"Sensei? What is going on?"
Naruto asked as he stopped on a branch overhead, having been worried for his team when he noticed a large purple dragon-like beast fall from the sky.
Kakashi looks up, seeing his ruffled but otherwise fine student, with only a few cuts on his clothes.
"Come on down, Naruto. I have something you need to know."
After explaining everything to Naruto, Kakashi asked.
"Who were you fighting?"
Naruto shook his head.
"I have no idea. He was wearing a mask and a cloak like an anbu would wear. He was strong and used chakra in his hand to replicate the effects of a knife."
"Chakra scalpel."
Jiraiya spoke up, recognizing the move because of his teammate, Tsunade.
"It requires chakra control beyond most people. Whoever you fought was a medic ninja, a very talented one at that."
Naruto recognized this man from his time at the academy; his exploits in the 2nd and 3rd ninja wars were famous, and he is regarded as a hero and one of the students of the third Hokage. Most importantly to Naruto, this man was his father's teacher.
Naruto went to bow before a large hand ruffled his hair.
"You look just like them."
Jiraiya's voice held a nostalgic note as he gazed at Naruto's features and connected them to his parents.
"You're strong too, but how would you like to learn something your father created, and sign the toad summoning contract?"
Naruto straightened, outwardly composed, but his vibrant eyes gave away his excitement.
Jiraiya smiled.
"Find me after the second round ends. I'll be around the bathhouse."
Jiraiya's face took on a pervy expression, followed by a goofy giggle before he disappeared in a swirl of leaves, making his way to the tower at the center of the Forest of Death.
Kakashi sighed at Jiraiya's goofiness.
"Take care of Sasuke and Sakura, I have a feeling that the danger to him specifically isn't through with yet."
He said before he vanished, leaving Naruto and Sakura to take care of Sasuke.
- Tower -
Arriving at the tower a couple of minutes later, Kakashi walked in to see Jiraiya, Hiruzen, and Anko.
"Anko?"
"Kakashi."
Anko nodded, not her usual self as the curse mark on her neck pulsed a painful red.
"Is Naruto alright?"
Hiruzen asked, leaning back in his chair with his kage robes and hat back on.
"He's good, nothing but superficial damage that the nine-tails already healed."
Kakashi replied, having subtly scanned Naruto thoroughly when he was next to him.
Hiruzen didn't let it show, but he was relieved.
"Lord Hokage, what about the Uchiha?"
Anko asked, worried about the seal now on the boy's neck.
"I'll have Jiraiya and Kakashi look at it soon, but looking at it now and tampering with the process of the imprint could prove dire to the boy's already fragile state."
Hiruzen assured, aware of Anko's feelings on the matter.
"He could die."
Anko rubbed her own curse mark, as if she could rub it off if she did it hard enough.
"I don't think Orochimaru would plant a curse mark on him just for it to kill him. He has likely refined the mark's process over the years."
Kakashi spoke up.
Jiraiya nodded, having once looked at Anko's mark.
"Sasuke's mark is far less crude than the one on your neck; it's refined and stronger. It's likely more dangerous in other ways, but I'll have to study it to understand some of its deeper facets."
Hiruzen let the conversation about Sasuke continue before he spoke up with something he had been wanting to know.
"Was it Orochimaru who was responsible for the lightning jutsu?"
Jiraiya shook his head and jabbed his thumb in Kakashi's direction.
"It was Kakashi. He has even developed a technique more powerful than Chidori and much more versatile. Go ahead, Kakashi."
Kakashi raised his right hand, purple lightning crackling to life on his palm, the power in his hand stronger than his Lightning Blade.
Hiruzen leaned forward in fascination, having always been interested in ninjutsu the most out of the other ninja arts.
"It's much more concentrated and controlled than your Chidori and Lightning Blade. What is it called?"
"Purple Lightning."
Kakashi replied.
"A bit on the nose, but at least it isn't something ridiculous like Halo Frozen Dessert Hair Whorl Jiraiya Twin Formula Sphere."
Hiruzen chuckled, remembering the time Jiraiya told him that was going to be the name of the Rasengan if Kushina didn't step up and flat out deny Minato and his awful naming sense. It was a wonder that Naruto didn't have a horrible name, but then again, Kushina would have skinned Minato alive, Yellow Flash or not.
Despite the worrying reason she was there, Anko couldn't help but sweat drop.
'Who the hell comes up with something that ridiculous?'
Anko silently wondered, having never heard of the Fourth Hokage's quirks, only knowing him for his sunny and kind personality.
"Hahahaha!"
Jiraiya laughed, remembering the time that Minato proposed the name without any embarrassment. The wonder of the jutsu was overshadowed by the ridiculous name that he came up with, and it took that fiery Kushina to set him straight.
"Yes, Minato had quite the sense of humor, even if he was oblivious to the ridiculousness of it all. Some of the names he came up with for his combination attacks were equally goofy."
Anko's eyes bugged out, as she was the only one there unaware of Minato's personality.
'That foolish name... the Fourth Hokage came up with it?!'
The image of the cool, reliable hero in Anko's mind shattered, replaced by a scene in which he showed up and spouted a ridiculous name as he saved her. No, she'd rather take a kunai to the head than listen to that second-hand embarrassment.
The three continued to discuss Minato and his quirks, unaware of the way Anko was taking the revelation of their former Hokage.
"Purple lightning. So, that's what caused all that damage?"
Hiruzen asked.
"No, that was Kirin."
Kakashi replied.
"I harnessed the lightning from the storm clouds and acted as the guide and amplifier for that power. It's easily an S-Rank jutsu, but Kirin can only be used when there are thunderstorm clouds in the sky. You can create these conditions yourself by heating the atmosphere with a powerful fire jutsu, something Jiraiya unknowingly helped me with."
Hiruzen sighed.
"I really wish you or Jiraiya would take this damn hat."
He glared at the two.
Jiraiya held up his hands.
"I have my spy network, and besides, Hokage isn't for me. I'd make it mandatory for kunoichi to wear skimpy short skirts, a disaster, I'm sure everyone wishes to avoid.
Jiraiya replied without shame.
"I just don't want to."
Kakashi replied honestly.
Hiruzen seriously wished he had something to smoke that would mellow him out, gazing at the portrait of the 4th Hokage in the tower office.
'Why'd you have to go and leave this seat to an old man?'
Hiruzen huffed, having been left with the job and still having never learned the secret Minato used to finish the dreaded paperwork.
"Yes, I'd rather you not put yourself in an early grave, Jiraiya."
Hiruzen chuckled, eyeing the senbon needle Anko was twirling, an all-too-sweet smile on her face.
"Anko, would you let me take a look at your mark?"
Kakashi asked, knowing the topic was sensitive to her, but beating around the bush would only make her feel he was pitying her.
Anko looked at Kakashi for a few seconds, internally weighing whether she'd let him or not, before finally nodding.
"Ok, but I'd rather not take off my coat."
Kakashi nodded, having no intention of asking her to remove it in the first place. Walking over, Kakashi gently parted the trench coat and gazed at the mark, channeling chakra into the mark and closing his eye to feel it out.
Kakashi searched and quickly found the dark feeling that Kakashi assumed was the piece of Orochimaru's soul he stored in the mark, followed by an unrecognizable chakra lashing out at him like a coiled snake.
'Senjutsu!'
Kakashi's heart skipped a beat as the natural energy threatened to consume him.
Jiraiya recognized what this was, springing forward to stop it before a wave of something he couldn't identify exploded from Kakashi and pushed back the natural energy threatening to consume him.
At the same time, Hiruzen sprang up from his seat, on edge as he had never felt something like this before.
"Kakashi!"
Jiraiya shouted in concern, hoping his former teammate hadn't left any trap inside the seal.
Still feeling his way in the seal, Kakashi kept up the pressure on the senjutsu, finding the hidden part of Orochimaru's soul and unleashing the full brunt of Conqueror's Haki on it, feeling as the soul piece fought for its life, but ultimately failed and seeped out of the mark in a purple smoke.
Kakashi stepped back, just now aware of the damage he had caused to the surroundings, rubbing his head in embarrassment.
"Ahh, sorry."
Jiraiya sighed in relief before chuckling at the simple but sincere apology.
"What happened?"
Hiruzen once more relaxed, wanting to hear the explanation as well as Jiraiya and Anko, who had been feeling lighter for some reason.
"I injected my chakra and found a source of what I assume is senjutsu chakra. I managed to stop the spread to my body and push it back as I looked for the sinister source in the mark. It was a piece of Orochimaru's soul."
Anko looked very disgusted.
"That bastard put a piece of his soul in me?!"
Kakashi nodded.
"But it was very weak, and I was able to push it out of you. Feeling different in any way?"
Anko nodded, feeling much better than she'd felt in years, her chakra no longer feeling like it was suppressing something.
"Now you should be able to use that power without the corrosive influence on your mind, body, or most importantly, soul. But if you wish it removed, then it should be simple now that the soul piece can't lash out; it's pretty much just a diluted senjutsu storage seal at this point."
Kakashi explained to her, and the two listened.
Anko was conflicted. She hated the mark and everything it represented, but she also wasn't too blind to the fact that the power would serve her well now that that bastard's soul couldn't influence her.
"If it helps, I could change the seal, but keep the purpose of the seal. You could even pick a design from a few options that fit."
Kakashi offered, knowing her struggles with the seal.
Anko nodded hurriedly, thankful that she didn't have to stare at the same mark in the mirror that brought her so much pain.
Kakashi looked over at Jiraiya.
"I'll need your help. I can suppress the senjutsu and prevent it from seeping out while you modify the seal's appearance."
Jiraiya reached into his pocket and unsealed fuinjutsu supplies from his scroll. After a thorough scrutiny of the seal, Jiraiya confirmed that Kakashi's idea was indeed possible.
The two would work on the seal for an hour, the Hokage having left ten minutes ago to prepare Konoha for the upcoming conflict. Completing the seal, the two nodded and showed Anko the final design. Instead of the three magatamas, the mark now resembled three leaves caught in the wind.
"I like it."
Anko smiled, agreeing to the design and letting them proceed.
The two got to work, meticulously unraveling the unnecessary parts of the seal and changing the design, a low hum of Conquorers Haki pulsing from Kakashi at all times to suppress the wild senjutsu energy as Jiraiya hurriedly changed and improved the seal, his knowledge of seals far less crude than Orochimaru's.
Finishing up the new design and improving upon the seal, Jiraiya put away his brush and signaled Kakashi to relax, the whole sealing taking twenty minutes to complete as Jiraiya kept finding things he had to improve, being quite the perfectionist when it came to sealing, something Kakashi shared.
Gazing at the new seal, Kakashi and Jiraiya nodded to each other in satisfaction.
Taking out a hand-held mirror, Anko gazed at the new seal, happy that it looked nothing like her burden. The design was simple and like a stylish tattoo, nothing that draws attention or stands out, perfect for a ninja.
Kakashi leaned back into the wall. The constant use of Conqueros Haki was more exhausting than he'd thought.
'Still not there yet, I only realized that initial level because the senjutsu was the catalyst. My Haki isn't strong enough to damage the surroundings around me yet. But perhaps I should train my Conquerors like this from now on.'
Jiraiya left silently, sneaking off to do some of his 'research.'
"Kakashi."
Kakashi looked up, seeing Anko's hand reach out. Clasping the hand, Kakashi shook it.
"If you ever need any help, just let me know."
Anko said, never one for sappy words or anything, but this was her way of saying thank you, and Kakashi knew she'd normally never let anyone see anything like this; the judgment and scrutiny on her were only less than Naruto's and maybe his after the death of his father and teammates.
'A tough life for sure, but she hasn't let it destroy her.'
Kakashi felt his respect for her grow a bit, shaking her hand for a moment longer before letting go.
"I'll let you know if I need help with something."
Kakashi turned and walked out the door, pausing before he left.
"You should find another goal now. Killing Orochimaru would only give you temporary satisfaction. Find something you genuinely enjoy."
Kakashi turned his head to look over his shoulder at her.
"It won't be easy, but don't bind yourself to him. You're free now."
Kakashi body flickered away, missing the tears that fell from her eyes a moment later.
- Chapter End -
2.3k words. Hope you enjoy the chapter and how I went about the cursed seal.