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Chapter 35: Lift Off — A New Dream
Dusk fell; night had just begun.
In the control hall on the first basement level of the Sky Fortress, Konan stood before the central console, eyes sweeping across the busy Sky Ninjas on the screens.
The black-clad Sky Ninja stood behind her. "My lady, the procured supplies have filled the storerooms. They'll suffice for a month."
"Deck cleared, all equipment prepared, and the energy core has been replenished..." he reported, his excitement barely contained. "The Sky Fortress is ready to take off. We await only your command!"
Those who had labored thirty years to build this, including the black-clad Sky Ninja, had all been waiting for this single moment.
A revolutionary construct born from thirty years of the Sky Ninja Village's sweat—he could finally witness its ascent with his own eyes.
He briefly bowed his head in remembrance of their previous leader, Shinnō, then pushed the thought away. People died; life must go on. If he served the new leader well, perhaps his fortune would rise.
Konan stared at the central screen showing the deck—a boundless expanse stretching beyond sight.
The black-clad Sky Ninja stepped forward and pointed at the red button on the console. "My lady, pressing this will launch the fortress."
He longed to press it himself, though he knew who truly held the authority. Perhaps later he'd have his chance—leaders did not personally handle every operation.
Every Sky Ninja below turned their gaze toward Konan, waiting for her order.
"Lift off. Destination—Land of the Sea." Konan's voice was cold and clear as she pressed the red button with her index finger.
Rumble! The fortress trembled. Machinery hummed in the control hall; each Sky Ninja moved swiftly and without panic at their stations.
"Energy output nominal!"
"All systems functional!"
"Structural integrity stable!"
"Ascending—detaching from ground!"
Outside, the tremors intensified; the noise was deafening.
After thirty years fused to the earth, the Sky Fortress began to break free. Two subterranean levels had dug deep into the ground; now, propelled by enormous thrust, the surrounding earth fractured layer by layer.
The deck rose above the surface. The buried portions strained free from rock and roots, ascending with unstoppable force.
In the darkness, a colossal object slowly rose.
Huge clods of earth and rock fell from beneath the fortress, crashing onto the ground with thunderous booms—sounds even Amaru in her distant village could hear.
At the first tremor, she had run outside. From atop a small mound, she watched the enormous black silhouette hanging in the sky—its outline too vast to comprehend.
Big. That was the only thought she could form. So large must mean so heavy—how on earth did it lift?
She murmured to herself, "Is it you—the one who came in the night, looking for lodging...?"
This afternoon had been strange: those Sky Ninjas had actually paid for supplies, saying they were acting on someone's orders. At that moment she'd suspected it was the same lost stranger who'd come earlier.
If not for that, her village might have been plundered, people hurt. It had happened before.
She squinted up at the black mass until it disappeared from view, then sighed and turned back.
"Will I ever see them again...?" she whispered into the night breeze.
Back in the control hall, the shaking subsided; systems stabilized.
Konan studied the map on the display. "At this speed, how long until we reach the Land of the Sea?"
The black-clad Sky Ninja consulted the chart. "About two days."
"Can we go faster?" she asked.
He calculated and shook his head. "This speed is optimal. The energy core's absorption of ambient emotions—its conversion to chakra—is only slightly greater than consumption. If we force speed, the fortress may exhaust energy and stall after some distance."
Alex, nestled at Konan's chest, twitched to calm her impatience. He'd crossed over only three days ago; Konan had already survived being pursued by Obito, fought Shinnō, and rushed through several battles. She'd done far too much in a short time—there was no need to rush.
"If so, maintain this speed," Konan said, stepping down from the console. "Arrange everything; leave no mistakes."
"Yes, my lady. Rest assured—we will reach the Land of the Sea in two days!" the Sky Ninja replied.
Konan nodded without expression, then walked onto the fortress deck instead of returning to her quarters.
The black-clad Sky Ninja quickly adjusted the surveillance angles so the leader wouldn't feel observed.
The deck was vast and empty. The summer night breeze brushed Konan's face, soothing and relaxing her more than she expected. It was the first time she hadn't had to fly by her own power—and it felt pleasant.
At last she could leisurely enjoy the night view.
Alex floated beside her, quietly taking in the scene as well. Moonlight gilded them both in silver.
The Sky Fortress flew at kilometer-height; the lights below dwindled into the distance as they passed uninhabited wilderness and forests. Beyond the settled regions, humanity had barely developed the land—only clusters of habitation existed.
To the west lay vast primæval forests and deserts.
Alex stared downward at the ant-sized sights below, a rare swell of exhilaration rising in his chest. For the first time since his arrival he felt the freedom of looking down on the world.
An impulse struck him: beyond returning to his former self, there was another goal—
—to unify the shinobi world and remake it as he wished.
Sweep away all the chaotic villages. Ninjas who loved fighting would be given work instead—digging roads, building bridges, improving the land.
"Alex?" Konan had come quietly to his side; her orange eyes fixed on him. Though his thoughts left no words, she felt his sudden fervor on the surface of the paper.
Alex snapped back and the black characters appeared on the paper's face: [Konan, let us reshape the world. Let it run by our will.]
"We'll remake it..." Konan murmured, a thought she'd never allowed herself before. All her earlier dreams had been entrusted to Nagato and Yahiko—she had sought peace as they envisioned it. After Nagato's death, she had handed that dream to Naruto. Her life had been spent living for others' ideals, never once asking what she wanted to build.
Now the idea unfurled within her like a soft, sweet bloom—and she smiled.
Under the moonlight, twenty-year-old Konan looked like a pale lunar goddess. She met Alex and, voice gentle, said, "If you wish it, I will create a new world with you."
"A world that runs by our will..."