Konoha: I, Naruto, will eat the Forest-Forest Fruit!

"My purpose in coming here is for the Dragon Vein Chakra, and also for one person."

Before Naruto could finish speaking, Sara interrupted their conversation.

"Stop talking!"

"Nonsense!"

"The ninja who came here six years ago wasn't the one called Centipede!"

"But he was an outstanding man named An Lushan!"

As she spoke, Sara walked towards Naruto, "Now, An Lushan, as a minister, has inherited his mother's last wish and is working diligently for this city!"

"He was a peace-loving man!"

"How could he possibly be the manufacturer of that weapon, as you claim?!"

Minato looked at her, "Your Majesty."

"I'm sorry, you've been deceived by that man."

"I can't believe such a thing!" Sarah said vehemently.

"Can you guess why your mother died?"

Why did An Lushan treat you like a father?

Why were you pushed down again today?

Naruto's three questions made Sara retreat repeatedly.

She wanted to argue, but when she saw Naruto's face, she didn't want to argue anymore.

This strange feeling is getting stronger and stronger.

"Because you can also control the dragon vein chakra."

"You inherited your mother's power, but you know nothing about anything, so you can be used."

"You...you're talking nonsense!" Sara stammered, avoiding Naruto's eyes.

"Why don't you go and check it yourself?" Naruto laughed.

"Hmph! Fine, I'll go!" Sarah turned and ran off like a child who hadn't grown up yet.

Watching her receding figure.

Minato hesitated for a moment, then turned and exchanged a glance with Akimichi Choza and Aburame Shimi.

Then, uncertainly, he asked, "For someone...is it her?"

Naruto nodded slightly.

There's no need to hide it.

That said, he doesn't seem to have had such an obvious purpose very often.

The Lost Tower...maybe we shouldn't call it Lost anymore.

Naruto's lips curled slightly. "She'll understand the truth soon enough."

"You can come along if you want. I already know where Centipede is."

The three did not reply.

Naruto didn't insist, he just waved his hand and said:

"You can also continue searching for the location of the centipede."

"I won't keep you company any longer. The future... the future will be very exciting."

After saying that, Naruto walked in the direction where Sara had disappeared.

After Naruto's figure disappeared.

Choza Akimichi couldn't help but say:

"Minato, this kid is very talented. I feel a lot of pressure from him."

Yu Nuzhi nodded in agreement.

"Yes, my bugs... seem to have all gotten sick after seeing him."

"It felt like we had encountered some terrifying enemy."

Kushina's image flashed through Minato's mind.

"Yes, just as excellent as his mother."

"Are we still going to look for Centipede?" Akimichi Choza asked.

Minato narrowed his eyes. "This kid doesn't seem to be lying... In that case, let's stick behind them and try not to expose ourselves again."

Both Akimichi Choza and Aburame Shimi felt that Minato's decision was acceptable.

"Just in case, I'll send out some insects to search."

After leaving behind a few insects, Shiki Aburame followed Minato and Choza and vanished in a flash.

the other side.

After Sarah left, she headed back towards the palace in the tower.

"I will prove An Lushan's innocence!"

Sarah herself lacked confidence when she said that.

Just then, a figure appeared in the corridor and pulled her into a storage room.

The world before my eyes turned dark.

After adapting to the dark environment.

She then discovered that the normally abandoned storage room was filled with masked people.

They were all carrying various kinds of weapons.

But more often, they were farm tools such as shovels, hoes, and rakes.

The leader was a masked woman.

Sarah was so frightened that she leaned against the door, her face full of disbelief.

"Do any of these people really want me dead?"

The masked woman at the head of the group stepped forward and sized up Sarah.

"Are you really Her Majesty Sarah?"

Sarah took a deep breath and adopted the demeanor befitting a queen.

"I am Queen Sarah."

"If you want to take my life, then come at me honestly and squarely."

As soon as he finished speaking, all the masked men raised their weapons.

Sarah was so frightened that her whole body trembled involuntarily.

"Give it back to us!"

The masked men all shouted.

Also...what else?

Sarah didn't know, but she knew that these people in front of her didn't seem to be going to let her go easily.

She started to get scared.

creak-

At that moment, the door was pushed open.

Naruto walked in.

When Sara saw Naruto arrive, she immediately stopped being afraid.

She quickly hid behind Naruto.

Naruto only glanced at the dark room.

The next instant, the lights in the room turned on automatically.

The dark room was instantly illuminated.

Upon seeing this, the masked leader was slightly startled, but he also immediately lifted his mask.

Her delicate face was revealed beneath the mask.

Seeing her like this, the other masked men also took off their masks.

Sarah then realized that she had been "kidnapped" by a group of elderly people, women, and children.

"My name is Salai... I'm not a bad person," a chubby little boy with rabbit teeth said tremblingly.

The woman at the head looked at Naruto and said softly:

"I'm so sorry, I'm Mako."

As she spoke, she gave Naruto a slight bow.

"We just have something we'd like to trouble Your Majesty Sarah with."

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief, but also asked in confusion, "What do you want me to repay?"

"Their fathers, relatives, and friends—simply put, the male members of Loulan."

Sara frowned, looking at Naruto with a puzzled expression.

Naruto shook his head. "Let's go. We'll see for ourselves how enthusiastically the people are welcoming you."

After saying that, he took the lead and walked out of the room.

Sarah quickly followed.

Mako and Salai exchanged a glance before looking at the elderly and children.

"You wait here. That ninja seems to know something."

After saying that, the two followed him out.

Upon reaching the hallway, Sarah looked down and couldn't help but exclaim, "The view of the parade from here is exceptionally beautiful!"

Naruto shook his head. "Let's go down and take a look."

As he spoke, he picked Sarah up and carried her.

Sara gasped, but the next moment, she hugged Naruto's neck tightly.

Naruto burst through the window and flew downwards towards the crowd.

Mako and Salai quickly took the elevator down.

Once on the ground, Sarah sensed something was wrong as she looked at the marching crowd.

"So beautiful... This spectacular parade was organized by An Lushan."

"The march was held to encourage me and the people who are grieving because of my mother's passing."

Naruto put her down. "So, you didn't even care when you fell today?"

Sarah fell silent immediately.

Salai, who had caught up, scoffed, "That's strange!"

Sarah said with a hint of anger, "What's so strange about it?!"

Salai said, "Everyone says that Her Majesty Sara is just a puppet princess."

Naruto patted her on the shoulder. "When you're with these people, do you put on your queenly act?"

Sarah quickly shook her head. "No...no!"

Mako also said, "I apologize, Your Majesty."

"But Salai's point is not without merit."

"Everyone's family members were taken away one morning."

"It was Your Majesty's order."

Sarah was furious and was about to retort, but she immediately stopped herself.

He softened his tone and said, "I didn't give that kind of order."

Naruto grabbed her hand and led her toward the crowd.

"It's actually quite unreasonable."

Sarah was puzzled, but obediently did not ask any questions.

For some reason, the longer I spend with Naruto, the closer I feel to him.

This feeling is wonderful.

Naruto shook his head. "Why use manpower to make puppets?"

"I can borrow your control over the dragon vein's power... never mind."

Naruto led Sara to the back of the parade.

He reached out and pulled a figure towards him.

"Then, Your Majesty, these are the people who warmly welcome you."

Sarah's pupils contracted sharply, and her pretty face instantly lost all color.

She broke free from Naruto's grasp and turned to run.

"Still so fond of running away?"

Naruto's words seemed to have a magical power, causing Sara to stop in her tracks.

His shoulders were trembling.

Naruto casually tossed away the puppet dressed in civilian clothes.

"Don't you want to see your beloved mother's killer, Centipede... um, An Lushan?"

Sarah turned around, her shoulders trembling, two lines of tears already streaming down her face.

It was at this moment that...

Above, on the stands where she had been standing.

A 'queen' dressed in queenly attire and with long red hair appeared.

He did the same thing as her, waving to the puppet people below.

The queen's face also resembled that of a puppet.

Sarah felt like the sky had fallen.

Everything is true.

Even though she had become aware of things during this time, she still chose to believe An Lushan when the facts were not presented to her.

But now... everything is gone.

She closed her eyes in pain.

He collapsed to the ground.

He hugged his own legs.

After a moment of silence, she suddenly began humming the Dragon Vein Song, which her mother loved to sing most when she was alive.

Naruto came up to her and squatted down.

He gently stroked her head. "Do you know why I never came here?"

Sarah looked up, tears streaming down her face.

"After my mother passed away, I only had An Lushan by my side... I had no one else to rely on."

The next second, Sara threw herself into Naruto's arms.

"I know... I was listening when you were talking to the Konoha ninja... Was it for me?"

Naruto patted her on the back and picked her up.

"It's definitely because of you."

He looked up at the towering buildings of Loulan.

"I've known about this place for a long time."

"In my memory, this place is called the 'Lost Tower'."

"The Lost Tower?" Sarah asked, puzzled.

Naruto chuckled, "However, it's not called the Lost Tower anymore."

"Let's go, let's deal with the centipede, and I'll take you back to the future."

"But...Loulan...I am the Queen of Loulan."

"The Queen of Loulan will leave behind something."

As he spoke, Naruto's back materialized into an elemental form, and a white, rare wooden clone appeared.

Naruto gestured to Sara to touch it.

A love that transcends time and space?

The phrase popped into Sarah's mind.

He reached out and gently placed his hand on the forehead of the white, rare wooden clone.

Soon, Bai Jueban's wooden clone transformed into her appearance.

"She will complete your mission for you. Loulan will eventually become ruins; that is an unchangeable fact."

"If change is necessary, the future will undergo tremendous changes."

"However, she will lead the people of Loulan to survive."

"It is true that Loulan will disappear, but these people will not disappear. In the future, she will lead the people out of the desert."

As a queen who can control the dragon vein chakra, Sara is no different from ordinary people.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have developed these feelings for Naruto.

Because in the future, when Naruto's true form steps into the purple pillar of light emanating from the Dragon Vein Chakra, he will have already gained the world's recognition and the Dragon Vein Chakra's approval.

Sara looked into Naruto's deep blue eyes, then gently leaned against his chest.

"Okay, I understand."

Mother, I have someone to rely on now.

It must be the dragon vein that heard my call... and brought him from the future.

In the distance, Choza Akimichi poked the water gate.

"Minato, this kid... seems to be more popular than you."

Aburame nodded slightly. "Yes, in the blink of an eye, she's won over Her Majesty the Queen."

Minato looked at Naruto's practiced movements and turned his head away.

"I didn't teach it."

"Was that taught by Kushina?" Akimichi Choza asked.

"It wasn't Kushina who taught him either."

"Who taught you that?"

"I...I don't know." Minato shook his head.

"Let's go, that child seems to be going to deal with the centipede," Aburame Shiki reminded him.

Minato looked down and saw Naruto carrying Sara as they walked deeper into the Loulan region.

"It shouldn't be...it shouldn't be me...cough cough, it wasn't me and Kushina who taught it, right?"