After Ay's sudden and shocking departure, excitement rippled through the group. Kohana's eyes sparkled with anticipation, and Tsunade herself wore an almost mischievous smile, both of them looking as if they, too, wanted to experience the thrill of teleportation.
Seeing their expectant gazes, Ron could only sigh inwardly. It wasn't that the Heavenly Transfer Technique couldn't be used on them; on the contrary, for most ninjas, it was now quite safe. Unlike the original version, which demanded immense reserves of chakra and a body as strong as the Raikage's to endure the process, Ron's modified technique required far less. These days, even chunin-level ninjas and ordinary objects could be transferred without issue.
Objects were simple, unaffected by the strain of chakra circulation or instability. But civilians, who lacked chakra entirely, were another matter. Although Ron's new system was stable, the ninja world itself was anything but that. Just as nature was prone to storms, earthquakes, and other disasters, space itself contained shifting currents and ripples. A ninja's chakra could stabilize and anchor their form during transfer, but civilians remained vulnerable to these fluctuations. The risk was tiny, less than one percent, but still present. And Ron had no intention of gambling with the Daimyo, who was his uncle, or the other officials who were not trained shinobi.
After a moment's thought, he broke into a smile and said, "How about flying instead?"
Kohana, who had been so eager for teleportation, instantly tilted her head in curiosity. "Flying, Brother? Do you mean like how you arrived earlier? Are you going to carry us?"
The others, too, perked up with interest. Still, more than a few exchanged uneasy glances. Ron had looked undeniably impressive soaring down from the sky before, but were they all supposed to cling to him as he carried them one by one? What if someone slipped?
Ron chuckled at their expressions and reassured them. "Yes, I'll be carrying you all but with Lightning Release."
As soon as he finished, chakra flared from his body and spread outward like rippling arcs of light, flowing toward each person. The ninjas present, trusting Ron completely, did not resist as the chakra enveloped them. To their surprise, the energy took on form, connecting them together in a series of thick strands. They looked almost like glowing ropes, firm yet elastic, reminiscent of the chakra thread puppeteers used in Sunagakure. However, these were denser, springier, with a texture like tempered rubber that neither stretched nor collapsed.
It was, in truth, another expression of the chakra's infinite adaptability. Kurama, watching closely, recognized the similarity to his own chakra when forming tails and limbs for his jinchuriki. Sparks danced along the ropes as Ron infused them with Lightning Release. The electricity didn't harm them; rather, it acted as a stabilizing current, creating a shell of chakra around each body that shielded them from air resistance and turbulence, and lifted them up using electromagnetic force, as if they were levitating, defying gravity.
Ron himself had already surpassed the threshold of shadow-level chakra. His refined chakra quality allowed him to accomplish far more with far less effort, exerting more with less due to the quality of the chakra, and combined with his natural abundance of chakra due to Lightning Chakra Mode, and years of disciplined training, what came next was hardly a strain. For him, lifting a handful of passengers was little more than play.
He steadied his breathing, activating his chakra mode fully. Rather than resorting to electromagnetic acceleration, a more lethal and unwieldy application of Lightning Release, Ron opted for the smoother, more aesthetic method of chakra propulsion from the chakra mode. Flying this way wasn't only safer; it was also, to Ron, far more enjoyable.
With a surge of chakra, Ron pulled everyone upward. At first, there was only the strange weightless tug, like the ground itself was slipping away from their feet. Then, in a rush, they rose high above the rooftops. The city shrank beneath them, aesthetic lanterns and modern lights turning into scattered fireflies, while the winding streets looked like faintly glowing threads carved into the dark earth.
Gasps and cries of wonder broke out as the world tilted beneath their perspective. The Daimyo and his officials clutched at the chakra ropes out of instinct, though the invisible barrier kept them secure. Tsunade and Kohana leaned forward, hair fluttering wildly from the light wind that passed through the electromagnetic barrier, eyes wide as the horizon opened before them.
The higher they went, the more the air thinned and cooled, carrying with it the crisp scent of altitude. Clouds drifted lazily in the distance, their edges tinged with the faint orange of the setting sun. The chakra shielding shimmered faintly, scattering the sunlight into iridescent glimmers, as if the group were encased in bubbles of rainbow light.
"Not bad…" one of the officials muttered, voice trembling with both awe and nerves. "This isn't so frightening after all."
But the ninjas were transfixed. Tsunade's eyes gleamed as if she were a child again, while even Kurama rumbled in quiet amazement. For beings accustomed to the earthbound struggles of shinobi life, the view from above was a rare and new perspective. Mountains in the distance stood like jagged guardians, spare forests and vegetation and land stretched endlessly like a sea of green waves, with some rivers and waterfalls along the mountain lines glimmering like silver threads winding through the land.
Ron glanced back at their faces and couldn't help but grin. "Good. If you're enjoying the view, then hold on tight. My chakra will keep you safe from the wind and from colliding with each other. Now get ready. Here we gooo!"
The words had barely left his lips before the world blurred. Ron poured lightning chakra into the threads for the upcoming speedier travel as his chakra flared further, and with a sharp crack like thunder splitting the air, they shot forward.
The acceleration was breathtaking. Wind roared past them, yet not a hair was torn out of place. The chakra shield softened the pressure, turning the violent rush of air into a steady current that brushed gently against their skin. Below, the land streamed by in a dizzying cascade, nature, rivers, and Mountains reduced to fleeting patterns of color.
Clouds whipped around them as they streaked higher, parting like curtains to reveal a sky painted in deepening hues of violet and gold. The horizon bent in a vast curve, reminding them how small even the greatest shinobi were against the immensity of the world.
From the city they left behind, only a fading echo of thunder remained in the air, along with the astonished shouts of those who had witnessed the rare scene of a cluster of people carried by lightning itself, vanishing into the distance like a comet tearing across the starry sky.