Mufasa hovered high in the sky, his robes fluttering in the wind, speaking in his calm, almost playful tone.
Endo and the rest of the Sky Ninja stood there, glaring up at him. They were frustrated, some even smirking at how absurd this was.
"So according to you, we can't even take revenge now? That's just ridiculous," Endo scoffed.
Mufasa pointed at himself with a grin. "Rely on me. Otherwise, by your crimes alone, all of you should be executed right here. But I'm too soft-hearted. I don't like seeing the sea stained with blood. So... join my Sand Ninja. I'll even give you your own division. How about that?"
The Sky Ninja burst into laughter. One man and one ship demanding their surrender? It was laughable.
Endo sneered, giving a sharp wave. "Teams, get ready. Take off and blast this so-called Kazekage out of the sky!"
All around, air ninjas scrambled to their ships and prepared their flying devices. Mufasa watched them with a satisfied nod. "Good training. Saves me the trouble."
Then he raised his voice. "So, that's a no?"
Endo barked back, "Why would we ever surrender to you?!"
"Fair enough," Mufasa replied with a shrug. "I guess you need to learn the hard way."
He lifted both hands, the air crackled, and an immense magnetic field spread from his body, sweeping over the pier like an invisible tidal wave.
"DOWN," he commanded.
The invisible force slammed into the air ninjas. Metal ships and gear turned against them, pinning them to the decks. They struggled and squirmed, eyes wide in shock.
"Why... why is everything so heavy?!" one of them gasped.
Then the sea around the pier started to churn wildly. Waves rose without wind, swirling into towering walls of water.
Endo and his men gawked as the aircraft carriers docked there began to groan, water cascading off them like waterfalls.
"No way... it's lifting off?" someone whispered.
Sure enough, the enormous ships creaked and rose out of the ocean, metal shrieking in protest as they climbed higher, seawater raining down in torrents. The entire bay became a chaos of whirlpools and swirling currents.
Mufasa calmly held the ships aloft until they hovered level with him in the sky. Below, Endo was pale, legs shaking. The Sky Ninja pinned beneath their own equipment stared up in horror.
Endo stammered, "Th-this... was all you?"
Mufasa tilted his head. "Who else? You?"
On the islands below, civilians—families, tech workers, ordinary villagers—gathered and stared in terror at the spectacle above. It looked less like a battle and more like a god toying with mortals.
Mufasa casually pointed, and the magnetic force dragged Endo up by his chest until he was on his knees.
"Well? Ready to surrender now?"
Endo grit his teeth. "We... we have a blood feud with you. How could we ever bow to Sand Ninja?"
Mufasa's eyes narrowed slightly. "If you don't, you'll just end up feeding the sea. Better alive and paid than dead and forgotten."
He flicked his hand. One of the massive aircraft carriers floated away from the others, drifting above the largest island.
Below, villagers screamed.
"Run! Run!"
They scattered in panic as the shadow of the floating ship swept over them.
Endo choked. "What are you doing?!"
"Since you refuse to surrender," Mufasa said coolly, "you're my enemies. And for enemies, I don't hold back. Think this carrier will make a nice big bomb? Maybe we'll see a pretty mushroom cloud."
Endo looked into his eyes and saw no hesitation. He crumbled.
"W-wait! Wait!" he shouted. "We surrender! We surrender!"
His men echoed it quickly. Faced with losing their families, they had no pride left.
Mufasa nodded, satisfied. "Wise choice. And drop that Kong Nin name. From today on, you're Sand Ninja Village's Seventh Team."
Endo didn't hesitate. "Yes, yes! Whatever you say."
Of course, Mufasa knew moving them all to the Sand Village immediately was unrealistic.
"You'll stay here for now. Later, I'll arrange better living quarters. Some of you will come to the Sand Village as an air unit. Others will stay here and watch over these islands as one of our sea outposts. A third group will help guard our new offshore oil fields in the Land of Water."
He lowered the aircraft carriers back into the water, then descended to the main headquarters. Endo and the top Kong Nin followed him meekly.
Inside, Mufasa took the leader's chair without asking. "Now then, all your top scientists are coming with me. They'll keep working, but for us. No arguments."
"Of course," Endo and the others chorused. They wouldn't dare protest now.
Mufasa leaned back, almost lazily. "So where's your real leader?"
Endo gulped. "Shinnō went to the Land of Fire. Said he had a plan and needed us to back him up."
"Probably playing with tailed beast nonsense," Mufasa muttered. "Zero Tail... these amateurs think they can master tailed beasts by building creepy science projects."
He smirked. "Whatever. Let him waste his time. I'll just come collect him later."
His gaze turned sharp. "Now. Where's that flying fortress of yours? That's coming with me too."
...
The leader of the Sky Ninja, Shinnō, was traveling with Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, and Amaru. They had just arrived at Amaru's village, only to find it completely deserted.
"Where is everyone?" Sakura wondered aloud, scanning the empty streets.
Suddenly, a barrage of kunai struck Shinnō. His eyes widened, then he collapsed to the ground without even a gasp. By the time Naruto and the others reached him, he was already dead.
With heavy hearts, they dug a grave and buried him. Amaru clutched her master's old headband, tears spilling down her cheeks.
Shinnō had saved her life as a child when she was struck by a deadly illness, nursing her back to health and giving her hope. Now that he was gone, a darkness began to swallow her heart.
Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata tried to comfort her, but soon decided the villagers must have fled to a nearby shelter. They set off to search for them.
Along the way, they discovered a strange ruin—ancient stone pillars and crumbling houses etched with eerie carvings. "Maybe the villagers are hiding inside," Sakura guessed.
They ventured deeper. A thick fog rolled in, swallowing the light. Then, from out of the mist, Amaru appeared.
Her face was twisted by anguish and hate. Darkness had completely taken over her heart, allowing the Zero-Tailed Beast that Shinnō had secretly sealed inside her to break free.
The monster burst out. Its grotesque, worm-like body writhed with too many limbs to count. A white mask was stamped with a zero on its forehead, four crimson strands above empty sockets, and below, a small mouth flanked by short red whiskers.
Without a word, the creature attacked.
By now, Naruto had learned to wield Kurama's chakra and even mastered Sage Mode with some help from Mufasa, the Kazekage of the Sand. He charged forward, gathering energy for a Rasengan.
The Zero-Tail lashed out with tentacles, but Naruto's Rasengan smashed through them, driving straight into its chest.
With a screech, the creature broke apart and retreated back into Amaru, who collapsed in a heap.
Meanwhile, deep below them in an underground chamber, Shinnō's real plan was unfolding.
Inside the sky fortress' control room, he carved a dark seal into the floor. The whole structure shuddered as it started to rise.
Naruto and Amaru arrived just in time to see Shinnō, alive and well, sitting on a high-backed throne.
"Master!" Amaru gasped, rushing forward.
Naruto grabbed her arm. "Wait. Something's wrong."
Shinnō chuckled, standing up. "Ah, clever boy. You figured it out. I'm a descendant of the old Sky Country. I came here looking for the Zero-Tail revival scroll, hidden in Konoha, to rebuild my nation. Sacrificing Amaru's village was all part of that plan."
Before anyone could react, slow clapping echoed through the chamber.
"Bravo," came a mocking voice. "Konoha sure knows how to misplace dangerous things. Truly a service to the ninja world."
Naruto, Amaru, and even Shinnō turned, eyes widening.
From behind the throne stepped Mufasa, Kazekage of the Sand, wearing an amused grin.
"Mufasa-ossan!" Naruto blurted out. "What are you doing here?"
Mufasa gave a casual wave. "Oh, hello. Just sightseeing. Quite the fortress you have, Shinnō. I thought I'd drop by and claim it."
Shinnō glared. "Who the hell are you? How did you find this place?"
Mufasa tilted his head. "Didn't Naruto just say it? I'm Mufasa of the Sand. Your Sky Ninjas? They squeal pretty easily if you pay the right price."
Shinnō's face twisted with rage. "Impossible! They would never betray me."
"Everyone has a price," Mufasa shrugged. "You manipulated children, but can't grasp betrayal? Pathetic."
With a roar, Shinnō activated a forbidden medical jutsu. His clothes tore as his muscles bulged grotesquely.
Hair shot out, growing past his waist, eyes glowing with madness.
Mufasa raised an eyebrow. "Super Saiyan knockoff? Bad color choice. Try blue next time."
"Kazekage!" Shinnō snarled. "I'll rip your head off!"
He vanished in a burst of speed.
"Watch out!" Naruto shouted.
But Mufasa calmly reached back and caught Shinnō's punch. "Why do villains always go for cheap shots? Bad habit. You should work on that."
Shinnō strained to pull free, face purple with effort. "Hit me! Come on!"
Mufasa laughed. "Weird request. But sure."
His fist slammed into Shinnō's face, sending him flying through a pillar. The stone exploded around him.
Shinnō staggered out of the dust, bigger than before. His hair now dragged along the floor, muscles crawling like living things.
"Ha! My body regenerates each time it's destroyed. Your attacks only make me stronger!"
Mufasa nodded thoughtfully. "That so? Let's see how far it goes. Or how long your hair can get."
He blurred forward and punched Shinnō again, this time straight through the gut.
A gaping hole opened up, but Shinnō just laughed, dark chakra stitching it back together.
"I can open all Eight Gates now without dying," Shinnō sneered. "My ultimate body is unbeatable!"
"Eight Gates, huh?" Mufasa smirked. "That's adorable. Show me your grand finale."
Shinnō roared, gathering a swirling black orb of dark chakra in his hand—his Chaotic God Fist. "Die, Kazekage!"