Shuji stood steadily atop the restless sea, chakra flowing beneath his feet like invisible rock. Across from him, Komainu stood on the water's surface, his dark chest armor gleaming coldly under the bleak dawn light.
Shuji turned his wrist and caught the scroll tube bearing evidence against the Chasan Group and Jirōchō Wasabi's report to the daimyō—entrusted to him—securely in his palm. Meeting Komainu's pressing glare, his calm voice cut through the roar of waves: "There are two copies of the evidence. One is with my messenger; the other is here. If you attack this ship, I will depart immediately for Nazaki Island to present it myself to the daimyō. Or…"
"We settle this privately. I promise this ship will not sail until we reach a resolution."
Komainu's eyes narrowed, and a hoarse, metallic laugh rumbled from his throat. "Konoha ninja—your target is me? Intriguing…" He cocked his head, his neck crackling like rusted gears.
"Very well," Shuji said. "It spares me extra effort, as you wish."
At that moment, Komainu struck—not charging but lunging his body forward in a single, sudden movement that tore a black blur through the foaming sea between them!
It was his right arm!
The arm stretched unnaturally to several times its length, its skin a ghastly gray-blue. Five clawed fingers, black and hooked, emitted a rank metallic stench as they lashed straight for Shuji's face!
The speed left only a twisted afterimage.
Shuji's pupils constricted. Chakra surged under his feet as he dashed his body diagonally right across the water's surface. The clawed strike skimmed the fabric of his left shoulder, carving a slash through his reinforced vest with a sharp tear.
Komainu's blow missed cleanly; his expression remained unreadable. His elongated arm coiled back like a whip and sought Shuji's back with uncanny precision—his free body glided across the sea toward Shuji's vulnerable rear!
With no support beneath him, Shuji inhaled deeply and drove power from his core, twisting his form midair. His right hand flashed into his tool pouch, emerging with three kunai clasped between his fingers. He flicked his wrist, sending the blades not at Komainu's body, but precisely at the joints of that unnatural arm!
The kunai struck the gray-blue limb like daggers biting into oiled, hardened vines—leaving only shallow white scars before bouncing off and plummeting into the sea. The strike merely delayed the arm's momentum by an instant; it recoiled and lashed toward Shuji again with fetid speed!
Hard…very hard…
Shuji landed on the water, chakra stabilizing his stance.
He formed seals immediately:
Water Release: Surging Wave!
A vast wall of churning water rose beneath him, as if stirred by an invisible hand, creating a tumultuous wave barrier several meters high. The wall bore immense force and smashed directly into Komainu, engulfing both his body and grotesquely extended arm!
Boom—!
The roar of crashing water echoed across the sea. White foam and murky spray flew in all directions as the wave carved a deep crater into the surface.
Mist swirled, and Komainu reappeared, still standing on the water—as if untouched—his position unchanged! That stretched arm and severed head coiled back with the same eerie flexibility.
Dark bruising rimmed the severed neck where Shuji's kunai had struck, yet no blood flowed—only viscous black fluid oozed and resealed the wound before one's eyes.
His armor bore dense indentations from the water's high–pressure assault.
Komainu raised a hand and nonchalantly wiped the healing wound, black ichor staining his fingertips. He paused, then licked the ichor from his finger with a savage relish. His gaze shifted back to Shuji, no longer mocking but appraising, as if examining a novel prey.
"Manipulation jutsu alone achieves so little," Komainu said, excitement creeping into his voice. "Your blood…what does it taste like?" He leaned forward, arms hanging, black nails glinting ominously in the dim light. Every joint crackled with silent, coiled tension.
This opponent's bizarre physiology and resilience far exceeded expectations. Conventional water-style attacks and taijutsu were barely effective. His gray-blue flesh and fused bones repelled blunt and cutting strikes alike. His only weakness lay…
Shuji's gaze drifted to the dark armored chest plate that had held firm against the water dragon strike.