CH_173
The two advanced along the passage. The environment was damp and pitch-black, save for the faint glow of the fire starter in Tōji's hand and the soft gleam of Natchi's feline night-vision eyes.
Tōji walked cautiously in front, Natchi following close behind.
Suddenly, a strange sound came from up ahead. Tōji stopped immediately and signaled for Natchi to stay silent. They stood still, listening carefully to the surrounding noises.
The sound grew closer, but it was hard to tell what it was.
He'd been here last time without running into any traps. This time, the abnormal noise made Tōji grip his kunai nervously, ready for possible danger.
However, when the figure appeared before them, both of them widened their eyes in shock. It was a giant octopus, two meters long. What was strange wasn't its size—it was that its body was covered in thick scales, and its thorn-covered tentacles waved continuously.
Tōji guessed this was some kind of mutated hybrid creature that weirdo Tenchi had cooked up.
The bizarre octopus monster spotted Tōji and Natchi and immediately lunged at them.
Natchi, who didn't know much about Kikai Island's situation, was as fearless as ever. He quickly activated the 【Cat Cloak】 secret technique—though to Tōji, he looked less like a cat-man and more like a burly leopard-man.
Tōji also knew they couldn't enter the laboratory silently anymore, so he focused on preparing for a fight with the bizarre octopus monster.
Natchi dodged the octopus's tentacles like a cheetah, his claws reaching for what appeared to be the creature's weakest spot—its eyes.
At the same time, Tōji pulled out a kunai wrapped with wire and, finding the right angle, threw them one by one at the octopus's multiple tentacles. His goal was to restrain the creature.
But the octopus's eyes were protected by a nearly transparent, cartilage-like layer—Natchi's claws couldn't break through that defense at all. "Damn it!"
And though Tōji's wires had wrapped around the octopus's tentacles, the creature's body seemed incredibly elastic and resilient—the tentacles actually retracted their thorns and just slipped free…
Tōji could see the octopus monster wasn't fast—it basically couldn't hit them as shinobi. But it made up for that with its many tentacles and high defense. It was clearly something Tenchi had made to disgust intruders. He shouted, "Dr. Tenchi! Is Dr. Tenchi here? If you are, please control your pet!"
"…"
Aside from the sounds of Natchi still fighting the octopus, there was no other movement.
"Dr. Tenchi!" Tōji was about to call out again.
"Alright, alright—I'm here." From deeper in the passage came Tenchi's duck-like voice. "So it really is you. You're back again!"
In the dim light, Tōji saw Tenchi, about a hundred meters away, pull out a controller and press a button. The octopus monster immediately stopped attacking and slumped limply to the ground.
"Don't you two try anything funny—I've got plenty of tricks up my sleeve." Tenchi said as he stepped out of the darkness.
Seeing this, Natchi promptly stopped attacking the octopus and dispelled his transformation technique, returning to Tōji's side.
"This octopus monster is my latest research achievement. What do you think—not bad, right?" Tenchi walked to about ten meters from Tōji and the others, wearing a smug smile.
『This guy always likes making weird, disgusting things.』 Tōji only complained internally, shaking his head helplessly.
"Haha—why so quiet? I just have a deep interest in science." Then Tenchi asked curiously, "Last time you said…"
"That's right. Last time I said I wanted to trade a secret with you." While talking to Tenchi, Tōji secretly reached for the special kunai Minato had given him.
"Tōji…" Natchi listened to the conversation, his head full of questions.