Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 302 The Journey to Loulan Ends

"Is that all?"

Minato Namikaze stood above the dragon vein node, watching the sealing techniques press down layer upon layer, the energy fluctuations gradually subsiding, and he could hardly believe it.

Because the process went too smoothly.

There were no attacks, no accidents, no rebellion in the capital, no unexpected intrusions, and not even a ripple in the dragon vein's energy.

They arrived here, were received by the Queen, slept soundly for a night, and were taken to the underground palace the next day. There, they found the dragon vein, formed a seal, and sealed it in one smooth motion.

Maria Ozawa stood to the side, wearing a queen's crown, and smiled: "Thank you all for your help. The dragon vein disturbance that had troubled Loulan for many days has finally been resolved today."

Minato Namikaze nodded, still harboring doubts, but the seal was complete, and the energy was indeed suppressed.

But he felt that he hadn't put in any effort, yet he suddenly received 100 million taels of silver.

"Your Majesty, you are too kind. It is what we should do. Is there anything else we can do for you?" He felt he had done so little, and he felt a little guilty for taking so much money.

"There is nothing else. What you consider a small matter is of paramount importance to our ancient Loulan Kingdom."

Maria Ozawa bowed slightly: "I have prepared a banquet. You all have expended quite a bit of energy just now, so why don't you rest for the night before you leave?"

Minato Namikaze smiled and declined, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, but the mission is complete, and we need to return to the village to report as soon as possible."

Maria Ozawa did not try to keep them, and personally saw them out of the underground palace.

After everyone left, she finally relaxed her queenly airs once the play was over. The guards and commoners around her trembled slightly, and tiny insects crawled out from their burrows.

For a moment, they seemed to have forgotten what had just happened. Maria Ozawa sat back on the throne and addressed the crowd, saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Queen has abdicated in my favor. From this day forward, I am the Queen. But honestly... I don't want to be Queen at all."

-

On the way back, the desert wind made my robes flutter.

Sarutobi Asuma stood with his hands behind his head, taking large strides, a blade of grass he had picked up from somewhere dangling from his mouth.

"I didn't expect this mission to be so uneventful; it was completed so easily."

"Isn't simplicity good enough?" Kurenai walked beside him, tilting her head to look at him. "Or do you want to run into some trouble?"

"No, it's not that. It just feels... a bit unreal." This was his first time going out on a mission, but he didn't expect to just be running errands. He didn't even encounter any bandits on the way, let alone enemies.

"That's because Master was there." Kurenai looked at Minato Namikaze's back in front of her, her tone filled with admiration. Her master's sealing technique was inherited from Uzumaki, otherwise how could he have solved it so easily?

Minato Namikaze overheard the conversation, turned around and smiled: "This mission was indeed very easy, but you all had a long and tiring journey. I'll treat you to a big meal when we get back to the village."

"Really?" Asuma's eyes lit up. "I want to eat barbecue!"

"Order whatever you like," Minato Namikaze said with a gentle smile.

Kurenai Yuhi smiled and said, "Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Uchiha Mamoru, who had been silent all along, walked at the very back of the group. Upon hearing these words, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

He didn't smile, but his tense face visibly relaxed a bit.

Asuma turned to look at him: "Hey, Uchiha, what's with your silence? You don't want to go to the dinner party hosted by your master?"

"...Go." Uchiha Mamoru replied briefly.

"Then it's settled!" Asuma turned around, walking backwards with his hands still behind his head. "I'm going to order the most expensive meat and empty Master's wallet."

"Can you finish this?" Kurenai asked reproachfully.

"Take any leftovers home!"

Minato Namikaze chuckled: "Alright, pack up the leftovers and take them back for Kushina to try."

"Is your wife coming too?" Asma asked, even more excited.

"See if she's free."

The four chatted casually, their steps light and quick. The setting sun shone from behind, casting four long shadows across the desert.

As the sandstorm subsided, the distant horizon turned a deep orange-red.

They walked further and further away, their figures gradually blurring into the twilight.

-

The outer perimeter of the Loulan ruins.

Aburame Shisei stood on a high platform, watching the four figures disappear into the end of the sand dunes, without saying a word.

Orochimaru emerged from the shadows, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his golden snake eyes fixed on him.

"Zhicheng-kun, what exactly did you experience inside?"

Aburame Shisei replied briefly, "It's nothing, it just cycled through for a while, staying for several decades."

"Yeah?"

Orochimaru asked in surprise, "Only one night has passed outside."

His tone carried a clear curiosity, as if he regretted not exploring the past.

"It's incredible. The power of the dragon vein can actually distort time. There's so much to explore here."

Yu Nu Zhicheng did not respond.

Orochimaru didn't seem to care, and changed the subject: "That Uchiha... he's Uchiha Mori, right?"

How did you guess that?

"Because Zhicheng let them off so easily."

Orochimaru smiled and said casually, "Given your personality, you wouldn't have let them pass so smoothly unless there was some special reason."

Aburame Shisei glanced at him: "So you didn't try to test them?"

"How can I test you? We're ninjas from the same village now."

Orochimaru shrugged. "Besides, he's so powerful in the future, who knows what kind of strange eye techniques those eyes will develop."

He spoke frankly, but his words revealed a shrewdness.

Orochimaru is always cautious; he won't take risks out of curiosity, especially when he's unsure of his opponent's true intentions.

"but--"

Orochimaru turned his head again and said, "Since that kid will come back in the future, it proves that he won't die anytime soon."

"But in the end, he actually died here, died in the past."

Aburame Shisei neither denied nor admitted it.

He turned around, a pair of wind wings unfolding from his back: "You should go. As Konoha's executor, you shouldn't be absent."

As soon as he finished speaking, the wind wings vibrated, and he soared into the sky, disappearing into the white sky.

Orochimaru stood there, looking up as the figure grew smaller and smaller until it became a black dot.

"So... you're not taking me?"

He looked away, glanced at the vast desert around him, and sighed helplessly.

"Zhicheng-kun, you really are heartless!"

The wind and sand swept by, swallowing his voice. Orochimaru stood alone in the ruins. After a long while, he slowly turned around and walked in another direction.