A Blessing in a Curse

10 advanced chapters on my Patreon: Fiction Haven

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Orochimaru's Cursed Seal of Heaven could draw Natural Energy. It was Orochimaru's way to master Senjutsu since his body was not strong enough to enter Sage Mode. For that reason, physical altercation was inevitable. The seal didn't allow you to master Senjutsu but use it. Natural Energy would do changes to your body if you hadn't mastered it.

With that said; my control over my Chakra was splendid enough to let me stop the Chakra flow to the Cursed Seal. Unfortunately, its corrosive nature was still trying to ruin my mind. As I lost consciousness, I found myself standing in a blank white space. My only companion was Kurama who was snickering behind the bars.

"You don't want to let me take over your body, but you willingly gave it to that slimy snake. Very smart, kit!"

Frowning lightly, I looked up at Kurama. "Orochimaru put a part of his soul in the Cursed Seal. He should be here. Where is he?"

"Hmph! Why did you even ask me? It's your Mindscape. How the fuck should I know?" Kurama scoffed.

Nodding in agreement, I looked around and tried to feel any presence. I immediately stopped when I realized I was in my Mindscape; the normal way of sensing wouldn't work. Closing my eyes, I looked for the part that was foreign to my mind. It didn't take me long to locate a whispering presence in my mind.

Pulling the presence out, I manifested Orochimaru before me. The said snake was flabbergasted when he saw me. Before he could react, I slammed him into the bars separating Kurama and me. My hand plunged into his stomach and a seal immediately covered his body. Orochimaru widened his eyes. He was gaping when his body phased through the bars.

"Fucking hell. I had a very hard time against you, you know?" I remarked as I massaged my neck. "And here you are, powerless against my seal. I should be glad, but it just pisses me off."

"Not enough with jailing me here and now you want me to share?" Kurama snarled.

"Shut up, fuzzball. The place is vast. You can do your private thing somewhere this guy can't reach," I retorted nonchalantly.

"Well, I am sure a company wouldn't be bad," Kurama shrugged.

I blinked and looked at Kurama with doubt in my eyes. The gigantic fox looked back and then flashed a smirk. He felt great with his trolling. I shrugged and looked back at Orochimaru. He was looking at me with a solemn look behind the bars. He seemed ready to talk.

"Interesting. Very interesting," he said softly. "Have you figured out the workings of my Cursed Seal? If so, why are you keeping me here? Since I can't corrupt your mind, my presence means nothing here. You can destroy me and the Cursed Seal will disappear."

"You are not special, Viper-boy." Orochimaru's mouth twitched. "Anyone with enough intelligence could tell what your Cursed Seal does the moment they understand the concept of Cursed Seal. But your Cursed Seal is special. That is why I decided to keep it for the moment."

"You want to use its power?" Orochimaru deduced.

"Well, yes and no. I want to study it, so I can learn Senjutsu without learning from the Summon Creatures. Your Cursed Seal attracts Natural Energy and I want to replicate that. As long as I have access to Natural Energy, I will be able to learn Senjutsu on my own."

Orochimaru was silent for a moment before laughing maniacally. "How bold! How bold, indeed. I like your optimistic view. You are willing to risk your life for a theory that you haven't proven. You are like me but more naïve. I wouldn't use my experimental Cursed Seal on myself."

"Bitch, please. Don't compare what I have in mind to your lousy Cursed Seal." I waved my hand dismissively. "I am not going to make a Cursed Seal."

Orochimaru remained silent, opting to look at me with a glint of amusement in his eyes. I could understand his amusement. He didn't know that I knew the secret of mastering Senjutsu. He must be expecting me to turn into a monstrosity upon using Natural Energy.

I regained the connection to the outside world a few seconds later. I told Kurama not to kill Orochimaru until I told him to do it. Kurama only scoffed and I immediately bade farewell. When I returned to the outside world, I found Sasuke looking at me in worry. I was slumping with my feet shoulders apart.

Straightening up, I asked Sasuke if he was all right. He looked at me with skepticism but eventually nodded in confirmation.

"You were covered in a weird tattoo earlier. It stems from the seal on your shoulder," Sasuke explained before I could ask him.

"Did I do something crazy during that time?" I asked curiously.

"No, but you felt very off. You felt just like Orochimaru."

"I see. So… can you tell me what happened?"

Sasuke nodded and recounted what happened as I walked to the unconscious Sakura. She got stabbed in her stomach. She had lost a lot of blood, but my Iryō Jutsu would save her. I treated Sakura while listening to Sasuke. He told me that Orochimaru held them back just a few moments after they left me.

That Orochimaru was a clone since the real one was fighting me around that time. They had held their ground extremely well. Even though they had fought a clone, that clone belonged to a Kage-level Shinobi. No ordinary Genin could have survived a fight with Orochimaru's clone. Then again, they might be lucky since Orochimaru didn't want to kill Sasuke.

Sakura was an insignificant variable in Orochimaru's book, so she was quite unlucky. She had coordinated with Sasuke well, but the fight had exceeded her ability. She lacked everything needed to survive the battle that made Sasuke who was helped by the might of his Sharingan struggle. Orochimaru threw a kunai at her and she couldn't dodge it in time.

"Ugh… Naruto…?"

Thankfully, I was an all-rounded genius. I couldn't recover the blood Sakura had lost, but I could prevent her from dying.

"Good morning."

"What happened?"

"You got stabbed."

Sakura frowned in confusion before widening her eyes in fear. "That's right! Sasuke-kun! Orochimaru is going to…"

Sakura calmed down when I raised my hand. She looked around and found the bloody but fine nonetheless Sasuke beside me. She heaved a sigh of relief and then observed me. Panic returned to her eyes as she took in my condition.

"Are you okay? Your body is full of bruising!"

"I am okay; relax. Geez, you shouldn't get too worked up. You will die of overexertion given your stage." I shook my head, causing Sakura to smile awkwardly. "Also, bruising signifies healing. I just got hit by a building-sized snake, tearing my muscles and breaking my bones, so that is a good sign."

"Are you really okay?"

"I am fine."

Putting Sakura's head down from my lap, I turned to Sasuke and told him to sit down. He complied wordlessly and I began to treat his injuries with Iryō Jutsu. These bastards were very lucky to have me as a teammate. If they didn't have me, they would've bled to death.

I sensed a presence on the nearby tree and looked up. I found Tsunade looking at me with worry. She must have come here after Kurama's Chakra flared as everyone else did. I appreciated that, but she shouldn't treat me like her fragile dead brother, Nawaki. She never nagged me, though, so I still appreciated her care. Smiling a little, I nodded my head faintly.

Tsunade looked hesitant but eventually left. I could tell we would have a long talk at home. When I finished treating Sasuke, I carried Sakura in my arms. We were close to the tower, so we didn't have to waste time resting in the forest. Over a minute later, we arrived at the tower.

Positioning Sakura so she wouldn't fall, I took out the scrolls that I stored in the Storage Seal under my wrist. They fell to the ground because I didn't even bother to catch them.

"Sasuke, open them."

Sasuke wordlessly opened them and then put them down on the ground. A poof of smoke came out of them and Iruka appeared in the room.

"Congratulations on completing the exam in a record time Team 7! You completed the exam in 56 minutes." Iruka took a careful look at us. Worry flashed in his eyes, but he didn't express it. "It must have been a tough journey. Now, you can rest in the team chamber while waiting for the other teams to arrive. Just walk into this hall and a Chūnin will guide you there."

Thanking Iruka, we walked to the hall. A Chūnin immediately ran up to us the moment they spotted us. He was about to guide us when Tsunade walked up to me and crossed her arms. The Chūnin bowed respectfully, showing utter submission.

"Hokage's office. Now," Tsunade said sternly.

Nodding in confirmation, I handed Sakura to Sasuke. They looked at me in wonder but didn't say anything. I bade them goodbye and then followed after Tsunade. I sensed an interesting conversation coming.