Two days later.
Veigar stood atop the tallest tower, having mapped out the external layout of Rōran.
From this vantage point, most of the city lay visible before him.
Had this simply been a mission, there'd have been no need to climb so high. But Veigar wasn't here on assignment, he was seeking the source that had stirred the Phenomenal Evil Power within him.
For as long as he could remember, this was the first time the power had reacted on its own.
"What exactly is calling to me?"
But without clear guidance from the energy itself, Veigar had no choice but to rely on his own eyes.
In the future timeline, amidst the ruins of Old Rōran...
A special kunai engraved with sealing formulas was slowly being pulled free by Mukade. Desperate to stop him, Naruto charged in.
But it was already too late.
The Ryūmyaku's energy erupted in a violent surge, consuming Mukade, who had long lost control of his body. Naruto was caught in the blast as well.
Reacting swiftly, Yamato unleashed Wood Release to save Naruto.
Yet in the blink of an eye—
Both Naruto and Yamato vanished without a trace, swallowed by the Ryūmyaku's might, which then faded into silence.
Out of the darkness, a beam of light appeared.
Naruto slowly opened his eyes, unsure how long he'd been unconscious.
"Where... am I?"
Looking up toward the light source, confusion clouded Naruto's face.
Determined to find a way out, he searched for an exit. Suddenly, a hauntingly beautiful voice echoed through the ruins.
"The light rising above the tower,
Thoughts boil and run high,
Dragon path to be protected,
Pierce with shining blade look at the sky.
Sand, wind may rage proud blossoming,
Bright sun dance in flowers and never will it die.
The light flowing in spirals,
To the garden where the dragon's claws ends,
Shadows of the olden days."
Drawn by the voice, Naruto followed the sound, and stumbled upon a dilapidated chamber, where a girl with crimson-purple hair sat on a broken stone, softly singing.
She was none other than Queen Sāra, Rōran's sovereign.
Abruptly, her song ceased. She sensed a foreign presence. Turning sharply, her eyes landed on Naruto.
"You—!"
Naruto, surprised, tried to speak, perhaps to ask where he was.
But the moment Sāra saw his figure clearly, she bolted without a word, dashing toward the exit as if Naruto were some heinous criminal.
"Wait—!"
Naruto ran after her, calling out as he chased. Somehow, he felt that following Sāra might lead him out of this place.
...
Outside, atop another tower.
Kakashi had climbed up as well. Spotting Veigar scanning the horizon, he asked:
"Veigar, what are you looking for?"
Veigar shook his head. "Nothing."
But just then, the Phenomenal Evil Power within him flared violently. His expression shifted.
"The west..."
At last, the energy had shown him a direction. Veigar turned his gaze accordingly.
"Kakashi, something's come up. I need to check it out."
Before he finished the sentence, Veigar vanished in a flicker of dark energy.
Seeing him go, Kakashi narrowed his eyes and quickly followed.
...
Just moments earlier—
While chasing Sāra, Naruto was suddenly cut off by a wall of glowing light. Two puppet soldiers lay broken in front of him.
He continued exploring and finally found an exit.
Stepping out of the underground ruins, Naruto was stunned. Towering spires stretched skyward in every direction, an immense city lay before him.
"Wha…?"
Never having seen so many towers, Naruto was awestruck.
"Where am I?"
To get a better sense of the terrain, Naruto leapt from tower to tower, scanning the surroundings.
But then, a disturbing realization struck him: there was no sign of human life anywhere.
Suddenly, three puppet soldiers appeared, brandishing weapons and charging straight at him, intent on eliminating him.
Not recognizing them as puppets, Naruto dodged and shouted, "Wait! Who are you?!"
But the puppets gave no reply.
With no other choice, Naruto gritted his teeth and counterattacked.
"Rasengan!"
One puppet was blasted away, its body collapsing into a heap of mechanical parts.
Seeing this, Naruto finally understood, they weren't human.
And at that very moment—
The Phenomenal Evil Power inside Veigar surged again, guiding him directly to the scene.
Swish, swish, swish…
Veigar arrived just as Naruto was nearly struck, only to be saved at the last moment by Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash.
At last, Veigar had found the source that roused his inner power, the puppet soldiers, or more specifically, the purple chakra threads connecting them.
As Minato cloaked Naruto in concealment and vanished, the puppets lost their target and began to withdraw.
"Phenomenal Evil Rasengan!"
Now that he had found the catalyst for his power's awakening, Veigar wasn't about to let them go.
He leapt down, Rasengan in hand, infused with dark energy.
Boom!
One puppet, caught off guard, was smashed into the ground by Veigar's sudden strike.
Clang.
Landing smoothly, Veigar dodged a barrage of shuriken from airborne puppets. His eyes caught the remnants of the destroyed soldier, its chakra thread, once severed, had reconnected and begun repairing the puppet.
The fallen pieces reassembled.
Veigar's face lit with elation.
Those purple chakra threads, they were the very source agitating his power.
He realized now: the threads were channeling energy from the Ryūmyaku buried beneath Rōran.
That meant he could potentially fuse fully with his Phenomenal Evil Power using that energy.
Greed gleamed in Veigar's eyes.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
The reassembled puppet and its comrades lunged forward, all targeting Veigar.
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