Right now, the raw, bloodstained reality stood before Veigar Koshima, undeniable and cruel.
She wanted desperately to believe it was all just a dream.
A nightmare she could wake up from.
In truth, she had never intended to face this reality. Her talk about "confirming the truth herself" had merely been an excuse, an excuse to avoid confronting Minato, to delay dealing with the painful reality Veigar and the others had already accepted.
She ran again, back to the deepest chamber of Rōran, to a place filled with memories, hers and her mother's.
And there, Queen Sāra finally broke.
The tears she had fought so hard to hold back burst forth. She fell to her knees on the cold stone floor, sobbing with a grief that tore through her voice.
"This isn't real..."
"This can't be happening…"
Naruto, under Minato's orders to protect Sāra, had followed her silently all the way into the underground chamber.
When he saw her on the ground, broken and wailing in agony, he was at a loss. How could anyone console a queen whose entire world had just shattered?
Even Naruto, so often the heart of compassion, didn't know what to say.
Time passed slowly.
Back at the Ryūmyaku energy distribution hub, Veigar stood at the tri-point interface, gazing at the three fragments of the Phenomenal Evil Power icon in his hands—shards that, when fused, would unlock untold power. His only feeling was elation.
"So close. Just a little more…"
The fusion between his body and the Phenomenal Evil Power had reached 80%. Only 20% more. Yet the process was slowing down.
Veigar was growing impatient.
He needed more time.
He had to complete the fusion before the Ryūmyaku's power erupted.
At the same time, Veigar was already strategizing which Constant Ninjutsu to carve into the remaining icon fragments.
He had three shards, meaning three powerful techniques he could bind to himself.
It seemed like a lot. But in reality, each one was a priceless opportunity.
With the Phenomenal Evil Rasengan, he had already secured a versatile, offensive-defensive jutsu. Now, he wanted something of even higher caliber, S-rank techniques or even Forbidden Jutsu.
The first one he had his eyes on?
The Flying Raijin Technique, the teleportation jutsu mastered by Minato Namikaze himself.
But at present, there was no way for Veigar to get his hands on it.
Night had quietly fallen.
Exhausted from sobbing, Sāra had cried herself to sleep.
In her dreams, she returned to the comfort of her childhood, nestled in her mother's arms.
Because Veigar had shared Mukade's intel with Minato, the Yellow Flash had deviated from canon. Instead of monitoring Anrokuzan, he had gone into hiding with Shibi Aburame and Chōza Akimichi, working in secret to guard Sāra.
As for Kakashi, his current assignment mirrored Veigar's, surveil Anrokuzan and locate the source of the Ryūmyaku.
Hidden in the shadows, Minato, Shibi, and Chōza observed the sleeping Sāra and Naruto standing watch.
Then Shibi suddenly spoke.
"Minato... aside from getting Her Majesty to help seal the Ryūmyaku, is there no other way?"
Minato shook his head.
"It's difficult. Nothing else comes to mind."
Chōza chimed in.
"As things stand, it's likely that Mukade has already absorbed the Ryūmyaku's power and used it to create an army of puppet soldiers."
"If we don't act soon to seal the Ryūmyaku, this could spiral into something far worse, something we can't predict."
Minato gave them a weary smile.
"I know."
"But the Ryūmyaku's energy is far too vast. With my current strength, I can't seal it by force."
"So unless…"
His gaze fell on the sleeping queen, and his expression turned solemn.
"To my knowledge, the ability to control the Ryūmyaku has always resided with the Queens of Rōran."
"In other words, we need the current queen's support."
"Without it… I'm powerless."
Shibi and Chōza nodded gravely, fully understanding the implication.
Just then, Sāra stirred from her dreams.
"Mother…"
"I'll be strong…"
Whatever she'd seen in her sleep, her first words upon waking were murmured with trembling resolve.
Then she turned to Naruto.
"Thank you, Naruto."
The words caught him off guard. He blinked in confusion.
"I'm going to find out the truth, no more running."
With that, she rose and began heading toward the exit of the cavern. Naruto followed close behind.
Back on the surface, they arrived once more at the central plaza.
Beneath the cloak of night, Rōran was swarming with puppets again. The mechanical crowd erupted in cheers, all directed at the puppet duplicate of Queen Sāra on the platform.
Seeing this, the real Sāra moved to charge into the mass of puppets, determined to uncover whether what Veigar had told her was the truth.
Suddenly, a group of masked individuals, wearing black veils and armed with iron forks and spades, emerged from the shadows and surrounded the pair.
Naruto immediately stepped in front of Sāra, shielding her with his chakra blade drawn.
"Who are you people?!"
"Stay away from Queen Sāra!"
The mob recoiled slightly, unnerved by Naruto's fierce posture and armed readiness.
Then their leader, a tall woman, mustered her courage and called out:
"Queen Sāra? Are you truly… the real Queen Sāra?"
Startled by the ambush, Sāra's initial fear gave way to something unexpected—trust. Perhaps, she thought, Anrokuzan wasn't her enemy after all. Maybe someone else wanted her dead.
From behind Naruto, she stepped forward.
"I am Sāra."
"Who are you? Are you here to kill me?"
Naruto tensed, tightening his grip on his blade, watching the group warily.
Then, the woman spoke again, this time with a pleading voice.
"Please… give them back to us."
And then the others joined in, their voices rising in unison.
"Please give them back to us."
"Please give them back to us!"
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