In fanfiction stories based on the popular anime series Naruto, a recurring theme is Orochimaru giving Naruto a cursed seal. The cursed seal is a mark that Orochimaru places on a person's body, granting them increased power but also bringing forth negative side effects. The idea behind this plotline is to explore Naruto's struggles with controlling the dark power of the seal and fending off Orochimaru's influence. **The main idea of this fanfiction plotline is the conflict between Naruto's desire for power and his determination to remain true to his values.** The cursed seal becomes a symbol of this internal struggle, as it threatens to corrupt Naruto and push him towards the path of darkness. Throughout the story, Naruto must work hard to resist the allure of the cursed seal and find a way to harness its power for good.
As much as I enjoy Anko’s character all the time, I’ve never really liked Orochimaru all that much until discovering blackkkat’s fics. She manages to both keep him in character—at no point does he stop being manipulative and spontaneously become a good person—while expanding on who he is and delving into the reasons why he acts the way he does.
She shoots him a look, but is familiar enough with his tells even in her pique to know not to protest as he turns, dropping to one knee in front of Naruto. Orochimaru finds himself amused by Naruto, due to his similarities to Anko, and Naruto finds himself drawn to Orochimaru, because they re both treated as monsters by the rest of Konoha.
Throughout the story, Naruto must work hard to resist the allure of the cursed seal and find a way to harness its power for good. The cursed seal is often depicted as a physical mark on Naruto's body, usually located on his forearm or shoulder. It may take the form of a snake or a similar creature, symbolizing Orochimaru's influence.
Fanfiction Fridays: White Knight, Burning Bright by blackkat
I have an on and off love affair with Naruto, and at any given time, I don’t know how I feel about it. On the one hand, it has a cast of thousands, and a good number of those characters get whole arcs to themselves, which is awesome. On the other hand, the story is really looooooong. And the large cast means that we don’t get to spend nearly as much time with certain characters as I would like. One such character that always fascinated me was Anko Mitarashi, Orochimaru’s former pupil.
Personality wise, Anko is a lot like Naruto—loud, robust, and driven. By the time the manga starts, Anko has it out for Orochimaru. She used to aspire to be like him, until he experimented on her and betrayed the village. White Knight, Burning Bright takes place in a world where Orochimaru was captured before giving Anko the Cursed Seal. Now, Orochimaru lives out his days in Konoha with most of his chakra sealed away, and with Anko his only ally.
I’ll admit that the setup for this story kind of threw me off at first, because it’s hard to imagine Orochimaru and Anko actually getting along. Nevertheless, I decided to check it out and was pleasantly surprised.
White Knight, Burning Bright is the first part of a series called Cry Havoc, written by blackkkat (sometimes spelled black.k.kat). I’ve been following her works for a while now, and I have to say that blackkkat is one of the better authors I’ve come across—I was also surprised to learn that English isn’t her first language either, because I honestly couldn’t tell that from her writing alone. The work she produces is fantastic and better written than many other fics I’ve read and enjoyed, and White Knight, Burning Bright is no exception.
The fic is told entirely from Orochimaru’s point of view: he’s spent the past seven years without the use of his chakra and unable to conduct any more experiments. Anko has become his only ally and friend, and because she’s the one person who still likes him, he finds himself grudgingly changing his opinion about her—the past seven years have taught him to actually care about her as a student and not as an ingredient in an experiment. For Orochimaru, I suppose we can call this an improvement.
His life takes a turn for the interesting when none other than a young Naruto takes a liking to him. Orochimaru finds himself amused by Naruto, due to his similarities to Anko, and Naruto finds himself drawn to Orochimaru, because they’re both treated as monsters by the rest of Konoha. Naruto demands that Orochimaru take him on as his student so he can be strong enough to be the Hokage someday. At first, Orochimaru doesn’t relish the idea, but as the Hokage is the only one capable of breaking his seals, he eventually agrees.
From there, the story devolves into Anko and Naruto becoming rivals competing for Orochimaru’s attention and teachings. The two of them gain a sort of antagonistic sibling relationship, and it’s their interactions and rivalry that add a lot of relief and enjoyability to an otherwise serious story.
Anko’s grin is incredibly nasty. Naruto just sticks his tongue out at her and crosses his eyes, entirely undaunted.
Somehow, Orochimaru doesn’t picture their relationship improving.
Before they can continue bickering, he cuts in. “Naruto, I am well aware that you had class today. Shouldn’t you be doing your homework?”
Naruto pulls another face. “But it’s boring,” he whines. “I wanna learn an awesome jutsu, an’ we’re just learning about affinies.”
“Affinities,” Orochimaru corrects, unable to help himself. It was a habit with Jiraiya as well.
“Well, it’s boring because you’re stupid,” Anko growls, still looking aggravated—and still hanging off his elbow the way she hasn’t since she was fourteen. “Affinities are incredibly important if you’re going to be a shinobi. After all, how can you be ‘an awesome ninja’ if you don’t study?”
With a fierce scowl, Naruto tightens his grip on Orochimaru’s sleeve, winding his fingers into the fabric, and answers, “Because I’m awesome, that’s how!”
“If you don’t know anything about being a ninja and try to be one anyway, you’re just going to be awesomely dumb!”
“Like you?”
“Anko consistently scored among the highest in her class,” Orochimaru says, and if it’s a little sharp he thinks he can be excused. His temper is wearing thin. “I would not have taken her as a student otherwise.”
Anko’s grin is entirely triumphant. The boy makes another face at her, then pauses as an idea seems to come to him. “So,” he says slowly, “if I get good grades, will you be my sensei too?”
Anko huffs. “Why would he want to be sensei to some brat?” she protests vehemently. “And besides, he’s my sensei!”
“I,” Orochimaru informs them testily, “am not a possession. Cease your squabbling immediately.”
But…
It’s an interesting thought, isn’t it? The capabilities of a jinchuuriki—and the jinchuuriki of the strongest bijuu, at that. Tests don’t always have to be invasive, not where existent abilities are concerned. Sarutobi can’t even complain, because it was he who threw them together. And really, two monsters allying against a world that hates them is simply common sense.
Seven years Orochimaru has been a captive, a slave. There is no way for him to strike back, no way for him to free himself. But—
He slows his steps, coming to a halt at the very edge of the Forest of Death, and gently shakes Anko off. She shoots him a look, but is familiar enough with his tells even in her pique to know not to protest as he turns, dropping to one knee in front of Naruto. He meets blue eyes squarely, unafraid; he is the biggest monster here, after all. Jiraiya has told him so, whispered it the way he once framed words of love.
As much as I enjoy Anko’s character all the time, I’ve never really liked Orochimaru all that much until discovering blackkkat’s fics. She manages to both keep him in character—at no point does he stop being manipulative and spontaneously become a good person—while expanding on who he is and delving into the reasons why he acts the way he does.
As lighthearted as Anko and Naruto make this series, Cry Havoc can be a little dark at times. And in the sequel, there’s a scene featuring self-harm, which is something to look out for if that’s a trigger for you. You can check out White Knight, Burning Bright and its sequel here on AO3.
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The fic is told entirely from Orochimaru’s point of view: he’s spent the past seven years without the use of his chakra and unable to conduct any more experiments. Anko has become his only ally and friend, and because she’s the one person who still likes him, he finds himself grudgingly changing his opinion about her—the past seven years have taught him to actually care about her as a student and not as an ingredient in an experiment. For Orochimaru, I suppose we can call this an improvement.
The seal initially grants Naruto enhanced strength, speed, and abilities, but also causes immense pain and risks taking control of his mind. **The conflict between Naruto and Orochimaru is a central element in these fanfiction stories.** Orochimaru, a powerful and cunning villain, sees Naruto as a potential vessel for his own immortality and is willing to do whatever it takes to take control of him. Naruto, on the other hand, despises Orochimaru and seeks to protect his friends and achieve his own goals without falling into darkness. Throughout the story, Naruto's friends and mentors play an important role in helping him overcome the curse. They provide emotional support and guidance, reminding Naruto of his true strength and encouraging him to stay true to himself. **Ultimately, the main message of these fanfiction stories is the importance of staying true to one's values and not letting power corrupt them.** Naruto's struggle with the cursed seal serves as a metaphor for the challenges one faces in life, where temptation and power can lead one astray. Through his determination and the support of his loved ones, Naruto not only overcomes the cursed seal but also grows stronger as a person. This fanfiction trope of Orochimaru giving Naruto a cursed seal adds depth and complexity to the beloved character of Naruto. It explores themes of power, temptation, and redemption, further engaging fans' imaginations and allowing them to delve into the complex inner workings of Naruto's psyche..
Reviews for "The twisted gift: Orochimaru's cursed seal and Naruto's quest for redemption in fanfiction"
1. Jane - 1/5 stars - I really didn't like this fanfiction. I felt like the author didn't understand the characters or the storyline at all. Orochimaru giving Naruto a cursed seal just didn't make sense and felt out of character. The writing was also really poor, with constant grammatical errors and awkward sentences. Overall, I was extremely disappointed with this fanfiction and cannot recommend it.
2. Mark - 2/5 stars - I had high hopes for this fanfiction, but it ultimately fell short for me. The concept of Orochimaru giving Naruto a cursed seal had potential, but the execution was lacking. It felt forced and rushed, with little explanation for why Orochimaru would do such a thing. The writing itself also wasn't very strong, with awkward dialogue and unrealistic character interactions. While the idea had potential, the execution left much to be desired.
3. Emily - 1/5 stars - I found this fanfiction to be completely unbelievable and out of touch with the original Naruto storyline. Orochimaru giving Naruto a cursed seal goes against his character and motivations, and I couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy the story. Additionally, the writing was subpar with many grammatical errors and inconsistent characterization. I would not recommend this fanfiction to any Naruto fans.
4. Alex - 2/5 stars - I had high expectations for this fanfiction, but sadly it didn't live up to them. The idea of Orochimaru giving Naruto a cursed seal could have been interesting, but it felt poorly executed. The story lacked depth and the characters felt one-dimensional. The writing was also quite weak with repetitive phrases and lackluster descriptions. Overall, I was disappointed with this fanfiction and wouldn't recommend it to others.
5. Sarah - 1/5 stars - I couldn't stand this fanfiction. The premise of Orochimaru giving Naruto a cursed seal felt completely out of character and forced. The writing was also very amateurish, with numerous spelling and grammatical errors. It felt like the author didn't put much effort into crafting a coherent story or developing the characters. Overall, I was highly disappointed with this fanfiction and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.