The piercing sound near Roga Nadare's ear vanished, finally allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.
The fact that his opponent dismissed the Ninjutsu meant he was letting him go, didn't it?
Just as he was thinking this, he also heard footsteps approaching him.
Instantly, his heart clenched again. Whether he survived now depended entirely on his opponent's mood.
Takuno walked up to Roga Nadare and said.
"Raise your head."
Roga Nadare dared not resist at all. He raised his head, revealing his dirty and disheveled appearance.
Takuno placed his finger on Roga Nadare's forehead. In that instant, countless incantations spread from his finger, surging into Roga Nadare's body.
Roga Nadare sensed something ominous, but he still did not resist.
Because if he didn't resist, he might still live, but resisting would certainly lead to death.
"Stand up. We'll wait a moment for the other two," Takuno said after withdrawing his finger.
Roga Nadare respectfully stood up, not daring to ask what the incantation was meant to do.
Soon, Takuno's two Shadow Clones arrived, bringing Fubuki Kakuyoku and Fuyukuma Mizore with them.
Fubuki Kakuyoku, who had been scared unconscious, was now awake, and like the other two, she had absolutely no intention of resisting.
The two Shadow Clones then dispersed. After receiving their memories, Takuno knew that they had also finished setting up the Sealing Jutsu.
After all, this was the initial plan.
"You must be curious about the purpose of the Sealing Jutsu I cast on you, aren't you?" Takuno said.
The Snow Ninja Trio exchanged glances and nodded.
"Its name is the 'Death Curse Seal'."
As Takuno finished, he saw the Snow Ninja Trio's eyes widen. Just from the name alone, they knew this was certainly no harmless Sealing Jutsu.
"Then, allow me to let you experience it briefly." Takuno's lips curled into a smile, and then he snapped his fingers.
"Uwaaaah!!!"
Instantly, in this icy, snowy expanse, three people were rolling on the ground and screaming in agony. They clutched at their heads with their fingers, their fingernails even tearing their skin and drawing a little blood.
Even that wasn't enough; they wished they could smash their heads against the ground.
At this moment, Takuno snapped his fingers again.
Then, the pain afflicting the Snow Ninja Trio finally vanished, and they collapsed onto the ground, looking as if they had been completely drained of all strength.
Takuno was not surprised by their reaction; this Sealing Jutsu was one he had tested numerous times, and it had even been upgraded.
In the past, it was a relatively easy Sealing Jutsu to undo, but now, if one was not proficient in Sealing Jutsu, it would not be easy to break his 'Death Curse Seal'.
However, it could still be undone, which is why he placed more than just one Sealing Jutsu on these three people.
His ordinary subordinates did not require this because they could not access Shinobi proficient in Sealing Jutsu, but these three were different, so he gave them special attention.
After a long while, Takuno looked at the three people still sprawled on the ground and said, "Get up."
"Yes!"
Hearing this, the Snow Ninja Trio immediately scrambled to their feet, terrified that Takuno would become angry over their sluggishness and activate the 'Death Curse Seal' once more.
Experiencing that kind of pain once was enough for them; that feeling of wishing they were dead made them absolutely unwilling to go through it a second time.
Now, the three looked at Takuno with eyes that held even greater fear than before, coupled with complete submission. Their opponent had already grasped their lives and deaths, and with that Sealing Jutsu, the hope in their hearts slowly faded away.
Now they only wanted to serve Takuno well and pray that he would not use the Death Curse Seal again.
Takuno looked at them and felt quite satisfied. This was the power of the Death Curse Seal.
Actually, he could have used the Death Curse Seal from the start; it wasn't difficult for him. But the problem was that if he didn't demonstrate power that drove them to despair, they might try to undo the Death Curse Seal after he left.
However, even after demonstrating this power, they might still try to undo the Death Curse Seal, so... "In addition to this, you have another type of Sealing Jutsu on you," Takuno said with a laugh.
Hearing Takuno's words, the Snow Ninja Trio felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave. One Death Curse Seal was enough to torment them, and now there was another Sealing Jutsu?!
Takuno then said, "This Sealing Jutsu generally won't activate. It only activates when someone tries to undo the Death Curse Seal. As for the effect..."
He slowly walked up to Fubuki Kakuyoku, looked into her terrified eyes, placed two fingers on her chest, and said, "This spot will explode."
Instantly, cold sweat poured down the faces of all three. They immediately knelt and said, "From now on, we belong to you, Lord, and we will absolutely obey your commands!"
Takuno smiled, saying with interest, "You could also try undoing the other Sealing Jutsu first. If you fail to undo it, it will activate as well~"
"Your subordinates wouldn't dare!" The three buried their heads even lower.
"It is right not to dare. Can you guess why I was able to easily inscribe the Sealing Jutsu on you, yet still had to beat you into submission first?" Takuno said.
The Snow Ninja Trio dared not reply. In their minds, they couldn't help but recall the despair-inducing figure of their opponent during their battle. At this moment, all their hope was shattered by self-negation.
Perhaps, they would never be able to escape his grasp in this lifetime.
Takuno looked at them. He wasn't sure if he had left an unchallengeable impression in their hearts.
However, even if they disobeyed, it didn't matter.
Actually, they had a third type of Sealing Jutsu on them, the most hidden one, which allowed him to track their location.
Once those two Sealing Jutsu were broken, he would find them and kill them.
However, the possibility of this happening was small, as he was very confident in his Sealing Jutsu. This was merely a precaution.
Furthermore, taking them as subordinates was simply because he didn't want the hassle of recruiting suitable helpers from elsewhere. It wasn't that only these three could do the job; it would just be slightly more troublesome otherwise.
"Also, if you work for me, I won't treat you unfairly," Takuno said casually.
The Snow Ninja Trio exchanged glances and said in unison, "Thank you, Lord!"
However, what they were thinking was that they didn't need any rewards; they would be eternally grateful just if he stopped using the Death Curse Seal on them!