The massive sandstorm that had raged for nearly a week had finally begun to subside overnight.
Although the sky was still tinged with a dull yellow, the dust in the air had lessened significantly. Visibility had improved, and faint rays of sunlight now peeked through the clouds above.
As for the eerie, howling wind—it remained ever present.
After all, whenever wind passed through this city of towering spires, it always produced a ghostly, bone-chilling wail.
The weather may have cleared, but Sara's mood had plunged into an abyss.
Her reddish-brown eyes were filled with terror.
Everything before her seemed cloaked in shadow. She sat slumped on the throne, powerless and at a complete loss.
Just moments ago, Sarai had told her that the Third Raikage and several thousand Kumogakure ninja were now less than twenty kilometers away.
What now?
She wasn't naive enough to believe that the Third Raikage was coming with peaceful intentions!
"Your Majesty, wh-what should we do?" Sarai asked, panicking, his face full of dread.
Right now, Queen Sara was their only pillar of strength.
"We evacuate."
Sara stood up at once, clenched her fists with unshakable resolve, and gave a firm order: "Get everyone out of here immediately. Head west—about thirty kilometers out, there's a small oasis."
"Make sure they only take food and water. Everything else can be retrieved once the Kumo ninja leave. And… please, entrust Sanaj to them as well."
Sanaj was her daughter, barely a year old. As for the father—he wasn't worth mentioning.
In the traditions of Rōran, the queen's husband didn't matter. Nor did the queen's sons.
But the queen's daughter—who would become the next queen—mattered deeply.
"Wha—what about you?!" Sarai cried out in shock.
"I'm staying to meet the Third Raikage face-to-face. As queen, how could I not even look the one who destroyed my country in the eye?"
Sara forced a faint smile. When she saw Sarai about to speak again, she waved her hand to silence him.
"That's enough. Go now. We don't have much time."
"And besides—I'm still a sovereign ruler. According to the rules of the shinobi world, ninja aren't allowed to kill kings."
"…Yes, Your Majesty."
Sarai could only nod reluctantly. Gritting his teeth, he turned and hurried off.
He ran toward the sanctuary where Princess Sanaj was being kept, passing the queen's orders to everyone he encountered along the way.
"Is this really the end for Rōran...?"
Inside the grand hall, Queen Sara slowly walked to the wall, took down the chakra blade hanging there, and held it to her chest with a long, sorrowful sigh.
"If only I could remember your face… I can only ever catch glimpses of your golden hair in my dreams…"
...
Meanwhile—
As panic swept through the city of Rōran...
Far beneath the surface, in a massive subterranean chamber hundreds of meters deep—
A pale blue speck of light suddenly appeared in the center, illuminating the pitch-black surroundings.
As it grew, the glowing dot formed a rectangular gate three meters high and two meters wide, its interior swirling with starlight like a rotating galaxy.
Moments later, the brilliant display faded from its surface, revealing a portal ringed by twinkling light, its center showing a vision of the world beyond.
"Beginning planetary gravity scan... atmospheric composition... air temperature... Scan complete. Initiating local environment scan: no life forms detected within a 500-meter radius. Significant biological signatures detected 200 meters above."
The first to emerge from the gate—
Was a small robot clad in a spotless white uniform, with a pair of tiny white wings on its back.
Its round eyes rotated constantly as it scanned its surroundings, spouting technical jargon with mechanical efficiency.
"Scan results: area is safe for activity."
With that, it turned around and stepped back into the dimensional gate.
For the next minute, the portal floated silently in the center of what appeared to be a mysterious altar, surrounded by four cloaked black statues.
The entire scene gave off an eerie, foreboding air.
[Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!]
Suddenly, three blurred silhouettes streaked out of the gate in flashes of light.
Moving faster than the human eye could track, they positioned themselves at three corners of the chamber.
Each of them raised a glowing golden shell high above their heads—
Instantly, most of the darkness within the chamber was swept away by the dazzling radiance.
"This place... could be trouble."
A ninja, originally from the Teigu World, now a Genin of Umigakure, stood gazing at his surroundings—nothing but sheer vertical cliffs with no bridges or paths in sight. A look of helplessness spread across his face.
Yes.
The place they were in, which seemed like an altar, was standing alone in the center of an underground palace.
Far off in the distance, they could see what looked like a stone gate—probably the exit.
But unless someone could fly, there was no way to reach it.
"It looks broken. Check this out—clear signs of a break here."
Another Genin from the Starfish World crouched down and pointed to the edge of the altar.
"So what now? Not many of us here can use Moon Step."
The third Genin, speaking as he walked toward the center of the altar, crouched beside a short, double-pronged weapon embedded in the ground. He studied the hilt carefully.
"This looks like... a kunai."
Thanks to their recent intense training, every ninja from Umigakure was now skilled in fighting with kunai. Naturally, they recognized it right away.
"You don't think something's sealed under this, do you?"
Squinting at the strange rune marks beneath his feet, the Genin speculated aloud, a note of unease in his voice.
"Forget that for now. First, we need to send someone topside to figure out where in the Shinobi World we actually are. Then we can figure out how to open a path out of here!"
Just then, Tengen Uzui stepped forward.
He was the commanding officer for this mission.
Behind him followed five other Jonin from Umigakure.
"Fujin, Chome—you two take a few of the ones who can use Moon Step. Head topside and take a look around. And whatever you do, don't let yourselves be seen."
Tengen looked up at the light filtering down from above as he gave the order.
"Yes, sir!"
"Got it, Captain!"
Fujin and Chome nodded and sprang into action. They called out the names of ten other ninjas from the Dimensional Gate.
Out of the roughly two hundred-strong ninja squad, only this handful had mastered Moon Step.
That alone spoke volumes about how difficult the technique really was.
"Not bad," Fujin remarked.
He scanned the ten chosen ninjas. All of them were Chūnin.
"Invisibility!"
The moment the word left his mouth—
All twelve of them, including himself and Chome—
Were suddenly engulfed in strange currents of air, causing their black uniforms to ripple violently.
Within seconds, their forms vanished completely. Only the telltale burst of Moon Step echoed through the air.
This was the only ninjutsu that the ninjas of the Starfish World knew.
...
Teigu World.
Inside the Ark, Imu kept a constant eye on the ongoing investigation of the Shinobi World.
When the firsthand report arrived, the Five Elders immediately handed it over.
"Rōran?"
"That little nation still exists? Then what point in time is this within the Shinobi World?"
In the study, Imu froze for a moment.
This was from a movie, after all. He had only watched it once, and back then, he hadn't really paid attention to when the story took place.
"If I remember right, Uzumaki Naruto was chasing a rogue ninja from Sunagakure and ended up finding the ruins of Rōran in the Land of Wind. Then, through the power of the Dragon Veins, he traveled back in time and met a young Namikaze Minato and little Kakashi."
Imu gradually pieced things together.
If Minato was still around, then this had to be during the Third Great Ninja War.
According to the lore, Rōran was destroyed by war—most likely collateral damage from that very war.
"Phew—"
Realizing this, Imu felt a wave of relief.
Because, in his opinion, the Third Great Ninja War era was the second-weakest period in the Shinobi World's history.
Why second?
Because the weakest era was the time between Naruto's birth and three years before the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Other than the Akatsuki, the so-called Five Great Ninja Villages were full of weirdos and nobodies.
Oh—except for Guy.
"The Third War had its share of prodigies, but without Guy and his Eight Gates, they're missing a serious trump card."
As for his father, Duy, who also mastered the Eight Gates—he only managed to let three of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen escape.
That clearly showed his Eight Gates weren't nearly as powerful as his son's.
Then, Imu shifted his attention back to Rōran itself.
Its true value lay in two things:
The Dragon Veins and the royal bloodline that could control them.
According to the movie, the Dragon Veins were a manifestation of the planet's natural energy—essentially the Shinobi World's life force.
Of course, harnessing the Dragon Veins would only be feasible after fully conquering the Shinobi World.
That's why Imu was eager to see how his subordinates would perform.
He even enjoyed watching pirates clash with shinobi.
...
Meanwhile, in the Shinobi World — Land of Wind.
Amid the vast, sweeping golden sea of sand dunes stood a strange city, its skyline filled with sharp, towering spires.
The tail end of a sandstorm blew a veil of fine yellow dust across it, draping the city in a sheer, hazy silk that lent it a dreamlike mystique.
Yet, despite its long and storied history, the streets and alleys of the ancient city of Rōran were now eerily empty.
Outside its gates, however, stood ranks of Kumogakure shinobi, dressed in gray uniforms with single-shoulder white vests.
Some wore cold, indifferent expressions; others sneered with cruel smirks. A violent aura emanated from their entire beings.
A chilling tension hung over the entire area.
Even the wind, as it swept through the city, seemed to shudder—rushing past with frantic urgency, making its howling sound all the more unsettling.
"Raikage-sama, the city is deserted. But the Queen of Rōran still sits on her throne. She says she wishes to speak with you—and has demanded to know why we attacked without cause."
A composed Kumogakure jōnin, wearing a black eyepatch over his left eye, stepped into the command tent and relayed the report to the Third Raikage, whose very presence radiated killing intent.
"Hmph. If the city's empty, then take all the food, water, and medicine. As for her—if she wants to see me, she can come find me herself."
The Third Raikage scoffed at the queen's posturing.
Still, he understood the unspoken rule—killing a noble, especially one from a recognized nation, could invite the wrath of the daimyō.
That was one of the few inviolable laws of the Shinobi World.
No matter how fierce the battles became among the shinobi, the daimyō and nobility were not to be touched.
At least, that was how it appeared on the surface. What went on behind the scenes was a whole different story.
As for what happened to the deposed kings and queens after their countries were destroyed—who they were killed by or how they died—no one really cared.
The only thing that mattered was that the ones who annihilated the country weren't the same ones who executed the monarchs.
If you didn't plan to destroy the country, the only other option was house arrest.
Dodai asked with a puzzled expression, "Do you mean... we should bring the Queen of Rōran here?"
"No," the Third Raikage replied coldly, "I don't have time to waste talking nonsense with her. Once we get the supplies, bring her out—then burn this place to the ground. Let Rōran vanish from the map for good!"
With a snort, the Third Raikage gave an order that was as cruel as it was final.
The fact that he had traveled all this way only to fail in wiping out Sunagakure left him seething with frustration. So before returning home, he figured he'd at least torch one small country in the Land of Wind—it might help cool his rage.
"U-Understood!" Dodai responded, though his expression was conflicted.
He couldn't help but feel the order was excessive, but seeing the Third Raikage's dark and furious face, he didn't dare argue.
"Report!"
Just then, a figure flashed past the tent flap and knelt before them, voice urgent.
"Our operatives inside Rōran have been attacked by a group of unidentified shinobi! The Queen of Rōran is no longer under our control!"
"What?" the Third Raikage's brows shot up in surprise.
Dodai frowned. "Unidentified shinobi? Could they be Suna-nin? But if that were the case, why not just say so?"
"Because the symbol on their foreheads isn't from Sunagakure," the messenger quickly explained. "It's a pattern of four lines connected to five circles. And their clothing is mostly black!"
The Raikage and Dodai exchanged looks, both visibly puzzled.
...
About twenty minutes earlier—
Fujin and Chome had just flown out of the underground palace and were momentarily stunned by the sight of Rōran—towering spires and a maze of skybridges crisscrossing the air.
They split into two groups, each leading five chūnin.
From then on, they abandoned Geppo—it made too much noise.
Even so, their speed was extraordinary.
They didn't have chakra to enhance them, but their superhuman physical abilities more than made up for it.
Coupled with the effects of their stealth technique, their every movement perfectly embodied the phrase 'ghost-like'.
Even the sound of them cutting through the air was drowned out by the ever-present howling wind of Rōran.
But as they kept moving, something felt... off.
There wasn't a single person in sight.
That couldn't be right.
Hadn't that little robot earlier mentioned that there were plenty of life signatures above?
So where was everyone?
"Hold," Fujin said, his Kenbunshoku Haki picking up life nearby. He lowered his voice and signaled the five chūnin with him. "Three hundred meters ahead—four targets. Silent pursuit."
No one replied, but he didn't mind.
He crept forward at a silent yet brisk pace—still faster than an average human run, with footfalls barely audible.
It wasn't long before he saw them: four grayish blurs dashing toward the central tower.
Their nimble leaps from bridge to bridge screamed 'ninja' in every motion.
But what really got Fujin was when he saw them running up the side of the tower. Jealousy flared in his chest.
Chakra...
They had already learned about it back in Umigakure.
They didn't know how the World Government had acquired such intel, but clearly, it was accurate.
Still, this left Fujin and his team in an awkward spot.
All they could do was run along the bridges and internal corridors of the towers.
There was no helping it—Geppo was too loud, and climbing barehanded would drain too much stamina.
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