"Kōmei! My good brother! I've come to see you!"
Just as Kōmei Uzumaki was immersed in the shadow of death, a familiar voice finally pulled him back to reality. He turned his head and saw that the person who had come was Yahiko.
It seemed as if he had seen a glimmer of hope for survival.
Kōmei Uzumaki's previously weak body was miraculously filled with strength. He immediately rushed out and pinned Yahiko to the ground. He then burst into tears and wailed.
"Yahiko! Save me! I'm still young! If I get thrown out like this, I'll die!"
Seeing Kōmei Uzumaki's miserable state, Yahiko felt a pang of sympathy. Just as he was thinking of asking Duy-sensei to go easy on him later, Kōmei Uzumaki's next sentence immediately made Yahiko abandon that thought, even making him feel that Duy-sensei was being too gentle.
"Wuwuwu~~~ Little Sister Kōan can't lose me! She would definitely be heartbroken without me!"
[Heh heh! I bet she won't be sad! If she is, then pretend I never made the bet!]
"Kōmei! You must pull yourself together! Don't you want to find the Red, Gold-Threaded Pearl? Don't you want Little Sister Kōan to say, 'I do' to you? Don't you want to hold your Little Sister Kōan under this enchanting sunset?"
Yahiko's words were like those of a top-tier succubus, fiercely tempting Kōmei Uzumaki's heart and unconsciously drawing him toward that beautiful image.
For a moment, the fear on Kōmei Uzumaki's face significantly lessened.
But the next moment, Kōmei Uzumaki seemed to recall some terrifying scene, shivering all over, and immediately regained his clarity.
"No! Yahiko! I admit everything you said is beautiful, but if I can't survive this time, won't I lose everything anyway! Therefore! Yahiko, you absolutely must save me!"
"Save you?"
"Yes, save me!"
"Hmph! Too late!" After speaking, Yahiko violently shook off Kōmei Uzumaki, stood up, and said, "You chose this, Kōmei! What did I say back then? 'A beautiful woman is a Pink Skeleton!' 'Nine deaths and one life!' But what about you?"
Yahiko's voice grew louder and louder, the last three words were practically shouted. But then he bent down and whispered softly to Kōmei Uzumaki.
"What did you say back then? Let me think... You said that if someone else found the red pearl, it would be worse than killing you! So many people witnessed it back then. If you give up now, what will others think of you! If your Little Sister Kōan finds out, what will she think of you. Fly once now, and even if you find nothing, you will still be a warrior! Your deeds will ultimately be remembered! However! If you retreat now, you will have nothing left! Everyone will laugh at you, and your Little Sister Kōan will never want to see you again because of this! After all... this is the path you chose!"
After speaking, he patted Kōmei Uzumaki's shoulder, then stepped aside, giving Kōmei Uzumaki time to think.
Although Yahiko spoke softly, to Kōmei Uzumaki's ears, the words were deafeningly loud.
[That's right! This is the path I chose! There's no turning back!]
Thinking this, Kōmei Uzumaki was no longer afraid. He slowly stood up and gave Yahiko a thumbs-up.
Seeing this, Yahiko also smiled, happy that his friend had overcome his fear.
Actually, during the run from the beach to the Sea Cliff, the sea breeze had cleared Yahiko's head, and his IQ had returned to its peak. This only looked dangerous, if it were truly a matter of 'nine deaths and one life,' Chiyo-sama and Roka-sama would have come out to stop it long ago, and they wouldn't still be standing on the beach watching the show.
You must know that Kōmei Uzumaki belongs to the Uzumaki Clan. The Uzumaki Clan is currently thin on members, if there were real danger, Roka-sama would have intervened immediately. That is why the scene of him persuading Kōmei Uzumaki to persevere just now occurred.
Furthermore, Duy-sensei using his full power was also part of the special training segment. It was just that Kōmei Uzumaki might have provoked it out of him ahead of time.
After realizing this, Yahiko had absolutely no more worries. He immediately shouted loudly toward the beach.
"Duy-sensei! Let's begin!"
Might Duy, who was on the beach, heard Yahiko's shout and cast his fishing rod. Instantly, the fishing line drew a large arc in the air, and the other end of the arc was rapidly approaching Kōmei Uzumaki.
Kōmei Uzumaki, upon seeing this, had already nervously closed his eyes. Meanwhile, Yahiko, standing behind him, started causing trouble.
"Kōmei!"
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Go with peace of mind! Your wife, I shall raise her, you need not worry!"
Kōmei Uzumaki: "!!!!!!!!!!"
But before Kōmei Uzumaki could say anything, he was already thrown into the air.
"Ah~~! Yahiko! You @#%&...@%"
"Hahaha~~~"
Yahiko, who successfully teased Kōmei Uzumaki at the last moment, could no longer hold back his laughter. But the next second, he couldn't be happy anymore.
This was because, at some point, a golden chain had wrapped around his right ankle. Immediately, he was also flung out.
"Ah~~~ Kōmei! I @#...&#... Let me down!!!"
On the beach.
Looking at the two figures flying into the distance, Roka Uzumaki couldn't help but feel a little worried, so she asked Chiyo, who was standing beside her.
"Chiyo-nē, won't this be a bit dangerous? What if..."
"Don't worry, Roka. We considered this long ago. The rope is specially made, there's no danger."
"Mm, alright." Although she still felt some inner worry, Roka Uzumaki put her mind at ease. After all... the Kazekage's son is also involved.
At this moment, in the sky.
Kōmei Uzumaki and Yahiko were wrestling together.
"You bastard Kōmei! I went out of my way to come and comfort and advise you, and this is how you treat me! You repay kindness with enmity!"
"Pah! Yahiko. I now suspect your intentions aren't pure. To be safe, you better stay with me!"
"Ah! You bastard Kōmei!!! That was just a joke!"
"But I'm afraid! So... Yahiko! You understand me, right!"
After hearing Kōmei Uzumaki's explanation, Yahiko's reaction became more violent. He tightly wrapped his feet around Kōmei Uzumaki's waist, grabbed Kōmei Uzumaki's face with both hands, and violently pulled at it.
"I understand your grandpa! You have a rope for protection, but I don't!!!"
"Sigh~ It's just a rope. We're moving so fast right now, what difference does a rope make anyway!"
"You're full of nonsense! I swear this rope is useful!"
As it turned out, the rope was indeed useful. Just as Yahiko finished speaking, the rope was pulled taut and straight. But immediately afterward, a string of golden runes appeared on the rope.
First, it miraculously stopped the bound Kōmei Uzumaki, causing him to hover in the air for one second before finally beginning to fall downward.
"Hey! It really works! I didn't expect this rope to have this function. Hey, Yahiko, how did you know? Yahiko? Yahiko?! Yahiko!!"
Kōmei Uzumaki, who was using Chakra to sit on the surface of the sea, happily spoke to Yahiko after realizing he hadn't suffered even the slightest injury. But when he heard no reply, he hurriedly stood up and looked around.
The surface of the sea was empty, there was no sign of Yahiko whatsoever.
"It's over! Did he sink into the sea?!"
Thinking this, Kōmei Uzumaki didn't dare to delay and quickly swam towards the seabed.
Would you like me to translate the next part of their underwater search for the pearl?