The two boys were wondering through the forest, attempting to find the middle of it. But after a couple of hours of looking, they seemed to realize that they were completely lost.

"How did we get lost?! Akai said that we were close and that we needed only about thirty minutes to get to the middle of the forest!" Shin said with a loud sigh.

"I don't know! I-... uh..." Akito started, beginning to look around frantically. "Did we take a wrong turn? How did we mess up going straight..." He said, sadness in his voice as he glanced at Akai.

"I don't know, but we need to find our way there now! I don't know what's wrong with her, and frankly, I'm scar-..."

"HEY AKAI!!!" A very familiar voice called out, and Akito and Shin turned around quickly to see none other than Team 7's Naruto running towards them with his hands waving frantically.

"AKA-... why is she passed out? What happened to Akai?!" Naruto said as he began to look around the forest quickly, his team slowly walking up behind him.

"We, uh... we don't know. She just started coughing, and she couldn't breath, and then there was blood..." Akito said quietly, "We were trying to get to the middle of the forest, to the tower, so that we could try to get her help... but we don't know where to go anymore."

"We'll help you!" Naruto said happily, and Sasuke gave him a dirty look.

"The point of this is to survive with the scrolls. Not bring someone else into this." Sasuke said with his normal annoyed tone.

"Shut your mouth Sasuke! Akai is my friend and she would do the same for me!"

"I wouldn't say she's your friend Naruto, more she hid in your house when she was wanted by the Hokage." Sakura said, laughing as Naruto's cheeks turned slightly red, and he looked down.

He crossed his arms over his chest and grumbled, "Yeah, but we're friends now..."

Akito gave an annoyed sigh, unlike his normal calm behavior, and looked at Team 7. "If you're going to help us, please do. If you're not, point us the right direction so we can get her help. That's all I ask." He said, and Naruto looked at his teammates with big eyes.

"Please guys! Sakura, Shin's your brother! Shouldn't you want to help him?!"

"Yeah!" Shin said, glaring at his sister.

"I don't have to help him, but Akai is in bad shape... I think we should help." Sakura said, glancing at her brother.

Sasuke glanced at his two teammates, before he gave a small nod. "Fine. But they're not my responsibility."

"That's good. I don't trust you to take care of her, anyways." Akito snapped, as he tapped Shin's shoulder, "Should I take my turn?"

Shin, who is unusually quiet, shook his head and gently adjusted Akai's limp body on his back. "No. You're better with blades, just guard us." He reasoned, looking at Akai's dagger, which is in Akito's grip, "So, do you guys know the way?"

Sakura pointed her finger to behind them. "I remember clearly we came from there, and we've been walking straight since then."

"I see. Let's just keep moving, then."

| * | * | * | * | * |

While Team 7 went away from the three to discuss their own plan, Shin had put Akai down while he sat next to her, taking a rest. Akito was just above them, at the top of the tree, trying to find any clue on their whereabouts.

"I found it!"

"Really?!" Shin asked back, looking up. Akito replied with a loud grunt, as he jumped down and landed in front of his teammates.

"The tower's pretty far from here. If we leave Naruto and his team now, we could reach it in about an hour. Then again, we were the ones who asked for their help."

"We could wait for them and ask."

Akito nodded, before he knelt beside the Hozuki, and touched her forehead. "Damn, she's burning up."

"Do you think she's-..." Shin paused as soon as he heard an explosion.

"Crap, it's near." Akito mumbled, "Is that Naruto's team?"

"I hope not." Shin muttered, as he picked up Akai, "Should we left or should we check on it?"

"... We're going that way, after all. Let's just hurry."

The two boys made their way towards the source of the sound, but when they finally arrived, they regret it immediately.

In front of them, were Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, facing a very familiar black-haired woman with long, slithery tongue.

The one whom Akai said to stay away from.

"Sh*t." Akito muttered, "We should go  before she notices us."

When they turned, they found out that they were already surrounded by snakes.

"My, my. How sweet. Three more rats decided to join us."

Shin gritted his teeth. "I guess we have to fight, Akito. It doesn't seem like she just wants a scroll." He said, as he put Akai down and took out some kunais, "She wants to kill us."

"So smart! I like it, it's going to be fun! But what's wrong with your teammate? Is she injured?"

"It's none of your business." Akito snapped, and put Akai's dagger on her lap. The blonde unsheathed his katana, and stood in front of her, Shin next to him.

The woman laughed. "She does look familiar, though. What's her name? Maybe... Akai?"

Everyone's shoulders tensed, and the woman chuckled. "So I am right. Such a shame I couldn't talk to her. Well, I'll start with the Uchiha first, then. Is it okay, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke growled. "Who the hell are you, actually?!"

Much to their shock, she ripped off the skin on her face. She turned into a he, with yellow eyes resembling a snake, and an even more evil look.

"Call me Lord Orochimaru. One of the Three Sannin."

Sasuke's body began to tremble.

"Ugh... What the hell happened, tashikani...?" A hoarse voice suddenly muttered.

The battle immediately turned meaningless, as Akito and Shin quickly went to Akai's side.

"You passed out. We got lost, and finally we meet Team 7. But they got into this trouble."

Akai tried to push herself up to her feet, but Shin stopped her. "Akai, you can't fight. It's obvious that you're sick."

"I can't just stay here! You think I will-..." She froze, and her eyes widened, as soon as she head a blood-curdling scream from Sasuke.

Ignoring her teammates, she abruptly stood up, and her eyes immediately widen in shock. An inhuman black-haired figure had its neck stretched out and lengthened so far, as it sank its teeth into Sasuke's neck. The Uchiha had a shocked, painful look on his face. His whole expression was filled with terror, but he looked at everyone else, at all his allies, and mouthed one word Akai was very sick of doing.

'Run.'

And that made her snap. She had already tightened her grip on her dagger, ready to attack, but all that courage was gone as soon as the figure dropped Sasuke's body and looked up.

She recognized him immediately. His pale, white skin, with yellow eyes and that insane look on his face. She never forgets him, even after years. The man who took away her last family, her last hope. In rage, she let out her battle cry.

"Orochimaru... I'LL CUT YOU TO PIECES!"

| * | * | * | * | * |

Akai knew very well about her condition. Sick, injured, it's more than that. She was... dying, that word would suit her more. But no matter how much she thinks about it, she never accept it.

She refuses to die.

Even if it means meeting her parents, she won't accept it. And so, she fought against it. She did crazy things despite her physical condition.

That, includes fighting a sannin.

Akai didn't hesitate. She ignored her teammates' call on her, and lunged at the man. Orochimaru only grinned, however, and caught her wrist just as the blade was about to touch him. "Like mother, like daughter. Always attacking head-on, without plans. It's alright to rely on speed, but this? I guess you have lost your touch."

Her glare intensified, but before she could react, he had tightened his grip around her right wrist, causing a loud 'crack' while Akai let out a painful yell.

"I still remember her. She once visited Konoha, that's when I first saw her. She was beautiful, and strong, too. Such a great shinobi. Too bad she's dead now."

Akai let out a growl, "You're... YOU'RE SICK!!" She screamed, and using her right wrist as an axis, she twisted her whole body upside, and sent a hard kick to the back of his head. The sannin instantly threw her away, and she immediately backflipped, landing not-so-smoothly on the ground, in front of her teammates.

"You're the one who needs to be cured, right, Little Red?"

Her body was now shaking, as she stood once again. She lifted her right hand, now biting her dagger, staring at the bruised wrist.

To be truthful, she couldn't feel it anymore. It was broken, and now she twisted it, using it to support her weight.

"Screw this." She muttered. Grabbing it tightly, she twisted her wrist back to its place with a quick snap, ignoring how her teammates had stared at her in disbelief.

"What the hell, Akai?! Your wrist's just-..."

"Well, I've been through worse. Don't worry, tashikani."

"Please tell me you're left-handed." Akito begged, but she shook her head.

"I can handle this." She replied, as she now held her dagger with her uninjured left hand. She was about to take a step forward, when Shin stopped her, holding her back by her shoulder.

"You can't do this, Akai. It's suicide!" He said, staring at the blue-haired girl in front of him. But the girl simply shook his hand off of her shoulder, and turned away from her teammates.

"You guys don't get it. It's not just something I can let go by! He has mocked my family, taken my family, he has created a name for them that I can't accept! He has destroyed what pride we had for his own selfish matters! He takes my mother names and uses it as if... as if he has some right to it. I have dreamed about this day for as long as I can remember, and finally, I have my chance."

Shin looked back at Akito, who was staring blankly at his teammate. Shin sighed and took a step back from Akai, giving her a nod as if to tell her he understood what she had to do, but to be safe when she did it.

Akai grasped her dagger in her left hand as firmly as she could. It felt like a foreign object was in this hand, since the girl was right handed, but she held the dagger the same way she would have if it was the right hand, and she began to move closer to the chuckling Orochimaru.

"Little Akai, how precious. You really think you can beat me? Your mother was never that powerful, and neither was your pitiful father. And for all I can imagine, I doubt you're stronger than either of them." He said, with a wicked smile spread across his lips. "But I can make you stronger, I can make you so much stronger and then one day, you can avenge everyone who took away your family or even those who left you. like that darling uncle of yours, K-"

"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK HIS NAME TO ME!" Akai screamed, before she ran at the man with her arm raised above her head, her fist turning red from how hard she was holding onto the blade. She brought the blade down where he was standing, but as soon as she did, he was gone.

Her blade slashed through the air, and she began to look around for her opponent. But at that moment, it was as if Akai completely missed him because in a snap, he was behind her. His hand had hers pulled behind her back quicker than the girl knew how to react.

His free hand gently trailed along the back of the girls neck, and Akai felt like she was frozen.

She couldn't move, and she didn't know if it was because she was scared, or because of the fact that the pain in her wrist was slowly starting to trail up her arm the more that Orochimaru squeezed on it.

"You're too quick to act, Red Mist. You're just like your mother." Orochimaru said as he let out a creepy laugh. "And it's a shame that you're going to end the same way she did." He spoke, getting close to her ear as he did so to make sure that no one else heard him.

"Shut... your... mouth." Akai said, her breathing slightly staggered from the amount of energy she had used, and her sickness acting up earlier.

"Now why would I do that? I like to push your buttons. They're so easy to find." He laughed in her ear, before trailing his snake like tongue along the back of her neck. "I could use someone like you on my side..." He smirked, and Akai began to struggle against him, trying to free her arms from him, but this only made him tighten his grip. Akai cried out in pain, and Orochimaru laughed.

"Stop! You're hurting her!" Shin screamed, beginning to run towards his teammate to help.

"No!" Akai screamed at him. "Stay back!"

Akito immediately grabbed Shin's wrists. "Just stay here. She will need us in our best condition."

"Don't you care about her?!"

Akito shook his head, giving Akai a small nod, telling her that he would take care of this.

Akai was slightly grateful. She indeed needs her teammates later. She knew she won't win. And when she finally lost, they will have to support her, to take care of her.

"Now, now, Akai-chan..." Orochimaru purred, "What do you think should I do with you?"

She growled, outraged. "Answer me first, you freaking reptile. What did you do to Suigetsu?" Her voice was surprisingly calm, and this scared her teammates.

Because as far as they know, Akai likes to mock her enemies. She's definitely not the silent type.

"Ah, how kind of you, asking that. I tried many things, I want to give some modifications on him. But he told me that most of them didn't suit him. His screams clarified that."

And it was as if she lost control of herself. It was as if she turned into an animal. Akai's lips turned into a thin line, as her eyes grew red, just like the mist that began to surround them. Her teeth turned shark-like, as she cracked her knuckles.

No more words were said. Her right fingers clawed on his hands, as he hissed in pain. He was about force her to kneel when she bursted into water, and gone.

"I know you can hear me, Little Red. Your little stunt reminded me of the moment when long long ago I visited your house. It was such a-..."

She re-formed behind him, and swung her giant sword to his neck. Orochimaru barely dodged, and she managed to land a pretty deep gash on his back.

"Oh, come on, Little Red. No need to be so aggressive. You-..."

She charged at him, running towards him while continuously swinging Hiramekarei. The sannin's expression changed, from mocking into amused. But slowly, he became annoyed.

His body was covered with a lot of wounds. Not deep, and not mortal, either, but enough to refrain some of his movements. And his condition was worsened by the acid in her mist.

And Akai didn't look satisfied. It was as if she became a puppet. She's no longer defensive, in fact, she didn't dodge or block Orochimaru's attack, using it as a chance to land another hit on him instead.

"Enough." The sannin growled, and caught her sword in mid-air. Ignoring the blood that started flowing out rapidly, he pulled the blade closer, and moved his grip to her arm. The sword immediately turned into a dagger, as he turned her body, pulling her arm until her left wrist was on the same level as her right shoulder.

She flinched in pain, but he only tightened his grip on her right shoulder, cracking the bones, to prevent her from struggling, making sure her back was facing him.

"This was supposed to be a gift, Akai. Now this will only be a punishment."

"Go... to... Hell..." She panted, her eyes now back to their usual grey color. Her limbs were hurting, and she knew she couldn't escape.

"Oh? Well, you're gonna experience one, anyways. Good luck with that."

Before she could reply, he opened his mouth, revealing his snake-like fangs. Her eyes widened in shock, but she was too late.

He sunk them into her neck.

She screamed. A painful scream, mixed with anger, frustration, and agony.

Her sight blurred. Her mind went hazy. She couldn't hear a thing.

Her enemy disappeared.

Her friends rushed towards her, panicking.

"Damn it..." She whispered, clenching her fist.

And she closed her eyes.

| * | * | * | * | * |

"Did you hear that?" A boy asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Sounded like a scream. But it was so... unnatural. What do you think, Tarasu?" A girl stated, stopping in her tracks.

"I agree. I sensed a very familiar chakra. Do you, Naoka?"

"Now that you mention it... Yes, seems like the snake is here." She confirmed, turning back to her other teammate, "Oi, Sameshi, you're zoning out. What's wrong?"

"... Nothing. I'm worried, that's all."

His teammates gave him questioning looks.

"I mean, that snake has a bad habit of biting random people, right? And almost everyone here are genin. I felt a bit of pity."

"That's so unlike you." Tarasu said, "Although I have to agree. Not mentioning a family of mine is here, too. And the snake had once targeted me. Most probably that scream was his..."

"No." Sameshi muttered, shaking his head, "That one is the second scream. The first one was a few minutes ago, and sounded more like your clan's. This one sounded like a girl's."

"I never know you can be this observant, Sameshi." Naoka commented, chuckling a little, "But all these things aren't in our priority. We got a task to do. Let's go."

"Really, Naoka. Way to kill the mood."

"At least she doesn't kill you, Sameshi."

| * | * | * | * | * |

"Hurry up, Shin!" Akito screamed, jumping forward with Akai in his arms. The girl had passed out directly after she was bitten, and Orochimaru only laughed and said she would be searching for him in time come.

"I'm trying!" Shin cried back, running along the trees with his teammate as the tower in the center became more noticeable. And once they were at the tower, they quickly ran into the door in front of them.

They laid Akai down on the ground, opening the pouch on her leg and taking the two scrolls out. Each one of them took a scroll and went to the other side of the room. With an exchanged glance, each one of them ripped open their scroll. The scrolls were tossed in the air, them crossing over each other and a cloud of smoke exploded between them. 

When the smoke cleared, Ibiki was standing their with his trench coat on, his arms crossed, and his normal scowl on his lips. "Hello, maggots," He said, but none of them answered. Thats when Ibiki glanced down and saw the blue haired little girl laying on the ground, her eyes closed, but she was still whimpering and withering in pain.

"What happened to her?" Ibiki demanded as he moved closer to Akai, at an almost run to get to her.

"A guy named Orochimaru..." Akito started, but he was unable to finish his sentence.

"He bit her." Shin finished. "He was arguing with her, he was yelling at her and she was yelling back. He was talking about her family and she got... she got this crazed look in her eyes, and her teeth became like those of a shark... She went to attack him, she was doing really well, but he got the better hand..."

"Alright. You two, continue through those doors. I'll take Akai for a little bit. We'll be there before the others arrive." Ibiki said, nodding at his students whose faces made it obvious that they didn't want to leave, but the boys nodded and left the room.

Ibiki sighed heavily. "Dammit, Akai. Don't you ever know when to stop?" He spoke as he picked up the girl in his arms, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

| * | * | * | * | * |

Maybe a few hours later, Ibiki was sitting beside of Akai's bedside in a room located in the tower. The girl's body was still withering in pain, and she had sweat pouring down her forehead.

The sensei sat back from the bed, staring at her. For the first time in a very, very long time, Ibiki felt like he was completely useless. Akai had always pushed everyone to do their best, without ever meaning to. She was always the first one to run into a battle if it meant that she could maybe, just maybe she could protect one of her teammates.

But now? She was laying in the bed, wincing in pain as this curse mark covered her light skin.

"Ibiki." A man said from the door, and Ibiki turned around to see Kakashi.

"Kakashi." He replied, glancing at the white haired ninja, before back at his student. "I need you to seal the curse on her. I don't trust myself to do it."

"Orochimaru?" Kakashi asked as he approached the girl, running his fingers along the curse mark.

"Yes." He replied. "According to Shin and Akito, they met him in the forest. Akai and the snake fought, and this was the end result. I would watch out for the Uchiha of yours."

"I'll take Akai for a little bit and seal the curse. It'll take me about two hours." He said, picking up the blue haired girl in his arms and carrying her away. Ibiki just sighed heavily and watched, before he stood up and left the room as well.

He walked into the room where his other students were. When he entered, the two boys leapt from their seats and ran towards their Sensei.

"Is she okay?! Where's Akai?!" They screamed together, and Ibiki held his hand up as a sign for silence.

"She'll be okay. She'll be back in about an hour." Ibiki replied before he sat down on the seats in the room. "I need you guys to tell me everything that happened in the forest."

The boys went on and on about what happened in forest. They told about how Akai was fighting at her full ability, about how her eyes turned red and the red fog that covered them. Her shark like teeth and that formed, and the tone of her voice that could make anyone shake.

Ibiki sighed heavily and gave a nod. "Thank you boys. I appreciate all the information. But now, we wait."

| * | * | * | * | * |

Akai slowly opened her eyes. She realized that she was in a dark room, no longer in the forest. She turned, to see a man locking the door of the small room.

The man approached her, and knelt down by her level.

"...K-...Kakashi...? W-what... are you... d-doing...?" She stuttered, trying her best to look up.

Her head was throbbing badly, her chest hurt as if she was being stabbed, her limbs were all aching. All she could feel was pain.

"Ibiki asked me to seal your curse mark."

Her eyes widened, before her face turned into a solemn look.

"May I?" He asked, his hands ready to lift her up. She nodded, and Kakashi gently moved her body into a sitting position. She couldn't feel anything. She felt so numb, with pain all over her body.

Kakashi pulled her collar to the side, revealing the black curse mark. He bit his thumb, but before he could do anything, Akai suddenly let out a yelp, her left hand reached over and covered the mark, clenching it tightly. Sweat began to form, as her lips parted, gasping for air.

More black marks started to appear around the first one, from her shoulder into her face, her wrists, as she screamed louder and louder, only stopping for a few seconds to catch her breath, still muttering and whimpering.

"Stop it... It hurts... It's burning... Anyone... Anyone stop it...!" She screamed the last part, as now her hands helplessly went up to grab her hair and began to pull it.

Kakashi quickly pinned her onto the floor, holding her hands beside her head.

"Calm down! You're gonna hurt yourself even more!'

She didn't hear him. The marks had covered all her skin, and began to glow red. Tears flowed out of her eyes, as she gritted her teeth, clenching her fists.

"Stop it..."

Her pleads turned into inaudible whispers, as the marks faded away, and only leaving her clear skin. Kakashi released her, and moved some strands of her hair, to reveal that the curse mark was gone. It disappeared, as if it was never there.

"What had just happened...?" He muttered, but she didn't reply.

Her hand went to cover her mouth, and before he could figure out what was going on, she started coughing. Blood leaked out from between her fingers, while Kakashi could only stared at her in horror.

And finally, her eyes fluttered close.

| * | * | * | * | * |

Longer than the other chapters, we hope you all enjoyed this! You can't believe how excited the two of us are! And it affects our writing speed! XD

Happy reading! Oh, wait! Correction! Happy waiting~