But Unfortunately, I Don't Trust You

Before leaving the Rōran Ruins, Ensei Uchiha still had one thing to take care of.

At present, in the Shinobi World, aside from a few people in Konoha who knew about Rōran, the only other person who should know was Sara, the last queen of Rōran.

What's more, Sara knew how to control the Dragon Vein seal. She could even use it to a certain extent and sense the Dragon Vein's power.

Naturally, he had to find a way to deal with this potential problem.

He used the Summoning Technique to call a Ninja Cat and sent her back to ask Granny Cat where the Rōran survivors were living now.

A few minutes later, the Ninja Cat named Hinai appeared again, summoned by Ensei Uchiha, with an intelligence scroll in her mouth.

"Here you go. There aren't many Rōran survivors left, meow."

"Oh, and Big Brother Chachamaru asked me to ask you..."

Before Hinai could finish, Ensei Uchiha replied, "Tell him to wait. Natural Energy isn't that easy to study. If he has a problem with that, he can take it up with Granny Cat."

Hinai licked her paw and said thoughtfully, "Got it, meow."

"Granny Cat said not to rush you..."

Ensei Uchiha waved her away impatiently. Ever since he'd gotten familiar with these little cats, every single one of them had been trying to get some kind of favor out of him.

He didn't have time to make cat toys. If he hadn't accidentally created a Mini Ten-Tails, he'd probably still be studying the Tenseigan right now.

But even with the Mini Ten-Tails, he couldn't stop that research. If anything, he had to hurry even more.

So, the study of Natural Energy could wait for now.

With the information from Cat Ninja Village, Ensei Uchiha soon found the Rōran survivors.

As expected, Minato Namikaze was reliable. These people were now living near the border of the Land of Fire, and their village even bore a sign showing they were under the Land of Fire's protection.

Using the Byakugan, Ensei Uchiha quickly spotted Sara.

She was currently going through a pile of documents, handling the village's accounts.

Did no one in the Shinobi World know to hire an accountant?

Thinking of Naruto Uzumaki, who had become Hokage in the story, Ensei Uchiha couldn't help sighing.

"Who's there!"

As the leader of the Rōran survivors, Sara was certainly vigilant.

"Don't worry. I mean you no harm. As for why I'm here... Talking would take too long. Let me show you the world through my eyes."

As Ensei Uchiha spoke, he sent a genjutsu through the Byakugan.

It was worth noting that Ensei Uchiha's Byakugan had turned blue. When he activated the Tenseigan, the blue grew even deeper.

He didn't know how it worked, but it did solve a few minor problems for him.

The Byakugan didn't enhance genjutsu the way the Sharingan did. But with Ensei Uchiha's strength, he didn't need much skill to deal with an ordinary person who wasn't even a ninja.

In the illusion, Ensei Uchiha showed her scenes of the Allied Shinobi Forces, the Ten-Tails, and other especially shocking moments from the war.

"Is this... a war between ninjas?"

Sara was a little confused by the images in her mind, but in an instant, she connected them to the Dragon Vein.

Seeing Sara's expression change dramatically, Ensei Uchiha spoke plainly.

"That's right. I came for the Dragon Vein, but I'm not here to use you. I just hope you won't interfere with my plans."

"What you just saw were glimpses of the future."

"To stop a powerful enemy, I'm going to use the Dragon Vein's power, and I've already made the necessary preparations."

"I guarantee that the Dragon Vein's power won't run rampant or hurt anyone."

"And just so you know, I'm on what you might call the good guys' side."

After briefly explaining the situation, Ensei Uchiha quietly waited for Sara's response.

But facing Ensei Uchiha, Sara recalled the criminal who had once used her and brought Rōran to its current ruin: Mukade, the rogue ninja from Sunagakure.

"You want me to do that? Help you undo the Dragon Vein seal?"

Sara had steadied herself by now. She decided to keep the mysterious man occupied for the time being. Once people noticed she was missing, someone would inform Konoha.

Hearing that, Ensei Uchiha understood exactly what Sara was thinking.

"I already told you that I've dealt with the Dragon Vein. I don't need you. I just want you to stay out of my way."

"Honestly, the best option would be to kill you."

"But as I said, I'm on what you might call the good guys' side. Killing people is something I only do when I have no choice."

Of course, that wasn't the only reason. Ensei Uchiha was also worried that Sara's death might cause trouble for him.

After all, although this lineage seemed to consist entirely of ordinary people, they could connect to the Dragon Vein seal and even control the Dragon Vein's power at crucial moments. They were far from ordinary.

Ensei Uchiha wasn't naive enough to think that the Shinobi World had only a handful of powerful people. Chakra wasn't native to the Shinobi World, after all.

And now, there were surely many strange powers hidden in different corners of the Shinobi World.

For example, that Box of Ultimate Bliss, Moryo in the Land of Demons, and the Jashin of the Land of Hot Water.

The so-called Dragon Vein was probably much the same.

If something went wrong and it ran out of control, it would unleash the mighty power of time—a truly dangerous force.

So Ensei Uchiha patiently explained in detail the reason he'd made up, and told Sara that he was a Konoha ninja.

"You're saying the Dragon Vein's energy has already started leaking?"

Sara looked grave. She could dismiss everything else, but she had to investigate anything involving the Dragon Vein.

"Take me near the Dragon Vein. If everything you said is true, I won't interfere."

Sara hesitated, then spoke.

Ensei Uchiha thought for a moment and placed his hand on Sara's shoulder.

In an instant, he used the Flying Thunder God to take them to the underground chamber where the Dragon Vein lay.

"We're here. Flying Thunder God. I assume you've seen it before..."

Seeing Sara's confused expression, Ensei Uchiha explained.

At the same time, Sara sensed the traces of the Dragon Vein seal. But the seal didn't seem to be leaking any power at present.

"I believe you. I won't stop you."

After a moment's hesitation, Sara promised.

As for whether she meant it, even Sara herself wasn't sure. She wanted to believe him, but she didn't dare.

Especially when it came to the boy standing before her, who looked only thirteen or fourteen.

"But unfortunately, I don't trust you."

"Don't misunderstand. I'm only placing a genjutsu on you. It won't affect your daily life. In fact, it'll save your life if you're ever in danger."

As Ensei Uchiha spoke, an identical figure appeared nearby, like a twin.

But the newly arrived figure had red eyes with two different patterns in them.

Feeling as though some kind of cold liquid had entered her brain, Sara finally lost consciousness.

The next day, when Sara woke up, she thought the previous night had only been a nightmare.

But when she saw a Kunai beside her pillow, she finally realized what had happened.

After examining it closely, Sara noticed a small black dot drawn on the handle. According to the man, it was his Flying Thunder God Mark.

As long as she carried the Kunai with her, he could come to her rescue at any time if she was in danger.

Only then did Sara finally come to her senses and realize that it had all been real.