Angkor Fortress

Land of Fire

In a forest near a remote village.

Boom!

A giant tree collapsed, and a huge stone head slowly rose from the ground. With a roar, a massive fortress emerged from the earth.

The fortress is generally long and narrow, but not flat enough.

"So this is the Angkor Fortress that can remain airborne for so long? Not bad."

"This aircraft is really impressive."

Inside the cockpit, the Fourth Hokage Uchiha Nara, along with his wife and secretary, Tsunade, were very interested in the Sky Fortress and couldn't help but praise it.

Behind the two were Anbu Ninja Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Tekka, two captain-level ninjas serving as the Hokage's bodyguards.

In the cockpit, in the pilot's seat, Si Nong's forehead was covered in sweat.

"Lord Hokage, this fortress requires a massive amount of Chakra to operate. I don't have enough Dark Chakra, and the Zero-Tails isn't finished yet. There's no power..."

Overwhelmed by the drain on his Chakra from the Angkor Fortress, Si Nong quietly asked the Hokage behind him for instructions.

There were still hundreds of Sky Ninja subordinates in this base. After experiencing Naraku's power, Si Nong dared not show the slightest disrespect and obediently served as the driver.

"Oh? You can input Chakra here too. Get up, I'll try."

Naraku waved his hand, signaling Si Nong to get up. Then he sat in the driver's seat, holding the short handle for transmitting Chakra, and began to transmit Chakra.

The Sky Fortress, which originally lost power once it broke through the land, gained full power after receiving Naraku's Chakra and took off directly from the spot.

After taking off, Naraku glanced at the electronic map in the cockpit and headed directly towards the Land of Lightning.

Si Nong glanced at the Fourth Hokage a few times, his admiration growing. This fortress required the immense Chakra of the Zero-Tails to operate, yet the Hokage operated it without batting an eye, appearing completely calm and composed.

Naraku transferred Chakra while simultaneously calculating its consumption.

"This fortress is good; it's perfect for me to drive."

A few minutes later, Naraku roughly calculated the energy consumption; this Angkor Fortress could be powered by the energy of Zero-Tails or a few dozen villagers.

Naraku manipulated it without any pressure; the amount of Zero-Tails 'Chakra was insignificant in Naraku's eyes.

"Lord Hokage's Kamui might is unparalleled, I, Si Nong, am in awe!"

Si Nong was very clear about the energy consumption of this Angkor Fortress, and he praised it sincerely.

"The view from the air is quite impressive."

Tsunade, rarely seen leaving the village, wasn't wearing her Jonin armor. Instead, she wore a green robe that revealed the right parts and was loose in the right places. Paired with her long, flowing golden hair, beautiful features, and majestic figure, she was quite pleasing to the eye.

After Teuchi the scenery for a while, Tsunade solemnly addressed the Si Nong behind her:

"Si Nong, you have rendered a great service by handing over such an aerial fortress."

Naraku piloting this Sky Fortress, feeling a bit like he was driving a car. Hearing Tsunade's words, he nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, Si Nong, this fortress is of great value. What do you desire?"

"Si Nong has wandered for half his life, never encountering a wise ruler. Only after meeting the Fourth Hokage did he understand his goal. Si Nong doesn't want any reward; he only wants to follow behind the Fourth Hokage!"

The flattery from the Si Nong caused all four people in the room to frown slightly; it was simply too outrageous.

Si Nong's Ninjutsu was already nearing completion; he only lacked the source of Dark Chakra, the Zero-Tails, to unleash his full combat power. Although he currently lacks the Zero-Tails, his combat strength is still not to be underestimated.

Having been easily defeated by the Fourth Hokage, Naraku, he knew that the Fourth Hokage's renowned reputation in the Shinobi World was related to Ninjutsu and Genjutsu.

The Hokage hadn't even used his best skills yet, and he was already defeated in his strongest area —Taijutsu.

Being able to save his life is already considered lucky; how could the Si Nong dare to ask for anything more?

Naraku's face flushed slightly, unsure how to answer. It was just Taijutsu duel; he felt the leader of the Land of the Sky was being overly cautious.

"Alright, in that case, Si Nong, this merit will be recorded in the merit book. You can ask me for anything you need at any time— Ninjutsu, power, resources, anything."

Naraku, with a gentle expression, softly Si Nong, indicating that he would remember this merit.

Seeing that the Si Nong's attitude was gentle and didn't seem fake, Si Nong's initial unfamiliarity and panic upon joining Konoha lessened slightly, and he hesitated before whispering:

"Lord Hokage, if authority is permissible... this Angkor Fortress is Sky Fortress, a stronghold of the Land of the Sky's air force. May I apply to serve as the commander of this Angkor Fortress that I have offered?"

After speaking, Si Nong cautiously glanced at Naraku sitting in the driver's seat.

"Yes, absolutely. Si Nong, don't be nervous. Just make your requests. But there's a problem now: how do we solve the power problem for this fortress? Zero-Tails is too unstable, and the so-called Dark Chakra is absurd. We need to find a way to solve the power problem."

Naraku readily agreed to Si Nong's request.

This Angkor Fortress requires an enormous amount of Chakra to operate, and the Zero-Tails, which collects Dark Chakra power formed from the dark thoughts in people's hearts, is obviously unreliable.

If the Zero-Tails was that powerful, Konoha would have developed it during the Second Hokage's era, given that it's considered a forbidden technique from Konoha. Although it's unknown who developed it, based on documents and history, it might very well have been the idea of the Second Senju Tobirama.

"The power issue is indeed a problem!"

When Si Nong heard that Naraku agreed, but after learning that the problem of power was to be solved, Si Nong was also very troubled by other methods besides Zero-Tails.

"We'll talk about it later. All the Sky Ninja in the fortress will be assigned as Konoha Genin. Si Nong, you will select thirty Chunin yourself. You will serve as the head of the Air Force Section of the Konoha Department of Defense and the commander of Angkor Fortress, with the title of Angkor Fortress Jonin."

Angkor Fortress falls under the jurisdiction of the Air Force Section Air Force Section Division, which is under the control of the Department of Defense.

Naraku conveniently absorbed the subordinate forces of Si Nong, and at the same time expanded the Konoha Air Force Section on the spot, placing it under the Department of Defense Air Force Section.

The original plan was to establish an Air Force Department directly, but in the Shinobi World, the strength of the ninjas themselves is still paramount. These Sky Ninja have some merits, but that's about it.

Power in Konoha is now concentrated in Naraku's hands, Naraku has no one to hinder him. If he wants to set Naraku or expand a department, he can do so quickly and without consulting anyone. As long as the result is good, no one will question Naraku's authority.

"Yes, sir!"

Seeing that the Hokage was so easy to talk to, Si Nong was overjoyed and immediately agreed.

They drove in silence from morning until evening. Even though Naraku still had plenty of Chakra, he couldn't help but feel a little tired.

"Chief! We have reached the territory of the Land of Lightning!"

A Sky Ninja jogged from the fortress into the cockpit to report to Si Nong.

Upon hearing his henchman's report, the Si Nong was startled and rebuked him:

"The leader is the Lord Hokage! Don't get it wrong again!"

"Huh? Oh, yes!"

Sky Ninja was somewhat puzzled, but finally stood at attention and agreed.

"I wasn't paying attention and we've entered the Land of Land of Lightning. Let's stop nearby and experience the Land of Lightning customs and culture."

This trip, initiated by Kumogakure and inviting Konoha to the Chunin Ninja Exams, was treated by Naraku as a vacation. Upon hearing that they had reached the Land of Land of Lightning, he slowly descended from the Angkor Fortress.