Chapter 686 - 19: Peak Form (Part 3)
Yokomae Sohaku’s grasp of human nature made him deeply convinced of his judgment.
Dragging his still trembling hands, he desperately controlled himself to keep running towards the river, while shakily drawing two shurikens from his belt and holding them in his mouth.
These two shurikens were the only metal weapons on him, and their surfaces were also poisoned.
However, the poison from the giant lizard needed to contact blood to be effective. He did not have mouth ulcers, so as long as he didn’t cut his lips or tongue while holding the shurikens in his mouth, he wouldn’t be affected by the poison.
That terrifying Eastern Martial Artist was getting closer, and he had to throw these two shurikens to force his enemy to dodge, buying himself precious time to escape.
At this moment, Yokomae Sohaku was only thankful that he hadn’t just mastered conventional ninjutsu to an extraordinary degree, but had also practiced the rare technique—
It’s an uncommon hidden weapon technique that requires tightly biting the end of the darts and then using waist power to propel the neck and shoulders to release the dart while running.
Common ninjas, as long as they could throw a dart with considerable force, could be considered experts.
Yet Yokomae Sohaku not only mastered throwing darts from any position, but also ensured the darts’ accuracy. Though not perfectly precise, within three to five meters he could hit the target without fail.
Training to this level, his originally tidy teeth became loosened and crooked from biting and throwing darts, illustrating the sweat and pain he endured.
The so-called "ace up the sleeve" or "bottom box trick" referred to strange and skillful maneuvers like these.
It was precisely because of mastering various ninjutsu that Yokomae Sohaku could glimpse a sliver of life in a hopeless situation.
...
In a full burst of speed, the Japanese ninja could no longer maintain the superiority of speed—
Even if he had superior dodging skills and appeared more nimble, in the face of absolute speed superiority, these only became humorous.
In a breath, Chen Zhou had already caught up with Yokomae Sohaku from behind, and just when his palm was about to touch the ninja’s shoulder, Yokomae Sohaku’s body abruptly fell downward while simultaneously launching a shuriken with restrained cold gleam, targeting Chen Zhou’s face.
Chen Zhou, with his spirit tightly wound, was at the peak of reaction, and by slightly dodging, he evaded the hidden weapon.
Before he could continue his chase, the almost about-to-fall Yokomae Sohaku supported himself with one arm on the ground, took another half step forward, and shot another shuriken from his mouth.
Dodging these two shurikens delayed Chen Zhou slightly more than a second, and within this second, Yokomae Sohaku exploded with the fastest speed of his life, enduring the excruciating pain of a dislocated shoulder after impact, and plunged into the water.
The torrential water flow was extremely muddy, with mud and bone-chilling cold in the water, ordinary people immersed in it wouldn’t even dream of controlling balance, let alone resisting being swept away by the current.
Yet Yokomae Sohaku, as if he grew up in this water region, slightly swayed his body once entering the water, stepping on water effortlessly.
Holding his dislocated arm, with no time for relocation, Yokomae Sohaku began diving deeper while extracting a hollow reed from his bosom.
Without this breathing tube, Yokomae Sohaku could only operate underwater for 6 minutes at most, but with it, he could almost stay underwater all day.
Having just entered the water, Yokomae Sohaku knew the Eastern Martial Artist would definitely pursue relentlessly, so he had to stay underwater until he couldn’t hold his breath or until the crisis was over.
With legs digging into the mud on the riverbed sides, fixing his body without causing too much water fluctuation, to avoid aiding his enemy in pinpointing his location.
Watching the muddy river water nervously, Yokomae Sohaku could even clearly hear his heart racing.
Whether in his youthful ninja training or his famed meetings and exchanges with masters worldwide, he had never encountered such a strange opponent; he even felt this Eastern Martial Artist wasn’t human but a beast covered in human skin.
In the water, each passing minute seemed extended, causing extreme torment.
Yokomae Sohaku held the reed tube with one hand silently reciting the ninja nine-character mantra, using "Rin, Pyo, Toh, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen" to numb himself, praying that the enemy would be distracted by the American soldier and not continue pursuing.
This Taoist exorcism spell had helped him overcome obstacles numerous times in his life, bringing him fame and fortune, aiding him in completing one challenging task after another.
But deep in his heart, Yokomae Sohaku never felt these nine characters so powerless.
Less than 2 seconds later, he heard a sound from the shore which plunged him into despair.
"隠れた?今捕まえに行くよ."
That’s somewhat awkward Japanese, meaning—
"Hiding? I’m coming to catch you!"
Immediately after, a muffled "splash" sounded in the water not far away; he could only see a blurred shadow diving underwater with unimaginable speed, then shooting toward him like a cannonball.
"Run!"
The only thought Yokomae Sohaku’s mind had time for, as an iron-claw-like large hand stretched out from the torrent, accurately clutching his throat.