for a bit." Nue said.

I looked at Nue, seeing her twirl a piece of her long hair with her finger. I narrowed my eyes at Nue before looking at Orochimaru. She doesn't seem to recognize him at the slightest. Why? "Yes, you may go train." I said to her.

Nue smiled before bowing her head respectfully. "Arigato, Okaa-san." She said. She hugged me, then walked towards the training room. I turned my head back to Orochimaru. "I'm warning you. Stay away from my daughter." I said. Orochimaru chuckled.

"I think we both know that won't happen." He said. I frowned at him and watched as he walked off to a different room. "Julia," I called.

"Yes, Milady?" She answered. "I want you to keep an eye on that bastard. Don't let him anywhere near Nue. Don't even let him lay a finger on her. Understand?" I ordered. "Yes, ma'am." Julia responded before vanishing.

'I have to protect her. I will protect her. Even if I have to die trying' I thought before going into the kitchen to get a glass of water. I feared he was going to come here. I should've seen the signs.

It was all from when I saw those snakes from outside last night. I thought it was just a coincidence, but I was wrong. But if Orochimaru and Nue have already met, then why doesn't Nue know who he is?

Nue's POV

As I made my way to the training grounds, I thought about Orochimaru. I know I've met him before, but I can't put my finger on it. Oh, well. I shrugged it off and walked inside the training room. I grabbed a sword off the wall and practiced my sword skills.

I've been a little good at it when I was little, but I still had a lot to learn. I put the sword away after I trained for about 30 minutes. Then, I decided to practice my ninjutsu. I made my way to the dummy that was set up in the middle of the room.

We actually had dummies all over the place, near the corner. They kind of creeped me out, but I got used to them in time. I face the dummy I pulled out, then did some hand signs. "Water Style: Raging Waves!" Water spit out of my mouth and landed on the dummy.

"Lightning Style: Raging Fang!" Electricity began to build up in my hand. I charged at the dummy and struck it in the heart. The dummy began to shake and sizzle as smoke began to come out of the dummy's body. Then suddenly, the dummy's head blew off.

'I guess I put too much chakra in that last attack' I thought as I scratched the back of my head sheepishly. I sighed. I've really got to learn to control my chakra. The head rolled towards the door and stopped at someone's feet.

I looked up to see Orochimaru standing by the doorway. "Orochimaru-san? What are you doing here?" I asked. He opened the door a little more and walked towards me. "I was just watching you train. I hope you don't mind." He said.

"No, not at all." I replied. "You're very strong." He commented. I felt my face heat up. What? I can't help it! I blush easily, okay! "Thank you." I said, turning my head so I could hide my red cheeks. He stopped walking when he was close enough.

I stared at him and hummed in curiosity. "Ano... Orochimaru-san?" I asked. He hummed in response. "Are you sure we haven't met somewhere before?" I asked him. "You tell me." Orochimaru said as he stared at me. Huh? What's that supposed to mean?

"Nue,"

"Yes?"

"There's something I want to give you, my dear." He said, pulling something out of his pocket.

It was a black box with a red ribbon attached to it. He handed me the box and I opened it. I gasped. Inside it was a dark green snake with blood red eyes. Beautiful! "It's beautiful! I love it!" I said happily as I wrapped the snake around my arm.

"His name is Kiyoshi, and he is yours to keep." He said, smiling at me. I looked at him with wide eyes. "Really?!" I asked. Orochimaru nodded his head, yes. I wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him. "Thank you so much, Orochimaru-san!" I said, happily.

"You're welcome. Happy Birthday, Nue." He said, hugging me back. Wait, how did he know it was my birthday? Maybe Okaa-san told him. I felt Orochimaru-san's chakra for some reason. It made feel a little uneasy. I also sensed that it was cold and dark.

I suddenly felt dizzy. I let out a small scream and quickly broke away from the hug.

Something had just shocked me. Not like those tiny shocks. It felt like... like being zapped from a small lightning bolt. But I also saw something when I hugged Orochimaru. I saw what looked like blood, fire, and corpses. What was that?

What did people call it when you see something in the future or the past? A premonition? "Are you alright, child?" Orochimaru asked with concern in his eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just hurt my arm. That's all." I lied. Yeah, right. Hurt my arm? From what?

"You must have done it while you were training." He said. "Yeah. Maybe." I agreed. I knew that wasn't it. There was a reason why I saw what I just saw. But what did it mean? I began to walk away to pick up the dummy's head, but my legs were shaking. Am I scared?

I think so. But I don't know why. I picked up the dummy's head until it fell out of my hands. My hands were shaking as well. I can't even hold the damn thing without dropping it. I tried picking up the head again, but it fell out of my hands again and landed on the floor.

I hugged myself, trying to stop my whole body from shaking. What's going on with me? Am I that scared? Am I scared of Orochimaru? "Nue, what's wrong?" Orochimaru said as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

I jumped slightly as my eyes widened a little and I took a small step forward, moving away from him. As I was still hugging myself, my eyes stayed glued to the floor while feeling Orochimaru's eyes on me. "Perhaps I should go get your mother." He suggested.

"No, it's all right. I'm fine. Really." I said. Orochimaru's stare wasn't going away any time soon. "I think I'm going to continue to train for a little bit longer." I informed. "But you're strong enough, my dear. Why put yourself through so much?" Orochimaru asked.

I faced him. "I know I'm strong, but I'm not as strong as my maids, my sister, or Okaa-san," I lowered my head a little. "If I can't be as strong as my family, then what good am I to them?" I asked him with a frown.

He chuckled and put his hand on my cheek. "What's so funny?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "I just find it cute how you want to prove yourself to Luna." Orochimaru said, smiling. "Hmph." I blushed and turned my head with a frown.

This guy seems nice and all, but why did I feel all weird when he touched my shoulder? Out of nowhere, Julia appeared between me and Orochimaru. "Julia?" I asked. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't touch my young mistress." She said to Orochimaru with a frown.

"Julia, what are you doing?" I asked. "I'm here under Luna-sama's orders." She explained. "Okaa-san?" I repeated. "Orochimaru-sama." I heard a voice say. I turned around and saw a guy with gray hair and glasses.

His hair was pulled down in a ponytail. He wore a purple shirt with purple pants. I guess he really likes the color purple. "What is it, Kabuto?" Orochimaru asked. "Sorry to disturb you, but I think it's time we left." Kabuto said. He looked at me, then back at Orochimaru.

I tilted my head to the side, a little confused. "I see." Orochimaru said. He turned his attention towards me. "Are you sure you don't want me to get your mother?" He asked me. "Yeah, I'm sure. I'm feeling better now. I'm just going to stay here and train a bit more." I said, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Very well." He said. He petted my head and began walking towards the exit with Kabuto. I watched as they left. Orochiamru-san was about to go out the door, but stopped. I raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Nue,"

"Hai?"

"Don't push yourself too far."

"Y-Yes, I won't overdo it." I replied. Orochimaru-san walked out the door along with Kabuto, closing the door on their way out. 'Orochimaru-san seems to really care about my health. I hope I get to see him again soon. Kabuto, too' I thought. 

I picked up a sword and started to go back to my training, but I ended up dropping the sword. My hands were shaking again. "Nue-sama?" Julia asked. I didn't respond as I stared down at my hands. "It's nothing." I lied. Why is this happening again? Why do I feel... uneasy about Orochimaru?

Orochimaru's POV

Nue doesn't seem to remember who I am. She must have amnesia. But how she got it is what I wanna know. Kabuto and I were almost at the front door until I felt someone grab my shoulder. I turn my head a little to see Luna. She had a deadly glare on her face.

"Is there something you need, Luna?" I asked her, not really interested. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to." She hissed. "And what do you mean by that?" I questioned. "I won't let you harm my daughter. She's not yours." Luna said coldly. I chuckled at her bravery.

"Trying to protect the one's you love, I see. You act just like Nue. You probably think Nue is a sweet, innocent little girl. But you're wrong. She's more dangerous than she seems." I warned her. "That's nonsense. She's too innocent. She wouldn't harm anyone unless she needed to." Luna said.

"You mean, unless she wanted to. You will soon learn Nue's true nature, in life... or maybe in death." I said with a smirk. "Keep dreaming, asshole, because I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be here for a long time." Luna said. Her grip tightened on my shoulder.

"We'll see about that." I smirked. I yanked my shoulder out of her grip, then walked towards the door. "It was a pleasure seeing you again, Luna." I said with a fake smile. I walked out the door with Kabuto behind me. I began to chuckle.

"Orochimaru-sama, are you sure it's her? Do you really think it's the Nue Houjuu?" Kabuto asked me. "I know it's her. After all, she's the only one who made it out alive. There's no mistaking it. She's the one." I said. I continued to laugh.

After eight long years, I've finally found her. Now, I just have to gain her trust again. I licked my lips in excitement. This is going to be interesting. A fresh start with the same girl, but with a different personality to her. "Let's go, Kabuto." I ordered. "Hai." He responded. And with that, we ran towards the hideout.

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Finished with this chapter. What happens next? Find out in the next chapter. Surprises await in this story. Believe me, guys. So many things are going to happen throughout this book. Vote and comment for more. See you all later! ;)

Kureiji out~