After the first ray of sunlight pierced the darkness, the desert temperature began rising rapidly.
Following the trail left by Danzō, Naruto brought Shisui all the way into the Land of Wind's vast desert.
Facing the endless sea of sand, Shisui had no real options—but Naruto simply kept moving forward, relying on instinct like it was the most normal thing in the world. Along the way, they even ran into a sandstorm and had to waste several hours detouring around it.
Standing atop a sand dune, Naruto pulled out a desert map from his backpack and looked into the distance.
Soon, he spotted the ruins of a city buried beneath sand and wind—and the small settlement near an oasis beside it. His eyes narrowed slightly.
A desert… and ruins.
That could only be one place—the legendary Loulan.
Once a prosperous city built upon the power of the Dragon Veins, it eventually declined after the Dragon Veins were sealed, leaving behind only a small tribe struggling to survive in the desert.
The wind and sand had erased Danzō's tracks, so Naruto had come here based purely on deduction.
There were only two realistic directions Danzō could've taken after fleeing into the Land of Wind:
Either follow the oasis routes toward Sunagakure…
—or dive deep into the desert and head for Loulan.
The existence of the Dragon Veins wasn't common knowledge among ordinary ninja—but for someone like Danzō, it was no secret.
Shaking off his wandering thoughts, Naruto jumped down from the dune and said to Shisui:
"There's an oasis nearby. Let's check it out—and grab something to eat while we're at it."
Shisui glanced at the endless sand, still a bit doubtful.
"Lord Mianma… are you sure Danzō is really around here?"
Naruto shrugged lightly.
"He can't have gotten far. Let's start with the oasis—see if there are any Root leftovers hanging around."
Naruto wasn't completely certain Danzō was in Loulan. But if Danzō wanted to make full use of the Dragon Veins, there was one thing he had to do—
Find the Queen of Loulan.
Only someone bound to the Dragon Veins could truly unleash their full power.
Not long after, Naruto and Shisui slipped silently into the oasis.
Sure enough, several Root ninja were lurking in the area, restricting the movement of the residents.
With just a glance exchanged, Naruto and Shisui acted.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The Root ninja didn't even have time to react before being knocked unconscious.
The oasis residents were quickly freed.
According to them, they were survivors who had chosen to remain behind in Loulan, guarding the last queen—Queen Sāra—in the hope that one day the city's glory would return.
People always cling to the beauty of the past.
Hearing this, Shisui couldn't help but feel a strange sense of déjà vu—like staring into a mirror reflecting his former self.
Naruto then asked about Root.
They had been there for over half a month, mostly active within the Loulan ruins—but they still maintained control over the oasis.
And just a few hours ago, their leader—Queen Sāra—had been taken hostage by unknown ninja.
Naruto and Shisui exchanged a look.
Then—
Whoosh.
They vanished.
Moments later, they found Sāra inside the largest camp.
Naruto didn't waste time talking.
His Sharingan activated instantly.
The Root ninja froze under genjutsu… then turned their weapons on themselves.
Silence followed.
Naruto then looked at the fallen woman on the ground. She appeared to be in her thirties, staring at him with guarded eyes.
"Thank you for saving me… but why are you here? Near Loulan's ruins… are you also after—"
She suddenly noticed Naruto's fox mask.
Her expression softened.
"You've come for the Dragon Veins, haven't you? They were sealed by the Fourth Hokage. Even I, once Queen of Loulan, can't control them anymore."
Naruto shook his head.
"We're not here for the Dragon Veins. Powerful or not, they're just extra power to me."
He paused, then asked calmly:
"We're hunting someone. Have you seen an old man wrapped in bandages? One eye?"
Sāra shook her head.
"I haven't seen him… but those ninja are definitely after the Dragon Veins. That's why they took me."
Naruto nodded slightly.
"Where are the Dragon Veins?"
Sāra hesitated—but answered:
"The core is inside the Lost Tower. The tallest structure in Loulan. That's where everything is sealed."
Naruto gave a small nod.
"Thanks, Queen Sāra."
He tapped Shisui's shoulder—and the two of them shot off toward the tower.
Shisui glanced back once, thoughtful.
After they left, a little girl—around eight or nine—peeked out from behind the tent and pointed outside.
"Mother Sāra… that ninja with the fox mask… is he the one you always talk about?"
Sāra gently stroked the girl's head.
"I don't know… maybe."
The girl frowned slightly.
"Maybe? You always talk about him and tell me to be brave… but you didn't even dare speak properly just now."
Sāra fell silent.
Only the sound of wind and sand filled the tent.
...
The Lost Tower—the only structure still standing in the ruins—was impossible to miss.
As Naruto and Shisui approached, they looked over the half-buried ruins around them. Even in their broken state, the former glory of Loulan was obvious.
Shisui sighed softly.
"Lord Mianma… I knew Loulan was prosperous, but not this prosperous. This rivals the capital of the Land of Fire. The Dragon Veins really are something."
Naruto scoffed lightly.
"Ninja strength isn't that impressive—it's just all concentrated into military power."
He smirked faintly.
"Give Uzushiogakure a year or two. It'll be far more prosperous than this place ever was."
Shisui nodded.
He had seen it himself—within just two years, a small fishing village had turned into a modern port city.
All thanks to Naruto.
As they got closer, both of them felt it—
The immense power of the Dragon Veins beneath the tower.
It rivaled a Tailed Beast… maybe even surpassed it, thanks to its endless connection to the earth.
From Naruto's knowledge, Dragon Veins weren't even native to this world—just like the Divine Tree, they came from beyond.
A few minutes later, they arrived.
From several hundred meters away, they could see Danzō and several Root ninja working around the core of the Dragon Veins—trying to break the seal.
At the same time—
Danzō noticed them too.
His face darkened instantly.
Breaking the Fourth Hokage's seal wasn't easy. After hours of work, they had only made partial progress. At least two more hours were needed to fully break it.
But now—
Naruto and Shisui had arrived.
Danzō ordered his men to form a defensive formation, his expression shifting constantly as he looked between Naruto… and the Dragon Vein core.
Now, there was only one option—
Forcefully break the seal.
But Dragon Vein energy was unstable. If triggered violently…
The explosion could rival a Tailed Beast Bomb.
For once, Danzō hesitated.
Since when did I become as indecisive as Hiruzen…?
Was it because he had stayed in the shadows too long? Or because he had lost Konoha as his backing?
No.
As the "Hokage in the shadows," he could not retreat.
Just as Danzō made up his mind—
A red-haired figure suddenly appeared on the opposite side of the tower.
He raised his hand.
"Feel pain… Shinra Tensei!"
BOOM—
A terrifying wave of repulsive force exploded outward.
The air compressed violently as the attack blasted toward Danzō, shaking the entire tower—and even destabilizing the Dragon Vein seal.
Danzō barely survived the first hit.
Then—
The Six Paths of Pain rushed forward, aiming to kill him instantly without giving him a chance to react.
The moment Danzō saw the Rinnegan, his expression turned grim.
He circled around the Dragon Vein core, buying time.
Five seconds later—
"Shinra Tensei!"
The second wave erupted.
This time—
The seal shattered.
The repulsive force slammed directly into the Dragon Vein core.
BOOOOM—
An enormous vortex formed instantly, covering dozens of meters and devouring everything in its path.
Danzō was swallowed first.
Nagato and the Six Paths struggled to resist—but within seconds, they too were dragged into the vortex and vanished into nothingness.
What none of them noticed—
Was a certain unlucky bastard hiding on the ceiling… also getting sucked in.
Seeing this insane scene, Shisui and the remaining Root ninja just stared, completely stunned.
Naruto looked at the swirling vortex of Dragon Vein energy, then glanced at Shisui.
"Shisui. Clean up the remaining Root ninja and hold this position."
He paused.
"Don't let anyone get close."
Shisui frowned slightly.
"…And you?"
Naruto smirked faintly.
"I'll be back soon."
With that—
He stepped forward…
—and walked straight into the Dragon Vein vortex.
Beyond being a massive energy source, Dragon Veins could also distort time and space.
The only question was—
When… would he end up?
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