Naruto: Cthulhu: Ch. 274

Next, at Minato's request, Naruto described the process of pursuing Mukade.

"So, you and Mukade both used a space-time jutsu and ended up back at this point in time?"

"Then doesn't that mean I can't go back?" Naruto asked worriedly.

"Yes," Minato nodded. "Theoretically that's true. However, since he absorbed the sealing formula into his body, if you can defeat Mukade and restore the sealing formula to normal, the disturbed timeline should return to its original state, and you should be able to go back."

As Minato explained the situation to the young ninja before him, his eyes glanced toward Sāra, who continued calmly flipping through books in the sea of shelves.

He had not lowered his voice, so logically speaking, Sāra should have heard their conversation from where she was.

Yet she showed no reaction at all, no curiosity to ask questions, not even the slightest trace of surprise.

Was it an extraordinary composure, or something else?

And that efficient speed of turning pages... was she truly as "studious" as rumors claimed?

Although Minato found this amnesiac queen rather peculiar, his mission had nothing to do with the "Puppet Queen."

A ninja must not dwell on things unrelated to the mission, completing the mission takes highest priority.

"In any case, we're already very familiar with this place. It's best if we handle the pursuit of Mukade."

"Besides, we're in the middle of a mission. It's impossible for us to let you join at this point. As a Konoha ninja, you should understand that, right?"

"You should stay here and protect the queen. That's also very important."

As he spoke, Minato leaned close to Naruto's ear and whispered, "The queen seems a bit unusual. Be careful."

With that said, the three Konoha ninjas in front of Naruto turned into black shadows and swiftly disappeared.

In the vast library, only Naruto and Sāra remained.

"Uh..."

Naruto, at a loss, glanced at Sāra's abnormal speed of flipping through pages, wanting to ask whether she was really able to read the content.

But Sāra spoke first.

"Blood relations are interpersonal bonds formed through marriage or birth. They are innate, inborn ties among humans, with direct blood relatives being the most universally acknowledged and closest social relationships."

"However, in my view, your relationship with your father doesn't seem that close, it's almost like you're strangers."

"Or perhaps you are strangers?"

"This could be because your human methods of communication are too primitive. Even among the same kind, much can be concealed, creating a sense of 'strangeness' due to information gaps."

"Spirit-to-spirit communication can hide nothing and cannot lie, but body-to-body communication can."

"That is... quite interesting."

Sāra's hands continued flipping pages as she spoke these incomprehensible words, her face completely calm.

Naruto couldn't make sense of the latter half, but he understood part of what she had said.

"What do you mean I'm not close to my father? I've never even seen him once since I was born! What are you talking about?"

"Oh, really?"

Sāra showed a look of puzzlement, stared at Naruto intently, then returned her gaze to the book.

"Sorry, I haven't studied the past in such detail, so I don't know much about your personal history."

"But you said you've never met your father... that's something I must disagree with."

"Weren't you just talking with your father?"

What!

Sāra's words struck Naruto like a bolt of lightning.

I was just talking with my father?

Who is my father? That blond-haired ninja?

Naruto could no longer remain calm. He immediately shouted at Sāra: "Who is my father?"

"That blond-haired ninja."

Perhaps not wanting to be disturbed from her reading, Sāra bluntly revealed the answer.

That's my father?

Impossible!

He collapsed onto the ground, trying to recall every word exchanged with the blond-haired man, hoping to find traces of a father in them.

But truthfully, Naruto didn't even know his father's name. Back when the Third Hokage was alive, he had asked Hiruzen countless times who his father was, but Hiruzen never told him.

Meanwhile, inside Naruto's inner world, the massive Nine-Tails slowly rose from its lazy posture, eyes gradually opening.

Although Naruto couldn't be sure whether that blond-haired man was his father, the Nine-Tails knew without a doubt.

It was Minato, the Fourth Hokage who had personally sealed him. That chakra was unforgettable for a lifetime.

That hateful chakra...

It was definitely Minato! Just younger than when he had performed the sealing.

But how did this girl know he was the brat's father?

The Nine-Tails had no interest in such insignificant people, but once Sāra exposed Minato's identity, even it became curious about her.

For the whole afternoon, Naruto sat with his head lowered, deeply pondering his conversation with the "legendary father."

But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't recall a single piece of evidence proving that man was truly his father.

During this time, Naruto also asked Sāra how she knew the blond-haired ninja was his father.

But Sāra deflected with evasive answers, saying things like, "Just a guess," "I made it up," or "Forget about it."

Naruto had heard this pattern from her several times before.

Every time Sāra revealed something shocking, whether about the future or the past, if asked to explain the source of her knowledge, she would always brush it off playfully.

That might fool a simple-minded Naruto once or twice, but repeated too often, it no longer worked.

And this was about his father, Naruto absolutely couldn't let Sāra dodge the issue.

Yet no matter how much he pressed, Sāra refused to respond again.

It wasn't until the sunset painted the sky blood-red that Sāra finally closed the last book and stood up.

Whenever Sāra finished reading a book, she would stack it into the labyrinth of books.

And when the last book was placed in the final corner of the book maze, the entire labyrinth was finally complete.

This also meant that within just over four years, Sāra had finished reading tens of thousands of books in the entire library.

Sāra stood up, walked around the maze of books, and strode toward the entrance of the library. Naruto immediately followed after her.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

Naruto kept calling out behind her, but Sāra didn't respond, only striding forward in silence.

With no other choice, Naruto hurried forward and grabbed her by the shoulder, finally making her stop.

Sāra lowered her head to glance at the hand gripping her shoulder. Her eyes widened slightly, and she said flatly, "You're hurting me."

"Ah, sorry."

Although Naruto was certain he hadn't used much strength, since Sāra said so, he quickly released her and apologized.

After he let go, Sāra still ignored Naruto's question and simply continued forward.

With nothing else he could do, Naruto kept following behind her, though his eyes often darted to the sides.

He still didn't understand what this tower really was, but judging by its central location in the Land of Rōran and its towering height, it had to be an extremely important seat of power.

Yet within the tower, Naruto couldn't find a single guard, not even puppet soldiers, let alone human ones.

A queen walking casually down the halls, with a complete stranger trailing right beside her, and no one raising an alarm...

What a strange country.

Unknowingly, Naruto followed Sāra into another vast room.

This was a huge bedroom, decorated mainly in pink and white. The dressing table was inlaid with dazzling gems, and the bed at the center was more luxurious than anything Naruto had ever seen.

Could this be...

Naruto's cheeks flushed red. He had never been in a girl's room before, let alone what was probably the queen's chamber.

"Wait... is this your—?"

He turned to Sāra to confirm, but when he looked back, what he saw shocked him.

Sāra was standing right there, beginning to undress, completely, from the inside out.

"Wha!? What are you doing?! If you're going to change clothes, you should at least say something first!"

Naruto's face turned crimson like a tomato. It took him a moment before he spun around quickly, scolding her as he did.

Sāra merely glanced up at him blankly and said in an emotionless voice, "These court garments aren't suitable for travel. I need to change into clothes fit for a journey. But I forgot to account for human notions of shame. I suppose I'll gradually get used to it."

Naruto's ears burned red. He couldn't even process her words, his mind was completely filled with the image he had just seen.

Only when Sāra finished changing and walked out from behind did he open his eyes again.

Now she was wearing a simpler, more practical outfit, less ornate but easier to move in. She walked to the table.

On the table were two conspicuous black chests.

Sāra lifted the lids, revealing overflowing treasure, gold coins and gems in abundance, more wealth than Naruto had ever seen in his life.

"Wh-what the! How is there so much money?!"

Naruto, something of a miser himself, had his eyes sparkling at the sight.

But Sāra quickly shut the lids and wrapped both boxes tightly with scraps of cloth.

What's the harm in letting me look?

Naruto folded his arms and shot her a glare. Just then, the bedroom doors burst open.

A group of people rushed in, and to Naruto's surprise, their faces were all familiar.

"Masako! Sarai!"

"You guys... why are you here?"

They were the residents of the desert fortress outside Rōran. They had once lived in Rōran itself, but after their men were captured by puppet soldiers, they fled the city to avoid further trouble.

"We saw there weren't any guards or puppet soldiers in the tower, so we snuck inside," explained Sarai, a short and plump woman.

Masako's sharp eyes quickly noticed Sāra, who was packing her belongings. She immediately stepped forward.

"Lady Sāra!"

"You are Queen Sāra of Rōran, aren't you?"

"Please, reclaim the throne of this nation and return our men to us!"

Her firm words drew every gaze toward Sāra, waiting to see how she would respond.

But Sāra's reply stunned them all.

"Let us run away happily together!"

For the first time, her words carried a trace of emotion. Her expression was still stiff, but undeniably tinged with something resembling joy.

But paired with such a disheartening declaration, spoken with a cheerful tone, it enraged the women.

"What are you saying?!"

"This is our home! How could we possibly leave?"

"Even if we did leave, where would we go? All around here is desert! The nearest settlement is Sora-ku, but that place is too chaotic, we could never live there long-term!"

The women's hopes, once placed in their queen, shattered. They had come seeking a leader to save their men, but instead the queen told them to abandon their homeland.

The women grew furious, some raising their hoes in anger, until Naruto stepped between them, stopping blood from being shed in the queen's chamber.

Fortunately, Masako remained calm and signaled the others to quiet down. Then she stepped forward and asked plainly:

"Lady Sāra, why must we flee?"

"Because this country is about to be destroyed."

Sāra's voice, delivered without a trace of expression, instead carried an undeniable weight, like a prophecy from a sage, simple yet utterly convincing.

"D-destroyed?"

"What do you mean destroyed? The Land of Rōran will perish?"

"Why? Why would our country be destroyed? And why tonight, of all nights? What is the queen talking about?"

Though Sāra offered no evidence, and no one knew how tonight would differ from any other, her authority as queen left the people murmuring anxiously among themselves.