Second Chance

Chapter 36

"There is no cure." The effect was instantaneous. The girl whipped around iin both shock and anger. This time she did snarl at them.

"What would you know?! There is a cure he promised that there was!"

"Of course he did. It was to keep you under his control. Keep promising a cure and you would do whatever he wanted you to do in order to go back to the way you were before. To escape the glares and prejudice. To go back to being normal. Like I said, we know how Orochimaru and his subordinates work. None of Orochimaru's medics or scientist would create something that could be undone. That would make the process and result incomplete and Orochimaru tolerates nothing but perfection. To make an incomplete project would get them killed. Their survival is more important to them then the people whose lives they are destroying." Shikamaru told the girl her eyes widening.

"Furthermore," Ino continued realizing what Shikamaru was doing. "He has you attacking merchant ships in order to fund his research isn't he? The only reason he would do that is if Orochimaru cut his funding and canceled the project. Why would he need to reverse something that Orochimaru deemed useless? He's continuing his research to prove him wrong and to do that he needs to continue and complete it. Which means he won't waste his time making a cure."

"It would take a medic of Tsunade Senju's caliber to even attempt to reverse what was done if it affected you on a genetic level." Choji whispered quietly hoping that the girl would see reason. "I highly doubt that he is that good. Even if Tsunade-sama can't reverse the experimentation she should be able to help you hide the physical signs so you can lead as normal of a life as anyone affected by Orochimaru can."

"You're lying there is a cure!" She cried out indignantly to the shinobi, tears filling her eyes. Ino sighed sympathetically and slowly took a step forward.

"We have no reason to lie about this, Isaribi. We just met you. Even if we hadn't just met there is no reason to torment someone that is clearly clinging to the last shred of hope they have. We have a friend back home. H was treated the same way you are for most of his life. Despite that he is doing his best to move forward and make life better for himself. He wants to move forward. Don't you?"

"SHUT UP!"

"Isaribi, do you remember a young girl with purple hair and pupil less brown eyes?" Ino asked the distraught girl.

"...barely...why?"

"Her name is Anko Mitarashi. She was Orochimaru's apprentice and he abandoned her, leaving her to die after giving her an experimental seal with a 1 in 10 chance of survival. She knows best how Orochimaru works. She knows how Amachi works. She seen him and talked with him. He is just as bad as the snake traitor. He won't "cure" you. When your usefulness has ended he will most likely kill you and, as much as I hate the thought, dissect your remains. We are genuinely trying to save your life and get you to someone that might be able to help you."

"Liars!"

"How about this then? If Amachi really does have the cure he would have to have written it down somewhere, right?" Shikamaru asked her. She merely nodded her head. "In that case, let us deal with Amachi. Let us search for the cure for you and then take you to Tsunade-sama. She would be able to perform whatever medical procedure needed to cure you. If it isn't a medical procedure and just a medicine of some sort then she will make it after ensuring that it is safe and not lethal to you. We will even ask him outright if there is a cure. Does that sound reasonable?"