Seeing how easily Seiki had defeated Satori, everyone was momentarily stunned.
If they had known it would be this easy, they might as well have detonated the Dragon Veins themselves.
Yet, looking at Loulan—once prosperous and thriving, now reduced to a war-torn ruin—they just couldn't bring themselves to feel that way.
The price of defeating Satori quickly had been far too heavy.
As everyone's attention remained on Satori, the rear hatch of the massive puppet opened, and a smaller puppet slipped out quietly.
However, just a few steps later, the small puppet was frozen solid by a blast of cold energy casually tossed by Seiki.
Seeing Seiki's move, the others finally snapped back to their senses.
"Baizu's trying to run!"
"Good thing Sir Seiki caught him in time!"
Seiki couldn't help but chuckle. "If he hadn't stepped out of the puppet armor, I would've needed more effort to defeat him. This is better—at least there won't be further damage."
Looking around at the devastation, the others nodded solemnly in agreement.
Indeed, if Seiki had attacked a few more times, Loulan as they knew it would have ceased to exist.
"Anyway, it's a decent ending!"
"Yeah! After that kind of battle... I guess you'd call it a close one?"
"The task isn't over yet!" Seiki shook his head slightly and walked toward the Safe Haven where the people of Loulan had gathered.
Spotting Seiki approaching, Sāra and the former prisoners among the crowd rushed forward joyfully to greet him.
"Lord Seiki, thank you so much!"
"You are truly our savior!"
Although Seiki's battle with the enemy had destroyed a good portion of Loulan, they didn't mind at all—it had been an illusionary prosperity anyway.
What truly belonged to them was only the dark, miserable life they'd lived in captivity.
Seiki had helped them destroy that nightmare, and they were grateful beyond words.
Of course, not everyone had escaped unscathed.
As queen, Sāra had suffered great losses.
But since she already felt deep guilt for having been deceived by Anlusan, she naturally bore no resentment toward Seiki.
So when she saw Seiki walking toward her, she bowed deeply in gratitude. "We're truly thankful. We of Loulan will definitely..."
"Now is not the time for this," Seiki interrupted seriously. "The crisis hasn't passed yet."
"Eh? Another crisis?" Sāra exclaimed in alarm.
Seiki hesitated before explaining grimly, "The Dragon Veins are too active right now. If we don't act, they may remain in this unstable state for a long time."
"This intense chakra will draw opportunists like Anlusan—or monsters like Satori—as sure as blood draws sharks."
Hearing that even more threats might come, Sāra and the crowd panicked, none willing to relive today's nightmare.
"What should we do?"
"Please, Lord Seiki, save us!"
Seiki stared firmly at Sāra. "The only solution is to seal the Dragon Veins completely."
"Seal the Dragon Veins permanently?" Sāra hesitated—Loulan's prosperity had been built upon them.
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What happened today had deeply shaken her. Whether it was Anlusan imprisoning civilians to create puppets, or the sudden appearance of a giant monster seizing the Dragon Veins—these incidents made her realize one truth.
Power beyond one's strength only brings ruin.
Without enough power, the Dragon Veins weren't a gift—they were a curse waiting to destroy them!
At this thought, Sāra clenched her fist and said decisively, "I'm with you!"
Hearing Sāra's decision, the refugees trailing behind her showed no dissatisfaction at all—in fact, they sighed in relief.
They'd enjoyed the easy life the Dragon Veins gave them at first, but years of imprisonment and hard labor had made them hate not just Anlusan, but also the Dragon Veins themselves for their suffering.
Especially after seeing that monstrous beast—and learning others besides Anlusan wanted the Dragon Veins—their hatred hit its peak.
Such a dangerous thing should be sealed away sooner rather than later. From now on, they would create their own wealth through their own hands!
"But then, how exactly do we proceed?" Sāra hesitated. "The Dragon Veins' chakra is already going wild; I can't even get close."
"If you trust me," Seiki said earnestly, "then teach me how to control the Dragon Veins. Let me seal them shut for good! That way, whoever tries to take advantage of the Dragon Veins will have to break my seal first!"
"You're the hero who saved Loulan—you have my full trust." Sāra spoke softly as she bit her lower lip. "But isn't this too dangerous? One small mistake could send you into another dimension."
Seiki smiled confidently. "Don't worry. I've faced death a hundred times already. If even those ninja bearing the title 'strongest' couldn't kill me, how hard could handling spatial fluctuations be?"
"What a reliable man!" Inspired by the strong confidence in his words, Sāra couldn't help comparing him to the Anlusan she once admired so much.
And yet, she realized immediately—there was simply no comparison.
One was a lying scoundrel—ugly and weak;
The other, a hero who saved Loulan—handsome and powerful!
"Alright, come with me."
They walked to a quiet, secluded corner where Sāra began teaching Seiki how to control the Dragon Veins.
It wasn't really that hard—an ordinary person like Sāra could manage it, so naturally it wouldn't be a problem for Seiki.
However, it wasn't entirely easy either—it required not just the technique itself, but also the inherited bloodline pact between the Loulan Queen and the Dragon Veins.
Noticing Seiki's slight frown as he hesitated, Sāra solemnly took off the pendant hanging from her chest, carefully turned her gaze aside, and somewhat nervously handed it over. "This can help summon the Dragon Veins. As a thank-you gift for saving Loulan…this is yours now."
Slightly surprised, Seiki accepted it with a smile. "Thank you. I'll seal the Dragon Veins soon!"
With that, he walked away under Sāra's wistful gaze.
Meanwhile, in the central area,
Naruto was dramatically describing to Sakura and Sai everything he had heard earlier.
As Seiki approached, Sakura gazed at him in awe and cried out, "Wow! Senpai, you're absolutely incredible! How can I possibly compare?!"
Subjugating Bijuu, ending wars, mastering healing techniques, being hailed as a hero of Konoha—those weren't feats a normal person should be able to pull off.
Hearing all that only deepened her sense of shame. They were both disciples of Lady Tsunade, yet how could there be such a huge gap between them?
She even felt a bit relieved that she wasn't from this timeline—if she were, standing next to her senior, she wouldn't even qualify as a decent disciple!
Seiki responded with a gentle smile, his tone warm and reassuring. "Don't be too hard on yourself. Naruto told me you've only been training under Master for three years, right? I've had several more years of practice to reach my current level. If you keep working hard, I believe you'll surpass me someday."
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