"Careful!" On the Conch, many crew members shouted loudly.
Akahana and Tenma, seeing Shigeo fighting three enemies alone, jumped down from the ship to help.
But the burly black-skinned man swung a fist straight into Tenma's face, while Akahana's few jutsu were cleverly dodged by the pirate using Suiton (Water Release). Then, Akahana was yanked directly into the sea.
Seeing this, Shigeo immediately used Shoton (Crystal Release), piercing straight down to end Tagiri's life in an instant. Then he withdrew the chakra under his feet and sank into the sea, chasing after Akahana.
In the water, everything was blurred. The Suiton ninja mixed a strange mist into the seawater, trying to disrupt his opponent's vision.
But he forgot—Shigeo couldn't see at all. Everything he perceived in the day was an image projected into his mind through the mirror system. So the mist-stirred seawater couldn't block him.
As soon as he entered the water, Shigeo immediately locked onto the rogue ninja from Kirigakure and charged at him.
The enemy had already wondered why this kid always kept his eyes closed. When he came face to face with him, he was shocked to realize—he was blind.
The rogue gripped Akahana's neck, his eyes full of threats.
But the next moment, Suiton surged from all directions, like blades stopping right in front of him. Opposite him, the child's face was like ice, as if he didn't care at all about the kunoichi's life in his enemy's arms.
"Pfft!" Just as the rogue hesitated whether his hostage could threaten his opponent, a chakra water blade stabbed into his back. The intense pain froze his body.
The next instant, the woman in his grasp was pulled away, and when he tried to reach for her, the surrounding chakra water blades encircled him completely.
He wanted to use Suiton to escape, but the water blades were locked onto him. If he moved even slightly, they would stab right into his body. At that moment, a stream of water lifted him to the surface. He wondered, why hadn't this kid killed him when he had the chance?
On the other side, Shigeo carried Akahana out of the sea. After catching her breath, she said, "Thank you, you saved me again!"
With one motion, Shigeo threw her back onto the Conch and said, "You all go first. Leave this to me!"
The captain nodded heavily. "You can fly. I believe you'll catch up soon. You must come after us. I really have to thank you—thank you so much!"
Finishing his words, Kurein, the captain, didn't dare to linger. He quickly ordered the ship to depart.
He chose to leave immediately for two reasons: first, because he trusted Shigeo's strength, and second, because he feared the pirates weren't only three men and might have reinforcements.
If three were already this difficult to handle, then if backup arrived—even with a godlike child protecting them—they would all surely die.
So leaving quickly was helping the boy instead of dragging him down. That was the wisest choice.
Meanwhile, the pirate named Dahei was still entangled with Tenma. Tenma was no match for him, and in the fight, he accidentally took a heavy blow, spitting blood. Fortunately, Shigeo arrived just in time to block Dahei's next attack, giving him a chance to breathe.
"Captain Tenma, your mission is to protect the merchant ship. Please hurry and catch up to the Conch," Shigeo said while trading taijutsu blows with the black-skinned brute.
Despite his small frame, Shigeo moved with incredible speed and strength. Even against the taijutsu expert, he showed no sign of being at a disadvantage.
Seeing this, Tenma nodded. "Then I'll leave this to you, little brother!"
If not for the boy's presence, the people on the Conch would already have perished.
Tenma dared not stay longer and rushed to pursue the ship.
On the sea, Shigeo fought the power-type pirate, while the other, Minamo, stood surrounded by the chakra water blades, wondering how to escape.
He stood injured on the water's surface, unable to move without risking being cut down.
Who exactly was this kid? He could fight while still maintaining the water blade technique—unbelievable.
Minamo regretted that, as a rogue ninja from Kirigakure, he had mastered only Fūton (Wind Release) and Suiton. If only he had Katon (Fire Release), he could counter these blades. But he had no fire affinity.
He had never seen a jutsu like this before. In his knowledge, Suiton's weapon was raw force. He had heard of Fūton creating blades of wind, but never imagined Suiton could form blades of water.
On the surface, they looked like harmless streams of water.
But he knew—these water blades were lethal. One wrong move and they would slice him apart.
How was it even possible? He had trained Suiton for over twenty years, and it was the first time he'd seen such mastery.
This was a technique Shigeo had developed himself, requiring incredible chakra control and reserves. Otherwise, it wouldn't even be possible to hold streams in the air, let alone shape them into blades.
Compared to Fūton: Kaze no Yaiba (Wind Blade), Suiton: Mizu no Yaiba (Water Blade) was several times harder. But Shigeo had mastered it completely.
"Pfft—ahhh!"
On one side, Shigeo finished off the pirate Dahei, kicking him flying before striking with Raiton (Lightning Release), frying him to a crisp and dropping him into the sea. Then he turned to face Minamo, who was still trapped.
Floating in midair, Shigeo asked, "I heard you've been roaming this sea for more than ten years. You must have collected plenty of treasure. Today, I'll give you two choices—your money or your life?"
His big, innocent eyes blinked adorably, his childlike voice sounding almost cute. If not for the killing intent in his words, no one would believe that a six-year-old boy was threatening a bloodthirsty pirate for money.
"You—you—you…" Minamo stammered, staring at the child as if he were some sea monster ready to devour him.
(End of Chapter)
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