Zetsu couldn't win against Obito's stubbornness, so he could only agree to search for traces of the "Evil God White Snake." He scratched his head helplessly and sighed.
"I don't even know if those three avengers, after the beating they took at Ryosuke's research institute, still have the guts to mess with him again."
Zetsu shook his head, tossed the pruning shears he'd been using to cut branches to Obito, and then sank straight into the ground, disappearing completely.
Obito held the scissors in his hand, occasionally snipping at the bandages on his shoulders, back, and body. Paired with his slightly vacant, deep-in-thought expression, he looked exactly like Liu Laogen cutting gold thread.
He sat on the straw mat, looking up at the sky through the cracks in the cave, his eyes full of hatred.
"Ryosuke, I want you dead!"
———
Ryosuke couldn't hear the howling of a beaten dog.
He was standing in front of a deep crater, gazing at the sunset sinking slowly toward the horizon.
"Brother Ryosuke!"
A voice called from behind. Sasuke came running up, waving to him, then pointed behind himself.
"Look who's here!"
Ryosuke followed the direction Sasuke pointed.
There stood Kamihara Hayato, wearing a trench coat, a hat on his head, a cane in one hand and a leather briefcase in the other, looking proper and dignified.
The moment he and Ryosuke met eyes, neither knew who broke first, but both ended up grinning wide.
Ryosuke, Sasuke, and Kamihara Hayato, the original troublemaking trio, finally together again after a long time.
Ryosuke chuckled. "I was worried you wouldn't have time to come."
Kamihara spun his cane. "Forget other things, but for something this showy? How could I not come? The Land of Snow is full of beautiful ladies waiting for me, their savior, to rescue them."
Ryosuke gave him a light punch on the chest, about to say something more, when the earpiece on his ear crackled to life.
He listened quietly for a few seconds, then smiled at Kamihara.
"You came at just the right time. Let me show you something incredible."
"Incredible?"
Not only Kamihara, but even Koyuki Kazahana and Asama Santayu, who had followed along, were stunned. What could possibly be something Ryosuke himself called "incredible"?
Ryosuke pressed his earpiece and gave the order, "Ignite."
The moment his words fell, the ground trembled.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A violent roar filled their ears, so loud that it created a kind of deafening silence.
Everyone, Ryosuke, Kamihara, the research staff, all froze in place, putting down whatever they were doing and waiting in that thundering stillness.
Waiting…
For the awakening of a steel beast.
Vmmm!
A howling wind tore through the air. Kamihara had to squint and press his hat down.
When his eyes adjusted and he looked again, he was completely stunned, Ryosuke stood there with his arms open, and behind him floated a sky battleship over a hundred meters long.
The entire vessel was gray-black, with a matte metallic sheen.
Its hull was elongated like a spindle, the front end slightly tilted upward like a falcon tightening its beak, the back widening gradually. Its massive, sky-darkening shape radiated a terrifying sense of power and pressure.
Even more fearsome were the rows of weapon systems mounted along it, chakra cannons, tracking missiles, bombardment missiles, and machine guns to repel close-range attacks. The outer armor was etched with complex barrier seals, capable of generating defensive fields with chakra input.
From the thrusters at its base burst bluish flames; at full power, they could push this thirty-thousand-ton giant to speeds of over five hundred kilometers per hour, a staggering velocity for something that size.
Bathed in the last rays of the sunset, the sky battleship hung there like a floating steel mountain, the air thick with the scent of metal and oil, a raw, iron-blooded presence.
Kamihara swallowed hard and muttered two words, "Holy shit."
Hearing that, the research and engineering staff who had been working for a month straight couldn't help but lift their chins proudly.
"What's it called?" Kamihara asked.
Ryosuke said, "The Explorer."
"That's so…"
Kamihara paused for a long time, unable to think of any other word, so he said, "...plain."
It was plain.
Before deciding on the name, many researchers had suggested others, the Wildstorm, Red Moon Battleship, Fortress of Destruction, Iron Cavalry of the Sky, each one sounded powerful and grand.
But after careful thought, Ryosuke chose the simplest, the Explorer.
"Because the reason we built this sky battleship wasn't to destroy anyone. It's so we can see the moon up close, to walk a path across this world that no one has ever walked before. So…"
"The Explorer."
Kamihara stared blankly for a while, then burst out laughing and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Good, good, good. When it comes to putting on a show, you're still the king."
Ryosuke laughed softly. "That's not even up for debate."
Ryosuke, Kamihara, and Sasuke slung their arms around each other's shoulders and walked toward the battleship together.
Koyuki Kazahana and Asama Santayu exchanged a glance.
On one hand, they were thrilled to have such a terrifying steel monster to aid them, reclaiming the Land of Snow now seemed almost certain. But on the other, there was the nervousness of returning home, and the unease of not knowing what awaited them.
Neither spoke. Both sighed softly and followed after Ryosuke and the others.
When everyone boarded the sky battleship, the staircase retracted, and the ground crew waved their little signal flags, inspection complete.
Dozens of red lights glowed along the ship's edges, the thrusters below burning hotter and brighter as the ship slowly lifted into the air.
Once it reached a certain altitude, the outer barrier activated the Hidden Mist Technique. Layers of fog spread across the sky like clouds, concealing the battleship until, if you looked again, it was completely gone.
Only the command center on the ground could see it. Within minutes, the red tracking dot representing the battleship had already flown several kilometers away, heading straight toward the Land of Snow.
To maintain stealth, the ship did not fly at full speed. At its current pace, it was expected to arrive at the Land of Snow around 4 a.m. tomorrow morning.
By late night, most people were already fast asleep, except for those on duty.
Ryosuke had just finished training, took a shower, and went to the lounge for a glass of cold milk before bed, only to find Koyuki Kazahana curled up on the sofa, holding a cup in her hands.
When she saw Ryosuke walk in, she hurriedly downed the drink in one gulp.
Because she drank too fast, she couldn't help but hiccup.
A faint trace of alcohol drifted through the air.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/XenosX
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰