Adopted by Tsunade [155-156] (Patreon)

Chapter 155: The Fourth Hokage's Son

Natsume arrived at the Hokage's office. After confirming there were no outsiders inside, he pushed the door open and entered.

"Big sis, I missed you so much."

He zipped to her back, wrapped his arms around her, and took a sniff of her golden hair.

A bit fragrant.

"We just saw each other this morning."

Tsunade paused her work, shot him a sideways glare, and said, "What's there to miss?"

"I miss you if I don't see you for even one second."

Natsume chuckled, slipped around to the front, and squeezed into the Hokage's soft chair with her.

"Business first."

Tsunade caught his wandering hand and shoved a file into it.

Two large characters on the cover: Uzumaki Naruto.

Feeling the warmth of her body, Natsume opened the file.

Part one covered Naruto's parents, Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina.

He paused slightly, already guessing what Tsunade wanted to do.

Part two was Naruto's own history from birth to the present.

Not much drama—barely two pages.

At the end was the inheritance of Minato and Kushina.

Especially the former: as Hokage he'd undertaken myriad missions and left a sizable fortune.

In the original timeline, Konoha clearly "managed" it on his behalf.

"Big sis, you want to announce Naruto as the Fourth's son?"

Natsume put down the file and asked.

He didn't mention the Nine-Tails jinchuriki part; that was too dangerous.

Naruto wasn't strong enough yet.

And revealing him as Minato and Kushina's son was enough to turn his situation around.

"You really get me."

Tsunade pinched his cheek and asked, "What do you think?"

Previously, when Koharu and Homura were around, she'd brought it up and was firmly rejected.

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi disagreed.

In their eyes, too ostentatious.

When Tsunade asked why they'd allowed the "demon fox" slander, they pushed the blame onto Danzo.

Now with only Natsume present, there was no resistance.

She was increasingly convinced that rebuilding the Konoha Police Department had been a masterstroke; otherwise, she couldn't have toppled those three old fossils.

"Of course I support you, big sis!"

Natsume answered without hesitation. "Konoha owes Naruto."

"Mhm."

Tsunade shoved the file back into his hands. "You handle it."

Natsume blinked.

He immediately understood her meaning.

Everyone knew Minato's road to Hokage was paved in large part by Kushina.

In other words, get along with the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki, and you're that much closer to the Hokage's seat.

Tsunade was paving the way for him.

"Alright."

Natsume nodded, not refusing.

Becoming Hokage and farming some Fate Points? Fine by him.

If he became the Sixth, Kakashi likely wouldn't take the hat like in the original.

"Go on."

Tsunade lowered her head and kissed his forehead.

Before she could straighten up, Natsume quickly captured her lips.

"Sweet."

He savored it, and then Tsunade kicked him out of the room.

…

"Natsume-kun, are you okay?"

Yamanaka Ino hurried over to help.

"I'm fine, just tripped."

He let go of her arm. "Heading home?"

"No, I'm going back to school."

Ino explained, "I took a week off from Iruka-sensei last time. It's up, so I need to extend it."

"Oh. Wait a sec, I'll go with you."

Natsume turned into the Hokage secretary's office.

Ino was a bit dazed, slow on the uptake.

When she realized it, she clenched her fists and grinned in excitement.

Ino's great victory!

Hmph, Sakura, you're doomed!

They no longer vied for Uchiha Sasuke, but for friendship's sake they'd started a new competition:

Who would win over their crush first.

"Uncle Hiashi, please publish this announcement throughout the village."

Natsume wasn't going to run errands himself—too tedious.

"No problem."

Hyuga Hiashi agreed before even reading.

Not that he trusted Natsume too much; as Hokage's secretary, this was simply his job.

When he did read it, surprise crossed his face.

He knew Naruto's identity, but hadn't expected Tsunade to make it public.

Compared to Hiruzen, this new Hokage clearly had more backbone.

For a moment, a mix of thoughts stirred in him.

If the Hokage intervened in the Hyuga branch-main issue—would that work?

"Kept you waiting?"

Natsume didn't chat with Hiashi. After giving instructions, he hurried to the girl waiting at the door.

"Not at all."

Ino shook her head and walked abreast with him.

While walking, she kept sneaking glances at him.

So handsome it makes your knees weak.

"Something wrong?"

Natsume noticed her eyes and asked.

"No."

Ino flushed and withdrew her gaze.

"Has Sasuke been discharged?"

Natsume changed the subject.

Sasuke had been knocked out by Itachi and sent to Konoha Hospital.

"Sakura said he's home."

Ino looked indignant. "So hateful! Who did it, anyway!"

"Ino cares a lot about Sasuke, huh."

Natsume said casually.

"No!"

Ino quickly explained, "I'm concerned as a classmate, not because I like him!"

As soon as she finished, she realized she'd stepped in it.

Wanted to flee the village on the spot.

Her blush crept up to her ears.

"I—I didn't mean anything else."

"What do you mean?"

Natsume feigned confusion.

"…"

Ino wanted to die. How did this happen?

"We're here."

Natsume stopped teasing. "I'll go find Naruto. You?"

"I'll go request leave!"

Ino took two steps, then sped up, looking rather flustered.

Natsume looked away and headed to Class 3-A.

After a moment, class ended.

Naruto snapped out of his daydream.

These days he blend in class.

After all, Academy teachers couldn't compare to Minato and Kushina.

Might as well enter the seal space to study.

"Natsume-nii!"

Naruto spotted the familiar figure at the door and ran over.

"Let's talk somewhere else."

Feeling the odd looks around them, Natsume led him to the training field.

"This is… a bankbook?"

Naruto opened the little booklet and gaped. "S-so many zeroes!"

He'd never seen that much money.

"It's from your parents."

Natsume patted his shoulder. "Keep it safe. Don't let some weird sage scam you out of it."

He meant Jiraiya.

In the original, Naruto was actually quite frugal.

Sadly, all his savings got squandered by Jiraiya, who then disappeared.

But with Kushina around now, there was no way she'd let Naruto train under him.

No normal woman likes a handsy old man.

"Mom and Dad?"

Naruto hadn't expected the money to be from Minato and Kushina.

But since both were in his seal space, checking the truth was easy.

"I can't remember how many missions I did."

Minato scratched his head. "But it should be about that much."

Kushina reacted differently, clenching her fists in anger. "The Third! He embezzled our inheritance?!"

Hearing that, Naruto's expression changed.

He had genuinely thought of Hiruzen as a good person. A wolf in sheep's clothing, then.

No matter how optimistic he was, with his parents' influence and so much hard evidence, his favorability plummeted.

"There's one more thing."

Natsume looked at him. "From today on, you're not the 'demon fox.' You're the son of the Fourth Hokage."

Naruto looked up at once, surprised and stunned.

He already knew from his parents what being a jinchuriki meant, so he roughly understood what the reveal entailed.

At this moment, he felt instant trust in Tsunade, whom he'd barely met.

This is a true Hokage.

A future role model.

"As expected of Lady Tsunade!"

Kushina smiled in satisfaction.

Though close with Tsunade, she was still deeply moved.

Especially compared to Hiruzen—the contrast was stark.

Minato smiled as well.

If he'd entrusted things to Tsunade instead of Hiruzen during the Nine-Tails' night, maybe none of this would've happened.

Konoha wouldn't have ended up like this.

But at least it's not too late.

…

The next day.

Naruto's true identity spread throughout the village.

Countless villagers and shinobi who had ostracized or hurt him found it hard to accept.

Admitting one's mistakes is hard.

Some apologized when they saw him.

More stuck their heads in the sand and avoided him.

[Because of your actions, Uzumaki Naruto's fate has changed. You gained 49 Fate Points.]

This was Natsume's greatest gain.

With that money, Naruto could live better.

And as the protagonist, he provided quite a lot of Fate Points.

…

Sarutobi compound.

Hiruzen was fishing.

"Old man, you're pretty relaxed."

Asuma plopped down beside him.

"Nothing much. Learned it from Suna's two advisors."

Hiruzen tapped his pipe. "You need something?"

Suna's elders, Chiyo and Ebizo, had been generous with power, hiding away.

Unlike Konoha's two advisors—clinging to power till death.

"Lady Tsunade announced that Naruto is the Fourth's son."

Asuma watched the pond. "She's a lot like the younger you."

"Tsunade has changed quite a bit since becoming Hokage."

Hiruzen felt something was off instinctively, but he couldn't meddle anymore. "She did well."

…

September brought cooler temperatures to the Land of Fire.

But in the Land of Waves, summer heat still lingered.

Natsume sat in the Heaven's Mandate's conference room, waiting for Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Izumi.

 "Make sure it's spotless."

Uchiha Mikoto knelt on the floor, head lowered.

She didn't respond and kept working hard.

Before long, Shisui entered.

He didn't notice Mikoto under the table.

He should have, normally.

But Natsume had spent a bit of Fate Points to hide her presence temporarily.

She didn't know that.

When Shisui arrived, Mikoto couldn't help trembling, even her teeth chattered.

Natsume stretched lazily, refreshed. "Shisui, where's Izumi?"

 "She went to the beach to train, so she's a little slower."

Shisui spoke as he sat opposite Natsume.

 "Diligent."

Natsume sighed.

Ever since the night of the massacre, Izumi had done nothing but train aside from eating and sleeping.

Frighteningly diligent.

Mikoto wasn't far behind lately either.

When she went all out, she didn't resemble her old self at all.

As if she could cover her shame with effort.

A knock.

Izumi entered, bowed. "Sorry I'm late."

 "No worries."

Natsume exhaled. "Shisui, report."

 "We've found Shinnō, disguised as a doctor," Shisui said. "Per your orders, we staged an assassination and left clues. He's returned to the ruins of the Sky Village."

As Shisui began his report, Natsume felt Mikoto's trembling hands shift under the table. She freed his hardening cock, wrapping her soft lips around the tip, sucking gently at first, her tongue swirling around the head.

"Good."

Natsume went to such lengths because he wanted to know whether the fortress was complete, and how powerful it was.

The timing was earlier than the original.

If it worked, it would be a pity not to use it.

Who wouldn't want a flying aerial fortress?

Mikoto took him deeper into her mouth, her head bobbing slowly under the table, careful not to make noise. Her saliva coated his shaft as she worked him with her tongue, pressing it flat against the underside while her lips formed a tight seal. Natsume's hand rested casually on the table, betraying nothing, even as she hollowed her cheeks and sucked harder, her throat relaxing to take more of him in. The wet sounds were muffled by the table and the conversation, but Natsume could feel every inch of her effort—her gag reflex suppressed, her mouth stretching to accommodate him fully.

"Make preparations. We leave tomorrow."

Natsume waved.

Meeting adjourned.

Though they'd just arrived, the two had no complaints.

Strength ruled.

And Natsume was their savior.

Loyalty was only right.

Mikoto didn't stop; she increased her pace, her hands gripping his thighs for leverage as she deepthroated him, her nose pressing against his base with each downward motion. Natsume felt the buildup, the heat coiling in his core, and with a subtle shift of his hips, he released into her mouth. She swallowed every drop, milking him with her tongue until he was spent, then carefully tucked him back in and zipped up his pants, her face flushed and lips glistening.

After they left, Mikoto stood and wiped the moisture from her hands and mouth.

 "Well done."

 "Thank you."

Mikoto swallowed nervously. "I'll work even harder."

Natsume patted her head. "Go wash up."

Once she left, he returned to Konoha.

…

The next day.

Natsume set out for the Land of Waves again.

Shisui had organized the team. Besides him and Izumi, there were nine shinobi total.

Average strength: two jonin, seven chunin.

Plenty for the task.

Natsume didn't need them to fight, just to operate the aerial fortress.

Notably, one of the jonin was Mikoto.

She volunteered to gain combat experience.

Otherwise, even with the Mangekyo, she wouldn't be a match for Itachi.

Natsume didn't use Flying Thunder God; the journey wasn't far—half a day.

A nice chance to enjoy the scenery.

On the road, he once again witnessed Izumi's diligence—training nonstop.

Who knew when she'd awaken the Mangekyo?

Talent-wise, she surpassed Mikoto by far.

She didn't need much guidance.

One day she might awaken it just like that.

She only lacked the trigger.

"Natsume, it's in there."

Shisui stopped. "In this rainforest there's a small village. Shinnō usually rests there."

Natsume recalled the plot.

This was the source of the Zero-Tails' power—the so-called Dark Chakra.

Born from the darkness in people's hearts, manifest as chakra.

In his view, a type of Yin Release.

"Let's go."

Natsume formed seals and summoned several giant trees.

Shisui cut them into boats.

They boarded and headed deeper into the forest.

Izumi stood at the bow.

There were many beasts; she dispatched them effortlessly.

Then she looked up. "Someone in the sky."

Natsume had already noticed.

Sky ninja.

Strapped to glider-like rigs, patrolling above.

At that distance, few attacks could reach.

And in the shinobi world, almost no one could fly via ninjutsu or kekkei genkai.

Not that the sky ninja were invincible.

Otherwise, how did they get wiped out?

"I'll handle it."

Shisui unfurled a scroll and flung several giant fuma shuriken.

He instant-shunned, stepping on them, soaring upward.

The aerial shinobi noticed the shuriken—then saw a pair of crimson eyes—and then saw nothing.

Shisui returned to the boat and dumped the body. "Where is Shinnō?"

Under the Mangekyo's control, the youth answered at once: "At Amaru's house."

"Have him lead the way."

Natsume arched a brow.

Amaru—Shinnō's disciple, the movie's heroine.

A girl with red hair and ruddy skin.

The Naruto films had many heroines—almost every movie had one.

The most famous was probably Koyuki Kazahana.

Probably because she's beautiful.

Amaru wasn't that well-known.

Still a named supporting character—good for Fate Points.

Funny how Naruto had great luck with women in the movies.

Confessions and kisses all around.

Amaru was one of them.

With their guide, Natsume and company reached the village deep in the rainforest.

"Lord Shinnō."

Their guide knocked. "I've brought guests."

"What…"

Shinnō opened the door and stiffened, instantly sensing danger.

Natsume's group hadn't hidden their identities—clearly shinobi.

He looked at the youth: What did you bring me?

No, wrong.

He's controlled.

Keeping a straight face, Shinnō asked, "What business do you have with me?"

"To collect a debt."

Natsume said offhand, "Three days ago, you injured one of my men. You need to compensate us."

Shinnō's face darkened.

After the staged assassination three days earlier, he realized someone was after the Zero-Tails and rushed back.

He didn't expect them to arrive so fast.

Chapter 156: Crazy Mikoto

"Who are you people?"

Shinnō asked, puzzled. "And how did you learn of the Zero-Tails?"

"The Zero-Tails isn't yours. You stole Konoha's techniques to create it."

Natsume smiled, tone thick with mockery. "You don't deserve the name Shinnō."

Hatred twisted Shinnō's face, his eyes filling with murderous intent.

The Sky Village's fall was tied to the Second Great Ninja War—especially Konoha.

He built the aerial fortress to destroy the Five Great Nations and rule the ninja world.

The moment Natsume mentioned Konoha, he was an enemy.

Never mind the taunts.

"Kill them!"

Shinnō roared.

Sky ninja poured out from all directions, surrounding them.

Shisui and the others tensed, entering battle mode.

"I think you'd better go start your fortress," Natsume said, glancing around. Plenty of sky ninja, but few jonin.

Shisui alone could handle them.

"Who are you?" Shinnō froze, then demanded.

The fortress was as secret as the Zero-Tails.

Few among the sky ninja knew of it.

Even if Natsume was from Konoha, at most he should know about the Zero-Tails—not the fortress.

A traitor among us?

Cold light flickered in Shinnō's eyes. "Capture them alive."

He changed the order.

If he seized them, he'd get answers.

At his word, the sky ninja produced water-gun-like devices.

Squeezing the trigger fired volleys of shuriken.

The film's shuriken launcher.

"Scatter."

Shisui ordered.

In such tight quarters, those launchers were dangerous.

He himself wasn't worried, but others might be.

Natsume also dodged aside.

He didn't want to slaughter them—he wanted them to power up the fortress.

A spectacle not to be missed.

He could have used the Eternal Mangekyo to control them, but that might reduce Fate Points.

So he'd play it slow.

"Mikoto."

Natsume patted her head. "They're good practice. Kill them."

Mikoto obediently stepped forward.

Since there were many sky ninja, and Natsume looked like the leader, two jonin engaged her.

The young one weaved signs and spat compressed wind bullets.

The older one formed the same signs—and spat a massive fireball.

The Uchiha classic: Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique.

Looked like something Shinnō had stolen.

But it was a simple technique, not exclusive to the Uchiha.

Mikoto took a deep breath, a little nervous.

As the clan matriarch, she'd never been to war.

Back in her genin and chunin days she'd done missions and had some combat, but never against jonin.

Out of respect, she opened her three-tomoe Sharingan.

The previously blistering wind bullets slowed in her vision.

Slow enough to dodge.

With a few graceful movements, she ignored them.

She didn't dodge the fireball.

She opened her mouth and spat one of her own.

"Sharingan?!"

The older sky ninja paled.

The Uchiha name carried across the shinobi world.

The younger one was stunned.

Weren't the Uchiha wiped out?

Why were they here?

The weight sank in.

The clan's fame was due to real power.

The two fireballs collided, spraying sparks and igniting the surroundings.

They were fighting inside the village.

The flames alerted the villagers.

Ordinary people, faced with shinobi, could only retreat.

Natsume raised a brow, stomped, and blew a hole in the roof.

He dropped down to see Shinnō trying to carry off a red-haired girl.

"Put her down."

Natsume's tone was flat.

"Die!"

Shinnō spun. His unremarkable arm swelled into explosive muscle, splitting the air with sonic cracks.

His medical forbidden technique: Body Revival.

In a previous life, this would have driven people mad.

A perfect physique without training.

Thud.

Natsume caught his fist and held it.

"Impossible!"

Shinnō froze, then howled.

With Body Revival, someone blocked his punch barehanded? Absurd.

He could tell Natsume hadn't used chakra or jutsu—just raw physical strength.

In his mind, Body Revival plus Body Regeneration formed the strongest body in the world.

That belief crumbled.

"Nothing's impossible. You just haven't seen enough."

Natsume flicked his arm and sent Shinnō flying through the wall, skidding several meters.

Natsume stepped forward to protect the unconscious Amaru.

At this point, she had a strange illness that made the village ostracize her.

Shinnō later cured her; she followed him devotedly, even harboring feelings.

Natsume looked at the white-haired old coot and shook his head.

Only this world could birth something like this.

Shinnō rolled up. The injuries from the collision began to heal.

His face was already younger than before.

He glanced at the faltering sky ninja, swallowed his rage, and left.

He lacked dark chakra and needed the fortress.

And Natsume's punch told him he might not win.

"Shisui, follow him. Record his actions, but don't intervene no matter what."

Natsume watched him flee and ordered.

Shisui peeled away.

The battle neared its end.

Sky ninja weren't strong to begin with. Giving up their aerial advantage made it worse.

In the end only Mikoto was still fighting.

Izumi and the others tried to help, but Natsume stopped them.

The two jonin, baffled, pinned their hopes on seizing Mikoto.

They ramped up the pressure.

Wind Style: Pressure Damage!

Dense wind detonated.

The buildings beneath them collapsed at last.

As dust billowed, the older sky ninja flashed behind Mikoto with a short blade, stabbing for a vital.

Clang.

The blade was parried.

In his shocked gaze, Mikoto kicked—squarely into his "little guy."

A burst of blood.

He collapsed and blacked out.

Natsume sucked in a breath.

Not right!

Had Mikoto developed some mental issue under his care?

She was so obedient with him.

Well, not always. At night she went crazy.

The kind of pushing past her limits, trying to wring out the last drop of strength.

Afterward she'd lie there half a day.

With the older jonin down, only the younger remained.

He tried to run but couldn't.

Izumi and the others had him surrounded.

So many Sharingan on him; he had to grit his teeth and go for Mikoto.

Under pressure, he lost his edge.

Mikoto tilted her head, instant-shunned behind him, and drove a kunai into his kidney.

He screamed; she followed with a punch that burst his skull.

Blood splattered across her.

Mikoto felt a long-lost sense of freedom.

She'd been too repressed lately.

The Uchiha were obsessives by nature.

She hadn't felt it when she was weaker.

But as she approached the Mangekyo, her old nature surfaced.

Once unbound, she would, like other Uchiha, slip into a certain mental state.

She snapped back, her face suddenly soft again.

She walked to Natsume. "I… I completed your task."

"Mhm. Well done."

Seeing her revert made Natsume feel a little whiplash.

On second thought, not bad.

Gentle when needed, mad when needed.

He suspected it might relate to the Mangekyo she was about to awaken—eye techniques as reflections of the heart.

"Izumi, clean up the battlefield."

He pointed to the villagers. "And wipe their memories."

He didn't want the Sharingan back in the public eye yet.

"Yes!"

Izumi led the remaining eight to disperse.

"I'm curious."

Natsume wiped the blood from Mikoto's cheek. "If you awaken the Mangekyo, will you kill me?"

Uchiha tradition: the first blade on shore cuts down the beloved.

"No!"

Mikoto's pupils shrank; she shook her head quickly.

"Uchiha worship strength."

Natsume pinched her cheek. "Let me show you the limit of power."

Mikoto looked up at him, then lowered her head.

She hadn't thought about killing Natsume before; his words planted the seed.

If the chance came, she felt she might strike.

She'd been given too much lately—enough to make her break down more than once.

Natsume wasn't surprised.

She didn't like him yet.

Perfect time to leave another deep impression.

He looked at Amaru.

Still unconscious, wrapped in bandages, reeking of medicine.

In the film, there wasn't much detail on her ninjutsu—mostly a plot mover.

But apprenticing under Shinnō suggested some talent for medical ninjutsu.

A named character, at least.

He decided to toss her to Uzumaki Hinae to manage.

If talent could be exchanged—great, another medic. If not, she could work a desk job.

He cast Flying Thunder God.

He brought her to the Land of Wave Daimyo's mansion, explained things to Hinae, then returned to the Sky ruins.

[Because of your actions, Amaru's fate has changed. You gained 49 Fate Points.]

[Because of your actions, Shinnō's fate has changed. You gained 7 Fate Points.]

Not bad.

Shinnō would provide more later.

Natsume picked up a shuriken launcher.

Not as refined as a mechanical product—powered by chakra.

Ordinary people couldn't use it.

Made sense—no advanced tooling here, and no desire to serve civilians. How would they build precision mechanics?

With chakra power, the launcher wasn't that useful.

He thought of the Snow Country's chakra armor—more helpful for average shinobi.

After Izumi and the others finished, they headed for the nearby ruins.

The ruins were the structure atop the fortress's "head."

The main body lay underground.

The tech here was skewed.

From the film, the fortress was no smaller than a tailed beast.

Something that massive should be costly and technically formidable.

The Five Great Villages might not pull it off, yet Sky did.

No wonder Shinnō boasted he'd crush the Five Great Nations—until he met Naruto.

Natsume realized Naruto villains all had big dreams.

Everyone wanted to unify the ninja world.

The one who could have—Hashirama—gave up and did a feudal-style partition.

No, worse—an equal split of the world.

A saint indeed.

His successor, Naruto, had similar tendencies.

Maybe that's Asura's chakra at work.

…

Meanwhile, in the fortress—

Shinnō fled madly and, only upon reaching the control room, exhaled.

He sat on his self-made throne.

The Zero-Tails was in the sealing chamber below, providing endless dark chakra.

With that power, he feared no one.

But the fortress needed just a bit more to start.

A vicious light flashed in his eyes.

He'd planned to use Amaru's village as fuel for dark chakra. Now he'd sacrifice some sky ninja.

Beat Natsume and the others now; he could make up for it later.

Nearby, Shisui kept hidden and recorded his every move.

Soon, Shinnō summoned twenty sky ninja and led them to the power room.

"Get in."

He opened an iron door.

"Lord Shinnō, what is this…?"

They looked at each other, unrest spreading.

They knew what that prison was for.

Fueling dark chakra meant becoming fodder—and dying.

Shinnō didn't explain, just kicked them into the cells.

Some resisted, uselessly—he knocked them out.

He'd chosen genin and chunin who couldn't stir trouble.

"Lord Shinnō! Help!"

"No! Don't!"

"Damn bastard!"

Listening to the curses, Shinnō felt refreshed.

Dark chakra came from the darkness in people's hearts—negative emotion.

"Yes, hate me. Sink into the dark!"

He laughed and left the power room, returning to his throne.

More precisely, to a huge circular control dial.

He crouched and poured in dark chakra. The dial shifted, revealing Natsume's team on a display.

"Behold my ultimate masterpiece! A super fortress that can destroy the Five Great Nations!"

His face twisted with spite and triumph.

He could've used Eight Gates plus his medical arts to defeat them.

But after the humiliation, he wanted a grander funeral for them.

Shinnō stood, formed seals; arrays of light flickered across the dial.

"Awaken! Ancor Vantian!"

With his frenzied roar, the entire structure began to shake.

Shisui's heart tightened. This looked serious.

Destroy the Five Great Nations—intimidating words.

He hesitated, then remained still.

Natsume's order: no matter what, do not act.

Shinnō howled to the sky.

His outer robes tore; his hair lifted in the surge of air.

His exposed skin writhed and transformed into a super-muscled physique.

From a frail old man to a six-pack middle-aged hulk.

Shisui gaped.

What kind of ninjutsu was this—reversing age?

And then, something even more shocking.

He felt the structure rising skyward.

Outside, Natsume saw it clearly.

The buried ruins shed earth and revealed their true form.

Moments later, it lifted, floating into the air.

"What… is that?"

Mikoto's mouth fell open, eyes wide.

"An aerial fortress. Built by the former Sky ninja. A super-weapon that can fire attacks on par with Tailed Beast Bombs."

Natsume briefed her. "Scary, isn't it?"

Mikoto's expression shifted.

To many shinobi, tailed beasts were the strongest chakra entities.

And the Tailed Beast Bomb—a strike more insane than S-rank ninjutsu.

No one could block it.

"Maybe we should…"

Mikoto's nature hadn't fully flipped yet.

Shinobi didn't always fight to the death.

Even on missions, retreat was allowed in danger.

Faced with the fortress, she felt even the Mangekyo would be useless.

Ninjutsu and dojutsu couldn't reach; even if they did, such a massive fortress would barely feel it.

Even Izumi agreed, nodding gravely.

The other Uchiha needed no convincing.

People would die.

Most here hadn't seen Natsume's Wood Release, Shisui aside.