Iwagakure's pitch-black space battleship, like a rusty lump of iron, was lodged in a deep-space rift hundreds of thousands of light-years from Earth.
The cabin reeked of old engine oil mixed with the sour stench of fermented sweat. It had been left behind by Orochimaru's Genin mechanics, who had spent day and night repairing the boilers.
Yoru leaned against the control console, kneading a cold, hard steamed bun fresh from the freezer in his hand. He broke off a piece and tossed it into his mouth.
It tasted like moldy old grain and was so hard it nearly shattered his molars.
He casually hurled the unfinished half of the bun onto the nearby control console, which was covered in greasy fingerprints.
It landed with a dull thud.
"Say, Orochimaru, what the hell are all those red dots on the radar?"
Yoru pointed at the coordinates flashing with glaring red light across the main console screen.
They were clusters of tiny specks of light like scattered black sesame seeds, lined up in neat formations as they circled outside the atmosphere.
Orochimaru was crouched beneath the console, picking at a circuit board inside.
His white lab coat was covered in black grime around the collar, and even his sinister face bore two streaks of black engine oil.
"Alright, Lord Yoru. That's a vanguard force sent by the Ōtsutsuki Main Family."
Orochimaru picked out a dead fly wedged in the circuit board and flicked it onto the floor, where it landed with a soft patter.
"They're basically a demolition crew specializing in planting God Trees on different planets."
"As soon as they spot a planet with living creatures, they land and suck everything on it dry."
"Planting trees?"
Yoru sneered, his eyes blazing with a murderous frenzy.
"Those alien monkeys sure have refined