Land of Rivers, within the dense forest near the ruins of the former Sky Ninja base.
Rumble… Rumble…
Deep within the mountain forest, the earth suddenly began to tremble violently. At the site of the ruins, the ground around the edges of the colossal Ancor Vantian tore apart as the massive fortress, its exterior adorned with giant, sculpted stone faces, slowly began to rise into the sky. Countless tons of shattered rock and soil rained down from its ascending bulk.
Deep within the fortress's interior, in a vast control center, Kagutsuchi and Suijin stood observing quietly. Before them, four of Tatsuya's clones pressed their hands firmly against a towering stone monument, steadily channeling chakra into it. As the flow of chakra intensified, the fortress ascended with increasing speed.
Recap: During the battle days prior, Shinno had been killed on the spot by the combined efforts of Kagutsuchi and Suijin. Most of the Sky Ninja and Yomi Cultists had been swiftly dealt with, leaving only Yomi himself and a few dozen Sky Ninja captive.
After more than half a month of intensive repair work, utilizing the captured Sky Ninja's expertise, Ancor Vantian was finally capable of flight. In truth, Shinno and his Sky Ninja remnants had been slowly restoring the ancient fortress for decades and were already nearing completion. Their main obstacle had been the lack of a power source sufficient to support the fortress's flight systems. Before Shinno successfully created and harnessed the Zero-Tails, they simply couldn't provide Ancor Vantian with enough energy.
However, this power requirement wasn't an issue for Tatsuya. He possessed a sufficient number of clones, each holding substantial chakra reserves. After expending the vast chakra reserves of six clones to power the initial lift-off, Ancor Vantian could finally fly. With Kagutsuchi and Suijin, his permanent clones, present, the chakra consumed by the temporary clones could also be rapidly replenished over time.
"Congratulations, Lord Kagutsuchi, Lord Suijin! The fortress has finally taken flight!" As Ancor Vantian stabilized hundreds of meters above the ground, Yomi quickly approached, offering his congratulations respectfully.
After his capture, Kagutsuchi and Suijin hadn't killed Yomi, instead keeping him prisoner. Tatsuya had further use for him. With his chakra sealed, Yomi had been remarkably obedient during the past weeks.
Kagutsuchi and Suijin remained noncommittal at Yomi's words. Kagutsuchi turned to the few Sky Ninja operators managing the controls nearby. "Maintain course," he ordered curtly.
Finished speaking, Kagutsuchi and Suijin ignored Yomi and turned to leave the main control center, leaving other clones to monitor the systems. They weren't concerned about any trouble arising.
Once clear of the control center, Kagutsuchi turned to Suijin. "You should take command of the fortress from here on out. I need to return to Yakugakure for now."
Suijin nodded in agreement. "Alright."
Both of Tatsuya's permanent clones had left Yakugakure for this extended mission to secure Shinno and the fortress. While acceptable for a short period, Tatsuya felt uneasy leaving the village under only Pakura's watch for too long; their strength there was spread too thin.
Kagutsuchi immediately summoned one of the Sky Ninja, who helped him strap on a pair of metallic wings. With a running start, Kagutsuchi leaped from the edge of the fortress, soaring away into the distance.
Suijin watched Kagutsuchi depart, then turned and walked towards a different section of the massive flying structure.
In a small, isolated room within the fortress, a tiny figure was curled up in the corner of a stark stone bed, letting out soft, choked whimpers.
It was Amaru.
Her beloved Teacher Shinno was dead. Killed at the hands of those terrible people who now held her captive. Those same people had told her unspeakable things – that Teacher Shinno had been lying to her all along, that he had intentionally, cruelly killed the people of her village for his experiments.
She refused to believe it! It couldn't be true!
But then… they had taken her to another secret room deep within the fortress. And she had seen them – the villagers she once knew, twisted into inhuman monstrosities, neither living nor dead. In that moment, Amaru's world had completely collapsed.
She couldn't accept the horrifying reality. Teacher Shinno wouldn't… he wouldn't lie to me! He wouldn't do those things! Amaru struggled against the crushing weight of the truth, desperately wishing she could erase it all from her mind.
The door to the room slid open, and Suijin, clad in the white and gold robes of the Divine Court, stepped inside. His eyes immediately swept towards the window, noting the several bowls of food placed there, all untouched. He frowned slightly. This little girl hadn't eaten in days. Ever since they had shown her the grotesque results of Shinno's work in that hidden chamber, Amaru had completely withdrawn into herself.
The truth was simply too cruel for her young mind to process.
Tatsuya, perceiving this through his clone, felt a sense of helplessness. This kind of trauma… it was something Amaru would have to find her own way out of. If Tatsuya hadn't still been interested in studying the Zero-Tails sealed within her, he wouldn't have bothered tasking his clone with such a thankless, difficult effort. Whether the girl would grow to hate them or not was, ultimately, of no real concern to him.
Hearing the door open, Amaru's small body trembled visibly. She slowly lifted her head, looking up at Suijin, her tear-filled eyes a maelstrom of hatred, confusion, and utter despair.
"Regarding your teacher Shinno," Suijin began, his voice calm and even, "whether you choose to believe what you were told or not… you still need to stay alive if you ever want to uncover the real truth for yourself. Isn't that right?"
Having said his piece, Suijin didn't attempt any further persuasion. He simply turned and left the room, leaving Amaru alone with his words and her grief.
And so, the immense fortress, Ancor Vantian, suspended high in the air, began its slow journey, drifting south over the Land of Rivers. Tatsuya intended to pilot it all the way to the Land of Demons. This ancient weapon, repurposed, would become the primary base for the Divine Court – Tatsuya's second major center of power, complementing his operations in the Land of Fields and Yakugakure. The paramount requirements for this base were safety and secrecy.
Ever since the Divine Court's clash with Akatsuki, both the Land of Fields and Yakugakure had drawn the unwanted attention of the major shinobi powers. Stationing Ancor Vantian near either location would be too easily detected. Therefore, the remote, isolated island nation, the Land of Demons, became the optimal choice.
It would be a long journey. The Land of Rivers bordered the Lands of Fire, Wind, and Rain. The geographically fastest route to the Land of Demons would be to fly directly across the Land of Fire and then exit via the Land of Frost before crossing the sea. However, such a route was far too conspicuous. Flying a massive, unknown fortress over the Land of Fire would inevitably be noticed and could easily provoke unnecessary conflict.
For the sake of security and discretion, the only viable option was to pilot Ancor Vantian south from the Land of Rivers, out over the ocean, and then navigate a long, circuitous route by sea, bypassing the Land of Water, the Land of Hot Water, the Land of Lightning, and other territories before finally reaching the Land of Demons. This would increase the travel time severalfold.
Fortunately, it seemed Shinno had perhaps always intended to relocate the fortress eventually. Ancor Vantian contained vast stores of various supplies, more than enough to sustain the roughly one hundred occupants – Tatsuya's clones, the captive Sky Ninja forced into service, and Yomi – for the extended voyage.
Konoha Village, the underground Root headquarters.
Swish.
A figure flickered into existence in the base's main hall – a Root operative.
"Lord Danzo," the ninja reported respectfully, kneeling before his master, "the intelligence has been confirmed. The Military Police reform plan was indeed proposed by the Uchiha clan themselves. Lord Hokage has already approved it."
Hearing this, the pupil of Danzo's single visible eye constricted sharply. His face turned livid. "Hiruzen has truly gone senile!" he snarled, his voice dripping with contempt. "Has he forgotten Lord Tobirama's warnings? The Uchiha are an evil clan, through and through! It's fundamentally impossible to make them submit obediently to the village's control!"
After pondering grimly for a moment, his face still tight with anger, Danzo ordered the kneeling Root ninja, "Go and find Kabuto."
"Yes, sir." The operative acknowledged the order and departed instantly.
Not long after, Kabuto Yakushi, adjusting his glasses, arrived in the main hall at his usual unhurried pace.
"Lord Danzo," he greeted smoothly.