Chapter 78: You Go Talk to Her (Third Update)
The geographical location of Rōran destined this small country to be unable to stand against the Hidden Sand in the desert. Even if there was someone strong enough to destroy the Hidden Sand, without the Great Rōran Barrier, they could only hide underground like stray dogs, never seeing the light of day.
Initially, they might survive for a few years on stored supplies, but what about after that? With Mei not yet the Mizukage, who could bypass the Hidden Sand, cross the desert, and repeatedly provide Rōran with unconditional aid?
No one could, except for the Hidden Sand itself.
After Kakashi tactfully explained the situation to Sara, he watched her dilute the green liquid with water and distribute it to the wounded.
This posture of avoiding the problem and escaping reality only confirmed that the young woman was well aware of Rōran's current predicament.
Sara wasn't stupid. How could she not understand the reasoning behind Kakashi's words? But this country wasn't hers alone. When her mother entrusted the country to her, all the subjects had willingly placed her on the throne.
The support of her subjects and her inner sense of responsibility made it impossible for her to make a choice. On one hand was the crisis of national destruction; on the other was abandoning the throne and giving up her country.
And where could a queen who had given up her country go?
A deep sense of confusion enveloped the young woman. Ultimately, she had only been on the throne for four years. During this time, most affairs were handled with the assistance of her ministers. In reality, she had not been involved in many major decisions, because before this, nothing major had ever happened in Rōran. The Hidden Sand, the only country bordering them, was still an ally.
It wasn't just the country that lacked the ability to protect itself, but her as well.
A desire to become stronger surged within her.
Kakashi didn't force Sara to make an immediate choice. He believed the young woman could figure a way out.
It wouldn't be too late to get an answer then.
"How long has it been since the Ryūmyaku explosion?"
Kakashi casually pulled over a resting citizen and struck up a conversation to understand the situation.
"Seven days... sigh..."
In the subsequent questioning, the young man learned the full course of events that had transpired after his disappearance. As expected, everything had been rewritten, including the Third Kazekage being killed by Sasori alone. He had never had the chance to meet him, though he felt that even if they had met, a fight would likely have broken out, since it was his own father who had ended the lives of Sasori's parents on the battlefield.
The timing of the explosion hadn't changed, but the number of surviving citizens was over a thousand fewer than he had seen in the future.
Kakashi frowned, pondering the reason for the Third Kazekage's defeat at Sasori's hands. Based on his experience fighting the Fourth Kazekage, the Fourth, with his Magnet Release, should have an overwhelming advantage against any puppet master. The Third Kazekage, who was even stronger than the Fourth, couldn't possibly have died at Sasori's hands.
This was very interesting. Behind the scenes in the Hidden Sand, there might be someone else pulling the strings.
The thought of that undying old man, Uchiha Madara, hiding in the shadows, sent a chill down Kakashi's spine.
It was truly frustrating if he couldn't escape his sight even here.
A few hours later, the frightened citizens gradually calmed down, temporarily accepting the nightmarish reality.
Under Sara's command, the people spontaneously formed lines to receive their living supplies from two officials.
"Ugh..."
Mei let out a pained groan and slowly opened her eyes. Suddenly remembering something, she quickly looked up. Seeing the silver-haired young man guarding her without leaving her side, her anxious heart gradually settled.
[This isn't a dream. Thank goodness.]
"How long did I sleep?"
"Four hours. Not long. You can sleep a bit more."
"No, I'm fine."
Kakashi took out the last bottle of green liquid and placed it in front of Mei.
The orange-haired girl shook her head pitifully, the long-forgotten memory of nausea flooding her mind.
"Can... can I... not drink it..."
"Drink it yourself, or I'll feed it to you. Pick one."
"Then... you feed it to me..."
"You could try tasting it. It's actually not bad."
"Impossible!"
"Open your mouth."
Following the boy's command, the girl opened her small mouth like a fledgling waiting to be fed. Kakashi roughly shoved the water bottle into Mei's mouth.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp..."
"Don't spit it out. This stuff is expensive."
"Expensive?"
Having never seen Kakashi buy any medical supplies, the orange-haired girl guessed that this was another thing he had produced from that space-time ninjutsu-like ability of his.
In the end, the girl obediently drank all the recovery potion. Since it was a full dose this time and she wasn't seriously injured, the after-effects of the heatstroke and lack of sleep quickly vanished, and even her fatigue disappeared.
"That..."
"If you want to ask where I've been, it's a bit complicated. To summarize, I went to the future."
"To the future? Is... is such a thing really possible?"
"The power of the Ryūmyaku can distort space-time. If I ever get my hands on a space-time ninjutsu scroll, I can learn it too."
Kakashi remembered the mark Minato Namikaze had placed on him and immediately checked for it. As expected, it was gone.
This gave him an idea. If he could get his hands on a forbidden jutsu scroll...
The title of "Silver Flash" didn't sound too bad either.
"In the future... I met... you."
Kakashi was just about to say Sara's name when he happened to glance over and see her walking towards him, so he quickly changed his words.
"The future me isn't really like you said before, is she?"
"Of course not."
The silver-haired young man quickly glanced at Mei's currently budding assets.
"You've grown. You've grown in every aspect."
"That's the same as saying nothing..."
"Telling you about the future now won't change anything. That was just one branch of the future. It's only for your reference, with little practical meaning."
On the other side, Sara finally found an opportunity to interject.
"Kakashi, I've made up my mind."
"No, you haven't."
Looking at the Queen of Rōran's determined expression, Kakashi knew what she was about to say.
"I will never give up my position as Queen of Rōran. This is my destiny, even if I die here."
After saying this, Sara stretched her neck and puffed out her chest, as if expressing her loyalty to Rōran, and also as if trying to convince herself of her decision.
"Wake up. Rōran has fallen. Can you still call this a country with only a few thousand people left?"
"You!"
The silver-haired young man felt he had done enough talking for one day and didn't want to argue with this stubborn girl anymore. He decisively channeled his chakra, bit his thumb in front of their surprised eyes, and slammed his hand on the ground.
A summoning array extended from his palm. Unlike ordinary summoning arrays, its patterns were much more complex.
"You go talk to her."
The woman who walked out of the white smoke was wearing a long robe most familiar to Sara, her red hair identical to her own.
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