Curse Mark Binding Technique

Curse seals, while some can enhance abilities, often come with a price.

Most curse seals are essentially a form of curse, or rather, a forced binding.

In Konoha, Danzo's Root members are almost all branded with the Tongue Curse Seal of Speechlessness, preventing them from leaking information about the organization. It's a curse seal planted on the tongue; once triggered, the afflicted person becomes completely paralyzed and unable to move.

And the most famous curse seal in the ninja world is arguably the Hyuga clan's Caged Bird Technique.

To "restrain" the branch family.

Then there's Orochimaru's Curse Mark Seals, and so on.

Simply put, for those in power, the easiest way to exert strong control over the lower ranks is by using curse seals.

It makes those below afraid to defy them.

Konoha is like this, let alone a small place like Grass Village. Because the village lacks a strong figure with the binding and ruling power of the Third Hokage, and the village's history and customs lack systematic rules, the less reputable villages like Grass Village actually resort to darker, more chaotic methods.

A lack of regulation.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Inside the cave, the bearded man placed his hand on Yoshitaka's chest. As the jutsu activated, Yoshitaka's chest skin smoked white as if seared by a branding iron.

The boy let out a heart-wrenching scream.

A mass of strange black patterns began to spread outwards from Yoshitaka's heart, extending to his side before disappearing.

Ryuga, standing nearby, turned ashen.

With a thud, Yoshitaka fainted and collapsed.

The bearded man withdrew his hand.

"The effect of this Heart Curse Mark is simple. As long as you obey, it won't activate. Conversely, if you dare to defy orders, your heart will explode within you... killing you instantly." The bearded man ignored Yoshitaka and slowly approached Ryuga, speaking with a sinister grin.

"..."

Ryuga knew there was no turning back.

His fate was sealed.

But he still hoped for a miracle... He was unwilling to become a puppet controlled by Grass Seed.

The reason for the flicker of hope in his heart was because... Yue was still alive.

He admitted he disliked Yue too.

Mainly because Yue's personality was a bit reclusive, and even though they were all the same age, Yue rarely played with them.

Over time, they naturally grew distant.

But after experiencing this entire ordeal, Ryuga realized that Yue had probably sensed something was wrong early on... and the fact that Yue could kill Teacher Masada meant Yue was very strong.

Perhaps... perhaps Yue would come back to save them?

As soon as the thought arose, Ryuga mockingly lowered his head.

Impossible... If it were him, he wouldn't risk coming to save them. The instinctive thought would be to return to the village and ensure his own safety first.

Moreover, his relationship with Yue wasn't good.

"Even if you plant a curse seal on me, I won't listen to you... I'd rather die." As the man approached him, Ryuga looked up and said defiantly.

Once controlled, he didn't need to think to guess what Grass Seed would make him do.

His family belonged to the Grass Flower faction, and he didn't want to harm his family or do anything that would shame the village.

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

The bearded man curved his lips, bent down, and lifted Ryuga.

Ignoring the boy's struggles and resistance, he formed hand seals and, following the pattern, released chakra onto Ryuga's chest.

Ryuga gritted his teeth tightly, refraining from a pained grunt.

But his limbs trembled and twitched, and he was drenched in sweat.

"With this curse seal, the more you resist internally... or harbor hostility towards me, the more you will suffer. While your heart won't explode, it will definitely make you wish you were dead," the bearded man licked his lips.

After he finished speaking, Ryuga let out a shrill wail, finally unable to hold back.

He spat out saliva.

When the bearded man released him, he collapsed to the ground, curling into a ball like a shrimp.

"There... from now on, if you don't want to suffer this pain, just obediently become our dog..."

"Hehehe!"

Creepy laughter echoed from within the cave.

About ten meters away, Yue hid in the dim shadow of the wall, watching the scene unfold.

He had just reached the vicinity of the cave and hadn't planned to enter, intending to scout first.

His original plan was that Grass Seed wouldn't kill Ryuga and Yoshitaka. At least Ryuga's safety was certain... they would definitely let him go.

This way, he could contact Ryuga discreetly as he descended the mountain.

Alternatively, he could simply hide in the shadows, wait for an opportunity, and eliminate them one by one after this group split up.

They couldn't possibly stay together all the time.

Since the objective was to execute the plan, capturing Ryuga and Yoshitaka meant the mission was complete. This group would definitely make their next move… perhaps heading to a stronghold on the border or returning to the village, or maybe they'd continue staking out the area, waiting for other 'colleagues' to bring more pawns.

Yue wasn't sure about any of this.

What he was sure of was that as long as he didn't engage them head-on, he'd have a chance to thin their numbers first.

Based on the strength of the two Grass Ninjas who had pursued him earlier, the threat wasn't that significant.

However, he hadn't expected the cave to be empty.

To avoid a trap, he circled the outside of the cave a few times tentatively. After confirming it was safe, he cautiously slipped inside.

The cave was quite spacious, with a small path extending further into the mountain's interior, leading to various other caves. He was currently in one of these caves. Each cave was like a carved-out room, containing some basic living supplies.

What surprised Yue the most, however, was finding some Ninjutsu scrolls and documents in one of the caves.

He was drawn here later by the voices of the bearded man and Ryuga.

"It really is a curse mark."

Although he had suspected it, seeing it with his own eyes made Yue's heart tighten.

If he were captured, his fate would likely be the same as Ryuga's.

"Time is limited. Those two Grass Ninjas are probably out rescuing the people who were tied up earlier… they'll be back soon. Once they return, I'll be trapped in the cave, which would be quite troublesome. However, judging by the internal layout of this mountain, I can definitely hide without being discovered. Then, when night falls, I can quietly take them out one by one… This method, while clever and easy to succeed if I hide successfully, is too risky… The key is, I can't gauge his strength."

Yue's gaze dared not focus on the bearded man, his eyes merely sweeping over him.

Ninja senses were notoriously sharp.

The fact that the man was currently relaxed was because he mistakenly believed Yue had already escaped and wouldn't return.

Secondly, he assumed there were no dangerous elements in the cave.

After all, this was on his turf.

Yue had employed a reverse-thinking strategy.

"Hmm?"

Just then, the bearded man suddenly turned his head, looking towards Yue's hiding spot.

The corner of the wall was empty; there was no one or anything there.

"An illusion…?"

The bearded man squinted.

In that instant, he thought he had sensed… someone?

"It couldn't be that brat… he still has the nerve to come back?" The bearded man looked around, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

Moreover, such skilled concealment techniques were not something a newly graduated brat could use.

Breathing, footsteps… these were the fundamentals of concealment.

It required not just meticulous control, but also experience…

Generally speaking, the concealment techniques of these brats were full of flaws.

His reaction was also extremely swift. Even if he shifted positions while in concealment, he didn't believe Yue could evade his sight in advance.

His eyes darted around the cave. After a moment of thought, the bearded man withdrew his gaze.

Yue pressed his body against the wall in the passage connecting the caves to the outside.

"His strength seems a bit greater than Masada's… but, since he didn't detect me, it means he's not outrageously powerful."

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

Since he had decided to rescue the person, conflict was unavoidable.

He dared to get this close with the intention of fighting.

If he wanted to save Ryuga now, simply taking him away wouldn't work.

Ryuga had already been afflicted with the curse mark; the only way was to kill the caster.

However, after this brief encounter, Yue had a general assessment of the enemy's skill level.