Okay guys, I'm back after spending forever off the face of the earth. I'm really sorry it took me so long, but you wouldn't believe the series of unfortunate coincidences that stacked up in my life, preventing me from writing. A complicated situation, to simplify: involving a certain incident, a switch of devises and a comical password that yours truly couldn't for the life of her remember~ but I'm back now.

Also, I don't know if you guys know about this site - https://narutoeverything.com/ (I'll put it down in the external link for you, at the bottom of the page)- but it has some really amazing Naruto Merch (I recently checked it out myself, they have lots of really fun stuff!). It also has FREE SHIPPING- do check it out, I found a lot of cute stuff (*cough cough* kunai knives *cough cough*). I also got a code if any of you guys want a 10% discount: Aisherai

But now, have fun reading and don't hold back on the criticism, my writing has gotten really bad hasn't it~~~? TT^TT

I can't believe my simply supernatural procrastination has crawled its way even into my writing...ugh heavens!

But I love you guys, have a nice day!

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I followed Kakashi down a dark tunnel, the only sound being our echoing footsteps. I was feeling better than before the battle: less tired, less in pain. My step was energized, not lagging behind Kakashi's fast gate at all. That battle had been exhilarating. When Ren took control, she hadn't pushed me down. I could watch like through a screen, still see what she saw through my eyes. It was a strange experience: empowering yet helpless at the same time. But I didn't want to dwell on it. That match was a resounding victory for me.

Thanks Ren.

I heard the clear sound of a drop splashing onto the stone floor. The blood must be dripping off me.

She sounded annoyed and sarcastic, but did she seriously think she managed to hide the slight undertones of pride and smugness? Well, she really didn't.

My step faltered slightly when Kakashi stopped. The man had led me deep underground, into a damp room that only seemed to be held up by the countless stone-pillars stretching from the ground into the floor everywhere one looked. But in the middle of the damp and dark space, was a small opening. A small area where there were no pillars, only a strange ring with stone markings. Along the edge of the circle carved out on the stone floor, a few loops of iron were sticking out suspiciously.

They look like the kind one attaches chains to.

My gaze cooled as I threw a glance at Kakashi. My sensei was looking back at me, his face straight as ever as he slowly inclined his head towards the circle and spoke.

"Alright Sasuke, off with the shirt and into the circle, on your knees."

My eyebrow twitched as I heard Ren's isane cackling at his words. I only glanced at Kakashi one more time and then kept my face straight as I started taking my shirt off. As I threw the blood-soaked garment away and stepped into the circle, preparing to get down, I heard Ren's increasingly horrendous and almost... lecherous cackles, with some words like bl-action and others coming out in between the creepy sounds of laughter.

What is that stupid bird doing? Seriously.... So dumb.

I sighed inaudably and sat down in the center of the circle. Immediately, Kakashi stepped forward and put on a pair of shackles on both my arms and legs. As each shackle clanked shut on one of my limbs, Ren's weird cackling grew worse. By the time Kakashi started to use his own blood to draw signs along the circle around me in geometric shapes, I was already annoyed enough to cut up some chicken and eat it nice and crispy for dinner.

Just you wait, chicken cutlet... your fate is coming for you!

Kakashi continued drawing markings with his blood, and soon he reached me. My arms, back and chest now had lines of blood-markings running along them, all converging at the spot where I knew that "curse-mark", as well as Ren's seal, were.

Ren's weird cackles hadn't stopped at all since the whole ordeal began, and it was as if she got ingested with chicken blood whenever Kakashi was particularly close to me, touching me or standing over me. I think I've developed a trauma.

I never want to be touched by Kakashi, or have him stand over me, again! I won't live through the humiliation!

At my thoughts, a certain dumb bird exploded in laughter so hard, death was starting to spill from my eyes.

If only she had a physical form... she'd be so dead!

Just as I was imagining all the different ways to cut that damn bird up, Kakashi stopped drawing and stood up in front of me. When my bloodthirsty eyes met his, his widened in surprise for a moment before he shook it off and started doing handsigns.

I huffed.

And then I screamed.

The pain was terrible. Like a thousand small worms, all worming their way into my skin, and then travelling under it towards the cursed mark on my shoulder. I watched, almost delirious as the blood-patterns and signs on me and around me slowly started moving, like snakes, and gliding towards me, over my skin and converging at my shoulder.

The sight was shocking and the pain was incapacitating. Through all the overwhelming sensations, I didn't even notice the sudden silence in my head, or the soft feeling of warmth slowly seeping into my heart; silent, deadly, but soothing. Familiar.

Fighting the pain, I opened my eyes slightly and gazed at my shoulder, watching as all the blood-signs gathered together in a string around the curse mark. As the blood-seal dug into my skin, isolating the curse mark, I could see the shadow of a bigger, more complex and more sinister seal appearing. With it's surfacing, a cold feeling of power, calm and death rushed through me. But before it could even fully manifest, the mark faded again, taking with it all the sensations of cold and strength. I somehow instinctively knew what happened.

Kakashi's blood-sealing may be strong enough to hold the curse mark, but it's strength is not enough to make Ren's mark even so much as show itself.

She was too strong. Catching Ren... would be way harder than one can even imagine.

That bird is too cunning.

As the pain was slowly replaced by a numb feeling I heard Kakashi's voice.

"There, now the next time that curse-mark starts acting up, the seal should keep it in check. But remember, this curse sealing jutsu is only as strong as you are: it derives its power from the strength of your will. So if that will ever weakens, if you ever begin to doubt yourself....the curse will be unleashed in all its fury."

Kakashi sounded solemn, like a true honorable teacher, but in my heart I couldn't help but sneer. Will or no will, it really didn't matter. Push comes to shove, all I'd need to do is to ask Ren. Any other course of action would just be glorified bullsh*t: totally unnecessary, a waste of effort.

I really have gotten myself quite the cheat, haven't I?

My lips curled slightly in haughty satisfaction, and then, exhausted from the pain, I closed my eyes and passed out.

Kakashi looked on with worried eyes as his raven student fainted, falling to the ground. The jonin made a move to catch him, but a voice suddenly echoing through the damp room filled with pillars made Kakashi stop in his tracks.

"You've gotten better Kakashi... you can even contain my curse mark now."

The silver haired ninja slowly looked up, and was met with a pair of slitted, narrow yellow eyes. The silver ninja's exposed eye instantly narrowed, chilling hatred radiating from it.

"Orochimaru."

The yellow eyed shinobi stepped out from behind the pillar he had been hiding behind. His long black hair created a shocking contrast to his pale-to-the-point-of-almost-seeming-blue face. The thin lips were stretched into a taunting smirk, and mocking laughter twinkled in the yellow orbs. Kakashi's brows furrowed when he noticed the other's clothing: he was wearing the classic Konoha chuunin get-up. This couldn't possibly be good.

Kakashi gazed carefully, alertly, at the snake-like man.

"No offense Kakashi, but I have no business with you.... only with the boy behind you."

At first, Kakashi was silent, before quietly responding:

"....what do you want with Sasuke?"

The question was answered with a hoarse chuckle, resonating through the damp space.

"Can't you guesss? Or better yet, I think you already know. Afterall, you've also quite enjoyed it."

Orochimaru's voice was raspy and hissing, like the snake he is. The yellow gaze first gave a pointed glance at Kakashi's covered eye before it swept over the unconscious boy behind Kakashi, the gaze containing a sick kind of gentleness. He took a step towards the slumped Sasuke, but Kakashi immediately stepped in front, his whole countenance turning threatening.

"That, is my student, and you aren't allowed to touch him. You aren't welcome here Orochimaru, leave, now."

Kakashi said this slowly, articulating every word carefully in a ominous whisper. He slowly reached towards his headband, prepared to reveal his sharingan. But, Orochimaru simply chuckled in response.

"Well well, Kakashi. Calm down. After all, even if you lose Sasuke, you still have a bunch of interesting students left, don't you... they're all so special, how nice."

The snake man grinned and then disappeared in a flash, only to reappear behind Kakashi, crouching next to the slumped body of Sasuke. A bony, pale hand extended to caress the skin of the pale teen, the fingers slowly twirling towards the mark at the neck. Kakashi quickly spun around, eyes lighting in hostility and shame at his own slow response. He quickly pulled up his headband and looked at the snake-man, sharingan blazing in the dark.

Orochimaru stood up, laughing eyes mocking Kakashi, but he still glanced down at the graceful figure, still faintly reeking of blood, slumped to his side. Sasuke's dark hair had fallen onto his face, covering his closed eyes. After a few moments, the laughter in Orochimaru's eyes dimmed. He ignored Kakashi, who was silently watching him, to look at the young Uchiha with excited eyes and an insane grin on his face.

"Kakashi, something is wrong with this little student of yours. I noticed it in the Second exam-"

The sound of Kakashi grinding his teeth was actually audible, as he heard verbal confirmation that his genin team had actually confronted Orochimaru himself in only their second chuunin exam.

"- something is strange about him. Different. I don't understand what could possibly cause such changes in such little time but...."

The snake-sannin's tongue peeked out of his mouth and stretched all the way down to Sasuke's body, and slid along the line of his neck. But suddenly, there was a hissing sound and Orochimaru quickly retracted his tongue. Kakashi watched, stupefied, as the tongue sizzled, as if corroded, flesh falling down in rotten chunks to the ground.

"....whatever secrets he's got, I'm sure to find out~"

Finishing his sentence, Orochimaru grinned and poofed out, disappearing from the space. Kakashi quickly scanned the surroundings, not letting even a moment go by, but found nothing. Orochimaru had left.

Kakashi was angry and confused. Looking at the defenseless body of his student, his gaze darkened.

Orochimaru, that bastard. He deserved death! But aside from that....

What was that?

It was sudden, but not not at all subtle or discrete. Not like a ninja's technique. It was deadly and obvious. What kind of thing is that: a touch causing such corrosion? Sasuke can't do that.

I've never met any ninja that can. And more so when unconscious.

Kakashi didn't think it was Sasuke's doing. But it wasn't himself, and certainly wasn't Orochimaru. But... he had sensed no one else here.

Someone else whom he couldn't sense....which means a deadly ninja with unconventional techniques and a stealth to equal to the sannin, running free in Konoha, unnoticed... that, was a truly frightening thought.

Apprehensive, Kakashi went up to Sasuke and after a brief hesitation, he opened the shackles around the boy's limbs and lifted the teen into his arms, carrying him out of the underground room.