Aoki Yoru looked at the fortress before him, his face showing no sign of relief.
He knew there was a Zero-Tails inside. Although he knew that guy wouldn't fully resurrect for another two years, who knew what tricks Shennong might have?
After all, that guy was a genius in some ways; the Body Activation Technique wasn't something just anyone could come up with—even Orochimaru, that scientist, wanted it.
Bang—
Aoki Yoru stepped on the air and dashed toward the fortress.
Arriving at the entrance of the 'Angkor Fortress', Aoki Yoru observed the internal structure with curiosity; after all, this was a massive flying fortress.
To put it bluntly, for a place like the Hidden Sand Village, everyone would be helpless against it except for Gaara.
Just look at how he fought Deidara high in the sky two years later, while everyone else could only cast Ninjutsu from below.
Tap tap tap—
A rapid sound of footsteps rang out, and Aoki Yoru was suddenly surrounded by Sky Ninja.
At this moment, they held their weapons with trembling hands, looking at Aoki Yoru in terror.
The man before them had just sliced the Chakra Energy Cannon in half; his strength was monstrous.
But for the sake of the Sky Ninja Village and Lord Shennong, they could not back down.
Aoki Yoru looked at these people and had no intention of wasting time. Lightning instantly flared beneath his feet.
Chirp chirp chirp—
A flash of lightning swept across the ground, and the Sky Ninja Village Ninjas were instantly enveloped by Lightning Release.
But miraculously, they were all unharmed.
Suddenly, the Sky Ninja snapped out of it, and smiles appeared on their faces.
"Don't be afraid! He's a Lightning Release Ninja. We have special suits; it's useless against us."
"Yeah, he probably can't use that move continuously, just like Lord Zero-Tails."
Instantly, the Sky Ninja's morale soared, and they looked at Aoki Yoru with cruel smiles, as if victory was already in their grasp.
Sizzle—
Aoki Yoru's figure vanished from the spot.
The smiles on those Sky Ninja's faces froze instantly. In the next second, their heads rolled to the ground, still carrying those lingering smiles.
Before the smugness in their eyes could fade, their consciousness was swallowed by boundless darkness; they hadn't even reacted to the moment of their death.
Aoki Yoru looked at these Sky Ninja with an indifferent gaze. They weren't civilians; since they were the enemy, there was no need to hold back.
Then, Aoki Yoru walked slowly inside.
Before long, the view opened up, and a massive space appeared before him.
He saw a white-haired old man wearing a headscarf, sitting in a chair, holding a teacup and drinking unhurriedly, as if he didn't care about the intruder at all.
After taking a sip, he slowly put down the teacup and looked up at Aoki Yoru.
"So you are the Kirin of Konoha. Truly, a hero emerges from the youth."
Aoki Yoru looked at Shennong with doubt. Did the Zero-Tails give this guy that much confidence?
"You certainly are confident."
As Aoki Yoru spoke, he gripped the nightfall in his hand. To avoid any further complications, he planned to give him a direct strike.
A playful smile appeared on Shennong's face: "Do you know Might Duy?"
Then, without caring about Aoki Yoru's answer, he said to himself: "That guy was a Genin for ten thousand years, yet by opening the Eight Gates, he was able to defeat the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, killing four of them while the other three fled in panic."
Hearing this, Aoki Yoru wore an expression like he was watching a show. After this guy opened the Eighth Gate, he actually let Naruto chase him down and pummel him with fists; it was simply a disgrace to the Eight Gates.
Seeing Aoki Yoru's expression, Shennong's face darkened. He could feel that the other party didn't take him seriously at all.
Immediately, Shennong stood up abruptly, took a horse stance, and veins bulged all over his body.
"Body Activation Technique!"
His body swelled instantly, veins crawled across his entire frame, muscles bulged in blocks, and his skin became as hard as rock.
At the same time, his hair grew wildly and stood on end, the original black strands instantly becoming as sharp as steel needles.
The man instantly transformed from a withered eighty-year-old man into a burly middle-aged man.
"Oh!"
Aoki Yoru looked at him with glowing eyes. The Body Activation Technique was indeed miraculous; he wondered if it could be used when heavily injured, but it certainly had research value.
He currently relied mainly on Senjutsu and Chakra for combat, but his body was just that of an ordinary person. If it could be strengthened, it would feed back and promote the production of the Yang attribute.
He then licked his lips; he couldn't let this old fellow die too easily.
Shennong looked at Aoki Yoru, who was lost in thought, and thought he was stunned. He said with a smile:
"It's not over yet. Now, let me show you the power of the Eight Gates."
"Seventh Gate: Gate of Wonder, Open!" Instantly, Shennong's entire body emitted pale green steam.
"It's still not over. Eighth Gate: Gate of Death, Open!"
At this moment, Shennong felt his Chakra increase several times over, possessing inexhaustible strength.
"Hahaha! You see? With the Body Activation Technique, I won't die even if I open the Eight Gates."
He said, looking at Aoki Yoru with contempt: "Although you are strong, you are nothing before the Eight Gates."
"Is that so?"
Aoki Yoru looked at him with disappointment, his eyes showing not a single ripple of emotion.
He originally thought the opponent could actually force open the Gate of Death. He didn't expect that he was merely using the characteristics of the Body Activation Technique to forcibly impact the Gate of Death, causing a tiny crack at the cellular level. It wasn't a true opening of the Gate of Death at all.
Moreover, his "Eight Gates" were completely different from the conventional Eight Gates.
The conventional Eight Gates are a series of interconnected shackles that progress step by step; opening each gate means breaking a layer of limitation.
But his so-called "opening" was just a series of gaps forcibly torn open by the Body Activation Technique. The gates weren't truly connected, the power couldn't stack, and at most, it was just a temporary enhancement—not the true Gate of Death.
With this level of strength, let alone him, any random Elite Jonin could easily kill him.
Aoki Yoru sneered in his heart. No wonder Orochimaru sent Sasuke over; he must have known this old guy's background long ago and knew that his "Pseudo-Gate of Death" was utterly vulnerable.
Whoosh—
Aoki Yoru disappeared from his spot.
Shennong was startled and immediately focused, trying to find his figure.
Splatter—
A bloody gash suddenly tore across Shennong's chest, blood spraying wildly. He froze in place as if struck by a heavy hammer, without even time to react.
"How is this possible?"
Shennong really hadn't expected the gap between them to be so large.
That ten-thousand-year Genin could defeat the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist by opening the Eight Gates, and his own strength was supposed to be even greater.
"Bastard, I will definitely kill you."
Shennong barely wiped the blood from his mouth, looking at Aoki Yoru with a face full of resentment.
Then, he slapped his palm on the ground. The stone slabs cracked, and a deep, bottomless basement slowly opened.
A deep purple gelatinous monster wearing a white mask with the character for 'Zero' slowly rose from the ground. Countless tentacles twisted in the darkness, and its crimson pupils fixed firmly on Aoki Yoru.