The warm morning sun rose over the horizon, shining on the Bloody Mary as she drifted along the middle of the river.
"Looks like we're in for some nice weather today."
The clear skies lifted Kazuhiko Uchiha's spirits considerably. Sitting on the cabin roof, he took out the training scroll for the C-rank Fire Release Ninjutsu, the Phoenix Flower Technique, from among his parents' belongings and began studying it.
After a night's rest, the expedition members woke one after another, washed up, ate, and then went about their own business.
"Hello, hello? Can you hear me?"
"What about now? Can you hear me?"
Gail was responsible for overseeing the expedition's work, so she had to report their latest progress to the higher-ups every day. But getting a signal in such a remote rainforest was extremely difficult. She could only move around, looking for somewhere with slightly better reception while trying to communicate with the staff member on the other end.
"Oh, this damned rainforest!"
Ultimately unable to get through, Gail cursed, jabbed the end-call button on her phone, and leaned against the side of the boat in frustration.
Gail's luck was truly terrible. The spot she leaned against happened to be the bow's side gate, where the gangplank connected to the dock. Whether it hadn't been properly locked or the Bloody Mary was simply in disrepair, the gate suddenly swung open under her weight. Caught completely off guard, Gail lost her balance and fell into the murky river with a splash.
"Help! Somebody help me!"
Gail struggled in the water and cried for help, throwing the expedition members into a panic. For a moment, the scene descended into chaos.
Kazuhiko Uchiha immediately stopped studying his ninjutsu, returned the scroll to his system storage, and moved to Dr. Jack's side to protect him.
The burly Jordan reacted as well, shouting at Achuan, the sailor steering the Bloody Mary, "Hey, buddy! Stop the boat!"
Achuan was a highly skilled helmsman. At Jordan's shout, he immediately brought the boat to a stop. Everyone hurried to the stern, preparing to rescue Gail.
Gail could swim; her earlier cries had merely been an instinctive reaction. Once she recovered her wits, she began swimming toward the stern on her own. Seeing that she was unharmed, everyone finally relaxed.
"Hey, Gail! Is the reception better underwater than it is on the boat?"
"You bastard, Jordan! Once I get up there, I'll kick you in so you can try it yourself."
Jordan, who had never quite gotten along with Gail, laughed and teased her at the sight of her bedraggled state. Irritated and angry, Gail resolved to teach him a lesson once she climbed aboard.
Just as the others were about to join in the teasing, Kazuhiko Uchiha suddenly sprang into the air from his position beside Dr. Jack. He drew a kunai from the ninja tool pouch strapped to his thigh and leaped toward the water behind Gail.
Under everyone's bewildered gazes, the kunai in Kazuhiko Uchiha's right hand struck first despite his later start, plunging precisely into the head of a huge crocodile that erupted from beneath the water. He twisted hard, killing it instantly.
After killing the crocodile, Kazuhiko Uchiha seized Gail's arm with his left hand. Bracing his feet briefly against the crocodile's corpse, he pushed off and leaped back onto the stern deck with her.
Only then did everyone realize what had happened. A crocodile had been about to ambush Gail from underwater, and Kazuhiko Uchiha had become the hero who saved her.
Kazuhiko Uchiha's slender frame stood in stark contrast to the crocodile's enormous corpse. Had they not witnessed it themselves, none of them would have believed he was capable of such a feat.
"Oh my God, what have we got here? Buddy, are you Superman?" The chatterbox Kerr stared at the composed Kazuhiko Uchiha with shining eyes and shouted excitedly.
"I'm not Superman. You can think of it as Chinese kung fu."
Kazuhiko Uchiha had no intention of explaining much to them. He brushed them off with an explanation foreigners could readily understand, then jumped back onto the cabin roof, leaving the others with varying expressions.
Once the boat resumed its journey and traveled some distance, Kazuhiko Uchiha glanced back at the crocodile's corpse being swallowed by a giant python. He shook his head and returned to studying his ninjutsu.
Although Gail was a strong, capable woman, this was her first brush with such danger. Even after being rescued, the memory of the crocodile's gaping, bloody maw just inches away left her trembling.
With Sam's reassurance, Gail gradually calmed down. She looked gratefully toward the cabin roof, a sense of guilt rising within her.
From the beginning, she had looked down on the student-like Kazuhiko Uchiha, even considering him dead weight on the team. Now it seemed that had been nothing but her own arrogance.
The daylight hours soon passed, and night fell once again amid torrential rain. If anything was different from the previous night, it was probably the way everyone looked at Kazuhiko Uchiha.
Through his outstanding strength, Kazuhiko Uchiha had earned everyone's respect and awe. The only slight nuisance was the chatterbox Kerr, who kept pestering him to teach him Chinese kung fu.
Only after finding several excuses to send Kerr away did Kazuhiko Uchiha finally get some peace and quiet. He ate a little, then returned to the cabin to rest.
Late that night, the sound of Dr. Jack moving around roused Kazuhiko Uchiha from his light sleep. He saw Dr. Jack leave the cabin and head out onto the deck.
Concerned for his safety, Kazuhiko Uchiha rose and followed him. He found Dr. Jack walking toward the wheelhouse, talking with Captain Bill.
Captain Bill glanced back, noticed Kazuhiko Uchiha, and invited him to join them in the wheelhouse. After a glance at Dr. Jack, Kazuhiko Uchiha accepted.
Once inside the wheelhouse, Captain Bill pointed at the rushing waters of the Man River outside the Bloody Mary. "We've got a problem. The water level is rising much faster than we expected. The Man River is already extremely dangerous. I think we need to turn back and find another route, but that'll probably take a few extra days."
"Do you know what those Blood Orchids represent? They're the greatest discovery in medical history. We don't have that much time to waste."
Having staked almost everything on the Blood Orchids, Dr. Jack rejected Captain Bill's suggestion and insisted they follow their original route.
"Sounds impressive, but what's that got to do with me?" A major medical discovery meant nothing to Captain Bill, at least not compared with cold, hard dollars. "If you insist on making me risk crossing the Man River, you'll have to pay me more."
"Fine. I'll give you fifty thousand dollars out of my own pocket."
Dr. Jack agreed to Captain Bill's modest condition without a second thought.
"Deal. But if we run into trouble, you all have to listen to me." Captain Bill turned his gaze toward Kazuhiko Uchiha, whose abilities seemed unfathomable to him, and waited for his answer.
"I'm only responsible for keeping Dr. Jack safe. Everything else has nothing to do with me."
Kazuhiko Uchiha had no objections, provided he could complete his mission. Had he known the Blood Orchids' exact location, he wouldn't even have let Dr. Jack board the boat. He would have gone alone to pick them and bring them back.
"Okay, then it's settled."
With the discussion over and some extra money secured, Captain Bill was in excellent spirits. He picked up his flask to celebrate.
Kazuhiko Uchiha accompanied Dr. Jack back to the cabin to rest, replenishing his energy for the journey ahead.
Before you continue