What Do You Really Want?

Yue didn't even blush. He'd even imitated the unquestionable authority in the Anbu captain's voice as he pointed toward the puppets surging toward them like a tide.

"There's too many enemies, and the Dragon Vein provides them with an endless supply of power. Handsome comrade, can you hold them off for a while? I'll cover the queen's retreat!"

At the words "handsome comrade," Yamato didn't have time to think.

"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"

Yamato brought his hands together, unleashing a massive burst of chakra.

Rows of enormous, sturdy wooden pillars burst from the ground, forming a wall in front of Yue and Sara.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Countless purple laser beams hammered the wooden wall, shaking it violently, but Yamato's powerful Wood Release held firm.

Watching Yamato pour everything into holding back half the puppet army all by himself, Yue's mouth curled into a wide grin beneath his mask.

"How useful, Captain Yamato. Konoha's shinobi really can be adorably gullible."

With Yamato acting as a human shield and holding off the troublesome sea of puppets, Yue immediately led Sara toward the Dragon Vein's control hub.

Yamato struggled to maintain his Wood Release as he shouted, "Senior, have you seen Naruto—that blond kid—anywhere...?"

"Whoosh!"

A brilliant golden flash suddenly cut through the dim underground chamber. Several shinobi appeared on the platform behind Yamato.

It was Minato Namikaze, Choza Akimichi, Shibi Aburame, and Naruto Uzumaki, whom Minato had forcibly carried away from danger!

"Captain Yamato!!!"

The moment Naruto spotted the familiar figure, he cried out excitedly.

Yamato glanced back in the middle of the battle. Seeing Naruto safe, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, Naruto, you're all right! Come help me! I'm assisting this senior in protecting the queen..."

"Get away from him! He's no senior!"

At Yamato's words, Minato's expression changed. A rare flash of alarm and anger crossed his bright blue eyes.

"What?" Yamato froze.

The specially made kunai in Minato's hand instantly locked onto Yue, who was about to lead Sara away. His icy voice rang through the entire underground chamber.

"He isn't carrying out a Konoha mission! He stole classified information and betrayed the village. He's an extremely dangerous criminal—an A-rank rogue ninja, Yue Uchiha! He's using you!"

"A r-rogue ninja?!"

Yamato's eyes widened as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over him.

He turned and stared in disbelief at the black-robed young man, who had seemed so kind.

Hearing Minato expose him, Yue showed no sign of panic. Instead, he stopped.

He slowly turned around, his dark eyes sweeping over Yamato's shocked face, then the wary Team Minato, before finally settling on the puppet army still attacking the Wood Locking Wall below.

"Minato, you got here a little sooner than I expected. But the timing's perfect."

Yue chuckled softly and formed a hand seal.

"Bang!"

Explosive Tag smoke burst from the spot where Yue had been standing, blasting apart the only metal bridge connecting his platform to the area where Yamato stood.

The battlefield was now completely divided.

"Thanks for using your Wood Release to hold off these annoying toys, Captain Yamato."

Across the chasm, Yue gave Yamato a slight bow, an exaggeratedly mocking gentleman's gesture. "From here on, you can let Konoha's elites play with the puppets. I'll be taking Her Majesty and the Dragon Vein."

"You bastard! You tricked me!"

Yamato shook with rage, nearly losing control of his Wood Release.

How dare he treat him like an idiot? He was Captain Yamato!

"Don't let him get away!"

Naruto shared Yamato's outrage and roared as he started forward, but Minato caught him.

"Don't rush in, Naruto!" Minato said, his expression grave.

The situation had turned into a terribly difficult three-way battle.

On one side, Anrokuzan's mechanical puppet army from Rōran was drawing on the Dragon Vein's endless chakra, attacking everyone like a horde of zombies that couldn't feel pain.

On another, Yue Uchiha—a highly intelligent, terrifyingly powerful A-rank rogue ninja—had taken Sara, the only "key" to controlling the Dragon Vein, and was heading for the innermost control room.

Meanwhile, Konoha's shinobi had to protect themselves and hold off the tide of puppets, while finding a way to stop Yue's scheme and Mukade's rampage without harming Sara.

"Choza, Shibi, I'm counting on you to work with Yamato and hold off this massive horde of puppets!"

Minato made a snap tactical decision and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Naruto, Yue Uchiha is extremely dangerous. He's powerful and exceptionally good at manipulating people. We have to work together and stop him and the queen before Mukade gets there!"

"Right! I'm gonna give that lying old man a good beating!"

Naruto clenched his fists, fierce determination burning in his bright blue eyes.

If he could stop that Uchiha here, could he stop Sasuke too?

Watching Minato and Naruto set off below, Yue stood in the shadows above, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smile.

"This is getting more and more interesting!"

His black robe swept behind him as Yue took Sara and disappeared into the deepest darkness leading to the Dragon Vein's core.

In the dim, shadowy underground passage, the Dragon Vein's purple chakra flickered through the pipes.

"Let go of me..."

As they hurried along, Sara suddenly wrenched herself free of Yue's hand.

Her emerald eyes were full of uncertainty and suspicion as she stared at the black-robed young man.

"Was what that blond Anbu said true? Are you... really a dangerous criminal who betrayed his village?" Sara's voice trembled.

She might have been naive, but she wasn't stupid. Would an "A-rank rogue ninja" who had betrayed the village where he grew up really be kind enough to save her country?

At Sara's question, Yue stopped.

He slowly turned around. In the dim light, his Sharingan showed no hesitation—only a suffocating openness.

"Yes. I'm not only a rogue ninja; in the eyes of Konoha's High Command, I'm a dangerous, cold-blooded thug."

Yue answered bluntly, without even trying to defend himself.

That only made Sara stare. She had expected him to lie to her with honeyed words.

"Then why should I trust you? Aren't you just like Anrokuzan, trying to use me to control the Dragon Vein?!"

Sara took a step back, like a frightened hedgehog.

"Your Majesty, it seems you still don't understand the situation."

Yue stepped toward her, and his oppressive presence immediately engulfed Sara.

"In your eyes, what makes someone good or bad? Anrokuzan, who held you in the palm of his hand and was praised by all of Rōran, secretly treated your people like slaves and livestock. But I, the unforgivable 'rogue ninja,' shattered the illusion and showed you the bloody truth."

Yue pointed toward the Underground Arsenal.

Somewhere in the distance, the laborers' despairing cries could still be heard.

"Konoha's Anbu are certainly 'righteous,' but their righteousness belongs to Konoha. To complete their mission, they wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice this city. I'm different."

Yue lowered his head slightly, his scarlet eyes seeming to look straight into Sara's soul. His voice was low and seductive.

"I don't owe allegiance to anyone. I follow only my own will. My goal is to destroy Mukade completely and seize this power. Yours is to save your people from torment worse than death and avenge your mother. From that perspective, our interests are absolutely aligned."

"So what do you want to be: a puppet queen clinging to false righteousness as you watch your country fall, or someone willing to deal with the devil and take back the smiles that belong to your people with your own hands?"