Chapter 390: It Is I
Dana had to admit, as he piloted the "Floating Fortress Island" back to Cloud City, he was feeling a bit of a high.
Even though it was the crudest version Minetarou had cobbled together just to demonstrate the results.
Even though it had no external decorations—viewed from below, it was literally just a floating, inverted mountain peak.
Even though it moved at a snail's pace—if he had flown by himself, he would have been home hours ago.
But it was undeniable.
It was incredibly cool!
It was exhilarating! A total show-stopper!
The "Floating Fortress Island" drew gasps of awe the entire way. Many rural travelers, seeing a mountain floating in the sky from a distance, dropped to their knees in worship, shouting that the gods had manifested. Even the well-traveled residents of Cloud City stood frozen for a long, long time as the mountain drifted over their heads.
"Am I in a Genjutsu? Why is there a mountain in the sky?"
"Are those houses on top of it?!"
Dana stood at the edge of the island, maintaining a stoic face, but internally he was reveling in the sheer, "over-the-top" badassery of it all.
The Cloud Spire was conveniently taller than the floating island, allowing the massive rock to dock steadily against its side. A bridge created via Earth Release connected the two behemoths, leading directly to the spire's top-level terrace.
The Third Raikage and Arashi, who had received the news early, were already waiting on the terrace, clicking their tongues in wonder.
"What in the world have you created...?"
The Third Raikage, now the Grand General, murmured, "...Wasn't it supposed to be a floating steel battleship in the concept art? I've already simulated several sets of tactics for a ship-style hull. Why is it a flying mountain peak?"
But he couldn't deny it... it was undeniably cool!
It perfectly matched the Third Raikage's aesthetic!
Massive, rugged, and shaped like a jagged peak.
Remember, the Old Cloud Village was built into the mountains. Cloud people had an innate love for the peaks, and their boisterous personalities naturally favored things with a larger "scale."
Big is good!
The moment the island docked, the Third Raikage couldn't wait. He sprinted onto the rock, stomping his feet on the solid ground.
Even though they were high in the clouds, there was a sense of grounded stability that a ship-like structure simply couldn't provide. The flat surface was even covered in patches of moss. With nothing but blue sky and white clouds at the horizon, it truly felt like a celestial realm.
"Excellent! The space is massive! We could even install a Heavenly Transfer base up here! This... 'Flying Mountain' is magnificent!"
Arashi estimated the dimensions and asked, "This big... surely it was expensive?"
Dana made a gesture with his thumb and forefinger, signifying a trivial amount.
"Not at all! A drop in the bucket!"
Calculating the cost based on the fact that they were using materials gathered on-site, it really wasn't expensive. It was cheaper than a single Gravity Chamber.
Technically, any major ninja clan could afford to buy a floating island to show off now. The Yotsuki Clan could easily buy seven or eight and turn the entire family into "Sky People." However, until the Federation had sufficient technical reserves, Dana would not permit clans or individuals to own these islands.
This was an entirely new variable that would influence the Federation's development in every aspect; he would need to draft specific laws just to govern their use.
But overall...
Dana was extremely satisfied.
Who needs a steel battleship?
Battleships are for the faint of heart. Real men pilot entire mountain ranges into battle.
Dana, who had been feeling slightly "off" about the design earlier, immediately began enthusiastically explaining the benefits of the Floating Fortress Island to his father and brother.
"Let me tell you, this thing is incredible!"
That night, many high-ranking Federation officials flocked to the Spire to witness the island. Even Onoki flew over personally to inspect this creation born from the "Super Light-Weight Rock Technique."
After seeing it, Onoki's eyes were full of longing. The boys of the Iwa division were practically crying with envy. They wanted one too!
If anyone loved rocks and colossal structures as much as the Cloud, it was Iwagakure.
Currently docked beside the Cloud Spire and connected by a bridge was the Federation's first mass-producible large-scale aircraft.
Crude as it was—just a mountain with a few buildings on it.
Immature as the tech was—with much of the combat space still unutilized.
The significance was monumental. it defined the research direction for the "Heavenly Palace" Project. Unless they hit a major wall, the Federation would likely continue down the path of floating islands for years to come.
After all, who decreed that in the vastness of the universe, a "warship" had to be shaped like a boat?
As the saying goes, "blessings come in pairs." Before Dana's excitement could fade, more good news arrived.
Led by Yoshitoki, the other of the two Centennial Plans—the "Root Source" Project—had achieved a breakthrough.
Mount Myoboku, The Great Toad Palace.
A green-haired "Jiraiya" sat cross-legged within the halls of the palace.
He had arrived at Mount Myoboku three days ago. Putting aside how Fukasaku and Shima had reacted to his "resurrection" or their suspicions regarding his identity, the mysterious Jiraiya had finally made it before the Great Toad Sage.
However, the Great Toad Sage had not woken up upon his arrival. Since this Jiraiya arrived, the Sage had been in a deep slumber that Shima couldn't break.
The Sage occasionally muttered incoherent nonsense. According to Fukasaku, this usually meant he was dreaming of a new prophecy.
"Jiraiya" wasn't in a hurry. He sat in the hall for nearly three days.
During this time, Shima brought him food. Seeing him enjoy various insects with genuine interest, Shima sighed, finally confirming that this man was not the "Little Jiraiya" she remembered. The Jiraiya she knew could never stomach toad cuisine.
On the night of the third day, as Shima arrived with another meal, the Great Toad Sage finally stirred.
His massive, clouded eyes opened, struggling to find focus. It took a long while before he became truly lucid.
Sensing a familiar yet alien aura within the hall, the Great Toad Sage looked down.
"Ah... it is you..."
"Jiraiya" (Ashura) nodded but did not speak.
He took two steps back, his hands blurring into a sequence of seals, and slammed them against the floor.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Another figure appeared in the palace.
Shima's jaw dropped. Although this Jiraiya carried the scent of a Mount Myoboku contractor, he shouldn't have had the authority to perform a Reverse Summoning to bring someone else directly into the Sage's private hall.
The newcomer was Dan Kato (Indra).
Unlike the travel-worn, ascetic Jiraiya, the Dan Kato living in Cloud City looked much more dignified. He wore an exquisite trench coat, the latest fashion from the capital.
He had been sleeping beside Tsunade when he felt a pull in his soul and ran out, only to be yanked here.
He looked around the room, then at Jiraiya's green hair. "Why so late? And what happened to your hair?"
"I like it," Jiraiya replied simply.
The Great Toad Sage narrowed his eyes to slits and spoke slowly.
"It has been a long time... Ashura... Indra..."
Having lived for a millennium, the Great Toad Sage's eyes possessed an unknown power that allowed him to instantly identify these two ancient souls.
Shima was bewildered. It took her a moment to search her memories for those names. Although she had lived for centuries, those two belonged to an era far more ancient than her own.
The Great Toad Sage didn't seem surprised. "I prophesied your arrival years ago... but I did not expect you to come using the bodies of the living. Is it because the new transmigrators have not yet been born?"
The Sage knew all too well the conflict of their lives and the entanglement of their deaths. Their chakra had transmigrated countless times, fueling a never-ending conflict that had shaped the history of the ninja world.
Jiraiya and Dan Kato looked at each other.
One smiled; the other smirked.
For years, Jiraiya had walked the world, meeting countless people and traveling ten thousand miles.
Meanwhile, Dan Kato had rooted himself in Cloud City, experiencing the life of an ordinary person and observing firsthand how the center of the ninja world operated.
It seemed that these years in the living world had caused a subtle shift in their eternal relationship.
The two sat cross-legged and formed a strange, unified seal.
It was not one of the twelve basic hand signs used by modern ninja—after all, Indra himself had invented those twelve.
The seal they formed was far more ancient.
Two massive torrents of chakra erupted from their bodies as they slowly closed their eyes. The chakra was immense, impossibly pure.
One mass represented the power of Yin.
One mass represented the power of Yang.
When they merged in mid-air, they represented...
"The Power of All Creation (Shinra Bansho)."
A new figure manifested in the air—ethereal and ghost-like, yet possessing a startling reality.
The figure opened its eyes and spoke in a low voice.
"Gamamaru... it is I..."