The person hiding behind the ruins was naturally Queen Sara of Loulan.
After being discovered by Naruto, Sara's expression became extremely complicated. She sighed softly and said, "Lord Menma, we meet again. The last time we met was more than ten years ago. How have you been?"
"You should know that for me, it's only been an hour."
Naruto looked at Sara, now in her thirties, and said, "However, I'd like to hear what happened to you and Loulan over the past ten years."
Sara sighed gently and said:
"After losing the Dragon Veins as an energy source, Loulan declined very quickly and became an abandoned capital in the desert. Most of the people left Loulan and went out into the world to make a living. Only a small number stayed behind, relying on the nearby oasis to survive… clinging to memories of the past prosperity…"
After listening to Sara's account, Naruto fell into thought.
The Naruto Sara met was clearly not him, and that Naruto's way of doing things was more like the one from the original timeline. Could this be the so-called parallel world?
Thinking about the existence of another Naruto in a parallel world made his scalp tingle.
After pondering for a moment, Naruto said to Sara:
"Since you and the remaining people of Loulan have been living so hard, are you interested in relocating somewhere else? I currently rule several territories."
Sara raised her head, surprise flashing in her eyes. "You're willing to take in the people of Loulan?"
Naruto nodded. "Of course. But I don't do things for nothing. I need control of the Dragon Veins. If you agree, I plan to move them to the territory of the Land of Whirlpools."
Sara hesitated, unsure whether to agree. The Naruto she remembered didn't seem greedy for the Dragon Veins at all.
Naruto seemed to read her thoughts and said earnestly, "Your Highness Sara, I couldn't take the Dragon Veins with me back then. Besides, once you leave Loulan, it won't be safe to keep them here."
Sara fell silent for a few seconds, then asked, "I didn't get the chance back then… but now, can you tell me your true identity?"
"I am the leader of Uzushio Village, and the ruler of the Land of Waves."
"The leader of Uzushio Village…" Sara's eyes widened in disbelief. "So you're the leader of Uzushio Village. I've heard that group of thieves mention your name."
Naruto nodded slightly. "Just a bit of a reputation."
Sara thought for a long time before speaking with firm determination, "Lord Menma, I've made my decision. I'm willing to bring my people to Uzushio Village, and I'm also willing to give up control of the Dragon Veins."
Naruto was a little surprised that she agreed so easily. Smiling, he said, "Aren't you afraid I might go back on my word? My actions aren't that different from An Lushan's."
Sara shook her head firmly. "You're not the same as An Lushan. He deceived me and my mother, secretly created countless puppets, and tried to rule the world. He's a ruthless conspirator."
"At least you're willing to discuss things with me. And with your strength, you could take control of the Dragon Veins even without my permission. Besides, if you hadn't intervened back then, Loulan would have been destroyed long ago."
A few minutes later, Naruto and Sara arrived at the Lost Tower and saw the Dragon Vein core emitting a dazzling purple light.
Even in its weakened state, the Dragon Vein's chakra still affected everything around it, distorting even the air.
Stepping onto the altar, Sara gazed at the core that her ancestors had guarded for generations. She stood there silently for a long time before stepping forward and placing her palms above it.
Naruto, sealing the Dragon Vein for the second time, completed the seal effortlessly.
Sara was slightly surprised by Naruto's sealing skills, but she didn't dwell on it.
Holding the Dragon Vein core in his hand, Naruto felt the immense chakra within and said, "Reluctant to part with it? Don't worry. Once you and your people arrive at Uzushio Village, you'll still have chances to be near it."
Sara was stunned for a moment, then said emotionally:
"A little reluctant… but also relieved. Loulan is finally free from the burden of guarding the Dragon Veins. Their existence built Loulan—but also bound it for hundreds of years."
"It's good that you can think that way. So, what are your plans for the future?"
"Uzushio Village will provide you with housing and resources to rebuild, but if you have nothing to do, you'll feel empty sooner or later. Loulan still needs you as its leader, at least for now."
"Let's talk about that later…" After sealing the Dragon Veins, Sara's body had become much weaker.
After escorting Sara back to the Loulan oasis, Naruto didn't disturb her rest. Instead, he stayed at the edge of the oasis and began studying the newly obtained Dragon Vein core.
The core was not the Dragon Vein's true body. The real Dragon Vein lay deep underground, connected to the very core of the ninja world.
The core's true function was to act as a conduit—to connect with the Dragon Vein and harness its power. That was why Naruto wanted to relocate it to Uzushio Village.
For someone at Naruto's level, the Dragon Veins weren't particularly useful.
But for Uzushio Village, it was a different story.
Uzushio Village hoped for universal ninja education, but becoming a ninja required talent. And breakthroughs in curse seal technology were still uncertain.
So for now, they could only rely on the Dragon Veins' power to allow ordinary people to participate in production.
After all, the existence of ninjas had greatly squeezed the living space of ordinary people. It was easy for civilians to lose job opportunities and sources of income.
This might even be one of the reasons nations originally established ninja villages.
By gathering these "inhuman" ninjas together—forcing them to abandon production work and instead survive on missions—ordinary people could retain their value in society.
But if ninjas only focused on killing and destruction, such advanced productivity would be completely wasted.
As a result, civilians lived in constant hardship, always under the looming threat of war.
Therefore, how to strike a balance between ninjas and ordinary people would become the greatest challenge facing Uzushio Village—and, in fact, all nations in the ninja world.
For now, the only answer Naruto could think of was power.
Absolute power.
He would place his own will above all others and reshape the system according to his vision. As long as he remained alive, the balance between ninjas and civilians would not collapse.
As for everything else… that would have to be left to time, and to future technological breakthroughs.
...
For the next few days, Naruto temporarily stayed in the Loulan oasis, waiting for people from Uzushio Village to arrive and relocate the residents.
As for Shisui, he was tasked with hunting down the remaining Root members within the Land of Rivers, to prevent any resurgence.
Although those remnants couldn't threaten Uzushio Village directly, they were still dangerous to ordinary people. Underestimating brainwashed Root operatives would eventually lead to serious consequences.
Taking advantage of the free time during the migration, Naruto opened a hidden chamber in the desert and prepared to transplant Danzō's Mangekyō Sharingan.
The ultimate mystery.
Susanoo—powerful enough to rival a tailed beast.
Streaming interrupted. Waiting for the complete message...
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