"My esteemed master, may I ask where we are headed this time?"
Garaga spoke respectfully, its deep, rumbling voice like distant thunder.
Its single golden, slit-pupiled eye gleamed with anticipation. After several journeys serving as a mount, this mighty serpent—second only to the White Snake Sage within Ryuchi Cave—had become quite the experienced driver under Uchiha Yu's command.
Slap—
Uchiha Yu released his right hand, simultaneously dispelling the mental control of the Yasakani over Tsunade.
"Mmgh—!"
Tsunade's face flushed red as she hastily retracted her tongue, spitting repeatedly onto the serpent's head.
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"
"..."
Garaga shuddered. "Have some decency! Spit outside, not on me!!"
The serpent felt a wave of disgust—this human woman's saliva had splattered all over the scales on its head.
If it were human, it would've been like someone spitting directly on its hair.
And Garaga was no ninja—it had no patience for such insults!
If its master weren't standing right on its head, it would've already taught this human woman a painful lesson she'd never forget.
Still, considering that this woman might be its master's woman, Garaga restrained its tone and temper.
Tsunade ignored the serpent's complaint, still kneeling on its scales, dry-heaving as if sick.
No one could tell whether it was a reaction to the jutsu or simple disgust.
"Save your strength. My hands aren't that dirty," Yu said casually, his right palm pulsing faintly as he took out a water flask and began washing his hand—the same one that had gripped her tongue moments earlier.
Splash—
Water dripped down right in front of Tsunade.
"You!!!"
Her pupils widened in outrage.
Her fury surged like a storm—how dare this man act disgusted by her?!
Before she could curse him, Yu tossed her the water flask. She caught it reflexively, then gulped water and rinsed her mouth with a scowl.
Yu knew Tsunade had an extreme sense of cleanliness. After losing her loved ones, it had likely contributed to her hemophobia.
Of course, that was just his theory.
He glanced at her and added calmly, "Don't forget to wash the serpent's scales when you're done spitting."
At that, Garaga finally relaxed, waiting quietly for its master's next order.
"Y-you bastard…" Tsunade glared daggers at Yu, scrubbing her mouth furiously.
"We're heading to the Land of Bears. Do you know the exact direction?" Yu asked as he walked toward the serpent's head.
"Of course, my master. Leave it to me!" Garaga replied, then began slithering westward—toward the Land of Bears, with Konoha at its back.
Yu turned to look behind him, at the rapidly shrinking silhouette of the village.
The outskirts were still a field of ruins, though the main Yama district had already been restored, and above it floated the royal fortress—the new capital stronghold.
Yu's Mangekyō Sharingan spun open.
Sensing the familiar, sinister chakra, Garaga shivered. The discomfort it had felt earlier vanished instantly.
But Yu made no move—he simply gazed silently at the Yama region.
In his sight, faint black wisps of energy drifted up from the residential areas where civilians lived. The formless smoke gathered and flowed toward the royal fortress above.
It was the process of the Zero-Tails absorbing the negative emotions of the villagers, converting them into dark chakra.
After a great war, the people's confusion and anxiety about the future all became fuel for the Zero-Tails.
Even if no more wars came—as long as the village had people—negative emotions would always exist.
The Zero-Tails would serve as the eternal engine of the floating fortress, ensuring the city in the sky would never fall.
Within minutes, the Hidden Village had vanished far behind them.
Yu glanced at Tsunade—her chest heaving with anger as she glared at him bitterly.
After pouring the remaining water onto the serpent's scales, she hurled the flask straight at him.
Whoosh—
The flask sliced through the air at incredible speed, friction hissing like a cannon shell.
That was no exaggeration—it carried Tsunade's monstrous strength.
"..."
Uchiha Yu didn't reach for the kettle—instead, he used his Mangekyō Sharingan to predict its trajectory.
He placed his right hand at the precise point where the kettle would land and opened his storage space.
Waves rippled through the air.
The kettle vanished.
Yu lowered his hand and deactivated the Mangekyō.
Tsunade slowly rose to her feet, glaring at him. "If you don't trust me, then why bring me along?"
"Trust takes time," Yu replied with a faint smile. "And if you secretly leaked my information to the remnants of old Konoha, infiltrating them wouldn't be nearly as entertaining."
"You really are a bastard."
Tsunade cursed under her breath, too angry to continue arguing, and turned away.
Deep in a lush forest, a caravan of two to three hundred people trudged slowly forward.
At the front walked an elderly man, leaning on a crude wooden staff, gasping for breath as his delicate-looking granddaughter supported him.
The young men around them fared little better, their bodies exhausted and hollow from hunger.
Behind them stretched a column of refugees—mostly the elderly, women, and children—carrying what little they owned in worn cloth sacks. They were clearly a band of ordinary villagers in the midst of migration.
"Village chief, wait," a young man panted, bending over with his hands on his knees. "Didn't you say we were almost at Konoha? We've been walking forever, but there's still no sign of any ninja village!"
The old chief glanced around and sighed.
"We're close now. Just hold on a little longer."
They were, in truth, the unfortunate villagers once used by the Sky Ninja Village as camouflage—settling their homes atop the royal fortress.
Ever since that enormous crimson serpent had arrived, their once peaceful lives had been shattered.
Before the youths could complain further, the earth began to quake.
Rumble—
The rhythm and tremor felt hauntingly familiar to the old man.
"Look! Isn't that… isn't that the same serpent that attacked our village?!" a terrified woman screamed, pointing behind them.
"That's impossible! We've run so far already!"
"It really is that thing!"
The villagers turned, and to their horror, the colossal serpent that had destroyed their home was now slithering toward them at alarming speed.
Rumble—
In the blink of an eye, before they could scatter, Garaga had already reached them.
"Run!!"
"Everyone, get out of here!"
The caravan dissolved into chaos.
Only the frail village chief remained where he stood, trembling as he stared up at the monstrous serpent's head.
Fear and anger churned inside him. Realizing there was no escape, he threw down his staff and cried out in despair:
"Damn it all!"
After all that running, to meet the same beast again—what cruel fate!
Suddenly, the ground stopped shaking. The serpent halted right before the old man, who stumbled backward and fell to the dirt.
"Grandfather!"
His granddaughter rushed to his side.
"Go!" the old man urged hoarsely. "Don't worry about me—run!"
At that moment, Yu appeared atop the serpent's head, looking down at the frightened refugees.
Ten minutes earlier, he had already noticed their group and, judging by their direction, deduced that they were the displaced villagers forced to flee after the Sky Ninja Village's exposure.
"You should retreat thirty kilometers back," Yu said calmly, his gaze steady. "Then head one kilometer south. Konoha is that way."
After that, Garaga didn't linger and continued slithering westward, leaving behind a group of dazed villagers standing in the forest.
°°°
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