The ice sphere continued its relentless descent into the ocean.
As the minutes ticked by, it passed the 200-meter mark... 300 meters... 500 meters... 1000 meters!
At this depth, they were far from the surface. Looking up, the moonlight was a ghost of a memory, nearly invisible. The surrounding world was sinking into a cold, silent tomb of darkness, yet the ice sphere—its density magically altered by ninjutsu—kept plunging toward the abyss.
"Strange!"
Kisame Hoshigaki frowned deeply, staring at Ren Uchiha with growing confusion.
Through his sensory link, he could feel the meager scraps of chakra remaining in Ren's body being pulled out by the surrounding water, drifting toward him to be absorbed. But the amount was pitifully small. By Kisame's estimation, Ren didn't even have enough chakra left to perform a single Water Colliding Wave.
How can someone with such a legendary reputation, someone who defeated so many powerhouses, have such a pathetic chakra pool?
"And also—"
Kisame's gaze drifted to the thousand-plus sharks circling Ren. They were swimming in a wide perimeter, refusing to close the gap. Confusion clouded his small, bead-like eyes.
Why won't the Thousand Feeding Sharks I summoned from the deep actually bite him?
It felt as though the sharks were instinctively terrified of the boy, as if his very existence crushed them on a biological level—a hierarchy of life so overwhelming they didn't even dare to approach.
"Furthermore, we've passed a thousand meters... why does this kid look like nothing is happening!?"
Ren Uchiha was currently blowing bubbles. He accidentally swallowed a mouthful of seawater, nearly choking himself, and was now thumping his chest and coughing loudly. His vibe was less "ninja in a death trap" and more "tourist having a rough day at a reef."
Kisame found it unacceptable. This kid's style is getting weirder by the second!
At a depth of 1,000 meters, the pressure is immense—roughly 1,000 tons per square meter. Even with his Samehada fusion and unique physiology, Kisame felt like dozens of elephants were standing on his back. Every movement was a struggle.
I can't wait any longer. If we go deeper, even I won't be able to stand it!
Lethal intent flashed in Kisame's eyes. "Alright, then. Now is the time!"
But just as he finished his monologue, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. Frowning, he assumed a stray shark had bumped into him, but then a curious voice whispered right in his ear:
"So, what do you plan to do?"
Kisame froze. His body turned rigid as he slowly, mechanically looked over his shoulder.
There, standing right behind him, was the same Ren Uchiha who had just been "helplessly" blowing bubbles in the water prison.
"You—"
A heavy, suffocating blanket of terror wrapped around Kisame. This time, the glow coming from Ren's heart was growing brighter... and brighter...
Until—
A hand clamped onto the fin atop Kisame's head. An irresistible force wrenched his head back, forcing him into a direct, helpless gaze with a pair of scarlet Sharingan.
Ren stared at the fused Kisame—who now looked like a terrified, 200-pound child—and let out a predatory grin.
"You like diving that much? Small fry!"
The three black tomoe spun. A blinding, agonizing light swallowed Kisame's vision. A flash of madness, almost devoid of reason, flickered in Ren's eyes. Within his pupils, the horizontal bar of his Ketsuryūgan was being forcibly consumed and integrated into a sharp, vertical slit by the sheer, terrifying volume of natural energy.
His eyes were now sharp, draconic vertical slits surrounded by three rotating tomoe!
"Then I'll let you dive to your heart's content!"
Ren gripped Kisame's head. His five fingers were like iron pincers, squeezing with such force that Kisame felt his skull was about to implode.
"Wait... wait—"
Kisame's shark eyes went wide. His hair stood on end, and cold sweat broke out across his brow. His heart hammered against his ribs in sheer panic. "What are you doing?! What are you doing!?"
"Stop! No, don't squeeze—Hrrgh-agh-AAAAAAHHH!"
"I told you!" Ren laughed with brutal violence. "Small fry! I'm going to let you dive... FOREVER!!!"
Ren sank into a low stance, his feet finding purchase on the unsupported water. The sheer force of his movement created a thundering boom, carving out an eight-meter vacuum bubble in the sea.
Using that momentum, he swung his arm back, clutching Kisame's head like he was winding up for an NFL-caliber throw.
—BOOM!!!
The centrifugal force alone nearly snapped Kisame's neck. A scream of pure agony was lost in the water as his eyes filled with blood and terror. "Stop! Please stop!"
Ren was deaf to his pleas. He flipped himself upside down, aiming Kisame's head straight for the seabed.
And then, he launched him.
Screeeeeeeee—
The instantaneous release of force heated the surrounding ocean to its boiling point, creating a sharp, whistling shriek of steam. Bubbles erupted frantically from the deep.
As for the projectile—Kisame Hoshigaki—it was as if a rocket engine had been strapped to his heels. He became a blur of motion, a living arrow.
In a single heartbeat, he was driven from the hazy twilight of the mid-depths down four thousand meters into the crushing dark of the ocean floor.
—THOOM!!!
A massive roar echoed from the depths, as if a small nuclear warhead had detonated on the riverbed. The sea surged violently. Far below, in the absolute darkness, a white line of vacuum marked the trajectory.
Blood and viscera blossomed in the water, a grim cloud of red and white.
At 4,000 meters, scientists would later joke that the pressure is equivalent to 1,000 African elephants standing on your back. No matter how "immortal" Kisame thought he was, he was dead.
As for why Ren was so sure?
"Ah... well." Ren frowned, looking at his hand. He was still holding onto a pulped, mangled head that hadn't quite made the trip. "Messed up the strength a bit. Half of him didn't get thrown."
He shook off the mess of crushed bone and meat. Then, reaching into the gory remains, he pulled out a shivering, serrated blade that was trying its best to play dead. He looked at it with mild surprise.
"The Great Sword Samehada, huh? Pretty good quality. It's mine now!"
Back on the surface:
"Why is Kisame taking so long!?"
Byaran paced nervously on the water, his brow furrowed in anxiety. "The pressure of a thousand meters, the cold of the ice, the suffocation, the chakra drain... with all that, has he still not finished that brat?!"
"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"
"How is he this difficult?! Why am I so unlucky?! Why did I have to run into him here!?"
"If I waste Uchiha Madara's time, he'll kill me!!"
Byaran's teeth chattered as he ranted, his composure completely shattered by fear and frustration. Suddenly, a white, swirling head poked out from his shoulder.
"Hehehe~" Zetsu giggled. "Third Lord, are you talking about the little Uchiha kid?"
"Heehee, he's not that easy to kill! You're going to have to use my power eventually. So, why not tell me now—what does it feel like to poop?"
"No!" Byaran turned, his blue eyes snapping open in a fit of rage as he glared at Zetsu. "Absolutely impossible! No one can survive in that environment! Not even... Uchiha Madara!"
But the moment those words left his mouth, a frantic chain of bubbles erupted from the depths below. They slammed into the surface with the sound of cannon fire.
Byaran's face went pale. He looked down into the dark, bottomless ocean.
There, in the lightless abyss, a sun had suddenly begun to shine.
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