A day later, Seiki and the others began their journey to Loulan.
In a small town, a massive box-shaped container stood at the village center. On top of it sat a motionless giant monster.
After prolonged exposure to wind and sand, it looked like a mere sand sculpture.
When Satori sensed a powerful ninja entering the village, he immediately came back to life, ready to grab his bucket and flee.
However, once identifying the newcomer's identity, he quickly relaxed again.
It's not that brat. Then there's nothing to worry about.
"Hmph! You've got some nerve acting so arrogantly!" Danzo snorted coldly as he noticed Satori's sudden shift in attitude.
"Calling someone arrogant without power; those with real strength call it confidence!" Satori provocatively shot back.
A slight twitch formed at the corner of Danzo's lips—was he just looked down upon by this monster?
"It seems after getting out of that box, you've picked up quite a few human habits."
"Learn? What an inferior ability! I can simply read your minds and instantly understand your thoughts. For example, you often fantasize about a man named Hiruzen Sarutobi kneeling before you, crying out that he was wrong, begging you to take over the Hokage position and lead the village to victory..."
"That's enough!" Danzo's face darkened. That feeling of being stripped bare and exposed inside-out was absolutely terrible.
"Tsk tsk," Satori shook his head while sighing, "I've seen many people's inner selves, but never one as vibrantly dark as yours. In your terms, perhaps we should call it... colorful black?"
Danzo suppressed his rage and coldly mocked, "Since you're so capable, why don't you try reading my mind to figure out why I came looking for you this time!"
"What's so difficult about that?" Satori casually replied, "Hmm~ Use the Dragon Pulse Chakra as bait to lure me to Loulan, then let Seiki seal me… Gahaha, such foolish plotting! Schemes are useless against me!"
Danzo wasn't surprised at all—this was exactly what he had expected. "Hehe," he said, "since you can read my thoughts, you should also know that I'm not lying."
"The Dragon Pulse Chakra does exist, and it's the only possible way for you to defeat Seiki. And he, this time around, carries the task of sealing the Dragon Pulse Chakra!"
Upon hearing this, Satori hesitated.
Although this bandaged man was sneaky and underhanded, what he said was actually true.
Once that human brat sealed the Dragon Pulse, it would say goodbye to delicious chakra forever.
More importantly, from scanning the minds of human ninjas, it learned a crucial piece of information—that Seiki was growing at an astonishing rate. Without sufficient chakra reserves, its own growth speed couldn't possibly keep up with the boy's.
In other words, if it didn't actively change something, within just a few years, that little human brat would easily defeat it.
As if seeing Satori's hesitation, Danzo poured more fuel onto the fire, "You can peer into my mind, right? Keep reading! Years ago, I once had the opportunity right in front of me to deal with him, but fearing threats from his teacher, I delayed taking action for a couple of years."
"You've seen the result yourself. In just a few short years, that brat has grown so powerful that even I couldn't contain him anymore—he openly defeated and overpowered me! You're now exactly like I was back then, unwilling to take risks, only to be crushed by him like a mere pebble underfoot!"
Hearing Danzō's "sincere" analysis, Satori couldn't help but feel touched and used his wing to gently pat Danzō's shoulder.
"You're right! I won't be weak like you useless humans!"
Danzō's face twisted. Who taught this monster such a foul mouth?
"I'm off then!" Saying that, Satori flew away, carrying his beloved large suitcase.
"Hmph. Go get yourself killed," Danzō mocked, gazing at the sky. "A monster is still a monster—even if it can read minds, it's nothing more than a puppet we can manipulate!"
...
Outside Loulan City.
The squad sat in a circle, with Seiki also cross-legged on the ground. "The man currently developing puppet weapons using Dragon Pulse Chakra is Loulan's minister. If we act recklessly, we might provoke the wrath of those in power."
Kurenai raised her hand to speak. "So our current mission is to expose his conspiracy?"
Seiki nodded. "According to intelligence gathered by undercover agents, he's been acting very openly in Loulan—going as far as directly replacing citizens with puppets to deceive the queen. So exposing him shouldn't be too hard."
Might Guy, full of passion, said, "Then what are we discussing strategies for? Let's charge in immediately, expose the conspiracy, and save Loulan!"
Seiki's expression turned grave. "It's easy enough to expose him, but once he activates his puppet weapons, everyone in this country will suffer. Moreover, there are many innocent civilians captured and forced into hard labor at his base—we must protect their safety as much as possible."
Asuma urged, "Seiki, just tell us the plan already; you don't have to explain all this to us."
Seiki gave a slight nod. "The four of us—I, you, Guy, and Mizuki—will form one group and focus on making the queen see the truth while rescuing the civilians imprisoned at his facility. Kurenai and Shizune will each lead their own team."
"Kurenai's team will be responsible for evacuating the remaining civilians and guiding them to shelter, while Shizune's group will handle emergency medical care to ensure..."
Just then, Mizuki—who had been on perimeter watch outside—walked over carrying a man dressed in a Konoha flak jacket.
After setting down the ninja he was carrying, Mizuki said, "Seiki, I found this guy unconscious at Loulan's entrance, so I brought him back. But the problem is, I don't recall this ninja being among our Konoha ranks."
"He does seem vaguely familiar," Asuma studied the man carefully. "There are so many ninjas in Konoha, maybe it's not surprising that we don't recognize him."
Kurenai followed up with a question, "Could he be one of our undercover agents? Maybe he was discovered while gathering intel and barely managed to escape before collapsing at the city gate."
Seiki looked oddly at the man. Wasn't this guy supposed to stay completely offline throughout this entire event—the supposedly missing Test Subject Yamato?
How did he end up here? Could there be some kind of connection between test subjects?
Kneeling beside Yamato, Seiki placed his right hand against his chest. A warm glow illuminated briefly.
Moments later, Yamato groggily opened his eyes.
"Ugh... where am I?"
"Loulan."
The familiar words instantly snapped Yamato out of his daze.
"That's right… I was supposed to be upstairs…" Yamato muttered, his dazed eyes scanning the Konoha forehead protectors worn by the group. "You're Konoha ninjas? How come I don't recognize any of you?"
Asuma waved his hand and asked, "We were about to ask you the same thing, old man. Who exactly are you?"
Yamato stared blankly at Asuma. This face… somehow looks familiar!
Seeing Yamato's bewildered expression, Guy cried out, "Oh no! Did he lose his memory?"
Turning toward the voice, Yamato nearly choked on his own saliva.
That unmistakable Watermelon Head and thick eyebrows left no doubt—this must be Guy-senpai's love child!
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