Curse Mark Binding Technique

Curse marks—some techniques could enhance one's abilities, but they often came with a price.

Most curse marks were a form of curse, or rather, a form of forced restraint.

In Konoha, nearly every member of Danzo's "Root" bore the Tongue Curse Seal of Speechlessness, meant to prevent them from revealing information about the organization. It was a curse mark planted on the tongue; once triggered, it would paralyze the victim's entire body, leaving them unable to move.

The most famous curse mark in the ninja world was probably the Hyuga Clan's Caged Bird Technique.

It was used to "restrain" the branch family.

Then there was Orochimaru's Curse Mark Seal, among others.

Simply put, when someone in power wanted strong control over those beneath them, the easiest method was to use curse marks.

It made those below them afraid to defy them.

Even Konoha was like this, let alone a small place like Kusagakure. The village had no powerful figure like the Third Hokage, someone with both authority and the ability to rule. Its history and culture also lacked any systematic rules. As a result, the more insignificant a village like Kusagakure was, the darker and more chaotic its methods became.

There was a lack of oversight.

"Aaaaargh!"

Inside the cave, Big Beard pressed his hand against Yoshitaka's chest. As the technique activated, the skin on Yoshitaka's chest began to smoke as though it had been seared by a branding iron.

The boy let out a heart-wrenching scream.

A mass of strange black patterns spread outward from Yoshitaka's heart, reaching his side before vanishing.

Ryuga, standing nearby, went pale.

With a thud, Yoshitaka fainted and collapsed.

Big Beard withdrew his hand as well.

"The effect of this Heart Curse Mark is simple. As long as you obediently listen, it won't activate. But if you dare disobey orders, your heart will explode inside your body... killing you instantly." Big Beard ignored Yoshitaka and slowly approached Ryuga with a sinister grin.

"..."

Ryuga knew there was no hope left.

His fate was already set in stone.

Yet he still hoped for a miracle... He was unwilling to become a puppet controlled by Grass Seed just like that.

The reason he still held onto that small hope was because... Yue was still alive.

He admitted that he disliked Yue too.

Mostly because Yue was somewhat withdrawn. Even though they were the same age, Yue rarely played with them.

Over time, they had naturally grown distant.

But after everything that had happened, Ryuga understood that Yue had probably noticed something was wrong long ago... And the fact that Yue had killed Teacher Masada showed that Yue was very strong.

Maybe... maybe Yue would come back to save them?

The moment that thought arose, Ryuga lowered his head with a self-mocking smile.

Impossible... If it were him, he would never risk himself to save someone else. His first instinct would definitely be to return to the village and ensure his own safety first.

Besides, neither of them had a good relationship with Yue.

"Even if you plant a curse mark on me, I won't listen to you... At worst, I'll die." As the man came before him, Ryuga raised his head and spoke stubbornly.

Once he was controlled, he did not need to think to know what Grass Seed would make him do.

His family belonged to Grass Flower's faction. He did not want to turn against his family or do anything that would betray the village.

"Heh, that's not up to you."

Big Beard curled his lips into a smile and bent down to grab Ryuga.

Ignoring his struggles and resistance, he formed hand seals and released Chakra into Ryuga's chest in the same manner.

Ryuga clenched his teeth and did not let out a groan of pain.

But his limbs kept trembling and twitching, and sweat drenched his face.

"With this kind of curse mark, the more you resist in your heart... or the more hostility you feel toward me, the more it will hurt. Your heart may not explode, but it will definitely make you wish you were dead." Big Beard licked his lips.

As soon as he finished speaking, Ryuga began to howl miserably. He could no longer hold it in.

Spittle sprayed from his mouth.

After Big Beard let go, he fell to the ground and curled into a ball like a shrimp.

"There... From now on, if you don't want to suffer that pain, then obediently become our dog..."

"Hehehehe!"

A chilling laugh echoed through the cave.

More than ten meters away, Yue hid in the shadow of the dim cave wall and watched the scene.

He had just made his way near the cave and had not intended to enter. He had planned to scout it out first.

His original plan was that Grass Seed would not kill Ryuga and Yoshitaka. At the very least, Ryuga's safety was assured... They would definitely let him go.

That way, he could contact Ryuga in secret after he came down the mountain.

Or he could simply remain hidden in the dark, wait for an opportunity, and deal with them one by one after the group split up.

They could not possibly stay together every moment of the day.

Since they were carrying out a plan, capturing Ryuga and Yoshitaka meant their task here was already complete. These people would definitely have follow-up actions... They might head for some outpost near the border or return to the village. Or perhaps they would continue waiting for other "colleagues" to bring more pieces.

Yue was not sure about any of that.

What he was certain of was that as long as he did not confront them head-on, he would definitely have a chance to reduce their numbers first.

Based on the strength of the two Grass Ninja who had chased him earlier, they were not much of a threat.

However, he had not expected the cave to be empty.

To avoid a trap, he had cautiously circled outside several times. Only after confirming it was safe did he carefully slip inside.

The cave was fairly spacious, with a narrow passage extending deeper into the mountain and leading to various caverns. The place Yue was currently in was one of those caverns. Each one was like a carved-out room, containing some simple daily necessities.

What delighted Yue the most, however, was that he had actually found some ninjutsu scrolls and documents in one of the caverns.

Later, Big Beard and Ryuga's conversation had drawn him here.

"So it really is a curse mark."

Though he had already guessed it, seeing the scene with his own eyes still made Yue tense up.

If he were captured, he would likely end up just like Ryuga.

"Time is limited. Those two Grass Ninja most likely went out to free the people who were tied up earlier... They'll be back soon. Once they return, I'll be trapped in the cave, and that'll be troublesome. Still, judging from the terrain inside this mountain, I can hide completely and avoid detection. Then, once night falls, I can quietly kill them one by one... That method is clever, and if I manage to hide successfully, it'll be easy to strike. But the risk is too great... The key is that I can't gauge his strength."

Yue did not dare focus his gaze on Big Beard. His eyes merely drifted past him.

Ninjas had extremely sharp senses.

The reason his opponent was relaxed right now was because he believed Yue had already escaped and could not possibly return.

The other reason was that he assumed there were no threats inside the cave.

After all, this was their territory.

Yue was taking advantage of their reverse blind spot.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, Big Beard suddenly turned and looked toward where Yue was hiding.

The corner of the wall was completely empty. There was no person or object there.

"Was that just an illusion...?"

Big Beard narrowed his eyes.

For that brief moment, he seemed to have sensed... someone?

"It couldn't have been that brat, could it... He actually has the nerve to come back?" Big Beard scanned his surroundings, raising his brows in confusion.

Besides, such an impressive Tracking Technique was not something a brat who had just graduated could use.

Breathing, footsteps... those were the fundamentals of the Tracking Technique.

What it required was not only meticulous control, but experience as well...

Generally speaking, little brats like them had Tracking Techniques riddled with flaws.

His reaction had also been extremely swift. Even if Yue shifted position while using the Tracking Technique, he did not believe Yue could evade his line of sight in advance.

His eyes swept around the cave. After pondering for a moment, Big Beard withdrew his gaze.

In the passage connecting the cavern to the outside, Yue pressed his body tightly against the wall.

"He seems stronger than Masada... But the fact that he didn't notice me means he isn't absurdly strong."

If he had been discovered just now, Yue would have acted immediately.

Since he had decided to save them, conflict was unavoidable.

The reason he dared to get so close was because he had intended to fight.

At this point, simply taking Ryuga away would not work.

Ryuga had already been given a curse mark. The only solution was to kill the caster.

However, after that brief exchange, Yue had formed a general judgment of his enemy's level.