Ino closed her eyes once more.
After a few seconds, she began walking forward and stopped at a specific point.
"Anbu," Shinho said as he glanced at the ground. "Use Earth Release."
An Anbu shinobi appeared immediately, forming hand seals before slamming his palm to the ground.
Earth Release: Tearing Earth Turning Palm!
The earth cracked open, revealing a pit several meters deep.
At the bottom of the pit, where there should have been nothing, was a white dome, resembling a peculiar structure.
The Anbu shinobi leaped into the pit, forming more hand seals.
The surrounding soil shifted outward, exposing the dome's true form: a massive human face carved in stone. It exuded an eerie, imposing aura.
Shinho sighed inwardly. This thing will definitely need to be changed; otherwise, it'll hurt business in the future.
As the soil was cleared, a passageway to the structure became visible.
"There are people ahead," Ino warned, "Four shinobi are guarding the passageway, and they've already noticed us."
Given the noise they had made, it would have been strange if they hadn't.
Shinho nodded slightly and walked into the passage without hesitation.
Ino and the others followed closely behind.
At the entrance, four Land of Sky shinobi blocked their path.
"Who are you…? Wait, are you Konoha shinobi?" The leader of the group trailed off as his gaze landed on the forehead protectors of Ino and the others.
His expression darkened immediately.
All four raised strange weapons, pulling their triggers. Several shuriken shot out from the barrels. It was the Land of Sky's technological innovation, the Shuriken Launcher.
Shinho stood his ground, not moving an inch.
The shuriken struck him but bounced off harmlessly.
"What?!" The four Sky shinobi were visibly shaken.
Shinho waved his hand casually.
Sound Fixing Gu!
Invisible sound waves rippled out, freezing all four shinobi in place.
Shinho glanced briefly at the shuriken launcher.
Based on its operation, it was still powered by chakra.
"Ino," Shinho said, retracting his gaze, "lead us to the power room."
Ino paused for a moment, understanding his meaning, and started down a side corridor.
…
The interior of the fortress became increasingly mechanical as they progressed.
It reminded Shinho of old-fashioned science fiction movies.
"Who's there?!"
Two more Land of Sky shinobi appeared suddenly.
Before they could react, shadows shot out, binding them in place. It was Shikamaru's secret technique.
Ino quickly dashed forward, knocking them out with two swift punches.
The group continued, encountering eight more Land of Sky shinobi along the way. All were easily subdued.
After ten minutes, they arrived at the power room.
Shinho didn't even glance around before activating Sound Fixing Gu once more.
The four Land of Sky shinobi inside froze in place instantly.
"The chakra source is beneath us," Ino said, pointing to the metal floor.
"Anbu," Shinho ordered, "control them and open the entrance."
Another Anbu member stepped forward.
Scarlet Sharingan eyes gleamed from beneath his mask, their three tomoe spinning slowly.
He approached a nearby middle-aged shinobi and cast Sharingan: Genjutsu.
The man's eyes widened momentarily before his face went blank.
"How do we open the entrance?" the Anbu asked.
"Only Lord Shinnō can open it," the man replied mechanically.
"Then go inform Shinnō that Konoha shinobi have discovered the Ancor Vantian," Shinho instructed after a brief moment of thought.
"Yes." The middle-aged man turned and left.
…
Deep within the rainforest, in a small village, Shinnō sat in Amaru's house, reading stolen medical documents from Kumogakure.
After a while, he shook his head in disappointment.
In terms of medical techniques, the Kumogakure was far inferior to Konoha.
His dealings with Orochimaru had yielded far more valuable results.
What a pity.
Their cooperation had ended when Orochimaru tried to acquire his forbidden techniques.
Even if Orochimaru wanted to restart their partnership, it was no longer possible, after all, Orochimaru was now imprisoned by Shinho.
Shinnō's brow furrowed as he thought of this.
His plan had been to gather enough dark chakra with the Zero-Tails to activate the Ancor Vantian and launch an assault on Konoha.
But the new Hokage's strength was beyond terrifying.
He wasn't sure if his body revival technique, combined with his medical forbidden arts, could even defeat Shinho.
"Sensei, have some tea," a red-haired girl said as she approached with a tray.
"Thank you, Amaru," Shinnō replied with a gentle smile.
"It's the least I can do," Amaru said shyly, "If not for you, I would have died from my illness long ago."
Shinnō took a sip of tea, his demeanor calm and unhurried.
The Zero-Tails was gathering dark chakra far too slowly.
Perhaps it was time to sacrifice this village to expedite the process.
Ever since he had saved Amaru, he had gained considerable prestige here.
Just then, a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
"I'll get it!" Amaru volunteered eagerly.
She walked to the door and opened it, only to be greeted by the sight of an unfamiliar middle-aged man.
"Amaru, leave the room," Shinnō said with a slightly grim expression.
"Yes, Sensei," Amaru replied, glancing at the middle-aged shinobi before turning to leave.
"Why are you here? Is something wrong with the fortress?" Shinnō asked urgently.
"Konoha shinobi, four of them, have discovered us," the man replied in slight panic.
"Konoha?!" Shinnō's heart skipped a beat, "What's the current situation?"
"They've entered the power room," the middle-aged shinobi said, taking a deep breath. "I barely managed to escape."
"They're that strong?" Shinnō's expression darkened.
Below the power room was where the zero tails was sealed
If Zero-Tails was accidentally released, the fortress would become completely useless.
"There's only one jonin and three chunin," the man replied.
"That's all?" Shinnō's confidence surged hearing that, and a murderous glint appeared in his eyes. "I've been avoiding trouble with Konoha, but they've chosen to dig their own graves!"
He opened the door, instructed Amaru briefly, and headed straight for the Ancor Vantian.
In less than ten minutes, Shinnō reached the passage leading to the power room.
Walking briskly, he formed hand seals as he went.
Body revival technique!
His body swelled slightly, muscles bulging as explosive strength coursed through him.
"Someone is approaching and fast," Ino warned.
"Leave it to me!" Choji said, rolling forward.
Human Buller Tank!
Tucking his head and limbs into his body, he transformed into a large green sphere and barreled toward Shinnō.
"Is this the Ino–Shika–Cho formation?"
Shinnō smirked as Shikamaru's shadow emerged, attempting to bind him.
With a burst of raw power, Shinnō broke free effortlessly and threw a punch.
The force of his attack created a shockwave, sending Choji flying into the wall.
"What incredible strength!" Shikamaru said, his face tense. His Shadow Imitation Jutsu had been broken with ease.
"Pathetic!" Shinnō scoffed, shaking his head.
With his body enhanced by Body revival technique!, his strength was nearly invincible. At least he believed so.
In an instant, Shinnō accelerated, his fist racing toward Shinho.
Boom!
Their fists collided, unleashing a powerful shockwave.
Shinnō let out a scream of pain.
His entire arm shattered from the immense force of the impact.
"Impossible!" Shinnō exclaimed, his face filled with disbelief.
How could someone surpass his strength? It was unthinkable!
Shinho raised an eyebrow, watching as Shinnō's shattered arm rapidly regenerated.
I have to admit, this Body revival technique! is impressive, Shinho thought. No wonder Orochimaru wanted it in the original story.
He considered the possibilities, perhaps this technique could be given to Tsunade. Combined with the Yin Seal, it could make her healing abilities nearly invincible.
Of course, forbidden techniques were labeled as such for a reason. They often came with severe side effects.
Body revival technique!, for instance, overdrew the body's future potential and lifespan. It wasn't true regeneration but rather accelerated healing.
Still, with Tsunade's long lifespan, she could likely handle the strain.
Shinno sawo Shinho who was in thought, and coupled with the pain coursing through his body, he let out a beastly roar.
"How dare you ignore me?!" Shinnō roared in fury.
As his arm fully healed, a surge of chakra burst from his body.
Invisible and ferocious shockwaves radiated outward. He was using the full potential of Body revival technique.
"The Eight Gates?" Shikamaru muttered in disbelief.
"How could he use the Eight Gates?" Choji added, confused.
Though Choji's body was durable, he still bore the bruises from Shinnō's earlier punch.
"The Eighth Gate—open!" Shinnō bellowed.
His chakra multiplied explosively, filling the power room with a storm of red energy.
Shinho glanced at the unstable power room, which was starting to show damage from their battle.
Battle Space Gu!
With a wave of his hand, he and Shinnō vanished.
"Where is this?" Shinnō asked, his reddened face twisted with rage.
The elderly figure was now transformed into a hulking, muscular middle-aged man.
"I'll kill you!" he snarled, rushing toward Shinho at blinding speed.
In an instant, he was in front of him.
Shinho remained calm, raising his fist to meet the attack.
He didn't summon any beast phantom or special abilities, just his raw strength and the defensive enhancement of Turtle Jade Wolf Skin Gu.
The collision of their chakra sent shockwaves rippling outward, forming a massive whirlwind.
Shinho slid back a few meters, his right arm tingling from the impact.
"As expected of 8 gates formation," Shinho said calmly, "But it's a pity, you lack the taijutsu techniques to fully utilize its power."
"How… how are you still standing?" Shinnō stammered, his face pale with disbelief. "Who are you?!"
Even he wasn't foolish enough not to realize that this was no ordinary jonin.
"I am Shinho Aburame, the Sixth Hokage of Konoha," Shinho replied with a faint smile.
[tl/n: Am I misremembering or did Shinnō use eight gates in the anime? Him unleashing the full potential of the technique here was him using the eight gates, but I couldn't find anything relevant with a simple search, So I edited out the eight gates part.
Oh wait, after a bit more off a deeper search, he did indeed know the eight gates technique, but didn't use it in the movie for some reason.
Ps. I added back the part I removed.]
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