Reader Reviews for Chapter 21/Recent Reviews
Sora Tayuya: Random? I'm sorry! But… There wasn't enough Kakashi? I'm glad you liked it nonetheless.
KakashiKrazed: I'm really glad you noticed the concern among Gai, Asuma, and Genma. Thanks! I wanted someone to voice unease about Hiroto, because I felt like readers might think he's suspicious too. Hehehe, I'm glad it sent the shivers down your spine! That's always a good reaction for a creepy nightmare. I'm happy to hear you say so! Orochimaru is hard for me to do a lot of and keep him in solid character. (Which is why this chapter was a little tough for me) I'm glad his creepiness got across! Thank you very much! Your input is always appreciated!
Miruial: Oh, I know right?? I can't stand Orochimaru even when I write for him! Yay for cheering for Kakashi! :) Thank you for reviewing!
Kakashifangirlnumber1000: Thank you! I hope you enjoy this one!
Lostoverlord: Thanks! I'm glad you like it!!
Prescripto13: Thank you very much! I'm happy you enjoyed it! :D
MemoriesOfNobody: Thank you very much! I hope you'll like how the story's going!
LunaQuetzal: Thank you! Ah, that's okay! I do that all the time. I find a great story but then forget to review. -.-' Thanks again! I hope you like this installment!
Kakashi stood there dumbfounded. Pieces of this puzzle were starting to click together for him, and he found that it made him absolutely sick. What Orochimaru had just said made his fists curl up in rage. Being used was something that the Copy Ninja would never be alright with.
"I don't know what sick notion made you think that I'd go along with this," His voice shook with fury, "But I'll be damned if I become one of your cronies!"
Orochimaru chuckled darkly, "My boy…" Kakashi was truly beginning to hate that term, "That's such a vulgar way to put this. Besides, I knew that you wouldn't just go along with it at first," His eyes gleamed, "I'm offering to teach you about something that will make you absolutely invincible… I would think that you of all people, Copy Ninja, would be open to that."
"You think wrong," Kakashi spat.
Orochimaru laughed, "Obviously," He took a step closer to Kakashi, making the man step back in reflex, "But I'm quite excited about this, so I'm afraid you've lost your say."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed more. He tried to take in deeper breaths to calm his heart that had suddenly started beating much faster than usual. Truthfully, he knew that what he said wouldn't matter to the snake bastard. What concerned him the most was how he planned to teach an unwilling student.
Suddenly, Orochimaru seemed to disappear. Kakashi's eyes barely got time to widen before he felt a presence at his side and threw his left arm up just in time to block a punch the Sannin threw. Orochimaru seemed thrilled.
"Reflexes are still good; very impressive," He disappeared again as soon as the words came out of his mouth, and Kakashi only had time to prepare himself for another attack as Orochimaru landed a hard blow to his stomach.
"Ugh!" Kakashi's cry was somewhat muffled by the mixture of saliva and blood that flooded to his mouth as the punch was landed. He flew back to the wall, crushing the stones behind him with a loud almost crunching sound.
The Jounin kept his feet, clinging onto the wall with shaky hands and breathing rapidly and brokenly. He blinked once to clear his eyes of red dots and glared spitefully at his enemy who looked like he was having the time of his life.
"Endurance still surprisingly good," Orochimaru cooed, "You're still on your feet."
Kakashi honestly didn't know how for the life of him. He was sure that he felt a few ribs crack when the blow was landed, and it sent searing pain throughout his entire body… Maybe it was just his pure hatred for this man before him that kept him standing.
"Very impressive, Kakashi," Orochimaru repeated, "You should be able to start controlling your Potentia right away…"
Kakashi allowed a look of confusion to glint in his eyes for only a moment before he worked out the details in his head, "Potentia…"He muttered, "You mean this new 'power' of mine?"
"Very perceptive," Orochimaru's smile widened, "Yes. This power that I will teach you to use is a true marvel."
"I suppose it's the same technique that Kenshin used in our fight…" Kakashi deduced, "It's some sort of chakra substitution?"
"I suppose you could call it that," Orochimaru shrugged, "But just thinking of it as a substitute for chakra is very ignorant. Potentia is bounds above chakra. Its sheer power is about tenfold chakra's at its most powerful state, and it makes the user virtually untouchable."
Kakashi's gaze narrowed again, "… How many people are able to use this ability?" He asked hoarsely.
Orochimaru laughed for a little before answering the Jounin's question, "Always like to get down to the facts, don't you Kakashi? I suppose you're only worrying about the safety of your precious village… Anyway, what fun would it be to just tell you? You've already met all of them."
That caught Kakashi's attention. Gears whirred around in his head for a moment before he remembered three pairs of identical red eyes, "Kenshin, Masaru… And… That woman…"
Orochimaru's smile didn't fade, "Excellent. Perceptive indeed... There are three in the Musashi Order, and soon there will be four."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed at that sentiment, his thoughts being brought back to the present. Well, at least this answered a few questions for him. He wondered why Kenshin and Masaru seemed so much stronger than normal shinobi… And he hadn't fought that woman yet, (He was sure he heard her name before; Yuuka?) but he was sure that she would be strong as well. Orochimaru didn't pick just anyone to put through his freakish experiments. They had to be already powerful.
"Yuuka also mentioned that you were awake for a better part of her treatments…" Orochimaru hissed, "After a fight with Masaru," He made a clicking noise with his tongue, "You continue to exceed my expectations, Kakashi."
"So you feel the need to reward me by breaking bones?" The Copy Ninja said sneeringly as he let go of the wall and stood upright.
"All part of the learning experience, my boy," The Sannin continued, "Knowing how to control your Potentia comes from pain and anger. At least," He chuckled, "It's the most effective way. The body automatically gives you a boost of adrenaline when you're in extreme situations, and Potentia unleashes that adrenaline."
Kakashi tried to process a never-ending adrenaline rush in his head, and it seemed too good to be true. Or rather, it was such a horrifying concept that he really didn't want it to be true.
"And like chakra, Potentia aligns with the element that the user corresponds to. In your case, Kakashi, it would be elements. But the power of those elements is also increased exponentially, to the point where you don't have to do hand signs to initiate jutsu. Instead, the element simply exists in you, and comes out while you fight."
Kakashi looked confused for a moment. So it's uncontrolled? Not having to do hand signs certainly saves time, but what did he mean by it 'exists in you'? Orochimaru must have seen the confusion in Kakashi's eyes, because he went on to explain.
"I'm sure you remember your fight with Masaru…" His smile widened, like it was a laughable matter, "Did you not notice how unnaturally fast he was?" A look of realization came across Kakashi's face. Orochimaru nodded slowly, "Yes… His element is wind. With the power of Potentia, Masaru is able to utilize his abilities to the point where he is almost as quick as the wind itself."
Kakashi's eyes widened a little as he took in the Sannin's words. This truly was a horrifying power if the user became one with their element. A bad taste formed in the back of his throat as Kakashi thought about his two elements: fire and lightning. That must have looked very appetizing to Orochimaru… If the Copy Ninja became one with his two elements, he would have quite a considerable amount of power.
Power to be used against his allies… His village.
"I see…" He muttered roughly, "So you're turning me into one of your experimental henchmen so that you can utilize my elements, is that it?"
"My dear boy," The Sannin shook his head as if he were lecturing a child, "It's not everyday that you run into someone with as many elemental powers as you."
Kakashi froze. He locked eyes with his adversary coldly, misunderstanding and a dark fear welling up inside his chest, "… What did you say?"
"You seem confused, Kakashi," Orochimaru laughed, "Oh, I see… I suppose you think you only have two elements. Most shinobi, even the most experienced ones, do," Kakashi started to sweat. Most? What did he mean most?? "And with chakra, that's the most they can have…" His eyes gleamed with excitement, "But Potentia is different. You, Kakashi Hatake, hold over one thousand jutsu in that left eye of yours. With Potentia, every element of every jutsu that you know becomes part of you."
"What?" Kakashi responded dryly. In his mind, he tried going over all of the jutsu he knew, and his feeling of dread amplified as the number grew past the hundreds and into the thousands… Earth, fire, wind, water, lightning… He knew techniques from every element he could possibly learn! Knowing that all of those elements could become part of the very fiber of his being was… Terrifying.
"Bastard," He hissed suddenly, "What the hell makes you think I'll go along with any of this?!"
"We've been over this, Kakashi," Orochimaru almost sounded tired, "You don't have a say. You're going to be the one to lead the Musashi Order; my strongest fighter and star pupil," He looked like he was talking about a lovely dream.
"I'd rather die first," Kakashi stated slowly, making sure that the snake bastard knew he was serious.
Orochimaru grinned darkly, "You really are from Konoha, aren't you?" In an instant he was gone like before, reappearing a second later and grabbing Kakashi by his neck, shoving him back to the wall.
The Jounin coughed raggedly as his head slammed into the stone that he had just splintered. He gripped Orochimaru's hand with both of his, digging his nails into the other man's skin and trying to remember how to breathe normally. Orochimaru's eyes were dark he brought his face two inches away from Kakashi's.
"You're always the first one to sacrifice yourself when your allies are in a sticky situation," His voice was almost mocking, "and you get furious when anyone as much as touches your squad, you preach about not showing weakness and showing respect, and yet you clearly let your anger get the better of you during your fight with Kenshin and you spit at my feet," His grip tightened shortly, "Definitely one of the Leaf Village's most prized dogs."
"Shut up," Kakashi wheezed, glaring at the man viciously. His blood was boiling in his veins, despite what was said about letting his anger get the best of him, and he wanted nothing more than to crush Orochimaru and end all of the suffering that he'd caused for the people of the Leaf Village who were still rebuilding their lives after his attack.
For some reason, this anger he felt couldn't be contained. He could hear a voice in his head telling him to calm down and not let the Sannin get to him, but his rage just kept escalating. And strangely enough, he… Couldn't feel his wounds. He couldn't feel much of anything besides the sheer ferocity that had suddenly leapt up inside of him.
"You have such prestige in that village of yours; all over the world, really. And yet," He laughed coldly, "If they need someone to sacrifice for their own good, you will be the first to go!"
"I said… Shut up!" Kakashi growled again, not being able to stand the way his village was being talked about. He felt a strange heat rising inside of him.
"Of course, that's just the way they are," Orochimaru continued, seemingly oblivious of Kakashi's escalating rage, "They don't really care about their people; even the important ones. The minute the high-and-mighty ninja of the Leaf Village screw up a mission, everyone turns their backs on them and regards them with utter hatred," He turned around, taking Kakashi with him, and threw him on the ground.
Kakashi grunted loudly as he made contact with the cold floor, feeling sticky warmness envelop the side of his face. He hoisted himself up to his knees with tremulous arms and legs and went through another short coughing fit before glaring up icily at the man smiling manically at him. The heat he had felt before had risen to even higher levels, threatening to make him explode.
"It's happened before. The greatest ninja are lowered to the levels of scum," Orochimaru's eyes took on a nasty gleam, "Just like your father…"
Something in Kakashi's mind snapped.
Injuries forgotten, Kakashi jumped up with ridiculous speed and reared back to throw a punch that was so fast Orochimaru barely had time to leap out of the way. The Jounin let loose an almost feral cry as he dealt the blow, missing his target by only a hair and slamming his fist into the wall.
BOOM!
The sound of an explosion ricocheted off the walls of the cell as the wall that Kakashi had punched burst into chunks of cracked rock and went crashing onto the floor. A wave of sunlight and fresh air entered the previously dark room, and Kakashi had to blink several times as he staggered back to avoid being hit.
The Copy Ninja fell to his knees, distantly hearing the sound of Orochimaru's crazed laugh. He clutched his chest with one shaking hand as he tried to breathe again. The air somehow felt thick, even though it was now fresher than it had been for a while. His eyes blurred in and out of focus, and thoughts ran wild in his head.
"What… What have I… What happened to… I was just like… An animal," He thought in distress. The heat that he'd felt earlier had immediately died, and now he was almost cold. At least, he thought so judging from the way his whole body was shivering.
Orochimaru spoke between his joyous laughs and put one hand to an odd dark spot on his cheek, "You actually burned me! Fantastic, just fantastic!"
Kakashi gazed in horror as he spotted receding black markings on his hands. He groaned in agony despite himself as he took in what Orochimaru had said. He had actually burned the man without even touching him. That and he just made almost an entire wall come crashing down with just one punch! That heat he felt inside of him… It was actual heat. Earth and fire. And now the Curse Mark had something to do with it as well.
Orochimaru had meant it when he said that what Kakashi said didn't matter anymore. He was changing into one of them, and he couldn't do a damn thing to stop it.
He suddenly fell to his face, gasping to try and take in air that he no longer had. With a dull thought, he realized that he had just broken down a wall and opened up a potential escape for himself, and yet he couldn't get away. He couldn't even move, much less escape.
Kakashi thought of the irony as he felt his mind leaving him. All of those years learning every jutsu he could and spreading his name as the Copy Ninja, the very thing he was famous for; his Sharingan…
… Was going to be his downfall.
Panther's head perked up, "Do you hear that?"
Asuma, Badger, and Talon all looked up in mild surprise as they heard a faint sound coming from far ahead of them. A group of frenzied birds flew off in random directions, and Asuma's brow lowered.
"An explosion?" He said.
"Sure sounded like one," Talon mused.
"Should we go check it out?" Badger asked warily.
Panther nodded, "We're to investigate anything suspicious, remember? An explosion certainly counts as suspicious in my eyes."
There was a unison head nod amongst the group before Panther tapped her radio to a different frequency, "Raven, can you hear me? It's Panther."
"Just fine. Have you something to report?"
"We heard an explosion. It sounds like it's about ten kilometers out."
"How long ago?"
"Just now."
"Very well. Proceed to investigate the source immediately. I'll pass the message on to the eastbound team. Report back whatever you find."
"Roger that. Panther out," Her hand fell away from the radio and she shortly turned around to face the rest of her team, "Alright you guys, it'll take us a little while to reach the source of the explosion, so we're going to have to pick up the pace here. Be on your toes. We don't know what to expect."
There was another group head nod before the four of them sped up, heading for the designated area. Asuma bit down on his cigarette uncomfortably. There was something about this that didn't feel right to him… And though he hoped that Kakashi was there at the source of the explosion, he didn't at the same time.
"He's coming along marvelously…" Orochimaru said contentedly, sitting down on a stone throne-type chair and resting his head on his hand.
Kabuto looked at him with smirk, "Quite so. If here's already able to burn you, Lord Orochimaru, then he may very well be up and running in just a few days."
"Very true," Orochimaru agreed with a smile, "Though a large part of the success of today was the Curse Mark. It certainly boosted the affect his new Potentia is having on him."
Kabuto went through a crème colored file he held in his hands and pulled out one of the sheets of paper it held. His eyes scanned the page for a moment before his gaze went back up to his superior, "If we have no interference and administer the third and final dosage tomorrow, his chakra system will be emptied and the Potentia will permanently take its place."
"Wonderful," Orochimaru sat up, clenching his fist together as if in victory.
"Lord Orochimaru," A low female voice was heard from behind Kabuto. He sidestepped, allowing the image of a young woman and an older sturdier-looking man to fill his space. The two bowed respectfully and then straightened up as Orochimaru addressed them.
"Yuuka and Kenshin," Orochimaru said pleasantly, "Here to give a report, I assume?"
The two nodded and Kenshin stepped forward. With his helmet off, short scruffy black hair almost covered his eyebrows. Red eyes met with Orochimaru's yellow, "All of the items in storage have been moved, milord. Masaru is leading a team of your followers to the new location as we speak."
"Excellent."
"A group of my associates from the science department are transferring the medicinal and Potentia materials too… As well as him," Yuuka stated, "I hope that Masaru doesn't mess this up," She added sourly.
"Again with the worries about Masaru, my dear?" Orochimaru asked. Yuuka ducked her head almost ashamedly.
"He won't screw up," Kabuto added, tapping his glasses back to the bridge of his nose and glancing at Yuuka and Kenshin with an almost eerie stare, "He knows what will happen if he misplaces anything."
There was a silent affirmation of that as both Yuuka and Kenshin stiffened a little. It wasn't a secret that Orochimaru wasn't merciful when it came to screwing up on important tasks. When you screwed up, Kabuto got to 'deal with you', and everyone he dealt with either came back as a twitching bloody mass or didn't come back at all.
"Now then," Orochimaru said, rising from his seat and glancing shortly around the no empty room, "If everything is taken into account, we can head out immediately as well. The explosion Kakashi made was quite loud, so the Konoha dogs may already be on their way."
"Yes, sir," Yuuka and Kenshin both responded, bowing and proceeding to leave the room.
"Kabuto…"
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru?"
"How long until Kakashi is ready for the jutsu?"
Kabuto glanced back down at the piece of paper he was holding briefly, "After the Potentia is permanently in place…" He looked back up at Orochimaru, "One week."
Orochimaru's smile stretched to the edges of his face as he began to walk out of the room, "The power of all the elements along with one of my most dominant Curse Marks… If I can already make him feel enough rage to spur on two of the elements in one day…" His eyes glistened with an almost hungry look, "Just think what I'll be able to do when I have full control."
"Are you planning to go through with it with Kakashi instead of Sasuke?" Kabuto asked as the two of them entered a long hallway.
"Soon I'll have full control of Kakashi's actions. When that happens, he will definitely become a very powerful asset…"
"But your body doesn't--" Kabuto began in concern.
"Are you arguing with me, Kabuto?"
"… No, sir…"
"I know that I haven't a particularly long time for this body, but I'm going to be patient," He smiled again, "I have great hopes for Sasuke. If it ends up not working out for some reason, I also have great hopes for his teacher. Either way, Kakashi will be staying with us. I won't let my greatest achievement get away."
"Wait!" Panther held out her arm quickly to stop the team behind her.
Everyone skidded to a halt behind her and looked up curiously, "What is it Panther?" Badger asked.
She pivoted around, "Quickly; take cover!"
The female ANBU barely had time to finish her sentence before a huge booming sound shook the area and black clouds of debris flew towards them. Shocked, the team quickly dove behind various trees, trying to cover themselves as best as they could. The loud rumbling only lasted for a minute before it died down to nothing except a fine layer of black dust on the ground.
"Is everyone alright?" Panther called out as she came from behind a tree.
The team slowly reassembled. Badger wiped some black dust from his shoulders, Talon combed his fingers through his light hair to get any of the debris out, and Asuma (being as he didn't have a mask) coughed once or twice, but that was the extent of the damage.
"Another explosion?" Badger asked, crossing his arms.
"That can't be just a coincidence…" Asuma mumbled, getting more uncomfortable by the second.
"No it can't. Let's get going everyone. We barely have a mile to go," Panther instructed sharply.
Soon they were all running again, careful to avoid some of the bigger chunks of rock and the like that had been spewed about by the second explosion. After only a few minutes, the team arrived at a smaller circular clearing. They stood shocked into silence for a moment as they took in what they saw:
Nothing. Just a big black crater and what looked like a used-to-be entrance to somewhere.
Panther lowered to the ground and gave it a good punch, "Damn it!"
"We've been had," Badger growled angrily.
Asuma looked at the rubble almost in disgust. There HAD been something here… But between the time of the first and second explosion, whoever was here got rid of all the evidence. He bit down on his cigarette. Whoever was there…
Did not want a certain silver-haired Jounin to be found.
Author's Note:
Wow, this is the fasted update I've done in a long time. XP
I was home sick from school today, and felt in the mood for writing Cursed, so BAM! I spent all day on it. I was actually pretty proud of myself! Usually I'll start another chapter right after I update and then leave it for a few weeks, then come back and go "Oh crap! I need to update!" Yup. That pretty much sums it up. XD
Oh! And by the way! "Potentia" is Latin for power/might/authority. I was searching for a Latin word (yes it had to be Latin because Latin sounds cool) to represent this 'chakra substitute' that Orochimaru has concocted. I settled with Potentia after translating several things in the realm of power, spirit, will, etc. Not on my own mind you! I happen to speak no Latin and love the internet. :D
Enjoy all! R&R please! It makes me very happy to hear your thoughts!