Chapter 205: I Really Am Not
It was only after confirming again and again that Hiruzen wasn't joking that Masahiko finally accepted the talk about the Dragon Vein, though he didn't believe the part about "infinite chakra."
"What was the plot of this movie again?" Masahiko pondered. In his past life, he didn't pay much attention to the movies, considering them money-grabbing productions by the franchise that were detached from the original canon and rather boring.
"Wait, since it's a movie, Naruto must be in it!" Masahiko was startled and began to recall a few details.
"Right, it's a romance that transcended time and space between Naruto and Minato... err, a story of father-son bonding!" The look of joy on Masahiko's face grew more intense. After looking forward to seeing Naruto for so many years, the sudden possibility of meeting him now caught him a bit "off guard."
"Elder Masahiko? Elder Masahiko?" Hiruzen's calls brought Masahiko back from his memories.
"What's wrong? Is there some problem with the Dragon Vein?" Hiruzen looked urgent.
"No problem." Masahiko smiled and shook his head. "I'm very interested in the Dragon Vein. Where is it?"
Hiruzen hesitated. "It is said that the power of the Dragon Vein can only be used by the Queens of Roran (Loulan), passed down through generations. I'm afraid even you might not be an exception."
If this weren't the case, Hiruzen would have sent more people there long ago.
"It's fine, I don't have a use for it anyway. I'm just interested in the so-called infinite chakra."
In the end, Hiruzen handed the specific location of Roran to Masahiko.
"It's actually within the borders of the Land of Wind? And the Land of Wind actually allows them to exist independently?" Masahiko muttered. Without asking Hiruzen for specific details, he waved his hand, flew out of the Hokage Building, and headed straight for Roran.
Inside the building, Hiruzen smiled bitterly. "Should I call Minato and the others back? They'll probably arrive two or three days later than Elder Masahiko; it might be a wasted trip."
"Forget it..." He still didn't feel entirely at ease, so he let Minato and his team serve as insurance.
In mid-air, Masahiko traveled at high speed.
As he approached Roran, Masahiko began to feel nervous again.
"I've changed the progression of the Naruto world so much. The mission in Roran won't be carried out by other ninjas instead, right?"
"Who cares. Whether I stretch out my neck or shrink it back, the blade comes down all the same. I might as well use this opportunity to see what the future plot looks like now."
A journey that would take a normal ninja three days took Masahiko only two hours. Upon arrival, the sight before him made him freeze in place.
A massive city surrounded by countless towers reaching into the clouds. In terms of architecture, it was even superior to the Land of Whirlpools.
"Built by puppets?" Masahiko was initially confused, then realized the answer as countless puppets emerged from the surroundings, closing in on him.
Masahiko frowned and used the Body Flicker Technique to leave. He didn't want to make too much noise for the time being and planned to scout the situation first.
But...
Standing atop the highest tower in Roran, Masahiko looked around and saw that some Roran civilians had already spotted him. Although his mind wanted to keep a low profile, his body was honest—he wanted to solve the problem in the simplest way possible.
"Kagura Shingan (Mind's Eye of the Kagura)!" The first thing to do in Roran was, naturally, to investigate the Dragon Vein.
"I thought the Dragon Vein was something underneath the entire country, but it turns out it's just a single point... They have the nerve to call this a Dragon Vein?" Masahiko didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and he immediately headed straight for that point.
He didn't hide his presence. Dense swarms of puppets surged toward him from all directions, but none could catch up to his speed.
Inside a sealed, cylindrical room, Masahiko finally saw the so-called Dragon Vein.
In the room was an altar shaped somewhat like an eye, with the Dragon Vein inside it. Around the altar were complicated sealing formulas designed to ensure a stable output of the Dragon Vein's power.
"These seals..." Masahiko frowned, his expression turning serious. The level of this sealing jutsu was about the same as his own. He wondered who had placed it.
"But what the hell are these seals on the surrounding walls?" Masahiko smiled and shook his head. The exquisite seal on the altar, paired with the messy Level 4 or 5 seals on the room's walls, felt very uncoordinated.
"It must have been placed by two different people. One is the person who sealed the Dragon Vein in some unknown era, and the other... should be that Anrokuzan, trying to utilize the Dragon Vein's power."
Just as Masahiko was about to walk in and investigate the Dragon Vein's power, the door to the room opened.
"Who are you!" A girl's scream rang out, making the corner of Masahiko's mouth twitch.
"I'm just passing by, taking a look. Don't be nervous." Masahiko smiled and turned his head, then paused slightly.
"Red hair? And it's deep red?" Masahiko froze for a moment, then quickly spoke up, "I am not your father, I'm really not!"
He recalled the awkward scene when Chiyo had first brought Sasori's father to see him.
The girl had originally wanted to flee the moment she saw him, but she didn't expect Masahiko to say such a thing. Coincidentally, this was another child who hadn't seen her father since childhood.
Hesitating for two seconds, the girl tentatively asked, "Father?"
Masahiko's face darkened. "No, I am not!"
Current Masahiko, reducing his physical age by one year annually, had dropped to 37 years old. He was indeed the perfect age to be the father of the girl before him.
The girl opposite wanted to ask more, but someone else barged in.
"Princess Sara, be careful! That man is a criminal who just intruded. I suspect he has something to do with the death of the previous Queen."
The newcomer was a middle-aged man with a "fat head and big ears." His eyes glinted with an evil light, giving him the appearance of a villain at first glance.
Masahiko thought so too and spoke up, "You come over here. Let's stand side by side and let her decide who looks more like the bad guy."
Sara looked back and forth, then looked hesitantly at the middle-aged man, making Masahiko snicker inwardly.
"Princess Sara, do not fall for the enemy's tricks!" As soon as his voice fell, countless puppets swarmed in, but the moment they entered the room, they collapsed.
"The sealing jutsu in this room only allows the Dragon Vein's power to be transmitted outward. It cannot be used inside the room." Masahiko kindly reminded them.
"Princess Sara, come out with me!" The middle-aged man dragged and pulled the girl out. Inside the room, he was afraid of damaging his prize or getting trapped.
Looking at the mass of puppets blocking the door outside, Masahiko smiled. In his perception, the middle-aged man possessed chakra and seemed to have connected himself to the Dragon Vein's power through the sealing formula.
"So, is this that Anrokuzan fellow? It's amazing he could become a Minister of Roran looking like that. You guys just guard outside; I'm going to check on the Dragon Vein first."
"Minister Anrokuzan, let me in! The person inside might be my father!" The girl's voice drifted in, causing Masahiko to sigh helplessly.
"Heaven and Earth strike me dead if I'm lying, I really am not..."
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