Chapter 10

**Forbidden Art** is the tenth chapter of *Tenkaichi Nihon Saikyo Bugeisha Ketteisen* and the third chapter of Volume 3.

## Summary

Fuma Kotaro tells Toda Seigen that she'll show him the forbidden power that makes her the strongest Fuma Kotaro of all.

Noting the strange smell, Toda questions what she just took out. As Konoe Sakihisa and Toda Shigemasa look worried, the Fifth crouches into a corner, making Hojo Ujimasa question what's wrong. Taking off the cap on the vial, revealing it to be a syringe, Kotaro reveals this to be the Fuma's secret art – **Fuma Drug Arts: Miyabi Orochi #6**.

Kotaro injects it into her neck and she begins convulsing as her blood starts pumping through her body faster. As her scleras darken and blood comes out of her eyes, Kotaro suddenly slumps to the ground. At that moment, in the minds of a select few who were watching, a violent alarm rung out. The feeling they got was that Toda was facing something clearly dangerous. Toda can smell something sweet in the air and guesses it's the drug, making him wonder how a drug can change the atmosphere so much. Intrigued, Toda dares Kotaro to come and defeat their **White Night's Eye** if she thinks she can. Kotaro finally gets up and right after, she disappears.

Toda believes it's a head-on charge but thanks to Zen, he can tell Kotaro is attacking from below. Kotaro performs a splits kick and Toda barely dodges as her attack grazes the side of his head. Just as Toda thinks about how Kotaro has gotten faster, the Fuma Empress gets behind him and swings her left fist at him. With no time to counter with his kodachi, Toda is forced to block Kotaro's attack with his left arm, which blows him back.

Shigemasa insists Toda should've been able to see Kotaro get behind him and questions if she really got that much faster. Since the Sixth has gotten faster, Hojo tells his mother that they can win this and exclaims that this is the power of the Fuma's secret drug. However, much to Hojo's surprise, the Fifth suddenly speaks and says that is no drug. Rather, **Miyabi Orochi** is a poison that is sure to kill. After the Fifth returns to barking, Kotaro starts laughing madly. Feeling his left arm hurt, Toda can still move it but recognises the bones have been broken. Kotaro then asks Toda how he would like her to kill him.

Some years ago, in a certain spot in Hakone, near Fuma Village, two Hannin walked through the forest, with one carrying the other on her back. Kurenai (later known as Fuma Kotaro the Sixth) assured Ao that they'll get back to the village together. Ao insisted Kurenai go ahead of her but Kurenai reminded her that they promised to join the Moon Team together. In the Fuma Clan, the Hannin, before becoming full-fledged shinobi, were divided into four teams, based on ability: Moon, Cloud, Wind and Earth. Ao said that she was a failure but Kurenai told her not to speak like that and promised to make it back to the village before nightfall, like the examination rules said. Kurenai swore that Ao would never be a failure on her watch.

At that moment, someone told them to cut out this little friendship game and they turned around to see Fuma Kotaro the Fifth, accompanied by two other shinobi. Fuma declared the test was over, even though Kurenai pointed out it wasn't even nightfall yet. Fuma appointed Kurenai to be a part of the Moon Team before appointing Ao to be a part of the Dirt Team. Kurenai insisted they'll be back by night and Fuma admitted that he held Kurenai in high regard. He thought that Kurenai had but one flaw: that she had too much sympathy for a failure like Ao.

Fuma said that the outstanding and the failures each have their own roles to play and that as long as Kurenai never got that, she'll never rise above the rest. Ao tried telling Kurenai it's okay when Kurenai requested that Fuma put her on the Dirt Team too, promising that she and Ao will crawl their way up from the bottom and become leaders of the clan. Slightly disappointed, Fuma agreed to before warning Kurenai that she shouldn't have hope of ever crawling out of there.

In a cave, a man escorted Kurenai and Ao into a cage, telling them that this will be their new home. The two were surprised to see three others there that all looked raggedy. Ao pleaded with the man to let Kurenai out since she only volunteered to be a part of the Dirt Team because of her but the man said she shouldn't speak without permission. He insisted dogs like them don't get to talk to people before moaning about how Fuma is such a bother for not explaining this to them in the first place. The man revealed that, when you're a part of the Dirt Team, you're no longer a human: just lab rats to test the Fuma Drug Arts.

Multiple men then came into the cage and restrained the two. The Dirt Team, including Kurenai and Ao, were used in experiments for various drugs and poisons. Their numbers were dwindling day-by-day until only Kurenai and Ao were left. One day, as they were tied to seperate pillars, Fuma appeared and said that the two had a high tolerance for poison. Kurenai aside, Fuma was happy that Ao the failure made herself quite useful as their lab rat. Kurenai asked what the drug will be this time as Ao stayed silent.

Fuma said that, thanks to them, they were able to confirm the efficacy of many drugs and poisons. There is one last thing that Fuma wanted to try: the "Limiter Removal" drug, **Miyabi Orochi #5**. He's been researching it for a long time to easily create hundreds of powerful soldiers but none have survived past ten seconds. The scientist chuckled about how things may be different if they use these two girls who have built up a resistance to the stuff. Fuma revealed he only had one on him and questioned who to give it to. Kurenai begged Fuma to give it to her as Ao can't take anymore, prompting Fuma to sigh about how Kurenai still hasn't casted aside her sympathy.

Like he told Kurenai before, Fuma believed she had incredible talent and was even thinking of letting her to start over in the Wind Team if she could've been just a little more cold-hearted and ruthless. Ao suddenly asked Fuma to use it on her as Kurenai shouldn't be in this kind of place. Kurenai couldn't believe what Ao was saying but Ao reminded her that Fuma said humans play a role according to their abilities. Ao can't do anything but Kurenai can. Ao believed she was only dragging Kurenai down and wanted her pathetic life to end. Kurenai told Ao not to say that and tried to tell Ao she loved her when Fuma began laughing. He said their friendship was beautiful before revealing he was only teasing them. He said he had only one vial but that was a lie. As two men approach with two vials, Fuma declared that the Fuma Clan had no need for failures nor those who can't abandon their sympathy. Kurenai shouted at him before her and Ao were injected with **Miyabi Orochi #5**.

As Kurenai shouted for Ao, blood began spilling out of Ao's eyes and mouth before she was left screaming as blood came out of every orifice of her face. Struggling against her restraints, Kurenai yelled as the scientist was impressed that Kurenai was still alive. That's when Kurenai's muscles suddenly grew and she broke out of her restraints, much to the surprise of Fuma and the scientist, the latter of whom exclaimed that this exceeded his hypothesis. Charging forward, Kurenai yelled at Fuma for killing her dog before punching him with extreme force, so much that his left eye came out of its socket.

After killing the scientists and the men that injected them with the drug, Kurenai went over to Ao's corpse and asked her to wake up. As she cried, Kurenai promised to take better care of Ao and this time and give her all the affection she wants. As Kurenai kept urging Ao to wake up, Fuma lied on the ground as he came to the conclusion that he misjudged the relationship between the two. As Kurenai turned to look at him, Fuma realised he had given birth to a monster.

In the present, the Fifth recounts how he slew the dog she loved so much and became her dog in her place. Shaking, the Fifth admits he gave power to one who should not have it and calls Kotaro the strongest of them all. Whenever Kotaro takes **Miyabi Orochi #6**, it's as if she gains god-like power. Saying the battle's over, Kotaro declares it is now playtime for them.

## Appearing Characters

* ***Ao*** (flashback)
* ⁵ᵗʰFuma Kotaro
* ⁶ᵗʰFuma Kotaro
* Hojo Ujimasa
* Konoe Sakihisa
* Mori Ranmaru
* Toda Seigen
* Toda Shigemasa
* Yagyu Munenori