Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha lacks motivation.

Hehehe

Bandai, whose eyes and brows held a more alluring quality than usual, chuckled softly, a smile that sent chills down Sara's spine.

"My princess, now that you've discovered my secret, you have no choice but to die."

"You pervert, don't even think about hurting Sarah."

Naruto, enduring the stomach pain, shakily stood up and glared defiantly at Centipede, who had gone to such lengths to conceal her identity by disguising herself as a stunningly beautiful woman.

abnormal?

Hiding in the shadows, An Lushan's lips twitched violently. If it weren't for the fact that he wanted to trick this naive princess into helping him unseal the dragon vein, he would have already revealed his true form and skinned and dismembered this foul-mouthed brat from Konoha, turning him into a mobile humanoid toilet puppet.

"You meddlesome brat."

Under An Lushan's control, "Bandai" raised its long legs and slammed them down towards Naruto's face.

"You all go and save the people down there, I'll deal with her."

Naruto raised his hand, creating a clone, and without turning his head, gave instructions to Sara and the others. With the clone's assistance, his outstretched left hand quickly condensed into a blue chakra ball.

"Buzz~ Buzz~"

Holding the buzzing Rasengan, Naruto advanced instead of retreating, heading straight for the onrushing "Bandai."

"Crunch crunch"

As if wary of the Rasengan's destructive power, Bandai, mid-air, performed a highly difficult maneuver that defied human anatomy, twisting her body almost 180 degrees. Her descending thigh also changed its trajectory, landing a solid kick on Naruto's exposed ribs.

"Bang!"

"puff!"

Caught off guard, Naruto felt his blood churn in his chest from the sudden kick. Had it not been for the powerful regenerative abilities inherent in his bloodline, he would likely have died on the spot.

"That is."

Minato, who was lurking not far away, saw the Rasengan in Naruto's hand dissipate, and a look of relief appeared in his eyes.

Sure enough, this child is

"Minato, should we go down and help?"

Seeing this, Akimichi Choza frowned and asked in a muffled voice,

"Is it now basically confirmed that Prime Minister Wandai is the time traveler?"

Aburame Shiki adjusted her sunglasses, shifting her gaze away from the aggressively pursuing "Bandai".

"There's something fishy about this. If Bandai is here, then who was the person who accompanied the Queen on her parade just now?"

Minato did not jump to conclusions. After parting ways with Naruto, the three of them had been investigating Bandai within the city of Loulan, while also secretly tracking the float carrying the Queen and Bandai.

If it weren't for the warning sent by the evil insect that Zhiwei left on Naruto, the three of them would probably have continued to keep an eye on him.

The next second, Naruto gave him the answer.

Under the combined attack of dozens of shadow clones, Bandai finally showed an opening. Naruto seized the opportunity and delivered a Rasengan that landed squarely on her face.

"Snapped!"

With a crisp cracking sound, everyone present was horrified to see "Bandai" still standing there, its neck bent at a ninety-degree angle.

"It actually managed to hurt me."

After manually straightening the swaying head, the cracked skin on Bandai's pretty face, which was radiating a purple aura, began to heal at a visible speed.

"Are you a human or a ghost?"

"What I am doesn't matter; what matters is that you're about to become like me."

Bandai chuckled sinisterly, and rows of brand-new ancient puppets from the puppet factory emerged from the shadows behind them. The gleaming claws in their hands sent chills down Naruto's spine.

"What are you waiting for? Run!"

Naruto shouted to Sara, who was rescuing trapped refugees behind him, then raised his hand and created dozens of shadow clones, roaring as they charged towards the puppet army led by Bandai.

"boom!"

The moment the two sides collided, a violent explosion resounded through the sky, but it was unfortunately drowned out by the celebratory cannon fire from the city above.

"A puppet, no wonder there are two Bandai."

Compared to Naruto's overreaction, Minato, who saw through the true form of "Bandai" at a glance, slowly relaxed his furrowed brows.

"Zhiwei, tell Kakashi to create a disturbance outside to divert Bandai's attention."

Upon hearing this, Aburame Shii immediately dispatched a small group of parasitic insects, while Akimichi Choza clenched his fists excitedly.

"Can we get started now?"

"Yes, but remember, you must prioritize rescuing the civilians below."

Minato nodded, drew a shuriken in his backhand, and with a flash, charged towards "Bandai," who was currently overwhelming Naruto, driven by an urgent desire to save his son.

"Sword Shadow Clone Technique!"

"Whoosh whoosh!"

He first threw out a rapidly spinning shuriken, then quickly crossed his hands and formed hand seals. The lone shuriken multiplied exponentially under the boost of chakra.

In the blink of an eye, a dense array of cold light enveloped "Bandai" and the ancient puppets behind her.

"Big Brother Golden Retriever!"

Naruto, in dire straits, saw Minato save him and his eyes were filled with admiration. "No wonder he's the future Fourth Hokage!"

"Annoying ants."

Watching the Minato trio fall one after another, An Lushan frowned in displeasure. With a flick of his finger, the Dragon Vein power sealed within him rapidly surged into the "Bandai" puppet's body along chakra lines barely visible to the naked eye.

"Crackling! Crackling! Crackling!"

After the baptism of sword rain, the ancient puppet army physically disintegrated, with only the tattered "Bandai" standing precariously amidst the ruins.

"Crunch crunch"

Are you alright?

Upon landing, Minato first checked Naruto's injuries and found that his wounds were already smoking and scabbing over. He breathed a sigh of relief, but a strange look appeared in his eyes.

This child seems to resemble Kushina more.

"This minor injury is nothing to worry about."

Naruto smiled and gave a thumbs up, his movements carrying a hint of familiarity, which made Minato's head spin.

Could this kid's tutor be that kid Kai?

"Be careful!"

Just as the father and son were exchanging pleasantries, Aburame Shii, who was on guard duty, suddenly issued a warning. Everyone immediately looked at the dilapidated Bandai.

"You think you can defeat me like this?"

She raised her rag doll-like head and gave them a horrifying smile.

The next second, purple dragon vein power burst forth from her body, and the shattered puppet parts beneath her feet, as if summoned by some unseen force, surged towards her frantically, their damaged parts instantly restored to their original state.

"Damn it, kill her quickly!"

Although Minato didn't know what Bandai was planning, his sixth sense told him he had to stop them.

"Secret Technique: Insect Jade!"

"Partial Multiplication Technique!"

Aburame Shiki and Akimichi Choza attacked in perfect unison, their gigantic fists slamming "Bandai" away, while the swarming black insects seized the opportunity to rapidly devour the purple chakra.

"Hehehe, in this place, I am invincible!"

Just as the two were preparing to score points for their combination attack, "Bandai," covered in parasites, let out a chilling, sinister laugh.

The power of the dragon vein endowed this puppet with the miraculous ability of super-fast regeneration, so it was not afraid even if it was smashed to pieces.

"Brother Golden Hair, your shuriken is too small, let me do it!"

Seeing Minato pull out a shuriken, Naruto immediately held it out horizontally and strode forward amidst Minato's puzzled gaze.

"Wind Release: Rasengan!"

With the help of the two clones working together, a huge spiral shuriken exuding a sharp aura makes a dazzling appearance.

"Well"

Seeing his son pull out a secret technique he'd never seen before, Minato, clutching a shuriken, lowered his head in slight embarrassment.

In comparison, his shuriken does indeed appear rather small.

"Hmm!"

On the other side, Aburame Shiki, who was manipulating the parasitic insects to devour chakra, suddenly blushed. He felt his parasitic insects dying at an extremely rapid pace. He swayed, his eyes behind his sunglasses filled with horror.

"How is this possible? How can she have so much chakra?"

He never imagined that his proud parasite would one day be overfed and die.

The dark swarm of insects was forced to retreat, revealing the rapidly expanding body of "Bandai." In just a few breaths, a giant "Bandai" over ten meters tall appeared before everyone present.

"snort!"

With a cold snort, Akimichi Choza, who hadn't yet dispelled the Expansion Technique, was kicked away and slammed heavily onto the protruding armory facility.

"Aaaaaah!"

At that moment, Naruto arrived, wielding a buzzing Rasengan. Glancing back at the destructive aura emanating from the Rasengan's jutsu, "Wanda" raised his hand, unleashing another special chakra-absorbing ability granted by his Dragon Vein.

"Buzz~ Buzz~ Sha."

To Naruto's disbelief, the Rasengan, which had been so menacing just a second ago, completely deflated after roaring twice, turning into a wisp of chakra that was absorbed into Bandai's body.

"Bang!"

Without the Spiral Shuriken, he naturally lost the ability to challenge Bandai. He was easily slapped away and sent flying, rolling on the ground like a spinning top.

"Naruto!"

Upon seeing this, Minato immediately vanished, embracing his son who was spitting blood. With a grave expression, he returned to his two injured teammates, his brow furrowed, and said in a heavy tone,

"She has already stolen the dragon vein; with just the strength of a few of us, it will be difficult to contend with her."

"No matter when, Konoha's ninjas are nothing special."

Looking down at the disheveled group, Bandai's face revealed a hint of mockery. He then turned his gaze to Sara, who had already rescued the trapped refugees, a strange light flickering in his eyes.

"Everyone, run with me!"

Sarah looked at the emaciated refugees and felt a pang of self-reproach. As the princess of Loulan, the future queen of Loulan, she had failed to protect even her own people.

"Where do you want to go, my little princess?"

As the chilling voice faded, Sara looked up at the enormous black shadow looming overhead, and tremblingly raised the chakra blade that Naruto had just lent her for self-defense.

"You old hag, don't even think about hurting innocent people again."

"If your mother could see you like this, she would be so proud, but sadly, she will never see it."

Bandai gently shook its head, its enormous hand about to cover the trembling Sara.

"don't want!"

Naruto, clutched in Minato's arms, struggled to rush to his aid, but the sharp pain from his broken ribs prevented him from rising. He could only watch helplessly as Sara, whom he had sworn to protect, fell into the hands of the enemy.

Roar!

Under the influence of uncontrollable extreme emotions, a wild crimson flashed in Naruto's azure eyes. Minato, who was supporting his grown son, smelled this familiar scent and his expression suddenly changed.

Nine-tailed Fox?

Doesn't that mean Kushina?

Seeing Naruto's face gradually contort into a grimace, Minato felt a pang of sorrow in his heart.

He knew very well that the Tailed Beasts would only be sealed into a new Jinchuriki after the previous Jinchuriki died.

No wonder this child doesn't even recognize himself; it means that in the near future, Konoha will face an unprecedented upheaval, and he and Kushina may both...

Minato shook his head vigorously, forcibly interrupting his wandering thoughts, but the worry in his eyes lingered.

"Don't even think about harming the princess!"

At this critical moment, an unexpected figure rushed in front of Sarah and shielded her tightly behind him.

"An Lushan?"

In despair, Sarah gazed at the familiar figure's retreating back, her eyes filled with emotion.

"Uncle?"

Because of An Lushan's sudden appearance, Naruto's consciousness regained some clarity, and the tailed beast chakra that had just overflowed from the seal was thus put back in.

"It's you again, you annoying fellow. If it weren't for you, I would have already firmly grasped this country in my hands."

Looking down at An Lushan's righteous face, "Bandai" displayed the basic qualities a villain should have.

"As long as I live, you will not succeed."

Feeling the admiring and grateful gazes from everyone present, An Lushan felt his act was a resounding success. He reasoned that it was far better to put on such a deeply moving performance than to brainwash people with words.

"Princess, I'll hold them off here. You should quickly lead them away."

"good!"

"Well?"

Upon hearing the answer, which was completely different from what he had expected, An Lushan's expression suddenly froze, and "Bandai" in front of him also fell into an odd silence.

Shouldn't you be saying you want to stay and fight alongside me at a time like this?

"An Lushan, I believe in your loyalty. If you survive this time, I will definitely appoint you as prime minister when I take office."

At such a young age, she had already learned to make grand promises. Sarah nodded earnestly to An Lushan, waved her little hand, and led the refugees on a run outside.

"Tsk!"

Despite his meticulous planning, An Lushan hadn't anticipated the girl's cunning. He had initially thought Sarah was a simpleton, but she turned out to be remarkably insightful when it came to matters of principle.

"With your skills, you old codger, go get some sushi!"

Plans can't keep up with changes, but fortunately An Lushan had many backup plans. Since his imagined joint operation to trick Sara into releasing the power of the dragon vein failed, he would resort to force.

"what!"

Faced with Bandai's overwhelming force, An Lushan was quickly captured after his "valiant" resistance proved futile. Sara, who had only run less than a hundred meters, saw this and her face instantly turned extremely ugly.

"No, Lao An, didn't you always brag to me that you were the number one warrior of Loulan? How come you've already fallen behind so quickly?"

"That was before!"

Bandai, clutching the blood-spitting An Lushan, leaped forward to block Sara's path, giving no one else a chance to react. He grabbed her and then jumped up, the giant puppet disappearing into the complex, dark underground in the blink of an eye.

"Thump!"

"hateful!"

Watching the person he swore to protect being kidnapped by the enemy, Naruto, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, helplessly pounded the floor.

Minato, however, seemed somewhat distracted, apparently still caught up in his earlier speculation.

"not good!"

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he abruptly stood up.

"Kakashi is in danger!"

Since they failed to capture "Bandai," the real Bandai outside must already know of their existence. So, wouldn't Kakashi, who was ordered to harass them, be walking into the lion's den?

"Huh? Kakashi is here too? Where is he? Where is he?"

Upon hearing the familiar name, Naruto's ears twitched, and he immediately stopped his pointless howling. He looked up at Minato, his eyes filled with an eagerness to unleash the secret techniques of Konoha's Hidden Leaf Village.

"Uh, isn't your teacher Kai?" (End of Chapter)