Within the purple poison mist, Shadow still stood in place. But his shadow on the ground spread silently like ink dropped into water, covering a large section of the deck behind him and forming a field of darkness. From that deep shadow, several clear black silhouettes emerged.
In the end, dozens of jet black and eerie figures stood behind Shadow. They had no facial features, only hollow eye sockets glowing with blood red light, armor clinking softly as they moved, and samurai swords gripped in their hands. The armored shadows, with their enhanced defense and sharp blades, were clearly the most suitable opponents for the Sky Ninja armed with Kunai Gun.
The sea breeze seemed to stop at that moment. Only the sound of waves hitting the hull remained, along with the suppressed and fearful breathing of the Sky Ninja. Shadow's gaze swept over the stunned enemies, and his smiling voice sounded again, now carrying a chill that went to the bone.
"Kill," he said.
As his words fell, the armored shadows locked their red gazes onto every terrified Sky Ninja and charged forward in unison, gripping their swords with both hands.
At the same time, deep within the underground core of the flying fortress called Ankerbandian, strange runes covered the walls. A member of the Sky Ninja knelt on one knee and said respectfully, "Lord Shennong, all the 'Xu' are fully prepared."
"Mm."
Standing before a huge tombstone shaped device, Shennong replied without turning around, "Well done." He raised his head and stared at the cocoon wrapped in yellow gelatin, with tendrils of the substance supporting it in midair.
Thump, thump. The cocoon emitted a faint glow, pulsing rhythmically like a heart. Through the transparent pale yellow layer, a strange creature curled inside could be seen.
It had a thick, soft black body like a giant snake, but its head bore a white mask with the character zero written on it. Bright lights from above illuminated every detail of the mask, from the red lips to the narrow upturned eyes. It resembled a noble from a Noh play, painted in exaggerated makeup and radiating a sinister presence.
Black matter flowed through the transparent tubes, nourishing the monster inside the cocoon. It was clearly undergoing some kind of transformation, but due to insufficient energy, it was currently dormant like a snake. "So this is Zero Tails, Xu Wu. What tremendous power," the Sky Ninja member said, his eyes filled with expectation and reverence.
"Hahaha."
Shennong laughed and stared at Zero Tails with burning eyes. "With it, we will have power comparable to the Tailed Beasts. If not for the appearance of 'Xu', we would not know how long we would have to wait relying only on the darkness in civilians' hearts."
Zero Tails, Xu Wu, was created from so called dark Chakra, which in essence was intense negative human mental energy, no different from the monsters of the Ninja World. It was simply being used by Shennong as the energy source of the sky fortress. Now he possessed the only aerial force in the Ninja World and Ankerbandian, the secret flying city of Sky Ninja Village.
With Zero Tails' Chakra comparable to the Tailed Beasts as fuel, and after conversion by the fortress, a single shot could destroy a mountain. At this moment, Shennong's ambition and arrogance had swelled to the extreme. "By the way," he added, turning to the Sky Ninja behind him, "remember to collect more 'Xu' along the way as backup energy."
"These 'Xu' are simply born for Zero Tails," he sighed. "One 'Xu' can supply darkness equal to a thousand people. I wonder what that so called 'Espada' could achieve, if we could find them." His words of greed were cut off by a massive explosion.
Boom.
A heavy shock traveled through the ground, and even Shennong deep inside felt the violent tremor. Sirens wailed as red and blue warning lights flashed wildly, staining the space with urgent and ominous color. "What, what is going on?" the kneeling Sky Ninja staggered and looked toward the only door.
Shennong stood there steadily, unmoved by the shock. The madness and pride on his face froze, replaced by anger at being interrupted and a hint of doubt. "Enemy attack?" he snapped, turning to the subordinate. "What are you standing around for? Go check what's happening."
"Yes, yes, Lord Shennong!" the Sky Ninja replied, bowing quickly. "Don't worry, with our current power, even an attack from the Five Great Nations can be stopped."
Boom.
An even more violent and closer crash slammed into the thick alloy door. This time it was not just shaking, but outright destruction. With a kacha, the reinforced door was torn open from the outside, twisted metal fragments exploding inward with thick smoke.
Dust filled the space, choking the air, while the flashing alarms cast two distorted silhouettes at the doorway. The figures walked slowly through the breach, emerging from the smoke and reflecting in Shennong's frozen pupils. Hanzo held a poisoned Kusarigama, red purple viscous liquid dripping from the blade, while Shadow stood spotless, as if untouched by the chaos.
Their eyes first went to the cocoon pulsing like a heart in the center, then to Shennong. "You are Shennong?" Hanzo asked, frowning down at him. "The leader of Sky Ninja Village?"
So weak. How could he be this weak?
Seeing the meaning in Hanzo's eyes, Shennong's doubt turned into wrath. "Who are you?" he demanded coldly. "You know who I am and still dare come here to die?"
Thump, thump, thump. Zero Tails opened its eyes inside the yellow gelatin, and a cold, sticky wave filled with malice and greed spread outward. Shadow and Hanzo exchanged a look, both understanding the same thing.
This guy clearly had no concept of the gap in power. "Forget it, at least that bug is decent," Hanzo said, shaking his head. "Let's beat him up and take him back for Nagato to decide."
He bit his finger, pressed his hand to the ground, and shouted Summoning Jutsu. A tremendous boom followed.
At this same moment, in the desert near the Land of Wind, the blazing sun hung high in the cloudless sky. Scorching light poured down on endless golden dunes, heating every grain of sand until heat waves distorted the air. Dry wind carried fine sand across the dunes, the only sound in this dead land.
Within the sea of sand, three figures stood facing each other. One was a red haired, delicate looking youth whose face would be instantly recognized by anyone from Sunagakure. He was the S rank rogue ninja of Sunagakure, Sasori of the Red Sand.
"Who are you?" Sasori asked calmly, narrowing his eyes at the two before him. One was tall and burly, red markings on his face, carrying a strange great blade that radiated bloodlust. Sasori instantly recognized him as a rogue of Kirigakure, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Juzo Biwa.
But the man beside Juzo was completely unfamiliar, with a very different air. Wearing black sunglasses, he looked more like a slick merchant than a Ninja, not at all fitting the image of Root. Yet Juzo seemed to subtly defer to him.
"Sasori of the Red Sand," Miyashiro En said with a carefree smile. "We come from an organization called Akatsuki, and we hope you will join us."
"Akatsuki? Never heard of it," Sasori replied flatly. "I don't mind finding a place to stay, but unfortunately, I don't like your tone."
"Ah," Miyashiro En said, rubbing his head. "That's unfortunate. I've always been like this. To be honest, I don't like you much either."