As for the Queen of Loran's little thoughts, Uchiha Ren understood them almost the moment he sensed them.
He could only suppress the stirrings in his heart and say calmly,
"Stay here for now. I'll go undo the Dragon Vein's seal first."
"Yes, Fifth Hokage-sama."
"Yes, Fifth Hokage-sama."
"Yes, Fifth Hokage-sama."
Before his words had fully faded, the Queen of Loran, Princess Sara, and many of the ministers all dropped to one knee, their voices filled with reverence.
Clearly, everything Uchiha Ren had done had already won them over completely.
Whoosh!!
A few seconds later, with a sharp sound cutting through the air, Ren vanished and reappeared inside a temple at the very center of Ancient Loran.
"The Dragon Vein should be beneath this place."
After scanning the area with his top-tier Observation Haki, Ren's gaze shifted toward a sealing scroll in the middle of the temple.
"…Why is this different from the original history?"
A trace of confusion flashed through his mind.
But before he could think any further, the system's mechanical voice suddenly rang out.
Ding…
Check-in location refreshed: Ancient Loran's Dragon Vein
Proceed?
"Sign in first."
Hearing the system prompt, Ren seemed to think of something. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"System. Check in at the Dragon Vein of Ancient Loran immediately."
One second…
Ten seconds…
Thirty seconds…
Finally, after a full minute, the system's clear notification sounded.
Ding…
Check-in location refreshed: Ancient Loran's Dragon Vein
Reward acquired: Dragon Vein Energy Converter
Reward stored.
Note: Dragon Vein Energy Converter — converts the Dragon Vein's immense power into energy suitable for the Gedo Statue, allowing the legendary Ten-Tails to reappear in the shinobi world.
"Interesting. This is getting more and more interesting."
Ren frowned slightly, then nodded in thought.
"So that's how it is…"
"The last sign-in gave me the Gedo Statue. This one gives me a Dragon Vein Energy Converter."
"It looks like the system really does intend to bring a second Ten-Tails into existence."
That was what he thought—
but Ren didn't hesitate for even a second.
With a thought, the Dragon Vein Energy Converter appeared in his hand.
Then—
under countless stunned gazes—
Ren summoned the colossal Gedo Statue in the open space outside the temple.
"This… what is that?!"
"It looks like the shell of some monstrous being… how terrifying!"
"Could Lord Uchiha Ren be trying to revive something?"
One cry after another rang out.
The Queen of Loran, Princess Sara, the ministers, and countless civilians all stared at the massive Gedo Statue with expressions of utter shock.
There was no helping it.
Anyone who saw that enormous, heart-shaking form would instinctively feel fear.
Especially since the invisible pressure leaking from the Gedo Statue made it obvious at a glance that it was no ordinary thing.
At the same time—
the moment the Gedo Statue appeared—
inside that mysterious hidden dimension, far from the shinobi world—
Ōtsutsuki Hamura and Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, who had been resting with their eyes closed, suddenly opened them at the same time.
"How is this possible?!"
"There's another Gedo Statue aura in the shinobi world!"
The two brothers had actually sensed a second Gedo Statue.
That was completely wrong.
After all, the Gedo Statue was the shell of the legendary Ten-Tails.
There had only ever been one.
But now—
there were two distinct Gedo Statue auras within the shinobi world.
Which meant—
there could be two Ten-Tails as well.
At that realization, both Hamura and Hagoromo lost their composure completely.
When Uchiha Ren first rose to prominence, it had only shocked them.
But now, with the appearance of a second Gedo Statue, they could no longer remain calm.
"See what's happening."
In the next moment, Hagoromo took a deep breath and said through clenched teeth,
"Just how many secrets does this Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren, still have that we don't know about?"
Boom!!
As those words fell, Hagoromo swung the Six Paths staff in his hand.
A surge of terrifying Six Paths power spread outward—
and an image formed before him and Hamura.
The image showed one place only:
Ancient Loran.
"Could Uchiha Ren's target be the Dragon Vein?"
"This Gedo Statue… we've never seen one like it. What exactly is he trying to do?"
It would have been one thing if they had not seen it.
But the moment they saw the transformed Ancient Loran—and especially the Gedo Statue Uchiha Ren had summoned—
Hamura and Hagoromo shot to their feet and cried out in disbelief yet again.
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