Orochimaru's Juinjutsu


 * Name:
 * Type: Juinjutsu, Kinjutsu, A-rank, Supplementary, Short range (0-5m)
 * User: Orochimaru
 * Debut (Anime): Naruto Episode 30
 * Debut (Manga): Chapter 49

The cursed seals were one of the most frequently-used jutsu of Orochimaru in the series (before he was permanently sealed and incapacitated), which he usually gave to his most powerful and unique followers. To apply a cursed seal, Orochimaru needed to bite his intended target. As he had sharp fangs and an extendable neck, this was a relatively simple task. The seal then appeared on the body of the victim at the point of application, and they subsequently lost consciousness. The design of the seals varied from person-to-person. Sometime later, had the victims survived, they would awaken with the first level of the seal active and be enraged due to the seal's influence. The seals worked by forcibly drawing chakra from the user's body, giving the user a chakra capacity beyond what they would normally be capable of, as well as increased physical performance, especially in battle.

Overview
The seal had two different levels (the first and the second), and the types of transformations differed from user-to-user. When inactive, the seal was simply a black tattoo or design on the user's body at the point where Orochimaru originally bit him/her. Each seal always had three identical marks arranged in a circular pattern. When first activated, the marks on the seal glowed and replicated, spreading over the user's body in flame-like patterns. This was known as the first level of the seal. The degree to which this occured was dependent on the user, and the degree to which it spread was proportionate to the overall effect it had. Normally, the wearer of the seal would experience slight pains during the activation of this level.

The second (and final) level of the seal caused the black marks to completely envelop the user's body. This was followed by unnatural alterations of the body, with the only common features being yellow eyes with a black sclera, skin changing color, and longer hair. When in this level, the seal took control over the user's mind and personality, driving them to madness if used too long. It also took quite a toll on their body, since they were being mutated by the seal in this level. Aside from the first and second levels of the seal, skilled users of the seal were able to perform partial transformations in which the aforementioned mutation caused to the user's body in the level two state could be used without altering the entire body. The power of the cursed seal could even synchronize with the user's regular body with extended use, increasing the stats of their normal state for a short time. .

Because the seals forcibly drew chakra from the user, they would often kill the user when first applied. Orochimaru had averaged a ten-percent success rate when applying these seals on his targets. Additionally, even if the user survived, their body would not be able to easily control the power of the seals given to them. To compensate for this, Orochimaru developed the Seishingan drug. The drug forced the user's body to become accustomed to the unnatural increase in power, but also killed the one who takes it. The sealing jutsu Four Black Fog Battle Formation and Dark Sealing Method, used by Sound Four on Sasuke Uchiha, were used to keep the drug from killing the user by placing them in a temporary death state.

Orochimaru originally developed the cursed seals through experimentations on a man named Jugo, whose body naturally produces an enzyme that triggers a state, on which the cursed seal is based. The difference between Orochimaru's seals and the unrefined enzyme are the effect that they have: while the cursed seal is controllable, the unrefined enzyme, extracted from Jugo, produces uncontrollable rage and madness in those exposed to it, including Jugo himself, and the effects cannot be controlled. Similarly, Jugo is not limited to a single transformation, and can change the advantages of his form to fit the situation.

Cursed Seal of Heaven

 * Wearers: Sasuke Uchiha, Anko Mitarashi

Cursed Seal of Earth

 * Wearer: Kimimaro

Animal Cursed Seal

 * Wearer: Mizuki

Sound Four's Cursed Seals

 * Wearers: The Sound Four

Team Guren (Anime Only)

 * Wearers: Nurari, Kiho, Kigiri