~Scroll 31~
During the second match of the preliminaries...
Deep beneath the old catacombs of Konoha, Kakashi finished the last of the blood script of the Fujahoin, the Sealing of the Curse, on Sasuke's back.
"That's it!" The silvery-haired Nin mumbled as he fought through being light headed.
The teen just glared at his sensei as he sat in the middle of two circles drawn in the ground by ten kunai and nine lines of the blood script.
"Just a little longer and it'll be all done." The Jounin said while his hands moved in a series of hand seals before his right hand slammed down on the curse mark.
Sasuke's eyes grew wide as the pain exploded, nearly dragging him into the land of darkness.
"AAA-!" The animalistic whine escaped his lips as the power of the curse mark fought against the blood script and the familiar warmth that the teen easily associated with his blonde dobe.
"OWW!" The raven-haired teen moaned as he struggled against the pain.
Barely audible over the groan and moans, a sickening 'hiss' echoed as the Fujahoin blood scripts slipped over the youth's flesh and encased the curse mark.
"AGH!" Sasuke screamed as he felt the power of the curse mark being compressed and throbbed against the Fujahoin barrier.
"Ohh..." The Uchiha whispered as he slumped forward. His arms wobbled and strained to keep him up right.
"Hmm..." Kakashi breathed as he too felt the strain of nearly draining his chakra, "Even if the curse mark awakens again, the power of this Fujahoin spell should contain it. But... Sasuke...
"The foundation of the spell's power is in the strength of your own will." The silvery-haired Jounin cautioned, "You have to want it to work... and you must believe in your own power to control it. If you don't, the curse could have its way again!"
Sasuke then fainted from exhaustion and pain.
"So..." A cruel and cold voice cooed, causing Kakashi to flinch, "You've mastered the spells of sealing, Kakashi? ... looks like you're all grown up."
The silvery-haired Nin looked over his shoulder to have his worst fears confirmed.
"You..."
"It's been a long time..." Orochimaru remarked as he stepped out of the shadows and approached the Konoha shinobi.
Instinctively Kakashi placed himself between his student and the monster in front of him.
The pale faced Nin chuckled at the Jounin's actions.
"Pardon my rudeness, Kakashi, but..." The traitor said, "I have no use for you. I'm here about the boy behind you."
"What do you want with Sasuke...?" Kakashi attempted to stall.
He had told the ANBU, who were assigned to watch over the Uchiha after the sealing, to wait five minutes from the moment they no longer sensed either Kakashi's or the teen's chakra before coming into the room. If the Jounin can hold out for five more minutes, he knew that he and the ANBU together could chase the snake-fiend away.
"Oh, you know how it is..." Orochimaru smirked, "Two guys have something... and a third one's just got to get it, too!"
The Konoha shinobi cursed his exhaustion and the slight headache forming as he could not figure out the traitor's riddle with his foggy mind.
"You haven't had it for very long yourself, you know." The pale Nin teased, "Know what it is yet?"
Kakashi felt his left eye twitched beneath his hitae-ate.
"It's... the Sharingan!"
Of course, it is... Kakashi thought, Everyone wants those damned eyes.
"I must possess... Uchiha blood!"
"What for...?!" The Jounin stalled.
"... the newly created Village of Hiding in Sound - Otogakure... that is my home, you see..."
Both ninja knew that the snake was lying.
"Is it becoming clear?" Orochimaru teased.
"So it's your greed and delusions of grandeur." Kakashi replied.
"I suppose you could say that..." The traitor chuckled then sighed, "Good help is so hard to find these days, and I need all sorts of pawns at my disposal."
"So, you think that Sasuke is one of your pawns?" Kakashi questioned. The Jounin may not like the raven-haired brooder much, but the boy was his student, and Kakashi was prepared to protect his student.
"Oh," The snake spoke with barely contained lust, "he's a very special pawn... a real keeper...
"Unlike the boys who are going through the vigors of the process right now. Those boys... are disposable."
Kakashi lowered his stance and began to focus the last of his chakra reserves into his right hand. The ANBU were overdue, and the silvery-haired shinobi made a mental note to give his former colleagues a piece of his mind... if he survived.
"Stay away from Sasuke." His right hand glowed with electricity, "Even if you are one of those three ninja, the man I am today can take you down!"
"Heh... heh he... hahahahaha!" Orochimaru cackled.
"What's so funny?"
"You say one thing and do another..."
"What?!" Kakashi gasped then mentally cursed himself when his Chidori disappeared as did the last of his reserves.
"The curse-binding spell you placed upon Sasuke was futile!" The snake confessed, "When a heart is sufficiently focused and ruthless in its desires then, for good or evil, will justify any means. Sasuke possesses just such a heart... the heart of an avenger."
"So that's how you got your hooks into him..." The Jounin accused, "But Sasuke's not -!"
"A day will come when he will seek me out..." Orochimaru interrupted, "hungry for power!
"Meanwhile..." The traitor trailed off, "I believe you were offering to kill me. Care to try? Or are you all talk?"
Kakashi instantly knew he was trapped in a Genjutsu, but with his chakra near to non-existence, he suffered through the illusion of being decapitated. Once the illusion had run its course, the Konoha Nin knew that Orochimaru was long gone. Calming his heart down, he looked down at the Uchiha heir. Did I miscalculate?! What kind of fool am I?! He cursed himself as he left, barely giving the ANBU a second thought as they carted the unconscious teen away. Kakashi had other students that needed him, and he needed to see his blonde.
~o.O.o~
"So... uhh... *koff* we're moving on to the next match."
Naruto frowned when he heard his sensei's weak Heart Song. Turning around, a small gasp escaped pass the teen's lips when he saw the state his sensei was in.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
Sakura turned around to see their Jounin instructor, leaning against the wall and giving them a weak salute.
"Yo!" He greeted.
Immediately Naruto appeared beside the older shinobi's side.
"What do you mean 'Yo'?!" Sakura scolded while she noticed her otouto leaning against their sensei. Was it her imagination or was Kakashi-sensei also leaning into the blonde and looking a bit healthier than he had when he first arrived.
"Kakashi-sensei, tell us about Sasuke. Is he all right?!"
"He's fine..." The Jounin replied, "Sound asleep in the infirmary even as we speak."
Omitting the fact that the Uchiha teen was under armed guard.
"As you should be, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto chided but remained close to his sensei as he slowly fed a bit of his chakra into the older shinobi.
Suddenly the teen felt a gentle squeeze against his shoulder, looking up into Kakashi's dark eye.
"That's enough, my little one." The silvery-haired Nin quietly whispered.
Blue gems blinked at the term of endearment before the petite Genin began assaulting his lower lip in confusion.
The Jounin reached out and tenderly thumbed against the blonde's abused lip.
Kakashi knew that he was not normally a demonstrative man when it came to affections, but after his confrontation with Orochimaru... the retired ANBU had no delusions. He knew that if the snake truly wanted Sasuke at that moment, the traitor would have taken the teen by now, and the Jounin would have been dead... death did not concern the silvery-haired Nin, but the thought of never seeing his blonde again terrified Kakashi more.
"Kakashi-sensei...?" Naruto whispered in concern.
The older shinobi lightly smiled as he resolved to tell his young student of his feelings but only after the preliminaries.
"Save your strength for your fight." Kakashi instructed, "I want to see the both of you fight."
Before Naruto could say anything else, the message board signaled the next match.
TSURUGI MISUMI VS. KANKURO