Chapter 78: The Cursed Seal of Heaven
When Sakura heard Naruto say he smelled bad, she pulled out a large wooden stick from somewhere and pointed it at him, saying, "Don't think just because you're strong I won't hit you! Even if I stayed in the Forest of Death for another three days, I'd still be fragrant. Say I smell bad one more time and I'll beat the crap out of you!"
It was Naruto's first time seeing Sakura so irritable; she was just like she had been in the anime.
Just as Naruto was about to say something, Sasukewoke up.
Sakura ignored Naruto and went over to rest Sasuke's head on her lap. "Sasuke, are you okay?"
Hearing Sakura's voice, Sasuke snapped his eyes open and looked around.
Seeing Naruto was there, Sasuke relaxed a bit. He sat up and looked at Naruto. "What happened to me? Was I poisoned?"
Sasuke spoke while touching the cursed seal on his neck.
Naruto smiled and shook his head. "You weren't poisoned. That thing on your neck should be a cursed seal. I've sealed it for you."
"A cursed seal? What's that?"
"This... how should I put it? Forget it, I'll just start from the beginning!"
Sasuke and Sakura both nodded, wanting to know the specifics. Naruto had fought that Grass Ninja in a daze, and Sasuke had been branded with a cursed seal—they had no idea what it was for.
Naruto organized his thoughts and said, "The Grass Ninja we met today is a Konoha Rogue Ninja, one of the Three Legendary Sannin of Konoha—Orochimaru!"
"The Three Legendary Sannin of Konoha?" X2
"That's right! The Three Legendary Sannin of Konoha are all disciples of the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen. They are the Toad Sage Jiraiya, the Slug Princess Tsunade-hime, and finally, the one we met today, the Cold Lord Orochimaru. Besides being incredibly strong, they've all signed Summoning Contracts with the Three Great Summoning Lands. Each of them can summon a beast from those lands whose strength rivals their own."
As soon as Naruto finished, Sakura quickly raised her hand. "What are the Three Great Summoning Lands?"
"The Three Great Summoning Lands are Mount Myōboku, where they summon toads; Shikkotsu Forest, where they summon Katsuyu; and Ryūchi Cave, where they summon giant snakes."
After listening, Sasuke muttered something to himself before looking at Naruto. "The Three Great Summoning Lands... they shouldn't just be for summoning powerful beasts to fight, right?"
Naruto nodded. "Correct. That's what I'm getting to, and it's related to the cursed seal on your neck. Each of the Three Great Summoning Lands has its own Senjutsu cultivation system. Because Orochimaru practiced a forbidden jutsu, his soul is incomplete, so he can't learn Senjutsu. Thus, he created that Cursed Seal of Heaven on your neck to absorb Natural Energy from the environment, allowing for the brief use of Senjutsu."
Sasuke touched the Cursed Seal of Heaven on his neck. "So, this Cursed Seal of Heaven is a good thing?"
Naruto shook his head. "If it were just the Cursed Seal of Heaven, it would definitely be a huge benefit. However, this seal contains a portion of Orochimaru's soul. If it stays in your body for a long time, Orochimaru's soul will gradually erode your physical body. That's the second purpose of his Cursed Seal of Heaven."
"The second purpose?"
"Right. Like I said, Orochimaru practiced a forbidden jutsu called Living Corpse Reincarnation. He uses the soul within the Cursed Seal of Heavento take over your body and your Bloodline Limit, the Sharingan. This is Orochimaru's core forbidden jutsu and the reason his soul is damaged."
Sakura and Sasuke looked at Naruto in disbelief.
Sakura looked at Sasuke. "Doesn't that mean Sasuke is in great danger?"
Naruto nodded. "Sasuke is indeed in some danger right now. However, if Sasuke learns powerful Genjutsu, then Orochimaru will be the one in danger."
"What do you mean?"
"Didn't I just say? Orochimaru's soul is incomplete, so his resistance to Genjutsu is extremely low. As long as you are strong enough and learn powerful Genjutsu, you can turn the tables and devour Orochimaru, gaining his years of combat experience and various Ninjutsu. However, there's a downside: if you devour him but don't have enough Chakra to suppress his soul within the seal, you'll be the one in trouble."
Sasuke lowered his head in thought. Naruto had explained the pros and cons of the Cursed Seal of Heaven very clearly.
Seeing Sasuke lost in thought, Sakura looked resentful and worried. After all, Orochimaru's strength was well-known. If Sasuke wasn't strong enough and got devoured, he'd be the one in peril.
Seeing that Sasuke had mostly processed the information, Naruto continued, "Living Corpse Reincarnation has another strict condition: once used, it cannot be used again for three years. If you have any plans, you must time it perfectly to avoid being devoured before you've grown strong enough."
Sasuke nodded. "Understood."
Sasuke lay back down on the ground, staring at the stars, lost in thought.
But Sakura was still worried about Sasuke. She asked Naruto, "Will the cursed seal affect Sasukeright now?"
Naruto nodded. "There is some impact. If Sasukeuses the cursed seal, any Ninjutsu he performs will carry some Senjutsu Chakra, making them much more powerful than normal. Furthermore, under the influence of Orochimaru's soul, Sasuke will be subconsciously drawn to find him. So, it will all depend on Sasuke's willpower."
Sakura became even more worried. She understood what Naruto meant: Sasuke might leave Konoha Village and become a Rogue Ninja.
Just then, Sasuke suddenly asked, "Do I have a chance to sign a contract with one of the Three Great Summoning Lands and learn Senjutsu?"
Naruto thought for a moment and nodded. "Orochimaru has the summoning scroll for Ryūchi Cave. As for whether you can learn Senjutsu, you'd need to pass the trials of the Three Great Summoning Lands and gain their recognition. But learning Senjutsu is very dangerous."
"How dangerous?"
Naruto smiled wryly. "I haven't learned the Senjutsu of the three lands myself, so how could I know exactly how dangerous it is?"
Sasuke glanced at Naruto but said nothing. He realized he was becoming increasingly dependent on Naruto. He had started treating Naruto like an encyclopedia; whenever he didn't understand something, he'd just ask him.