When Sasori emerged from the laboratory, his body was still stained with machine oil and metal filings.
He had just finished adjusting the joints on a steel puppet.
Before he could even put down the tool in his hand, an ANBU appeared at the door.
"Sasori-sama, Kazekage-sama requests your presence."
The ANBU dropped to one knee, his voice respectful and urgent. "There is something that needs to be excavated."
"What is it?"
Sasori's voice was hoarse and flat.
It came through the gaps in his puppet body, impossible to read for emotion.
He did not put down the tool in his hand.
Nor did his gaze leave the half-finished puppet on the workbench.
"Kazekage-sama didn't say. He only told me to tell you… as soon as possible."
Sasori was silent for a moment.
Teizawa was not the type to make trouble for no reason.
Since he had sent someone to summon him, there was probably something important.
Sasori set down the tool in his hand.
He covered the puppet parts with a cloth, then turned and left the laboratory.
The ANBU led the way.
The two of them passed through the streets and alleys of Sunagakure, one after the other, heading northwest through the village.
Sasori soon noticed that this was not the way to the Kazekage Building, nor was it the direction of the training grounds.
The farther they went, the more remote it became. Fewer and fewer people appeared around them.
At last, they arrived at an open area enclosed by high walls.
Quite a few people stood there.
Temari, Kankurō, and several Sunagakure ANBU.
All of their gazes were fixed in the same direction.
The sky.
What was in the sky?
Sasori raised his head.
Then he froze.
The flying fortress that had slumbered for so many years was hovering silently in midair.
Sunlight fell across its rust-streaked shell, reflecting a dull gleam.
Like a dormant beast.
Looking down on the tiny village beneath it.
Sasori's pupils contracted slightly.
His steps stopped, and he stood motionless.
He had seen many puppets. Ceremonial puppets, performance puppets, humanoid puppets, beast-shaped puppets.
But he had never seen anything like this.
It was not a puppet. Not a machine.
It was a real, complete flying war fortress.
Its size was so immense that it had to be dragged by sealing chains. Its displacement was enough to support several hundred people living and fighting inside.
Those gun turrets, those exits for flying puppets, those dense clusters of runes and pipelines…
Every part of it spoke of the glory it once possessed.
The legacy of the Sky Ninja Village.
The legendary Angkor Fortress.
"This…"
Sasori's voice was rough, as if his mouth were full of sand. "What is this?"
Teizawa walked out from the crowd.
He stood beside Sasori and looked up at the enormous structure.
"The Sky Ninja Village's aerial base. I took it from a man named Shinnō."
He paused.
"From today onward, it belongs to Sunagakure."
Sasori was silent for a long time.
He walked beneath the fortress and casually ran his hand over its rusted metal shell.
Cold. Hard. Marked by the passage of years.
He closed his eyes, and his senses spread through the shell.
Like countless invisible feelers.
They slipped into the fortress.
Scanning every corner.
"It's useless."
He opened his eyes and turned to Teizawa. "This fortress's power system is completely ruined."
"The outer shell can still be used, but the internal energy core has been completely destroyed."
"Without energy, it's nothing but a pile of scrap metal. And…"
"Its energy system was built around some technology we don't understand."
"I studied those runes and pipelines. What they need isn't chakra, but something we can't provide."
Teizawa leaned against the wall, his hands tucked into his sleeves, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Who said we don't have energy?"
Sasori frowned.
Teizawa waved to the ANBU.
The ANBU accepted the order and left. Soon, they escorted someone out from behind the crowd.
Gray-white hair. Dark skin. His whole body bound in sealing chains. His steps were staggered and weak, like a fish dragged out of water.
"Who is this?"
"Shinnō."
Teizawa said, "He isn't just the leader of the Sky Ninja Village. He's also the Zero-Tails' jinchūriki."
"The Zero-Tails is inside him. An artificial tailed beast capable of absorbing chakra from its surroundings and converting it into power."
"The fortress's energy problem can be solved through him."
Sasori froze.
For the first time, ripples spread through eyes that had been as still as dead water.
The Zero-Tails.
An artificial tailed beast.
Capable of absorbing human chakra and converting it into power.
And in theory, that power was limitless.
If what Teizawa said was true, and Shinnō really did contain the Zero-Tails, then the fortress's energy problem could indeed be solved.
They would not even need the Zero-Tails itself.
They only needed to extract the chakra core from inside Shinnō.
That alone would provide the fortress with a continuous supply of power.
"Are you certain?"
Sasori's voice sounded faintly unsteady.
"I'm certain."
Teizawa nodded. "The Zero-Tails' core is inside Shinnō, fused with him."
"As long as we lock Shinnō inside the fortress's energy chamber and connect him to the power system, the Zero-Tails will automatically absorb chakra from the surroundings and provide energy to the fortress."
After a brief pause, he continued, "And the more chakra the Zero-Tails absorbs, the stronger it becomes. The stronger it becomes, the more power the fortress receives."
Sasori fell silent.
He was weighing the risks and benefits, considering feasibility, calculating the time and resources required.
Then he said, "I need to inspect the fortress's energy system carefully and confirm its compatibility with the Zero-Tails."
"Of course." Teizawa nodded. "That's why I called you here."
"You'll be in charge of modifying the fortress. Kankurō will assist you. Deidara will handle the weapons systems. Temari will be responsible for logistical support."
The corner of his mouth lifted.
"Within one year, I want to see Sunagakure's flag flying in the sky."
Sasori said nothing more. He turned and walked toward the fortress.
The ANBU hurried after him.
Using Earth Release, they built temporary ladders and platforms underground for Sasori to climb.
He climbed onto the fortress's outer shell and slipped inside through a damaged entrance.
It was dark inside.
Cold and eerie.
The air was thick with the smell of rust and decay.
A long corridor stretched ahead. Rooms of unknown purpose lined both sides.
Overhead, pipes and wiring covered the ceiling in dense layers.
Sasori walked forward while scanning every inch of the surrounding structure with his senses.
The energy chamber lay in the deepest part of the fortress.
There, he found a massive circular hall.
The walls were covered in runes, pipelines, and complex formations.
At the center of the hall stood a thick crystal pillar.
It stretched from the floor all the way to the ceiling.
The pillar's surface was covered in cracks, dim and gray.
Like a lamp on the verge of going out.
The energy core had been completely destroyed.
"Shinnō."
Sasori turned and looked at the old man being held by the ANBU. "Lock him here. Use sealing chains to connect him to the crystal pillar, then guide the Zero-Tails' chakra into the energy system."
The ANBU accepted the order and began making arrangements.
Sasori did not leave.
He remained in the hall, watching the ANBU work.
Watching Shinnō being chained to the crystal pillar.
The Zero-Tails' chakra surged out from inside Shinnō—black, viscous energy carrying the stench of decay.
It slowly flowed along the sealing chains and into the crystal pillar.
The crystal pillar began to glow. The cracks started to heal, and its luster returned.
The runes on the walls lit up one after another.
Like sleeping eyes opening in sequence.
The lights in the corridor also began to flicker.
Bright, then dim.
Like a heartbeat.
Like breathing.
The entire fortress was awakening.
Like a giant that had slept for a thousand years slowly opening its eyes.
At some point, Teizawa had entered.
He stood beside Sasori, watching the crystal pillar grow brighter and brighter.
"How does it feel?"
His voice was quiet, carrying a hint of a smile.
Sasori was silent for a moment.
"This fortress will become Sunagakure's strongest weapon."
Teizawa smiled and reached out, patting him on the shoulder.
"Not just a weapon. Hope."
Sasori did not speak.
He only looked at the crystal pillar.
Light flowed through the crystal.
Illuminating the entire hall.
Illuminating the ancient runes on the walls.
And illuminating the eyes he had always kept hidden within the seams of his puppet body.
Teizawa watched Sasori's reaction, and a knowing smile appeared on his face.
He had always believed that professionals should handle professional work.
With Sasori's mastery of puppetry, there was no one better suited to repair this flying fortress.
Soon, this flying fortress would become Sunagakure's calling card.
And its trump card.
(End of Chapter)
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