The light rising from the heights of Roran…
A heart filled with countless emotions…
The Dragon Vein that must be protected…
White blades shoot into the sky as we gaze upward...
The inner courtyard was an abandoned tower, overgrown with weeds, with building debris piled everywhere.
Ryuji and Gin arrived here, following the song.
After many twists and turns, they came to the entrance of a room where the floor had completely collapsed and the roof had a large hole.
Bright sunlight shone through the hole in the roof, illuminating the ground... and a young girl kneeling on a large stone.
She clasped her hands at her chest, gazing at the sky as she sang, her voice filled with loneliness and helplessness.
Ryuji didn't disturb Sara, quietly standing above and waiting, while Gin stood guard beside her master.
After a while, the singing stopped.
Sara stood up from the stone, slowly turned around, and looked directly at the boy.
"This song was taught to me by my mother when I was little."
Ryuji didn't interject, quietly waiting for her to continue.
"My mother told me that as the princess and queen of Roran, I have the responsibility to protect the people of Roran."
At this point, Sara couldn't help but give a bitter smile. "Although my mother told me this, I'm just a weak woman. How can I protect them?"
"Whenever I showed this feeling, my mother would comfort me and say: If you feel troubled, just sing this song."
Ryuji still didn't speak, silently watching.
Seeing this, Sara laughed self-deprecatingly. "I know what my mother meant. She wanted me to feel the responsibility of being the Queen of Roran through this song. She said: Once a person has responsibility, they become strong."
"But! I don't even understand what's happening. How can I be strong?"
"Every time I sing, I only feel my mother leaving me, leaving me all alone."
"Is that so?" Ryuji paused, then continued, "...It seems you retain memories from before the time-space correction."
"Time-space correction..." Sara gave another bitter smile, even slumping weakly onto the stone. "I don't even know what time-space correction is. It feels like I had a realistic dream... In the dream, I was kidnapped by you, forced by you to seal the Dragon Vein; in the dream, Anrokuzan's puppet forces attacked without thinking of my safety, and all my people were fake puppets."
"I... I don't even know if I'm dreaming or awake now."
'So that's it.'
'Because she had memories from before the time-space correction, she knew Anrokuzan was problematic and thus hid in the inner courtyard.'
The inner courtyard was the original residence of the Queen of Roran. The Dragon Vein couldn't affect here, and Anrokuzan's puppets couldn't come here either.
But this was the limit of what Sara could do.
Without Shinobi help, she could do nothing.
Without Naruto's persistent encouragement, even his personal example to inspire, she couldn't muster the courage to take on everything.
'Perhaps, this is the best outcome for her.'
A thought flashed through Ryuji's mind. Then he looked up at her. "In this era of war, weakness is a sin. You possess a powerful force like the Dragon Vein but don't use it to strengthen yourselves. That dooms you to destruction."
"..." Sara opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, it all turned into a helpless sigh. "I know. We cannot oppose you. I will lead the people of Roran to migrate. I hope you can spare us."
"My goal is only the Dragon Vein. If you don't get in the way, I won't attack you."
"I thank you for your mercy." Sara bowed to the boy, her mouth full of bitterness.
"Your thanks only makes me feel like I'm being mocked." Ryuji jumped down from above, slowly walking to Sara. "I know the nature of what I've done. I don't want to hypocritically gloss over this vile act of mine."
"Is... is that so."
Sara forced a smile on her face.
Although the other person said that, right now, she was a fish on his chopping board, to be dealt with as he pleased.
He had the right to mock himself, but she didn't dare to laugh along.
Ryuji didn't mind.
He shook his head slightly. "Actually, you don't need to lead the people of Roran away from this city."
"Huh?"
Sara looked at Ryuji in surprise, somewhat puzzled.
"My purpose in seizing the Dragon Vein is to build a city for my village, one sufficient to protect everyone's safety."
"This... what does that have to do with us leaving or not?"
"The Dragon Vein is a Chakra Leyline born from natural operation, continuously regenerating as nature operates. As long as this planet lives, Dragon Vein Chakra will be produced endlessly."
"Rashly moving it might cut off the natural operation, causing the Dragon Vein Chakra to stop being produced."
"So you want to build the city on Roran?" Sara almost ground her teeth asking this.
It was only natural for her to have such emotions.
Although Roran was a small country with only one city, it was built bit by bit over a hundred years by all the people of this country.
Now someone wanted to seize the nest. How could she accept that!
"Correct. The city will be reconstructed and expanded based on Roran's towers." Ryuji ignored Sara's expression, speaking on his own. "Not to mention the worry of cutting off natural operation; even without that concern, the massive amount of Chakra in the Dragon Vein cannot be moved. We can only build the city here."
"But aren't you the Shinobi Village of the Land of Wind?"
"When the city is built, we'll just move the city back."
"Huh?"
Sara's mouth opened slightly.
She very much wanted to say: 'Are you out of your mind!'
'Can't move the Dragon Vein, so build a city on top of it, then move the city away.'
'That just doesn't sound reliable.'
"That's not for you to worry about. What I want to say is, you can stay in the city I build." Ryuji persuaded. "Although the Kingdom of Roran will no longer exist, and you will no longer be a queen, the people of Roran will live happily in the new city."
"This..."
Sara hesitated.
The destroyer of Roran inviting Roran's people to live in their new city... Any person of Roran would be suspicious of this, right?
However…
Although Shinobi Villages were established by Shinobi, because they were stable, safe places to live, many ordinary families moved in to live.
These ordinary families did regular jobs or business in the village, providing convenience for the Shinobi's lives.
An increased population also provided the Shinobi Village with more military resources, allowing the village to grow stronger.
Therefore, Shinobi Villages didn't refuse ordinary people moving in.
But, the other party was, after all, the destroyer of her country. Naturally, Sara couldn't join them without any reservations.
However, this era was full of constant war, and the desert was harsh for survival.
If she led her people away from Roran, it would be difficult to find a new stable, safe place to live in a short time.
During this process, how many would die?
'I am the Queen of Roran. I have the responsibility to protect my people's safety.'
Sara looked up, meeting Ryuji's gaze directly. "If you can guarantee that the people of Roran will not face discrimination in your village, then I accept your invitation."