Whoosh~ Whoosh~
High above the dense forest, two figures soared through the air, piloting mechanical wings made of iron. Clad in white shirts and pants overlaid with purple jackets, their heads and faces obscured by coverings and masks, these were Sky Ninja under Shinno's command, conducting a routine patrol.
"Hey, Ryu," one of the ninja called out to his partner during their flight, his voice raised considerably to be heard over the fierce whistling of the wind past their ears. "Any idea why the leader suddenly ordered us to increase patrol intensity these days?"
"No clue," Ryu, the other Sky Ninja, shouted back, shaking his head. "Maybe it has something to do with that group?" He, too, found the leader's departure from his usual low-key, cautious approach puzzling. He knew their two-man team wasn't the only one currently airborne; three other pairs were patrolling the other cardinal directions around the fortress. Such increased activity undoubtedly heightened the risk of exposing their hidden base.
"That group definitely looks shady," the first ninja, Shuichi, grumbled. "I really don't understand why the leader decided to take them in."
"Shuichi, the leader surely has his reasons," Ryu immediately interjected, cutting off his partner's complaint. "Let's not dwell on it. Better to just focus on carrying out our assigned mission." With that, the pair continued their patrol, circling at low altitude along their predetermined route.
"Not good!" Suddenly, as they banked over a small mountain peak, Ryu cried out in alarm. He frantically tried to wrench his iron wings into a sharp turn.
Shuichi glanced down and saw a dense cloud of tiny white specks rushing up towards them from below. Both ninja desperately tried to veer away, but it was already too late.
It was a concentrated volley of Ice Senbon!
Thwip-thwip-thwip~
In an instant, the dense shower of razor-sharp ice needles riddled their bodies, tearing open numerous bloody wounds. Like large birds shot from the sky, the two Sky Ninja and their damaged iron wings plummeted towards the dense forest canopy below.
Just as they were about to crash violently onto the ground, two powerful pillars of water erupted from the trees, catching their falling bodies securely. The water columns gently lowered them and their broken wings to the forest floor. The precision demonstrated an incredible mastery over Water Release ninjutsu.
From the shadows beneath the trees, two figures emerged, clad in the distinctive white robes with gold trim of the Divine Court. It was Suijin and Kagutsuchi. Suijin had been the one to both shoot down and safely catch the two Sky Ninja.
Kagutsuchi stepped forward, detached the now-broken iron wings from Ryu's body, and examined the mechanism with keen interest. The ability to fly was an extremely practical skill in the ninja world, often granting a significant advantage in combat. However, these particular iron wings clearly had major limitations, evidenced by how easily they were damaged by the Ice Senbon barrage. Methods like Sai's or Deidara's, capable of creating flying creatures on demand, seem far more practical, Kagutsuchi mused.
"Looks like we'll have to figure out some means of flight for ourselves eventually," Kagutsuchi sighed, sounding slightly regretful as he tossed the ruined wings aside. "Members of the esteemed Divine Court, unable to fly... what kind of joke is that?"
"Let's go. We will find a way," Suijin stated calmly, already turning towards the direction of the Angkor Fortress.
Soon, the pair arrived before the main gate of the fortress. Waiting there respectfully stood a team of ten other individuals, identically dressed in the white and gold robes of the Divine Court.
"Took you long enough," one of the ten commented as Kagutsuchi and Suijin approached. The speaker was the middle-aged man, Kazuhiko – one of Tatsuya's initial-version clone bodies, incapable of autonomously generating chakra. The other nine figures were identical clones of the same type.
"Heh," Kagutsuchi replied, a hint of surprise in his expression giving way to teasing amusement in his tone, "seems a considerable amount of capital was invested in this operation." He hadn't expected the main body to deploy ten initial-version clones simultaneously. Each of these clones was now equipped with an improved version of the Yin Seal, and fully charging those seals required a significant expenditure of resources. Of course, this modification greatly enhanced their combat capabilities and endurance. Still, deploying ten at once represented a massive ongoing cost just for nutrient solutions and food supplies.
"Yomi and Shinno are not simple opponents," Suijin stated calmly. "We cannot allow them to escape again this time." He turned to Kazuhiko. "Are those 'big birds' in the sky dealt with?"
Kazuhiko nodded. "Yes. All taken care of."
"Good," Suijin instructed. "You ten, establish a perimeter, guard all approaches. Leave the interior to us."
"Understood," Kazuhiko acknowledged. Instantly, the ten clones flickered away, splitting into pairs and heading off in different directions to secure the area around the fortress.
After waiting a moment for them to disperse, Kagutsuchi spoke calmly, "Alright. Let's begin."
Swish~
At his word, both Kagutsuchi and Suijin flickered forward, leaping towards the interior of the Angkor Fortress.
Deep inside the fortress, within a private training chamber, Shinno sat cross-legged, deeply focused on refining his chakra.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a violent impact resonated through the very stone of the fortress, seemingly originating from nowhere. The entire structure shuddered violently from the force.
"Who?!" Shinno's eyes snapped open, shock and alarm flooding his features. Someone was attacking the fortress's outer barrier! To make the entire fortress tremble like that required immense power.
With no time for further thought, Shinno leaped to his feet and rushed out of the chamber. Throughout the fortress, numerous Sky Ninja were alerted by the commotion and took to the air within the fortress's corridors and chambers.
In another residential section of the fortress, Yomi's cultists quickly gathered around their leader.
"Cult Leader," one of them reported urgently, "it seems someone is attacking us head-on!"
Yomi's eyes glinted sharply. "It appears this location has been exposed as well," he stated gravely. "Everyone, be prepared. We withdraw at a moment's notice."
"Yes, Cult Leader!" the followers responded in unison.
Having given the order, Yomi immediately led his contingent, darting towards the source of the attack's sound.
Soon, Shinno's Sky Ninja forces and Yomi's cultists converged in the fortress's large central plaza. In total, there were over two hundred individuals gathered.
All eyes turned upwards. A thin, transparent barrier shimmered into existence, covering the open sky above the plaza. Even as they watched, countless spiderweb cracks began to spread rapidly across its surface, reaching every corner in seconds.
CRACK!
With a sharp, clear shattering sound, the transparent barrier disintegrated, vanishing completely.
Swish~ Swish~
Two figures flashed into the plaza from the direction of the main gate. It was Kagutsuchi and Suijin.
They landed lightly on the ground. Kagutsuchi swept his gaze over the assembled crowd of Sky Ninja and Yomi Cultists. Then, in a low, calm voice that carried clearly across the plaza, he announced:
"Apologies! You are surrounded."