Chapter 358: The Cruel Truth! Queen Sara Refuses to Believe It
The two Uzumaki Narutos refused to yield an inch. Dust kicked up around their ankles as they grappled, yanking at Minato's flak jacket from opposite sides.
"Let go! I found him first!" the canon Naruto yelled, digging his heels into the dirt.
"You let go! He's my dad!" Heavenly Might Naruto shot back, glaring daggers at his mirror image.
"You bastard! I'm going to duel you!"
"Bring it on! Who's afraid of who? The loser isn't allowed to call him Dad!"
The clearing devolved into absolute chaos. Caught directly in the center of the blonde hurricane, Minato Namikaze struggled to maintain his balance. His normally composed, handsome face flushed a deep shade of crimson as the two boys practically climbed over him.
"Uh... Naruto... both of you..." Minato wheezed, his hands hovering awkwardly in the air. "Can you two get down first? I'm... I'm suffocating..."
Desperate, Minato cast a pleading glance toward Kakashi, flashing a wry, helpless smile.
Kakashi smoothly turned his head in the opposite direction. He stared up at the sky, suddenly finding the drifting clouds utterly fascinating. He wanted absolutely no part in this bizarre family dispute.
Beside him, Akimichi Choza and Aburame Shibi exchanged knowing smiles. The resemblance was uncanny. Even though the veteran shinobi had no idea how the mechanics of a parallel world functioned, the fiery, stubborn personalities of these two boys were a perfect mirror of Uzumaki Kushina in her youth.
A sharp, quiet cough cut through the noise.
"That is enough."
Uchiha Akira's voice was not loud, but it carried a chilling weight that instantly froze the surrounding air. He cast a flat, unimpressed glance at the two squabbling idiots. "We still have important business to attend to."
Heavenly Might Naruto instantly released his grip. He scratched the back of his head with an awkward grin and snapped to attention, standing perfectly straight.
The Naruto of this world did not know Akira well. Yet, watching his usually boisterous alternate self fall in line so quickly—combined with the lingering, terrifying memory of being effortlessly subdued by this Uchiha just moments ago—prompted him to swallow his complaints. He obediently shrank back, though his bright blue eyes continued to dart toward Minato every few seconds.
Finally freed from the dual assault, Minato exhaled a long breath and smoothed out the wrinkles in his flak jacket. He looked down at the two boys. A deep warmth swelled in his chest. Slowly, he extended both hands, placing one firmly on the crown of each Naruto's head.
He ruffled their spiky blond hair, his touch firm but incredibly warm.
"Although the situation is... more than a little complicated," Minato murmured. His blue eyes softened, carrying a gentleness that could melt the harshest winter frost. "It is truly good to see you two."
He paused, letting the weight of the moment settle over them.
"I am Minato Namikaze. And... I am your father."
The brief, heartwarming family reunion drew to a close. The heavy reality of their mission reasserted itself, and the group's collective gaze shifted toward the periphery of the clearing.
They focused on the Queen of Rouran, Sara, who stood isolated, completely out of the loop.
The sudden, intense scrutiny from a group of elite shinobi left Sara deeply unnerved. She instinctively took a step back, her crimson hair shifting over her shoulders as wariness flooded her striking eyes.
"You..." Her voice trembled slightly. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Minato withdrew his hands from the boys. The gentle father vanished, instantly replaced by the sharp, focused commander of Konoha. He closed the distance between them, his gaze locking directly onto Sara's.
"Queen Sara," Minato began, his tone grave and measured. "There are certain truths I must share with you. I know they will be difficult to accept."
Sara stiffened, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.
"The minister you place your absolute trust in, Anrokuzan, is not the loyal subject you believe him to be," Minato stated clearly. "His true name is Mukade. He is a rogue ninja from Sunagakure."
He did not give her a chance to interrupt. "He infiltrated this city and seized control of Rouran with a singular, devastating goal: to devour the limitless chakra of the Dragon Veins. He intends to mass-produce a puppet army and use it to conquer the entire shinobi world."
The revelation dropped like an explosive tag in a confined space.
Sara froze entirely. The color drained from her face, only to return seconds later in a flush of absolute outrage. An expression of sheer absurdity twisted her delicate features.
"What absolute nonsense are you spouting?" she demanded, her voice rising in pitch. "Anrokuzan is the minister my mother entrusted to me! For the past six years, he has governed Rouran with nothing but diligence and loyalty!"
She pointed an accusing finger at Minato. "You outsiders trespass into my kingdom, violate our laws, and now you dare to slander my most trusted advisor?"
Her chest heaved with agitation. Sara had lived her entire life locked away in an ivory tower, shielded from the bloodshed and deceit of the outside world. To admit that Anrokuzan was a traitorous monster would mean shattering the fragile reality she had clung to for six years. It would mean acknowledging her own blindness. Worse, it would mean questioning the final judgment of her late mother.
The canon Naruto groaned, aggressively scratching his blond spikes in sheer frustration at her stubbornness.
"Hey! Listen to him! Dad... uh, Dad is telling the truth!" Naruto shouted, stumbling slightly over the unfamiliar title. "That Anrokuzan guy really isn't a good person! He's a total creep!"
Sara whipped her head around, glaring fiercely at the loudmouthed genin.
"Shut up!" she snapped. "Why should I believe a single word any of you say? Just because you mysteriously appeared out of thin air? Or am I supposed to blindly trust your fabricated nonsense about the future and parallel worlds?"
Dismissing them entirely, Sara spun on her heel. She refused to entertain this group of lunatics for another second.
"I am returning to the palace," she declared coldly, marching toward the towering spires in the distance.
Minato watched her retreating back and released a long, helpless sigh. He was a genius in combat and tactical analysis, but handling the defensive walls of a stubborn, sheltered teenage girl was entirely outside his skillset.
"It seems the diplomatic approach has failed."
The cold, detached voice sliced through the tension. Uchiha Akira, who had been observing the pathetic display in absolute silence, finally moved.
In a single, imperceptible blur of motion, he materialized directly in Sara's path. His tall, imposing frame blocked the sunlight, casting a dark shadow that instantly enveloped the young queen.
Sara gasped, stumbling to a halt. "You... what do you think you are doing?"
She looked up into Akira's dark, fathomless eyes, and a primal spike of fear pierced her chest. The phantom sensation of his iron grip from earlier—when he had effortlessly snatched her from mid-air—surged back into her memory, making her skin prickle.
Akira stared down at her, his expression a mask of pure apathy.
"While your deep stupidity is entirely within my expectations," Akira said, his voice smooth and razor-sharp, "it remains incredibly annoying."
"You—!" Sara choked on her own outrage, her face burning with indignation.
"Since you refuse to believe what your ears hear," Akira interrupted, a dangerous flicker of impatience flashing in his dark irises.
For a delicate flower raised in a heavily guarded greenhouse, words held absolutely no weight. Diplomacy was a waste of breath. The only effective method was to drag her out of the dirt and force her to stare directly into the bloody, cruel reality she had ignored.
"Then you will see it with your own eyes."
He did not wait for her permission.
Before the last syllable even left his lips, Akira moved. He gave Sara zero time to react, his arm shooting out to wrap firmly around her slender waist.
Sara gasped, her hands flying up to push him away, but it was useless against his terrifying strength.
The very next second, the ground exploded beneath Akira's boots.
A shockwave of displaced air blasted outward as their bodies shot directly into the sky, defying gravity with explosive velocity.
"Ahhh! Let go of me!"
Sara screamed, utterly terrified. Her previous indignation vanished, replaced by sheer survival instinct as she clutched desperately at Akira's arm. Her mind went entirely blank with vertigo as the towering spires and sprawling streets of Rouran rapidly shrank beneath her dangling feet.
"Teacher!"
Down in the clearing, Heavenly Might Naruto and Gaara did not hesitate for a fraction of a second. Channeling chakra into their legs, the two disciples launched themselves into the air, rocketing upward to follow their master's trajectory.
Minato's eyes narrowed sharply as he tracked Akira's ascent. That unaided flight... his tactical mind raced. Just how many terrifying, impossible abilities had this 'Fifth Hokage' from a parallel world mastered?
"We are following them!" Minato commanded in a low, urgent voice.
In a synchronized burst of speed, Minato, Kakashi, Choza, Shibi, and the canon Naruto vanished from the clearing, transforming into a series of high-speed afterimages as they gave chase across the rooftops.
High above the city, Akira's gaze locked onto a highly specific target. He bypassed the grand halls and opulent towers, zeroing in on an inconspicuous, heavily secluded storeroom tucked away in the darkest corner of the palace complex.
Descending like a falling meteor, Akira landed heavily before the reinforced structure. He did not bother with stealth or pleasantries.
Raising his leg, he delivered a devastating kick that shattered the heavy wooden doors inward, sending splinters flying into the gloom.
"Enemy attack!"
The interior of the storeroom instantly erupted into chaos. Dozens of emaciated women, huddled in the dim light, shrieked in terror. Driven by desperation, they snatched up whatever crude tools and makeshift weapons they could find, pointing them with trembling hands at the imposing figure standing in the ruined doorway.
Then, one of the women squinted through the dust. "Wait... it's Queen Sara!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Before the tension could snap into violence, a flurry of afterimages blurred into the room. Minato, Kakashi, and the two Narutos landed in perfect formation directly in front of Akira and Sara, instantly creating an impossible human wall between the terrified citizens and the Uchiha.
"Everyone, please remain calm!" Minato shouted, spreading his arms wide in a placating gesture to defuse the explosive standoff. "We are not here to harm you!"
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