Even though Shukaku had been reduced to such a pitiful state—so much so that even the Sage of Six Paths himself might be shocked—Sōmi showed not a shred of mercy.
Shukaku's arms hung limply at its sides, and its legs floated weakly, as if they had no strength to stand. Were it not for the four thick chains binding it tightly and suspending it in midair, it would have likely collapsed onto the ground.
The chains occasionally emitted faint yellow Chakra, which continuously drained the newly generated Chakra from Shukaku's body.
At the same time, the chains unleashed surges of powerful lightning that rampaged through Shukaku's body. The jolts were so intense that Shukaku convulsed violently, as if suffering from a severe epileptic episode.
Even after the lightning subsided, Shukaku's battered body continued to tremble, as though the spasms had become ingrained as muscle memory.
"Ugh... ugh..."
Shukaku let out feeble groans.
"Shukaku, are you ready to discuss cooperating with me now?"
Sōmi asked, his tone cold and emotionless.
"I... I... I, the Great Shukaku..."
Shukaku stammered, struggling to get the words out.
"Good! Such spirit! Then I'll leave."
Without looking back, Sōmi turned to leave the sealing space.
"W-wait! Wait!"
Out of nowhere, Shukaku summoned a burst of energy, and its voice suddenly grew louder.
"I'm willing... to cooperate with you!"
Shukaku half-opened its weary eyes and exhaled deeply as it gazed at Sōmi.
"Hmm? Are you sure?"
"If you're lying to me, do you know what your fate will be?"
"I won't give you another chance! I'll increase the Chakra extraction, leaving you with just enough to barely cling to life. You'll be trapped in an eternal state of extreme weakness, lingering in the cracks between life and death!"
Sōmi's voice was as cold as ice, devoid of any emotion.
Shukaku, ever since its creation, had rarely experienced such humiliation. Aside from a distant, cherished memory of freedom in the days of the Sage of Six Paths, its life had been one of capture and imprisonment. First, it was sealed in a black tea kettle, where it spent countless years in darkness.
When it regained consciousness, it found itself inside the body of the monk Bunpuku.
The monk grew older with time.
Later, a bald man with a blue dragon tattoo on his head began studying Shukaku daily.
Although life wasn't pleasant, at least Shukaku had regained awareness. It could resist, shout in anger, and express its frustrations.
Eventually, the bald man stopped coming, and Bunpuku grew older and more skilled in sealing techniques. The bald man disappeared entirely, never to return.
Shukaku's Chakra outbursts gradually lost their ability to affect Bunpuku, but Bunpuku, in turn, never suppressed Shukaku further. Sometimes, they even talked.
To Shukaku, however, Bunpuku's life seemed miserable. From a young age, the monk had been imprisoned in a tall tower, spending most of his days sitting in meditation and chanting scriptures.
The guards at the tower came and went, but their attitude toward Bunpuku was always hostile. The way they looked at him was eerily similar to how humans had once looked at Shukaku:
A mix of alienation, fear, disdain, loathing, and a faint trace of greed and longing.
Yet Bunpuku never showed anger or resentment, whether toward the guards or toward Shukaku itself.
Shukaku had only ever seen such a temperament in the Sage of Six Paths.
But after falling into Sōmi's hands, the once-proud and naive Shukaku, untempered by the harshness of life, had its worldview completely shattered.
It had never imagined that humans could be so cruel and terrifying.
Especially this boy—Sōmi. Back when he was learning sealing techniques from Bunpuku, he had seemed like an innocent and pure child...
In Shukaku's eyes, the image of Sōmi as a child appeared and blurred, overlapping with the present image of Sōmi standing before it. It was as if time had momentarily rewound before snapping back to reality.
As Shukaku's vision focused, the figure of Sōmi became clear—his expression cold as frost, his presence steady and unyielding, completely devoid of Bunpuku's kindness.
But Shukaku no longer cared about such details. The torment of being trapped in a state of neither life nor death was unbearable.
For the once-lazy Shukaku, who loved nothing more than napping, two months of continuous day-and-night torture had pushed its spirit to the brink of collapse.
It even began to miss the days of chatting inside Bunpuku's body—or even the dark, unconscious void of the tea kettle.
"I... I'm sure... I'll cooperate with you..."
"I'll never... go back on my word..."
Shukaku spoke in a tone filled with sorrow and frustration, with a faint hint of sobbing.
Since the day it was created, it had never endured such humiliation...
"Is that so!"
Sōmi's expression instantly changed, a smile spreading across his face.
"If you're willing to cooperate, then we're 'friends' now."
"And I can't treat a 'friend' like this..."
Sōmi glanced at Shukaku's pitiful state and muttered to himself, as if moved by compassion.
Shukaku, too drained to argue, remained silent. If it had the strength, it would have surely debated the definition of "friendship."
In the blink of an eye, Sōmi formed a series of hand seals and softly uttered, "Release!"
Clink, clink!
The chains embedded deep within Shukaku's body rattled briefly before beginning to withdraw from its form.
Though the process was painful, Shukaku merely twitched its nose and let out muffled groans, having grown numb to the sensation.
With a series of soft popping sounds, the sharp, conical tips of the chains were pulled out one by one.
"Ahhh~!"
With a long, drawn-out moan, Shukaku's eyes rolled back, its body arched, and its haunches clenched tightly together, resembling some primate reaching an extreme state of release.
Once freed, Shukaku's body collapsed backward, deflating like a punctured balloon.
Thud!
Its massive yet emaciated form fell onto the water's surface, sending ripples toward Sōmi.
But after hitting the ground, Shukaku remained motionless. Its four limbs stuck straight up like pillars, while its tail lay haphazardly to the side (with part of it tucked under its rear).
Sōmi didn't bother speaking further to Shukaku. As it fell, he could already hear the faint sound of snoring.
Seeing this, Sōmi exited the sealing space.
"Ah!"
Stretching, Sōmi stood up, loosening his sore muscles and joints.
"The bright sun shines so beautifully, the red flowers and green grass..."
Sōmi hummed an unfamiliar tune as he twisted his body.
Though, in this barren desert, there were no green grasses or red flowers—only the blazing sun.
"Kaaw!"
Suddenly, a sharp cry pierced the air.
Sōmi's expression turned serious. He knew this must mean an important message was being sent to him.
After all, he preferred to train in remote, desolate locations, making it difficult for ordinary shinobi to locate him in emergencies.
Fortunately, Sunagakure maintained a flock of messenger hawks specifically for such situations.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
Explore More Amazing Fanfiction on My Patreon!
Unlock 30+ Advance Chapters and Enjoy Exclusive Stories Early!
👉 patreon.com/GoldenLong