Chapter 69
"Could my presence have altered the future time loop, causing these events to fall out of alignment?
Has this led the Sand Village to encounter the ancient kingdom of Rōran at this moment?"
Uchiha Shin muttered to himself, but he knew there was no time to dwell on it. The situation was already spiraling out of control.
The Third Kazekage had led an elite squad of Sand Shinobi toward Rōran. If they gained complete control over the Dragon Vein, there was no telling what kind of catastrophe could unfold.
Wasting no time, he demanded the high-ranking Sand Shinobi to reveal the fastest route to Rōran. Then, without hesitation, he departed from the Sand Village, giving only a brief explanation to Mikoto and Kanako. The three of them raced toward their destination at top speed.
In the endless desert, a towering kingdom of skyscrapers now stood—a shocking sight in the middle of nowhere.
The Sand Shinobi, led by the Third Kazekage, had already arrived at the gates of this thriving city.
Gazing upon the high-rise buildings and the overwhelming prosperity before him, ambition flickered in the Third Kazekage's eyes.
In just a few years, Rōran had flourished into a beacon of progress and modernization, fueled entirely by the Dragon Vein's energy fused with advanced puppetry.
"This time, I will bring this prosperity back to the Sand Village."
The Third Kazekage's words were quiet but resolute.
Until now, the Sand Village and the Rōran Kingdom had maintained a cooperative relationship. Only the royal family of Rōran possessed the ability to control the Dragon Vein, so the initial dealings between the two sides had been diplomatic.
Through careful negotiations and gradual trust-building, the Sand Village had managed to gain partial access to the Dragon Vein's power. However, the Rōran royal family had always been wary.
Once they learned that the Sand Village was using the Dragon Vein's energy for warfare, they immediately sought to sever ties.
The Third Kazekage refused to allow this.
He ordered the assassination of the entire royal family, leaving only one survivor—a sixteen-year-old girl, Sasha, the last direct descendant of the Rōran lineage.
To him, this was a necessary evil.
Ordinarily, genjutsu would have sufficed to control the royal family. However, when tapping into the Dragon Vein's power, its users would experience a natural awakening, rendering genjutsu ineffective.
A previous failure had nearly destroyed their puppet production line.
Even the One-Tail's Jinchūriki, Bunpuku, whom they had brought for experimentation, had perished during the process.
Having learned from that disaster, the Third Kazekage would not take any further risks. Instead, he planned to manipulate the naive Sasha into opening the Dragon Vein completely, granting the Sand Village full control over its power.
Upon entering the Rōran palace, the Third Kazekage found it eerily empty. He immediately summoned his stationed Sand Shinobi.
"Where is the last remaining royal? Where is Sasha?"
His voice was sharp, laced with authority. He had given strict orders for her to be kept under watch at all times.
One of his Anbu operatives stepped forward. "Lord Kazekage, she has gone to the ruins of the old Rōran courtyard, saying she wished to be alone. Ever since the extermination of the royal family, she frequently visits that place. However, we have two Anbu tailing her. They can retrieve her at a moment's notice."
Hearing this, the Third Kazekage's tense expression eased slightly.
"If she wants to grieve, let her."
Then, shifting his focus, he asked, "What is the current progress of the Dragon Vein research? Can we increase the production scale of the clay puppets?"
To him, Sasha was merely a key to unlocking the Dragon Vein's full potential. As long as she remained alive, he didn't care about her well-being.
One of the lead researchers guided him toward the experimental facility. "Lord Kazekage, we have discovered that the Dragon Vein's energy can be converted into refined chakra. We have successfully transformed the entire Rōran Kingdom into a mobile fortress.
Additionally, we have found that exposure to the Dragon Vein's energy keeps human cells active indefinitely. With further refinement, we may even achieve human-to-puppet transformation! If we can master remote control over this energy, Sand Village will hold the power to dominate the entire shinobi world!"
The researcher's voice grew more fervent as he spoke. Having witnessed the Dragon Vein's might firsthand, his excitement was undeniable.
The Third Kazekage, too, was captivated by the possibilities, eager to see the results firsthand.
Meanwhile, high above the desert, Uchiha Shin had assumed his dragon form, carrying Mikoto and Kanako on his back as they soared toward Rōran.
"Wow! Shin-kun, you can turn into a dragon?!"
"Young Master, your scales are so smooth and cool~ It feels amazing!"
Mikoto gleefully grabbed onto his whiskers, her laughter echoing in the wind. Kanako, lying on his back, wriggled against his scales, savoring the sensation.
Uchiha Shin groaned in annoyance. He had transformed purely for the sake of speed, not to provide entertainment.
"You two really think this is a game, don't you?" he grumbled. "I can feel everything you're doing. Stop moving!"
With a deep growl, he flared his golden wings, catching the sun's rays as he propelled them forward at breakneck speed.
As they neared Rōran, Mikoto and Kanako finally regained their composure, staring in awe at the futuristic cityscape below.
"Such tall buildings... This place is even more advanced than Konoha!"
Neither had expected to find such a spectacle in the heart of the desert.
Uchiha Shin, however, had a thousand complaints brewing in his mind. Modern skyscrapers in this world? Complete nonsense. The sheer scale of Rōran's infrastructure suggested a civilization on par with modern-day cities.
He could only assume that the Dragon Vein's influence had led to this unnatural form of rapid development.
"Mikoto, Kanako, let's split up. We need to gather intel."
Breaking into a city as advanced as Rōran with all three of them together would be too conspicuous.
Moreover, he wanted to test their abilities. If they couldn't handle reconnaissance on their own, they had no business being here.
"Understood!"
Mikoto and Kanako nodded and disappeared into the city streets, ready to begin their mission.
Uchiha Shin wasn't too concerned about their safety. Not only had he implanted them with the Sage Curse Seal, but Mikoto had already reached Jonin-level strength.
With the power of the Curse Seal enhancing her, her fully matured Sharingan placed her at an elite level—perhaps even strong enough to challenge a Kage.
Kanako, on the other hand, was a formidable fighter in her own right. Her proficiency in sealing techniques and taijutsu made her the equivalent of a Jonin, and her exceptional sensory skills ensured she could anticipate most threats before they even arose.
If the two of them worked together, they could likely survive an encounter with a Kage-level opponent.
Satisfied with his preparations, Uchiha Shin turned his attention back to the city before him.
"Rōran... To think I would find myself here now."
With a flicker of chakra, he vanished into the shadows, slipping into the kingdom unnoticed.
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Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones