"But... for some reason, Inazuma suddenly announced the end of the Sakoku Decree over a month ago. A few bold merchants secretly violated the ban and went to Inazuma, and some information about the country started circulating..."
"Inazuma's ruler isn't called a daimyo. He's called the Dragon King... He's an incredibly mysterious figure. No one has ever seen him. Even the people of Inazuma suspect the Dragon King is fictional and doesn't exist at all."
"The true ruler of Inazuma is supposedly a woman. She's mysterious too, and no one knows what she looks like. Her name is..."
Kakashi paused, then said gravely, "The Raiden Shogun!"
Sakura's face filled with horror. "The woman from earlier?!"
Kakashi wasn't sure. "Perhaps..."
"Why... would she become part of Naruto's family?"
Sakura couldn't understand. One was from Konoha, the other from Inazuma. How could two people from different countries become family?
Kakashi shook his head. He had no answer.
"Sasuke, could it be... that you know?" Kakashi caught sight of Sasuke's unusual expression from the corner of his eye.
Sasuke hesitated. "I've met them..."
In Naruto's closet.
Sasuke and Naruto had even shared each other's blood... There were many things Naruto wouldn't tell Sasuke, but he didn't go out of his way to hide them from him, either.
So Sasuke knew many of Naruto's secrets and had seen his treasured collection.
Among them were wooden dolls of Raiden Ei and Fu Hua.
Kakashi mused, "Could you tell me about it in detail?"
Sasuke flatly refused. "No!"
Naruto had been willing to show him his secrets, so Sasuke couldn't betray Naruto's trust.
A cramped, dilapidated wooden hut. A lifeless population...
Naruto, Raiden Ei, and Fu Hua walked along the road.
Fu Hua's bright eyes held deep sympathy. "This country... is terribly poor."
"Is poverty