All the ninjas are still in the glow of the bonfire watching the moonlit shoreline with tense shoulders looking for the creature that dare interrupt their meeting.
They didn't have to wait long as a small humanoid figure lumbers through the thickly misted shoreline, revealing a harrowing sight to all. Out of the mist walks a haggard Shogo covered in seaweed and torn clothes, both saltwater and blood dripping onto the sand.
As the child limps closer, the on-edge ninjas take in his bizarre appearance.
Brass-colored skin that is adorned with patches of blood red coral, his chest and back having the largest collection of it.
Gengetsu is shocked,
"Impossible! He should be fish food right now!"
Chest heaving with every movement, the youth raises his head to reveal bloodshot eyes and a face stained with red tears. Blood is leaking from the child's eyes, nose and ears. Any normal human would be in a panic, but this entity is moving forward visibly unperturbed as if possessed. Chest heaving with every movement,
The twisted snarl on Zombie Shogo's face gets more pronounced as he locks eyes with Gengetsu's beady black pupils.
"RAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
Screaming at the top of its lungs, rage-filled entity takes off at its full speed toward the bonfire and more specifically Gengetsu, completely disregarding the tens of ninja standing between them.
Confused and concerned about Shogo's resurgence, Gengetsu frantically commands the men and women in front of him to end this seemingly undead monster.
"DON'T JUST STAND THERE! KILL THIS THING!"
A few ninjas visibly perk up from Gengetsu order and three dash out of the formation with their tantos drawn primed to slice the screaming and wounded assailant into ribbons. All three blades dig into the flesh of their target; one in the abdomen, one in the thigh, and one near the jugular.
A spray of blood erupts from each wound but none of them are as deep as the three-ninja intended. Suddenly the blood stops leaking from the wounds and the ninjas notice that they can't remove the tantos from the fiend's flesh.
Two of the three ninja cautiously retreat immediately while the remaining Shinobi isn't as quick to get away. A blisteringly fast punch to the sternum from the monster sends the unprepared shinobi tumbling far across the beach. The shinobi comes to a stop at least fifteen feet away and struggles to his feet with a hand on his midsection, gasping for air, blood trickling down his chin.
The shinobi's assailant has fallen to the ground holding a mangled arm while wailing in anger and pain. The arm was not able to withstand the force of behind the punch, but the injured creature pushes itself to his feet with one hand still driven to cause harm to whoever gets in the way.
Further angered by the ninjas attempt at killing him, the monster now thoroughly drenched in his own blood and left arm hanging limply at his side lets a bone rattling shout.
"RAHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
Yanking the tanto out of the left side of his neck with the healthy arm, the monster throws the sword at his blonde target with terrifying accuracy and velocity over the crowd in front of him. The spinning blade continues toward Gengetsu in the air unimpeded.
The target himself looks very unimpressed and does not bother to move out of the way of the projectile. The sword continues right between Gengetsu's eyes and out the back of his head then lodges into a tree about thirty yards behind Gengetsu. However, the blonde remains standing completely unharmed with his trademark scowl as blood has been splashed from the sword onto his expensive looking haori.
With both arms now useless, the child rage incarnate rushes Gengetsu fully intent on plowing through the droves of ninja.
Tired of the whole confrontation Gengetsu points his index finger at Shogo's head with his thumb pointing upward. Taking aim, the thumb lowers and thin jet stream of water its target launching the bloody Shogo back onto his ass.
"UGH! Stay dead already, you heathen!"
Zombie Shogo stays down on his back still as a rock for a second or two before his body jolts and he sits up revealing a deep hole in the middle of his forehead.
Byakuren looks at Shogo with unveiled interest, stroking his beard obviously trying to formulate a plan for this youth with extraordinary physical capability. Settling on a course of action, Byakuren turns to a disgruntled Gengetsu as he prepares to shoot his water gun again.
"Render the boy unconscious, Gengetsu. I would like to see if we can add someone with actual potential to our ranks outside of you and Usugurai."
"What?! Are you insane? That thing is little more than a wild animal!"
Byakuren simply stares at Gengetsu promising immense pain,
Gengetsu winces then turns toward the group of ninjas in front of them.
"Pepper the beast!"
After barking his order, Gengetsu rockets off from his position soaring over the shinobi and kunoichi towards Shogo.
Leaping to his feet, Shogo is forced to shield his face with barely working arms as the ninjas rapidly pelt him with kunai and shuriken with only a few piercing his skin enough to make him look like a porcupine.
When the projectiles stop coming, Shogo lets his arms fall only to be met with the sight of a giant fist larger than his body a couple inches from his face.
The impact is accompanied by the sound of a wet crunch as Shogo is flung through the air totally unresponsive and lands face up into the shallow shore water.