In the Land of Sky, late at night.
The full moon hung high in the sky, and three ghostly figures flashed in the moonlight, landing on a steep ridge.
They pressed their feet against the mountainside, standing parallel to the ground, gazing straight up at the night sky, their robes flowing naturally downward.
"It seems this is the Sky Ninja Village that Kakuzu mentioned," Orochimaru said gravely, clearly having spotted something remarkable.
Uchiha Nian whispered, "Indeed, the information was correct. Due to their numerous enemies and the need to guard against other ninja villages teaming up for revenge, the entire location of the Sky Ninja Village is constantly moving. If it weren't for the Cat House's intelligence, we really wouldn't have found it."
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have dared to believe that such a fantastic thing exists in the ninja world," Hiruko gasped, regaining his breath, feeling deeply shaken inside.
Since they were positioned horizontally, their line of sight was vertical towards the sky, and inevitably, the immense structure hidden in the night sky came into view, veiled by clouds, looking almost ethereal.
It was a fortress of grayish-blue, currently standing stable in mid-air, casting a huge shadow over the mountains below.
Angkor Fortress, both the secret weapon of the Sky Ninja Village and the village itself.
"Climb aboard the fortress, take enough Mechanical Wings, and leave immediately after completing the mission," Orochimaru reminded them. "Don't make too much noise; if we alarm the Third Kazekage, it will not end well."
"Understood!"
"Wait!" Nian suddenly raised his hand. Facing the puzzled looks of his two brothers, he asked, "Are you really planning to just charge in like that?"
"What else is there?" Both replied, tilting their heads.
Nian looked somewhat speechless. "We are out here representing my uncle's identity. While we don't care about this unsavory robbery behavior, how can we tarnish my uncle's reputation?"
Orochimaru pondered for a moment and nodded. "That makes sense."
"So what should we do?" Hiruko also realized the seriousness of the problem.
"I came prepared!" Nian clasped his hands, then slowly opened them, drawing out delicate branches that coiled around the center.
Once the technique was complete, three swirling vine masks appeared in his hands.
Without further discussion, they all donned the masks.
"This should do the trick!" Nian nodded in satisfaction.
I must say, for the sake of his uncle's reputation, this nephew is indeed quite thoughtful.
However, he didn't know that his uncle, back in the day when he first emerged, was the type to try and dodge paying for meals.
Hiruko cut his finger, forming hand signs with both hands, then slapped the mountainside, causing circles of black ink-style symbols to spread out.
"Summoning Technique!"
With a loud "bang," the Fusion Monster Bird tore through the smoke, stretched its wings, and soared into the high sky, charging straight towards the gigantic fortress in the night.
As they gained altitude, the night wind grew colder and more turbulent, gradually revealing a serious expression on the three's faces.
The closer they approached the towering fortress, the more an indescribable sense of insignificance rose in their hearts—it seemed to occupy the entire sky, magnificent and imposing, its immovable presence felt even in the dim night.
In Orochimaru's mind, he secretly compared it, noting that even his master's complete Susanoo could probably circle around it a couple of times.
Under Hiruko's control, the monster bird made a sweeping turn, flying towards the western side of the fortress, then riding the wind upward. It climbed at breakneck speed until it surpassed the fortress's height, exposing the entire fortress to the trio's gaze.
Its area was nearly equivalent to that of a city, built entirely of solid granite, internally divided by three towering walls, with watchtowers lined up like scales, and several enormous stone faces carved into the gates. However, the most striking feature was the huge cannon at the base of the main building, resembling a gear.
It was hard to imagine how such a colossal structure operated and how it was constructed brick by brick.
"Let's charge in!" Hiruko exclaimed, somewhat excited.
"Wait!" Orochimaru slightly closed his eyes, concentrating. His purple shadows elongated as he opened his eyes, revealing he had entered Sage Mode.
"It seems we've already been discovered," he said calmly.
Uchiha Nian gazed into the distance, using the superior vision of his Mangekyō Sharingan to see a dozen tiny black shadows darting out from above the walls, rapidly approaching them.
He squinted, and upon closer inspection, he realized these shadows were actually ninjas equipped with flying devices!
They wore black night attire, fully geared up, each wrapped in peculiar Mechanical Wings, moving gracefully through the air like birds.
"What do you think?" Nian glanced at Hiruko. "Should we engage directly and go all out, or avoid confrontation and wait for a chance to act?"
"Avoid confrontation?"
Hiruko bent slightly forward, excitement gleaming in his eyes as he clearly entered a battle-ready state. "Get ready for a great ruckus, brothers!"
"Squawk!"
The Fusion Monster Bird released a sharp cry, its wings swept back, and instead of retreating, it launched itself into battle, like an arrow piercing the enemy ranks, charging straight at the Sky Ninja forces!
"It's an enemy attack! Attack!!!"
The Sky Ninjas quickly realized their adversaries meant business. They activated weapons hidden within their devices, aiming the dark barrels at the approaching bird.
These were launchers that resembled firearms, using internal mechanisms to replace the years of training a ninja would undergo; the kunai shot forth with incredible energy, easily capable of piercing through rock.
However, before they could fire, a flurry of dark green feathers shot towards them. They blended seamlessly into the night, rising with the wind, and by the time the Sky Ninjas reacted, they were already surrounded by a flurry of feather-like debris.
On top of the feathers, "Explosion" characters blazed fiercely.
"Ha!" Hiruko shouted.
The violent explosions lit up the night sky, the shockwaves rippling like tidal waves, devouring the Sky Ninja forces!
"Boom boom boom—"
Thick black smoke billowed, spreading everywhere, with only a handful of Sky Ninjas managing to escape.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Claw Red!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Nian and Orochimaru struck simultaneously, executing a well-coordinated wind and fire combined ninjutsu that enveloped the remaining enemies, capturing them all in the attack range.
The wind fueled the flames, as burning shuriken tore through the air, transforming several Sky Ninjas into sieves, with burning Mechanical Wings crashing into the mountains.
At that moment, alarms blared throughout the fortress, as they had finally been detected and locked onto by the Sky Ninja's watchmen. The fierce alarms rang out, echoing throughout the entire fortress, like the roar of a feral ghost racing by.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
The three drew closer to the fortress, more Sky Ninjas rising up like a flock of birds flocking to a phoenix, surrounding them completely.
The wind howled, reflecting the agitated mood of the Sky Ninjas. As the distance closed, they swiftly readied their weapons, spotting the three amidst the stars.
"Attack!"
This time, explosive-tagged kunai launched first, engulfing the Fusion Monster Bird!
Orochimaru clapped his hands together. "Sage Art: Wind Release: Air Current Dance!"
"Susanoo!" Nian's gaze hardened as gigantic rib bones materialized. An orange-gold light rapidly coalesced into a skeletal arm. From the palm of the bone hand, a series of jewel-like shurikens shot forth, tearing through the enemy ranks.
"Steel Release: Steel Shuriken!"
Hiruko grinned, swinging his sleeves.
Several black shuriken merged with the night, accurately hitting their targets, piercing through the Mechanical Wings and sparking brilliant flashes of light!
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