Chapter 135

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Ding!

Side Quest: King of D-Rank Missions

Quest Description: Now that the host has officially become a Genin and joined Team 7, the journey as a ninja begins. As an exceptional Genin, even if only tasked with D-rank missions for now, your talents must shine. The host is required to complete twenty D-rank missions in one day to achieve the title of King of D-Rank Missions.

Quest Rewards: Water Clone Jutsu; Lightning Clone Jutsu.

As soon as Gensou reached their destination, a new system notification popped into his mind.

Glancing at it briefly, Gensou dismissed it without a second thought.

It wasn't a main quest, and he had long since mastered the Water Clone Jutsu and Lightning Clone Jutsu. He had no interest in completing twenty D-rank missions.

Putting the system out of his mind, Gensou turned his attention to the vast rocky terrain ahead.

"A relic of the past?" Sasuke, following beside him, scanned the surroundings and noticed numerous ruins, indicating that this area once witnessed a great civilization.

With clear intent, Gensou continued deeper into the area, casually asking Sasuke, "Have you heard of Shinnō?"

Sasuke nodded. "Like those from the village of Iwagakure, he's one of your captives."

"And his identity?"

"The leader of the remnants of the Sky Ninja."

"You didn't have to use the term 'remnants,'" Gensou observed with a slight smile, glancing at Sasuke.

The Sky Ninja once waged war to resist the dominance of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, only to be taught a harsh lesson by Konoha.

From Konoha's perspective, calling them the 'remnants' of the Sky Ninja would be entirely fitting.

Yet, Sasuke, despite having no one to teach him, had consciously chosen to refer to them as 'the survivors' instead, indicating a shift in attitude.

It seemed that the brief conversation with Kazuma at the base of the Fire Temple had given him a new perspective he had never considered before.

Gensou, however, didn't particularly care about this.

He continued, "The Sky Ninja were called that because their village once existed in the sky. Although most of their forces were annihilated back then, the Sky Ninja Village, also known as the Angkor Fortress, still exists."

Sasuke quickly pieced it together: "So, this is where the Angkor Fortress of the Sky Ninja is hidden."

Gensou nodded and then spoke seriously, "Violence and suffering often arrive when least expected. The future shinobi world will only grow more turbulent. Even Locks Village cannot remain untouched by this turmoil. That's why Locks Village needs an escape route."

The power of the Five Great Shinobi Nations was not to be underestimated.

In terms of peak strength, they were no match for Gensou.

But the vast web of influence they had woven over decades in the shinobi world meant that if they truly focused on it, it would only be a matter of time before the secrets of Locks Village were discovered.

While Gensou was powerful, he couldn't always be there like a babysitter to protect Locks Village and the Hagoromo Clan.

Moreover, even the mightiest tree would remain merely superficial if it never endured storms.

However, he could still provide the Hagoromo Clan with a secure escape route.

The Angkor Fortress of the Sky Ninja was an excellent choice.

In a world where few possessed the ability to fly, as long as Gensou didn't act recklessly, the Angkor Fortress, the former Sky Ninja Village, would remain a safe haven.

Sasuke understood Gensou's reasoning.

Reflecting on the fate of the Uchiha Clan in Konoha and the current state of the Uchiha members living in Locks Village, he was determined never to allow such a tragedy to happen again. At this moment, Sasuke was even more proactive than Gensou.

"If the remnants of the Sky Ninja have survived until now, then the Angkor Fortress must be guarded. Should we eliminate them all?" Sasuke asked, showing a readiness to take extreme measures to protect the future of Locks Village and the Hagoromo Clan.

"No need," Gensou replied calmly. "Shinnō is more obedient than I expected."

Shinnō's behavior had indeed surprised him.

This man, who had once questioned the meaning of fifty years of his life, had later displayed a deep understanding of the phrase, "He who understands the times is a true hero."

When Gensou had ordered him to write a command letter instructing the Sky Ninja stationed at the Angkor Fortress to obey Gensou without question, Shinnō had complied without hesitation.

Whether Shinnō had truly submitted or was simply biding his time like a latter-day Goujian, Gensou didn't care as long as the man fulfilled his orders.

With Shinnō's detailed intelligence and route guidance, Gensou and Sasuke bypassed the surface camouflage and reached their destination within fifteen minutes.

Inside the Angkor Fortress.

The scars from the fierce battle of years past were still visible.

Many passageways remained collapsed, and those that were intact were riddled with long cracks and overgrown with vines and moss.

"Looks like we'll need to clean up this place before moving the residents of Locks Village here," Gensou remarked, surveying the surroundings.

Soon, they encountered a patrol of Sky Ninja. After a "friendly" exchange, with Shinnō's authority as the Sky Ninja leader still unchallenged, Gensou easily took control of the fortress.

They opened a hidden passageway leading to the core power room.

Standing at the end of the corridor, Gensou looked down into the cylindrical space below, where a massive, snake-like creature with a "Zero" mask on its head lay sealed within a yellow membrane. He calmly remarked:

"The Zero-Tails, huh?"

The so-called Zero-Tails was not a true tailed beast.

When the Sky Ninja had obtained it, they believed it possessed the power of a tailed beast, so they presumptuously named it the Zero-Tails, considering it an addition to the One-Tails through Nine-Tails.

In reality, the Zero-Tails was more akin to a malevolent entity like the Grim Reaper, or the Evil God.

Born from the darkness in human hearts, it could never be truly destroyed as long as such darkness existed. Its actual combat strength aside, its undying nature made it a perfect power source to sustain the floating fortress for years.

The Sky Ninja had wisely harnessed it as such.

Who knows what had gone wrong with Shinnō's plan, leading him to absorb the Zero-Tails' dark chakra, mistakenly believing he could conquer the shinobi world like Seimei, only to be quickly defeated by Naruto and Sasuke in the original timeline.

Gensou, who didn't care about tailed beasts, was even less concerned about the Zero-Tails.

Like the Sky Ninja before him, he planned to exploit the Zero-Tails as a perpetual energy source.

After all, the creature could never be fully destroyed, and the control seals were already in place.

"Sasuke."

Gensou extended his right hand, placing it inside the cylindrical space where the Zero-Tails was sealed. As his chakra continuously seeped out and was absorbed by the Zero-Tails, powering the fortress for its reactivation, he gave a command without looking back:

"Check the surrounding area within ten kilometers. Don't let anyone approach."

The reactivation of the Angkor Fortress would cause a significant commotion, and Gensou didn't want any outsiders witnessing it.

"Yes, Gensou-sama."

Sasuke obeyed and left to carry out the order.

Half an hour later.

With all preparations complete, Gensou officially reactivated the Angkor Fortress.

In an instant, amidst a violent tremor, the massive fortress, primarily constructed of stone and resembling a regular village with numerous buildings on its surface, rapidly ascended from the ground, soaring into the sky until it disappeared into the clouds, completely concealed.

"Earth Style: Earth Core Movement!"

On the ground, the Gensou Shadow Clone left behind clapped his hands to the earth, using Earth Style to fill in the vast empty space left by the ascending fortress.

Once the surface blended seamlessly with the surrounding environment, the Shadow Clone nodded in satisfaction before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Inside the fortress, Gensou, having received the Shadow Clone's memories, wasted no time. After a few operations on the control panel, the enormous Angkor Fortress began its journey towards Locks Village.

(End of Chapter)