The team's attention was quickly drawn to the suspicious puppets. Their mission was to evacuate civilians and prevent casualties. An Lushanzan was clearly accelerating his plan, and it was likely close to its final stage. Even without specific intel from Reiki, they could all sense something big was about to happen.
"Get ready to move," Reiki instructed. "Our primary objective is to protect Queen Sara. Evacuating the people is up to my shadow clones."
He created a dozen clones that immediately dispersed to guide civilians to safety.
"Protect Queen Sara?" Kakashi looked at Reiki with a questioning gaze. "Do you really think An Lushanzan will target her first?"
"Yes," Reiki replied. "If anything happens to Sara, An Lushanzan will seize complete control of Rouran. He wants to weaponize the city's technology to conquer the ninja world. Do you think Sara would ever allow that?" His voice carried a subtle smile, knowing their plan made sense. For An Lushanzan, Sara was the last significant obstacle.
Before they could respond, a loud crack filled the air. The platform Sara was standing on shattered, sending her plummeting down.
"Ahhh!" Sara's scream echoed, shattering the calm. The crowd erupted into chaos.
Reiki's clones sprang into action: "There's an enemy attack! Please return home and take shelter!" one clone said, guiding people out.
"Move quickly, we're ninjas hired by the queen. We'll handle this!" called another. One clone, caught in Reiki's habitual nature, even offered, "Sir, you seem unwell. May I check your condition?" Despite a few clones succumbing to their "occupational quirks," most were effective in swiftly clearing the square.
Soon, only a team of Rouran guards remained, eyeing Reiki's clones suspiciously. The captain of the guard, a seasoned Jonin, stepped forward with puppets assembling behind him. They had clearly been influenced by An Lushanzan.
"Who are you? We weren't informed of any outside ninja involvement," the captain demanded.
"We don't have time to explain," one clone said, but before it could finish, the guards attacked.
Meanwhile, the main team finally reached Sara. Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he spotted a blonde boy with a Konoha headband standing protectively near the queen.
"Konoha's ninja? What's your name?" Kakashi asked, serious and intrigued. The boy seemed vaguely familiar, but Kakashi couldn't place him.
Naruto, still reeling from the chaos and from catching Sara mid-fall, was confused by Kakashi's question. His head was still ringing, but then he saw the young Kakashi lookalike with a Konoha headband. His eyes lit up.
"Are you a Konoha ninja too? Wait, you're Kakashi-sensei's son, aren't you?" Naruto blurted out.
Kakashi's eyes widened, his normally composed demeanor faltering. **Son?** When did he take on such a role? And why did this boy call him "Kakashi-sensei"?
Reiki, unable to hold back, burst into laughter. It was too priceless a moment to miss.
"Let's not get caught up in confusion. We need to move!" Reiki said, refocusing everyone. "Rouran's guards have been compromised by An Lushanzan. My clones can only hold off the puppets for so long before we're overwhelmed."
Sara's eyes widened in disbelief. "My guards... betrayed me?"
"Yes," Reiki confirmed. "But don't worry, we're here to protect you."
Naruto, still rubbing the fresh bump on his head, looked at Reiki with a mix of confusion and awe. "You remind me so much of Teacher Reiki... Are you his son or something?"
Reiki's eyebrow twitched. This kid was something else. "Naruto," he said, knocking the boy lightly on the head again. "Stop talking nonsense."
"Ow! Why do you hit just like Teacher Reiki?" Naruto complained, still bewildered by the similarities. The familiarity in Reiki's presence had triggered childhood memories.
Kakashi, shaking off the odd interaction, repeated, "What's your name, kid?" The more Kakashi thought, the more unsettled he became. This boy's existence was an enigma—there was no record of such a genin in the village.
>>>>>
Up to Chapter 590 available on Patreon.com/c/GGFanfiction :)
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