Chapter 61: Fishmen?
Chapter 61: Fishmen?
The next day.
Early morning.
After breakfast, instead of his usual physical training, Baishi took out some long-unused gear and carefully inspected it before donning it. Although confident in his abilities, he knew the importance of being prepared.
Summoning a water mirror, he looked at his fully armed reflection and nodded in satisfaction.
Dispersing the water mirror and expanding his sensory perception, Baishi chose a marker about forty kilometers away and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In an instant, he vanished from his spot.
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Meanwhile.
In the southwestern direction of Moon Island.
In the sea, a fish over half a meter long was hunting when suddenly a strange tree-shaped mark beside it lit up.
The next moment, Baishi's figure quietly appeared.
Startled, the fish didn't flee but instead bit at Baishi. Observing its sharp teeth, Baishi shook his head, reached forward, and easily grabbed its tail. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the fish shooting through the water like a cannonball, flying several dozen meters away.
However, the fish was unharmed.
Baishi wouldn't harm it; after nature's selection over the past year, only about one-third of his markers remained, and he couldn't afford to kill these creatures.
Regaining his focus, Baishi felt the surrounding water pressure and concluded he was about a hundred meters underwater. Frequent visits to the bottom of the hot spring had made him quite adaptable to rapid changes in water pressure.
Thus, he felt little discomfort after teleporting.
After a brief pause, Baishi locked onto another marker and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique again.
In a mere moment, he appeared at the port of the Land of Spices.
The direct distance between the Land of Spices and Moon Island was less than a hundred kilometers, so reaching it only required him to use the Flying Thunder God Technique twice.
Previously, he had designated this place as a site for gathering supplies, but subsequent events eliminated his need for materials, so he hadn't visited since.
Now, with a food shortage on Moon Island, he naturally thought of this place.
Compared to a year ago, although much more desolate, the people here seemed to be living in stable conditions, which he acknowledged as fortunate.
'Thinking about it, it's already the 50th year of Konoha. The Third Great Ninja War should end within this year, and soon after, Minato Namikaze will take office, and Naruto will be born.'
Baishi felt indifferent toward Naruto, the protagonist, but was quite interested in the Nine-Tails. The immense chakra of the Nine-Tails, if harnessed correctly, could significantly accelerate his evolution.
Walking down the streets, lost in thought, Baishi suddenly felt a strange sensation as if something familiar had brushed past him.
Turning around, he saw an ordinary-looking young man walking toward the end of the street.
'Chakra? A ninja?'
His sharp senses let him recognize that the individual was not ordinary.
'Why would there be a ninja here? And what was that familiar sensation just now?'
Thinking it over, Baishi followed. Normally, even if he discovered someone was a ninja, he wouldn't bother, but the faint, familiar feeling from this person intrigued him.
To avoid alarming him, Baishi kept a loose follow. With his level IV [Enhanced Senses], even from dozens to hundreds of meters away, he could easily track the man.
Soon, the man left the street and headed to a secluded beach. He looked around to see if anyone was nearby, and once he confirmed he was alone, his body flickered, transforming into a half-human, half-fish creature.
Baishi confirmed this was no transformation technique; the man had actually become a fishman.
Honestly, Baishi was perplexed, unsure what to make of this.
After the man disappeared along the shore, Baishi dredged up a memory clue.
'Land of the Sea, Demon Island, Shinobi Orochimaru.'
Several key words popped into Baishi's mind.
From his past life memories, he knew that Orochimaru had once conducted human experimentation on Demon Island in the Land of the Sea, aiming to create amphibious ninjas.
The experiment didn't go well, and Orochimaru eventually abandoned it. However, a researcher named Tenshi took over the project and, over a decade later, turned himself into a fishman. He also transformed a girl named Uohi into a half-human, half-fish creature.
'But that was supposed to be more than a decade later! Why is there a 'fishman' here now?
And judging by his appearance before transforming, his experimental completion seems even better than Tenshi's future self, certainly more than Uohi. Before transforming, there was no sign of anomaly.'
Baishi's mind was in turmoil.
Suddenly, he remembered the familiar sensation.
"Could it be?"
Baishi stepped out from the shadows and quickly made his way to the beach, diving into the sea.
[Absorbing Skin] allowed him to stay in the water for extended periods, his robust physique enabled him to move faster than a normal human underwater, and his sharp senses ensured he didn't lose track of the target.
Thus, Baishi followed the 'fishman' deep into the ocean.
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Unknowingly, an hour passed.
Baishi followed the 'fishman' to a base on the seabed.
From afar, he saw several half-human, half-fish guards, and he felt that same inexplicable familiarity from them.
"Is it really?"
Muttering, Baishi began contemplating how to infiltrate the base.
But just then, the earlier 'fishman' seemed to communicate something to the guards at the entrance, causing one of them to suddenly open its mouth, emitting a silent ultrasonic wave.
"This is... ultrasound?"
Baishi was shocked, realizing he might have underestimated these 'fishmen,' some of whom seemed to have inherited abilities typical of fish, quite remarkable.
After the ultrasonic wave was emitted, the nearby base seemed to come alive, and numerous 'fishmen' poured out, heading straight toward Baishi.
Seeing this, Baishi no longer harbored any illusions and openly revealed himself.
When the fishman guard emitted the ultrasonic wave, Baishi had already sensed his exposure. Now, it seemed his instincts were correct.
Since that was the case, there was no point in hiding any longer. He didn't believe these creatures could pose any real threat to him.
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