At the top of Rōran's central tower that pierced the clouds.
Inside the queen's palace.
Sunlight filtered through stained glass windows, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow across the floor.
The Queen of Rōran sat upright upon her throne, frowning as she looked at the two uninvited guests brought in by the guards.
Naturally, they were Shimura Danzo and Renya, who had infiltrated Rōran.
"The ninjas of Konoha." The Queen of Rōran spoke in a steady voice tinged with faint, concealed vigilance. "You have come from afar—what is your purpose?"
She had never imagined that ninjas from Konoha, so far away in the Land of Fire, would appear within Rōran's territory. Who had leaked their location?
A traitor seemed to have appeared within Rōran!
Renya stepped forward and directly stated their purpose.
"Your Majesty, please forgive the intrusion. We have come to borrow the power of your nation's Dragon Vein, in order to achieve travel through time..."
"Travel through time?!"
Shock surfaced on the queen's previously calm face. She leaned forward slightly, her tone sharpening.
"Do the ninjas of Konoha understand what they are saying? The Dragon Vein is the foundation of our nation, and its temporal power is a taboo among taboos! To use it, the Dragon Vein's seal must be released, relying on its instantaneous burst of energy to tear open the barrier of time and space."
"Setting aside the danger of time travel itself, if the Dragon Vein's energy were to spiral out of control, there is a high chance it would backfire upon Rōran, causing an irreparable catastrophe!"
She could not agree to unsealing the Dragon Vein simply because the other party were ninjas of Konoha.
Even though she possessed the sealing technique for the Dragon Vein, she could not casually remove the seal.
Who knew whether these two were truly as sincere as they claimed? What if they were thieves coveting the power of the Dragon Vein?
If something went terribly wrong, she, as queen, would bear undeniable responsibility!
Even more so, she could not gamble with the lives of tens of thousands of her people!
"If this is your intention, then please leave."
The Queen of Rōran refused decisively. As the ruler of a nation, protecting the Dragon Vein and her people was her foremost duty.
Seeing this, Renya could not help but feel somewhat helpless. After finally finding Rōran, things had ended up like this.
It seemed that traveling through time could not be realized after all!
Just as Renya was feeling regret over this, Shimura Danzo glanced at him, then stepped forward and spoke to the Queen of Rōran.
"Your Majesty, we are well aware that this request is an imposition, and we also understand the risks involved. Precisely because of this, I am willing to swear an oath in the name of Konoha's Third Hokage, and by the Will of Fire in my heart—
If we receive Your Majesty's assistance, Konoha will become Rōran's eternal ally. From this day forward, Rōran's Dragon Vein will be jointly protected by Konoha's strength. Anyone who dares to covet the Dragon Vein or threaten Rōran's peace shall be an enemy of Konoha!"
He knew very well that the reason the Queen of Rōran refused was simply because they had not offered terms enticing enough.
Since Renya wanted to realize cross-temporal travel, what harm was there in giving up a bit of the profit?
This promise was heavy.
For a Rōran that possessed the Dragon Vein yet had limited military strength, gaining the protection of Konoha—the strongest ninja village—was of extraordinary significance.
It meant a powerful talisman, enough to deter many potential threats.
"You claim to be Konoha's Third Hokage. What proof do you have?"
The Queen of Rōran stared at Danzo for a moment before speaking slowly.
If this man truly was Konoha's Third Hokage, then based on the oath he had just sworn, she indeed could make an exception and open the Dragon Vein.
If Rōran gained Konoha's protection, the risk of future annihilation would no longer exist.
She knew that the existence of the Dragon Vein in Rōran would inevitably attract the covetous eyes of other forces.
It would be better to seize this opportunity and form an alliance with Konoha.
Of course, the prerequisite was that the man before her could prove his identity as the Third Hokage!
Shimura Danzo nodded, revealed the token symbolizing the Hokage's identity, and tossed it in front of the queen.
"You may send someone to verify my identity with the Kazekage. By the way, Rōran's location was told to us by the Kazekage..."
Upon hearing this, the Queen of Rōran's pupils shrank sharply, her face showing shock.
No wonder these two knew Rōran's location—the traitor was not one of Rōran's people, but the Kazekage!
"Until your identities are fully verified, please stay in Rōran for the time being."
Although she was already convinced that Danzo was not lying, out of caution she still needed to send people to confirm the matter with the Kazekage.
The two were then led by the guards to their rooms.
"Danzo, thank you." Renya could not help but feel moved.
He knew that Danzo valued the village's interests above all else. If it were not for Renya proposing cross-temporal travel, Danzo would never have offered such generous terms.
Konoha was a major village in the ninja world. Even if Rōran possessed the Dragon Vein, it could not possibly receive treatment comparable to the Uzumaki clan.
It could only be said that Danzo wanted to fulfill Renya's travel wish.
"Only by paying the appropriate price can we get others to agree to our request," Shimura Danzo said. "Since you want to use the Dragon Vein to travel through time, I might as well accompany you. Paying some price is nothing."
In reality, Konoha was not at a loss. Once an alliance with Rōran was established, borrowing the power of the Dragon Vein in the future would become far more convenient.
If traveling through time truly could be achieved, they would surely travel to different eras in the future.
Both sides were simply taking what they needed; it could hardly be called a loss.
However, he did not tell Renya this. Occasionally receiving Renya's gratitude was also a pleasant feeling.
The Queen of Rōran acted swiftly, verifying the identities of the two by the very next day.
One was the Third Hokage of Konoha Village, and the other was the famously renowned Konoha poison master.
Although Rōran was somewhat isolated from the world, it was still aware of major events in the ninja world.
For example, Uchiha Renya, who had defeated Uchiha Madara.
She truly had not expected that the person proposing to use the Dragon Vein to travel through time was Renya himself!
...
Inside the queen's palace.
"Hokage-sama, Poison Master-sama, your identities have been fully confirmed."
The Queen of Rōran's attitude toward the two was clearly far more respectful than the day before.
Shimura Danzo nodded and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, my promise still stands. I wonder what you think?"
Although he was willing to form an alliance with Rōran for Renya's sake, he did not wish the Queen of Rōran to be someone who could not see the situation clearly.
"Of course there is no problem!" The Queen of Rōran immediately agreed.
An alliance between Rōran and Konoha, with Konoha dispatching troops to protect the Dragon Vein, was simply a great deal!
"Very well, let's sign the agreement."
The two sides quickly reached an alliance accord.
"Hokage-sama, I will now help you unseal the Dragon Vein."
The Queen of Rōran turned around and led the two toward the deepest part of the tower, where the core altar where Dragon Vein energy converged was located.
"May the Dragon Vein guide you. Please be sure to pay attention to your safety."
As her words fell, she placed her hands before her chest and formed complex hand seals, chanting obscure incantations.
With her technique, the runes around the altar lit up one by one, shifting from dull bluish stone to searing gold and crimson.
"Hum—"