Chapter 033: Soaring Into the Sky Like an Onion Pulled from Dry Earth

Hearing Naruto say they could take off, the six of them scrambled into the plane’s cockpit all at once. To Naruto’s surprise, Orochimaru, who was usually so composed, was the most eager of them all. Even before Naruto himself, the creator, had entered, Orochimaru had already flashed into the cockpit with a body flicker and, as if born to it, fastened every safety device in place.

Fortunately, the cockpit was spacious enough to accommodate them all.

“Don’t give me that look! I may be a bit older, but I’m always happy to embrace new things!” Orochimaru declared, as if it went without saying. “Back in the day, I boarded the flying fortress of the Sky Ninja Village, and I’ve tried their small personal flyers too… Of course I have to give your aircraft a proper trial.”

Once everyone was seated and secure, Naruto started the plane.

Given the aircraft’s size, everyone expected it to roar to life, but to their astonishment, it lifted off almost in complete silence. The moment Naruto pulled the controls, the entire plane soared upward as if plucked straight from the earth, climbing rapidly into the sky.

As they passed above the treetops and were about to become visible, Naruto activated the spiritual mechanism’s optical camouflage, erasing the plane from sight. Standing on the ground—or even on the wing, the passengers suspected—no one would be able to spot it.

Kakashi and Orochimaru had prepared a whole array of jutsu to conceal the plane’s presence, but clearly, it wasn’t necessary.

“This is what I meant by radical design,” Naruto explained, piloting the plane without turning around. “I should have built a noisy prototype to prove the principle of flight, but to avoid trouble, I integrated camouflage and stealth modules from the start. That’s where the risk lies in this flight—if you overreach, you could easily pull a muscle.”

Sasuke pressed against the glass, staring out and shouting, “Wow! We’re above the clouds! Hey, is that Short Verse Street over there?”

“That’s not Short Verse Street,” Hinata corrected, pointing downward. “That’s just an old castle keep. Look—the golden antlers on the roof mark it as Deer Antler Fort.”

Akira nodded in agreement with Hinata.

Naruto, unable to see clearly, could only make out a street and a small keep in the distance, with golden light glinting from the rooftop—whether there were antlers or not was beyond his vision, even with his eyes continually enhanced by yin-nature chakra.

Those with ocular kekkei genkai really were cheating; they could see so far with ease.

“Deer Antler Fort—that means we’ve left the Land of Fire. There’s no such place within its borders,” Orochimaru observed. Then he broke into a sly chuckle. “Heh, if the old man found out his precious Jinchuriki was not only hanging out with an Uchiha but had flown across the border, would he just drop dead on the spot?”

A chill ran down Naruto’s spine.

Within him, the Nine-Tails watched the passing scenery through his senses. Its tail flicked upward, as if in a particularly good mood.

“I’ve never looked down at the world from the sky before,” the Nine-Tails remarked.

Naruto replied, “But with your size, standing up and looking down must feel similar to us flying up here.”

The Nine-Tails grunted, “Even if I jumped, I couldn’t get this high!”

After circling the skies and enjoying themselves, the group returned. Once they’d landed, Orochimaru pulled Naruto aside. When the younger kids had wandered off, Orochimaru said, “Naruto, I need a copy of your aircraft’s blueprints—the exact model we flew today. I have a use for it.”

Naruto handed him a scroll. “It’s all in here. You’ll want to unseal it indoors—there’s quite a lot.”

Orochimaru tucked the scroll away and explained, “You remember you introduced me to Fugaku not long ago? I took him to inspect the Ryuzo Society, and in the end, he decided to move part of his clan to the Land of Fields.”

“I plan to use your aircraft to evacuate them secretly—it’s safer that way.”

Naruto was surprised. “You actually convinced Uncle Fugaku? The Uchiha are so stubborn—they see the Leaf as their own, and he’s agreed to move his people away?”

Naruto was well aware of the situation; he’d even been directly involved. After Sasuke had some contact with Naruto, the Uchiha clan’s trust was shaken. Sasuke himself didn’t care—he was just a first-grader. But Itachi was a genjutsu prodigy, and even if Hiruzen Sarutobi was inclined to trust him, the village couldn’t afford the risk of Naruto falling under Uchiha influence. To make matters worse, after Danzo’s failed ambush on Shisui, he was the first to accuse the Uchiha, making it impossible for them to defend themselves.

Now the Uchiha were being pressed so hard by the village they could barely breathe. Launching a “cleanse the court” coup to reclaim their power was almost inevitable. But Fugaku, as clan head, didn’t want that path—he felt responsible for their survival. Yet to do nothing meant certain doom, and bold action was just as risky. The pressure from both sides left him in despair, and he began to give up.

So, in broad daylight, he approached Naruto directly. They made small talk, and Fugaku gifted Naruto a photo album of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, then got straight to the point—he hoped Naruto could provide ninja tools to improve their chances if they did take action.

“I could do that,” Naruto said, palms open, “but I don’t think it’s wise. The village is already short-handed. A coup would cut its strength by half at least, and even if you succeed, what about the future survival of the village?”

“Why not consider another option—have the whole clan leave the Leaf and start anew elsewhere?”

“The Uchiha once worked with the Senju to found the Leaf. Why not found a new settlement now? You have two pairs of Mangekyo Sharingan—enough to deter any enemy.”

Naruto’s advice was at least a contingency—ensure the clan could survive even if their bold move failed. For example, evacuate the elderly, women, and children first. One plausible refuge was with Orochimaru in the Land of Fields. Orochimaru had not only founded the Ryuzo Mechanical Works, a company with its own formidable military power—now rivaling the five great ninja villages—but had also secretly gathered Uzumaki survivors and other clans exiled by the major villages into a powerful alliance.

Faced with Naruto’s suggestion, Fugaku had fallen silent, and Naruto hadn’t known what decision he would make. In the end, all Naruto had done was help establish secret contact between Fugaku and Orochimaru.

Now, it seemed, Fugaku had made his choice.