~A Flower Amongst Thorns~
Chapter Seven: Curse
As the years passed, Hana continued to grow strong. The training was difficult and there were instances where she ended up being hurt, but no matter how badly she was hurt, she would keep going. She wanted to become a strong shinobi. Basic ninjutsu training became much easier once the chakra regulating gloves were complete. The device implemented into the gloves helped contain the excess amount of chakra and then would filter it back into her body, giving the chakra a place to go instead of outward. The excess chakra would no longer cause her injury, unless the device was either damaged or broken completely. Now that she was free of the damaging effects of the experiments, her abilities would be able to flourish.
She was now thirteen years old and she was growing and improving very quickly. Orochimaru couldn't believe how much the girl had grown and how quickly she was maturing. In only seven short years she had gone from a shy, timid child to an adventurous and vibrant young lady. There were hardly any traces of that timid child left. Orochimaru was proud of her for persevering through the difficult training that he put her through; she had proved herself worthy of being his student. At the age of twelve, she was officially promoted to the rank of genin and given her Otogakure headband. She wore the headband with pride and she continued to work hard during her training.
After some time and internal debate, Orochimaru decided that it was time for Hana to receive her curse mark. She had indeed proven herself worthy enough to receive something so important; she was his student and a trusted subordinate. Now all he needed to do was find an appropriate time to do so. His best window of opportunity would be during one of their training sessions. He wouldn't tell her beforehand; he thought that, if she knew, then she would react negatively. After all, the survival rate was fairly low; only one out of every ten recipients ever survived. Orochimaru was concerned for Hana's survival and he knew that she would possibly die because of it. However, he believed that she would be able to come out of this alive and well. She had survived much worse than this and she was strong enough to make it through.
So, on the morning of the chosen date, he led Hana to a clearing in the woods where they would be training that day. Hana followed close behind him, carrying the wooden sword that she used during training. Orochimaru had been teaching her how to properly handle and fight with a blade and for her safety, as well as his own, she had been given a wooden shinai to use during practice. Once they had reached the clearing, Orochimaru informed her of what that day's training would entail. They would be having a sparring match; nothing fancy, just simple combat.
Hana made the first move, setting aside her wooden sword and charging headlong towards Orochimaru. She launched herself into the air and she aimed her fist at his face, acting like she was going to punch him. Orochimaru blocked her punch just before she was able to hit him.
Hana swung her body around and attempted to land a kick to the side of his head. But Orochimaru was faster than she was and he grabbed hold of her ankle and promptly flung her back in the direction that she had come from.
Hana ended up landing on her back with a loud thud.
"Oww…"
She sat up, groaning and rubbing the sore spot on her back. She must have hit a rock when she landed.
"Remember what I told you, Hana. Don't rush into a battle without thinking. You need to plan your attacks and be cautious of your opponent. Plan your attacks carefully." Orochimaru instructed.
Oh, right, she had forgotten about that. She had gotten too confident and forgot to exercise caution. She needed to figure out a way to attack him without him guessing her next move. But, how exactly would she go about doing so?
'Maybe I could try out my new genjutsu.' she thought.
Hana slowly got back on her feet and she picked up the wooden sword before she retreated back into the trees. She concealed herself in the high branches and the thick cover of the leaves.
Orochimaru stood back and he waited patiently for Hana to make her next move. He looked to the treeline and to where the girl had absconded to. An amused smirk stretched across his pale features as his curiosity grew.
'I wonder what sort of trick she has up her sleeve this time.' he thought.
Hana poked her head out from behind the large trunk of the tree that she was currently hiding in. She watched Orochimaru closely, waiting for him to make a move. After watching him for a few minutes and seeing that he wasn't going to act until she did, Hana decided that now was the time to cast her genjutsu.
She brought both of her hands up and she began to form the appropriate hand signs, which were horse, boar, serpent, and dragon.
'Genjutsu: Kagome, Kagome!'
The illusion began to form. Orochimaru watched as a thick mist began to engulf the clearing and the area directly surrounding it. Intrigued by this new development, Orochimaru did nothing to break the illusion; not yet, at least. He watched as the mist thickened to the point where none of the tree were visible anymore. Then, out of the mist emerged multiple shadowy figures. As they approached, it was revealed that these figures were clones of Hana. Orochimaru turned around to see the rest of the clones, effectively turning his back on the young woman hiding in the trees. This gave her the perfect chance to attack.
Hana jumped down from her perch and she began to approach Orochimaru, completely unaware that he had already freed himself from the illusion. She walked up behind him, believing that she had an opening to land a successful attack.
"Which one is behind you now?"
Orochimaru turned on his heels to face her, but Hana launched her attack and managed to strike him in the neck with her sword.
"Gotcha!"
However, just as the wooden sword struck his neck, Orochimaru disappeared in a puff of smoke and his body was replaced with a log.
"A substitution?!"
Hana began to search for any sign of the man, but she couldn't find any sign of him. How on earth could he just vanish like that?
"Dammit, where did he go?"
Just then, a sinister laugh echoed throughout the forest.
"I told you to be careful…"
As she turned around to search for the source of the voice she was met with a sharp kick to her gut. The kick sent her flying back a few feet before she hit the ground again.
She sat up, taking a few gasping breaths before coughing and regaining her ability to breathe properly. She then turned to Orochimaru, glaring daggers at him as she wiped the spit from the corners of her mouth.
"That was a very clever trick, Hana. However, you still need to keep a close eye on your opponent. They may or may not have broken your illusion without you knowing when you decide to attack." he stated.
Hana narrowed her eyes at him as he spoke. She knew that she had trapped him in her genjutsu; she had been watching him carefully the entire time. So how did he manage to break her illusion?
"That was a cheap trick," she muttered, "I had you in my sights the whole time."
Orochimaru smirked and a dark chuckle escaped his lips.
"I knew that you were watching, Hana. I broke your genjutsu when you came out of hiding." he replied.
Hana got back on her feet and she brushed the dirt off of her clothes.
"Whatever; it was still a cheap trick. You could've just let me hit you."
"Perhaps I should have. But, with that being said, I believe it's my turn to attack now. Get ready."
Hana moved back another few feet and moved into a defensive stance; she needed to be ready for whatever he threw at her. Following his instructions closely, she watched him carefully. She didn't want to make the same mistake a third time; she had already embarrassed herself enough today.
Orochimaru raised his hands and he formed a single hand sign. Hana had absolutely no clue as to what he might be planning. Most of the jutsu that she had seen him use usually required at least two hand signs to activate. What exactly was he planning?
Suddenly, Orochimaru's neck began to extend towards her rapidly. Hana was very much startled by this and she didn't even think to move out of the way. This was something that she had never seen before and it left her in shock.
'Wh-What the hell's going on?!'
When she finally got the idea to move out of the way, it was already too late. In an instant, Orochimaru caught up to her and he opened his mouth and sank his teeth into her neck. Hana just froze in place; she couldn't process what had just happened.
When Orochimaru released her, a sharp pain shot through her body. It was worse than any pain that she had ever felt in her life. She began to claw at her neck – the source of the intense, radiating pain- and she collapsed to her knees when her legs gave out on her.
She opened her mouth to speak, but all that she could manage was a pained scream. The agony she felt was unbearable; it was worse than anything she had experienced before. She looked up to Orochimaru, but everything she saw was blurry and unfocused. She stood to her feet once more, legs trembling violently. Even though the pain was unbearable, she still had to keep fighting. She couldn't give up because of pain.
Hana gripped the wooden sword in her trembling hand and she began to stagger towards him. Orochimaru looked on in shock as the girl managed to get back on her feet. This had never happened before. She was strong enough to withstand the pain, and Orochimaru was very impressed. However, the pain soon overtook her and her consciousness began to slip away. She began to fall forward, but Orochimaru caught her before she could hit the ground.
"Enough…" he whispered.
He lifted the girl into his arms and he began to carry her back to the hideout. Her condition needed to be monitored closely, seeing as how her chances of survival were very slim. She would have to be watched very closely until her condition finally stabilized.
Hana developed a very high fever in the hours after receiving her curse mark. At its worst, it reached a temperature of 103°F and she began to have trouble breathing around this time as well. When it reached this point, she needed to be hooked up to a ventilator so that she would be able to breathe properly. She remained in a comatose state for many days, which stretched into one week and then two. Her prognosis wasn't good and it seemed like she wouldn't survive.
Near the end of the second week, Hana's fever began to go down bit by bit. As the fever diminished, Hana's breathing also became regular once again and she was taken off the ventilator soon after. Although her condition was improving, she still hadn't woken up yet. Knowing that it would take some time for her body to fully heal, Orochimaru and Kabuto allowed her to sleep as she recovered. Waking up too soon would be very detrimental to her health.
Finally, near the end of the third week, she started waking up. However, she was still in a heavily medicated state due to the amount of pain medication that she was being given to help ease her constant pain. She was still somewhat coherent, but still very drowsy. But she was now able to speak and Orochimaru thought that it would be a good idea to explain to her what had happened.
He made his way down to the medical ward where she was staying, and when he stepped inside, he saw her sitting up in bed. Just as she would normally be doing, she was studying one of her scrolls. He was very impressed by how diligent she was with her studies, despite the condition that she was in. She was such a good student.
"You really should be resting, you know." he said, breaking the silence.
Hana jumped, nearly dropping the scroll. She moved too fast and a sharp pain shot from her shoulder and into her arm.
"I was bored and I wanted to get some reading done." she replied through gritted teeth.
Orochimaru sighed and he shook his head.
"You are a good student, Hana, but you're very stubborn. You really should take better care of yourself; if you're not healthy, then you won't be able to continue your training." he told her.
Hana puffed out her cheeks, pouting in response to his remark.
She already knew that she needed to be in good health in order to resume her training, but she could still study. Besides, it gave her something to do while she was just sitting here.
"Fine…"
She rolled the scroll back up and she set it down on the small table beside her bed. It was obvious that she was more than a little frustrated now. She had been so bored the past few days, and she just wanted to read. Maybe she'd be able to finish the scroll after he left.
"Did you want to talk to me about something?" she asked.
Orochimaru located a chair and he pulled it over to Hana's bedside.
"Do you remember what happened while we were out training?" he questioned.
Hana really had to think about what had happened. Her memory of that day was fuzzy at best and all she could really remember was being bitten and then everything going black.
"I remember you biting my neck and that's about it. What happened while I was out?"
Orochimaru replied, "You fell unconscious and remained that way for nearly three weeks. After which, you came down with a very high fever and began to have trouble breathing. You had to be attached to a ventilator to aid your breathing."
Hana was very shocked by all of this information. She had gotten so sick after just being bitten? What exactly did he do to her?
"I'm sure you must have many questions. If I may, I would like to offer you an explanation." he said.
Hana nodded, giving him permission to go ahead and give his explanation. She wanted to know what happened and she wanted to know now.
"Well," he began, "I had decided a few months back that you would receive my curse mark. It will help you tap into the dormant power that lies within you."
Dormant power? What did he mean? Did she really have more power than she knew about? It was a lot to take in and she couldn't quite wrap her head around it all. If she really had this much power, then what would she be able to do? What would she be capable of?
A smirk began to grow on Orochimaru's lips. It seemed like Hana was very curious about her new powers, and, if he were to be honest, so was he. The mark was a prototype that had only been tested in the lab and not on an actual human. He had no idea as to what her powers would be. But once she was able to resume her training, he would help her unlock those powers.
"You will unlock those powers in due time. For now though, you need to rest in order to regain your strength. We will resume your training once you pain has fully subsided." he told her.
As much as Hana wanted to go and start training again, she knew that she had to wait. Her body wasn't ready to handle the strain just yet. So, she would just have to wait.
Orochimaru stood up and moved the chair back towards the wall.
"I'll let you get back to you reading now. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask." he said.
Orochimaru left the room, leaving Hana alone to continue reading, and he went back to the lab in order to continue his research.
Hana picked up the scroll and continued to read from where she had left off. If she couldn't go out and start training again, then she would just continue studying.
