But Unfortunately, I Don't Trust You

Before leaving the Rōran Ruins, Ensei Uchiha had one more matter to resolve.

Currently in the Shinobi World, aside from a few individuals in Konoha who knew about Rōran, the only other person who should be aware was the last queen of Rōran, a woman named Sara.

Furthermore, Sara possessed the means to control the Dragon Vein seal; she could even utilize it to a certain extent and was capable of sensing the power of the Dragon Vein.

Such a nuisance naturally had to be dealt with.

He used a summoning technique to call forth a Ninja Cat, instructing her to return to Granny Cat and inquire about where the remnants of Rōran were currently living.

A few minutes later, the Ninja Cat named Hinai, holding an intelligence scroll in her mouth, was summoned once more by Ensei Uchiha.

"Here you go. The number of Rōran survivors is very small, meow."

"Oh, and meow, Chachamaru-aniki told me to ask you..."

Before Hinai could finish her sentence, Ensei Uchiha spoke up: "Tell him to wait. Natural Energy isn't something that can be researched so easily. If he has complaints, tell him to go find Granny Cat."

Hinai licked her paw and said thoughtfully, "I understand, meow."

"Granny Cat said, don't be in such a rush..."

Ensei Uchiha waved his hand dismissively. Once these little cats got familiar with him, they all wanted to squeeze some benefits out of him.

He had no time to make those cat toys; if he hadn't accidentally created the Mini Ten-Tails, he would probably still be researching the Tenseigan right now.

But even with the Mini Ten-Tails, those studies could not stop; in fact, he had to pick up the pace.

Therefore, things like Natural Energy would just have to be put on hold for now.

According to the records of the Cat Ninja Village, Ensei Uchiha quickly located the remnants of Rōran.

As expected, Minato Namikaze was reliable; these people were now living on the border of the Land of Fire, and their village even bore the mark of protection from the Land of Fire.

Using his Byakugan, Ensei Uchiha quickly spotted Sara.

At this moment, she was buried in a mountain of documents, processing the village's accounts.

Did no one in this Shinobi World ever think to hire an accountant?

Thinking of Naruto Uzumaki, who would eventually become Hokage, Ensei Uchiha couldn't help but sigh.

"Who's there!"

As the leader of the Rōran survivors, Sara was quite competent when it came to vigilance.

"Don't worry, I have no ill intent. As for my purpose... communication is too slow, so let me show you the world through my eyes."

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

It is worth mentioning that Ensei Uchiha's Byakugan had turned blue; after activating the Tenseigan, this blue hue became even more intense.

He didn't know the principle behind it, but it did solve a few minor troubles for him.

The Byakugan did not possess the genjutsu-amplifying properties of the Sharingan, but given Ensei Uchiha's current power, he didn't need a high level of genjutsu to deal with an ordinary person who wasn't even a ninja.

Within the illusion, Ensei Uchiha displayed scenes of the Allied Shinobi Forces, the Ten-Tails, and other shocking scenes of war.

"This is... a war between ninjas?"

Sara felt a hint of confusion regarding the images in her mind, but in an instant, she associated them with the Dragon Vein.

Seeing the drastic change in Sara's expression, Ensei Uchiha spoke quite bluntly:

"That's right. I came here for the Dragon Vein, but I am not here to exploit you; I just hope you won't disrupt my plans."

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

"In order to stop a powerful enemy, I intend to use the power of the Dragon Vein, and I have already made the necessary preparations."

"I guarantee that the power of the Dragon Vein will not overflow, nor will it harm anyone."

"As a side note, I am, for the time being, on the side of the good guys."

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

Facing Ensei Uchiha, Sara's mind recalled that sinner who had once used her and brought Rōran to its current state—the Sunagakure missing-nin, Mukade!

"What do you want me to do? Help you break the Dragon Vein seal?"

Sara had calmed down by now and decided to temporarily appease the mysterious man in front of her; once her disappearance was noticed, someone would surely notify Konoha.

Hearing this, Ensei Uchiha understood her intentions immediately.

"I said before, I have already solved the problem of the Dragon Vein. I don't need you; I just hope you don't cause me any trouble."

"Actually, the best choice would be to kill you right now."

"But as I said, I am on the side of the good guys, and killing is something I only do when there is no other choice."

Of course, besides that reason, Ensei Uchiha was also worried that if Sara died, it might bring him some trouble.

After all, although this lineage appeared to be ordinary people, they were linked to the Dragon Vein seal and could even control its power at critical moments; they were not ordinary at all.

Ensei Uchiha would not be naive enough to think that the Shinobi World only had those few limited powerhouses; one had to remember that Chakra was not a power native to the Shinobi World.

And nowadays, there were surely many existences with strange powers hidden in every corner of the Shinobi World.

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

That so-called Dragon Vein should be something similar.

If it were to spiral out of control, the sheer power drawn from time itself would be an incredibly dangerous existence.

Thus, Ensei Uchiha patiently explained the reasons he had fabricated to Sara in detail, while also revealing his identity as a ninja from Konoha.

"Are you saying that the energy of the Dragon Vein has already begun to leak?"

Sara's expression turned grave; she might doubt other things, but when it came to the Dragon Vein, she had to investigate it thoroughly.

"Take me to the vicinity of the Dragon Vein. If everything is truly as you say, I will not interfere with you."

Sara hesitated for a moment before speaking.

Ensei Uchiha pondered briefly, then placed his palm on Sara's shoulder.

In an instant, he used the Flying Thunder God to arrive at the underground space of the Dragon Vein.

"We have arrived. Flying Thunder God. I believe you should have seen it before..."

Ensei Uchiha explained as he looked at Sara's bewildered expression.

At the same time, Sara sensed the traces of the Dragon Vein's seal, yet the current seal did not seem to be leaking any power at all.

"I believe you. I will not stop you."

Sara hesitated for a moment, then gave her promise.

As for whether this promise was sincere, even Sara herself was unsure; she wanted to believe him, but she dared not.

Especially when it came to trusting this boy before her, who looked to be only thirteen or fourteen years old.

"But unfortunately, I do not trust you."

"Do not misunderstand. I am merely placing a genjutsu upon you. It will not affect your life in any way; on the contrary, it will save your life should you encounter danger."

As Ensei Uchiha spoke, another identical figure appeared not far away, looking just like a twin.

However, the eyes of the newly appeared body possessed two different patterns of red.

Accompanied by the sensation of a cold liquid entering her brain, Sara finally lost control and fainted.

The next day, when Sara woke up, she thought last night had merely been a nightmare.

But upon seeing a kunai by her pillow, she finally realized the truth.

Examining it closely, Sara noticed a small black dot drawn on the handle of the kunai; according to that person, this was his Flying Thunder God mark.

As long as she carried this kunai with her, that person could come to save her at any time if she were in danger.

Only then did Sara finally snap out of it, realizing that everything had been real.