Late April had arrived, casting the desert in a relentless embrace of wind-blown sand and overcast skies. The relentless desert seemed to stretch endlessly, with a sea of yellow sand as far as the eye could see.
At noon, the oppressive dark clouds dispersed, allowing the sun to reclaim the sky. The boundless desert turned into a pale yellow ocean, glistening under the midday sun.
The wind that swept across the desert carried with it a mixture of fine sand and warm air. It was as if an invisible force propelled the sand particles relentlessly forward, peeling away layers of dunes and burying them in the sands behind.
In this vast sea of sand, three figures made their slow progress across the desert. They were clad in light yellow windbreakers designed to shield them from sand and dust. The color of their attire blended well with the desert surroundings, providing effective camouflage.
These three individuals were Shiraishi, Ruri, and Ayane, who had journeyed from the Land Of Demons.
After conducting a thorough investigation, they had ascertained the coordinates of Roran and gleaned some basic information about the nation. After getting this information, Shiraishi couldn't wait to bring Ruri and Ayane to claim the power of Roran's dragon veins.
"Shiraishi-kun, are we there yet?" Ayane asked as she gazed at the scorching sun. The weather was stuffy, despite it not being summer.
"We'll arrive following the directions from the roadmap." Shiraishi replied patiently.
Ayane released a long sigh. Traveling long distances in such sultry weather isn't good for girls' skin.
"If you find it boring, you're welcome to return on your own." Ruri remarked, her temperament less patient than Shiraishi's as she said to Ayane.
"Just kidding, don't take it so seriously. I was just speaking on how the scorching weather is drying up certain parts of me." Ayane said while turning her gaze to Shiraishi with a playful smile.
A loud explosion resonated across the desert, the result of chakra clashing against chakra. Ayane's raised arm had blocked Ruri's punch, creating a significant crater beneath them on the desert floor.
"It appears the lessons I taught you a few days ago haven't left much of an impression." Ruri sneered.
"You can try again." Ayane responded, narrowing her eyes and smiling provocatively.
"As a person of weaker stature, it's quite pitiful to resort to excuses for one's own shortcomings." Ruri condescendingly remarked, causing Ayane's face to twitch in anger.
Shiraishi glanced at the two, shook his head helplessly, and continued to walk forward sullenly.
How many times had the two of them fought along their journey here? Shiraishi had lost count. Traveling through the vast desert had a dusty and desolate atmosphere.
Approximately two hours later, Shiraishi came to a stop atop a relatively high spot on the desert terrain. He began to survey the distance.
"Is this Roran?" Ruri and Ayane lifted their hats, observing a huge structure in the distance.
The buildings were densely arranged and reached heights of around 100 meters. They were primarily white, and from their current viewpoint, they appeared slender and elongated.
"It appears to be the right place." Shiraishi affirmed. He retrieved a photo that had been taken by their scouts. The building before them was identical to the one depicted in the image.
"I heard that Roran is a small, impoverished kingdom, gradually declining to the point where no one pays attention. However, judging by this complex, it doesn't seem to be in decline." Ruri said with hints of doubts.
While it couldn't be described as prospering, it was certainly far from poverty.
"That's what the information I obtained suggested. But something seems to have changed over the past two years. According to intelligence reports, a man named Anrokuzan arrived in Roran during that time. He earned the trust of Roran's Queen and became the kingdom's minister. It's believed that Roran's newfound prosperity is linked to this Anrokuzan character."
When Shiraishi mentioned Anrokuzan, his expression turned somewhat ambiguous. He thought to himself that even though the Land Of Demons coined terms like 'Terracotta Army and Horses,' names like Anrokuzan were hardly worth complaining about. But Shiraishi still felt inclined to complain about the name.
"According to information shared by Katsuyu, the dragon veins should be underground in Roran. Ayane, can you use your Byakugan to assess the situation?" Shiraishi turned to Ayane.
Ayane opened her eyes and began to observe the underground of Roran City.
"Have you found it?" Shiraishi asked.
"Yes, I've detected a powerful chakra energy deep underground, and it's guarded by numerous puppet soldiers." Ayane revealed.
"Puppet soldiers?"
"It's possible they're intended for war." Shiraishi speculated, acknowledging his limited knowledge of Roran.
Given the invaluable resource of a dragon vein, it was unlikely that it would be left unguarded indefinitely.
"In that case, let's assess the situation first. If we act swiftly, we may be able to claim the dragon vein's power before Roran's defenders can respond." Both Ruri and Ayane concurred with Shiraishi's plan.
With that, the trio embarked on their mission.
.....
The grandest building in Roran housed Queen Roran herself. In the opulent hall, the queen summoned Roran's minister, Anrokuzan, for a discussion.
"What brings you here, Your Majesty?" Anrokuzan, a man in his thirties with a beard, his face appeared shrewd and authoritative. He always approached the queen's throne with utmost respect.
"Anrokuzan, I've recently received reports of numerous residents disappearing in the city. Do you have any information on this matter?" The queen expressed her concern.
As the queen of Roran, it was her duty to protect her subjects.
Among all the courtiers, Anrokuzan was the most capable and trustworthy minister. He conducted himself with humility, fostered camaraderie among colleagues, and displayed compassion toward the people of Roran. The queen's trust in him was unwavering.
"Your Majesty, I too have heard of these incidents. Even before this news reached us, I had dispatched investigators to look into the matter. I believe we will have the results soon." Anrokuzan assured her.
"Then I entrust this matter to you, Anrokuzan."
"You have my word, Your Majesty. I shall not betray the trust you have placed in me." Anrokuzan showed a warm smile and respectfully withdrew.
Shortly after Anrokuzan's departure, a red-haired girl emerged from a side door.
"Mother!" The girl joyfully rushed into the queen's embrace, wearing a radiant smile on her face.
"Is class over for today, Sara?" the queen asked.
"Yes, I've finished for the day." Sara nodded.
"Very well. Remember, you are the future queen of Roran. Strive diligently to become an exceptional ruler who cares for her subjects, Sara." the queen affectionately advised, tenderly caressing her daughter's head.
......
The oasis city bordering the desert was none other than Roran. Under the dim night sky, it was cloaked in a shroud of wind and dust. From afar, only the city's dark silhouettes were visible, lending an air of mystery to the place.
Approaching a sewer manhole cover, the three of them relied on Ayane's findings to infiltrate an underground location connected to the immense chakra source.
Shiraishi, bathed in moonlight, gazed upon the city and its towering buildings linked by pipes. These pipes served as conduits for an unusually powerful chakra, the energy source driving the entire city's operations through a recycling system.
Although the city boasted a level of prosperity, its defenses were woefully inadequate, as Shiraishi soon discovered. He realized that causing a disturbance was unnecessary, given the country's weak defenses. In fact, sneaking in proved surprisingly easy, as the only guardians appeared to be ordinary people.
"What's our next move? Do we need to cause chaos?" Ruri asked.
"No, there's no need for such measures with the current level of defense. Let's resolve this quickly and leave." Shiraishi decided.
At the beginning, he had thought about stirring up chaos in the city before acquiring the dragon vein's power. However, after considering the country's weak defenses, he deemed such measures excessive.
As he spoke, Shiraishi lifted the manhole cover and jumped into the sewer, with Ruri and Ayane following suit.
Within the sewers, an intricate network of exhaust pipes crisscrossed their path.
Fortunately, Ayane's Byakugan rendered concerns about navigation moot. She effortlessly discerned the optimal route leading to the underground dragon vein and its exact location.
During their journey, the trio encountered a large group of disheveled people who appeared as if they were prisoners.
They were collectively pushing a peculiar device resembling a massive millstone. The device emitted a substantial chakra reaction from the ground, and metallic puppet soldiers guarded it.
"Are these prisoners from Roran?" Shiraishi pondered aloud.
"That device is connected to the puppet soldier manufacturing facility." Ayane clarified.
With her Byakugan, Ayane possessed full knowledge of the situation, including the location of the puppet soldier factory.
"It seems this country has ambitious plans. Could they be aiming to set off a storm in the Land of Wind?"
Shiraishi smiled as he thought about the situation.
Though he could sense a fraction of the dragon vein's pulsations using sensory jutsu, he realized that with only this level of power, it would be too simple to challenge the Land of Wind, one of the Five Great Nations.
Inevitably, if they were exposed, the dragon vein's power would likely fall into the hands of Suna.
Hence, he believed it was wiser to safeguard the power himself.
The trio navigated around the puppet soldiers tasked with guarding the dragon vein's power. Thanks to Ayane's Byakugan, they smoothly bypassed all the defense lines, eventually reaching the final barrier.
Blocking their path was a huge door, standing five or six meters tall, adorned with intricate carvings on the surrounding walls, likely the cultural symbol of Roran.
They pushed the giant door open and moved deeper into the corridor, exploring their way forward.
As they advanced, the puppet soldiers grew increasingly dense. However, these puppet soldiers were bulkier and had limited range, so Shiraishi, Ruri, and Ayane encountered no significant resistance on their path to the dragon vein's location.
They arrived at a huge, silent chamber surrounded by four huge stone statues. In the center of this four stone statues, something resembling a closed eye emitted a purplish chakra light. Intricate and unknown seals encircled the closed eye.
Shiraishi crouched down to examine these mystic seas before directing his gaze at the closed eye. Through the narrow gap, the purple chakra light bathed his face, exuding a breathtaking brilliance.
"Is this the dragon vein's power? It's surprisingly that such powerful chakra stays in this seal alone." Shiraishi marveled.
"How do you plan to extract such a powerful seal?" Ruri inquired.
This question was directed at Shiraishi, given that the dragon vein's power exceeded his expectations.
"First, we need to locate the 'core.' Katsuyu mentioned that the dragon vein is an abnormal energy formed from the earth's natural energy. Something this significant must possess a 'core,'"
Shiraishi stood up and said.
"It might be difficult for us to find a 'core' with such huge chakra." Ayane added.
In contrast to Shiraishi's sensory ninjutsu, her Byakugan offered a more intuitive understanding of the dragon vein's interior.
"Can't you see it with your Byakugan?"
"No, the chakra density down there is incredibly high. With my current pupils power, I can't discern the innermost element."
Ayane explained, her gaze directed towards the depths of the dragon vein, where a blinding, purple radiance emanated from the formidable Chakra concentration, obstructing her vision.
"It appears the external seal will need to be forcibly broken." Shiraishi concluded, reaching out to the closed eye in the seal, where the dragon vein's power was contained.
Both Ruri and Ayane nodded, recognizing that this was the only course of action to reveal the dragon vein's 'core.'
As Shiraishi prepared to undo the external seal, a series of metallic footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the chamber. A horde of puppet soldiers stormed in, their eyes fixed on the three intruders. Without explanation, these puppets unleashed a barrage of kunai, each imbued with purple chakra, hurtling towards Shiraishi, Ruri, and Ayane at incredible speed.
Shadow blades, matching the number of kunai, instantly manifested from Shiraishi's shadow. With a metallic clang, the kunai were deflected and the puppet soldiers were rendered into scrap metal.
"I'll need some time to extract the 'seal.' Please hold them off outside." Shiraishi said to Ruri and Ayane.
Once his companions had exited to fend off the puppet soldiers, Shiraishi began forming hand seals, channelling chakra into both hands as he attempted to break the seal on the dragon vein. This would allow the power within to surge forth, the location of the 'core' would definitely be exposed.
With his hands on the external seal, similar to closing the eye, Shiraishi pressed it. Instantly, the surrounding seals radiated, enveloping the chamber.
The eye device, initially shut, was now wide open. It revealed a strange, purplish space surrounding Shiraishi, who felt a powerful force—the dragon vein's power.
Even when facing the One Tails', he hadn't sensed such overwhelming chakra. Observing the surrounding space rapidly distort and the intense light rendering him nearly blind, Shiraishi felt a sense of trepidation.
"Is this the power of the dragon vein?" he wondered aloud, sweat beading on his forehead.
Furthermore, he noticed that the spatial distortion had stabilized, and the powerful light made it difficult to discern the state of the dragon vein's chakra.
Just as he was contemplating retreating, he sensed several strange chakra signatures through his sensory ninjutsu—an abrupt surge of chakra. The unexpected occurrence brought to mind his confrontation with Minato, specifically his use of space-time ninjutsu.
Boom!
A violent explosion disrupted the flow of the purple chakra emanating from the eye device. Some unknown factor had destabilized the wavelength of the chakra. The force of the explosion propelled Shiraishi backward, crashing into the wall and creating a large hole. Blood trickled from his mouth as he struggled to rise.
Shiraishi fixed his gaze on the eye device that had been engulfed in swirling dust. Slowly regaining his footing, he noticed four unfamiliar chakra signatures in his sensor. The dragon vein's seal had also returned to stability, indicating that his earlier attempt to break it had been thwarted by a peculiar space-time distortion.
The dust gradually cleared, revealing the four individuals who had caused this disruption.
Three men and one woman.
"Konoha Ninja!?"
Shiraishi clearly saw the Konoha ninja foreheads of the four of them, showing a look of astonishment.
Are you kidding me four Konoha ninjas suddenly emerged from the dragon vein's location in the Land of Wind? This defied logic, given that this was not the Land of Fire.
Moreover, their sudden appearance via space-time ninjutsu left Shiraishi confused, struggling to comprehend the situation.
What on earth is going on?
"Huh? Where is this?" One of the ninjas, a blond-haired boy, looked around with a confused expression, much like Shiraishi, who couldn't understand the situation.
"Wait!" Suddenly, a realization struck him, and he hurriedly checked on his companions. "Sakura, Sai, Yamato-taicho, how are you doing?"
A cough from the Konoha female ninja named 'Sakura' indicated that she was just regaining her senses. She then turned her frustration toward the blond-haired Konoha boy.
"Naruto, if you ever act so recklessly again, I might just blow your head off!"
Naruto nodded frantically in response to Sakura's fiery anger. "Yes, yes!"
Seeing Sakura's clenched fists radiating anger, Naruto was quick to show his compliance.
"What happened? What I just felt was the chakra power of the dragon vein..." The other boy named Sai dusted himself off and scanned his surroundings with vigilant eyes.
Finally, he locked eyes with Shiraishi, who he felt a dangerous aura of danger. This presence was even more menacing than when they had faced their Root leader, Shimura Danzo.
"No matter what happened, let's first determine our location."
The last member, an adult male dressed in a Konoha Jonin uniform, spoke up.
Captain "Yamato, are you alright?"
Naruto quickly asked about Captain Yamato's well-being, while Yamato himself smiled, reassuring them. "Don't worry, I'm fine."
After standing up, he, too, focused his gaze on Shiraishi, the sole outsider in this situation, maintaining a vigilant stance.
Shiraishi's expression remained flat as he wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth with his fingers.
"Who are you…"
Naruto blinked, puzzled, and looked at Shiraishi with confusion. Shiraishi chose not to respond and began to perform hand seals.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Naruto, seeing Shiraishi's hand seals, he feared he was about to used a dangerous ninjutsu against them and moved to intervene.
However, Sakura stepped in and restrained Naruto, "Don't be impulsive, Naruto. That's the hand seal for medical ninjutsu. Judging by his appearance, he seems to have been injured earlier."
Indeed, as Sakura had said, Shiraishi's injuries began to heal rapidly after he used the jutsu, and his face regained its color.
Once Shiraishi had recovered, he carefully observed the four Konoha ninjas who had left him with an odd impression.
Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Yamato... Shiraishi was certain that during his time in Konoha, these four individuals had never crossed his path.
However, considering the ages of these four, even the oldest Jonin, Yamato, was only a few years his senior. Shiraishi had never encountered these Konoha Jonin.
"Well, where is this place?" Finally, Yamato took the initiative to inquire about their location.
"Don't you know where this is?"
Shiraishi didn't answer the question.
"Of course, we came here to pursue a Suna rogue nin, Mukade and we ended up here. By the way, who are you?"
Naruto couldn't help jumping out, yelling out.
Shiraishi privately classified Naruto as a hot-blooded fool. Yamato and the Konoha female ninja Sakura slapped their foreheads in exasperation, frustrated by how easily Naruto leaked information.
They had just made themselves vulnerable, unable to distinguish between a friend and an enemy, putting themselves in a dangerous situation.
"Pursuing a Suna rogue nin, Mukade?"
Hearing such an answer, Shiraishi's mind was filled with various question marks.
'Is this some sort of new joke? When did Konoha expand its operations to include cleaning up rogues in other villages? Moreover, it was now the Third Ninja World War, and Suna was in a fierce war with Konoha. These people didn't join the war, but were chasing Suna rogue nin here, were they treating him as an idiot?'
Even a three year old could see through at a glance that they were telling a lie.
Shiraishi discerned the transparent falsehood in their story. He believed that the hot-headed idiot named Naruto, despite his outward appearance was quite cunning in nature.
"Ah, yes."
Yamato sighed in helplessness. Given the current situation, there was no point in hiding the truth any longer.
He explained, "We were entrusted by Hokage-sama to track down a Suna ninja named Mukade and arrived in Roran. Yet, for some reason, an abnormal chakra erupted from the ground and engulfed us. When we came to our senses, we found ourselves here. Could you provide some clarity regarding our situation? And what is your identity?"
"It's indeed strange." Shiraishi said, his smile carrying deeper implications.
"Strange?" Yamato and the others observed Shiraishi, sensing that his smile hid something meaningful.
"Isn't it strange that you, Konoha ninjas, don't recognize me? You're undoubtedly not Konoha ninjas. Who are you? Why pretend to be Konoha ninjas while coming here to disrupt the situation? What is your purpose?"
Bringing terrible pressure from his body, Shiraishi pushed towards the four of them.
Seeing Shiraishi's unkind look, Yamato and the others knew that the person in front of them was an enemy rather than a friend.
'Wait, where have i seen this look before...' At this moment, Yamato suddenly had a flash of light in his mind, as if he was recalling something.
"Are you... Chiba Shiraishi?"
Yamato's face was filled with cold sweat.
Although he looked younger, Yamoto still recalled his general appearance.
He was a ninja who detected from Konoha twenty years ago.
In recent years, a super S-class dangerous person who has taken the Land Of Demons as his home field and disturbed the peace of the ninja world.
"Don't talk to me in such a questioning manner. I left Konoha only two months ago. Thinking about it this way, you are really not Konoha's ninjas. Forget it, it doesn't matter. I will pull out your soul out of your body and i will know your identities."
There was a cold light in Shiraishi's eyes.
"The three of you, step back quickly! This isn't an opponent you can handle!"
Yamato urgently warned his teammates and he immediately formed hand seals.
"Wood Release: Great Forest Emergence!"
A number of trees sprouted from Yamato's arms, surrounding Shiraishi from all angles.
"Wood Release!?" Shiraishi exclaimed in surprise, his heart thrown into turmoil. He couldn't believe that whoever was pretending as a Konoha ninja before him had used the long-forgotten Wood Release.
Could this people be an accomplice of White Zetsu?
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