Snakes are Venomous, Flowers are Poisonous

Chapter 1: Apprentice

The Orochi compound was surprisingly silent that morning. Normally, one of Orochimaru's many charges would be running amuck, however, with many of them out on missions and at their posts, the compound was peaceful. A summer breeze played gently with Orochimaru's hair as he sat on the engawa, enjoying the most welcomed silence. He sipped at his tea as he read over the Fourth Hokage's message for the dozenth time.

Orochimaru-sama,

If it suits your schedule, please come to the Hokage's tower at noon tomorrow. I wish to discuss your recent decision to stay in the village for this extended time.

Fourth Hokage,

Namikaze Minato

(P.S. Please don't bring Anko)

Smirking slightly at the added note, Orochimaru wondered what the once boy wanted with him. It had been true that he had not been in the village for more than a month at a time ever since his own teammates decided to leave as well.

First, it was Jiraiya with his obsessive need to be a hero to a bunch of Ame orphans. Orochimaru could still feel the sting of betrayal that cut through his heart when Jiraiya had refused to return with them, leaving them to report back to their sensei. If they hadn't been the Third Hokage's students, Orochimaru knew Jiraiya would have been labeled as a traitor, but as it student, his idiotic teammate was instead offered up his own spy network on a silver platter.

Next to go was Tsunade. At least she had waited to leave once the Second Shinobi War was finished, however, her absence had been the most notable. The hospital had nearly crashed and burned without her there—which was an issue in itself—and left the village behind herself to instead wallow in her own self-pity. Orochimaru hadn't tried to convince her to stay. Not when Nawaki, his former student until the fated mission that had left him crippled, could not convince his sister to stay. Dan's death had left Tsunade a former shell of herself, and Orochimaru knew it was better to let her wander than slowly fade away before his very eyes.

However, it was when Sarutobi-sensei handed him over to Danzo Shimura that Orochimaru had decided that perhaps his teammates had been right in turning their backs on the village. Of course, he would never forgive them for abandoning him, but when he looked into the cruel, cold eye of Danzo, he knew exactly what the other had in mind for him.

Everything about Danzo screamed deception; from the fake smiles he flashed at Sarutobi-sensei to the controlled way he spoke to his underlings. However, it was the honey-sweet promises that dripped from his lips that had alarm bells going off in Orochimaru's mind.

The man promised power. Knowledge. Everything that he had ever wanted.

But, at a price.

Orochimaru wasn't an idiot. Far from it in fact. No, he had heard and seen for himself the rumors that was ROOT. He didn't quite know what the man was up to, but by the way Danzo's lip would curl in disgust at the mere sight of an Uchiha, or the greedy gleam that would spark in his eyes when nobody was looking, it was obvious. While many would call Orochimaru a snake—rightfully so—then that made Danzo the haunting shadow of Konaha. His influence was everywhere, if you knew where to look.

Even the Anbu weren't safe, from what Orochimaru had seen. Good thing he had gently guided the lone Hatake cub away from Danzo's claws before anything untold occurred.

With the crushing weight of loneliness pressing down on him, Orochimaru had felt himself spiraling into a darkness he hadn't felt since his parents' passing. Every day had been a struggle: he barely slept, conveniently forgot to eat without his teammates there to remind him, and he spent more and more time in his labs, away from any other human being. If he had kept going like that, no doubt Danzo's wicked talons would have sunken into him and pulled him even further into that darkness.