Chakra constructs formed from the water beneath my feet and immediately descended, disappearing from view and forming a protective perimeter around the ship. I caught up with it in a few leaps and ran back up the side, landing near the captain, who was standing nearby.
"It would be very bad if someone could get close to us underwater," I explained in response to his questioning look.
"Do you have experience in naval combat?" Iero asked, stroking his beard.
"I have some experience in just such situations," I lied, looking him straight in the eye.
Nodding understandingly, he returned to watching his men, who had just encountered the pirate ninjas. They immediately showed that strength matters even when outnumbered, skillfully repelling several suiton ninjutsu with walls of the same element.
They responded with a joint attack, forcing the five to break formation, and under the cover of the jonin, two guards focused on the chunin who was closest, pinning him in a pincer movement and finishing him off in just a couple of moments.
It was clear that this was a well-coordinated trio, accustomed to working together even against more numerous opponents, with strength and experience on par with those from the Great Villages, which was quite surprising to expect from ninja who had no access to systematic training, judging by the absence of crossed-out hitai-te on them.
The shinobi moving underwater circled around the scene of the battle, although I expected him to decide to help his comrades by attacking from below at the most inopportune moment, and rushed after the ship sailing further and further away, confidently catching up with us.
But the constructs I had set up to guard them spotted him before he did and, rearranging themselves into a hemisphere, froze motionless, blocking the space. Although nothing could be seen with the eyes, the sensors clearly showed that the jonin had swum into the ranks of the sharks without noticing anything until the last moment.
Made of water, the sharks were almost transparent and difficult to distinguish with a glance, especially underwater. Only when there were just over thirty meters left to the target and the deadly predators of the sea began to move did Jonin recognize the attack and begin to twitch frantically.
The pirate simply did not have time for any ninjutsu attacks, and he made the only correct decision — the sharks had an overwhelming advantage in the sea — to rush to the surface. Naturally, they were already waiting for him above, and Jonin met the construct, scattered it, and a few seconds later jumped to the surface like a cork, but even so, he couldn't get rid of his pursuers — one shark managed to grab his right leg, and the rest followed close behind, trying to grab their piece of the enemy.
Judging by his bloody shoulder, he got rid of the first one with some losses. Unfortunately, the enemy proved that he really was a jonin, getting rid of the carcass hanging from his hip with a single blow of a flaming kunai, and then, without any seals, spitting a ball of fire at the rest.
Crashing into the opposite element, the ninjutsu exploded, billowing clouds of fire and steam. My technique ceased to exist, but the shinobi was also in the blast zone, albeit at the very edge.
He flew to the side, splashing into the water, but quickly returned to the surface and, regaining his footing, cast a malicious glance, seasoned with a decent amount of murderous intent, toward our ship. Unfortunately, apart from reddened skin on one side of his face, the man had not suffered any other injuries and asked to be allowed to catch up.
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