Work Text:
Fuck," Jiraiya groans as he drops to the tunnel floor. He rifled through a pocket and threw a tag on the floor that lights up the tunnel.
Tsunade follows his lead and falls to sit beside the fool, body slumped in exhaustion.
Orochimaru used the last of his chakra to close the entrance, trapping them in his man-made tunnel. Collapsing against the wall, he held his injured side. His tough skin and jacket have stopped most of the damage, leaving only a graze along his side.
"You all good, Teme?"
Raising his head, he met Jiraiya's gaze. The fool was grinning while looking just as exhausted as he felt.
"Fine, and since you're talking, you must still be living."
The fool let out a large breath, then groaned in pain, likely a broken rib or five. The man was built like a construction worker thanks to his senju training.
"A little chakra drained and sore, but fine other than that."
They both turned to Tsunade, likely the most physically unharmed, because who in their right mind would go toe to toe with her?
"I just need food and sleep. I can't use chakra, but anything I need to look over first before I rest."
Her eyes fix on him, and he lets out a low hiss that only makes her raise an eyebrow.
"I have a minor injury to my right side that only bled a little. It will hold for the night while you two sleep."
They both make a noise of agreement and settle down a little more. Tsunade takes advantage of Jiraiya close proximity and flops back to use him as a pillow.
He'd been ignoring his body's discomfort for five and a half hours. Keeping his senses open to any changes while letting his mind wonder to his next experiment was something he was practice in. It was in times like this that it was also a detriment.
Jiraiya moved an arm, a reflex to whatever dream he was having and snapping Orochimaru from his thoughts. His bodies needs came to the forefront and the itching made its self known.
"Fuck," the borrowed word was low, more a hiss then a curse and still enough to have his teammates stering slightly.
"Sleep," he says, knowing that it's unlikely to work.
They're in enemy territory, and their body is likely demanding food to replenish their reserves.
"Oro?" Tsunade asks as she opens her eyes.
"All clear."
She sits up, using a hand to shove Jiraiya away. "Time to eat." She turns to him, "Have you eaten?"
He shakes his head and raises a hand, letting flakes of skin fall like dust.
"I haven't the chakra to access supplies."
Her eyes narrow even as she nods. They both know he'll hold back on shedding till they reach the village, but she will also know that was where his chakra was going without him realising it.
"I'll get some from mine and then we can hit the road."
Orochimaru looked up from his lazy stretch at the sound of steps.
"Oro, look what I have," Jiraiya announces as he steps onto the training ground, waving his notebook around.
Orochimaru twists out of his stretch and roll to his feet. "I'm guessing it's what's in the notebook, as you've had that book for the last year."
The idiot scowled at him as he came to a stop, in what Tsunade had explained was an appropriate distance away. He still didn't quite get how some distances were appropriate in some situations and not others, but that was humans.
"Yes, it's what's in the notebook. I finally made a seal design safe for storing excess chakra. It will resist damage and mend itself instead of exploding."
Orochimaru tilted his head, had the fool make something useful instead of something to help his odd habits. If it worked like Jiraiya said, then it would be a huge gain for any who acquired it.
"What's the catch?"
There was always a catch with everything. Nothing came without a cost, be it coin, pain, or something else. Jiraiya deflated slightly and became more serious in the way he only became when he was talking about fuinjutsu and the trickiest of missions.
"I minimized the drain, but I can't make it nothing unless the seal is a maximum storage capacity."
So, having this seal while being on the edge of chakra exhaustion could potentially kill someone. Also, if someone didn't have a high level of chakra production, it would become difficult for them to fill their system.
"A small risk with a high reward. Is there a way of creating a loop in the form of another seal? Have a small one that acts more like a storage scroll that the larger one can pull from in emergencies."
"A small one that does feed from your chakra reserves, but that you mainly have to put chakra in."
"What are you nerds talking about?"
They turn to Tsunade, and Orochimaru knows that Tsunade will be on board with this.
Jiraiya flicked his wrist and twirled the brush as he finished off the last stroke.
"Looks good, I should be able to hide it under the tattoo like planned, and it should help with the shedding if you need to use it."
Jiraiya didn't say any more, just went through a few hand signs, and Orochimaru braced for it. It felt like getting stabbed, and considering he'd placed the design above his heart, it felt like the oaf was trying to kill him. He clenched his jaw, keeping his fangs from coming forth as he waited.
He'd chosen this spot as no matter how safe Jiraiya said it was it was still the first time trying out this seal. So he was putting it in a spot where no one would strike it without killing him and it would be hard to detect.
The pain ended, and Jiraiya pulled back, letting out a breath, like he'd been the one in pain.
"It was harder than I thought getting it past your scales. Let's give it a week to settle before I add the normal ink. How's it feeling?"
Closing his eyes, he turned his attention inwards. He could sense the disturbance, a single thread of chakra splitting off. It was minuscule enough that he let out a scoff. Why had the oaf been worried about it? That much was bearly a drop of his reserves. He used more when he walked than it took.
"There isn't a problem that I can detect. Perhaps if I had an average chunin's reserves or didn't use my chakra for movement, it would be a problem."
He would have been able to hold this seal when he was a genin, perhaps even before then. Tsunade would find this very useful if they could work out this as an emergency chakra reserve for healers. It would require more studying before they could make it for the average shinobi's use.
"Good. Tsunade Hime, are you ready?"
Orochimaru sat up and looked towards where their team mat was watching them. Her top was different then normal, exposing her back, the place she had chosen for her seal.
"Oro, keep an eye on the baka."
He nodded, shining his legs off the bed and moving closer to her as she lay down on her front, baring her scar-free back. His lip quirked up at the reminder of the last time he voiced that. Jiraiya's declaration of 'ladies likes a man with scars' has shown what a true fool he was.
"What do you mean you're leaving?" he hissed, feeling his fangs ache to show.
"I mean that the sage toad told me to travel, and Sensei needs someone strong to travel and find out what the other villages are up to. You know that we're on the brink of the next war, and the village can't afford you or Tsunade to leave."
How dare the oaf do this? How dare he say the village needs him? He was the monster shinobi parents used to keep their kids in line. This village may need his research, but it didn't want him.
"I will not stay if you leave."
His dark eye narrowed.
"Yes, you will. You have nowhere better to be, and Tsunade is here."
He let out an amused hiss. Did the idiot think he stayed in this place because he had nowhere better? He he not considered that, given his stance in the village that he wouldn't have made a place for himself elsewhere.
"You truly are a fool."
He lashed out with a punch, and Jiraiya blocked the blow with suprised look. Orochimaru could taste his shock the air. He didn't care for what the idiot was thinking. He struck out with a kick and kept advancing, getting more annoyed when Jiraiya kept holding back. If the ass was going to leave he could make up for it by not being a coward.
Letting out another hiss, he let his fangs come out as he struck just shy of Jiraiya's arm.
"Oi, what have I told you about biting, teme."
He advanced again, flicking his fangs away for them moment, but looking forward to sinking them in when he gets the chance. It wasn't like his venom would kill him, hurt, yes, muck with his chakra, yes, but he has a partialy immune he won't die from it.
A hand tugged his shirt, and he was thrown over someone's shoulder. He twists, landing in a crouch, and lets out a hiss. Tsunade glared right back, clearly unimpressed.
"What is going on here?"
"Orochimaru has good nuts."
"The oaf has abandoned us and thinks that I should be trapped in a hell hole because I have nowhere else to be; he forgets that I have an elite summon land. That I don't need him or any of you."
He turns and with a flick of chakra shunshin. He's done with humans for today.
Jiraiya's POV
"What the fuck were you thinking?" Tsunade growled, rounding on him. "Who am I kidding? You didn't think, did you? You're nearly eighteen, not eight, you should know how things affect him. Why not at the very least wait till I was here."
He held up his hands, trying to placate her.
"I should have waited, but he was giving me the creepy look, you know the one that feels like he's looking at your soul. He'd already guessed that something was up, so I didn't have a choice. Anyway, I didn't think he'd take it so poorly. It's not like I've never taken a mission without him."
Tsunade gave him a look, and just like Orochimaru's look, that sent a shiver down his spine along with the feeling of dread.
"We both know that the only thing keeping him in the village is us and Sensei. We knew he was going to take this hard, but both Sensei and I know that you need to do this for yourself. I just wish you had told him a different way, he is going to be intolerable unless you two make up."
She was right. Oro would be twice as prickly and likely to lash out until he'd worked it out of his system. He'd have to do his best to set things right before he left.
He's not surprised when it's Madoka that opens the door when he makes it to Orochimaru's home. He'd stopped by the laboratory first on the off chance that Oro had gone there to keep others out of the line of fire. It may also have been to give him a little more time.
"He's gone."
Bright violet eyes almost seem to glow as the serpent watches him. On the few times he's made this snake mad, he's reminded why he hates doing so. He's sure Orochimaru got most of his bone-chilling looks from this snake.
"Please don't tell me he went to the snake's land."
"He's on human land."
Jiraiya let out a breath, there was only so many places around the village that the teme could be.
Dread went down his back at the almost amused hiss from Madoka.
"He and Kasumi went on a mission."
Fuck.