Chapter 5

  +Sasuke Uchiha+

  “Hmm, just as I expected. It’s the Five Elements Seal,” the Third Hokage murmured as he leaned in closer, carefully inspecting the bck, thorn-like markings spread across Naruto’s exposed stomach, his fingers hovering just above the skin without quite touching.

  “Then take it off, Gramps! You know how hard it’s making things for me with my chakra! I can’t even use a single Shadow Clone! Can you believe it!” Naruto started with wild excitement but quickly devolved into his usual loud compining, arms filing for emphasis as he held up the hem of his orange jacket with both hands.

  “Sure, sure. It won’t take long. Just stand still and keep holding your jacket up like that,” Hiruzen Sarutobi replied calmly, setting his ever-present smoking pipe down on the edge of the desk with a soft clink. The room was already hazy with the sharp, earthy scent of tobacco, the kind that clung to the back of your throat.

  ‘His smoking is going to give me cancer. The whole room is already thick with it,’ I grumbled inwardly, eyes narrowed as I watched every precise movement he made from my spot against the wall.

  Even if I’d wanted to activate my Sharingan to observe the procedure more clearly, the cursed seal on my neck made that impossible right now. And honestly, I probably wouldn’t have risked it even if I could; the st thing I needed was the Third Hokage seeing me as just another power-hungry Uchiha, even if I am very much a power-hungry Uchiha.

  “Whoa! What is that?” Naruto blurted, staring wide-eyed at the glowing, intricate symbols now forming across the Hokage’s fingertips.

  “Stay still,” Hiruzen said, his voice suddenly stern and commanding, the easy grandfatherly tone gone in an instant.

  Naruto snapped his mouth shut instantly, eyes still huge.

  BAM!

  In the next heartbeat, Naruto went flying backwards like he’d been hit by a truck. He barely avoided smashing into the far wall as Hiruzen drove all five fingers directly into the centre of Orochimaru’s seal with pinpoint force. A pulse of golden chakra fred outward, crackling through the air like static before a storm, the pressure wave ruffling papers on the desk and making the nterns flicker.

  “AHHH! Old man! What was that?! Why’d you hit me so hard!?” Naruto yelped, scrambling back to his feet and clutching his stomach, eyes watering as he rubbed the spot where the seal had been.

  “The seal is gone now,” Hiruzen stated simply, already reaching for his pipe again and relighting it with a small flicker of fme from his fingertip.

  “Gone?” Naruto blinked, then hurriedly formed the familiar hand seals, his grin splitting his face. “Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

  The room exploded with smoke. Dozens of identical Narutos popped into existence, instantly filling every avaible inch of space, bumping shoulders, grinning like idiots, their voices overpping in a chaotic chorus.

  “YAY! IT’S GONE!” Naruto and every single one of his clones shouted in perfect unison, throwing their arms up and high-fiving each other in chaotic celebration, the sudden energy making the floorboards creak under the weight.

  Unfortunately, I couldn’t share in his joy.

  Kakashi had been quietly examining the cursed seal on the back of my neck for the past several minutes, his gloved fingers cool and steady against my skin, and for once, the Copy Ninja actually looked deadly serious, his visible eye narrowed in concentration.

  “…Good news,” Kakashi finally said. He met my gaze steadily as I turned to face him. “I’ve seen this seal before. I know exactly how to handle it.” He paused, clearly weighing his next words. “But unlike the Five Elements Seal… we don’t have any method to completely remove it.”

  He was staring straight into my eyes, probably expecting some flicker of happiness, some hint that I secretly welcomed Orochimaru’s “gift.”

  ‘Sorry to disappoint you, Kakashi. But I’m not as desperate or as stupid as the canon version of me,’ I thought, letting a visible frown crease my brow. “Then how do I get rid of it? I don’t like this disgusting chakra crawling around inside me.”

  Kakashi actually looked momentarily surprised, as though that exact response had caught him off guard. “…Unfortunately, the only option we currently have is to pce a secondary suppressing seal on top of this one to keep it dormant. But Sasuke, this seal’s strength ultimately depends on your willpower. In other words, only you can truly hold it back.”

  He expined it slowly, carefully, while both the Hokage and Naruto turned their full attention toward us, the clones dispersing in puffs of smoke one by one until only the real Naruto remained, suddenly quiet for once. I already knew every word he was about to say; I’d heard it all in another life, but hearing it again didn’t make me any less determined to change the outcome.

  “Why can’t it be removed the same way Naruto’s was?” I pressed, making sure my tone carried clear displeasure at the idea of carrying this thing even one more second.

  “And what are you thinking? Besides, as a Uchiha, there’s no way I’m going to rely on this seal instead of my own strength.” My words came out sharp, almost defiant, my hands clenching at my sides.

  Kakashi’s visible eye softened just a fraction. He straightened his posture, looking visibly relieved.

  “Because, unlike the Five Elements Seal, we have yet to find a method to remove the Cursed Seal,” Hiruzen interjected gently, stepping back into the conversation. “It is a disgusting invention of my wayward student. And as of now, there is no fuinjutsu user alive, outside of perhaps Orochimaru himself, who possesses the skill to extract it completely.”

  ‘You just had to butt in, didn’t you? I was about to ask Kakashi…’ I kept the thought to myself.

  The room fell into a heavy silence that stretched for several long seconds, broken only by the faint crackle of the Hokage’s pipe.

  I lowered my head slightly, letting my bangs fall forward to shadow my expression and make it look like disappointment or frustration was weighing on me. Then I lifted my gaze again, locking eyes directly with the Third Hokage. I made sure my stare burned with determination.

  “Then I’ll find a way,” I said firmly. “Hokage-sama, I wish to learn fuinjutsu so I can remove this seal myself.”

  “Oh!” Naruto blurted out in surprise, his eyes going wide again.

  “…That’s certainly one way to look at it,” Kakashi murmured, the corner of his eye crinkling in what might have been genuine approval and relief.

  In their eyes, Sasuke Uchiha's outright rejection of Orochimaru’s cursed seal was probably the best possible outcome they could have hoped for. I could see it clearly: even the Third Hokage looked momentarily taken aback by the resolve in my voice. His gaze softened, the deep lines of worry on his face easing just a little as he regarded me.

  “Of course,” Hiruzen said, a small, genuine smile breaking through. “A genius like you will definitely find a way to rid yourself of it. Kakashi, do your best to apply the suppressing seal first. After that, you have my full permission to teach Sasuke fuinjutsu.”

  ‘YES!’ I fist-pumped mentally. This had been my objective from the beginning, id out carefully, step by step.

  “Thank you, Hokage-sama,” I replied in a serious, respectful tone, inclining my head in a proper bow. “I’ll make sure to get rid of this thing as soon as possible.”

  “I have full faith in you, Sasuke,” Hiruzen answered warmly, taking another slow pull from his pipe. A thin trail of smoke curled upward toward the ceiling.

  From the very start, I had known the vilge possessed no technique to truly remove the Cursed Seal. They could only suppress it, the same stopgap measure they’d used in the original timeline. Fuinjutsu was one of the most complex, versatile, and overwhelmingly powerful fields of ninja arts, yet I’d never had real access to proper instruction. Trying to learn it in secret would have been slow, inefficient, and far too risky.

  This pn had come to my mind while my thoughts wandered a little in the Forest of Death. It wasn’t just about the Curse Seal.

  It would solidify my position in the vilge and prove that the simple temptation of power alone wouldn’t tempt me to betray Konoha. It would show everyone that I was choosing my own path, rejecting Orochimaru’s “gift” outright.

  And most importantly, it gave me legitimate, open access to fuinjutsu training under Kakashi, even if he was not one of the best fuinjutsu users.

  Everything was falling into pce exactly as I’d hoped.

  +Sakura Haruno+

  “You don’t have to worry too much, calm down, forehead.” Ino was trying to calm her down in her own way. Even the insult didn’t make her feel hurt.

  Instead, she gave a smile as she knew Ino was also worried about Sasuke. “Talk about yourself, Ino-pig.”

  “Che! And here I was trying to comfort you.”

  “Like I would need comfort from you of all people.”

  As both of them started to banter, throwing insults at each other with the easy familiarity of old rivals, the atmosphere in the waiting area rexed even more as Sakura felt herself calming down, the knot in her chest loosening just a fraction.

  But behind her smile, she still couldn’t forget the scene of Sasuke moving in pain back in the Forest of Death, like he was struggling in some terrible dream only he could see. And like that was not enough to worry her to death, Sasuke had even started to cry tears of blood!

  Just remembering it all and the feeling of that dark, oppressive chakra almost made Sakura go back to her depressed self. She couldn't forget those images and sensations even if she tried.

  She could only hope that Sasuke would be okay and be able to get rid of that curse seal. She could only hope.

  ....

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