He was still in the midst of helping Rutee with all the monsters in her world, but he understood the importance of doing what he could to show his newest ally just how serious Suna was about cooperating.
Despite having adequate powers and being able to defend himself, Gaara felt somewhat tentative about meeting the legendary snake Sannin alone, but nevertheless, the sand wielder traveled over to the Hidden Sound Village by himself.
Arriving at the entrance, he immediately sensed a rather powerful chakra signature, one that was unfamiliar to him, but a quick glance at the figure standing near his position immediately revealed the identity.
Oh my. It wasn't much of a greeting, really, but it could be forgiven. After all, this was their first meeting.
He didn't really plan on doing much, other than intimidating Gaara just a little. Oh yes, of course he appreciated the offer to ally with The Sand, but if there was an agreement in queue, he was going to have to see it for his own eyes.
The Sannin took a step forward and gave Gaara a once over, eventually lifting his gaze to meet the boy's. His serpentine eyes locked onto their prey, never lingering or even blinking. Orochimaru finally moved away from the tree he'd been standing under, taking a few paces toward the newcomer. A sly smile twisted up his lips.
"So you're Gaara, the fifth Kazekage. You do have a spitting resemblance to your father."
"Yes." The redhead answered calmly - he had not intended to seem impolite with his initial greeting, but he thought it would be best to show a neutral and cordial side rather than express any apprehension. This was, after all, the same man that had killed the previous Kazekage of Suna, although Gaara would have to admit he wasn't exactly crestfallen when he first heard the news of his father's murder.
Orochimaru's remark made the sand wielder flinch slightly, but he fought to maintain an impassive expression as he replied in a low tone, "Hmm. Do I?"
Being in the snake Sannin's presence made him feel just a bit tense, but Gaara wasn't intimidated; if there was any sign of danger, he would be ready to defend himself, and he had full confidence in his own abilities.
Orochimaru realized that he was most likely making things rather uncomfortable. Hah. That was after all, the point. In no way did he trust or even treasure the alliance of the Sand. They were just simply a mild convenience at the current time. After all, Gaara seemed so earnestly interested in allying with the Sound, how could he refuse? Heh.
The Sannin moved closer, now standing a mere foot or so away from the the Sand nin. Oh, wait, he was a "man" now, wasn't he? Tch. Gaara was still far too young and naive to be called Kazekage. Though for some reason, Orochimaru had a feeling it wouldn't be as easy to take this one down.
"I want you to do something for me," he began, in somewhat of a darker tone. Despite his amusement, Orochimaru was quite serious about the situation. His eyes locked onto Gaara's, not once wavering. "I'd like you to tell me that you have no ulterior motives in this situation. I've given you my word... and now I want you to give me yours."
To be frank, Gaara didn't know how the Lady Hokage of Konoha would react to his decision to ally with the Hidden Sound Village, and he hoped that it would not cause her to sever their own alliance...
Truly, the young Kazekage wanted peace between the five countries, and the Lands of Earth, Water, and Lightning were not very receptive to cooperative with other nations, while Orochimaru seemed somewhat earnest... But Gaara didn't trust him. Not completely. For this reason, he remained on-guard throughout the entire instance and had to consciously calm the sand stirring inside of his gourd, ready to spring out and defend their master at a moment's notice
( ... )
On the other hand, Orochimaru knew Tsunade would be far from happy with Gaara's descision. In fact, she would most likely try and convince him otherwise. As he studied the boy, a more smug smirk tugged at his lips. He had a feeling that Gaara was a bit more strong willed than expected, he'd give the Kazekage that much. Additionally, that benefited him more. If Gaara was a pushover, he wouldn't even consider allying with the Sound.
"I'll hold you to that," Orochimaru finally replied, the smirk still very apparent. It was so cute! Was this little Kazekage actually attempting to stare him down? Probably not, but usually, people didn't make eye contact with him for long. Aside from the defiant Sasuke, who would most certainly be taken care of as soon as he was found. Though, there were other matters at hand now as well.
"I have another request of you," he began again. "Though, I don't know if it's really a request, given it affects you as well... but it seems we have a common enemy, who I am frankly, sick of."
The redhead had yet to inform the Leaf Village of his decision to ally with the Sound, but he had not done so purely for himself, as a number of his council members were in favor of the proposal before he suggested it to Orochimaru.
"That's fine. Of course, I expect the same from you... Orochimaru." He had paused before saying the name because he wasn't sure how to address his new ally, because while there was question Orochimaru led his people, the Sound Village was not recognized as one of the Five Great Nations, which meant he couldn't technically be a Kage.
Gaara carefully maintained eye contact while they spoke, both out of respect and to show that he was undaunted by any intimidation tactics, and then his ears perked up in interest at the sudden new request. "Really... Are you referring to the Akatsuki?"
Orochimaru really didn't care what the Leaf thought. He was both delighted and amused that the young Kazekage was willing to take such a daring step. Of course, this was only a temporary alliance, whilst the Sound was rebuilding. That benefited him, and whatever happened after the fact would sheerly be based on what benefited him the most as well. For now however, he'd keep up with this little game.
He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Gaara calling him by his actual name. The Sannin wasn't used to be addressed as that by anyone but his enemies. Then again, there was a very distinct line in regards to those relationships. Allies, who usually served under him, and enemies, who loathed him to an immense extent.
"And yes, the Akatsuki. More specifically, Tobi." His eyes narrowed slightly at the name, as it was clearly one he detested. "He has an immense strength and a forbidden jutsu which I've never seen or experienced until just recently. The Akatsuki were very wise in chosing him."
Gaara noticed the gesture, and thought that maybe he made a mistake with his address, but he wasn't about to come right out and ask Orochimaru about the correct way to refer to him; the young sand wielder wasn't one for titles, anyway. The Lady Hokage was the only person that he addressed in such a formal manner, and that was only after she gave him a rather fierce glare the first time he called her simply by name.
"Tobi, huh? Hmm. I don't know if you are aware of this, but he seems to have taken an interest in you." Gaara remarked calmly, keeping a quiet and neutral tone so his ally wouldn't think that he was trying to show any snippiness or arrogance when he merely wanted to state facts. "I came to this conclusion based on my observation of his recent behavior. Unfortunately, we don't have any information on this particular member of the Akatsuki."
"Interest," he repeated dryly. He could care less what Tobi thought of him now. It didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was defeating him. Orochimaru had been so confident before, but now that he realized the immense and hidden strength Tobi was hiding, he'd come to terms with something: he wouldn't be able to defeat the Akatsuki member alone. It was not unlike Orochimaru to feel this way either. He typically depended on his lackies to do his work, and in the past, he'd admitted to the strengths of other shinobi. After all, that's what made them so... fascinating.
"I have enough information to know that you wish to defeat the Akatsuki, he is one of the primary targets to be disposed of." Despite his bitter words, a smirk managed to emerge. "I'm requesting your assistance, Gaara."
"Oh?" Gaara was surprised to hear that the snake Sannin had information, but then again, Jiraiya was the one that told Suna about the Akatsuki during his last visit, so the young Kazekage felt slightly more at ease. There was also the fact that Orochimaru himself had once been a member of the Akatsuki... causing Gaara to inwardly wonder if the man still had any ties to them at present.
"I would like to hear your proposal, but you must bear in mind that the Akatsuki are not to be underestimated." The redhead warned sternly; he, of course, was speaking from experience, although if it had not been for his adamant desire to protect his village, he was confident that he could have defeated the blond rogue ninja. "I have fought against one of their members before. He is deceased now."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly at Gaara's warning. He knew better than anyone what the Akatsuki were capable of. The past week had proven to be nothing but humiliation, and he'd about had it with excuses and warnings. There was no need to hold back any longer and was clearly disturbed by the Akatsuki's presence as well.
"I know what the Akatsuki are capable of. In fact, I even know of your little encounter with them. Deidara, was it? He was Tobi's partner." The smirk developed into a thin smile, though clearly, the expression was forced. There was something much darker behind the expression. "We cannot face the Akatsuki as a whole, but we can take them down one by one. Currently, Tobi is making himself boisterously known. It shouldn't be too difficult to corner him."
Gaara forced himself to remain calm at the reminder of the foe that had almost destroyed all of Suna with an enormous explosive hanging over the city... how scared the citizens must have felt, until they saw the large sand shield that their Kazekage created to protect them.
"So then... I presume you know what transpired as a result of my encounter with him." The redhead remarked coolly as he crossed his arms over his chest in his calm and controlled manner, customary around both allies and enemies alike, although he would always show the proper formality when the situation called for it. "Hmm. We would certainly have a higher chance of success using that method. Aside from Tobi, Itachi Uchiha is also a member of the community."
Gaara was on edge. It wasn't very extremely noticable, and Orochimaru was no psychic. However, this boy was already troubled enough. He believed he could easily pull at the strings of Gaara's anger in order to benefit himself. Still, he didn't underestimate the power of the boy. It would just... be rather useful.
"I know a lot of things," Orochimaru replied with a smirk. In fact, he had taunted Gaara a bit regarding the catastrophe when he'd first arrived in the community.
"Anyway, Tobi is an interesting one, really." He tossed Gaara's bitterness aside, realize it would only deter the boy from pushing the topic any further. "I was hoping that you'd be willing to aid me in defeating him. I would call it an ambush but," his serpentine gaze flicked over Gaara's figure once more, "Something tells me that term is a bit too harsh for you."
((OH GOD, just woke up, so sorry if that was crap. I was late at getting this tag in though :O sorry))
Even though the young Kazekage was still young and very impressionable, he had gone through a great deal of experiences in his sixteen years and he was especially mindful of not repeating the mistakes made in the past.
"Mmm. I'm sure you do." Gaara answered in a compliant tone, neither accusing nor showing intrigue, because he knew that a man with his kind of influence over others surely had many spies under his watch.
"A joint effort between our villages?" He was definitely interested in this kind of offer - if Orochimaru cooperated with Suna, then that just might be enough to convince his other comrades, the Lady Hokage in particular, that an alliance with the Snake Sannin was not impossible. "Actually... when it comes to the Akatsuki, there is no need to censor yourself, Orochimaru."
(OOC: It's okay, my dear, just as long as you don't forget about our log here! <3 BTW, I just recently found out that Orochimaru is an inch shorter than timeskip-Gaara, ROFL~! Oh, and Gaara wants to know why Orochimaru is checking his figure
( ... )
He wasn't going to lie, Orochimaru did underestimate Gaara at first. In fact, he still did. However, it was quite clear that the Kazekage would be a formidable ally for the time. Just until things, hah, lightened up a little. Inwardly, Orochimaru still smirked at how easily Gaara was being reeled in.
The Sannin let out a short laugh at Gaara's last comment. Oh yes, the boy was certainly interested in his offer. Though, he had difficulty believing that Konoha would ever agree to it. The ninja there knew him far too well. That fortunately, would be mended in time.
"But yes, a joint effort I suppose you could say. I have a few, ah... comrades of my own who will be joining me. I'd rather not name them specifically, but you'll know them, or at least know of them
( ... )
Despite having adequate powers and being able to defend himself, Gaara felt somewhat tentative about meeting the legendary snake Sannin alone, but nevertheless, the sand wielder traveled over to the Hidden Sound Village by himself.
Arriving at the entrance, he immediately sensed a rather powerful chakra signature, one that was unfamiliar to him, but a quick glance at the figure standing near his position immediately revealed the identity.
"Orochimaru."
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He didn't really plan on doing much, other than intimidating Gaara just a little. Oh yes, of course he appreciated the offer to ally with The Sand, but if there was an agreement in queue, he was going to have to see it for his own eyes.
The Sannin took a step forward and gave Gaara a once over, eventually lifting his gaze to meet the boy's. His serpentine eyes locked onto their prey, never lingering or even blinking. Orochimaru finally moved away from the tree he'd been standing under, taking a few paces toward the newcomer. A sly smile twisted up his lips.
"So you're Gaara, the fifth Kazekage. You do have a spitting resemblance to your father."
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Orochimaru's remark made the sand wielder flinch slightly, but he fought to maintain an impassive expression as he replied in a low tone, "Hmm. Do I?"
Being in the snake Sannin's presence made him feel just a bit tense, but Gaara wasn't intimidated; if there was any sign of danger, he would be ready to defend himself, and he had full confidence in his own abilities.
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The Sannin moved closer, now standing a mere foot or so away from the the Sand nin. Oh, wait, he was a "man" now, wasn't he? Tch. Gaara was still far too young and naive to be called Kazekage. Though for some reason, Orochimaru had a feeling it wouldn't be as easy to take this one down.
"I want you to do something for me," he began, in somewhat of a darker tone. Despite his amusement, Orochimaru was quite serious about the situation. His eyes locked onto Gaara's, not once wavering. "I'd like you to tell me that you have no ulterior motives in this situation. I've given you my word... and now I want you to give me yours."
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Truly, the young Kazekage wanted peace between the five countries, and the Lands of Earth, Water, and Lightning were not very receptive to cooperative with other nations, while Orochimaru seemed somewhat earnest... But Gaara didn't trust him. Not completely. For this reason, he remained on-guard throughout the entire instance and had to consciously calm the sand stirring inside of his gourd, ready to spring out and defend their master at a moment's notice ( ... )
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"I'll hold you to that," Orochimaru finally replied, the smirk still very apparent. It was so cute! Was this little Kazekage actually attempting to stare him down? Probably not, but usually, people didn't make eye contact with him for long. Aside from the defiant Sasuke, who would most certainly be taken care of as soon as he was found. Though, there were other matters at hand now as well.
"I have another request of you," he began again. "Though, I don't know if it's really a request, given it affects you as well... but it seems we have a common enemy, who I am frankly, sick of."
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"That's fine. Of course, I expect the same from you... Orochimaru." He had paused before saying the name because he wasn't sure how to address his new ally, because while there was question Orochimaru led his people, the Sound Village was not recognized as one of the Five Great Nations, which meant he couldn't technically be a Kage.
Gaara carefully maintained eye contact while they spoke, both out of respect and to show that he was undaunted by any intimidation tactics, and then his ears perked up in interest at the sudden new request. "Really... Are you referring to the Akatsuki?"
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He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Gaara calling him by his actual name. The Sannin wasn't used to be addressed as that by anyone but his enemies. Then again, there was a very distinct line in regards to those relationships. Allies, who usually served under him, and enemies, who loathed him to an immense extent.
"And yes, the Akatsuki. More specifically, Tobi." His eyes narrowed slightly at the name, as it was clearly one he detested. "He has an immense strength and a forbidden jutsu which I've never seen or experienced until just recently. The Akatsuki were very wise in chosing him."
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"Tobi, huh? Hmm. I don't know if you are aware of this, but he seems to have taken an interest in you." Gaara remarked calmly, keeping a quiet and neutral tone so his ally wouldn't think that he was trying to show any snippiness or arrogance when he merely wanted to state facts. "I came to this conclusion based on my observation of his recent behavior. Unfortunately, we don't have any information on this particular member of the Akatsuki."
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"I have enough information to know that you wish to defeat the Akatsuki, he is one of the primary targets to be disposed of." Despite his bitter words, a smirk managed to emerge. "I'm requesting your assistance, Gaara."
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"I would like to hear your proposal, but you must bear in mind that the Akatsuki are not to be underestimated." The redhead warned sternly; he, of course, was speaking from experience, although if it had not been for his adamant desire to protect his village, he was confident that he could have defeated the blond rogue ninja. "I have fought against one of their members before. He is deceased now."
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"I know what the Akatsuki are capable of. In fact, I even know of your little encounter with them. Deidara, was it? He was Tobi's partner." The smirk developed into a thin smile, though clearly, the expression was forced. There was something much darker behind the expression. "We cannot face the Akatsuki as a whole, but we can take them down one by one. Currently, Tobi is making himself boisterously known. It shouldn't be too difficult to corner him."
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"So then... I presume you know what transpired as a result of my encounter with him." The redhead remarked coolly as he crossed his arms over his chest in his calm and controlled manner, customary around both allies and enemies alike, although he would always show the proper formality when the situation called for it. "Hmm. We would certainly have a higher chance of success using that method. Aside from Tobi, Itachi Uchiha is also a member of the community."
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"I know a lot of things," Orochimaru replied with a smirk. In fact, he had taunted Gaara a bit regarding the catastrophe when he'd first arrived in the community.
"Anyway, Tobi is an interesting one, really." He tossed Gaara's bitterness aside, realize it would only deter the boy from pushing the topic any further. "I was hoping that you'd be willing to aid me in defeating him. I would call it an ambush but," his serpentine gaze flicked over Gaara's figure once more, "Something tells me that term is a bit too harsh for you."
((OH GOD, just woke up, so sorry if that was crap. I was late at getting this tag in though :O sorry))
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"Mmm. I'm sure you do." Gaara answered in a compliant tone, neither accusing nor showing intrigue, because he knew that a man with his kind of influence over others surely had many spies under his watch.
"A joint effort between our villages?" He was definitely interested in this kind of offer - if Orochimaru cooperated with Suna, then that just might be enough to convince his other comrades, the Lady Hokage in particular, that an alliance with the Snake Sannin was not impossible. "Actually... when it comes to the Akatsuki, there is no need to censor yourself, Orochimaru."
(OOC: It's okay, my dear, just as long as you don't forget about our log here! <3 BTW, I just recently found out that Orochimaru is an inch shorter than timeskip-Gaara, ROFL~! Oh, and Gaara wants to know why Orochimaru is checking his figure ( ... )
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The Sannin let out a short laugh at Gaara's last comment. Oh yes, the boy was certainly interested in his offer. Though, he had difficulty believing that Konoha would ever agree to it. The ninja there knew him far too well. That fortunately, would be mended in time.
"But yes, a joint effort I suppose you could say. I have a few, ah... comrades of my own who will be joining me. I'd rather not name them specifically, but you'll know them, or at least know of them ( ... )
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