Queen Roran's expression shifted slightly. "Sara, when did you get back?"
She hadn't intended for anyone else to know about her deal with Orochimaru. One reason was to prevent leaks, and the other was that it involved Roran's fate, an intangible burden not everyone could bear.
The young girl lowered her head, remaining silent as if she had made a grave mistake.
"I can answer that question for her," Orochimaru said, glancing at a black leather bag piled on the floor. He chuckled, "It was probably around the time I brought these out."
Queen Roran was silent for a moment. If that was the case, then most of the details of their deal had likely been overheard.
There was no point in blaming anyone now. Besides, the leak was facilitated by the man before her, who had made no move to stop it. If anyone was to blame, it should be him.
"Sigh..." Queen Roran sighed, her gaze falling on her daughter. She spoke, "Sara, this is not something you can be involved in. Pretend you didn't hear anything, okay?"
"I want to help you, Mother," the girl said, looking up with pleading eyes. "The Dragon Vein is too dangerous. Mother shouldn't have to bear it alone."
At this moment, she certainly wouldn't blame her mother for selling Roran and the Dragon Vein for a good price. Instead, she was worried about her mother's safety.
These two were connected to the Dragon Vein and fighting against the sandstorms. Sara knew what kind of monstrous guardian they had. If it was so threatening during calm times, what would it be like if it became violent?
"...You cannot be involved in this."
Queen Roran did not try to fool her daughter like a child. She shook her head. "You stay in a safe place. If something happens to me, the responsibility of protecting the people of Roran will fall on you."
She now understood clearly that the reason Orochimaru was willing to pay so much and provide sufficient protection was fundamentally because he needed someone to appease the Dragon Vein.
This person could be her, or it could be her daughter Sara, but the position could not be vacant.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Only if her daughter left Roran and stayed in a safe place could she act without reservation and go all out.
Sara bit her lip, her expression somewhat unwilling.
Frankly, she knew her mother was doing the right thing. But to act on it would go against her heart.
Orochimaru's gaze swept over the mother and daughter, who were in a standoff. A slight smile touched his lips; he understood the young girl's thoughts perfectly.
In the end, the current Queen Roran was still her mother. She herself was like a fledgling under its mother's wing, not yet bearing the responsibility of a queen.
What about the people of Roran? Although it shouldn't be said, if placed on a scale against her mother, Sara leaned towards the latter.
And this was exactly what Orochimaru needed.
He then gave a soft laugh, breaking their standoff. "I think what this girl said also makes sense. I've never seen a Dragon Vein eruption, and its scale is difficult to estimate precisely. Having one more person to help would reduce the risk considerably."
Regardless, Orochimaru was determined to succeed in this transplant surgery. Any additional chance of success, however small, was worth pursuing.
Hearing this, Queen Roran abruptly turned to look at Orochimaru, her eyes filled with deep confusion.
This man was a rare intelligent person, working painstakingly. He must understand the logic. Yet, even so, he insisted that his daughter participate with him. This could only mean one thing.
His first action regarding the Dragon Vein was more important than she had imagined.
"Your Majesty, there's no need to worry."
Orochimaru noticed her gaze and smiled without concern. "I will find someone to protect the safety of both of you. Nothing will happen to you."
"After all, I've put in so much effort; I never intended to use you as disposable consumables."
Queen Roran fell silent.
Her words were truly enraging, yet there was also a sense of reassurance.
Indeed, if they, mother and daughter, were meant to die, the cost would be too high.
"Alright, we've talked enough about this for now. The city is in a panic, and it's time to tell them the bad news that the sandstorm will arrive as scheduled tomorrow."
Orochimaru chuckled playfully. "There's still some time before the ninjas from Sunagakure Village arrive tonight. Let them have a moment of panic; it will be easier to proceed with things afterward."
As he finished speaking, Orochimaru stood up from his sand chair. "I also have some things to attend to, so I won't keep you any longer."
"You..." Queen Roran stood up, but before she could speak, he had already leaped into the courtyard and disappeared into the narrow sky, leaving the two of them in silence.
"Mother, what should we do now?" Sara looked at Queen Roran, her eyes filled with hesitation and uncertainty, a little lost.
"Regarding tomorrow's sandstorm, as he said, it will undoubtedly descend. We should indeed inform everyone."
Queen Roran sighed softly. "However, it's better to do it later in the evening. After experiencing such a disaster, everyone should at least get some rest and have a meal in peace."
Then, they could be mentally prepared.
...
As dusk approached, in the desert, the prelude to night was a rapidly dropping temperature.
To illuminate and to warm, torches were lit early in Roran's meeting hall.
Under the flickering light, shadowed figures milled about, the atmosphere somewhat somber.
Sitting around the round table, a middle-aged man with a square face said gravely, "Your Majesty, is this true? The storm will also come tomorrow?"
Queen Roran shook her head. "This is something that can be proven as soon as dawn breaks. I have no reason to lie."
The middle-aged man pressed on, "But before this, you never had the ability to foresee sandstorms."
Actually, he wasn't truly doubting Queen Roran. It was something that could be known tomorrow; one only needed to look up at the sky. Prophecies that spoke of disasters decades ahead and demanded people tighten their belts and make sacrifices were the ones that required thought and doubt.
However, there was still a sense of reluctance.
Because what Queen Roran said was not just about tomorrow; the situation the day after was unclear, but it was highly likely they would encounter sandstorms again.
This meant that either the Roran people would somehow evolve and adapt to life in the sandstorms, or they would have to leave.
The former was extremely difficult. Moreover, if they could achieve it, why would they be nibbling on sand here? They would have already stormed out of the Land of Wind and headed toward a prosperous ninja world.
But the latter meant displacement. Although it was better than dying in a sandstorm, it wasn't much better.
Not only the middle-aged man, but others also frowned, their hearts unwilling to face the unknown fate after leaving Roran.
"What I made was not a prediction, but an interpretation based on the will of the Dragon Vein," Queen Roran said, scanning the crowd. "I am telling everyone this to gather ideas and work together to find a suitable path forward."
Although Sara was nominally the queen of Roran, in reality, the power in her hands was not that great.
While Roran was called a kingdom, it was more like a village, and she was the village chief and shaman.
Her only difference from ordinary citizens was that she didn't engage in production, and she held immense prestige due to the sacrifices made to the Dragon Vein.
For a matter of such importance to Roran's future, her words carried weight, but ultimately, she could not make a unilateral decision.
The meeting hall fell into a bit of silence.
Having lived in the desert for so long since childhood, they knew how difficult it was.
This was not the beautiful "I am the wind, you are the sand..." from songs, but more like, "dry corpses, blown by the wind."
After a long silence, the middle-aged man who had asked the question spoke,
"Roran has several small oases in its four directions, and everyone knows these locations. If we divide the villagers into several groups and scatter them there temporarily, perhaps we can escape this disaster. After all, these sandstorms cannot constantly swirl around Roran."
Frankly, this method did have a degree of success. But it would also divide Roran's strength.
Although scattering into several parts reduced the risk of all the Roran people being wiped out, this method carried too high a risk for some.
For instance, in this room, some were primarily responsible for city work and rarely traveled far, knowing little about oases and desert travel. Distributing those who understood the way evenly would mean their survival rate would directly depend on the skill level of that person.
Everyone knew who was strong and who was weak and wanted to join the teams led by skilled individuals. This distribution was inherently unfair, and someone immediately objected.
"...The sandstorms for these two consecutive days are clearly unusual. Everyone should not split up. Many hands make light work, and we can look out for each other."
"Yes, yes. Besides, staying in an oasis forever is not a solution. What's the difference from staying in Roran? If we leave, we still need to live."
"How about traveling like a merchant caravan? The city does have over a dozen camels..."
The crowd brainstormed, offering various methods, but none could satisfy the majority.
Queen Roran sighed inwardly at the situation.
Change was difficult. Having lived a comfortable life in Roran, who would want to be suddenly displaced? This dissatisfaction was not directed at the methods themselves, but at the prospect of leaving Roran.
After a moment, Queen Roran spoke, "There are still some leftover provisions in the city. Regarding Roran's future path, everyone can think carefully after returning home tonight."
"But it's best not to exceed three days. Manipulating the Dragon Vein to fight against the sandstorms is not an easy task."
The faces of the crowd changed. The second sentence could be considered a truism. Fighting against such a terrifying natural disaster was not simple, even with the help of their guardian deity.
As for other matters, food was manageable, but without the protection of the Dragon Vein, encountering a sandstorm directly could mean certain death.
However, this was also true in the desert, and even more dangerous, as there was no Dragon Vein to protect them; they would have to face the wind and sand on their own.
With limited time, they could only focus on the most crucial issues and not wait any longer.
Considering the risks alone, this was almost a dead end. The most prudent approach would be to stay within Roran City for the next two days and send a few people out into the desert to observe the situation.
In any case, they couldn't stay in Roran City forever.
"...Since everyone agrees on this plan, let's proceed."
Queen Roran nodded slightly. "After dawn tomorrow, four villagers will be sent out in four directions to scout."
Suddenly, a knocking sound was heard. Before anyone inside could speak, a young boy pushed the door open and entered, his face beaming with excitement.
"Your Majesty, everyone, visitors have arrived from outside! They are from the ninja village of Sunagakure. They seem to know about the sandstorm we are facing."
"What..."
Queen Roran feigned surprise and abruptly stood up. The others couldn't hide their joy either.
Setting aside the sandstorm for now, the ninjas from Sunagakure Village coming from outside meant they were definitely aware of the situation outside Roran.
If they could save the four villagers who were to be sent out, not only would they avoid the risk of accidental death, but the time saved was extremely important.
Queen Roran looked around and said sternly, "Let's all go out and see."
...
In the sand-covered square, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, swept his gaze around, a flicker of shock in his eyes. The sand ninjas beside him could barely hide their astonishment.
Although Roran's population was small now, the ancient Roran city was still quite large, comparable to nearly half of Sunagakure Village.
But such a vast city was now completely covered by yellow sand.
"Kazekage-sama, something unusual is happening here," a female ninja with orange-streaked hair said as she stepped forward. "Such a large-scale sandstorm, if not a natural disaster but man-made, then in this world, only a Jinchuriki of Shukaku could achieve it. I suspect this might be related to the Akatsuki organization."
Kazekage Rasa glanced at her and said indifferently, "It's possible, but let's wait until we get more information before making a judgment."
This female ninja was one of the village's strongest forces, controlling Scorch Release. Her name was Pakura, and she had been a strong contender for Kazekage when he competed for the position.
It was precisely because of her presence that Rasa's position as Kazekage was not secure, forcing him to accept Granny Chiyo's Jinchuriki plan.
Past events were like smoke; old grievances no longer mattered. Kazekage Rasa was confident that through this deal, he could soon reverse the village's declining trend and gain unprecedented prestige, so he harbored thoughts of bringing Pakura under his command.
Although this woman was a bit naive, her strength was not to be underestimated; she was no less capable than him and was an excellent fighter.
Of course, bringing her out for a show this time was also to demonstrate his seriousness about this sandstorm, but the importance of this purpose was not significant.
Queen Roran, with a group of people, hurried over. The first thing she saw was Kazekage Rasa's... attire.
They didn't recognize Kazekage himself, but this attire was known to everyone in the ninja world.
Queen Roran gasped inwardly. It was just a show, just going through the motions, and he could directly send the Kazekage here. Just how much influence did this man have?
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