That was an inexhaustible source of chakra hidden beneath Rōran, possessing power comparable to the tailed beasts—or even surpassing them in some respects.
Only by grasping that unimaginably vast power could he gain the means to contend with the World Correction Force that would crush everything in the future, and change his fate of being destined to become cannon fodder of the era.
Yet to perfectly break the seal and control the Dragon Vein, the Sharingan and brute force alone were not enough.
He also needed a "key"—the bloodline of the Queen of Roran.
"Judging by the timing, that Sunagakure rogue ninja Mukade, who called himself 'Anrokuzan,' should already be growing impatient and preparing to make a move on the current queen."
Yue came to an abrupt halt atop a massive steel cantilever.
The central tower plaza not far below was brightly illuminated.
Tens of thousands of Rōran's people had gathered there, waving the glowing lights in their hands as they fervently called out a name.
"Queen Sara!"
"Queen Sara!"
On the balcony at the top of the dizzyingly tall tower, a beautiful young girl with vivid red hair, delicate features, and an air of innocent naivety smiled and waved to the people below.
She was Sara, the current Queen of Roran.
"Found her." Yue looked down at his "key" without making a move immediately.
Because he knew that if he wanted this innocent, simple-minded queen, who had been brainwashed by Anrokuzan, to obediently listen to him, a perfectly timed "hero saving the beauty" would be far more effective than any genjutsu.
Just as Sara smiled brightly, immersed in the cheers of her people, a blank-faced maid in the shadows behind her suddenly moved like a puppet on strings.
The maid silently stepped forward, stretched out both hands, and violently shoved the completely unsuspecting Sara in the back!
"Ah—!"
Sara let out a piercing scream. Her body instantly lost its balance, passed over the low railing, and plunged directly from the tower balcony hundreds of meters above the ground!
In the plaza below, the once-fervent cheers instantly turned into endless cries of horror and panic.
The fierce wind howled madly past Sara's ears, and the intense sensation of weightlessness instantly blanked her mind.
As she watched the hard ground below grow larger like the maw of an abyss, tears of despair welled up in her eyes.
"Someone... save me..."
Just at that critical moment, when Sara believed she was doomed!
Whoosh—!
A black figure, like a sharp blade tearing through the night sky, dived down from the pipes above at a speed that defied all physical logic!
In midair, Yue Uchiha wrapped an arm around Sara's slender waist with incredible precision.
"What?!" Sara opened her eyes in terror, and the first thing she saw was a black robe snapping in the wind.
Without any unnecessary movement, Yue flicked his right wrist, and a kunai with an extremely thin specialized steel wire attached to its tail shot out instantly.
Clang!
The kunai embedded itself firmly into a thick metal load-bearing pillar dozens of meters away.
"Hold on tight, Your Majesty." Yue's low, magnetic voice sounded beside Sara's ear.
Using the powerful pull of the steel wire, the terrifying momentum of their fall instantly changed direction and transformed into a massive pendulum swing.
Amid the howling night wind and the purple chakra glow below, the black-robed young man held the red-haired girl in one arm as they traced a perilous yet elegant arc through the air, swinging straight toward the buildings on the other side.
Bang!
Yue Uchiha landed steadily with both feet on a secluded upper-floor terrace far from the noise of the plaza.
The tremendous impact cracked the stone slabs beneath his feet like a spiderweb, yet Sara, held tightly in his arms, had not suffered so much as a single hair out of place.
The night wind brushed past, lifting Yue's black high-collared robe.
His side profile, cold and stern beneath the shadows, along with those deep black eyes that seemed to pierce straight into one's heart, imprinted themselves deeply upon Sara's still-shaken gaze.
"Y-you... who are you?"
Sara leaned blankly against Yue's chest, feeling his steady heartbeat as even her breathing became hurried.
The Uchiha clan's looks really were absurdly effective.
But Yue did not spare much thought for that.
He slowly loosened his hold and set Sara steadily on the ground.
"Don't be afraid. I'm merely a passing... Konoha ninja."
"A Konoha ninja..."
Sara repeated the words blankly, her heart still racing.
"Y-you... why did you save me?"
Sara finally regained her senses and stepped half a pace away from Yue's arms. Though she tried to put on the dignity of a queen, the tremor in her voice betrayed both her fear and the shy embarrassment of a young girl.
"Because I'm a passing good person." Yue Uchiha casually made up an excuse that not even Naruto would believe, then immediately got to the point.
"However, Your Majesty, rather than asking why I saved you, shouldn't you first consider who wanted to kill you? For example, Anrokuzan?"
"Kill me?"
As though she had heard some ridiculous joke, Sara shook her head repeatedly.
"That's impossible! It was just an accident! I simply lost my footing... Lord Anrokuzan has governed the country so well, and the people all adore me. Why would he want to kill me? I need to go back and find Lord Anrokuzan immediately. He'll definitely investigate and get to the bottom of this!"
Looking at this puppet who had been so thoroughly protected, so innocent she was nearly foolish, Yue Uchiha did not impatiently shout like Naruto had in the original story, trying to correct her with such pale words as "Anrokuzan is a bad man."
For someone who had been deeply brainwashed, directly denying her beliefs would only trigger her instinctive wariness and resistance.
Yue understood human weakness well.
The most effective way to handle this was not preaching, but genjutsu.
"An accident?"
Yue chuckled, his laughter carrying thirty percent pity and seventy percent mockery.
He slowly walked before Sara, and his scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan instantly bloomed with a dim, eerie light.
"Look into my eyes, Queen Sara. Recall the second before you fell. What exactly did your back feel?"
Yue's genjutsu was not used to attack her. Instead, like a hypnotist's pocket watch, it instantly drew Sara into an intensely focused recollection.
Under the guidance of the Sharingan, the memory in Sara's mind that had become blurred by extreme terror slowed down frame by frame and replayed itself clearly.
She "saw" herself waving to the people below.
She "saw" the maid who had always treated her with the utmost respect silently walk up behind her.
She clearly felt the hands that had pushed against her back. Those were not human hands at all!
They were cold, hard, mechanical to the touch!
"Ah!!"
The genjutsu ended, and Sara abruptly awoke. Clutching her chest, she gasped for breath, her forehead covered in cold sweat.
"Remember now?" Yue leaned leisurely against the railing, his fingers lightly tapping the cold metal. "The thing that pushed you wasn't a person. It was a mechanical puppet covered in human skin. And in all of Rōran, other than Minister Anrokuzan, who has been 'wholeheartedly' assisting you, is there anyone else capable of controlling such sophisticated puppets?"
"N-no... That's impossible! Lord Anrokuzan, he..."
Sara's face had gone pale as paper, but she was still making one final struggle.
"Obtaining proof is actually very simple."
"Words can be fabricated, memories can deceive, but facts will not." Yue Uchiha grabbed Sara's wrist, giving her no chance to flee. "Since you think I'm lying to you, then as Rōran's queen, do you have the courage to come with me and see what exactly is hidden beneath this 'prosperous golden age' of yours?"
"I... I..."
Yue gave Sara no time to hesitate. He directly took her small hand and quickly led her away.
Making Sara believe him—how hard could that be?
Before you continue