Naruto Uzumaki's already not-so-sharp mind was now even more confused.
It seemed like these people wanted to harm Sāra, but Shindai claimed they were oppressed commoners rising up in rebellion.
Someone must have turned on the lights, and the dim room suddenly brightened.
The dozen or so heavily wrapped figures removed their face coverings—scarves, masks, and other disguises.
The boy who had just frantically shouted "Help!" while dodging Naruto's Chakra Blade said, "I'm Sarai, okay? I'm not some suspicious-looking person!"
The woman who had initially threatened Sāra introduced herself as well. "How rude of me. My name is Yako."
Sarai scratched his head. "We just need to ask something of Lady Sāra, that's all."
Sāra asked, puzzled, "But what exactly do you hope I can give back to you?"
Yako fell silent for a moment before saying, "Please, follow me, Your Majesty."
Yako and Sarai led Shindai, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sāra through the sewers, emerging from a manhole onto a street filled with a parade.
The sight of the festive decorations and cheering crowds lining the streets greatly improved Sāra's mood. "Wow, it looks amazing! This grand procession feels truly beautiful!"
Naruto sighed. "You really think this is the time to be enjoying the sights?"
Smiling, Sāra replied, "An Lushan arranged this celebration to cheer me up after my mother's sudden passing away."
Sarai made a mocking sound. "Now that's what I call strange."
Frowning, Sāra asked, "What's strange about it?"
Sarai answered carelessly, "Everyone treats you like a puppet princess! They're laughing at you behind your back!"
"A puppet princess?!" Sāra exclaimed, clearly taken aback.
"Idiot! Shut up!" Yako snapped at Sarai.
Sarai muttered indifferently, "Fine, fine…"
Yako apologized to Sāra. "Forgive him, Your Highness, but he can't really be blamed. Everyone here has had family members taken away one morning without warning—and rumor says it was on your orders."
"That's a lie!" Sāra shot back angrily. "I never gave such an order!"
Sarai glared furiously at her. "Is it true?! My father and older brother—they were both taken away too!"
Yako continued, "They say those taken are being forced to build military weapons somewhere in this country, so we had no choice but to come directly to you, Lady Sāra…"
Now Shindai understood everything.
Shindai touched his chin and began reasoning aloud: "So here's the deal — that Gatai disguised himself as An Lushan and charmed your mother. While he used the Dragon Vein Energy to help Loulan flourish into a prosperous nation, he also pulled her deep into his conspiracy.
Gatai pretended to be a minister of Loulan and, using either your mother's name or yours, forced the people to build war weapons. Looks like what that chubby kid said is actually right — you're the Puppet Princess, and soon you'll become the Puppet Queen."
Naruto Uzumaki tilted his head in thought before smacking his palm with the fist. "Oh yeah! What you said makes perfect sense, Aniki Shindai!"
Sāra shouted in protest. "That must be a lie! Then why would so many of my people warmly welcome me?"
Sarai grumbled unhappily, "Where's this welcoming crowd? What are you even talking about?"
Sāra pointed at the crowd ahead. "Aren't all these people joyfully celebrating my arrival?"
Shindai narrowed his eyes toward the crowd. "Alright, alright, but don't forget — if those really were her people, they'd definitely seem enthusiastic enough."
Sāra glared at Shindai with burning eyes. "What exactly do you mean by that?!"
Shindai snapped his fingers. A wave of Iron Sand Body drifted forward, enveloping one person from the crowd.
Instantly, the person dropped dead. Shindai manipulated his Iron Sand to lift the fallen body toward them.
"There you go. Your people? All puppets. Not a single living soul among them. I myself work with puppets, so nothing gets past my eyes."
Staring at the lifeless puppet on the ground, Sāra paled dramatically.
Naruto Uzumaki squatted beside the puppet and injected chakra into it. Blue chakra threads emerged, connecting up to an overhead pipeline where countless more chakra threads branched out.
Looking at the chakra threads extending from the pipeline, Naruto told Sāra, "See for yourself, Sāra? These chakra threads clearly come from that pipe."
Sāra stared gravely at the pipeline. "That must be where the power source flows — the energy of the Dragon Vein."
As both Shindai and Naruto looked up at the countless pipes above, realization struck. "So that's how they've been feeding chakra into all the puppets."
Just then,
a door slid open on a nearby building's balcony. Out stepped a puppet dressed exactly like today's Sāra, waving happily down at all the other puppets below.
Sāra's pupils contracted completely. "What...what's going on here?!"
Naruto speculated nervously, "Looks like Gatai plans to turn you into a puppet too."
Shindai chuckled mockingly, "You thought everyone adored you so much, huh? Turns out it was just Gatai amusing himself with your happiness."
"You're lying! This can't be true! An Lushan would never do such a thing!"
Sāra, completely unwilling to accept the situation, stormed straight into the cluster of puppets.
"Sāra! Wait! Where are you going? Wait for me!"
Naruto Uzumaki wanted to chase after her and stop Sāra, but she had already vanished among the puppets.
After Sāra completely disappeared from sight, Naruto Uzumaki could only return and reunite with Shindai.
Naruto Uzumaki grumbled, "Aniki, could you please stop being so provocative?"
Shindai shrugged his hands, "She can't escape anyway. What's there to rush about? Let's go."
Naruto Uzumaki asked in surprise, "Aniki, do you know where she is?"
Shindai nodded, "Yeah, I attached some Iron Sand Body to her. Just follow the trail."
Naruto Uzumaki immediately became cheerful again, giving Shindai a thumbs-up, "You're truly worthy of being my Aniki!"
Shindai proudly lifted his chin slightly, "Tch, how else could I be your senior brother without any skills? Hurry up and let's go. This Puppet Queen is quite temperamental indeed."
Sighed Naruto Uzumaki helplessly, "Don't talk about the Puppet Queen like that. She's definitely going to be upset if you do."
Shindai turned his head away with a snort, "Who cares?"
Naruto Uzumaki sighed and said to Yako and Sarai, "Wait for us here. We'll go bring Sāra back."
Yako and Sarai agreed, "Alright."
Following the trail of the Iron Sand Body, Shindai quickly located their target. They found Sāra sitting dejectedly on the stairs inside a building.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>