317 - Naruto: The Tenseigan Ascendant (Patreon)

317 - The Flame Demons

A day passed, and night fell again.

Three figures appeared in a grove outside Konoha. All wore black cloaks trimmed with gold and masks marked with flames.

Their clothes were almost identical, but their bearing set them apart.

The one with a ponytail and a sword at her waist leaned against a tree. She looked relaxed, almost lazy, yet completely at ease.

The short-haired figure wore black gloves and carried a short sword across his back. With his arms folded, he looked ready to move at a moment's notice.

The smallest carried no sword, though tool pouches lined his belt. He stood quietly, giving away little.

They were Naoki in his Fire Release clone, Shisui Uchiha, and Itachi Uchiha.

Once they were all there, Naoki grinned. "Flame Demons, let's go."

Whoosh.

His clone vanished in a blur.

Shisui nodded and used the Body Flicker Technique to disappear just as silently.

Itachi glanced back toward the village. A moment later, he was gone too.

The grove fell still again, as though the three had never been there.

In the Land of Hot Water.

Shinno studied a set of plans in his tent.

Ancor Vantian, the Sky Ninja's prized flying fortress, was not yet in working order. Konoha had shot it down during the war decades earlier. Shinno's first priority was to repair it and get it airborne again.

"The weapons system is nearly finished. Once I fix the power system, Ancor Vantian can fly."

He slapped the plans on the table, grinning with fierce excitement.

For years, he had traveled the shinobi world as a wandering physician, collecting supplies and technology. He meant to restore the Sky Ninja and make them a force again.

A Sky Ninja stumbled into the tent. "S-sir, someone's attacking the outer posts. We've lost contact with fourteen of them already!"

"What?"

Shinno stared at him.

His people were not elite shinobi, but they had been trained. Ordinary bandits or wandering ninja would not have overrun them so easily.

Whoever had taken more than a dozen posts in so little time was dangerous.

Another Sky Ninja rushed in. "Sir, there's only one attacker, but..."

"But what?"

"They're wearing a black cloak and a flame-patterned mask. It looks like the God Organization's Flame Demon."

"The God Organization?"

Shinno's face hardened.

The last thing he wanted was trouble with the Akatsuki or the God Organization. He knew enough about the shinobi world's hidden powers to fear both.

Akatsuki intelligence claimed that nearly every member of the God Organization was Kage-level. Its Flame Demon had a confirmed Mangekyo Sharingan and was said to be every bit as dangerous as Shinichi Uchiha.

Shinno seized the man's collar. "How many of them are there?"

"J-just one."

'They must be after Hiruko's forbidden technique and what I know about the Akatsuki. I can't let them capture me.'

He made his choice. "Hold this position."

The two shinobi exchanged an uneasy look, then nodded. "Yes, sir."

Shinno scooped up the plans and hurried out of the tent.

He had meant to finish moving every last supply into Ancor Vantian before repairing its power system.

Now he had no time. He needed to bring the fortress online and move it before the Flame Demon reached its core.

He hurried to the entrance of a ruin.

Vines covered the old stonework. Most of Ancor Vantian lay buried belowground; only a fraction of its upper structure showed above the surface.

As he approached, someone stepped out and blocked his way.

Shinno's eyes widened. "How did you find this place?"

Naoki's Fire Release clone stood before him, one hand resting on the sword at her waist and the other brushing the fortress's stonework. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

Shinno's expression shifted, then he forced a smile. "Whatever you want, I can cooperate. I've left the Akatsuki."

Behind the mask, Naoki smiled. Shinno's loyalty had always been thin. "You know what we want."

"If I'm right, it's Hiruko's forbidden Chimera Technique."

Naoki nodded.

"Then follow me."

Shinno walked past her and went into the fortress.

Naoki considered for a moment, then followed in silence.

He had wanted this flying fortress for a long time. If he took it, he would finally have a base of his own, perhaps even a vast laboratory in the sky.

He was in no hurry to attack. First he needed to see what condition the fortress was in.

It had flown in the original timeline, but that was more than a decade away. For now, no one but Shinno could say whether Ancor Vantian could even lift off.

Before long, Shinno led Naoki into the fortress's main hall.

He pressed a stone pillar. A hidden compartment opened, and he drew out a scroll and tossed it to Naoki. "Here's the Chimera Technique you came for. We don't have to fight over it."