"That's right."
It seemed that Yako and Salle had grown bolder upon realizing that Mirai had no intention of making a move.
Salle looked at Sara and said, "Because you know nothing at all, like a puppet being controlled at will. That's why everyone calls you the Puppet Princess."
Hearing this, Sara's expression darkened. She couldn't help but retort, "What gives you the right to say that I know nothing and that I'm being controlled?"
Seeing that Sara was getting upset, Yako lowered her voice and said, "It's like how our families were taken by Anrokuzan, yet you knew nothing about it."
"Everyone despises you."
Those words struck a nerve.
Everyone... despises me?
What kind of joke is this?!
Sara pointed outside and shouted, "Listen! There are so many people cheering for me, celebrating my ascension as the new queen. How can you say that everyone despises me?!"
Hearing this, Yako and Salle exchanged glances before revealing awkward smiles.
"Your Majesty, just come with us, and you'll understand."
With that, the group quickly moved toward the exit.
Sara glanced at Uchiha Mirai, and when she saw him nod in approval, she followed along.
She wanted to see exactly what they were trying to show her!
In a dark alleyway.
Sara pointed outside at the crowd, who were still cheering enthusiastically.
"Listen to them! They're still celebrating me!"
Salle's voice was cold. "Those aren't real people."
Sara's eyes widened in shock. "What did you just say?"
Uchiha Mirai slightly raised his arm. "Banshō Ten'in!"
One of the "people" in the crowd was pulled toward him by an unseen force.
As Sara got a closer look, she sucked in a sharp breath.
That wasn't a human—it was a puppet dressed in clothing!
Could it be…
Were all these "people" celebrating her nothing more than puppets?
Just then, the cheers grew even louder.
Sara looked up and saw a puppet dressed exactly like her standing on a balcony, mechanically waving to the crowd below.
Her entire body went cold.
What… is happening here?!
Salle spoke in a heavy tone. "Now do you believe us? Looks like you really have become the Puppet Princess."
Anrokuzan!!!
Sara clenched her fists, her body trembling with rage.
Everything was clear now—she had been deceived by Anrokuzan!
"Damn it!"
"I'm going to find Anrokuzan right now and make him release your families!"
Hearing this, Yako scoffed, "Your Majesty, how can you still be so naive?"
"Anrokuzan has already replaced you with a puppet. Do you really think he's going to obey your orders?"
"Besides, he controls the power of the Dragon Veins. If you confront him now, you'll just be throwing your life away."
Sara froze, realizing that Yako had a point.
Unconsciously, she turned her gaze to Mirai.
"Mirai, I was wrong about you earlier. Please forgive me."
"What should I do now?"
Mirai thought for a moment before calmly responding, "I've heard that the Queen of Roran possesses the ability to control the power of the Dragon Veins. Our best option is to sever Anrokuzan's connection to it first and then plan our next move."
Looking at Mirai's composed expression, Sara suddenly felt reassured. She nodded firmly.
"I'll do as you say!"
"Yako, Salle, wait here for now."
Seeing that Sara was willing to risk herself to save their families, Salle and the others were moved.
"Understood, Your Majesty!"
Closing her eyes, Sara focused on sensing the flow of the Dragon Veins. She then turned to Uchiha Mirai and said,
"I'll take you there."
"That's too slow."
Before she could react, Mirai scooped her up into his arms.
"Just focus on guiding me."
Sara's face turned red as she mumbled, "In Roran, disrespecting the Queen or the Princess is a punishable offense…"
Mirai smirked and playfully pinched her rear. "In the shinobi world, disrespecting a ninja means getting your butt kicked."
Sara's face turned crimson as she fell silent, too embarrassed to speak.
Under her guidance, they quickly arrived at the source of the Dragon Veins.
It was a massive underground factory, where hundreds of people were imprisoned, endlessly turning gigantic valves.
Puppet soldiers stood guard, keeping a watchful eye on the laborers. Anyone who slowed down was immediately whipped.
Sara's expression twisted in fury.
She never imagined that Anrokuzan was such a ruthless monster!
Meanwhile, Uchiha Mirai let out a dry chuckle.
Using puppets could have easily accomplished this task, yet Anrokuzan chose to enslave civilians instead.
The man clearly had some deep-seated grudge against society.
Noticing the intruders, the puppet soldiers immediately charged at them.
"Shinra Tensei!"
A powerful repulsive force blasted the puppet soldiers apart, but their scattered parts quickly reassembled into new puppets.
Seeing this, Mirai scoffed.
"Ice Release!"
Instantly, the puppet soldiers were sealed within transparent ice.
The next moment, Mirai pointed a finger.
"Shatter."
Crack!
The ice pillars, along with the puppets trapped inside, crumbled into fine dust and vanished.
"I-Impossible…"
Sara, who had never trained in combat, could only watch in astonishment, her mouth agape.
Mirai turned to the stunned Roran citizens and spoke calmly, "Go. Your families are waiting outside."
Hearing this, the prisoners finally snapped out of their daze. After kneeling to express their gratitude, they hurriedly fled.
Sara turned to Mirai. "Mirai, I'll cut off Anrokuzan's connection to the Dragon Veins."
Mirai merely shrugged. "Go ahead."
"Hahaha… HAHAHAHAHA!" A wild, arrogant laugh echoed through the underground chamber.
"None of you are leaving!"
Anrokuzan had arrived.
Sara glared at him, her voice trembling with fury. "Anrokuzan! You deceived both me and my mother, and now this?! Is this how you repay our trust?!"
Anrokuzan scoffed. "Don't talk to me about your mother."
"I built Roran into what it is today, giving you the means to survive in the desert."
"But the moment I tried to use the Dragon Veins's power, your mother turned against me."
"She even secretly sent people to Konoha for help, trying to drive me out of Roran!"
"Fortunately, I discovered her plan in time and eliminated her."
"Otherwise, all my efforts over the years would've been for nothing."
Sara's eyes widened in shock.
Her mother…
Was murdered by Anrokuzan?!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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