The cool desert night was silent except for the whisper of wind scraping across the dunes. Stars glittered above like scattered shards of ice, but beneath that still sky, a heavy tension lingered.
Neji's pale eyes gleamed faintly in the darkness as he turned toward Sara, the last queen of Loulan. His voice was calm, stripped of all unnecessary emotion.
"I saw a group of Sunagakure shinobi near the oasis earlier today," he said. "What exactly were they here for?"
Sara's shoulders slumped, and she let out a weary sigh. "They came to collect the head tax from us."
Neji's brow furrowed. A tax? From nomads?
Collecting coin was not a shinobi's duty. This wasn't about tax at all. The Hyūga prodigy instantly understood the deeper game.
Sunagakure's eyes aren't on money. They're on the Dragon Vein.
That immense, ancient chakra source, slumbering beneath the ruins of Loulan, was as valuable as a tailed beast. To Sunagakure's Kazekage, Rasa, it was a temptation impossible to ignore. Yet he couldn't simply seize it. Hidden Cloud might act so brazenly, but Sunagakure… no. Rasa needed legitimacy. If he grabbed it outright, Konoha would protest. But by tightening economic chains around Loulan's remnants, by squeezing them until they submitted, he could claim the Dragon Vein "lawfully."
Rasa wanted both face and substance.
Neji's eyes narrowed. "Princess Sara, why not take your people and move into Sunagakure? It would be safer than wandering as nomads."
Sara gave a bitter laugh, sharp as glass. "Safer? Tell me, when has Sunagakure ever cared about common lives? Even if we went, do you think they'd treat us kindly? Better to endure the desert. At least out here we have freedom."
Her words carried the bite of long suffering.
Neji was silent. He recalled history: Sunagakure had started the Third Shinobi War, then surrendered first, groveling before Konoha like a clown. Their daimyo had been furious, slashing the village's military budget year after year. Only Rasa's unique gold dust technique had kept the shinobi from starving outright.
The shinobi system itself was twisted. The mighty shinobi, capable of felling armies, bowed to powerless daimyō. Ordinary people suffered endlessly under wars they didn't start, yet still had to rely on shinobi to solve their problems. Ninjas did not create, did not farm; they only fought. To survive, they accepted missions from the very civilians they oppressed.
Shaking off his thoughts, Neji turned to Uchiha Izumi, who stood quietly nearby. "I'll leave things here in your hands."
Izumi gave a curt nod, her eyes steady. Then her form shimmered and twisted, and in an instant she had transformed into Sara's likeness. The queen herself blinked in surprise, but said nothing.
With no more words, Neji led the real Sara out of the tent and into the endless night. Sand crunched under their feet, the cold desert air biting against their skin. The ruins of Loulan lay twelve kilometers away—far enough to challenge, but close enough for a shinobi of Neji's caliber to reach swiftly.
Hours passed, and at last the ruined spires rose before them, dark silhouettes under the moonlight.
Sara's steps faltered as she stared at the broken remains of her home. Her eyes softened with sorrow. Once, Loulan had been a gleaming jewel of the desert, its cities more prosperous than anywhere in the shinobi world. Now, only hollow ruins remained.
Neji watched her silently. He didn't speak; he understood. Loulan had lived because of the Dragon Vein, and Loulan had died because of it. Power brought prosperity—and destruction.
Sara exhaled, gathering herself, and motioned for him to follow. Together they walked into the shattered city.
From the moment Neji crossed the boundary stones, a suffocating weight pressed against his spirit. It was primal, the way a mouse felt before a predator. His Byakugan flared open, veins pulsing at his temples as his gaze swept the ruins. Despite the city being more habitable than the empty desert, no animals or people lingered here. Not even scavengers dared.
The Dragon Vein's shadow tainted everything.
They reached the central platform, where an altar stood—ancient stone etched with sealing formulae. Neji stepped forward, studying the intricate lines. His expression grew grave.
Minato Namikaze's craftsmanship was evident. Three layers of sealing jutsu guarded the Dragon Vein. The Eight Trigrams Seal, born from combining two Four Symbols Seals. The Contract Seal, designed to sever spiritual ties. And a third… obscure, likely drawn from Jiraiya's tutelage at Mount Myōboku.
Sara broke the silence. "Can you undo Minato's seals?"
Neji studied the glowing formula. "I can break two."
"Two?" Sara's eyes widened. "Sunagakure tried for years. They never managed even one."
He gave a faint smile. "I don't need to break them all. Breaking two is enough."
Sara felt both relief and dread. "If the Dragon Vein is released… it could bring disaster. Even Minato chose to seal it rather than use it."
Neji's lips curved. "Do you think I'd give up at the final step?"
His fingers blurred through hand seals. "Eight Trigrams Seal—release!"
The array pulsed and shrank. One-third of the formula collapsed.
Another series of seals. "Contract Seal—release!"
The altar groaned, two-thirds of its protection gone.
Sara gasped. "I feel it… the Dragon Vein's power!"
Indeed, even she could sense it—its pulse, its hunger. That was unusual. For a normal human to feel chakra so strongly meant a deep bond. Loulan's queens had always been guardians of the Dragon Vein. This must be why Minato crafted the Contract Seal specifically for her bloodline.
The ground rumbled violently. The Dragon Vein stirred. The altar cracked, spiderweb lines racing across its surface.
Sara's face paled. "It's breaking free! If it escapes—"
Neji raised a hand, cutting her off. "I've prepared for this."
From his pouch he drew out a squat, ancient jar—the Amber Purifying Pot, one of the legendary Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths. Smoke curled from its mouth as Neji set it down.
Sara stared. "That's…?"
"An artifact that can seal anything within its space," Neji said calmly. His Tenseigan flared, jade light spilling into the night. His body ignited in Tenseigan Chakra Mode, pale green chakra swirling, forming a rosary of glowing orbs around him.
The altar exploded.
A deafening roar split the air, primal and vast. From the shattering seal, pure chakra erupted upward, coalescing into the form of a colossal dragon. Its body writhed through the sky, glowing like a second sun.
The desert trembled. Winds screamed into a furious storm, hurling sand and stone. The ruins of Loulan quaked as though the earth itself feared the beast.
Sara clutched Neji's arm in terror. "It's… alive…"
Neji's gaze hardened, but inside, excitement burned. So this is the Dragon Vein's true power… stronger than I imagined.
Yet his heart sank a moment later. He had released it at night, hoping for secrecy. But the dragon's chakra blazed like a beacon, visible for miles. Sunagakure's scouts would surely notice. Time was running short.
He struck the Amber Pot with his palm. Its lid sprang open, glowing with hungry light.
"Amber Purifying Pot—seal!"
A vortex surged forth, trying to drag the Dragon Vein inside. But the chakra beast resisted, thrashing violently. A hurricane slammed outward, battering Neji and Sara.
Neji's chakra rosary orbited faster, forming a barrier that held the winds at bay. Still, the force shook him to his core.
"Sara!" he shouted. "Help me!"
Her heart clenched. The Dragon Vein was Loulan's lifeblood. If she helped him, she would be severing her people's bond forever. But if she didn't… Sunagakure would take it, and Loulan would vanish anyway.
Her jaw tightened. She raised her hand, voice ringing with authority:
"Dragon Vein! In the name of Loulan's queen—I command you to submit! As law dictates!"
Her words resonated through the night like a divine decree. To Neji's astonishment, the Dragon Vein faltered, its resistance weakening. The hurricane slowed, the dragon's body dimming.
So it's true. The queens of Loulan were bound to this power…
Neji seized the moment. His right hand extended, gravity chakra pulling the Dragon Vein toward the pot. "Seal!"
The dragon screamed, a roar that rattled bones. Slowly, inexorably, its chakra form was dragged downward, collapsing into streams of light that poured into the pot.
Minute by minute, the battle continued. Twenty minutes of grueling effort, Neji pouring every ounce of control into the sealing technique, Sara lending her will to subdue the beast. Finally—
With one last wail, the Dragon Vein vanished into the pot. The lid slammed shut with a thunderous snap.
Silence.
The winds stilled. Dust settled. The ruins lay quiet once more.
Sara swayed, breath trembling. Her spiritual connection was gone, leaving her hollow. A queen without her people's heart.
Neji's chest rose and fell, but a triumphant smile broke across his face. "At last… mine."
His hand rested on the Amber Pot. Within lay chakra equal to a tailed beast, perhaps more. With it, his future battles would change completely.
He turned to Sara, studying her conflicted expression. "Princess… how did the Dragon Vein come to be?"
She hesitated, then whispered, "It came from the west. It… flew here."
Neji's brows knit. "I believe you."
Her lips parted in surprise. So easily?
She lowered her gaze. "You've taken our lifeline. Perhaps you will kill me now, to silence me."
Neji chuckled. "Do I seem like such a man?"
Sara stared at him. For a shinobi, mercy was rare. Yet he spoke so simply.
"Come," Neji said, lifting the pot. "We must leave. Sunagakure will have noticed by now."
Before she could argue, he leapt into the sky, gravity chakra lifting him with effortless grace. Sara yelped as invisible force tugged her upward. Neji caught her waist in one hand.
"Hold tight."
The desert rushed beneath them as they flew, wind howling in their ears. Within half an hour, the oasis came into view, bathed in the faint glow of dawn.
Sara clung to him, shaken, hair wild. When at last they landed, she drank water with trembling hands, still dazed.
Neji's voice was calm, but urgent. "News of this will reach Sunagakure within hours. Without the Dragon Vein, your people have no protection. Staying here will only invite destruction. Leave the Land of Wind as soon as possible."
Sara froze. The truth cut deep. Loulan's remnants had survived in the desert only because of the Dragon Vein's shadow. Now, stripped of it, they would be prey.
Her lips trembled. At last, she understood—her people's fate had changed tonight, and there was no turning back.
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