Although Sara was doubtful, since it concerned her mother's death, she couldn't afford to hesitate. She immediately supported Naruto and, blushing slightly, said, "It's too high here, take me down."
Naruto flashed a smile and carried Sara in a princess hold, "Hold on tight."
Without caring about Sara's shy scream in his arms, he swiftly leaped downward.
Everyone exchanged glances. Minato was a bit embarrassed, "Naruto… he's a bit dense, but it seems like he's good at flirting with girls."
Rin subconsciously nodded, then glanced at Obito, 'Back when we were kids, these two have very similar personalities, but why isn't Obito as good at flirting as Naruto?'
Obito, on the other hand, was puzzled, 'Strange, according to Zetsu's reports, Naruto wasn't supposed to have this ability…'
———
On the other side, Naruto had already brought Sara to an inconspicuous corner around the plaza. He pointed at the long parade of Rōran citizens marching in a line, "Sara, take a good look, what are they?"
Sara stood frozen on the spot.
From the high tower, she had seen a scene of prosperity and lively commotion, but now that she was closer, she only saw puppets, endlessly making mechanical "clack-clack" noises as they moved in a rigid and lifeless manner, repeating fixed motions.
At that moment, her heart sank into an icy abyss. The scene was too eerie, filling her with fear and dread.
At this time, Obito and the others arrived.
Seeing Sara trembling all over, Obito said flatly, "Do you understand why this is happening?"
Sara shook her head in confusion, "I… I don't know."
Obito's gaze was deep, "You thought your people loved you, but you never came down from your tower to truly be among them. You only watched them from afar, from above."
"To be honest, as the ruler of a city, you've failed. Even the Hokage knows to observe the people's conditions from time to time, but you were deceived by the illusion of prosperity, locking yourself in your high tower, indulging in a beautiful fantasy. You… are not a qualified queen."
Sara collapsed to her knees, "All this time, have I been wrong?"
Naruto was instantly furious and shouted at Obito, "Hey, kid, watch your mouth!"
Then he stepped forward and gave Sara a bright, determined smile, "Sara, don't be discouraged. It's not too late to see the truth now. I believe in you. You can definitely do it, you can become a real, outstanding queen."
Sara was moved by the aura radiating from Naruto, tears streaming down her face as she gave him a gentle hug, "Thank you, Naruto! I swear, from now on, I will change. I will become a true queen."
Not far away, even Kakashi couldn't help but sigh, "Aren't these two progressing a little too fast?"
After realizing that the cheering crowd was actually a group of puppets, Sara understood what Obito meant, "So, my mother was killed by Anrokuzan?"
Obito nodded, "Otherwise, why would he go to such lengths to deceive you? He just wants to make you one of his countless puppets, completely under his control."
Sara was momentarily lost, then asked, "What should I do now?"
Obito replied, "It's simple. If you want to be an excellent ruler, you can't rely on subordinates for everything. You should have a way to control the Dragon Vein, right? After all, you are the true Queen of Rōran."
Sara nodded, "I do, but I can't just take your words at face value. I want to see the Dragon Vein's location myself and find out if Anrokuzan is really secretly creating a puppet army as you say."
After thinking for a moment, Sara said to everyone, "Follow me."
The group nodded and followed her. Before long, they arrived at a massive underground factory.
Sara looked at the nearby sewer entrance and said, "We'll sneak in from here. That way, we won't alert anyone. Inside is the core of the Dragon Vein. If Anrokuzan wants to use its power, he must be accessing it from here."
Everyone nodded, lifted the cover, and entered one by one.
Since the underground sewer system was complex, with platforms of varying heights, and Sara wasn't a ninja, she had to rely on Naruto for support. As a result, the two inevitably had a lot of physical contact.
During this time, Sara also gradually opened up to Naruto, and their conversation grew livelier. Before long, they had built a deep emotional bond.
Everyone believed that if Naruto proposed to Sara at that moment, she would probably agree.
Minato grew even more confused and quietly asked Obito, "Obito, are you sure the Naruto in your memory couldn't even handle a single girl? Why do I feel like many girls would like him?"
Obito gave an awkward smile, "I don't know either, sensei. The Naruto I remember… not only couldn't get a girl, but he couldn't get a guy either. He chased Sasuke for so long and still couldn't bring him back. Haha!"
Sweat dripped from Minato's forehead, "Obito, that joke wasn't funny at all."
With that, everyone continued talking as they moved forward and soon arrived at the Dragon Vein's core area.
As soon as they arrived, Sara was shocked by the scene before her.
This was a massive puppet manufacturing factory. Countless parts were being produced on an assembly line, and around it, numerous laborers were forced to work under the supervision of puppet guards.
These people looked exhausted, their steps unsteady, and their expressions numb as they worked, as if they had lost all hope for life.
Sara's heart ached, "Anrokuzan really is creating puppet weapons… and he has even enslaved a large number of Rōran citizens. This cannot continue, I must stop it!"
She observed her surroundings and pointed at a square platform below, "Take me there. That's the Dragon Vein's power control hub, I can shut it down from there."
Naruto nodded and looked at Minato.
Minato smile, "There are too many puppets around. You take Sara over, I'll stay here with the others to stand guard."
Naruto nodded and quietly led Sara onto the platform.
Sara became serious, walked to the metallic control device in the center, knelt, and chanted an incantation, "I, as Queen, command you, sever the flow of the Dragon Vein and suppress your power."
As she spoke, a glow appeared in her hands, and in an instant, the entire factory came to a halt.
Sara let out a breath of relief and stood up, "With this, the Dragon Vein's power will no longer flow into the factory."
Naruto smiled, "That's great! Now we can—"
However, before he could finish his sentence, threads of chakra suddenly emerged, linking to the completed puppets in the factory. The puppets instantly activated, forming a massive army.
Anrokuzan's figure appeared on a high platform in the factory at some point, his expression unreadable, "Your Majesty, what are you doing here?"
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