With a screech of metal, the silence was torn apart.
The launch rails burst with dazzling arcs of electricity, and the two Sky Ninja shot off the deck like arrows fired from giant crossbows.
A fierce rush of air struck them as they quickly adjusted their posture, feeling the surging power from the flight devices.
Under precise control of Wind Release and Chakra, the metal wings split and guided the sharp sea wind. Stable, efficient airflow formed above and below the wings.
This was the core and most prized symbol of the Sky Ninja. It was a personal flying Ninja Tool powered by the user's own Chakra, combined with Wind Release control and aerodynamic design to allow long duration, highly mobile flight.
Throughout the entire Ninja World, the ability to fly was an extremely rare strategic advantage. A force that could equip flying Ninja Tool on such a large, organized scale was almost nonexistent.
This was the main reason the Sky Ninja Village had been able to trouble Konoha during the Second Shinobi World War.
In past battles, they had relied on this aerial edge countless times. Enemies on the ground could only rage helplessly below as the Sky Ninja cast the shadow of death from above.
Just as the two Sky Ninja descended to skim the sea like hunting seagulls, excited by thoughts of the village's renewed strength and future…
A deep vibrating hum rose.
Both Sky Ninja felt their flight devices begin to shake, as if something were interfering with the surrounding airflow.
"What is going on?" one of them shouted instinctively.
At that moment, beneath them, a massive shadow slowly emerged in the deep sea.
They looked up reflexively, but saw nothing above.
That meant it was below the water.
They snapped their heads down, their gaze piercing the rolling waves, and then they saw it.
In the sea, a shadow of suffocating size was gliding silently.
Its outline was unclear, but just the portion visible was enough to make anyone's scalp prickle and their spine turn cold.
The shadow moved at an astonishing speed and was rapidly rising, carving a huge wake across the surface.
"There is something underwater!" Their voices cracked with fear.
Before the words had even finished, the sea beneath them exploded.
A terrifying figure burst out of the water.
It was a monstrous beast of unimaginable size, its body covered in rough, slick brown skin, studded with disgusting lumps and slime.
Its enormous mouth opened wide enough to swallow a small boat, and a foul stench blasted out like a storm.
Salamander Ibuse.
The two Sky Ninja desperately pulled upward, trying to escape the sudden attack.
But it was too late.
"No…"
They managed only a single cry of terror before Ibuse thrust its massive head forward, like a whale leaping from the sea to catch birds.
In an instant, it swallowed both Sky Ninja along with their prized flight devices.
kacha! kacha!
The grinding sound of twisted metal and the cracking of bones echoed dully from within the beast's closing jaws.
Ibuse's mouth wriggled slightly, then spat out fragments of shattered flying Ninja Tool and pale bones. They were quickly swallowed by the churning waves.
On the surface, Salamander Ibuse raised its huge and vicious head from the water. The Sky Ninja on the deck stared in shock.
"What is that monster?"
Seeing the sudden scene, the Sky Ninja captain's face changed drastically. "A salamander? How could a salamander from Land of Rain appear here?"
Although called a salamander fish, it was not actually a fish but an amphibian. It normally lived in shallow or damp environments and would never come to the open sea.
"Captain." A sensory type Sky Ninja spoke with a trembling voice. "There is someone on top of that monster's head."
"What?" The captain snapped back to his senses and realized this was no accident. Someone was deliberately blocking them.
Before he could give the order to attack, he saw the two vague figures standing atop the salamander vanish from sight.
The next instant, two figures fell from the sky with the sound of tearing wind.
The warship rocked slightly like a leaf on the sea, and even the anchor chains were pulled taut. The bow let out a faint groan under the force.
The Sky Ninja on deck raised their Kunai guns, fingers on the triggers, aiming at the descending figures with wary expressions.
"It seems we found the right place."
A smiling voice rang out as Shadow swept his gaze over them. "Hello. I want to meet your leader. Could someone guide us?"
No one spoke, and everyone stared hard at the two figures. Fingers pressed on the trigger of the Kunai Gun tightened, trembling slightly under that oppressive presence. The silence made the deck feel cramped, as if even breathing had become difficult.
The Kunai Gun was a standardized personal weapon developed and widely equipped by Sky Ninja Village. It combined the traditional thrown weapon of a Ninja, the Kunai, with firearm firing principles to create an efficient and precise ranged weapon with suppression ability. Driven by machinery and Chakra, it could rapidly fire Kunai in succession, greatly increasing their speed and density.
If their research continued, some advanced or specially designed Kunai Gun models might even gain Chakra conduction and amplification functions. However, such weapons were only effective against ordinary Ninja. When facing those abnormal and overwhelmingly powerful existences, they meant very little.
"It seems many people will still have to die."
Beside him, Hanzo removed the gas mask from his face and said calmly, "Let's finish this quickly. Bring back the Shennong you mentioned so we can report to Nagato sooner."
This time he and Shadow were acting personally. If they were slower than Kakuzu and the others, he would probably get mocked again by that guy.
"Don't kill too many," Shadow reminded kindly. "They are subordinates of a future new member, so they should count as Akatsuki assets."
Hearing their casual conversation, the Sky Ninja captain's pupils shrank as he shouted, "Fire!"
Bang, bang bang, bang bang bang. The deafening gunfire instantly filled everyone's ears. Fingers on the triggers pulled tight, and Chakra burst from the chambers, driving countless Kunai forward.
The Kunai broke the sound barrier with sharp booms, and the explosive roar of Chakra echoed. Hundreds and thousands of Kunai poured down like a torrential storm, carrying massive kinetic force and forming an unavoidable curtain that engulfed the two of them. In the eyes of the Sky Ninja, such close range and dense saturation fire would leave even a great nation's Jonin badly wounded.
Yet facing this storm that could tear ordinary people to pieces, Hanzo took a sharp breath, his chest swelling slightly. He then lowered his head and spat out thick, pungent purple mist with a sweet and fishy stench. The purple fog spread and rolled instantly, blurring the figures of the two men.
Hissing sounds of corrosion rang out densely, like red hot iron plunged into cold water. The incoming Kunai softened, twisted, and dissolved at a visible speed the moment they touched the strange purple mist. Countless Kunai melted away completely, leaving no residue, only a heavy smell spreading through the air.
"What, what is this?"
The expressions on the faces of the Sky Ninja froze, replaced by shock and disbelief. "Poison, poison fog. It's Salamander Hanzo?" the captain finally recognized the signature ability, his voice trembling with fear.