Temujin himself didn't quite know why.
Something inside him simply urged him to fight the moment he reached the edge of the desert.
Still, he puffed up his chest and kept his tone sharp. "Let me go now, or the Knights will come. And when they do, you'll regret crossing us."
Knights, plate armor, even warships—the boy spoke as if he'd walked out of another world entirely. The shinobi world was already a patchwork of strange powers, and this boy was another odd piece stitched in.
Mufasa couldn't help but grin at the child's bold threat. The words were fierce, but the delivery—out of the mouth of someone so young—felt more endearing than intimidating.
"Yeah, yeah, alright," Mufasa said with a chuckle. "I'll wait for your gallant friends to come save you. But before that, I hear you've got some special abilities. Show me."
Temujin blinked, thrown off.
Before he could object, the Anbu beside them unclasped his bindings and returned his sword.
Mufasa stepped back with a casual wave. "Go on then. Show me what makes you so special."
Hesitating for only a heartbeat, Temujin drew upon the power of the Gelel Stone.
His blade shone with a dazzling glow, pulsing with raw energy.
With a sharp cry, he lunged, bringing his sword down toward Mufasa.
The strike was quick, fierce—yet before the edge could graze his brow, Mufasa raised two fingers and caught the blade between them.
The weapon froze mid-strike, unable to press even an inch closer.
Mufasa's eyes narrowed.
The power flowing through the sword wasn't chakra. It was different.
Alien.
His gaze slid to Temujin's fair hair and determined expression, and realization struck.
Of course. This boy was the very same from Naruto Movie—the one tied to the Stone of Gelel.
The movie boasts that the stone could do anything—make life bloom from barren land, conjure creatures, twist the laws of nature itself. If true, it made chakra look small in comparison.
But such power didn't belong here.
This was a shinobi's world, bound to chakra.
Anything outside that system was doomed to clash and eventually be erased—just like the dragon veins of Rōran or the sky fortress once had been.
As Temujin struggled to wrench his sword free, Mufasa smirked. "So, boy, where's the real Stone of Gelel hidden?"
Temujin's eyes went wide. "How do you… how do you know about the Gelel Stone?"
Mufasa's grin widened, sharp and amused. "I know many things. Now quit playing. Show me the stone."
Temujin's heart raced.
The words Haido had drilled into him echoed: the ones who killed his parents had sought the Gelel Stone.
His mind twisted the pieces together, and rage boiled up. He snarled, "You! You're the murderer who killed my parents!"
Mufasa blinked in surprise, then let out a short laugh. "You stabbed at me, boy, and I didn't get mad. But to slander me? Now that gets under my skin."
He snapped his fingers.
With a twist of force, the sword wrenched itself from Temujin's grip and clattered to the sand.
Raising his palm, Mufasa pulled the boy forward with invisible power until Temujin was caught by the throat.
"Listen here, brat," Mufasa said, his voice low and dangerous. "You think I'd need some crumbling rock like yours? Have you even seen my Sand Village? What could your stone offer me that my people don't already command?"
Temujin gasped, trying to claw free. "I… I was locked away the moment you captured me. I haven't seen your village at all!"
Mufasa released him suddenly, letting him drop. "Then I'll show you. You'll see the Sand with your own eyes, and then you tell me if I need your cute little pebble."
Coughing, Temujin stared after him as Mufasa turned to walk away. "You're not afraid I'll try to kill you the moment your back is turned?"
Mufasa shrugged, not even slowing. "If you can pierce my skin, the win is yours. But if you lose… then you'll follow my lead. Care to gamble?"
Temujin glared, then looked down. He wasn't foolish. That wasn't a gamble he could win. 'HE caught my sword with his fricken fingers. Who the hell does that?'
With a bitter sigh, he sheathed his sword.
Mufasa chuckled at the boy's silence, his tone playful. "Thought so."
"Then let's move."Mufasa gestured for Temujin to follow as they stepped out of the chamber.
"Pick one."He pointed toward a row of sleek hovercraft stationed by the entrance. Their surfaces gleamed with chakra seals and faint blue lights, humming softly as if eager to launch.
Temujin hesitated, then mirrored Mufasa's movements, climbing aboard one of the crafts.
The Raikage's rival—cool and calm—explained the basics without looking back."Bend your legs slightly forward to balance. Lean left to turn, right to shift. Keep your core steady, or you'll spill into the walls."
Temujin mimicked him, awkward at first, but managed to keep pace as they glided down the corridor of the central command tower.
Their hovercrafts hummed quietly, rising as they entered the elevator.
The doors slid open at the top level, revealing a panoramic glass deck. Both men stepped off.
The central command tower was the tallest structure in Sunagakure's rebuilt district.
From here, the entire village and its sprawling industrial quarter unfolded like a living blueprint. Chakra reactors pulsed, puppet-forges whirred, and sand-shielded turbines churned tirelessly.
Temujin stared in awe. The architecture struck him as eerily familiar, reminding him of Hyde's massive mobile fortress—but sleeker, sharper, futuristic.
Where Haido's fortress reeked of rust and steam, this place radiated precision and purpose. To Temujin, the whole village resembled a perfectly tuned war machine.
"Keep up." Mufasa's voice cut through his reverie.
He walked forward, then calmly stepped into the air itself, as if invisible stairs had unfolded beneath his sandals.
Temujin froze. "You… you're walking on air."
Mufasa peered back with mild impatience. "What are you waiting for? Come."
Nervously, Temujin followed. To his shock, his boots found footing where there was none, the magnetic chakra fields holding him aloft.
Each step carried them higher into the open sky.
And then Temujin saw it—a massive structure suspended in the clouds. At first glance it looked like a floating island, mist curling along its edges.
As they drew closer, he realized it was an air fortress: colossal walls, reinforced hangars, and scaffolding crawling with shinobi and mechanical puppets.
Sparks from welding flared as workers grafted chakra-tech into its skeleton.
Mufasa led him directly toward the fortress. A familiar figure soared out to greet them—Sasori, no longer hiding behind a lifeless puppet body.
His crimson hair fluttered as his cloak swayed in the high winds.
"Lord Kazekage," Sasori said, his tone respectful but sharp, "I didn't expect you here in person."
Mufasa's gaze was steady. "I'm here to inspect the progress."
Sasori's eyes glinted, pride breaking his usual mask of detachment. "All is proceeding as planned. The Ancor Vantian will be airborne and battle-ready soon."
Originally, the Ancor Vantian had been a relic of stone and sluggish levitation. Mufasa's vision demanded more.
Now, its framework was reinforced with new alloys and chakra seals, its propulsion powered by colossal chakra engines.
Once completed, this fortress would not crawl through the skies—it would command them.
"When war breaks out," Mufasa murmured, half to himself, "roads and rails will be meaningless. With this, an entire legion can descend from the heavens."
Temujin trailed beside him, eyes wide.
Fusion cannons gleamed along the fortress walls. Puppet drones hovered in formation, their red sensors glowing.
Chakra reactors pulsed within containment glass. Even weapons he couldn't name—massive aerial lances, drone swarms, and floating war constructs—lined the decks.
His throat tightened.
His Gelel Stone, once thought precious, suddenly felt like a pebble beside an ocean.
Mufasa glanced at him, lips curling faintly. "So tell me, what use do you think your stone has to me now?"
Temujin clenched his fists, silent. He knew the answer already.
Finally, he swallowed his pride. "Then… you weren't the one who killed my parents?"
Mufasa raised an eyebrow. "I don't even know who your parents are. Why would I kill them? The man you're looking for is named Haido."
Temujin's head snapped up, fury flashing in his eyes. "Lies! Master Haido is no murderer—he's a good man!"
Mufasa's patience thinned.
He waved a hand dismissively. "Believe what you want. The truth will come when we drag Haido out of whatever hole he's hiding in."
His gaze turned distant, calculating. "Speaking of which… where is Haido now? Why hasn't he come for you?"
_______________________________
Word count: 1430
Comment below on what you think so far.
If anyone of you is interested in reading some advanced chapters, you can check out my p@ tr*on.
p@tr*on.co m/Rai_jin
Thanks for reading guys!