Land of Wind, desert, Rōran,
Rōran had just emerged from the rogue ninja Mukade's scheme, and the new Queen had only recently ascended the throne. The kingdom should have been flourishing.
But reality was often this cruel. Once the Dragon Vein had been completely sealed again, no life-giving Dragon Vein Chakra flowed out. Rōran's once-fertile land and oases had become barren once more.
And with the aftermath of the Third Great Ninja War, Rōran was now far more desolate and lifeless than it had been before An Lushan was killed.
Perhaps this was the cruel reality beneath Naruto's passionate, uplifting themes:
When the nation prospered, the people suffered; when it fell, the people suffered.
Nara Dan appeared in Rōran's main city. With a few quick steps, he passed through the crowds and guards, reaching the ruins at its center.
The hundred-meter-tall tower was gone. The Queen of Rōran who came after it—whether to protect the Dragon Vein or because funds were lacking—had never rebuilt the ruins where it was sealed.
Though this was the heart of Rōran, all that remained were scattered stones and building ruins, with a handful of Rōran soldiers guarding the area.
The Dragon Vein's seal lay buried an unknown number of meters beneath the ruins. For an ordinary person, finding it would have been difficult.
But that was clearly no challenge for Nara Dan.
Gang Qi condensed into a blade. Almost soundlessly, Dan dug straight through the ground beneath the ruins and slipped inside.
Following the faint call of the Dragon Vein, Dan kept digging in a certain direction.
A moment later, a gust of wind rushed toward him from ahead.
Dan's expression sharpened as he burrowed inside.
A vast, empty space stretched before him, utterly dark, without a trace of light. It had clearly been