Naruto: I'm in Konoha, my name is Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 313 Speculation on the Dragon Vein Linking Parallel Worlds

The atmosphere was solemn in Menma's office on the top floor of the Star Capital Administration Building.

A huge map of the ninja world hangs on the dark wall, with the territory representing the Land of Stars prominently marked.

Mianma stood quietly by the window, the hem of his black divine robe motionless. He gazed at the city gradually sinking into twilight outside the window, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

Kisame Hoshigaki stood silently not far behind him, carrying the bandaged sword Samehada on his back. His shark-like face was expressionless, but his slightly taut body showed that he was ready to be deployed at any moment.

There was a gentle knock on the office door, which was then pushed open.

Minato Namikaze walked in first, his gray eyes carrying his usual gentleness, yet also a sense of gravity.

Following closely behind was Vanilla Whirlpool, carrying a stack of documents, her red hair tied back, and her expression capable.

Next came Uchiha Hikaru and Uchiha Shisui, their steps still carrying a trace of dust.

"Is something urgent? Has something happened in the Wind County?" Minato asked, his voice filled with concern.

Even though he was in the form of an impure spirit, his keen senses as a father and former Hokage had not diminished.

Mianma turned around, glanced at everyone, and nodded slightly.

"Everyone's here. Vanilla, give me a detailed explanation of the puppet factory."

Vanilla Whirlpool stepped forward, spread the documents out on the large, flat desk, and pointed to the location of Wind County on the map.

"My lord, the No. 2 puppet production and research workshop located in Sunagakure Castle, formerly Sunagakure Village, exploded at noon today. Preliminary assessment indicates it was sabotage. A Chunin puppeteer registered as 'Centen' stole the cores of at least three of the latest model combat puppets, as well as some core technology blueprints involving joint linkage and chakra transmission, during the chaos, and has now defected."

She paused, then continued her report, speaking clearly: "Sunagakure Castle is currently jointly defended by troops led by Jonin Uchiha Izumi and Jonin Gota. No unusual activity by Hyakuza had been detected before. During his time in Sunagakure, his ability rating was only Chunin. He is introverted and not good at socializing. His motive for this defection is still unclear. The factory has suffered significant direct losses, but more importantly, there is the risk of technology leakage."

Kisame Hoshigaki's deep voice rang out, adding, "Upon receiving the report, the third squad of the Anbu stationed in Sunagakure has been ordered to launch an attack to track down and eliminate the defectors along their escape route."

Menma listened quietly without saying a word until Xiangcao finished her report, after which the office fell into a brief silence.

He suddenly looked up and stared at Minato: "Father, do you still remember 'Centipede'?"

This abrupt question startled everyone slightly, and their gazes instantly focused on Minato Namikaze.

Minato frowned, trying to search his long-forgotten memories. After a moment, he slowly shook his head, a hint of confusion on his face: "Centipede? Sorry, I have absolutely no recollection of it. This name... is very unfamiliar."

Mianma didn't look away, continuing to press on, her voice steady yet leading: "Then, what about the 'Ancient City of Loulan'?"

“Loulan…an ancient city?” Shui Men repeated the name subconsciously, a trace of confusion flashing in his gray eyes, then as if he had touched something, a subtle ripple appeared.

"This name... seems familiar. It was recorded when the Wind County was established and the settlements in the desert were surveyed... a tribe called Loulan, whose ancestors were said to have established an ancient desert kingdom... no..."

His voice trailed off, his brow furrowed as if he were struggling against some invisible obstacle: "I think... I really did go to Loulan? Before the Third Shinobi World War?"

"The mission... to protect the new queen? And Shiki and Choza are also going with her, and... Kakashi?" Minato's tone became uncertain, and he raised his hand to gently press his temple.

"But... why can't I remember the specific details of the mission at all? It's like being shrouded in a thick fog."

This kind of memory gap appearing in an elite Jonin known for his memory is extremely unusual.

Uchiha Shisui suddenly spoke, breaking the slightly tense atmosphere: "I have heard that the Loulan were a tribe that suddenly rose and quickly disappeared in the desert of the Land of Wind. Legend has it that they were related to some kind of powerful energy. If you remember, Lord Minato, it should have been a top-secret mission of the village. I was too young to have any contact with it at that time."

Mianma nodded to Zhishui, having already made his judgment.

It seems that the memories related to the sealing technique that Minato had used to process after carrying out the Loulan mission could not be restored even after being resurrected by Edo Tensei.

He stopped questioning Shuimen and turned to look at Xuanwu Xiangcao: "Mark the exact location of the ancient Loulan Kingdom on the map."

Now that the centipede has appeared, its target must be the dragon vein beneath Loulan.

This perfectly matches the meaning of "pockmarked face".

He wanted to personally verify whether the other end connected by the dragon vein was a parallel world or the same world in a different timeline.

If it's the former...

A thought quietly emerged: Could I still go to Amegakure in that world, find Jigen again, and steal his Ten-Tails?
Whirlwind Vanilla immediately bent down and carefully outlined an area on the map.

"My lord, since the establishment of Wind County, we have surveyed and marked all known ruins and tribal settlements in the desert. The ruins of the ancient city of Loulan are roughly located in this area, near the border of the Kingdom of Rivers. We have also sent out survey teams before, but they all reported that they did not find any abnormal energy reactions or signs of large ruins, only some weathered ruins."

Mianma's gaze lingered on the map for a moment, confirming the location.

He then looked at Kisame Hoshigaki and gave the order: "Notify the pursuing ANBU squads that the mission is canceled and they are all to withdraw. I will personally handle the Loulan Ancient City."

The moment those words were spoken, the air in the office seemed to freeze.

Handle it personally?

Since Pain attacked the Land of Stars three years ago and Menma personally repelled him, he has remained behind the scenes in both the annexation of the Land of Wind and the war with the Land of Earth, never personally intervening in any specific battles.

Now, for the sake of an unknown Chunin traitor and a legendary desert ruin, he actually wants to go there in person?

The implications are self-evident.

This "Centipede" and "Loulan Ancient City" must be hiding a secret that even Lord Shura values ​​highly!
“I’ll go with you!” Uchiha Hikaru stepped forward almost immediately, his clear, cold voice filled with determination.

Last time, Menma went to Amegakure to fight Jigen alone, and she couldn't go with him. This time, she absolutely couldn't let him risk his life alone again.

Menma shook his head and politely declined, saying, "Hikari, the situation in Loulan is special. It may involve a seal related to space-time ninjutsu. You were once sealed by a technique of the Uzumaki clan. The two sealing powers may cause unpredictable interference or even conflict at close range. It's too dangerous."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Uchiha Hikaru, his words becoming exceptionally grave. "Furthermore, if anything were to happen to me on this trip, my father and mother's reanimated bodies might be affected. The Land of Stars needs someone to oversee it. You are the person I trust most."

Then Menma looked at Shisui, Kisame, and Vanilla: "The military and political system of the Star Country is now on the right track, and all matters can proceed in an orderly manner. I may have to leave for a while during this operation, but there is no need to worry, I will definitely come back."

"..." Uchiha Hikari wanted to say something, but when she met Masa's eyes, she swallowed her words and just pursed her lips tightly, her nails quietly digging into her palms.

She understood that, both publicly and privately, staying in the Star Kingdom to ensure his safe return was a more important responsibility.

"Yes, sir," Shisui, Kisame, and Kaori replied in unison.

They had witnessed how this young man had built the Star Kingdom step by step, and they had almost absolute trust in his judgment and decisions.

The decision has been made, and the matter of making noodles will not be delayed any longer.

He immediately formed hand seals, and thousands of shadow clones, mainly responsible for education and scientific research, were distributed throughout the Star Kingdom. Instantly, they turned into white smoke and dissipated, and a vast amount of memories and experiences returned to the main body like a torrent.

At the same time, he strengthened the chakra connection with the shadow clone lurking in Konoha and gave Kisame Hoshigaki a secret order.

Once the shadow clones of Konoha dissipate, the ANBU spies hidden in Konoha will automatically execute the pre-set plan after detecting the anomaly.

Kisame Hoshigaki personally led an elite squad to launch a high-intensity surprise attack on Konoha Village.

This move was intended to create chaos, attract attention from all sides, and take advantage of the confusion to "kidnap" a group of targets of special value, such as young ninjas from certain bloodline clans, in order to cover up the disappearance of Konoha's "Menma".

With the exceptionally capable military minister Uchiha Hikaru at the helm, the Star Ninja Army—a powerful and well-equipped force with over three thousand regular soldiers—and a comprehensive defense and early warning system, Menma was fully confident that even if the Land of Fire, the Land of Lightning, and the Land of Water launched a joint attack for some purpose, the Star Nation would be able to cope and even achieve absolute victory.

With everything arranged, Menma no longer hesitated. He activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.

The next moment, his figure appeared in a secret underground laboratory deep within Sunagakure Castle.

The air here is cool, the walls are made of solid rock, and a specially made Flying Thunder God kunai hangs from the ceiling in the center of the room, emitting a faint chakra fluctuation.

This is one of the several teleportation points he had set up in Wind County.

Without a moment's rest, Mianma sensed the direction, rushed out of the laboratory, and sped towards the ruins of the ancient city of Loulan at an astonishing speed.

The scorching desert winds swept towards him, but could not get within three feet of him before being repelled by an invisible repulsive force.

As he ventured deeper into the desert, the surrounding scenery became increasingly desolate.

Finally, on the horizon, the outline of a huge ruin appeared faintly in the swirling yellow sand.

The broken stone pillars and crumbling walls silently tell the story of past glories and bygone times.

"Is this the place..." Menma slowed his pace, his black divine robes fluttering in the hot desert wind.

He raised his hand and placed the white three-eyed fox mask firmly on his face, revealing only his eyes, and slowly stepped into the desolate ruins.

The moment he stepped into the core area of ​​the ruins, a sudden change occurred!
Chi Chi Chi -!
Several sharp whooshing sounds came from the shadows from all directions!
Those were several grotesque puppets, their arms equipped with high-speed mechanisms that sprayed out dense clusters of kunai, each with a sizzling explosive tag attached to its tail!

Menma's figure swayed like a ghost, leaving an afterimage in his place, precisely avoiding the trajectories of all the kunai.

At the same time, he casually waved his right hand, and several finger-thick, jet-black chakra rods condensed out of thin air and shot out!

Puff puff!
The black rods accurately struck the chakra core nodes of the puppets. The powerful Yin-Yang Release interference instantly stiffened their movements, extinguished the light in their eyes, and they scattered on the ground like puppets whose strings had been pulled, stirring up a cloud of dust.

Deep within the ruins, a slender man with short brown hair, wearing a dark blue vest in the standard uniform of a Star Ninja, peeked out from behind a cover in a panic, just in time to see his carefully arranged puppet ambush being so easily thwarted by the enemy.

His face drained of color, and his eyes were filled with fear and disbelief.

It is indeed a centipede.

"Shura...Shura?! Why did he come in person?!" Centipede's heart pounded wildly, almost bursting out of his chest.

He originally thought that at most he would attract some secret agents to pursue him. With his knowledge of the Loulan ruins and his prior arrangements, he was confident that he could outmaneuver or even turn the tables. But he never expected that he would attract this guy directly!
He dared not take any more chances and scrambled toward a broken wall deep within the ruins.

With trembling hands, Baizu quickly formed several hand seals and pressed them onto a spot on the wall.

A faint light flashed, and the wall quietly slid open, revealing a deep, downward-facing opening.

Centipede plunged inside, and the stone door quickly closed behind him.

"Just show me the way." Menma walked slowly to the wall, sensing the faint chakra and spatial fluctuations remaining behind the door.

He extended his finger, and a half-meter-long black chakra rod quickly took shape at his fingertip. Then, he easily pierced the center of the stone gate as if inserting it into tofu.

Click...

boom!
The solid stone door, centered on the point where the black rod was inserted, was instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks, and then exploded with a bang, turning into countless fragments of stone, revealing a dusty staircase passage that extended downwards behind it.

Mianma walked down the steps with steady steps.

The passage wasn't long; at the end, it opened up into a huge, cylindrical underground space.

It was empty and quiet here.

A narrow stone corridor connects the entrance to the circular altar at the center of the space.

The altar is made of a certain type of stone, with strangely shaped human-shaped stone statues standing in the four corners, exuding an ancient and weathered atmosphere.

At the center of the altar was a complex sealing formation. At the very center of the formation, on a raised circular stone platform, stood a kunai with an ancient design.

Centipede stood beside the stone platform, its back to the entrance, its body trembling slightly with fear and excitement.

Hearing the unhurried footsteps behind him, he turned around abruptly, his face contorted with extreme emotion. He stared intently at the black figure wearing a fox-face mask who was approaching step by step, and hissed, "You...you do know the legend of the Dragon Vein! Right!"

Menma stopped a few meters away from the altar, silently scrutinizing Centipede, his gaze behind the mask as if he were observing an experimental subject.

Mianma's silence was nothing short of contempt to Baizu, which ignited the fear and madness that had been building up inside him.

His face contorted with a grimace of despair and ambition, his voice shrill with excitement: "But it's too late! I've found it! The power of the dragon vein lies beneath my feet!"

He spread his arms as if to embrace the entire altar, his fanatical eyes fixed on the kunai in the center: "As long as I get it... as long as I get this endless energy! Even you, who are known as the 'Shura of the Ninja World'! You will never be my match! As long as I defeat you, I can prove my worth to the entire ninja world! I can rule everything! Hahaha!"

Maniacal laughter echoed in the empty underground space.

Without further hesitation, Centipede quickly formed a series of complex hand seals and shouted, "Release!"

The sealing runes on the altar suddenly shone with a blinding light, then quickly dimmed, as if some kind of restraint had been forcibly released.

With a fanatical and twisted smile on his face, Centipede gripped the handle of the kunai stuck in the stone platform with both hands and pulled it out with all his might!

Om-!
The moment the kunai was pulled out, a massive, heart-stopping torrent of purple energy, like an ancient beast awakened from its slumber, suddenly erupted from beneath the stone platform!

The violent energy transformed into visible purple light streams, like countless writhing giant pythons, instantly coiling around the centipede that was within arm's reach!
"Aaaaaah—!" Centipede let out a shrill scream. His body began to expand and twist irregularly under the impact of the dragon vein energy. Strange purple patterns appeared on the surface of his skin, and his chakra surged wildly at an astonishing speed.

At the same time, a small, dark red head cautiously peeked out from the fur collar of Mianma's divine robe.

Dark Nine-Tailed Fox, existing in the form of a tiny fox girl, stared intently at the soaring purple pillar of light with her bright fox eyes, a rare solemnity appearing on her small face.

“Such immense… natural energy…” Xiao Jiu’s voice carried a hint of wariness as she turned to look at Menma: “Is this the ‘dragon vein’ you’ve been searching for, Menma?”

"Hmm." Menma responded briefly, his gaze never leaving the raging dragon vein energy core.

In the world of "Limited Tsukuyomi", he did spend a lot of energy searching for information about the dragon veins, but he never found anything.

Having lived in this real world for many years, my memories of it had become somewhat hazy. But now, witnessing it with my own eyes, those memories from the depths of my soul have become clear again.

The purple dragon vein energy pillar grew thicker and thicker, its light becoming increasingly dazzling, almost filling the entire underground space, and began to expand and devour outwards uncontrollably.

The centipede was the first to be hit; its body was violently deformed in the light, and its screams were drowned out by the roar of energy.

Mianma stood still, not retreating, but instead facing the destructive energy torrent, slowly raising his right hand.

He doesn't want to confront, but rather...

Contact, perception.

Just before his fingertips were about to touch the raging purple energy, a dazzling pure white light suddenly erupted, instantly engulfing his vision, the roaring centipede, the entire altar, and all his senses.

After the white light faded, the underground space returned to its deathly silence.

The runes in the center of the altar also disappeared, as if nothing had ever happened.

(End of this chapter)