Konoha Notes

Chapter 319 Sky Fortress
Ever since Hiruko encountered Shuji's retreat, Obito Uchiha had been waiting.

Now that he's shown up in person, he's not just here to unleash a ninjutsu. Whether he intends to continue his advance or gather more forces, he's prepared.

By sending the Land of Snow away early on, the Wind Flower Angry Waves were originally just a pawn, used only to attract the power of the Hidden Cloud Village, and even the Leaf Village. It didn't matter that even the five great ninja villages had invested a lot of military force here.

However, things are not going well now. The maritime blockade is not a problem, but the channels for procuring and transferring supplies through various small countries are becoming increasingly sluggish, making it more and more difficult for items on the procurement list to circulate.

Currently, things are proceeding relatively smoothly, except for the few lines operating secretly through the Land of Rain.

However, this will accelerate the exposure of Rain Village, and the large number of interactions will inevitably affect the methods Rain Village uses to maintain its secrecy.

Moreover, with Nagato and Konan also temporarily leaving, the only way to maintain control of Amegakure is with the people they left behind.

This means that point will soon become unusable as well.

This feeling is very familiar.

Even though they weren't attacked all at once, it felt like they were sinking into deep water, with resistance coming from all sides, gradually squeezing the air and creating a suffocating feeling.

Once he became familiar with it, he realized what was going on.

"Exposed."

"The only one who actually took action was Hiruko, and he shouldn't have leaked any information... Is it because of Juzo Biwa... After all, he's a veteran member who once acted as an agent for the organization..."

However, it doesn't matter. The main reason for choosing a place like the Land of Snow, and even setting up the project here before the geothermal generator was operational, is its location.

Since they cannot attract large targets to come on their own initiative, nor can they achieve their goal of putting pressure on Kumogakure and undermining the alliance of the five great powers while accumulating strength, they cannot achieve this goal.

Let's try a different approach.
-
The nautical chart covered the entire conference table, densely marked with the latest joint patrol routes, key blockade areas, and suspicious chakra signal points reported back by the perception team.

Ai looked at the chart and listened to today's summary.

The conversation with Onoki did not go smoothly; the old man did not quite agree with the claim that there was a Madara Uchiha behind the Land of Snow.

He had met Madara Uchiha and experienced his style firsthand. How could Madara possibly be the leader of Akatsuki, a mercenary group he had previously driven?

It's not like the original storyline where almost all the tailed beasts were captured. Back then, when Obito claimed to be someone, Onoki was skeptical. As for dealing with the Akatsuki organization, that was no problem at all, since his family's tailed beasts were truly gone, and his apprentice had been kidnapped and died.

However, the request to have Iwagakure cooperate in monitoring the whereabouts of large quantities of goods was barely approved.

Because the response from Kirigakure was relatively quick after Shuuji's arrival. The official reason given was that the Daimyo of the Land of Water had given an order that Fuuka Noutō was a usurper.

Therefore, they are willing to provide updates on the escort missions for specific sensitive materials and fully cooperate with any joint operations at sea.

Furthermore, given that Konoha and Sunagakure are all in agreement, and the information sharing is limited to bulk or sensitive goods, Onoki wouldn't necessarily want to go against the grain.

"...That concludes today's summary. Additionally, the Third Perception Team reports that there are intermittent, weak, and anomalous chakra fluctuations seventy nautical miles to the southeast. The nature of these fluctuations is unknown, and the site has been marked as 'Observation Point Nine' and is under continuous monitoring."

Ai nodded, his gaze still fixed on the nautical chart.

"Hmm... the blocked net, the suffocating waves, the suppressed drumbeats are pounding in my heart..." came a broken whisper from the side.

Ai's temple twitched.

"Big Brother's roars, the tedious reports from the perception class, and this irritating smell of waiting... all of these are material for inspiration! My next hit song will be paved with this kind of high-pressure rhythm—!"

"Shut up, Bee!" The Fourth Raikage roared at Killer Bee. "Listen, the Sensory Squad's mission is to monitor the situation in the high altitudes 24 hours a day, which is currently the weakest link in the defense system—" Suddenly, a sharp alarm sounded throughout the entire Hidden Cloud Village.

Aidan smashed through all the walls and landed on the dome of the Raikage Building.

Just a few kilometers away, a stretch of sky that had been shrouded in thick clouds and fog for years underwent a strange change. A point of yellow light appeared, gradually growing brighter and brighter, just as the fog dissipated.

The ultimate weapon of the Sky Ninjas, the flying fortress Anker Bandian Fortress, has suddenly appeared.

"What...what is that?!"

Some people were staring blankly at the light in the distance.

"Get into cover immediately! Ninjas, assist in the evacuation of civilians! Hurry!" Ai roared.

The moment he gave the order, a golden beam of light burst forth, instantly piercing through the top of the mountain blocking their path and heading towards Cloud Village.

Just then, a figure rushed out.

"Idiot! Bastard! The village is in crisis—"

"Compare!"

Killer Bee instantly completed his full Tailed Beast transformation, blocking the path of the golden beam of light. The eight octopus-like tails of Gyuki thrashed wildly, and its enormous mouth suddenly opened, with black and red chakra condensing and compressing at an astonishing speed.

The Tailed Beast Ball shot out and collided head-on with the golden beam!
boom!
The world seemed to be filled only by this one deafening roar.

Black and red light collided, annihilated, and exploded violently in the air! An unprecedentedly huge energy sphere expanded in mid-air, then transformed into a terrifying shockwave, spreading outwards in all directions in a spherical shape!

The clouds in the sky were cleared away, and the forests below were reduced to scorched earth. The violent tremors even reached the Hidden Cloud Village, causing many buildings to shake violently.

"Ouch——!!"

Killer Bee, now fully transformed into a tailed beast, roared. His massive body was propelled backward by the shockwave of the explosion, his eight tails digging deep furrows into the ground. Gyuki used his body as a barrier, forcefully blocking most of the remaining energy blast.

After the strong winds subsided, the smoke and dust gradually dissipated.

Ai stood at the edge of the dome, his shadow robes fluttering in the gale. His gaze pierced through the settling dust, looking towards the southeastern sky.

There, a massive aerial fortress is rising.

The thrusters spewed out even more intense blue flames and quickly disappeared into the clouds.

The alarms had not yet stopped when the attack temporarily ceased.

Ai stared in the direction where the fortress had disappeared, his eyes twitching with rage.

"Tutai," he turned to Tutai, who had somehow appeared on the roof and whose face was extremely solemn, "bring out the chakra cannon from the village's experiments!"

His gaze returned to the sky, which was now empty, yet the shadow of the fortress seemed to still linger there.

"Next time, if that thing dares to cast its shadow on the land of the Land of Thunder again..."

"Bomb it down!"

(End of this chapter)