"The reason they're targeting you is simple. You and your mother may be weak, but you're the true masters of the Dragon Vein."
"That's impossible!" Sara snapped, shaking her head fiercely. "Minister An Lushan's authority is only second to my mother's. He's practically half the ruler of Loulan already!"
She refused to believe it—refused to accept that An Lushan could be her mother's killer.
Naruto shrugged lightly.
"People change. At first, he may have genuinely wanted cooperation. But over time… dissatisfaction grows."
He glanced at her calmly.
"He built Loulan's prosperity with his own hands. Why should he keep sharing it with you and your mother?"
"If you suddenly cut him off, he loses everything overnight. From his perspective… that's not exactly fair, is it?"
Sara froze.
Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
After a long moment, her voice softened.
"…Then were we wrong? Should we have just handed over control of the Dragon Vein obediently…?"
Naruto shook his head.
"No."
"The Dragon Vein chose you. That makes you its rightful masters."
He paused, then added bluntly:
"But you don't have the strength to protect it."
"Even if An Lushan disappears, someone else will come for it."
Seeing Sara on the verge of tears, Namikaze Minato quickly stepped in, pulling out a letter and handing it to her.
He honestly couldn't understand why someone as strong as Naruto would go out of his way to crush a fragile girl like this.
Does he… enjoy bullying kids or something?
As if reading his mind, Naruto spoke lazily:
"I just don't like arrogant brats."
"For example—Uchiha Sasuke… and this little queen right here."
Sara gritted her teeth but said nothing.
After receiving the letter, she carefully examined the handwriting.
It was her mother's.
As the truth settled in, her trembling gaze slowly hardened into determination.
If An Lushan had killed her mother for the Dragon Vein…
Then she would avenge her.
But—
Reality hit hard.
Right now, she had nothing.
No power.
No allies.
Just an empty title.
Taking a deep breath, Sara turned to the Konoha ninjas.
"…Please help me."
Minato didn't answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at Naruto.
After all, An Lushan was tied to Naruto's mission.
Sara noticed this and bit her lip before stepping toward Naruto.
"If you're willing to avenge me…" she said firmly, "…I'll hand over control of the Dragon Vein to you."
The room went silent.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed.
Choza paused mid-chew.
Even Minato frowned.
The Dragon Vein wasn't just power—it was Loulan's foundation. If it fell into the wrong hands, it could destabilize the entire Land of Wind… even threaten Konoha.
Naruto, however, immediately stepped back.
"Not interested."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Let's focus on An Lushan."
Sara blinked, slightly stunned, but nodded and began recounting everything she knew—her mother's cooperation with An Lushan, his growing influence, and how his personality had recently changed.
Naruto's expression slowly darkened.
A sudden personality shift…
That usually meant only one thing.
Mangekyō Sharingan.
More specifically—
Kotoamatsukami.
Danzō's eye.
Even though it had a long cooldown, Danzō had Hashirama's cells implanted, drastically reducing that limitation.
Which meant—
An Lushan was very likely under Danzō's control.
A puppet.
Naruto clicked his tongue inwardly.
If Danzō managed to fuse with the Dragon Vein and turn himself into its jinchūriki…
That would be a serious pain in the ass.
Still, what concerned Naruto more was Nagato.
Was he hiding somewhere in Loulan?
Or had he been sent somewhere else entirely?
The first possibility was manageable.
The second… could mess with the timeline in unpredictable ways.
He still wasn't sure—
Was this the actual past?
Or just some parallel timeline?
Sara noticed Naruto frowning and asked cautiously:
"Lord Menma… is even An Lushan too much for you?"
Naruto shook his head.
"If it were just An Lushan, that 'Yellow Flash' over there could handle him easily."
He tilted his chin toward Minato.
"But he's not the real problem."
"There are others… possibly at the level of the Five Kage."
"…Five Kage-level?" Kakashi sucked in a breath.
Was Loulan really worth that level of attention?
Then again… with Minato-sensei here, and this mysterious monster beside him…
Maybe it wasn't so strange after all.
Minato spoke up:
"Let's set that aside for now. Their goal isn't just to kill the queen—it's to seize the Dragon Vein."
He turned to Sara.
"Is there a way to stop them from using it?"
Sara nodded.
"If I can reach the core, I can cut off their connection to it."
She hesitated, then added:
"But… Loulan's prosperity depends entirely on the Dragon Vein."
"If I sever it… everything here might disappear."
Minato frowned.
"That's… a serious problem."
Naruto crouched down, pressing his palm lightly against the ground.
"Stop overthinking it."
"The Dragon Vein isn't infinite."
"Use it like this, and it'll run dry in a few decades anyway."
Sara stared at him in shock.
"…It can run out?"
Naruto looked at her directly.
"If it couldn't, why would your ancestors sign a contract with it?"
"Loulan's prosperity exists because the Dragon Vein accumulated power for thousands of years."
He stood up slowly.
"Instead of worrying about whether we can kill An Lushan…"
"You should think about how your people will survive after the Dragon Vein is gone."
"The desert isn't exactly forgiving."
Sara lowered her gaze.
After a long silence, she spoke more humbly:
"…Then how can Loulan rise again?"
Naruto answered without hesitation:
"Endure."
"When you face something stronger, retreating isn't shameful."
"As long as your people survive… there's always a chance to rise again."
...
Ten minutes later, Naruto led Sara to the top of a high tower.
From there, Loulan stretched out beneath them in all its glory.
Golden structures. Flowing energy. The faint pulse of the Dragon Vein everywhere.
It was magnificent.
And temporary.
Sara quietly took it all in.
She knew—
One day, this would all vanish.
Because Loulan's prosperity wasn't built by its people.
It was borrowed.
Borrowed power always had a price.
Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself.
As queen… she had to accept that.
She had to be stronger than everyone else.
...
Back in the secret room, plans were finalized.
Shutting down the Dragon Vein wasn't difficult.
Getting close to its core?
That was the real challenge.
Between the puppet guards in the city and whatever An Lushan had hidden… it wouldn't be easy.
Meanwhile, Minato's team held their own discussion.
They were certain of one thing—
Menma wasn't their enemy.
But could they trust him completely?
That was another matter.
In the end, all eyes turned to Minato.
He took a deep breath.
"I sensed natural energy from him."
"He probably really doesn't care about the Dragon Vein."
"I'm willing to trust him."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
"That's not like you."
Minato smiled faintly.
"Maybe."
"…But I just can't bring myself to dislike him."
"Call it intuition."
Choza snorted.
"Or fate, huh?"
Minato's smile widened.
"Let's go."
"We finish this mission… and then we go home."
...
Deep into the night, Naruto and the Minato team moved toward the Lost Tower.
Naruto had left a Shadow Clone disguised as Sara in the palace, preventing immediate chaos.
But that wouldn't last long.
They needed to act fast.
When they were about 100 meters from the tower—
Naruto suddenly stopped.
The Dragon Vein's chakra disrupted his Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation, forcing him out of the ground.
The moment he surfaced—
Alarm bells rang.
Loud.
Sharp.
Relentless.
Puppet guards flooded in from all directions, instantly locking onto the intruders.
"These things again…" Kakashi muttered.
He threw a kunai—
Clang.
Didn't even scratch them.
"Yeah, that's annoying."
He leapt back and formed seals rapidly.
"Earth Style: Earth-Flow Wall!"
A massive wall rose, blocking incoming attacks—but cracks immediately spread across its surface.
"Not good—!"
Meanwhile, Choza charged in like a human cannonball.
"Human Bullet Tank!"
BOOM!
Several puppets were crushed instantly.
At the same time, Aburame Shibi's insects swarmed, tearing apart others from the inside.
But there were too many.
Kakashi was quickly surrounded.
Several puppets lunged at him—
He couldn't dodge in time.
In that instant—
Flash.
Minato vanished.
Then reappeared beside Kakashi.
A kunai sliced through the chakra strings controlling the puppets.
Another flash—
They were already dozens of meters away.
Kakashi exhaled sharply.
"…Thanks, Minato-sensei."
"Don't mention it."
Minato's gaze shifted toward the Lost Tower.
While they drew attention…
Menma had already slipped inside with Sara.
Minato's expression turned serious.
Let's hope… we bought them enough time.
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