"How... how could this be? Arashi-nii..."
Fear was etched all over Sasame's face.
Takumi stood in front of her, preventing her from continuing to look at the horrifying sight.
"What do you want to do, Sasame?"
Takumi turned to ask her. "He is, after all, your brother. It's up to you to decide his fate."
"Should we let him go like this, or should I kill him?"
Sasame immediately fell into confusion.
"He is no longer her brother!"
Sakura said firmly. "If he were Sasame's brother, he wouldn't have said things that hurt her so much!"
"That's right. What he is now can't even be called human anymore."
Ino, for once, stood on the same side as Sakura. "Killing him might even be a release for him."
"Hmph, even in the pursuit of power, I would never choose such an ugly form."
Sasuke snorted coldly, expressing his opinion of Arashi. "The strongest Shinobi? A frog in a well with too little knowledge. There are far too many Shinobi in this world stronger than you."
"That's right! Like me, for example!"
Naruto shamelessly stepped forward, pointing at himself.
"Don't make things worse."
Sakura gritted her teeth and punched Naruto away, then looked seriously at Takumi. "Takumi-kun, don't hesitate at all. This is also to release Arashi. I believe he would forgive you."
"What are you all muttering about over there? Are you looking down on me?"
Arashi's voice lost all its former gentleness, becoming maniacal. "Jigumo, go!"
The Jigumo on his left suddenly lunged out, as if a person had grown from Arashi's back.
And this person could actually stretch its body.
Takumi took a slight step back, picking up Sasame and moving away.
Sasuke and Naruto charged forward.
"Chidori!"
The Lightning Release gathered in Sasuke's hand let out a piercing bird-like cry, and then he shot forward at incredible speed.
"Kamikiri!"
Arashi shouted again, and a person burst from his right shoulder as well, blocking Sasuke's path.
"Take this!"
Naruto acted at the critical moment, kicking Kamikiri aside.
But Sasuke's attack missed, and both of them were caught by Jigumo who took advantage of the situation, bound by tough spider silk.
"Oh no!"
Sasuke's expression changed.
Naruto struggled furiously to no avail.
"Hehehe."
Arashi let out a creepy laugh. "Aren't you coming? If you don't come, these two are going to die, you know?"
"Have you decided?"
Takumi ignored Arashi and looked down at the pale-faced Sasame.
She stared blankly at Arashi, her eyes devoid of light.
Perhaps, her heart had already shattered at this moment.
"Wake up!"
Sakura anxiously patted Sasame's cheeks. "He is no longer the person from your memories! Wake up!"
The pain in her cheeks and Sakura's words seemed to revive her.
Light returned to her eyes, and tears streamed out.
"Please... set him free."
Sasame didn't dare to look.
In this moment, it was as if she had personally sentenced her own brother to death.
"Alright."
Takumi set her down and looked towards Sasame.
"Hehehe, you think you can defeat me?"
An evil, arrogant smile appeared on Arashi's face. "Let me show you the secret technique of the Fuma Clan!"
"Fuma Shinobi Art: Curse Mandala!"
"What?!"
Sasame's face was shocked. Looking up, she saw Takumi restrained by a triangular prism-shaped light curtain that looked like a pyramid.
"Oh no! This is the strongest secret technique of the Fuma Clan! The Chakra Prison will continuously shrink, eventually crushing the trapped enemy to death."
Sasame's face was full of worry.
"Hahaha! For Orochimaru-sama to take a fancy to a waste like you! Go die!"
Seeing that he had trapped Takumi, Arashi, as if victory was assured, immediately laughed and forcefully compressed his hands.
However...
"Huh?"
Arashi was stunned.
"What's going on? Why can't I compress it?"
Looking up, he was shocked to find Takumi standing perfectly straight inside!
And the Chakra Prison on him showed no sign of shrinking.
No, that's not quite right.
It was shrinking, but it couldn't!
"Is this all you've got?"
Takumi looked at the Chakra Prison trapping him, then suddenly exerted his strength.
Crack...
With a sound like shattering glass, the entire Chakra Prison splintered into pieces.
"How is this possible?!"
Arashi was dumbfounded, his face full of disbelief.
"Even more impossible things are yet to come."
As Takumi spoke, he instantly appeared before Arashi.
Thump!
One punch.
Arashi's left arm, along with the Jigumo on his left back, was turned into a bloody pulp!
Thump!
Another punch.
Arashi's right arm and Kamikiri were shattered!
Thump! Thump!
Two more consecutive punches.
Arashi's legs were also shattered.
All of this was completed almost in an instant.
Arashi didn't even feel the pain.
It wasn't until his torso fell to the ground and he could no longer sense his limbs that the intense pain suddenly assaulted him.
"Wh-what kind of power is this?!"
Clearly, this kind of overwhelming power was something Arashi had never even heard of!
Compared to Takumi's pure strength, the power Orochimaru gave him was nothing!
Even Orochimaru himself, his strength couldn't compare to Takumi's!
"Takumi..."
At this moment, Sasame was also watching with a look of shock.
Her brother was the strongest Shinobi of the Fuma Clan, now enhanced by Orochimaru's modifications, effectively combining the power of several Fuma Clan's members.
But now…
He was taken down by Takumi with just a few punches!
"This... is true power?"
Arashi murmured to himself. In this moment, he seemed to have transformed back into the gentle Arashi he once was.
But it was a pity.
It was all too late now.
He slowly closed his eyes, waiting for the final moment to arrive.
'That guy Takumi... has his power increased again?'
Kabuto, hiding in the shadows, was sweating profusely, inwardly exclaiming.
As an experimental subject, he had personally witnessed the power of the Fuma Clan's Ninjutsu.
Yet Takumi broke through it so easily.
It was simply playing by no rules.
'It seems I must report this information to Orochimaru-sama as soon as possible.'
Kabuto found an excuse for himself and, taking advantage of not being discovered yet, immediately left through the hidden passage.
Meanwhile, Takumi slowly walked up to Arashi.
"Do you have any last words?" Takumi raised his fist and asked.
Arashi weakly lifted his head, looking at his sister beside him, her face full of sorrow. His heart was filled with a myriad of emotions, and also deep regret.
"My sister..."
"Can you please... take care of my sister."
Takumi slightly furrowed his brow, thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. I'll take care of your sister. I will look after her meticulously."
…
The next day, the sun hung high in the sky.
Outside the territory of the Fuma Clan in the Land of Rice Fields, Takumi bid farewell to Sasame.
"Are you sure you won't stay a few more days?"
Sasame hugged Takumi, asking reluctantly.
"No, we have more important work."
Takumi stroked Sasame's hair, speaking softly.
"Remember to be strong. Don't you want to revive the Fuma Clan? As the new leader of the Fuma Clan, if you don't pull yourself together, how will you lead the other clansmen?"
"But now the Fuma Clan only has me..."
Sasame's face was shy, her gaze gentle as she looked at Takumi.
"It's fine. I'll come see you from time to time."
Takumi gently leaned close to Sasame's ear, his voice soft. "Besides, your body carries my genes. The Fuma Clan will surely become strong again."
"Mmm..."
Sasame's cheeks immediately turned even redder.
But her gaze also became more tender.
"I will."
She also whispered.