Rōran Ruins, the Dragon Vein Awakens, Reversing Twenty Years

Like clouds and rain, the heart of the flower is gently unfolded.

Naruto suddenly remembered a passage he had read in the Romance of the West Chamber: "The most beautiful sight is a swaying willow waist," which roughly describes this appearance, like a peony in bloom with dewdrops.

I fell into a deep sleep in the middle of the night.

He led her in circles up the sand dunes, where they saw the light on the other side of the desert. It wasn't about sleeping; it was about finding the greatest happiness and joy in nature, a romance within the spiritual world.

The phrase "romantic until death" comes from the preface to Tang Xianzu's "The Peony Pavilion," which means that love does not have a precise beginning or end.

Love begins when someone fully commits to a relationship. Simply put, it's about sharing; seeing beautiful mountains or rivers reminds you of that person.

Love is never dependent on others; if love is strong enough, one can bravely move forward no matter what one faces.

Naruto is a cautious person. Since he has said he would accept Black Sakura, he will definitely consider every detail. What if this mission goes wrong, or if it ends in failure?

Dragon Vein is ultimately a massive Chakra energy body; if expanded millions of times, it would probably be Chakra Fruit. With such immense energy, it's not surprising that something unexpected might happen.

He plans to use the Dragon Vein to travel back in time and stay there for a while to find a solution to the Black Sakura problem twenty years ago.

Let's go back twenty years and take a look at Konohagakure.

The core technology still has to be from Konohagakure.

Tsunade wouldn't easily reveal what Orochimaru didn't know. He couldn't investigate it now, but if time were to rewind twenty years, he would still have a chance to glimpse the truth.

This is a shortcut, although it is somewhat unethical.

But while this method is good, it also comes with risks. Even twenty years ago, Dragon Vein weren't something he could keep for as long as he wanted.

If something happens, if he can't come back, anything is possible.

That's why Naruto took a roundabout way to lead Sakura up the sand dune, pointed into the distance, and delivered the inspirational quote he had prepared beforehand.

The small world of Hokage doesn't have such profound inspirational stories. Even Jiraiya's imperial writings are considered classics. The more sophisticated ones are just brainwashing Will of Fire.

A dimensional reduction attack—truly terrifying.

What he needed to do was prepare Sakura mentally. In case of an accident, she shouldn't be discouraged or give up; there would always be a way.

He always prepares for both possibilities, both before and after; this is his habit when doing things.

This might not be necessary for others, but he knew Black Sakura, and it was only right to take an extra precaution. Even when it came to actually going to the battlefield, his deliberate perfunctory attitude was intentional.

Black Sakura is that kind of person; a little hardship and she'll shine. Giving her some leeway actually makes her feel more at ease. Because that aligns with her judgment of Naruto —she sees him as a scumbag.

Hei tui!

Naruto didn't care at all and didn't care about Black Sakura's opinion.

The next day.

He opened his eyes, and Sakura was smiling at him. A hint of tenderness appeared in her eyes, which curved into crescent moons. She didn't mention how many times she'd gone last night; she seemed to have become a little more reserved.

Her eyes flashed with a charming look.

After washing up and eating something light, the two entered the desert under the morning light.

Sakura seemed no different from yesterday; she was still chatting and laughing at the beginning of the journey, but fell silent as they entered the middle of their journey.

Later on, he was completely exhausted and climbed onto Naruto's back.

"Did you always travel like this before?" Sakura asked helplessly. This wasn't traveling; it was practically playing with fire.

"That happens occasionally in emergencies," Naruto replied. "We still have a long way to go. If you really can't hold on, just tell me. Don't force yourself."

At this moment, Sakura, who was lying on Naruto's back, was speechless. Although it was a bit bumpy on his back, the main thing was that this guy's stamina was too incredible.

After thinking for a moment, Sakura's expression suddenly turned strange, and she asked.

"Didn't you have any... energy last night?"

"Hold head high."

"What kind of monster is this? I'm already exhausted." Sakura muttered to herself, but she didn't continue the topic and quickly changed the subject to end the conversation.

Naruto didn't feel anything. An eighteen-year-old's stamina wasn't strong; wouldn't he be useless when he got old? But what good was strong stamina? Let's try it on the communal sleeping area; the Chaos Beast was directly suppressed.

After a day's journey, we finally arrived in the heart of the desert before nightfall.

"We won't be able to find the Rōran Ruins today, let's rest first." He looked around and pitched his tent in a sheltered spot.

The Sealing Space contained enough drinking water to more than meet the needs of washing. Space-time Ninjutsu isn't just for Naruto; Tenten can do it too.

When the Team 3 goes out on missions, they never lack any supplies. Even in the field, they don't need to eat Ration Pills; they can even cook their own meals.

"I'm going to take a shower," Sakura said before leaving.

He understood what that meant; he had a little expectation, but not much. Sakura couldn't satisfy him; at most, once.

And he wasn't really bothered by that kind of thing. He wasn't a eunuch and didn't have any psychological burden, but he wasn't sexually aroused either. It was probably similar to eating and drinking, just an extra part of his daily routine.

Daily life in a relationship.

In the latter half of the night, exhausted Sakura finally succumbed to sleep and fell into a deep sleep. Naruto, with a belly full of philosophical insights but nowhere to share them, could only sigh that the Sage Mode truly made everyone equal.

The next day.

As Naruto continued his journey, he deliberately slowed his pace, and when he actually entered the Rōran ruins, he walked even slower. Once he roughly located the Dragon Vein, Naruto stopped abruptly.

"What's wrong?"

"The Dragon Vein is just ahead, deep in a massive underground cavern." He looked up, the yellow sand swirling powerfully, his golden hair dancing wildly in the biting wind.

All around are massive stone pillars, and fierce sandstorms, sharp as knives, sweep across this ancient ruin. This is the Ancient Kingdom of Roran, its former glory long since faded.

"Should we go down and take a look?" Sakura asked, puzzled.

"No rush, let's wait a bit longer." Naruto was able to remain calm; he needed to deal with that troublesome Mukade.

He can open the Dragon Vein at any time, but if a troublesome Mukade gets involved, things will become complicated, which is something he doesn't want to see.

The Dragon Vein opening would immediately transport him to a dungeon world from twenty years ago, and he didn't want to spend too much time dealing with Mukade in the Ancient Loulan City. It would be better to strike first and intercept Mukade here.

This is also why he traveled at an exhausting pace – time! He wanted to ambush them here before the Mukade reached the Dragon Vein.

He's just a Puppet Master. He can kill Sasori of the Red Sands. There's no reason he can't kill Mukade.

"Wait for what?" Sakura asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Waiting for someone."

After hearing Naruto's explanation, Sakura didn't bother asking any more questions. She simply said "oh" and hid away. The waiting time was incredibly tedious, and she would occasionally glance up at Naruto.

Sometimes she would space out, sometimes she would giggle for no reason. She thought to herself, even if she disappeared someday, she wouldn't have any regrets.

But Naruto didn't think that way. He remained motionless in the shadows of the ruins, like a lurking wolf. Once he decided to do something, he was determined to get a result.

Sakura looked up at him again, noticing the depth in his eyes and the complex emotions swirling within them, and couldn't help but purse her lips. Being with someone like him truly made her feel at ease.

After waiting for two whole days, Mukade finally arrived.

He was a lean man, wearing a sand-proof robe, with several puppet automatons beside him. He wore a tired smile, but the smile looked somewhat lewd.

Two pairs of eyes were watching him from the shadows. Sakura turned her head to look at Naruto, and Naruto was looking at her at the same time.

No one spoke; they exchanged a glance and held their breath in unison.

Mukade led the puppet through the ruins, slowly approaching the giant cave until it stood at the edge of the entrance, finally letting out a sigh of relief. Then, it burst into laughter, all the fatigue of the past few days vanishing.

"Finally found you! Rōran Ancient!"

Before Mukade could finish speaking, two sharp whooshing sounds rang out, and his heart tightened suddenly. Just as he turned around, he was kicked away by someone who suddenly appeared, crashing into a stone pillar with a loud bang.

With a "poof, "the Mukade's eyes bulged out, and it spat out a cloud of blood.

Naruto's kick was powerful and heavy, and the Invisible Flying Thunder God kunai was silent and stealthy, Mukade no time to react. His chest caved in instantly, breaking four or five ribs.

Fortunately, he was still a Puppet Master, and he was just about to use Chakra Threads to control the puppets when he heard a loud bang. Another figure followed closely behind and smashed all three puppets to pieces with a single punch.

Especially when he saw that the person who shattered his puppet was just a little girl with pink hair, Mukade's eyes almost popped out of their sockets, his face full of disbelief.

Seeing Naruto slowly walking towards him with his sword drawn, Mukade breathless and hurriedly begged for mercy in a panic.

"Don't kill me!!"

"I can tell you a huge secret!!"

"No need, keep it for yourself." Naruto spat, which landed right on the sword. "According to the friendly alliance between Konohagakure and Sand, you are very important to me."

Whoosh!

The matter was resolved. Naruto tossed the bloodstained sword aside. Without saying a word, he used a Lava Release to hastily clean up the scene and then smashed a boulder.

With a deafening crash, the collapsing boulders buried everything.

The wind and sand rustled, and after a brief period of commotion, the Rōran Ruins returned to calm. Naruto and Sakura stood on the edge of the Dragon Vein pit, neither of them speaking.

Seemingly with sand in her eyes, Sakura looked up, rubbed her eyes, and couldn't help but speak.

"You planned to come here, didn't you?"

"Yes." He didn't deny it; Sakura was completely bound to him. "This is the Dragon Vein, which has the power to reverse time."

"You want to go back to the past?" Sakura was taken aback and instinctively grabbed him.

"What's wrong? You look surprised. It's not that I don't want to take you, it's just that..." Naruto coughed and carefully chose his words.

"Time travel might not affect the soul much, but I can't guarantee what will happen to the personality. What if we go back to the past and wake up as a different Sakura?"

"Well, then it's pointless, understand?"

"Okay," Sakura conceded.

"But there are still risks, right?" She stared at Naruto, biting her lower lip. "Is it because of me that you want to use the Dragon Vein to go back in time?"

"Yes." He nodded, having no reason to hide it.

"We've looked before, but we couldn't find a solution. Just because we can't find one now doesn't mean we couldn't have one in the past," Naruto said with a firm tone.

"Technology has been advancing, but Ninjutsu has regressed. Konohagakure used to be much more backward, but its diverse civilizations were incredibly brilliant."

"Whether it was the Ancient Kingdom of Roran or other civilizations, they must have kept records of personality research. However, due to war or migration, they all disappeared into history."

"I want to go back and take a look; maybe I can find a solution."

Upon hearing this, Sakura remained silent for a while.

"Can I not go?"

"No." He refused without hesitation; there was no reason to go back on a decision once it was made.

"Why? I'm fine now, I can eat and sleep well, even if I need to..." Sakura suddenly became agitated.

"Sakura Haruno!" Naruto glanced at Sakura. "You've already forgotten what happened last time? What did I tell you? Is your memory that bad?"

Sakura fell silent, her head bowed, looking somewhat aggrieved. Hearing Naruto's words, she was indeed frightened, and tears began to fall, as if she were facing a life-or-death separation.

"Then what can I do?"

"There's so much I can do!" he said with a sigh of relief. "Stay away for a bit, and bring me up here after I activate the Dragon Vein."

"I'll wake up soon, maybe in a minute or two. In short, it won't be long. You stay here and watch over me until I wake up."

"Really?" she asked, her voice trembling with a hint of tears.

"Well, I have no reason to lie to you." He nodded. "Rewinding time won't take up time in the real world. Hurry up and get me out of here; it might not even take a minute."

Upon hearing this, Sakura stopped crying and smiled, wiping away her tears and pretending to be angry.

You mustn't lie to me.

"Won't."

He had just calmed Sakura down and, to prevent her from following him on her own, he deliberately had her walk a little further away. By the time the Dragon Vein activated, Sakura had almost woken up by the time she came closer.

Time travel, tsk.

It's impossible for him not to be nervous, but he really needed to do it. At the same time, he wanted to see if there was a way to directly cut off the opening; reversing time was just too overpowered.

In short, Naruto used it himself and didn't want anyone else to use it, preparing to discard the person who helped him. He was worried that if someone tried to use time travel to go back in time and kill him, that would be ridiculous.

Once Naruto confirmed that Sakura was far away from the area, Naruto jumped into the cave entrance. A Chakra Blade was stuck in the Dragon Vein. It was Sealing Jutsu left by the Fourth Hokage, gleaming with a ghostly blue light in the darkness.

As he landed, Naruto went straight to the location of the Chakra Blade. Without a word, he raised his hand and drew the blade. With a boom, the Sealing Jutsu was activated.

Before the azure seal could rebound, Naruto directly absorbed the blue Sealing Jutsu using the Four Symbols Seal. A loud bang, similar to the sound of shattering glass, followed.

The seal set up by the Fourth Hokage vanished instantly, and with a boom, the Dragon Vein awakened.

Besides