Silence reigned over the battlefield as the Watermelon Mountain Puffer Ghost and Black Hoe Leiya fixed their ghostly stares on Wayne. Even a minor C‑rank Water Style technique—capable of slicing through a decapitating blade—could sever an arm of Loquat Shizang. Yet, in this realm where even A‑rank ninjutsu struggled to destroy the legendary beheading sword, such feats bordered on the surreal.
Indeed, the decapitation sword—known for its uncanny ability to absorb the iron in blood and regenerate its broken parts—had been shattered. In a later chapter of these fabled events, after Loquat Tenzo had joined the Akatsuki, he allied himself with Uchiha Itachi and stealthily infiltrated Kirigakure. There, Yagura—by then the fearsome Jinchūriki—confronted them with a Tailed Beast Bomb, ultimately reducing the beheading sword to fragments. And yet, a nagging question persisted: could the essence of a water blade truly be compared to the explosive force of a Tailed Beast Bomb?
Terumi Mei's fair face flushed with red as she clenched her fists. "My brother is the very best—are you fools trembling in fear?" she shouted, her excitement rivaling the thrill of combat. Earlier, she had poured every ounce of effort into supporting Wayne, whose renown as a "Ninja Swordsman" was not confined merely to Kirigakure. His brutal legacy had echoed across nations, a reputation that few dared challenge.
Wayne, ever the opportunist, had harnessed that very legend to his advantage. Suddenly, with a spray of crimson, the beheading sword—stained deep red—signaled its undying resolve as Loquat Shizang glared at him with unyielding hatred. Even after losing an arm, Shizang's eyes burned with vengeance.
"Do you wish to continue?" Wayne remarked coolly. "A cripple is no match for me—I won't be remembered as one who bullies the disabled."
"Don't get carried away!" roared Loquat Shizang, his voice rolling like thunder. "You insolent brat! Today, for your exploitation of my carelessness, I'll reduce you to shreds!"
Every line on Shizang's face—especially the blue veins throbbing on his forehead—spoke of his determination not to be mocked by the legends of Kirigakure. Clutching the blood-soaked beheading sword, which now twisted its broken edge into something resembling a living worm as it began to mend itself, Shizang drew in deep, steadying breaths. His eyes shone with a lethal intensity; the murderous aura he exuded could fell even the hardiest foe.
"Such raw murderous intent…" Terumi Mei whispered, awestruck. Even the elite warriors who had felled countless enemies paled before the ferocity that now emanated from Shizang. Still, Wayne's expression remained unchanged—calm, almost indifferent—as he lit a cigarette and smirked.
"This guy, Shizang, is far more dangerous than he lets on," Wayne mused quietly. "His earlier miscalculation cost him dearly."
The Watermelon Mountain Puffer Ghost and Black Hoe Leiya, however, still believed that Shizang's recent setback was simply a result of underestimating Wayne.
In the next heartbeat, as if propelled by the very wind, Loquat Shizang vanished and reappeared in a flash. "So fast!" Terumi Mei gasped. Now standing tall before Wayne, Shizang gripped his beheading sword and launched a swift, precise slash aimed at Wayne's head. With a resounding boom, the impact fractured the ground into cracks spanning more than ten meters. Instantly, Wayne recoiled, narrowly avoiding the lethal strike.
"Boy, are you frightened?" Shizang taunted, his eyes glinting with cruelty as he glanced at his broken left arm. "The pain you inflicted will be repaid tenfold!"
Unruffled, Wayne exhaled a plume of smoke and remarked with a wry smile, "The sea is dangerous. Humans must indeed be in awe of the sea." His cool nonchalance sent a shiver of dread through Shizang, a grim premonition of the impending retribution.
Before anyone could react, Shizang disappeared once more—his speed now even more staggering, leaving behind only a ghostly afterimage that even Terumi Mei could barely track.
"Brother, behind!" Terumi Mei cried out. Like a specter, Loquat Tenzo emerged from the shadows and, with a single sweeping motion, slashed at the remnants of the beheading sword. At that moment, Terumi Mei's lips parted in a sharp cry as she unleashed her Boil Style·Qiaomiao Technique—a corrosive fog so potent it could dismantle even Susanoo. Yet despair marred her eyes; the blow had already found its mark on Wayne's head.
In an instant, a resounding puff shattered the tension. Wayne's head was pulverized by the relentless force of the beheading sword, and amid a conflagration of Shizang's fury, the sword's trajectory carried him as well. A thick fog erupted, and what appeared to be Wayne's "corpse" transformed into a magnificent water source.
"Water separation… again?!" murmured the stunned onlookers, including a disbelieving Shizang. Such a recurrence defied all expectation—if one defeat had been enough, a second should have been impossible.
And then, as if summoned by fate, a torrent of water surged upward. Towering waves—exceeding ten meters in height—rolled in, and even Loquat Shizang trembled. "This… this is called water separation? The water content far surpasses even the Great Falls Technique!" he muttered in disbelief.
"Idiot," Wayne said quietly as he stepped forward, now appearing beside Terumi Mei. "This isn't a mere water avatar—it is a sea avatar!"
In that moment, the legend of the ninja swordsman was indelibly etched into the annals of history—a fierce reminder that while humans may wield powerful jutsu, the sea's avatar remains a force beyond mortal ken.