Darkness!
Boundless, suffocating darkness!
Kakashi felt like he was submerged in an endless void. No light, no sound—nothing but an all-encompassing emptiness. It was as though he had slipped out of time and space altogether.
Where am I? Who am I?
His consciousness drifted hazily, but the searing pain that tore through his body jolted him awake.
It hurts!
Every muscle in his body trembled violently, wracked by agony that threatened to rip him apart.
After what felt like forever, the pain began to dull, giving way to an intense burning in his neck.
It was a suffering unlike anything he had experienced before—like enduring all eighteen levels of hell at once. Even his will, tempered by years as a shinobi, wavered.
If not for his indomitable resolve, Kakashi would already be dead.
His body felt light—detached, foreign, as if he were no longer inhabiting it.
Damn you, Orochimaru! You actually branded me with a curse seal!
That was the first coherent thought that formed in Kakashi's mind as his awareness returned.
His eyelids were impossibly heavy. He couldn't force them open, but that didn't stop his thoughts from racing.
The Curse Seal…
A mysterious and terrifying technique.
Orochimaru's curse seal could grant unnatural power, but at a terrible cost—it corroded the body, disrupted the mind, and stripped away resistance to Orochimaru's will. He became a lingering parasite inside the victim's chakra system.
Of course, those were the curse seals seen later in the timeline. Right now, Orochimaru's technique hadn't reached such refined levels—he had not yet found Jūgo, nor acquired the enzymes needed to stabilize the transformation stages.
This early version of the curse seal was a crude brand—primarily a compatibility test for potential vessels to house Orochimaru's soul. Its main purpose was to adapt the host's body to his chakra for future reincarnation.
The pain was real. The power… questionable.
It could provide a small boost under extreme duress, but nothing significant. The seal Anko bore, for example, had done little beyond serve as a tether—until Orochimaru's resurrection.
There was no Curse Seal Level One or Two. That evolution had not occurred yet.
The mark now etched into Kakashi's neck pulsed with corrupted chakra drawn from Ryūchi Cave—chakra suffused with nature energy but lacking balance. The resulting pain far exceeded Kakashi's expectations.
Even with a body honed through opening the Sixth Gate, this chakra left him overwhelmed.
It was Kakashi's first direct encounter with senjutsu chakra—and it left a deep impression.
To attempt to harness nature's power without proper training… was pure folly.
Time passed—how much, he couldn't say. Every second dragged like a century.
Then, a presence.
"Senior Kakashi! Are you alright? Can you hear me?!"
That voice—Shisui?
From somewhere deep within, Kakashi summoned a sliver of strength. His eyes cracked open.
Sure enough, Shisui's young but worried face filled his vision.
"You're awake! Thank goodness! What happened to you? You look terrible!"
Kakashi tried to speak but grimaced instead, pain shooting through his neck. His hand reflexively reached for it.
Noticing, Shisui leaned closer and saw the black, tomoe-shaped markings imprinted into Kakashi's skin.
"This is…"
"A gift from Orochimaru," Kakashi said weakly.
"What?! You encountered Orochimaru? Are you okay?"
Kakashi shook his head, wincing. "I'll live. But he left me with this cursed thing. Troublesome, to say the least."
"What exactly is it?"
"A curse mark. Shisui, I need your help. Draw sealing runes around me. We need to suppress it. Once we return, we'll consult the Third Hokage."
"Understood!"
Following Kakashi's instruction, Shisui quickly began inscribing intricate sealing formulas onto the ground using ink from a scroll.
Kakashi, despite his exhaustion, positioned himself in the center and formed the necessary hand seals.
"Fūin: Evil Suppression Seal!"
With a sharp command, the seal activated. The runes shimmered, writhing across the floor and climbing onto Kakashi's body, embedding themselves around the black tomoe in a protective ring.
Kakashi cried out again—the burning pain spiked. Whatever strength he had gathered evaporated, and he collapsed, barely conscious.
"Senior Kakashi!"
Shisui rushed forward, catching him just in time.
"We have to regroup with Tenzo and Yūgao. We need to leave. Now."
Kakashi passed out after whispering that. Shisui called his name a few times but received no response.
Realizing they had no time to waste, Shisui hoisted Kakashi onto his back and began moving through the misted forests of the Land of Water.
They had made too much noise—if they lingered, reinforcements would arrive. And not friendly ones.
Shisui moved fast. Despite carrying a full-grown man, his speed never wavered.
By nightfall, he found the hidden safehouse where Tenzo and Yūgao had taken shelter. He knocked in their coded pattern.
"Who is it?" came a sharp voice from within.
"Kage of Kinoshita," Shisui replied.
Recognizing the phrase, Tenzo opened the door. His eyes widened as he saw the unconscious Kakashi over Shisui's shoulder.
"What happened?!"
Yūgao rushed forward in alarm. "Is he alright?!"
Shisui laid Kakashi gently onto a futon and explained everything—the battles, the assassination plot in the Hidden Mist, and the encounter with Orochimaru.
The two were stunned.
"Unbelievable… Kakashi-senpai took down an entire Mist strike team by himself?" Tenzo whispered.
"And Orochimaru… to use such a forbidden jutsu—he's truly despicable!" Yūgao clenched her fists, anger flashing in her eyes.
"There's no time to debate," Shisui said. "Before passing out, Kakashi told me we need to retreat immediately."
"Luckily, Yūgao and I secured a boat just in case. It's ready to go."
"Then let's move. Now."
"Right!"
Several hours later, Kakashi slowly stirred.
His body rocked gently, side to side.
A boat.
"This motion… we're on water," he mumbled. "Leaving the Land of Water, huh?"
He exhaled in relief. The mission had taken a dark turn, but at least they were alive.
His fingers traced the seal on his neck—three tomoe surrounded by a ring of fresh runes.
He sighed.
"This is going to be a problem… We'll need to find a way to get rid of it."
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