The return to Konoha after the "mission" was, as always, a formality for Satoru Gojo.
While Genma and Yugao presented their report (probably filled with incoherent babble and amazement at the sealing scroll), Gojo decided it was time for another bowl of Dimensional Ramen.
He was sitting at Ichiraku, enjoying his umami delicacy, when Team 7 appeared, obviously tired but with a strange mix of relief and frustration on their faces. Naruto, as always, was the first to speak.
"Gojo-san! You were amazing in the Forest of Death! Kakashi-sensei doesn't believe us that you took care of that ugly guy and the giant snakes!"
Naruto was buzzing with energy, despite the dark circles under his eyes.
Gojo winked at him. "Sure, blondie! I told you he was the best. And how did it go for you? Did you have any funny scares?"
As Naruto dramatically recounted his encounters, Gojo let his Six Eyes do their work. His gaze fell on Sasuke Uchiha. He had noticed something about him in the Forest of Death, an unusual fluctuation, but now, without the distraction of the surrounding danger, Gojo could see it clearly.
It was a taint. A curse. A twisted energy, not as pure as the cursed energy of his own world, but undeniably an imposition. Something that didn't belong in Sasuke's body, like a parasite latching onto his soul and feeding off his chakra.
"My, my, emo," Gojo said, his tone taking on a tinge of genuine interest, something rare for him. "Looks like you took a souvenir from the picnic in the forest."
Sasuke tensed, his dark eyes fixed on Gojo. "I don't know what you're talking about." His hand unconsciously rested on his neck, right where Orochimaru had inflicted the Curse Mark.
"Oh, yes, you do," Gojo retorted, standing up and approaching Sasuke.
He ignored the warning glances from Kakashi, who had arrived with his book in hand, and from Sakura, who seemed ready to defend Sasuke from any of Gojo's "madness."
"It's a curse, isn't it?" Gojo continued, his voice now lower, almost a whisper, but still with that inherent mischief. "A little 'gift' from your reptilian friend. A little chain that binds you, isn't it? And it's draining your energy."
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. Gojo knew.
Kakashi, who had been watching the scene with growing concern, stepped forward.
"Gojo-san, stay away from my students." His Sharingan was activated, though useless against the Limitless.
Gojo paid him the slightest attention. "Relax, Kakashi. I'm just being... helpful. Look, I'll put it this way, Sasuke. That thing on your neck is like a virus. It gives you a momentary 'boost,' but in the long run, it consumes you. And the way it's made... it has the signature of a certain pervert with an obsession with other people's bodies."
Sasuke clenched his fists. The humiliation that Gojo knew and spoke so openly about his Curse Mark infuriated him.
"It's not a problem," Sasuke snarled. "It'll make me stronger."
Gojo burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! How naive! 'Stronger'? Believe me, brat, strength doesn't come from accepting handouts from a psychopath. It comes from here," Gojo thumped his chest, "and here," he touched his head. "And from having a good sensei to teach you how not to be an idiot."
Gojo's gaze fell on Kakashi. "Speaking of which, Kakashi, why didn't you take that crap off him? Aren't you supposed to be his sensei? Or is it... can't you?"
Kakashi fell silent, his Sharingan glowing. He had tried to suppress the mark, but he couldn't remove it. It was too advanced a technique of Orochimaru's, too deeply rooted. Gojo's inability to read chakra was an advantage, but it also allowed him to ask awkward questions without knowing the context.
Gojo sighed, his interest in the conversation fading. "Well, if you're not going to do anything, I guess I could. It's a low-level curse for me, really. A cheap parlor trick."
Gojo's words shocked everyone. Sakura looked at him in disbelief, Naruto with admiration, and Sasuke with a mixture of anger and a hidden twinge of hope. Could this strange man really remove what Orochimaru had given him?
"Gojo-san!" Kakashi exclaimed, his voice strained. "Don't do it. It could be dangerous. We don't know the side effects."
"Bah! Dangerous to whom? To the curse?" Gojo shrugged. "I'm invincible, Kakashi. Remember? This would be like removing a splinter from a kitten. Bonus points if I can do it without the emo guy fainting!"
Before Kakashi or anyone else could react, Gojo extended a finger toward Sasuke's neck, his index finger and thumb forming a casual gesture. A small, invisible distortion flashed around his fingertip. Sasuke felt a strange pressure, as if the air around him was simultaneously compressed and released, and then... nothing. The stinging, oppressive feeling of the Curse Mark disappeared.
Sasuke touched his neck. The black mark was still visible, but the evil energy that had been there, the "virus" Gojo had mentioned, had vanished completely. It was as if the curse was still etched into his skin, but had run out of fuel, an empty shell.
"There!" Gojo said with a triumphant smile. "Good as new! See? It wasn't that hard. Now, if you'll excuse me, this ramen isn't going to eat itself."
Team 7, including Kakashi, stared at Gojo with a mixture of awe and horror. He had removed the Curse Mark, a legendary technique, with a simple snap of his fingers.
The sorcerer was not only powerful, but a force that could alter the foundations of their world without even trying. And Sasuke Uchiha, the recipient of that unwanted "gift," stood there, processing the impossibility of what had just happened. His path of revenge, and his power, had just taken a radical and unexpected turn.