Back in the day, when Shiraishi had set out to eliminate the internal threat of the Ancient Kingdom of Roran, his methods were ruthless and swift.
He had deliberately orchestrated his battle against Anrokuzan to utterly devastate the kingdom, simultaneously sealing the Dragon Vein and extinguishing any hope of Roran's restoration.
During that incident, Shiraishi had also laid a trap for the future Konoha Jonin, Yamato, utilizing a special sealing jutsu to pull him into their timeline.
This allowed Shiraishi to investigate and gather intelligence on the future world.
Times had changed. The original citizens of Roran had long since been relocated to other regions within the Land of Wind.
The ruins of Roran were now largely abandoned, and even its princess had been married off. Shiraishi had entrusted this arrangement to the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, who selected a young lord from among the high-ranking court nobles to marry the princess.
With the princess's marriage, Roran faded completely into the pages of history. In the years that followed, under Shiraishi's orders, the ruins were slowly restored to a semblance of their former glory, with a portion of the palaces being repaired.
"Lord Shirohebi-hime, are you really not in a rush to travel?"
At the entrance of a small snack shop, Shirohebi-hime, clad in soft white silk that barely concealed her enticing, fiery figure, was leisurely enjoying a few skewers of dango. While she was indeed the White Snake Sage, she preferred Shiraishi to address her as Shirohebi-hime.
"There is no rush. Let this queen enjoy a few more of these dango first."
She picked up another skewer and ate the dango with relish, showing absolutely no urgency. Shiraishi, wearing an ANBU mask, was waiting for her with a look of utter resignation.
Fortunately, the situation within the Hidden Sand Village was currently stable. Shiraishi had utilized his human puppet to handle routine administrative duties, allowing him, disguised as a Sand ANBU, to accompany Shirohebi-hime on their journey across half the Land of Wind to the ruins of Roran.
"This queen always assumed that the Sand Village and the Land of Wind were barren lands with nothing to do. It seems I underestimated you."
Along their journey, although vast deserts still dominated the landscape, anywhere people gathered vibrated with prosperity and lively energy.
The various customs and folklore she witnessed painted a picture of a flourishing Land of Wind.
After finishing the last dango, Shirohebi-hime slowly rose, glancing at Shiraishi with a touch of pity. "It's a pity you aren't the Daimyo. You can't control this country legitimately forever."
"In a dozen years, how many people in the Land of Wind will even remember the Daimyo?"
Shiraishi's reply made Shirohebi-hime burst into laughter. "Your ambitions are indeed not small. Unfortunately, a shinobi is ultimately just a shinobi. Leaving them to rule a country is simply too absurd."
Shiraishi didn't wish to dwell on this topic and instead offered a smile. "Your charm certainly hasn't faded, Lord Shirohebi-hime. More people are following us."
Shirohebi-hime's current attire and appearance had drawn many prying eyes, including several prominent officials and nobles, but she ignored them all. Would the esteemed White Snake Sage of Ryuchi Cave concern herself with such vulgar individuals?
With just a single gaze from her, the offender would become ensnared in a genjutsu, only breaking free after an hour.
This Sage jutsu alone was sufficient to place Shirohebi-hime's power at the absolute pinnacle of the shinobi world, making even Shiraishi cautious when facing her.
"Hehe. If you had just fused with this queen earlier, perhaps not even the Sage of the Six Paths would be our match."
Shirohebi-hime's bold declaration nearly made Shiraishi spit out the water he was drinking. Even now, she expressed regret over failing to successfully possess Shiraishi's body.
Compared to the elderly White Snake Sage, this Shirohebi-hime was overly direct in speech and action, often leaving Shiraishi at a loss for words.
The two spent five days traveling before finally arriving at the remnants of Roran. Looking upon the war-torn ruins, Shirohebi-hime furrowed her brows. "Given the terrain here, a Dragon Vein shouldn't naturally form."
"That is exactly my confusion. The Dragon Vein beneath Roran had existed for so many years. I originally thought it might be due to changes in the geological environment, but looking at it now, that doesn't seem to be the case."
Shirohebi-hime, or rather, the White Snake Sage, as an ancient being with an incredibly long lifespan, could naturally determine with a glance whether a region would give birth to Dragon Vein energy.
The Dragon Vein beneath the Roran ruins was abnormal.
At this, Shiraishi released the technique seal, instantly shifting the space around them. Moments later, they appeared where Shiraishi had once sealed the Dragon Vein.
The massive silver pyramid that previously towered over the spot was still suppressing the Dragon Vein below.
Generally speaking, one can discern the nature of a Dragon Vein by observing the terrain and movement of the corresponding mountain range. However, Roran's geography should never have given rise to natural Dragon Vein energy unless...
At this thought, Shirohebi-hime narrowed her eyes. The ground beneath her began to boil as she unleashed Inorganic Reanimation energy.
The ground rumbled violently as the mysterious Dragon Vein energy materialized through countless purple cracks.
Seeing that Shirohebi-hime had deliberately drawn out a portion of the Dragon Vein's power, Shiraishi was stunned. "Lord Shirohebi-hime, what are you doing?"
Feeling the powerful natural energy of the Dragon Vein surrounding her, forming a specific, hourglass-like space-time energy pointer, she smirked. "This queen is still quite curious about time travel. Why don't you join this queen for a little fun?"
To confirm the true nature of the Dragon Vein, Shirohebi-hime decided to personally test its ability to cross time and space.
As illusion and reality intertwined, the space-time around Shiraishi and Shirohebi-hime suddenly twisted. Following a brilliant flash of white light, they found themselves amidst a vast and magnificent panorama of time-space transition.
When the white light faded, and Shiraishi opened his eyes, he was surprised to find them in a prosperous, bustling city. Is this ancient Roran? Although they had traveled through time, the location would remain the same. The scene before him should be Roran from the past.
"Based on this queen's judgment, the space-time energy currently within our bodies can only maintain itself for a few days."
As a fellow user of Sage Mode, Shiraishi could also feel the fluctuations of the Dragon Vein's space-time energy within him. He cast his gaze into the distance, realizing that the atmosphere in Roran today was unusually somber.
After casting a casual genjutsu on a pedestrian in the street, the two learned of the major event about to occur.
The shinobi world was still in the midst of the Warring States period. However, news that had deeply shocked the entire continent had arrived a few days ago: the Uchiha and Senju clans had allied.
The alliance of the two most powerful clans had triggered a powerful chain reaction.
The Hagoromo clan, archenemies of both clans, were currently abandoning their ancestral territories and gradually retreating to the south.
The Hagoromo had historically maintained good relations with Roran, and as they retreated, they hoped to borrow Roran's puppet technology to halt the advance of the Uchiha and Senju.
While the Hagoromo clan would not be famous in future generations, in this era, they were a powerful regional hegemon ranked alongside the Senju and Uchiha.
Even a dying giant still holds power; though forced to retreat south by the Uchiha and Senju, numerous Warring States clans still came to support them along the way.
To prevent the Uchiha and Senju alliance from growing too powerful, not only was Roran assisting, but Reto, the future First Kazekage and current Great General of the Land of Wind, had also led his forces to support the Hagoromo clan.
Shiraishi looked upon the desolate state of Roran. "This place will soon become a battlefield for the Uchiha, Senju, and Hagoromo. Historically, the Hagoromo clan ultimately went extinct. Perhaps today's battle..."
As they spoke, the gates of Roran slowly opened. Flags bearing the Hagoromo clan crest appeared simultaneously, and Hagoromo clansmen clad in white armor slowly filed into the city.
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