Memoirs of a Kunoichi • Sasuke Uchiha [ON HOLD]

Scroll Nine • The Mark

Chapter Nine

I sheepishly gazed at the mark that had been etched onto my wrist the night before as I rolled onto my side, trying to get into a comfortable position on the bed. My dark hair cascaded over the pillows and nearly flowed over the edge of the mattress; bruised bags had formed under my eyes from my lack of sleep. The night before, Sasuke had walked me back to the apartment I shared with Kakashi Sensei only to find that the silver-haired Jounin had stayed up half the night awaiting my return. I’ll admit that I flinched under the intense stare Kakashi had given me for returning home so late, and it seemed that no amount of apologies could suffice the man as I bid him a goodnight after failing to explain why we had been out until two in the morning. I hated the fact that the night had ended on a good note with revealing the truth to Sasuke, but ultimately had left my caregiver in a foul mood. I took the chance to glance over at the digital clock that adorn my nightstand, clearly reading that it was only seven o’clock in the morning. With a defeated sigh, and knowing that I wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep with all the thoughts that were filling my mind, I slowly pushed myself up into a sitting position. My hair shimmered under the rays of sunlight that leaked through my curtains as I tousled my dark locks to the side. My gaze once again locked on the word on my left wrist, my stare narrowing as I quickly came up with an idea to hide the mark.

I was average when it came to Fūinjutsu, the art of sealing, but it seemed that my best option in obscuring the mark from the human eye was by placing a seal over my entire forearm. Leaning over, I pulled open the drawer underneath my nightstand and pulled out a blank scroll along with my weapons pouch. Throwing them beside me, I fumbled underneath my bed as I grabbed the hilt of the katana Kakashi had gifted me the other day. I sat with my back against the wall for support as I unrolled the scroll and laid it out before me. I sat in silence for a few moments, allowing myself to gather the courage and restrain I would need in order to complete the ritual. My eyes fluttered shut as I leaned my head against the wall, allowing a scornful sigh to escape my lips. Not wanting to back down from my decision, my eyes quickly sprang open as I grabbed a kunai from my weapons pouch and sliced the tip of my right thumb open. The cut on my thumb burned as my blood became exposed to the air around it, but I quickly ignored the pain as I went right to work at writing the jutsu’s instructions out on the scroll. My gaze was full of determination as I scribbled my thumb along the scroll’s surface, the odor of my blood finally hitting my nostrils as I sat up straight to read what I had written. Squeezing my thumb to produce more blood, I quickly attacked my left forearm as I wrote an even-numbered seal across my skin. My face was pale as sweat stained my brow. ‘Just one last thing to do.’

With my free hand, I grabbed the katana and gently laid it across my lap. Its steel surface sparkled underneath the sun’s rays, and with the last of the blood that spilled from the wound on my thumb, I quickly wrote the kanji for the word seal across its slick surface. I watched as the katana began to glow before me and dematerialized into visible chakra in the air; it all happened in a quick second as the chakra dispersed and slammed into the seal on my forearm at full force. The blood that I had used to write the seal over my arm glowed a bright green, shearing into my skin as I bit down on my bottom lip. The burning agony only intensified as tears glided down over my cheeks; however, I continued to bite down on my lip in order to keep myself from whimpering out loud in pain. The taste of blood lingered in my mouth as the glow finally died down, and seeing that the seal had been permanently etched onto my forearm, the blood had darkened from scarlet red to charcoal. I fell back against my pillows, unable to keep myself upright as my chest expanded and fell with every deep breath I inhaled. Tears continued to glisten in my eyelashes, falling upon my cheeks as I stared up at the ceiling with a neutral expression over my features. I glanced at my forearm, noticing how swollen and enflamed it looked from the ordeal it had experienced. I ignored the throbbing that radiated from my arm as I ran my fingers through my hair, relieved that it was over. ‘Not only is my mark hidden, but now I have a katana sealed away and ready to be summoned whenever I needed it.’