Chapter 220

The Lost Tower still stood firm, as if it had guarded this land for hundreds of thousands of years.

Senju Yukika's companion, Maple Leaf, let out a slight sigh. Though his Cero was merely a casual flick, capable of erasing a Kage-level ninja with ease, it was blocked by the golden barrier of the Lost Tower.

Although the golden shield had quickly disappeared, Maple Leaf keenly sensed that within the barrier was a powerful and terrifying Buddhist force, as if a Buddha itself resided inside the tower.

Could it really block the power of Cero? Fascinating.

In my memory, the Naruto world contains few traces of Buddhism—one being Hashirama Senju's ultimate jutsu, True Several Thousand Hands, and another being Jirobo's summoning of the monk's barrier.

But neither of those compares to the pure Buddhist energy hidden within this Lost Tower. The fact that it could suppress the Dragon Vein surely had something to do with this force.

After the puppet Yukika shattered on the ground, the real Yukika lost her composure and charged into the Lost Tower, with Maple Leaf leisurely following behind.

Now that the puppet Yukika had truly appeared, it confirmed Maple Leaf's claims. At the very least, the Lost Tower was certainly no ordinary place.

Passing through a series of intricate passageways, they finally reached the base of the tower.

Before them, the missing people of Roran, dressed in rags and utterly exhausted, were laboring away, clearly enslaved.

Maple Leaf slowly stepped up behind Yukika, gazing at the near-hundred Roran citizens. He murmured, "Just as I thought."

Those who had followed behind looked upon their loved ones, kneeling like slaves and performing unbearable tasks. Tears filled their eyes as they rushed to embrace their families.

Children being born were tightly held by their families, eyes brimming with tears, hardly believing this nightmare. It had been so long since they were last held captive like this.

Senju Yukika collapsed to the ground, her eyes vacant. "How… could this happen…?"

"Don't crumble yet," Maple Leaf said calmly, crossing his arms. "As the princess of Roran, if you fall now, those who see you as their last hope will fall into deeper despair."

An old man tremblingly bowed before her. "Your Highness, have you come to save us and Roran?"

Yukika stared into the old man's hopeful eyes. For reasons unknown, anger welled up inside her. Whoever dared harm Roran's people was unforgivable.

She inhaled deeply, helped the old man to his feet, and said, "Don't worry. I will save Roran!"

"Tell me, who brought you here?"

Though Yukika had a hunch, she still clung to one last shred of hope. Maybe… it wasn't him. Maybe it was another traitor?

The old man hesitated, then, as if recalling something, nervously replied, "It was Lord An Lushan. He said it was by the Queen's command. He told us that we had to develop the Dragon Vein to revive Roran."

"At first, we trusted Lord An Lushan completely. But no matter how hard we worked, things just got stranger. He seemed to lose his mind, lying on the Dragon Vein every day. We wanted to see our families, but they wouldn't let us. Any time we resisted, their puppets would whip us."

"We dared not disobey, only praying that Your Highness would come rescue us."

"And now… you've finally come." The old man's voice trembled as he wiped away tears again.

Yukika bit her lip so hard it almost bled. Her trembling hands gripped the old man's tightly. "I'm sorry I was late."

Then, Yukika suddenly stood and roared, "An Lushan, come out here!"

The words had barely fallen when a man in a white robe, with a twisted grin, stepped out of the shadows. He looked at Yukika with a smirk. "An Lushan greets Your Highness. To what do I owe the summons?"

"How dare you ask!" Yukika suddenly threw a kunai at him.

"That puppet outside—was that your doing? Did you make a puppet identical to me to replace me?!"

"And these people, forced into labor here—was that your command?!"

"An Lushan, tell me it wasn't you… tell me!"

Ever since her mother's untimely death, Yukika had leaned on An Lushan, her mother's trusted aide. She believed he could lead Roran to prosperity and had entrusted him with great power.

But never had Yukika imagined that her trust would bring disaster upon her people.

An Lushan merely took a step back, easily dodging the kunai.

"Tsk tsk. Your Highness forgets—you're no ninja. Why get so worked up?"

An Lushan's gaze toward Yukika was identical to the puppets outside—greedy, as if looking at his own possession.

"Everything I've done was by your mother's orders. All for Roran…"

"Liar!" Yukika cut him off, tears welling up. "My mother would never harm Roran! You say it's for Roran, but it's all for yourself!"

An Lushan stared at her quietly for a moment, then smirked, as if shedding his false facade. "So… the little charade between the queen and her loyal minister ends here."

"Such a shame. If only I had a bit more time, you could have witnessed me conquering the ninja world."

"Yukika, you're as foolish as your mother."

"If she'd only cooperated, she wouldn't have died so quickly or so miserably. But she was stupid enough to try stopping my plans to dominate the ninja world. Naturally, I couldn't let her get in my way."

"So, I arranged for her little 'accident' to clear the path for my grand ambitions. And you? You're no obstacle. Once I absorb the Dragon Vein, you'll be useless."

"I didn't expect you to bring an outsider, but no matter. You'll both die here, just like your mother should have."

An Lushan grinned wickedly.

Yukika lowered her head, her entire body trembling. "Maple Leaf… you promised to save Roran, right?"

"I know what you want—the Dragon Vein. Kill him, and it's yours."

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