Late at night.
After dinner, Shinho sat by his bed, cultivating.
Holding two primeval stones in his hands, he continuously used his Primeval essence to refine his aperture.
The primeval stones came from the Heavenly Essence Treasure Monarch Lotus he had obtained earlier.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed when a knock at the door interrupted his focus.
Shinho got up from the bed, walked to the door, and opened it.
Standing outside was Tsunade in her nightwear, holding the newly revised Will of Fire book in her hands.
"Finished reading it, Sensei?" Shinho casually asked as he took the book from her.
"Yes," Tsunade nodded, then asked, "Are you planning to act against the Land of Fire?"
The book analyzed the power sources and bloody governance of the feudal lords and the aristocracy.
Naturally, Tsunade could discern Shinho's intentions.
Moreover, he had previously mentioned wanting to become the daimyo, among other bold ideas.
"Yes," Shinho admitted.
There was no point in hiding it anymore. Now, it all depended on what Tsunade truly thought.
Judging by her calm demeanor, it seemed her traditional shinobi mindset might have shifted.
"…"
Tsunade fell silent.
She had previously told him not to spout nonsense about becoming a daimyo.
But after reading the revised Will of Fire, she could no longer confidently refute his ambitions.
The damage caused by the daimyo to the peace of the shinobi world was no less than that caused by ninjas.
Shinho truly wanted to reform the shinobi world.
"Go ahead," Tsunade finally looked up at him and said.
Shinho exhaled deeply in relief.
What he intended to do was considered treasonous in the shinobi world.
For most people, he didn't care, as he had no quals about forceful suppression.
But Tsunade and Shizune were different.
Now that he had gained their support, he no longer felt as restrained.
"Sensei, you're the best," Shinho said, embracing her. Then, he asked, "Is Sister Shizune asleep?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes at him, knowing what he was thinking.
But she didn't mind either.
She closed the door behind her and said, "I was reading earlier, so I let her take a bath first. She's back in her room now."
"Good."
Shinho carried her to the bed.
The warm night passed quietly.
A New Day
When Shinho woke up, Tsunade was already gone.
Since they had nearly been discovered by Shizune once before, Tsunade had become more cautious.
After breakfast, Shinho went to the Hokage's office.
He had plans to visit the ruins of Land of Sky today, so he came in early to handle paperwork.
Most of the issues were minor, mainly problems encountered by the newly established departments.
Shinho addressed each one systematically.
By the time he finished, it was already nine o'clock.
"Hokage-sama,"
Uzuki Yugao entered the office punctually, reporting, "The first squad of the Anbu has assembled."
Each Anbu squad consisted of four members.
Because the mission involved the flying fortress, Shinho had brought along an entire squad, seventeen people in total.
"Are there any Uchiha shinobi among them?" Shinho asked as he set down the documents.
The Sharingan was incredibly useful in many situations, and it might come in handy this time.
"Yes," Yugao replied.
"Let's go," Shinho said as he rose and left the Hokage Tower.
…
At Konoha's main gate, the new generation of Ino–Shika–Cho was already waiting.
"Looks like the trouble's here," Nara Shikamaru muttered, feeling a headache coming on at the sight of Shinho.
Being led by the Hokage himself meant this mission was far from ordinary.
"Shinho-kun!"
Ino jogged over and greeted him with a smile.
"Shinho!"
Choji, as always, was munching on a bag of chips.
"We're heading to the transportation station," Shinho said after nodding in response.
"Are we taking the train?" Ino's eyes sparkled with interest, "I've never been on one before."
"You'll get your chance this time," Shinho replied with a smile.
The land of sky had been destroyed by Konoha during the Second Shinobi World War, and its ruins were now part of the Land of Fire.
For shinobi, it would take less than half a day to reach the location on foot.
But why walk when they could take a train?
A newly built transportation station near the ruins made the journey more convenient.
Airships were faster than trains, but they couldn't accommodate as many people—especially with the Anbu squad in tow.
"I heard there are free snacks on the train?" Choji's eyes lit up as he recalled something.
"There are," Shinho said, clapping his hands, "You'll find out when we get there. Let's go!"
The four arrived at the transportation station, where Yugao had already purchased the tickets and handed them out.
"This is amazing!" Shikamaru said.
He had ridden horse-drawn carriages before, but they were far less spacious and comfortable than trains.
No wonder members of the Nara Clan involved in commerce now exclusively used trains and airships for travel.
Yugao had bought soft-sleeper tickets.
The four shared a private compartment with double-decker beds and opaque curtains for privacy.
This is so much better than sleeping bags
Shikamaru was pleased. There was no need to pitch a tent, which saved them a lot of trouble.
"Pick any bed you like," Shinho said as he casually sat on the lower bunk on the left.
"This one's mine!" Ino claimed the lower bunk opposite Shinho, as expected.
Shikamaru climbed to the upper bunk above her.
Naturally, the last bed belonged to Choji. However, his mind was on something else entirely.
"Where's the snacks?" Choji asked as he glanced around.
"Attendant," Shinho called out at the door, "bring some snacks, especially potato chips."
"Of course, Hokage-sama. Enjoy. If you need more, just let me know," the uniformed young attendant promptly returned with two large bags of snacks.
"Thanks," Shinho said as he closed the door and handed the snacks to Choji.
"Delicious!" Choji exclaimed, tearing open a bag of chips and munching away happily.
Meanwhile, Ino rummaged through the snack bag for a moment and pulled out two milk puddings.
She glanced over at Shinho, then walked over and sat beside him with a smile.
"Shinho-kun, have you tried this?" she asked, tilting her head slightly, "It's really good."
Shinho recalled that, according to official character settings, Ino loved pudding.
He accepted one of the milk puddings, took a bite, and said, "It's pretty sweet."
Ino's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
She opened her own pudding, her pink tongue slowly circling it before taking a bite. Her eyes narrowed in blissful enjoyment.
Shinho couldn't help but swallow as his gaze drifted downward.
Ino wasn't wearing the outfit from the previous day, but her current attire was of a similar style, revealing her fair midriff and navel.
As she sat, faint folds appeared on her abdomen. Yet, despite the position, her stomach remained taut and well-toned.
Ino noticed his gaze and glanced down at her own waist and abdomen. Her cheeks turned slightly red, but a hint of pride glimmered in her heart.
Was Shinho-kun finally paying attention to her figure?
Feeling a bit bold, Ino straightened her posture, giving him an even better view.
Shinho blinked in surprise but didn't shy away, openly admiring her.
Ino's blush deepened, spreading across her cheeks.
"Ino, you should rest," Shinho said with a smile, finishing his pudding.
Ino nodded, avoiding his gaze.
Shinho leaned back, closing his eyes to rest, but soon noticed that Ino hadn't returned to her bed.
"Come here," he said, noticing her hesitation.
Ino froze for a moment before happily returning to sit beside him.
She leaned against the wall, her long legs stretched out, her fair, bare feet hovering just above the ground.
Shinho glanced down.
She was wearing shorts, leaving her legs entirely visible. Her thighs were slender yet shapely, and her calves were smooth and firm. Her bare feet gleamed like polished jade.
Unable to resist, Shinho reached out and held her hand.
Ino was startled for a moment but then leaned in, wrapping her arms around his right arm and resting her head on his shoulder like a gentle girlfriend.
Shinho glanced out the window at the sunlight streaming in, a sigh of contentment escaping his lips.
This was youth.
Not long after, Ino's steady, rhythmic breathing indicated that she had fallen asleep.
She looked peaceful, a serene smile on her face as her chest rose and fell gently.
Shinho found his eyes drifting to her toned midsection. He had the urge to reach out and touch it.
Time passed.
By the afternoon, they reached their destination.
After disembarking from the train, they walked south for about ten minutes before encountering a dense, lush rainforest.
"Ino," Shinho said, "use your sensory jutsu."
Ino formed hand seals and closed her eyes.
This was her clan's sensory technique.
In the original series, it allowed her to detect the location, numbers, and characteristics of enemies. She could also share this sensory information by touching her teammates' heads.
Now, with the enhancements from Ido and Moryo that Shinho had given her, her sensory abilities rivaled the Kagura Mind's Eye when fully activated.
"There's a village in the rainforest," Ino said slowly, "Most of the inhabitants are ordinary people, but there are two shinobi."
Her brows suddenly furrowed.
She sensed an enormous chakra source emanating from beneath the ground. It was cold and dark, sending shivers down her spine.
"Beneath us is a massive fortress," she said in a serious tone, opening her eyes.
"A fortress? How?" Shikamaru asked in surprise.
"The Land of Sky," Shinho explained.
"The Land of Sky?" Shikamaru's eyes lit up in realization, "That makes sense."
Although he hadn't lived through the Second Shinobi World War, he had heard of The Land of Sky.
The same was true for Ino and Choji, sparing Shinho from needing to elaborate.
He stroked his chin thoughtfully.
The two shinobi Ino sensed were likely Shinnō and his apprentice, Amaru.
Each Naruto movie had its own heroine.
In Bonds, the featured heroine was Amaru.
She suffered from a mysterious illness, which Shinnō cured, leading her to follow him faithfully.
Unfortunately, Shinnō's intentions were far from pure.
He took her in not out of kindness but as part of his disguise, and to use her as an energy source.
The Zero-Tails powered the Ancor Vantian fortress by absorbing dark chakra generated from people's negative emotions.
How did he induce such darkness? By imprisoning people and driving them into despair and hatred.
In the movie, Amaru realized the truth about Shinnō with Naruto Uzumaki's help.
Like most movie heroines, she had feelings for Naruto in the end.
"We'll head down directly," Shinho said.
Initially, he had considered letting Shinnō activate the fortress to test its power in battle.
But after reconsidering, he decided against it. If the fortress got damaged, it wouldn't be worth the trouble.
"Ino," he instructed, "find an entry point to the fortress."