The ruins of Roran were engulfed in rolling dust; as far as the eye could see, everything was buried beneath drifting sands. It seemed as if a natural formation enshrouded the area. The sky was dark and yellow sand billowed, fierce winds howled, resembling ghostly wails. The ancient city of Roran was submerged in mud and sand.
Yet, if a passerby were attentive enough, they would discover the hidden grandeur beneath the sweeping sands.
Suddenly, a man appeared mid-air—dressed in white, with handsome features and a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. The most striking detail was the pair of enormous black wings on his back, stretching wide enough to block out the sky, like a devil's descent.
Senju Yukika's terrifying spiritual pressure naturally formed a barrier, keeping the swirling sands at bay, unable to come within three feet of him.
He frowned slightly, finding the ghostly wails of the sand and wind a bit too noisy.
With a sudden spread of his black demonic wings, the storm over the ruins came to an abrupt halt. If someone had been there, they would have been shocked to see countless grains of sand suspended mid-air, seemingly forming interwoven rivers of sand out of thin air.
"The ancient city of Roran, after enduring the passage of time, was ultimately eroded by drifting sands, covered by wind and dust, turning back to earth."
"A fleeting moment of glory, followed by a long stretch of solitude—who can resist the power of time?"
Standing alone, Senju Yukika gazed at the ancient city emerging before his eyes and sighed in admiration.
Though Yukika had absorbed the power of two Divine Trees and was now among the strongest beings alive, with vibrant life force and longevity, he did not dare to claim immortality.
Sacred trees wither, planets collapse, and even the Ōtsutsuki clan from beyond the stars would send their members every millennium to plant sacred trees and harvest chakra fruits to strengthen themselves.
Who knew how many chakra fruits the faraway Ōtsutsuki clan had harvested, and how many planets had been drained and eventually destroyed?
Yukika looked up at the sky, his eyes filled with a battle-hungry gleam, as if he wanted to pierce through the heavens to glimpse the distant Ōtsutsuki clan deep in space.
"Ōtsutsuki clan, sooner or later, I will pay you a visit. Don't disappoint me with your famed hospitality."
Retracting his aggressive gaze, Yukika murmured as he looked at the ruins before him.
"Alright, let's see what surprises this Dragon Vein has in store for me."
…
Clack, clack, clack.
Yukika's footsteps echoed through the ancient city of Roran. Due to the storm outside, his footsteps sounded sharp and hollow to any listener.
He glanced briefly at the surrounding towers but quickly lost interest. He hadn't come to admire Roran; he was here for the legendary Dragon Vein, said to contain enough chakra to destroy the earth.
Suddenly, a gentle, birdsong-like melody drifted from deep within Roran. Listening to the song, Yukika closed his eyes, and scenes of Roran's former splendor seemed to surface in his mind.
His expression grew strange. Was he about to trigger the story of the Lost Tower? A quick calculation of the timeline confirmed his hunch.
Sure enough, after walking a bit farther, Yukika saw a red-haired girl sitting on the ruins, singing, her delicate face tinged with sadness.
Sensing the storyline unfolding, Yukika's lips curled into a slight smile, and he called out to her.
"Sara!"
Startled by the sudden voice, the red-haired girl panicked. Her foot slipped, and she fell from the ruins several meters high.
A breeze blew past, but the girl didn't feel the pain she expected. Instead, it was as if she had fallen into a warm embrace.
Opening her eyes, she found herself looking at a handsome yet somewhat sinister face—the very man who had startled her.
With a small smile, Yukika asked, "Well? Are you hurt?"
There was no denying that Yukika was considered one of the most attractive men in the ninja world. His handsome appearance, combined with the aura of Ulquiorra Cifer, had captivated countless kunoichi. In the Senju clan and throughout Konoha, many young women were his devoted admirers. If not for Tsunade's formidable reputation, hordes of girls would likely crowd outside the Senju compound daily, desperate to see Yukika.
Some had even created a "handsome ninja ranking," and Yukika consistently held the top spot, proving his lethal charm.
The girl's face turned red as she quickly pushed Yukika away and stepped back several meters, eyeing him warily. "Who are you? Why are you here? And how do you know my name?"
Her rapid-fire questions revealed her inner turmoil.
Yukika smiled and casually waved his right hand, sighing a bit. "Girls nowadays mature so fast."
His comment made her face even redder. She instinctively hugged herself and snapped, "Shameless!"
Yukika shrugged innocently. "I just saved your life, you know. Calling me names seems a bit unfair."
The red-haired girl shook her head and snorted. "You still haven't answered my questions."
Yukika said leisurely, "I am Senju Yukika."
But instead of reacting with shock or fear as he expected, the red-haired girl frowned in thought, as if she had never heard the name before.
"Senju? Isn't the First Hokage of Konoha also from the Senju clan? Are you from Konoha?"
Yukika rubbed his forehead. He had forgotten that the Roran ruins were buried under constant sandstorms, making them a place even ninjas rarely visited. Even people from the Land of Wind barely knew of Roran's existence. Its residents were largely unaware of recent events in the outside world.
Thinking for a moment, Yukika replied coolly, "I am indeed from the Senju clan, but not from Konoha. I am Senju Yukika, head of the Senju clan. I came here representing my clan to visit Roran."
"As for how I know your name—it's because you're Princess Sara of Roran."
Of course, she was just a puppet now.
Yukika's serious demeanor made Sara visibly nervous. But as the beloved princess of Roran, she steeled herself.
Taking a deep breath, Sara asked skeptically, "Isn't the Senju clan supposed to be the strongest in the world? And you're already the clan leader at such a young age...?"
Yukika chuckled. "You're younger than me, and yet you're already Roran's queen, aren't you?"
"Besides, I have a better way to prove my identity."
"Wood Style: Blooming Trees!"
After a century of desolation, Roran blossomed once again at his command.