This puppeteer is a bit... well...

Chapter 177 The Arrival of the Mechanical City (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)

The next day, heavy snow fell from the sky.

People who were already wearing thick clothes were wrapped in an even thicker layer.

Upon receiving the news at the front lines, Konoha's elite ninjas—Minato Namikaze, Mukai Kohyuu, the Hyuga brothers, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Shiki Aburame, Jacqueline Inuzuka, and hundreds of others—rushed back overnight.

And the Sunahiku Residence.

Everyone stayed up all night, eagerly awaiting the dawn.

But as time passed, it was already nine o'clock, and nothing had changed. Everyone couldn't help but feel disappointed and frustrated.

"fraud!"

Someone in the crowd angrily cursed.

Yashamaru looked over at the sound and saw a fifteen-year-old girl.

Her name is Yang, and she is an elite puppeteer who came with others to learn medical ninjutsu.

Yashamaru frowned slightly, but then relaxed and went to comfort him, saying, "Yang, what are you saying?"

"Liar! The captain is a liar!" Yang shouted. "He said that if we held on until today, we could lead everyone back together, but nothing happened."

"It just happened today..."

"How can we all get back safely in this situation?"

The questioning from behind silenced Yashamaru, who had intended to reassure everyone.

Yes, how can we all go back safely in this situation?

They weren't blaming Ryuji for not taking them back, but rather for giving them hope in the first place.

They were all elite ninjas, accustomed to life and death, but Ryuji encouraged them time and time again, giving them hope for life, only to fail to keep his promise and shatter that hope.

These fluctuating emotions are the most torturous.

"Whoosh!"

The main door of the house was pushed open.

Ryuji walked out with his hands in his sleeves, followed by Kurenai, Gin, Banri, Kuro, Karura, and four Jonin captains who were accompanying him as bodyguards.

The scene immediately fell silent, and the girl who had just swore showed a timid expression on her face.

But then, as if she were going to risk it all, she stepped forward and said, "I did insult you, you liar, why did you...?"

"What are you talking about?"

Ryuji looked at the girl with a puzzled expression.

"I……"

"Alright, no time for nonsense." Ryuji interrupted the girl who was about to say something, and looked at the others. "Didn't I say yesterday that we'd be safe if we held out until today? Why are you all standing here like idiots? Hurry up and pack your bags!"

"ha?"

Everyone looked completely bewildered.

Yashamaru looked around and asked, "But...but how can it be safe?"

"The people who are here to pick us up have arrived. Quickly pack up all the luggage you want to take, and dismantle and put away all the war equipment in the yard. Don't leave any for Konoha."

"this……"

Everyone looked at each other, still completely bewildered.

Seeing this, Long Er chuckled softly, "Look at the sky!"

As the words fell, darkness fell and the snow stopped.

Everyone instinctively looked up and saw a continent floating in the sky, some meters above, with countless dense black dots flying down from it.

……

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!!!"

A piercing alarm sounded over Konoha.

Countless villagers fled in panic.

Ninjas were running back and forth everywhere, on the streets and rooftops.

Hokage Building.

The Third Hokage stood by the window, staring out in shock.

"So that's how it is, so that's how it is, so that's how it is..."

At this moment, the puzzling behavior of Ryuji Ayaki, who did not choose to flee Konoha but instead led people into a mansion in the suburbs, finally had an answer.

He is not isolated and helpless; rather, he has external support that Konoha cannot withstand at present.

Looking at the countless puppets equipped with propulsion devices flying over Konoha and causing destruction everywhere, the Third Hokage felt as if the sky had fallen.

"Hokage-sama!"

Several ANBU ninjas entered the room to report intelligence.

"The enemy consists of autonomous puppets, numbering around five thousand!"

"Lord Hokage, these puppets are extremely powerful. They can even repair themselves after being destroyed."

"Lord Hokage..."

Listening to one piece of terrible news after another, Hiruzen Sarutobi was filled with regret.

(He should have been killed when he came to Konoha!)

—Ryuuji Ayaki, a Jonin of Sunagakure, a genius puppeteer.

Ever since his failed mission to Shuimen Loulan, he had realized the threat posed by Ayaki Ryuji.

Especially after learning that he was the one who created such a powerful ninja as Gin, his sense of crisis became even stronger, and his desire to kill Ryuji Ayaki became even more obvious.

However, due to the situation, no action has been taken yet.

He knew that if he let Long Er develop unchecked, this day would come sooner or later, but he didn't expect it to come so quickly.

Otherwise, he would have killed Ryuji, even at the risk of fighting three major ninja villages at the same time.

"Lord Hokage, all departments are awaiting your orders!"

The subordinate's voice brought Hiruzen Sarutobi back to his senses.

He glanced at the four ANBU members who were looking at him expectantly, took a deep breath, and calmly gave the order: "Have the sealing squad coordinate with the various ninja teams to use sealing to deal with the puppet. Also, gather all the village's top fighters. We'll put on gas masks and go find Ryuji."

"yes!"

……

"Is this your trump card, Ayaki-kun!"

Looking out at the chaotic scene outside the window, Orochimaru fell into deep thought once again.

He witnessed life and death from a young age, which made him realize the fragility of life and desire immortality.

But it's too difficult to realize this wish.

Even with the support of Konoha, the number one ninja village in the ninja world, it would be difficult for him to achieve this goal.

Moreover, Konoha would not support things that violate common sense and human ethics.

But Ryuji could.

With the technical skills he has demonstrated, he could easily achieve his wish of immortality.

As a fellow researcher, he would certainly understand and support his experiments that defy common sense and ethics.

If I join his side, my ideals will surely be realized.

but.

Although Orochimaru is an anomaly among ninjas, he also has things that are the same as ordinary people.

That is something important.

Besides his wish for immortality, he also respects and loves his teacher Sarutobi, who taught him ninjutsu and took care of him for nearly thirty years, and loves Jiraiya and Tsunade, who shared life and death with him and shared his joys and sorrows.

Even a village that one may not care about has the grace of giving birth to one.

Even an outlier like him was willing to put in the effort for it.

If you want to join Ryuji's side, you have to give up these things you cherish.

On one side are ideals, on the other are cherished possessions...

Both are things that humans desire most, and losing either one would cause sadness, grief, or even lifelong regret.

The giant serpent had to consider this carefully.

"Should we pursue our ideals, or protect what we cherish in front of us?"

Watching the self-disciplined knight puppet sweep past the window as if it hadn't seen him at all, Orochimaru's heart subtly leaned towards a certain direction.

"Snapped!"

The ward had been roughly pounded, and Tsunade, her clothes somewhat dirty and disheveled, stood there panting.

My thoughts were pulled back to reality.

Orochimaru looked at her calmly and asked, "At this time, shouldn't Sarutobi-sensei be gathering the elites to stop Ryuji from being taken to the floating continent? What are you doing here?"

"It's not safe here. Let's take you to a shelter first."

After saying that, Tsunade's breathing calmed down considerably. She walked into the ward, picked up Orochimaru, and jumped out of the window.

"That really suits your style!"

Orochimaru murmured softly, his wavering heart being pulled back.

……

In a dimly lit room.

Upon receiving the report from his subordinate, Danzo's face darkened. "It's already incredible that such a huge thing can fly, but I never imagined it could also fly."

"Lord Danzo, what should we do now?"

Danzo shifted his gaze to the Root member who had asked the question, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Has Yamanaka Keito's consciousness returned?"

"I'm back."

"Is that so? It seems that Ryuji Ayaki still has some reservations. Well then, this time..."

"But Jingren's consciousness is incomplete; he's completely insane."

"..."

Danzo fell silent.

If Ryuji returns Yamanaka Keito's consciousness intact, it means he still cares about Konoha's reaction, and this matter can be left at that.

If not, it means that no matter how Konoha reacts, he is not afraid and will fight Konoha to the death.

But what does it mean that he regained consciousness only to drive it mad?

"If he cared about Konoha's reaction, he wouldn't have done something that would anger Konoha. If he didn't care, he wouldn't have returned his consciousness. What's going on..." Danzo fell into deep thought.

Then, something occurred to him, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"He doesn't care about Konoha; he cares about the consequences of destroying Konoha."

If it were Konoha, which was destroyed at a great cost after forming an alliance with Kumogakure, Kusagakure, and Iwagakure, then indeed no one would care.

But what if we could easily destroy Konoha?

Such strength would definitely arouse the vigilance and even fear of the entire ninja world, thus uniting them to deal with him.

……

Inside the Sunagakure residence, everyone was excitedly discussing it.

"Hey, is this floating continent our village?"

"Are there other villages in the ninja world with floating continents?"

"It seems like the Sky Ninja Village has it!"

"The Hidden Sky Village was destroyed during the Second Shinobi World War."

"No, what I mean is that it's really surprising that the floating continent appeared above Konoha. Wasn't it said that the floating continent was in Loulan, deep within the Land of Wind?"

"I was surprised too. It's amazing that something this big can just fly, but I didn't expect it to also have the ability to fly."

"Yes, who would have thought of that if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes?"

"..."

Listening to the discussions of the crowd, a smile appeared on Long Er's face.

Who doesn't love to hear praise?

Although everyone is praising the floating continent, not him, Long Er, it was Long Er who designed and built the floating continent.

"Master, if we don't get ready soon, the people from Konoha will be here."

Hong whispered a reminder in my ear.

"Yes, you're right." Long Er snapped out of his daze, nodded, and roared, "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and pack your things, let's go home together!"

"Ohhhh!!!"

Everyone realized what was happening and began dismantling the war machines.

As for the formalities... those have already been prepared.

(End of this chapter)