Server: 47

UUID: 200000085180173

Name: Dosu

The task was supposed to be simple. He had already outlined a pretty straight-forward plan: allow the dark-haired kid to advance to the exam finals, then beat him in a blaze of glory and humiliate Orochimaru. That was how his mind always worked; his thoughts were logical and precise as a sharpshooter’s arrow.

The same couldn’t exactly be said about his comrades, though. One of them was crazily confident, almost to an insane level. The other was playfully sadistic. An interesting combination, to be sure.

Nevertheless, the problem with planning is that you can never account for every single possible variable. It’s impossible for the limited human mind to identify every different potential twist that might screw things up. A human just doesn’t have that level of omnipotence, even if it was someone like Orochimaru. That snake couldn't have planned for everything; he just didn't value his pawns enough for that.

Likewise, the bandaged boy couldn't have planned for what was about to happen.

"I wonder which is faster, your sand or my sound?"

He only had one chance to react. He had seen Gaara's fearsome power in the past, and knew that defeating him would be a gamble. Yet he couldn't let someone as powerful as Orochimaru get his way. He knew Orochimaru's abilities inside and out; he knew exactly what that man could do when he had power.

And now it was his time to stop it. This would be his first step in the plan to shut down his former master.

"When the moon is full... his blood boils."

Suddenly seized by an unknown force, Gaara's thin, sickly form suddenly spasmed. The gourd on his back ripped apart, and an enormous arm of sand began to lunge towards him at full force.

What the... what is this thing? What... or who... could have such power?

For a moment, he could do nothing but stare at the abomination heading his way. This thin, little boy had transformed into a monstrous aberration akin to a vile beast or demon from below.

"What... what are you?"

Of course, he didn't expect a response. The very power of the arm's advance tore through Kikyo Castle's roof tiles, leaving an earsplitting crackling as it lurched towards him. This creature, whatever it was, seemed to embody death itself. It was as if it was Death's own arm, ready to wrap him up and take him to some afterlife.

Yet Death was not the only thing he noticed. His Melody Arm, wrapped soundly around his right wrist, began to hum in a satisfied manner as it took in the loud noise.

A chance....

Wordlessly, he poured as much chakra as he could into the gauntlet and pointed it towards Gaara. A spear of pure sound bolted straight through the advancing executioner, homing in on its head. The power in the blast almost knocked him off of his feet, and he almost stumbled off the castle roof and onto the ground below.

Gasping in surprise, he quickly regained his footing and glanced at his @ssailant. Gaara was lying face-down on the rooftop; he couldn't tell whether he was dead or just unconscious. A crimson trail began to leak out of his ear, which was probably shattered inside. The rest of his face, along with a good chunk of his body, was coated in a fair armor of bestial sand.

Brushing the sweat and exhaustion aside, he turned around and began to walk away from his fallen opponent. Gaara was only the first... next would be Sasuke - and with him, Orochimaru's plans and his own redemption.

Unbeknownst to him, however, two conspirators were watching from afar. One was a taller, bespectacled boy with a serene look, and the other was a skilled Jonin of the Sand village. The former was surprised to see that Gaara truly was the container of the Shukaku... and was equally surprised when what seemed like a minor pawn incapacitated the Shukaku like it was nothing. He vowed to make the bandaged boy pay for what he had done, most likely through some torturous execution. The latter was wondering exactly what had happened, praying that his pupil was still alive - and that their plans would still somehow work out.

Dosu Kinuta was unaware of it then, but in that act he had already begun to topple the plan. He was now the unseen variable, that one aspect that Orochimaru hadn't planned for.

He would be the catalyst for change.

(Okay, come on, what else could I write about besides this? I gotta write something about my all-time favorite Naruto character...)