See notes for translations of Japanese words... this one is humorous, the next won't be.

Day 6

Not usually how my day begins, hurtling through the air to crash into the ocean three hundred yards below, beside a figurine.

Reflection Field activated~

With a crash I burst through the white water at the cliff-side, buffered from the impact in my isolated dome. But not by much, since I am surrounded by air in here. I am still able to shake off the epic face-plant into permafrost because I have no bones, so nothing but concussions and bruises.

I picked up the statue in my legs and looked around.

“Once more here I am under the sea.” [Squid]

“Under the sea~” A large flat fish with two eyes on one side of its face is singing at me as the chorus.

“Who are you?” [Squid]

“Flounder. Have you seen a mermaid around?”

“I do know a siren...” [Squid]

“Not the same...” [Flounder]

“Tell me about it...” I moan. “Stealing underwear, eating humans, but she's a friendly sort...”

“Are you insane?” [Flounder]

“Not entirely sure, to be honest.” [Squid]

“How am I going to find her now?” [Flounder]

“Does she go anywhere unusual?” [Squid]

“She does like caves and wrecks... also occasionally stalking surface guys...” [Flounder]

“Not quite so different from a siren after all...” [Squid]

“Do you mind having a look around with me? This area is a mess of caves.” [Flounder]

“Sure, why not. I'm looking for somewhere to live, I might find something here.” [Squid]

“So you want to grope your siren? Because me, I'd spawn with mine so hard...” [Flounder]

“But she's moping for men with legs?” [Squid]

“Princes too.” [Flounder]

“Is she some sort of gold-digger?” [Squid]

We enter a spacious cave, with nothing much living in the entrance.

“No, squid. She's royalty.” [Flounder]

“Oh, for a second I thought she was a tragically doomed symbol of love so strong, it doesn't even require a soul...” [Squid]

“Hans Christian Anderson version? No we're the Dis...” [Flounder]

“Surprise mollusc attack jutsu~!”

Since I don't have a log I grab a flat fish and block said attack.

“Tell her... I wanted to fertilize her eggs...” The stricken fish murmurs. Poison darts!

“Come out, I could hear your attack. I'm a mollusc too.” [Squid]

In a burst of sand a yellow creature appears with a long rounded nose and shell. A snail of some kind.

“What is your clan? You have stumbled upon the Village of the Hidden Kelp.”

“Clan? I am a master-less vagabond, of the Ice style...” [Squid]

“Be gone or we shall kill you with our mighty venom jutsu.” [Yellow cone-shell]

“So it has come to this.” I pose dramatically. “Be warned then, that I am the holder of the twelve-tailed beast. I am the master of the Hitotsubi!” [Squid]

“To arms my brothers! For the will of foam!” [Yellow cone-shell]

Several dozen variations of the same creature appear in clouds of sand and relentlessly sprint at me. In snail terms. By mine, I was already bored.

The darts worry me enough to put up some defenses. A wall of transparent permafrost across the cavern.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Tiny kunai reflect off my wall, all of them covered in neurotoxins.

I summon my chakra and... I mean I use cryokinesis and simply freeze the walls in permafrost.

Tiny explosions of sand remove the clones amongst them and the rest are either frozen stiff or barely able to move.

Reflection Jutsu activated~

Removing the thin wall I float in, covered in my shield to meet the failing army of ninja, ignoring the different message from normal. They fire still more darts at me and occasionally explosive pieces of plant matter.

“Well then, eat my Ice Clone Jutsu!” [Squid]

An ice version of myself, sculpted perfectly (if I do say so, myself) proceeds to squash and batter the trouble-makers.

The yellow one makes a nuisance of himself again, landing on my shield.

“Rasenensui no Jutsu!” He cries, driving the venom dart in his snout into my barrier like a drill.

“Fools. You cannot defeat me, for I am the Great Sage! With a single Jutsu you will all be exterminated. Yield.” [Squid]

“For as long as I am Ensuikage we shall never surrender!” The yellow yells.

“Excuse me, yellow one. Do you have family?” [Squid]

“Well no, actually I'm an orphan...” [Yellow cone-shell]

“Perfect.” I freeze touch him from below, by hollowing the shield. “So, anyone else want to be Ensuikage? I can do this all night.”

“Master, spare us! We swear loyalty on our oath as molluscs!” [One-eyed mask wearing cone-shell]

“So I am now Ensuikage?” [Squid]

“Yes! We swear to serve you dutifully and with absolute loyalty!” [All cone-shells]

“Well then as you have so humbly offered your services I will accept. I will offer no threat to you, as long as you remain harmless. If however I see one dart thrown my way, sense a whisper of poison or explosives... you will all die, horribly. Are we clear?” [Squid]

“Yes, Ensuikage!” [All cone-shells]

With that settled I remained inside the barrier and took ownership of one of the branching arms of the cavern, one made of solid rock on all sides but the entrance. I layered permafrost over the floor and walls several times until it has a flat surface. Then I cut off this section with solid transparent wall and enjoy the space and the cold. Not even a ninja snail can reach me here...

The stolen statue that had been had been in my arms this whole time was placed on the floor and carefully examined. There was something nagging me about it. It was strong but also blurry.

I settled in for the night.

What we learned this episode:

Flounder's dying message was hardcore... for a fish.

Yellow cone-shell's image is now carved on a cliff, beside squid.

Somewhere out there is a mysterious eleven-tailed beast...

What really happened to the mermaid:

The prince she met was a fake and from the wrong myth. Wanting immortality he ate her.

Folk tales are scary...

Term translations: Yes, I did use G**gle Translate. It is still a bitch.

Hey, no siren complaints this time!

Ensuikage = Coneshadow.

Hitotsubi = Twelve tails.

...no Jutsu = Art of (the)...

Rasenensui = Spiraling cone.