Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for just $7 to get early access to all upcoming chapters!
› Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations
───────────────────────────
Chapter 161: Return, New Targets
Morning.
On the deck of the Sky Fortress.
Greenery flourished like a lush carpet, and water flowed gently through the canals. Being high in the sky, the temperature was significantly lower than the scorching heat of the ground. Occasional cold breezes brushed past, carrying the faint scent of flowers.
Shion sat by the canal, her small feet unconsciously paddling in the flowing water. Her skin was so white it seemed to glow. Panting slightly, she propped herself up on the grass with both arms, tilting her head back to watch the white mist drifting endlessly above.
"Uncle Kameda," she called out to Kameda, who was standing as straight as a telephone pole not far away, looking equally out of breath. "Did Lady Konan say when she would be back?"
When she woke up this morning, Konan had already left the Sky Fortress. After breakfast, she had been dragged by Samui, Honoka, and Ryuzetsu to the training room for a workout. Taking advantage of a brief break, she had come to the deck to soak her feet. Her stamina couldn't compare to those three, who were still training their Ninjutsu without a single rest.
Kameda shook his head. "Lady Konan didn't say. We just need to wait."
"Aren't you tired standing like that all the time?"
"Not at all!" Kameda stood even straighter. "Lady Konan could return at any moment. I must be here waiting."
"Alright..." Shion pouted, looking down at the shimmering water surface.
Uncle Kameda was great—he could fulfill almost any request—but sometimes he was just too rigid. His every move reminded her of the handmaidens who used to serve her in the Demon Country's palace.
Whoosh!
Just then, a figure pierced through the clouds and landed squarely beside Shion.
It was Konan, officially returning to the Sky Fortress.
"Lady Konan!" Kameda's reaction was still the fastest.
Moving with the speed of the wind, he arrived beside her, pulling a glass of juice from a pile of ice blocks and presenting it. "You've worked hard on your outing. This is freshly squeezed, ice-cold grape juice. Please enjoy."
Last time, he had handed her orange juice that Lady Konan had to chill herself with Ice Release. Just thinking about it made Kameda flush with shame. That was a mistake, carelessness, irresponsibility! As a subordinate, how could he fail at such a simple task? How could he live up to Lady Konan's high expectations with such sloppy work?
This time, he specifically carried a small bucket strapped to his chest, filled with ice blocks surrounding the juice, ensuring that Lady Konan could drink ice-cold refreshment the moment she returned.
"Lady Konan." Shion blushed, hurriedly pulling her feet out of the water and standing on the grass. She lowered her head shyly, not daring to look Konan in the eye.
Konan took the juice. It was cold to the touch, requiring no further Ice Release. She sipped it leisurely.
Alex and the other sheets of paper floated beside her. When he had descended just now, he happened to be directly above Shion. He had witnessed a deep, snowy valley. It seemed that after days of intentional 'massage', Shion's assets were showing a trend of growth. Her pale blonde hair draped over her snow-white collarbones, and further down, her chest stood proudly, outlining a rather tempting picture.
Cough...
Alex looked away. The scenery was nice, but business came first. He would give Shion a thorough 'body examination' tonight.
He glanced back at Hinata, who was floating behind Konan wrapped in paper. This trip to Konoha had been a massive harvest. The remaining two bloodlines—Senju and Hyuga—were now in hand. They had also obtained a full backup of the Scroll of Seals from the Root Headquarters, copying every forbidden jutsu, powerful Ninjutsu, and Sealing Jutsu Konoha had developed over the years.
Furthermore, Konan had killed Danzo Shimura, avenging a grudge held for over a decade. Departing at dawn and returning before noon—less than half a day—the haul was bountiful.
Kameda respectfully took the empty glass from Konan. "Lady Konan, lunch is being prepared. It features Fire Country specialties. If there is anything specific you crave, please tell this subordinate, and I guarantee I will procure it for you."
"No need for the trouble," Konan waved her hand. "Just arrange things as usual."
"Yes." Kameda bowed slightly. "Lady Konan, there is a small situation I need to report to you."
"Hmm?" Konan looked puzzled. "What is it?"
"It's about that guy, Jugo, who has been frozen in the ice block. It seems he's done for... During my routine inspection this morning, I suddenly noticed he was bleeding from all over his body inside the ice, dyeing it red."
Jugo?
Alex paused. If Kameda hadn't mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten. Seeing Konan raise an eyebrow, he guessed she had also forgotten about the guy frozen on ice. After the battle with Sasuke, they had captured him, learned the location of his village, froze him casually, and went to find Ryuchi Cave. After successfully finding it and mastering Sage Mode, they had temporarily forgotten his existence.
With a thought, Konan sent a swarm of white paper flying off the deck. Less than ten seconds later, the paper returned, carrying a human-shaped block of ice.
Inside, Jugo was just as Kameda described—bleeding from every pore, staining the surrounding ice red. The massive block of ice originally created had now melted down to a thin layer, barely covering his body. It would likely melt completely within a few days.
Alex moved forward to inspect, then communicated with Konan via the Mind Body Transmission Technique.
'He's hopeless. Dead as a doornail. Only a shell remains; his soul has likely gone to the Pure Land.'
Jugo, a member of Team Taka, was declared dead.
Konan nodded to indicate she understood. Her expression didn't change; she didn't care about Jugo's life or death in the slightest. It was fine that he died; he had attacked her before, so this was an end to it. The man didn't hold much value anyway.
Konan controlled the paper to instantly wrap around the frozen Jugo, moving him to the high altitude outside the deck.
Bang!
With a muffled sound, the ice shattered into dust. Jugo's corpse turned into countless ice particles, scattered into the high sky to disperse with the wind. He had thoroughly merged with nature. Presumably, for someone who loved nature, he would be satisfied with this way of dying.
Jugo's death was just a minor interlude. Neither Konan, the Akatsuki, nor the witnesses Kameda and Shion cared. It was thrown to the back of their minds almost instantly.
Konan looked at Shion. "Where are Honoka and the other two?"
"In the training room." Shion looked up timidly, then shrank back quickly like a cat. "They've been training since they woke up. I was too, I'm just taking a temporary rest."
Seeing Shion still so shy, both Konan and Alex smiled inexplicably. This little girl had a unique charm when being teased.
"Kameda!"
"Here!" Kameda immediately stood at attention. "Please give your orders, Lady Konan!"
"Activate the Sky Fortress immediately. Head to the Land of Swamps. Arrange for Ryuzetsu to lead the Anbu to locate a specific spot."
Alex controlled a sheet of paper with black text to float in front of Kameda. Written on it was the description of the entrance to the Moon Passage from his memory! Since the Byakugan bloodline was in hand, they couldn't let go of the giant Tenseigan on the Moon.
Kameda took the paper, scanned it quickly, and understood. "Please rest assured, Lady Konan. Once we arrive in the Land of Swamps, we will immediately descend and conduct a carpet search for this location."
"Good."
Konan nodded, taking the wrapped Hinata back to her room.
Next, it was time to fuse the Senju and Hyuga bloodlines to achieve a post-natal Otsutsuki bloodline...
───────────────────────────
Support this fanfic by leaving reviews, comments, and Power Stones!
For advance chapters, visit:
› Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations