After leaving a Flying Thunder God mark, Kei teleported directly outside the tropical rainforest, where Minato had been waiting for a long time.
He immediately activated a mass teleportation technique using the Flying Thunder God, transporting nearly a hundred elite ANBU from the Hokage's direct command, more than a dozen well-trained Root combat squad ninjas, the second squad of the Analysis Division, the first squad of the Interrogation Division, over ten members of the Logistics and Research Division, and even Jiraiya, who tagged along just for fun.
In just half an hour, the entire fortress was completely taken over by the Konoha ninjas.
Through the combined efforts of the Interrogation Division and the Analysis Division, in less than an hour, they had gathered enough intelligence. The controlled Logistics and Research Division members then steered Ancor Vantian toward the Land of Fire.
As for the captured Sora ninjas, they were all turned into chakra energy sources for the fortress.
Based on the intelligence provided by the Interrogation and Analysis Divisions, Minato wasted no time in leading another group to the fleet's hidden location at sea.
To launch an attack on Kiri in the Land of Water, they needed large ships capable of sailing across the sea.
Although Kei could instantly create massive wooden ships using his Wood Release, they were no match for the steel warships and Ancor Vantian.
Using the Flying Thunder God, he made a quick trip to the experimental base and brought back Orochi-hime, who was engrossed in her research.
After inspecting the core components of the fortress, Orochimaru ran her fingers over the control panel, carefully sensing its structure with satisfaction.
"An excellent design concept, but the chakra application is too crude. The chakra utilization rate is less than 50%."
At this moment, her facial features were noticeably softer than before. Her figure, almost as voluptuous as Tsunade's, radiated an indescribable allure with every movement.
Jiraiya, who had nothing better to do in Konoha and had tagged along for the fun, nearly popped his eyes out upon seeing Orochimaru.
If not for the familiarity of her face, he would have thought she was some dark and mysterious woman!
"Can it be improved?" Kei asked the master of core technology.
"Three days. I can raise the chakra utilization rate by about 20%. Any further increase would require more intricate modifications, which would take more time."
Orochimaru gave a slight nod, then turned toward Jiraiya, whose eyes were sneaking glances at her. With her cold snake-like pupils, she locked onto him and made a sharp downward slicing gesture.
Jiraiya immediately felt a chilling wind pass between his legs, shuddering involuntarily as he quickly looked away, pretending to examine the fortress.
"Alright, I'll leave it to you."
"Kei, if you don't mind me asking, how did you do it earlier? I didn't sense any chakra fluctuations at all... it was like what happened with Danzō."
"Cough... It's not chakra. It's a higher form of energy." Seeing Orochimaru's keen scientific curiosity, Kei decided to make something up. At his fingertips, a pure and radiant white glow gathered, forming a trace of spiritual energy.
"A higher energy than chakra? Let me test it."
Jiraiya curiously moved closer, eager to join the discussion and hopefully figure out what had changed Orochimaru so much.
Kei glanced at Orochimaru, who had no intention of stopping him, then withdrew most of the spiritual energy at his fingertips, flicking a small strand into Jiraiya's body.
Unlike Tsunade's method of rapid cellular reconstruction using the Ryūchi Cave's secret techniques, this spiritual energy remained in its purest form, circulating gently along Jiraiya's chakra pathways without harming his body.
Given the normal dissipation rate of spiritual energy, this small trace would take about half a month to completely disappear. Until then, Jiraiya would simply feel more refreshed and clear-headed. If he wanted any further benefits, it would depend on how he utilized this energy.
Orochimaru, seeing Jiraiya's confused expression, suddenly grabbed his wrist and closed her eyes, using her own chakra to carefully examine the changes within him and locate the trace of spiritual energy.
Pure, refined, natural, full of vitality… yet containing terrifying destructive power.
After a long moment, when Orochimaru finally opened her eyes, Kei and Tsunade were nowhere to be seen. As for Jiraiya…
"Wipe your nosebleed. In the meantime, assist me with some experiments." Orochimaru spoke in her husky, magnetic voice before letting go of Jiraiya's wrist in disgust.
"Experiments? As long as you don't dissect me... Uh, Orochimaru, do you remember what I said back then?"
"If you ever turned into a woman, I would—"
"Die!" Orochimaru instantly unleashed the Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, striking directly at Jiraiya!
Six days later, over 90,000 ninjas from Konoha, Kumo, Suna, and Iwa gathered along the eastern coastline of the Land of Fire.
They said an army of over 10,000 was boundless. The overwhelming presence of nearly 100,000 ninjas gathered in one place was enough to make even Kei's heart race with excitement at first sight.
However, with so many ninjas in one place, tensions were inevitable. Even though their camps were set apart, occasional disputes still arose. If it weren't for the strict discipline enforced by the Kage, who had severely punished a few troublemakers, the situation might have already spiraled out of control before Kei even arrived.
He was no master of eloquence like Gaara, who had learned the "Talk no Jutsu" from Naruto. He lacked the ability to unite hearts through speeches or to dispel hatred and hostility with mere words. All he could do was release two colossal Top Transformed Buddhas, along with four enhanced wooded golems.
Faced with an overwhelming force they couldn't possibly resist, even the most hot-headed individuals knew what choice to make.
With all dissent forcibly suppressed for now, the Third Raikage leaped onto the airborne fortress, which had lowered its altitude. He carried the Amber Purifying Pot, one of the Six Paths Tools, in one hand, and the unconscious Yugito in the other.
Shortly after, Ōnoki and Kitsuchi ascended, while Pakura and Bunpuku approached on floating sand.
In just a few days, the Ancor Vantian had undergone a transformation—its once grotesque exterior had been completely smoothed out, and the words "Expedition" were now boldly engraved on its surface. The vines and roots that had overgrown its structure after years underground had been cleared away, giving it a distinct war fortress aesthetic.
Two days earlier, Tsunade had originally wanted to rename the fortress "Light of the Five Elements" after the five chakra natures—Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning, and Earth.
Kei immediately vetoed the idea. Not one to give up, Tsunade then suggested "Cloud Piercer," but Shikaku warned her that Kumo might take offense to the name.
After much deliberation, Tsunade reluctantly settled on the name "Expedition Ship."
Soon after, Shikaku, Inoichi, and representatives from the other villages led a large force of sensory and communication ninjas onto the airship.
These individuals formed the Strategic Command Unit, responsible for overseeing operations. They began announcing the unit formations for the Allied Shinobi Forces.
Meanwhile, Minato and the Third Raikage's son, A, led a special assault unit of nearly five thousand ninja, who boarded stolen iron battleships from the Sora ninjas and set sail for the Land of Water.
Jiraiya, Killer B, and Han commanded a second force of ten thousand, advancing from the north. Orochimaru, Rōshi, and Toroi led the third force from the south.
Hiruzen, Kitsuchi, and Duy led the remaining 45,000 troops aboard Kumo's Turtle Island, Genbu, and other warships, preparing for a direct assault on Kiri from the west.
The Expedition Ship, now the command center, would advance from above. On board the airborne fortress, the Strategic Command Unit coordinated with the sensory and communication teams to monitor and adjust the movements of the different divisions.
After retrieving his Buddhas and wooded golems, Kei returned to the ship.
Yugito, now awake, spotted him and her eyes sparkled with excitement.
This is much faster than I expected! she thought, feeling delighted.
The Third Raikage set down the Amber Purifying Pot, which contained the chakra of the One-Tail, Two-Tails, Four-Tails, Five-Tails, Seven-Tails, and Eight-Tails.
"Oh, and the Seven-Tails is a whole jinchūriki," he added. "Taki wasn't cooperative, so we took the whole thing."
"That's... quite bold," Kei muttered, silently acknowledging that Kumo remained as aggressive as ever. Then again, the airborne fortress and fleet they were using now had also been taken by force.
Pakura glanced at him. "Where are the First Hokage, Madara, and the others?"
The chakra needed to revive the Ten-Tails was almost complete, with only the Six-Tails remaining in Kiri. However, without Hashirama, Madara, or the others, she felt uneasy.
Tsunade also turned toward Kei, curiosity in her eyes. She had been too busy to notice their absence.
A moment later, the window opened, revealing Hashirama, dressed in a beige casual robe, peeking out with a friendly grin.
Beside him stood Madara, Izuna, and Tobirama, all turning their heads toward the group.
Tsunade's pupils shrank in shock. "Their clothes… Their faces… They're not Edo Tensei?!"
Ōnoki, Pakura, the Third Raikage, and others also froze in disbelief.
"Neesan! I'm back!" A familiar voice rang out.
Nawaki, leaning against the windowsill, beamed at Tsunade with a bright smile.