"Hey hey, big guy! Big guy!"
Kamizuki Hikari's real body had landed on the sea whale's back. Truth be told, he couldn't tell where its head or body even was—he just picked a spot that looked large enough to stand on.
The whale ignored him. Or maybe it simply didn't notice his presence at all.
Like a mosquito landing on a person—if it doesn't buzz, the person wouldn't even know it was there.
"Hey, bro, give me some attention!"
*Thwap! Thwap!*
"Come on, show some respect and respond!"
*Thwap! Thwap!*
"Wait... are you not a bro? Are you a sis?"
*Thwap! Thwap!*
Hikari had to admit, the whale's skin was ridiculously tough. After slapping it a few times, his hand was practically numb, yet the whale remained completely unfazed, still charging straight toward the wooden ship.
'Seriously, my clones are already blocking the ship. How the hell are you still sensing it?'
"If you keep this up, I'll have to get a little violent!"
As he spoke, his right hand clenched into a fist and slammed into the whale's back.
*BOOM!*
"GROOOAAAN—!"
The sheer force of the punch drove the whale nearly three meters deeper into the water.
Finally, as if registering pain, the whale seemed to realize there was something on its back.
"GROOOAAAN—!"
With another bellow, it suddenly plunged beneath the waves, submerging entirely—apparently trying to drown Hikari.
"Bro, this is just rude now."
Unfazed, Hikari strode forward, walking effortlessly atop the water's surface.
To his senses, a creature as massive as this whale radiated like a thousand-watt lightbulb—impossible to ignore, no matter how hard he tried.
---
On the wooden ship.
Once the vessel stabilized, the group returned to the railing, watching as Hikari's distant figure shrank into a tiny speck.
Seeing the whale dive, Ino perked up. "Is it... leaving?"
"It's not leaving. I didn't expect something like this to have combat instincts, but it's smarter than it looks." One of the clones above them replied coolly.
"Then... isn't Hikari-senpai in danger?"
The sheer difference in size between Hikari and the whale made the comparison laughable—he wasn't even an ant in the face of such a monster.
"Relax. There are things in the shinobi world that could threaten his life, but this whale isn't one of them." The clone shut its eyes, clearly done with the conversation.
Left with no choice, Shikamaru and the others could only watch anxiously, silently praying for this one-sided battle to end quickly.
---
"Seriously, bro, what's over there that's got you so obsessed? Just tell me, and I'll fetch it for you!"
Despite his words, the whale continued its relentless pursuit of the ship. Hikari sighed.
If this were on land, he would've already pinned the beast down and given it a thorough beating. But here, in the middle of the ocean? His options were limited—counterattacking was all he could do.
What kind of jutsu could possibly dominate against something like this? The ocean itself is the ultimate boss here.
Yet the whale, oblivious to Hikari's frustration, surged forward underwater, its speed nearly doubling compared to its surface movement.
"Big guy, you're really disrespecting me here. And that makes me very unhappy!"
"Keep this up, and I'll hit you with a Chibaku Tensei so hard you'll learn the meaning of pain!"
Of course, that was just bluster. The ocean's vastness made the gravitational pull of Chibaku Tensei far less effective than on solid ground.
As the whale closed in on the ship, Hikari's patience finally snapped.
"I said—ENOUGH!"
In an instant, his entire body brightened, his black hair turning stark white. A pure black staff materialized in his hand, elongating into a long spear.
"Go!"
The Truth-Seeking Ball, a product of mastering Yin-Yang Release, morphed mid-flight. Though the spear appeared to pierce the water's surface, it transformed beneath into a massive net, stretching out to block the whale's path.
*BOOM!*
The collision between the net and the whale's sheer mass sent violent tremors through the ocean. Smaller fish nearby were instantly knocked unconscious, floating belly-up on the surface.
"Last warning, big guy. If you come any closer, I'll have no choice but to kill you and offer your soul to the heavens!"
"GROOOAAAN—!!"
The whale's furious groan was its only response.
"You really won't listen, huh?"
"Fine. Since you lack intelligence, I won't feel guilty about this. A beast your size... dried into jerky, you could probably feed Konoha for half a year. Killing you would net at least ten million ryō. So—forgive me!"
"GROOOAAAN—!?"
Perhaps sensing the killing intent in Hikari's words, the whale—realizing this human truly could end its life—instinctively chose to dive deeper, abandoning its pursuit.
Feeling the whale retreat, Hikari didn't stop it.
As someone who valued compassion, he wouldn't take a life unless absolutely necessary.
(Danzo: I have something to say about that!)
(Hikari: You became a tree. Your lifespan's way longer now than when you were human. What more do you want?)
(Danzo: I still want to be human!)
Once he confirmed the whale had fled, the spear in his hand dissolved, his hair reverting to black.
With the danger gone, the ship slowed to a stop.
The clones dispersed without so much as a word to Shikamaru.
When Hikari finally returned to the ship, he was met with a mix of awe and bewilderment.
"Don't fall for me. I'm just a legend."
He waved them off. Even as a man, he could still feel a little shy under such admiring gazes.
"Who's falling for you? Don't flatter yourself. I'm just curious—if this is the power of a Konoha chūnin, what are the jōnin like?" Kazahana Koyuki stared at him in disbelief.
"Well, I can only speak for myself. Whether other chūnin are this strong... that's another story."
The trio nearby rolled their eyes in perfect sync—almost Hyūga-level precision.
If every chūnin in Konoha had Hikari's strength, the village would've already unified the shinobi world. They certainly wouldn't be getting pushed around by Kumogakure and Iwagakure.
"Oh... I see." Koyuki said.
"Well, I definitely don't want to be a shinobi anymore... but I can still act in movies!"
Remembering how Hikari had trained the genin, Koyuki wisely chose self-preservation over ambition.
After all—
Strength is precious, but life is priceless. And if given the choice...
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