Kairen dispelled the Sasori clone.
Tsunade and Yūhi Kurenai walked over. Tsunade looked up at the towering, over-three-meter-tall robot and asked curiously,
"A puppet?"
Kairen shook his head.
A moment later, the sound of shifting mechanical parts echoed from within his limbs, and before their eyes, his body transformed into a Chevrolet Camaro sports car.
Kairen opened the door. "This is a car—it's a tool that can move on its own!"
He then invited Tsunade and the others to get in, wanting to let them experience the power of Bumblebee firsthand.
They all climbed in. Kairen shut the doors, and the display screen on Bumblebee's dashboard lit up as music began to play from the speakers...
Kairen suddenly slammed the accelerator. Bumblebee's engine roared to life, and with a loud "vroom," they shot forward like a yellow flash streaking through the forest.
After a while, Tsunade's interest was piqued.
"Teach me how to drive!"
Kairen nodded and began instructing her—how to press the clutch and move the gear lever.
Tsunade frowned slightly. "Where's the gear lever?"
Kairen replied, "On the right side!"
"And then?"
"Push it forward—slowly..."
A few moments later, Bumblebee's engine suddenly shuddered, and the speed began to drop.
Tsunade frowned. "But wasn't I driving at the highest gear the whole time?!"
Kairen replied weakly, "We're out of fuel. Of course it's slowing down!"
Did you really think that lever was just for show?
Tsunade glanced at the lever and muttered,
"This... why does it feel just like this morning?"
Kairen broke into a cold sweat.
"That—uh—it's... for adhesion! Not important!"
"Is that so?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes. She had a feeling there was more to this than he let on.
Kairen immediately transformed again. Bumblebee was replaced by a massive eagle.
He carried Tsunade and the others on his back and said,
"Let's fly instead. Flying's faster than driving anyway."
Tsunade nodded. The wind from the heavens brushed against her face, and for a brief moment, all her suspicions melted away.
...
Inside Kairen's consciousness network.
The Lust Clone looked utterly impressed as he lectured a few of his underlings behind him.
"See that? That's why the boss gets to be the main body, while we're stuck as clones. That's the difference!"
"Yeah! Boss—you're amazing!"
"What crime would that count as?"
"Hmm... indecency! Punishable by up to five years in prison!"
"We'll cuff him another day!"
The Lust Clone's gaze turned cold. Justice and evil could never coexist. He immediately barked at the lawyers on their side, "Come up with a counterargument!"
"Got it, the Lust Clone! I'll check the criminal code and see how we can get the boss's sentence reduced to life imprisonment—or death!"
"You are bastard! You're a mole from their side, aren't you?!"
Among the neutral faction between good and evil were those who simply didn't care.
The Sasuke clone held a book, studying its "Pretentious Quotes Collection" intently.
"Hmm... this one's good!"
Naruto's clone was practicing his tone, experimenting with how to curse more effectively.
The Sasori clone looked utterly disdainful, hiding away in the corner of the mental network as he worked on new Autobots.
"With Bumblebee complete, I still want more—Optimus Prime, Megatron, The Fallen, Jetfire..."
...
Under Tsunade's control, the airborne Kairen slowly approached Konoha's airspace.
After about two hours, a vast forest came into view. Beneath one of the hills stood three massive Hokage Rock faces, their stone-carved eyes gazing calmly into the distance.
Below Hokage Rock lay a vast, oval-shaped village—large enough to be called a major town.
Shizune, Kurenai, and Tsunade all stood up. As they gazed upon the familiar village below, their hearts gradually steadied.
This was the Land of Fire's Konoha—the largest ninja village in the entire shinobi world, and their home.
Through his eagle eyes, Kairen took in every detail of the village below:
The training fields, the Hokage Building, the Ninja Academy... even Ichiraku Ramen.
At that sight, Kairen's heart grew heavy. Every story began here—and ended here.
His childhood had been no different.
This place held the world's warmest love and kindness... and the darkest cruelty one could not bear.
There were so many people he wanted to see again—Jiraiya, Namikaze Minato, Kakashi, Obito, Guy...
Tsunade grasped the feathers around Kairen's neck and cautioned,
"Land over there. Konoha's protected by a sensory barrier—if you fly straight in, they'll treat you as an enemy."
But Kairen acted as if he hadn't heard. He flew straight toward Konoha's skies.
"Hey! Brat! What are you doing?!"
An eagle is always proud—how could mere mortals understand its spirit?
Like a streak of black lightning, Kairen pierced through Konoha's sensory barrier with ease.
"Hurry! Hurry!"
"Enemy intrusion! Massive chakra detected!"
"Report to the Third Hokage! Alert the ANBU!"
Konoha's Barrier Team sprang into action. Information was relayed, ANBU units assembled, and the great war machine known as Konoha began to turn—revealing its steel fangs.
Kairen soared high above Konoha, feeling a surge of uncontainable pride rise within him.
"Eight Gates—First Gate, Gate of Opening—Open!"
"Second Gate, Gate of Rest—Open!"
"Third Gate, Gate of Life—Open!"
"Fourth Gate, Gate of Pain—Open!"
Green energy flooded through his entire body, followed by the crimson aura of the Nine-Tails' chakra.
Such tremendous chakra coursed through Kairen's body as he activated the Hundred Transformations Technique.
"Chirp——!"
In an instant, a colossal eagle—over a hundred meters wide—appeared in the sky. Its wings spread so vast they seemed to blot out the sun itself.
The mighty eagle cried out, soaring over the buildings below. Its proud silhouette drew the gaze of every villager.
"Konoha—Moku Kairen has arrived!"