Naruto: Traveling Through Time Starting with Seizing the Dragon Vein

While struggling to maintain his Wood Release, Yamato shouted, "Senpai, Naruto... that blond brat, have you seen him...?"

"Whoosh-!"

A dazzling golden flash suddenly ripped through the dark underground space, accompanied by several ninjas appearing abruptly on the platform behind Yamato.

It was Minato Namikaze, Choza Akimichi, Shiki Aburame, who had painstakingly tracked them down, and Naruto Uzumaki, who had been forcibly taken away from the danger zone by Minato!

"Captain Yamato!!!"

Upon seeing that familiar figure, Naruto shouted excitedly.

Yamato, amidst his busy work, turned around and, seeing Naruto unharmed, immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank goodness, Naruto, you're alright! Quick, come help me! I'm assisting this senior in protecting the Queen..."

"Get away from him! He's not some senior!"

Upon hearing Yamato's words, Minato Namikaze's expression changed slightly, and a hint of anger flashed in his azure eyes.

"What?" Yamato was stunned.

Minato's specially made kunai instantly locked onto Uchiha Tsuki, who was preparing to leave with Sara, and his cold, sharp voice echoed throughout the underground space:

"He wasn't carrying out a mission for Konoha at all! He's an extremely dangerous individual who stole secrets and betrayed the village—a Rank A rogue ninja, Uchiha Tsukuyomi! He's using you!"

"A...a traitorous ninja?!"

Yamato's eyes widened suddenly, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head.

He turned his head and looked incredulously at the black-robed youth with a kind expression.

Upon hearing Minato's revelation, Uchiha Tsukiyomi not only remained calm but also stopped in his tracks.

He slowly turned around, his dark eyes sweeping mockingly over Yamato's shocked face, then over the Minato squad who looked like they were facing a formidable enemy, and finally his gaze fell on the puppet army below that was still frantically attacking the wooden wall.

"Minato, you arrived a little faster than I expected. But the timing is just right."

Yue chuckled softly and formed a hand seal with one hand.

"boom!"

Where Yue had just stood, a plume of smoke from detonating tags suddenly rose up, directly destroying the only metal bridge connecting their platform to the area where Yamato was located.

This completely divided the battlefield.

"Thank you for using your Wood Release to restrain these annoying toys, Captain Yamato."

Across the abyss, Yue bowed slightly to Yamato, performing a gentlemanly gesture, "From now on, these puppets are your Konoha elites to play with at your leisure. As for Her Majesty the Queen and the Dragon Vein, I will accept them."

"Damn it! How dare you play me!"

Yamato was so angry that he trembled all over and almost couldn't even maintain his Wood Release.

How dare he treat me like a fool? He's Captain Yamato!

"Don't let him get away!"

Naruto felt the same way and roared as he was about to rush over, but Minato stopped him.

"Don't be impulsive, Naruto!" Minato's expression was extremely serious.

The current situation has evolved into an extremely difficult three-way conflict.

On one hand, the Loulan mechanical puppet army, led by An Lushan, is relying on the infinite chakra of the dragon vein to attack everyone like zombies without feeling pain.

On the other hand, Uchiha Tsuki, an A-rank rogue ninja with extremely high intelligence and terrifying strength, has already taken Queen Sara, the only "key" that can control the Dragon Vein, hostage and is approaching the core control room.

Meanwhile, Konoha had to protect itself from the surging tide of puppets, and also find a way to stop Uchiha Tsuki's plot and Centipede's rampage without harming Sara.

"Senior Dingza, Senior Zhiwei, I'm entrusting the task of keeping these numerous puppets in check with Yamato!"

Minato made a tactical decision in an instant, and he put his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Naruto, that Uchiha Tsukuyomi is extremely dangerous. Not only is he incredibly strong, but he's also extremely skilled at manipulating people's minds. We must join forces and intercept him and the Queen before Centipede does!"

"Great! I'm definitely going to give that conman a good beating!"

Naruto clenched his fists, his azure eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

If he could stop that rogue ninja here, could he have stopped Sasuke in the same way?

Looking down at Minato and Naruto, who were beginning to move, Uchiha Tsuki, standing in the shadows above, curled his lips into a smile.

"This is getting more and more interesting!"

With a flick of his black robe, Yue, carrying Sara, vanished completely into the deepest darkness leading to the core of the dragon vein.

In the dark and deep underground passage, only the purple light of the dragon vein chakra flickered in and out of the pipes.

"Let me go..."

During the rapid movement, Sara suddenly broke free from Uchiha Tsuki's hand.

Her emerald green eyes were filled with struggle and vigilance as she stared intently at the black-robed youth before her.

“Is what that blond-haired operative in the shadows saying true? You…you really are an extremely dangerous element who betrayed the village?” Sarah’s voice trembled slightly.

She may be naive, but she's not stupid. Would an "A-rank rogue ninja" who would betray even the village where she grew up really be kind enough to save her country?

Faced with Sara's questioning, Uchiha Yue stopped in his tracks.

He slowly turned around, and in the dim light, his scarlet Sharingan eyes showed no sign of flinching, but rather a sense of composure.

"Yes. I am not only a rogue ninja, but also, in the eyes of the Konoha leadership, an extremely dangerous, cold-blooded, and ruthless thug."

Yue answered crisply and decisively, without uttering a single word of explanation.

This surprised Sarah, who had expected the other party to use sweet talk to deceive her.

"If that's the case, why should I believe you? Are you just like An Lushan, trying to use me to control the dragon vein?!"

Sarah took a step back, like a startled hedgehog.

“Your Majesty, it seems you haven’t grasped the situation yet.”

Uchiha Yue took a step forward, and an oppressive aura instantly enveloped Sara.

“In your eyes, what is a good person? What is a bad person? An Lushan, who held you in the palm of his hand and was praised by all the people of Loulan, secretly treated your people as slaves and beasts. But I, this heinous 'traitor,' have shattered the illusion and shown you the bloody truth.”

Yue stretched out her hand and pointed in the direction of the underground arsenal.

Faintly, one could still hear the desperate cries of the laborers.

"Konoha's Anbu is indeed 'just,' but their justice belongs to Konoha. If it's to complete a mission, they can sacrifice the city without hesitation, but I'm different."

Yue lowered her head slightly, her scarlet eyes staring directly into Sarah's soul, her voice low and seductive:

“I don’t need to pledge allegiance to anyone. I only follow my own will. My goal is to completely destroy the centipede and control this power. Your goal is to save the people who are being tortured to the point of wishing they were dead and to avenge your mother. From this perspective, our interests are absolutely aligned.”

"Do you want to be a puppet queen who clings to a false sense of justice and watches helplessly as her country perishes, or do you choose to make a deal with the devil and personally reclaim the smiles that belong to your people?"

Chapter 7 Persuading Sarah

"No... the dragon vein, its power absolutely cannot belong to anyone, absolutely not!"

Faced with Uchiha Tsuki's highly seductive words, Sara took two steps back like a startled fawn.

In addition to hatred for the centipede, her eyes also held a hint of apprehension towards the handsome young man before her.

She may be naive, but she is not stupid.

She understood the subtext in Yue's words.

This man helped her not only to deal with Centipede, but also to seize the dragon vein power that was enough to destroy the world!

She'd just gotten rid of one jackal; was she really going to lure in an even more terrifying tiger?

Seeing Sara's wary gaze, Uchiha Yue's expression beneath his mask showed no surprise.

He knew all too well these flowers that had been protected in a greenhouse since childhood, their minds filled with "innocence" and "absolute correctness".

To truly control a tool, coercion is the worst approach. The most secure contract is one where the tool begs for the knife in despair.

Yue stood still, not in a hurry to refute.

He slowly raised his hand, seemingly wanting to grab Sarah's shoulder, but after his hand hovered in mid-air for a moment, he lowered it again, seemingly helplessly.

His crimson Sharingan eyes gradually dimmed, and then he let out a sigh that carried a hint of relief.

"Fine, I respect your wishes."

Yue's voice became calm, no longer pressing her, and she even turned away, no longer looking at her.

"Since you believe this power shouldn't belong to anyone, I will send you out of Loulan and let you spend the rest of your life safely in an oasis in the desert..."

As Yue spoke, she slowly sheathed the short sword on her back.

"As for this matter, I will no longer interfere. Let An Lushan continue to control this power. You are right. The people of Loulan... and your mother's revenge, should indeed be carried out by you, the queen, personally. I should not overstep my bounds."

"You...you're leaving?"

Sarah was stunned. She had thought the other party would use force or continue to coerce her with those terrible illusions.

"Otherwise what? I, a heinous traitor, can't very well beg to become a savior."

Uchiha Yue grabbed Sara's wrist and, without saying a word, leaped onto a highly concealed platform at the edge of the central hall.

"Before I send you off, Your Majesty, please take a moment to appreciate the miracles your noble ideal of 'belonging to no one' can bring to this country."

Yue released her grip, gesturing for Sarah to look down.

At this moment, the central hall below had been completely transformed into a living hell.

Their conversation did not hinder the plot's progression; Minato and Naruto inevitably clashed with the Centipede.

The centipede, now known as An Lushan, has completely merged with the dragon vein control hub.

He abandoned his human body and transformed into a terrifying multi-legged centipede monster nearly a hundred meters long, composed entirely of purplish-black metal and high-pressure chakra!

"Hahaha! The power of the Dragon Vein is boundless! You insects of Konoha, all of you, turn to ashes!"

The arrogant roar of the centipede shook the entire underground space.

With a single flick of its tail, its massive body easily flattened several heavy metal pillars, each over ten meters in diameter, as if breaking toothpicks.

"Otama Rasengan!"

In mid-air, under Minato's cover, Naruto roared as he slammed a huge blue chakra ball into the centipede's metal shell.