The Past and Future of Roran

Loulan.

Sanjie flicked the blade in his hand, casually splattering blood across the ground.

Lying grievously wounded before him was An Lushan, the man who, in the original story, had tried to use this power to conquer the entire shinobi world—now dying halfway through before he had even revealed his ambitions.

Uchiha Makoto raised his head and examined the redheads kneeling on one knee before him, his expression teasing.

"What? The mighty Uzumaki Clan, blood relatives of the Senju Clan, and you've come begging an Uchiha for help?"

"My lord, the Senju are weak now, and forces from every side are relentlessly hunting us down. Our families died at their hands. It is truly unbearable that we cannot personally kill our enemies..." The leader lowered his head and spoke with respectful solemnity.

Heh. Every one of them had guarded against him before. Why were they now humbly coming to beg him?

Still, this suited his wishes perfectly.

A smile played on Uchiha Makoto's lips as he continued to appraise them. The Third Shinobi World War needed talents like these!

They would muddy the waters of the shinobi world for him, perhaps even drag themselves into it!

"What, I saved you back then and sent you here, and this is how you repay me? Do you really think a bunch of battered remnants like you can interfere in the Third Shinobi World War?"

"Please grant us this, my lord!"

"Hmph!"

"Once you're on the battlefield, I won't care whether you live or die!"

Hearing this, the Uzumaki Clan members felt as though a great weight had been lifted from them and repeatedly thanked him.

"Enough. Get up."

Uchiha Makoto waved a hand.

"Go back first. I still have matters to deal with."

After the Uzumaki Clan members left the hall, Uchiha Makoto turned to Yakushi Nono behind him.

"How is it? Have you sorted out Loulan's records?"

The plot of the original story was stale and clichéd.

An ancient kingdom of Loulan, prosperous and breathtakingly beautiful, had been plunged into a thrilling civil conflict by fate's cruel tricks.

A highly influential minister of their nation had harbored wicked intentions, seeking to use the legendary Dragon Vein's power to fulfill his ambitions and desires. Yet at that critical moment, a hero from twenty years in the future—Naruto Uzumaki—had suddenly appeared!

With extraordinary wisdom and courage, this hero successfully sealed the Dragon Vein, which had been tainted by evil forces.

With the Dragon Vein sealed, the rebellious minister ultimately met his death as well. But the upheaval left a deep and lasting impact on Loulan—the once fertile and abundant land became unfit for habitation, and its former prosperity vanished like a bubble.

With no other choice, the brave and steadfast queen could only lead her remaining subjects on a long journey to seek a new homeland and new hope.

The ruins that had once been so glorious stood silently where they were, as though recounting past splendor and hardship, until one day twenty years later...

Nono's face was filled with shock as she explained, "This ancient city was originally a place of sealing, imprisoning the immense power of the Dragon Vein. The ancestors of the Uzumaki Clan and Senju Clan established a barrier here to prevent that power from leaking out."

"Later, the Uzumaki Clan, who excelled at sealing techniques, sent clan members to reside here generation after generation. It gradually developed into the Loulan of today."

Uchiha Makoto nodded. He knew all that. It had happened during the Warring States Period: the Uzumaki and Senju had each established a place of sealing—one built Loulan to seal the Dragon Vein, while the other built the Land of Demons to seal Mōryō.

"What else?"

Expectation gleamed in Uchiha Makoto's eyes.

"The Dragon Vein's power has continued to grow for a thousand years. It has already surpassed ordinary tailed beasts, and..." Nono glanced at the fallen An Lushan before continuing, "the Dragon Vein can travel through time and space!"

"Do you know how to undo the seal?"

"It is probably in the royal family's possession."

"Mm, that makes sense."

Uchiha Makoto glanced at An Lushan, unable to suppress his contempt. In the original story, this guy had clearly possessed a huge number of robots, yet all he knew was how to squeeze ordinary people dry. He had no brains at all.

Still, many of the robot materials Uchiha Makoto had now had been obtained from this man, and Loulan was developing quite well. Towering buildings stood in neat rows everywhere. At least he had made some contribution.

"Keep him alive for now. Kill him later."

Uchiha Makoto had a headache now. Rubbing his temples, he recalled the plan he had made before coming here, as well as... Pakura.

He rose to his feet and looked down over Loulan from above, then turned his gaze toward a spot beneath the ground. That was where the Dragon Vein was sealed.

It was also the purpose of this trip.

It was now the end of Konoha's forty-second year. Hatake Kakashi, Might Guy, and the others of their generation were on a month-long winter break. Barring any accidents, they would most likely graduate smoothly within the next six months.

Half a year later, they would take on basic missions and undergo basic training for newly minted genin.

Once those procedures were complete, they would head onto the battlefield of the Third Shinobi World War and continue fighting until the war finally came to an end.

Thinking of this, Uchiha Makoto could not help feeling immense pressure.

He had to speed up the process now and strive to start the Third Shinobi World War within six months. The more unprepared everyone was, the easier it would be for him to fish in troubled waters.

Loulan was a good choice. Setting aside the yearly trivial matters, Loulan's profits were quite substantial.

It possessed uniquely favorable natural conditions and fertile land, producing all kinds of high-quality crops. Combined with its close proximity, Loulan had become an important food supplier for the Sand Village and even the entire Land of Wind.

Every year, Loulan exported vast quantities of grain to the Land of Wind. These crops not only met the Land of Wind's needs, but also provided sufficient food security for the Sand Village to launch the Third Shinobi World War.

It could be said that if he stopped Loulan's grain exports now, the Sand Village and the entire Land of Wind, without Loulan as such an important food-producing base, might face a severe food shortage.

The Third Shinobi World War was only months away from breaking out.

But the question was, how could Loulan have a legitimate reason to stop exporting, while preventing the Land of Wind from using it as a pretext to cause trouble?

At that thought, Uchiha Makoto's gaze settled on An Lushan below. No—on Sand Village ANBU Centipede.

The original script was quite good. Centipede, a Sand Village ANBU agent infiltrated in Loulan, coveted the Dragon Vein and launched a rebellion. After the Queen of Loulan struggled to suppress it, Loulan's grain-producing regions would be destroyed, making it difficult to maintain exports.

Then the Land of Wind would suffer the consequences of its own actions. Not only would it lose Loulan, an important grain-producing region, it would also have to compensate Loulan for its losses.

Finally, the hero Pakura would step forward to negotiate and preserve the friendly relations between the two nations. Loulan would promise to resume grain exports the following year, providing strong support for the Sand Village in the Third Shinobi World War.

Uchiha Makoto's eyes flickered. He was extremely satisfied with this script.

The Uzumaki Clan outside would surely do everything they needed to do as well. They were not Naruto Uzumaki.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

What kind of mess would break out then... well... that would have nothing to do with him.

When someone asked about the Third Shinobi World War in the future...

Uchiha Makoto: I don't know. What are you talking about? I don't know what you're talking about. What, pushing the Third Shinobi World War? I have no idea!