Chapter 464: Isaribi
Umibozu's body was composed entirely of seawater, placing it in the category of a 'natural logia-type entity' where standard physical attacks held zero efficacy.
Due to a lingering sense of 'nostalgia' for his old gaming days, Masahiko refrained from dealing a lethal blow. He methodically tested ordinary Water Style, Wind Style, and even Lightning Style jutsus against the water mass, discovering that while Umibozu's raw offensive capabilities were thoroughly average, its capacity to absorb punishment was leagues above even that of the brat Naruto. Furthermore, as long as its core remained intact, it was completely immortal within the ocean.
Naturally, Masahiko wasn't nearly as courteous to the two hideous mermen who had summoned it. He struck each of them with a single flash of 'Hado No. 4: Byakurai', sending them sinking unconsciously into the dark abyss of the seabed. Presumably... they aren't capable of drowning, right?
Appraising the fully regenerated Umibozu, Masahiko nodded with absolute satisfaction: "An exceptional creature. This summoning beast shares a profound destiny with the Great Ancestor!"
Pondering for a moment, Masahiko went through a series of chest-expanding motions. Extending his dual arms outward, he systematically pressed them inward. In perfect tandem with Masahiko's movements, Umibozu was subjected to a crushing wave of raw gravitational force, its sprawling dozen-meter-wide frame rapidly compressing into a sleek, narrow column. Right after, Masahiko shifted his arms up and down, smoothly drawing his palms together...
A moment later, the colossal water anomaly Umibozu was packed into a concentrated sphere of water with a diameter of less than half a meter. Tapping his right index finger against the void, a black rift tore open, and he tossed Umibozu directly into his Water Style pocket space.
For a summoning beast whose raw output scaled linearly with the volume of available water, plunging into the Water Style pocket space caused it to instantly inflate to a monumental scale. This also served as a side testament that Masahiko's Water Style pocket space was significantly more boundless than the actual oceans of the shinobi world...
The tiny spark of Amaterasu he had absorbed earlier would likely take a full century just to burn through a fraction of it.
With the battle brought to a conclusion, Guren and Tayuya stepped back to Masahiko's side.
"Senior, is there a secret base located right inside there too?" Tayuya asked softly, gesturing toward the void rift Masahiko had just closed.
Guren paused, a face full of confusion. What secret base? Lord Orochimaru does have an actual base right here, so why on earth are you asking him about that, Tayuya?
Masahiko was also startled, casting a sneaky grin at Tayuya: "You possess an excellent amount of courage, little girl, actually cracking jokes with the Great Ancestor? Highly promising, the Great Ancestor thinks well of you!"
Tayuya offered a sheepish, modest smile, causing the corner of Masahiko's mouth to twitch. What is the situation here? Tayuya's character profile seems a bit warped. She couldn't possibly be harboring a crush on the Great Ancestor's youthful good looks, could she?
Guren was equally bewildered. Did this child turn completely brain-dead from being locked up inside Konoha's cells? I told her long ago to stay far away from that fat moron Jirobo, yet she stubbornly refused to listen...
Masahiko didn't dare let his thoughts wander down that path any further. Shifting his focus, he extended his right arm like a talon. A man sporting dark sunglasses broke through the water surface and was hoisted squarely into Masahiko's grip.
The man thrashed violently, screaming at the top of his lungs: "Guren! You actually dare to betray Lord Orochimaru! I will definitely—"
"He is the chief executive of this research laboratory. The synthesis and engineering of the mermen were entirely executed by his hands," Guren spoke impassively, completely disregarding the man's vocal threats.
"Oh? To think it wasn't Orochimaru?" Masahiko displayed a hint of surprise.
As expected, peak experts resided among the commoners. Masahiko had naturally assumed that highly sophisticated biotechnology like genetic splicing had to be engineered by Orochimaru himself.
With the man still thrashing in his grip, Masahiko drove a harsh glare through his squinted right eye. The six-tomoe Rinne Sharingan spun, and the man's body went completely rigid as his transparent soul was cleanly extracted.
Splash! The lifeless vessel dropped onto the water surface, throwing up a few scattering ripples.
"Hey! You..." Guren couldn't help but cry out in alarm. But catching a single look from Masahiko's Rinnegan, every hair on her body stood perfectly on end, and she didn't dare utter another syllable.
"The Great Ancestor is not a man who slaughters the innocent without cause, but this prick took it upon himself to deploy mermen to raid the commercial fleets of the Land of Sea, Land of Whirlpools, and Land of Water just to amass personal wealth. His death is thoroughly justified."
"What! That bastard..."
Masahiko smiled, half-closing his eyes to digest the memories of the deceased man. Showing mercy to those two mermen earlier was specifically because they belonged to the victim category, likely having been ordinary civilians of the Land of Sea originally. Since the true culprit behind the research wasn't Orochimaru, his death was of no consequence...
Genetic Modification and Splicing: Level 5 (300,000/400,000)
"An unexpected harvest." Looking at the new skill populated in his status bar, Masahiko murmured softly: "What earthly use does this have? Am I supposed to personally manufacture mermen now, or perhaps... engineer a Wolverine? That feels a bit unethical."
Having finished digesting the memories, Masahiko fell into brief contemplation. Failing to discover Orochimaru's coordinates was perfectly normal; Masahiko hadn't placed much expectation on that front to begin with. Orochimaru had seamlessly 'discarded' even a subordinate like Guren, who stood infinitely close to an S-rank ninja, so how could he possibly care about a rogue laboratory director who didn't follow protocol?
From the memories, Masahiko also gathered the exact logistics of this underwater facility. Aside from the chief executive, the base contained only those two failed mermen specimens and a vast collection of research machinery. There was zero value left in exploring it further.
Aside from those details, Masahiko's other harvest was learning that within the Land of Sea, there lived another merman—a specimen capable of seamlessly transitioning between a marine form and a normal human form, and her gender was female!
"An authentic mermaid, huh." Masahiko pursed his lips, suddenly letting out a soft sigh: "A truly pitiful child."
Pondering for a moment, Masahiko turned to face Guren and Tayuya: "The Great Ancestor is heading over to Kikai Island. The two of you can suit yourselves!"
With those words, Masahiko paced across the water and left the area, leaving the two girls staring at each other in bewilderment.
"Sister Guren?"
"...I must remain at this location to wait for Lord Orochimaru's contact."
"Did Lord Orochimaru truly..."
Masahiko slowly stepped onto the shores of Kikai Island.
Walking toward the center of the island, Masahiko reviewed the data regarding the mermaid—the young girl named Isaribi.
Because of Orochimaru's underwater research base, the Land of Sea lost an immense number of civilians every year to inexplicable disappearances. They had previously commissioned ninjas from the Land of Whirlpools to investigate, but ultimately harvested zero results.
Gradually, these missing individuals were referred to by the Land of Sea populace as victims of 'Kamikakushi' (Spirited Away), and a heavy rumor circulated that they had been abducted by the Sea Demon.
Isaribi was the sole specimen who had been 'Spirited Away' and safely returned. Once she inadvertently revealed a side of her physiology that differed from ordinary humans, a rumor immediately spread that she was the 'incarnation of the Sea Demon'.
This girl hadn't had an easy time over the past few years, roughly resembling Naruto's early childhood in the original story—hated and cast out by everyone... Consequentially, upon learning that an actual mermaid truly existed here, Masahiko didn't display an immense amount of anticipation.
Building one's own joy upon the profound agony of another—Masahiko wasn't that kind of person... Ahem, well, it also depends on exactly who that 'other' person is. If it's Madara, then it feels exceptionally comfortable.
Deep within the spiritual space, Madara suddenly let out a massive sneeze, spraying it right across the face of Hashirama, who was currently rattling his dice cup.
Hashirama wore a face full of absolute innocence, smoothly wiping it clean...
The girl named Isaribi currently held the identity of a normal fisherwoman residing on Mother Island, but Masahiko had landed on Kikai Island to find her.
This was because Kikai Island was the only place containing a fish market willing to purchase the fish Isaribi harvested. Even though the compensation offered was incredibly meager, they could... presumably be considered decent people?
In the dead center of Kikai Island, right beside a fish market stall, Masahiko successfully caught sight of the young girl Isaribi, who possessed smooth, flowing purple hair.
Sensing her physiology for a brief moment, Masahiko raised his eyebrows: "Little mermaid, the profoundly merciful and compassionate Elder of the Uzumaki has arrived to rescue you. A sorrowful, redemptive BGM should naturally play right about here..."
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