Which best states how the excerpt keeps interest in the story

- It creates suspense.

Explanation:

As per the question, the given excerpt from 'Heart of a Samurai' functions to keep the readers engaged in the story as 'it creates suspense.' It provides interesting yet mysterious descriptions like 'black current', 'voice ... dark as water', 'wide strip indigo water ... usually followed north ... flowed southeast' that assists in the advancing the tension and confusion of the readers and leave them uncertain about what would happen next. This further enhances the audience's inquisitiveness and keeps their interest intact.