Mufasa led Kurotsuchi through the palace corridors, their footsteps silent as they moved.
This time, Mufasa was smarter—using his electromagnetic release, he bent the surrounding light, cloaking both himself and Kurotsuchi in perfect invisibility.
As they navigated through the hallways, Kurotsuchi couldn't hold back her curiosity any longer.
"Lord Kazekage, are you really an investigator from Faust?"
The poor girl had actually believed his lie.
Mufasa chuckled. "Nah, I made that up on the spot."
Kurotsuchi's eye twitched.
(??<`?)╭
"You were so serious about it! I actually believed you!"
She felt tricked yet again by her leader, but there was no time to dwell on it.
With Minato's directions, they successfully found the library.
The security was laughable—nothing that could stop Mufasa.
He and Kurotsuchi effortlessly bypassed the defenses and retrieved the documents Mufasa was after:
"Rōran City Construction Plan"
"Chakra Pipeline Structure and Key Points"
"Clay Ceramic Puppet Refinement Techniques"
Mufasa smirked. "Perfect."
As they scanned the library for anything else of value, Kurotsuchi's eyes lit up at a beautifully crafted sculpture in the corner.
"Lord Kazekage, look at this! It's gorgeous."
The sculpture was shaped like a dragon, adorned with gemstones, clearly an object of great importance.
Intrigued, Mufasa activated his electromagnetic vision, scanning the interior. To his surprise, a scroll was hidden within the sculpture. Carefully extracting it, he unrolled the parchment and quickly scanned its contents.
It contained detailed knowledge on controlling and harnessing the power of the Dragon Vein.
"This is incredible," Mufasa murmured before turning to Kurotsuchi with a satisfied grin. "Good find."
Kurotsuchi beamed. "So, are we heading back now? And, uh… how exactly are we getting back?"
Mufasa folded the scroll and tucked it away. "When the time comes, we'll have our way back."
He walked ahead, motioning for her to follow. "For now, we're going to wait for our ride."
Meanwhile, back in the palace, events were unfolding just as predicted.
Anrokuzan, now fully revealing his true nature, stood before Minato and his team.
He was no mere minister—he was a puppet master from twenty years ago known as Mukade.
His plan?
To control Queen Sara, take over Rōran, and amass a puppet army capable of conquering the shinobi world.
But this time, things were different from how history had originally played out.
Naruto, having undergone intense training under Mufasa, was on a completely different level than before. He had achieved perfect synchronization with Kurama, pushing his abilities far beyond what they had once been.
Mukade, even after absorbing countless puppets and utilizing the power of the Dragon Vein to obtain an immortal body, stood no chance. Naruto's Giant Rasengan obliterated him in seconds.
There was no drawn-out emotional father-son moment this time. No dramatic tumble into the abyss. Mukade was simply erased.
However, with his defeat, the Dragon Vein spiraled out of control. The entire city trembled as energy surged wildly.
Minato wasted no time. With precision, he planted his kunai and sealed the Dragon Vein, restoring order.
During this time, Minato had confirmed Naruto's true identity—his son from the future. But knowing the consequences of altering history, he made the painful choice to keep it to himself.
Minato's expression softened as he looked at Naruto. "I'm going to use a sealing technique to erase your memories of this event."
Naruto's eyes widened in shock. "No! You said you had something to tell me! If you don't say it now, it'll be too late!"
Minato's gaze was unwavering, yet filled with warmth. "You'll know one day."
Naruto clenched his fists as emotions swelled in his chest. "Big brother… could it be that you're—"
Minato smiled gently. "If I ever have a son in the future, I'd want to raise him to be a shinobi like you."
That was all the confirmation Naruto needed. He shut his eyes, committing those words to memory before the sealing technique activated.
The intricate jutsu spread in a glowing pattern, erasing the events from Naruto and Yamato's minds.
Just as the space-time vortex began pulling them back to their original timeline, Mufasa and Kurotsuchi finally made their move. The two stepped forward, much to the shock of Minato, Kakashi, and the others, and leaped into the vortex without hesitation.
As they disappeared, realization dawned on Minato.
Faust… they were from the future all along.
Naruto and Yamato landed back in their timeline, completely unaware of what had transpired.
The Dragon Vein was sealed, the mission was complete.
Sakura greeted them with relief. "You're finally back! You just vanished!"
To them, no time had passed at all.
As the team prepared to leave, Mufasa and Kurotsuchi materialized on the sealing platform, startling Naruto, Yamato, and Sakura.
Yamato nearly had a heart attack. "I—I'm on leave!"
Mufasa laughed. "Relax!"
He clapped a hand on Yamato's shoulder. "Listen, as valuable assets to the village, we couldn't risk something happening to you guys. That's why we were sent to protect you."
Naruto, Yamato, and Sakura exchanged confused glances.
"Wait… are we really that important?" Naruto asked, scratching his head.
Mufasa, satisfied with how things had played out, grinned. "Anyway, mission's over. Let's head back. I'm treating you all to a feast!"
Naruto immediately perked up. "Alright! I want extra-large miso ramen!"
With that, the team set off toward Konoha, their memories altered, the mission officially complete.
As for Mukade's fate? That would remain a mystery in their reports.
Because as far as they knew… he simply vanished.
While traveling through the desert, Mufasa and his team encountered a young woman named Sharon. She was the daughter of Queen Sara, the last ruler of Sharon. After the city's destruction, its people had become wandering nomads, struggling to survive in the harsh desert environment.
Sharon greeted Naruto and was about to leave when Mufasa spoke up.
"Wait a moment."
She stopped, turning to face him.
Mufasa stepped forward and introduced himself, "I am Mufasa, the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village."
Sharon's eyes widened, and she quickly bowed in respect. "Lord Kazekage, it is an honor."
Mufasa studied her for a moment before speaking again. "Your people have been wandering the desert for years. Life must have been difficult."
Sharon nodded, confusion flickering across her face.
"The Hidden Sand Village exists for the prosperity of the entire Land of Wind," Mufasa continued. "We can offer you and your people a home. Move to the Hidden Sand, and you will no longer have to struggle for survival."
Sharon gasped, covering her mouth in shock. It was unheard of. The desert was a cruel place, and resources were scarce. Nomadic tribes often fractured when they grew too large. No one had ever imagined that the Hidden Sand Village would offer them sanctuary.
Mufasa smiled warmly. "The Hidden Sand is different now. We have jobs, resources, and opportunities. Your people can work and live in security."
Sharon hesitated. "Is this… really true?"
Mufasa nodded. "I am the Kazekage. I do not make empty promises."
Tears welled in Sharon's eyes. "This is incredible. Thank you!"
Mufasa turned to his aide. "Kurotsuchi."
Kurotsuchi stepped forward. "Yes?"
"Make the arrangements. Provide them with housing, help them integrate into the village, and set up job training programs."
The Hidden Sand Village was always in need of manpower. Absorbing the Sharon survivors would strengthen them.
It was settled. Sharon gathered her people—more than 2,000 in total—and followed Mufasa back to the village. Kurotsuchi took charge of their resettlement while Mufasa instructed Naruto and his team to meet him in his office after they ate.
In Mufasa's office, Gaara, Kankuro, Sasori, and Kabuto were already waiting.
"Lord Kazekage," they greeted in unison, rising from their seats as he entered.
Mufasa placed his hat on the round table and gestured for them to sit. "Let's get started."
The air grew serious as he continued. "I've gathered you all here to discuss the next stage of development for the Hidden Sand. We need to push our village and industrial sector to the next level."
"Upgrade?" Kankuro asked, puzzled.
Mufasa retrieved several documents he had brought back from Sharon and spread them across the table. "Look through these first."
Each person picked up a document, scanning the information carefully.
Sasori's eyes gleamed with interest. "This puppet technology… it's different. There's potential in its modular structure."
Kankuro raised an eyebrow. "Are you planning to install chakra pipelines throughout the village?"
Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "The Dragon Vein could provide a stable energy source."
Mufasa waited as they processed the information before speaking. "You understand where I'm going with this."
He activated the projector, displaying blueprints of the Hidden Sand Village and its industrial sector. The detailed schematics showed an intricate design that caught Sasori's attention immediately.
His eyes widened. "Wait… these are two giant puppets?!"
Kankuro leaned forward. "They look like enormous mechanical beasts... but they're built into the village?"
Mufasa grinned. "Exactly. Since the beginning, I've designed the village's layout based on the concept of a mechanical titan. One day, I want these structures to rise and serve as guardians of our village."
The room fell silent. The sheer ambition of the plan was staggering.
Sasori crossed his arms. "Even if we build them, the energy required to activate something of this scale would be insane."
Mufasa nodded. "That's where the Dragon Vein comes in."
He brought up another image, pointing at the map. "The Hidden Sand Village is here. The Dragon Vein is over 800 kilometers away. My plan is to construct a chakra pipeline that will transfer its energy directly into the village."
He continued, "Once the pipes are in place, the entire village will have access to a steady chakra flow. This will serve as the 'lifeblood' of our mechanical guardians. Once we perfect the activation technology, they will no longer be just blueprints—they will be a reality."
A war fortress hidden in plain sight. A living, breathing stronghold that could move at will.
The idea sent a wave of excitement through the group.
"If we pull this off, our village will become unstoppable," Kankuro muttered in awe.
The team began discussing logistics.
Kabuto tapped his chin. "We can use sandworms to burrow the initial tunnels for the pipeline."
Kankuro nodded. "Our workforce will handle reinforcements, and we'll also need to upgrade the village's existing pipes."
Gaara added, "The ninja forces will clear out any threats along the route and establish security measures."
Kankuro frowned. "This is a massive undertaking. We don't have enough manpower."
Mufasa turned his gaze to Sasori.
The puppet master blinked. "...What?"
Mufasa leaned forward. "I assigned you the task of developing automated worker puppets for our factories. What's the progress?"
Sasori hesitated. He had been more focused on combat puppets, finding factory work far less interesting.
Mufasa's sharp eyes didn't miss his hesitation.
He smirked. "I knew it. You've been slacking off."
Sasori stiffened. "I—"
"From now on, drop your other projects," Mufasa ordered. "Your priority is to develop the automated puppets needed for construction and industry. If you don't, I will remove you as captain of the Third Division."
Sasori's jaw clenched. "You wouldn't."
Mufasa smirked. "Oh, and forget about piloting that giant puppet you've been dreaming of."
Sasori flinched. "...Fine. I'll do it."
Mufasa leaned back, satisfied. "Good."
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Word count: 1875
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