The two sides weren't even operating on the same level of technology.
Now he understood. It was connected to the Dragon Vein.
Information that would normally take time and manpower to uncover had just been handed to them outright by Kaede Kitahara. They had probably never gone on a mission with this much intelligence prepared in advance.
"Impossible. Stop talking nonsense. Anrokuzan isn't that kind of person. Don't lie to me. The one who came to Roran six years ago wasn't some ninja called Mukade. He was an outstanding man named Anrokuzan."
Sara could not hold back any longer.
Maybe she had already sensed that something was wrong. She just refused to accept it. If she did, the last person she could rely on would be gone. That would shatter her completely.
"Anrokuzan, who now serves as a minister, inherited my mother's will. He works tirelessly for this city. He loves peace. There's no way he would develop the kind of weapon you're describing."
"I'm afraid, Your Majesty, you may have been deceived by that man," Namikaze Minato said, trying to reason with her.
"I can't believe that. You're the suspicious ones."
Sara refused to accept their words. They had told her so much already, but who could say what was true?
She turned and hurried toward the palace, intending to confirm everything herself.
Before she could get far, Kaede stepped in front of her. He let out a quiet sigh. If she went back like this, best case she would be manipulated again. Worst case, she would fall straight into Mukade's control and become a liability.
His Sharingan spun to life.
In an instant, she fell into a genjutsu. Kaede poured the events of The Lost Tower into her mind in a way she could understand.
"Kaede Kitahara, what are you doing?" Namikaze Minato asked quickly when he saw the illusion take hold.
"We all know Anrokuzan is Mukade," Kaede replied. "He's been using the Dragon Vein's chakra to manufacture puppets, trying to conquer the world. Right now, he's just using Sara's identity to control this small country. When she fell from that tower earlier, that was Mukade trying to eliminate her. Naruto saved her. If she goes back now, she's walking straight into a trap. She won't solve anything. She'll only drag us down."
He paused, then continued.
"Take a good look at this country. It looks populated, but most of the people have already been replaced by puppets. The real citizens are barely left. They've fled outside the city. Everything here is just a show staged for Sara. We can't let her go back. There's no point. Don't worry, though. This genjutsu won't harm her. I'm just showing her what I know in a way she can process."
Hearing that, Uzumaki Naruto, Namikaze Minato, and the others finally relaxed.
Sara might not be strong, but her identity carried weight.
This was the peculiar balance of the shinobi world. Powerful ninja dominated the battlefield, yet old noble families still held immense influence. A tacit agreement had formed. The ninja villages managed the military. The daimyo and nobles handled civil governance.
The villages did not directly rule the countries. However, a large portion of collected taxes flowed into the villages. Not only to fund protection, but because if you stopped paying, the consequences might come swiftly and violently.
Shinobi were mercenaries by choice, not because they lacked the power to seize resources.
Even the ruler of a small nation was still a ruler. Even a country as tiny as Roran had to be treated with respect. The ninja present were obligated to protect Sara's safety.
No matter how fierce battles between shinobi became, nobles were rarely targeted. Especially not figures on the level of a national ruler. Offending them meant provoking not just a single village, but the entire ancient noble system that had endured for centuries.
Unless you were someone like Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi, or Uchiha Madara, the Ninja World Asura, you still had to consider the broader consequences.
At first, Kaede had found this logic strange. The villages held the strongest military power, yet they were not the rulers. They functioned more like hired blades.
Later, he understood. It was a symbiotic relationship.
Minato and the others, however, weren't thinking that far ahead. Minato was only a Jonin for now. His political instincts were not yet sharpened. The rest had not considered it at all.
They simply knew one thing instinctively.
If something happened to Sara, everyone would be in serious trouble.
A moment later, Sara came out of the genjutsu.
She collapsed to her knees and covered her face as she sobbed.
"Mother…"
Inside the illusion, she had seen the man she had trusted as her pillar of support murder her mother. She had watched him feign loyalty and then step into the role of her guardian.
Her mother had died protecting the Dragon Vein from falling into his hands.
Even if it had been an illusion, the details aligned too closely with reality. The numerous ministers her mother once had were gone, leaving only Mukade. The palace guards had been replaced with puppets. For years, she had not seen real citizens.
No wonder she had felt so lonely. No wonder she had wandered into the ruins to sing.
That was how she had met Uzumaki Naruto, freshly arrived from another time.
Thinking of it all, she withdrew into herself.
Since she did not attempt to flee again, the group did not split up.
"We'll scout the city first," Akimichi Choji said. "You two should talk."
Aburame Shibi nodded in agreement. They both understood that for a father and son destined to part, perhaps forever, this was a rare opportunity.
Minato did not refuse. In the end, everyone's memories would be sealed. For now, he could at least speak openly with his son.
He wanted to know how Naruto had lived these past years.
He would soon realize that the answers might not be easy to hear.
That left Kaede alone with the grieving Queen of Loulan.
"Can I ask… what happens to Roran in the future?"
Sara lifted her head slightly. The self-pity in her eyes had faded. What remained was resolve.
"In the future, Roran no longer exists," Kaede said plainly. "You choose to take the remaining citizens and form a merchant caravan. You travel the continent, trading. You even have a lovely daughter."
Since this was a limited-time spoiler, he might as well say a little more.
"I see."
She fell silent.
From the conversations among the Konoha ninja and from the story Kaede had shown her, she now understood what kind of treasure the Dragon Vein truly was.
The power to traverse time.
Calling it a priceless artifact would be an understatement.
What did Roran have to defend something like that?
Not even a proper army.
Keeping such a treasure would only bring disaster. Even she could understand that.
That was likely why her future self abandoned it and chose a life of commerce.
According to them, Mukade had only been a Missing-nin from Sunagakure, yet he had nearly taken control of the entire country. If a major power set its sights on Roran, they would be finished.
"That kind of life doesn't sound so bad," Kaede said. "You understand it too. The Dragon Vein isn't something a country like yours can handle."
If someone other than Minato had come, someone more ambitious, the Dragon Vein would already be gone.
Sara nodded.
"I want revenge," she said quietly. Then her eyes hardened. "Will you help me?"
Hatred flickered in her gaze.
Now that she knew the truth, the fire of vengeance burned uncontrollably. She had always believed her mother died of illness. She had mourned her in loneliness.
Now she knew her mother had been murdered by Mukade.
How could she not seek justice?
"Why me?" Kaede tilted his head, surprised. "If you want Mukade dealt with, you should ask Jonin Namikaze. In Konoha right now, you could count on one hand the people stronger than him."
Sara's desire for revenge was no surprise. She lacked the strength to do it herself. Seeking help was natural.
What surprised him was that she had turned to him first instead of Minato.
"Because I want real revenge."
She met his eyes without wavering.