Land of Earth, Iwagakure.
After buying so many of Shinju's iron-made "pseudo-paintings," Ōnoki decided it was time for a field test.
In the middle of the village's training grounds, five aircraft created from those steel pseudo-paintings were parked in neat formation.
Ōnoki stood proudly on the raised platform with his hands behind his back, looking every bit like the great Tsuchikage he was. ( •̀∀•́ )
"Take off!"
With a sharp wave of his hand—
"Bzzzz——"
The planes accelerated across the ground, rising and circling high above the massive training field.
Ōnoki's eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
"That kid didn't lie to me after all. This thing called a 'Flying Chicken' flies even faster than I do."
What he couldn't see, however, was that the pilots inside those cockpits were all starting to look pale.
Why?
Because their chakra was draining far too quickly.
Meanwhile, back on the ground, Ōnoki gave another order to further test the aircraft's performance.
"Fly over the ruins of the Mountains and then come back. Let's see how fast you can go."
No sooner had his voice fallen than one of the planes shuddered violently!
The next instant, the ink-based aircraft completely dissolved, splattering black liquid like rain as it vanished from the sky!
The pilot plummeted straight down.
Ōnoki immediately shot upward to catch the falling body before it hit the ground.
But before he could even breathe, the same thing happened to the other four planes.
A few minutes later—
A panting Ōnoki finally landed, holding five exhausted pilots by their collars.
"Damn it! That brat Shinju tricked me! He must've tampered with the merchandise! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻"
"Cough, cough…"
By the end, he was so angry he could barely breathe.
Beside him, the ever-calm Kurotsuchi analyzed the situation.
"I don't think so. That guy may be unreliable, but he knows his limits. He wouldn't make such a basic mistake."
Ōnoki pounded his own back in frustration, his face flushed with both anger and fatigue.
"Then how the hell do you explain this?! ╰_╯"
Kurotsuchi couldn't answer. He crouched down to question the pilots about their experience.
One of them said, "Controlling that steel bird drains chakra insanely fast. Even if I use up all my chakra, I can barely keep it flying for five minutes. (｡í _ ì｡)"
Another nodded. "Yeah, the moment it takes off, you can feel your chakra being sucked away like crazy…"
Kurotsuchi waved for them to rest.
Ōnoki and the other onlookers had heard everything.
From the crowd, Kurotsuchi's voice spoke up in confusion.
"But when Shinju flew the plane himself, he didn't look the least bit tired. He flew us all around the Land of Rain, then summoned his Susanoo warrior at the end—without even breaking a sweat! (º Д º*)"
"Besides, when I tried flying it myself last time, I didn't have this problem."
Ōnoki thought for a moment, then realization struck him.
"When Shinju took you on that test flight, that plane was one he manifested himself. The chakra was coming from him."
"No ordinary shinobi could compare to that kind of chakra… (ㅎ‸ㅎ)"
"In any case, we'll have to ask him directly. Otherwise, this 'Flying Chicken' has ridiculously short range! (｡•ˇ‸ˇ•｡)"
...
Meanwhile, back in Konoha.
Shinju had just returned home. After greeting Naruto, he said he was heading out again.
Then, he made his way to a large, empty field on the outskirts of the village.
Standing in the center, he quickly formed hand seals, his expression serious.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
...
Inside Ryūchi Cave.
Manda was busy chewing on the remains of some unlucky shinobi.
"These shinobi… always dreaming of coming to Ryūchi Cave to learn Sage Mode. They have no idea how far out of their league they are. Getting eaten by me isn't unjust at all. （ --0027▿ --0027 ）"
Floating nearby were three women dressed in white robes, each wearing a priestess's crown.
One of them said, "In the last hundred years, fewer than five have passed the trials. And among them, only two ever managed to actually learn Sage Mode from the White Snake Sage."
"The shinobi world really has fallen into decline."
Manda grumbled, "Even Mount Myōboku produces more sage students than we do."
The woman scoffed, "Hah, who cares about those filthy toads covered in pus! ┑(￣Д ￣)┍"
After chatting for a while, Manda yawned.
"Ever since Orochimaru died, I haven't had a good meal of human flesh in ages."
Another of the women sighed.
"At least you get to leave Ryūchi Cave sometimes. We, on the other hand, are called 'Guardian of the Ryūchi Cave,' yet we're imprisoned here for life—just to screen those stupid shinobi who want to learn Sage Mode. T_T"
"We want to see the outside world too. I heard a really powerful and handsome shinobi appeared recently. I bet he'd taste amazing. (´◊ω◊｀)"
Manda smirked. "Oh, I think I know who you're talking about. In fact, I even—"
Before he could finish, he suddenly vanished.
One of the maidens frowned. "Manda, what are you doing, stopping mid-sentence like that? (′д｀σ)σ"
Another poked her arm, eyes wide.
"Manda's gone! He just—'whoosh!'—disappeared! (꒪⌓꒪)"
...
Back in the field outside Konoha.
Manda appeared with a pop, still wearing that smug expression.
"In fact, I even became his summoning beast."
"That guy really is something else. Though, he's still a bit worse than—"
ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!
"Shinju?!!"
Manda's voice trembled with disbelief.
This little calamity hadn't summoned him in centuries!
What kind of bad luck was this?!
Shinju smiled faintly. "Go on, finish your sentence. Worse than what? ∩_∩"
Manda hesitated, then quickly changed the subject.
"Y-you… why did you summon me all of a sudden?"
Shinju didn't bother to argue.
"I want to learn Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode."
Manda: (´°Δ°`)
"Haven't you already learned Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode?"
Shinju shrugged. "And is there some rule saying I can't learn both? ┐(´-｀)┌"
Manda forced a laugh.
"Well, no… but no one's ever tried learning from two sacred sites at once. I have no idea what'll happen."
"You might… explode, for all I know!"
Shinju narrowed his eyes. "Hm?"
Manda waved his tail nervously.
"I-I'm not cursing you or anything! I'm just saying—it's uncharted territory. Dangerous!"
Shinju brushed it off. "Doesn't matter. Just take me there."
"Besides, if I really do die, wouldn't that be good news for you?"
Manda chuckled awkwardly.
"Whaaat? How could you say that? Do I look like that kind of snake? ( ´▽` )"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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