Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Technique!

The earth trembled, and the entire tower began shaking violently.

Sara was an ordinary person, and she immediately lost her footing and fell to the ground. Naruto Uzumaki hurried over and helped her up.

Compared to Sara, her enslaved subjects were in even worse shape.

Under Mukade's long-term exploitation, they had been forced to work at an intense pace, with hardly any time to rest.

With the ground shaking so violently, they could barely keep their balance.

Realizing something was wrong, Namikaze Minato quickly issued orders. "Naruto, take Her Majesty and her people and get out of this tower at once. Choza, cover them."

"Aoba and I will stay behind and hold them off."

"Understood!"

Everyone answered in unison.

Multi Shadow Clone Technique!

Naruto quietly formed Hand Seals. The next second, a cloud of smoke billowed up, and dozens of clones appeared.

They immediately spread out. Each clone took a civilian, while Naruto carried Sara on his back. With Choza Akimichi covering them, they hurried toward the tower's exit.

Not long after they left,

a colossal puppet burst out from deep beneath the tower. It stood more than thirty meters tall, and Uchiha Aoba and Namikaze Minato's expressions immediately turned grim.

"Damn Konoha Ninja! I'll kill you all!"

"And Sara, you'll never escape me. I'll catch you and kill you!"

An enraged roar rang out from within the puppet's massive body.

"Tch. This is trouble," Uchiha Aoba thought.

As he looked at the towering puppet, his desire to awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan grew ever more urgent.

"Aoba, don't take him head-on. Focus on keeping him occupied," Namikaze Minato called out after dodging the puppet's grasp.

"Understood."

Uchiha Aoba's Sharingan searched constantly for a weakness in the puppet, but the longer he looked, the grimmer his expression became.

This giant puppet was different from ordinary puppets.

There were no Chakra Threads controlling it. It had become a completely independent entity.

Uchiha Aoba couldn't help but wonder:

It looked like Mukade had achieved mechanical ascension, merging himself with the puppet.

If that was the case, then Uchiha Aoba would just have to test how tough Mukade's shell really was.

After retreating slightly to evade Mukade's attack, Uchiha Aoba began forming Hand Seals at rapid speed.

Namikaze Minato watched his movements and was startled. "That seal is..."

Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Technique!

To test the giant puppet's defenses, Uchiha Aoba went straight to one of his strongest A-rank techniques.

Four dragons of fire burst from his mouth, surging toward the giant puppet from above, below, and both sides. They struck its enormous body all at once and exploded.

Scorching heat engulfed the entire tower, and the giant puppet let out a howl of pain.

Just as he thought!

Hearing the puppet's cry, Uchiha Aoba knew his guess had been right.

At the same time, the puppet's outer structure began melting and breaking apart under the Fire Release, damage spreading at a visible pace.

Namikaze Minato saw it clearly and was about to use Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique to finish it off.

Then Mukade roared.

"You think you can kill me!?"

"As long as the Dragon Vein keeps flowing, my power will never run out!"

The moment he finished speaking,

a vast surge of purple energy flickered wildly through the puppet's body, and its damaged form began to restore itself.

Seeing this,

Namikaze Minato frowned and put away his Kunai, unwilling to waste any more chakra.

Uchiha Aoba, on the other hand, could barely keep from laughing out loud.

They said only an idiot would tell their enemies their weakness during a fight.

Uchiha Aoba had thought that kind of fool existed only in the movies and anime he'd watched in his previous life. He hadn't expected to witness it live today.

Perhaps Mukade realized he'd let his brain short-circuit and said something he shouldn't have.

Once his puppet had fully recovered, he didn't continue battling Uchiha Aoba and Namikaze Minato inside the tower. Instead, he broke through the roof, emerged in the town, and headed for Sara.

It seemed Mukade had realized who posed the greatest threat to him right now.

Meanwhile,

in the central plaza of Rōran,

at Sara's direction, Naruto had brought everyone there. They hoped to use the surrounding towers as a barrier against the giant puppet.

It was a good plan, but reality was cruel.

A distant tower collapsed, and the giant puppet came into view. The people, who had been resting for only a few minutes, jumped in fright, their hearts climbing back into their throats.

"Sara!"

Mukade's ominous call echoed through Rōran.

Sara urged her people to retreat as she watched the giant puppet draw closer, anguish in her eyes.

Her pupils trembled, and she seemed to reach a decision.

First, she snatched the Kunai from Naruto's hand. Then, amid everyone's cries of alarm, she removed the cumbersome robe she was wearing, slashed open her long skirt with the Kunai, and exposed her long, pale legs.

Finally, she tied back her long hair with a thin cord and said with determination, "This is all happening because of the Dragon Vein."

"For my people, and for all of you who are risking your lives to protect me..."

"Naruto!"

"I'm going to shut down the source of the Dragon Vein once and for all."

"I see," Naruto said, suddenly understanding. "No wonder Mukade kept trying to kill you. You can not only shut down the Dragon Vein in the city, but the entire Dragon Vein itself."

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Uchiha Aoba and Namikaze Minato used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside the others. They had also heard what Naruto said. Aoba spoke up. "We also heard Mukade let it slip earlier. The only way to stop him is to cut off the Dragon Vein."

"Dad! Aoba-sensei!"

Seeing that the two were safe, Naruto cried out happily.

Namikaze Minato nodded to him, then said to Sara, "Your Majesty, we'll have to leave the rest to you."

"I understand."

Sara gripped the Kunai in her hand. "The Inner Court, where I first met Naruto—once I get there, the Dragon Vein's power won't be able to reach me."

"Then hurry. Take your people with you!" Naruto encouraged her.

"Complete your mission with the unshakable will to never give up!"

"Right! Everyone, follow me."

Sara nodded, then called to the others. Once her people responded, she led them away from the plaza.

"Okay! Let's get ready."

Once Sara had left, Naruto struck a confident pose. "Dad, Aoba-sensei, Uncle Choza, let's go!"

"Kid, you've got things backward."

Uchiha Aoba looked at Naruto with amusement and shook his head. "Since when do you get to give the orders around here? Besides, we don't need you to stay and help us."

"Naruto, fighting was never your mission," Namikaze Minato added with a laugh.

"Compared to us, Her Majesty is an ordinary person leading her people. She needs your help far more."