Chapter 367: Throwing Herself Into His Arms
Howling winds whipped across the desolate wasteland, carrying the dry, choking scent of ancient dust. High above the crumbling ruins of Rouran, Uchiha Akira stood in absolute silence.
He had finally returned.
This was his spacetime, a fractured era defined by endless oceans of yellow sand and the decaying skeletons of towering spires.
Deep within his eye sockets, the majestic purple ripples of the Rinnegan began to slowly rotate. His gaze pierced through the thick, cracked crust of the earth, plunging miles beneath the surface. Down in the pitch-black depths, a vast, suffocating mass of energy churned like a trapped beast.
It was the Dragon Vein of this timeline.
"Still here, just as expected."
A faint, calculating curve touched the corner of Akira's mouth.
His previous journey through the temporal currents had merely been a clever exploitation of the Dragon Vein's ambient power. Now, he intended to devour it entirely.
The ground beneath his boots began to shudder violently. Fissures tore open across the desert floor, and blinding pillars of purple light erupted from the depths. The raw chakra thrashed like raging, colossal pythons, whipping wildly against the sky.
"Get in."
Akira extended his right hand, his fingers curling inward to crush the empty air.
A terrifying, oppressive gravitational force manifested instantly, forming an invisible, titanic grip that clamped down around the thrashing purple energy. The Dragon Vein possessed a primal sentience, and it released a deafening, unwilling roar that shook the very atmosphere.
Yet, against the absolute authority of Six Paths power, its desperate struggle was utterly futile.
The colossal torrent of purple chakra was forcibly twisted, bent to his will, and dragged mercilessly into the pitch-black spatial rift tearing open beside him.
Meanwhile, within the isolated boundaries of the Tianyu Space.
The displaced survivors of Rouran, who had only recently begun to build a semblance of a new life, dropped their tools and stared up at the heavens in sheer terror.
They watched the artificial firmament crack open like fragile glass.
A massive, roaring river of pure purple chakra cascaded from the sky, crashing down toward the newly formed mountain range on the horizon. That was the exact location where Akira had previously sealed the severed half of the Dragon Vein from the parallel timeline.
The moment the two colossal entities of chakra collided, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Originating from the exact same source, the twin forces instantly triggered a violent, ear-splitting shockwave. What followed was a catastrophic cycle of fierce repulsion and chaotic fusion. The entire mountain range groaned and shook violently, the bedrock cracking as if the peaks might collapse into dust at any given second.
High upon the highest summit, the spatial distortion swirled, and Akira stepped out into the chaotic storm of energy.
His brows drew together in a slight frown.
"Troublesome."
He possessed more than enough raw strength to crush the rampaging chakra into submission. However, the Dragon Vein was the physical manifestation of the earth's spiritual pulse. Without a proper medium to untangle and guide the chaotic currents, a forced fusion would trigger a catastrophic energy meltdown, potentially wiping out the fragile ecosystem he had cultivated within the Tianyu Space.
Akira shifted his gaze downward, his Rinnegan locking onto the distant settlement. Among the shivering, panicked crowd, Sara stood frozen, her entire body trembling as she looked up at the apocalyptic sky.
"A-Akira!"
"Come up here."
Akira casually waved his hand. A precise surge of gravitational force enveloped the young queen, lifting her feet off the ground and pulling her rapidly through the air toward the mountain peak.
Sara's boots hit the rocky summit, but before she could even find her balance, the sheer pressure of the violent purple storm raging just yards away stole the breath from her lungs. All color drained from her face.
"Use your power," Akira commanded, his voice cutting clearly through the deafening roar of the chakra. "Pacify it. Merge it."
Sara froze, her slender shoulders shaking uncontrollably against the gale-force winds.
"I... I cannot do this..." she stammered, shrinking back. "This is too strong... Even my mother, at the absolute peak of her strength, could never..."
"You can do it."
Akira's voice was not loud, but it carried an absolute, unquestionable certainty that anchored her panicked mind. He stepped closer, his imposing figure shielding her from the worst of the chakra storm.
"In this domain, you are the Queen of the Dragon Vein. And you are the one I have chosen."
Sara looked up into his cold, majestic eyes. Beneath the overwhelming pressure of his presence, an inexplicable surge of courage ignited within her chest. She refused to be a burden. She refused to let Uchiha Akira look down on her as a useless, fragile girl.
Gritting her teeth, Sara took a deep, shuddering breath and forced her trembling hands to rise.
She closed her eyes, diving deep into the ancient bloodline dormant within her veins. Her fingers moved, weaving the complex hand signs her mother had drilled into her memory—the sacred jutsu meant to command the earth's pulse.
A soft, warm red luminescence began to emanate from her skin. It was incredibly faint against the blinding purple storm, flickering like a lone candle in a hurricane.
Yet, the moment that gentle red light brushed against the violent, thrashing energy of the Dragon Vein, the impossible happened.
The rampaging purple torrent, which had been thrashing like a maddened leviathan, suddenly shuddered. As if recognizing the scent of its true master, the chaotic energy began to slow its destructive dance.
The strain was unimaginable. Cold sweat beaded across Sara's forehead, her complexion turning ashen.
A choked, painful cry tore from her throat as a thin stream of crimson blood trickled down from the corner of her lips. Her knees buckled.
Just as the darkness of exhaustion threatened to swallow her, a large, warm hand pressed firmly against the center of her back.
"Steady your mind."
"Guide the flow. Do not try to fight it."
The heat radiating from his palm and the calm authority in his tone instantly washed away the panic drowning her heart. Sara's eyes snapped open, blazing with newfound resolve as her vibrant red hair whipped wildly in the energy storm.
"Merge!"
Guided by her desperate will, the two colossal masses of Dragon Vein energy finally ceased their violent repulsion. Like two rivers flowing into the same ocean, they perfectly fused into a single, harmonious entity.
The blinding light shattered into countless glowing motes, slowly dissipating into the artificial sky.
Below them, a magnificent, winding mountain range pulsing with a deep, tranquil purple hue now stretched majestically across the landscape of the Tianyu Space.
The crisis was averted.
The moment the connection severed, all strength vanished from Sara's limbs. Her body went entirely limp, and she collapsed backward.
She did not hit the cold stone. Instead, she fell directly into a broad, unyielding chest. Strong arms wrapped around her.
"You did well."
Akira looked down at the exhausted girl in his embrace, a rare, genuine glint of appreciation softening his usually cold features.
Sara gasped for air, her chest heaving as she stared up at the flawless, handsome face hovering mere inches from her own. The sheer proximity made her heart hammer violently against her ribs, the frantic rhythm threatening to leap straight out of her throat.
Driven by an intoxicating mixture of adrenaline, exhaustion, and an emotion she had harbored in secret for far too long, Sara acted on pure, reckless instinct.
Mustering the very last shred of her courage, she tilted her chin upward.
She pressed her lips gently against Akira's.
They were soft, yet distinctly cool.
Akira blinked, momentarily stunned by the sudden contact. A faint sense of amusement flickered through his mind. This particular scenario felt rather familiar.
Before he could even formulate a response, Sara pulled back. Her face was flushed a brilliant, burning crimson, and the words spilled from her lips in a rapid, breathless rush.
"Th-thank you!"
"For everything! For not only saving Rouran, but for saving me!"
"I... I like you!"
Her voice, initially loud with desperate bravery, rapidly lost its volume, shrinking until the final words were barely louder than the hum of a mosquito.
Sara squeezed her eyes shut, her entire body rigid as she awaited his judgment. She knew her actions were incredibly bold, perhaps even entirely shameless for a fallen queen. But she refused to live the rest of her life suffocating in regret.
The mountaintop fell into a heavy, stretching silence for several agonizing seconds.
Then, a low, magnetic chuckle vibrated through the chest she was pressed against.
Akira shook his head slowly. The classic tale of the hero saving the damsel in distress truly was a universally effective method for capturing hearts.
It was a cliché, certainly, but he was forced to admit that the sensation of being so completely, unconditionally relied upon by a beautiful woman was far from unpleasant.
Akira raised his hand, his fingers brushing through her vibrant red locks, gently ruffling her hair. The silky texture felt rather nice against his skin.
"You wish to be with me?" he asked, his tone calm and measured.
Sara's eyes snapped open, instantly filling with a desperate, glowing hope.
"I have more than one woman," Akira stated plainly, offering no illusions. "Can you accept that?"
The bright, hopeful light in Sara's eyes dimmed for a fraction of a second. A brief pang of sorrow touched her heart, but reality quickly set in. How could an existence as supreme and powerful as Akira ever belong to just one person? She was merely the queen of a ruined kingdom, a displaced survivor clinging to his protection. What possible right did she have to demand his exclusive devotion?
As long as she could remain by his side. Even if her only place was watching him from a quiet corner of his world, that would be more than enough.
The moment she accepted this truth, the lingering confusion in her eyes vanished completely, replaced by an unbreakable determination.
Casting aside all remaining hesitation and royal pride, Sara threw herself fully against Akira's chest. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, clinging to him with a desperate strength, as if trying to physically merge her flesh and blood with his.
"As long as I can be by your side..." she whispered fiercely into his shirt.
"As long as you never send me away..."
"That is enough for me."
Holding the soft, fragrant girl in his arms, Akira felt the natural stirrings of a man. He was no ascetic saint. She was offering herself to him willingly, and her unique bloodline made her an indispensable talent for managing his domain. There was absolutely no logical reason to refuse such a prize.
He wrapped his arm firmly around Sara's slender waist, applying a deliberate pressure that pulled her soft curves flush against his hard frame.
"In that case," Akira murmured, his breath brushing the top of her head. "Live here in peace."
"From this day forward, this place is your home."
Sara buried her burning face deeper into his chest, listening to the steady, powerful rhythm of his heartbeat. She nodded shyly, a deep sense of safety washing over her.
"Yes... Akira."
Miles away, the apocalyptic commotion of the merging Dragon Veins had not disturbed Kurenai Yuhi in the slightest.
She knew perfectly well that with Uchiha Akira personally overseeing the matter, there was zero threat to the safety of this dimension. Thus, Kurenai had remained entirely unbothered, calmly continuing her administrative duties. As the chief steward managing the logistics of this entire world, she had mountains of paperwork to process daily, even with the highly capable assistance of the Nara clan ninjas.
The air inside her office suddenly rippled as a spatial gate warped into existence.
Akira materialized out of thin air, his arm still securely supporting Sara, whose legs remained weak from chakra exhaustion.
Kurenai paused, the tip of her brush hovering over the scroll. She lifted her head, her striking crimson eyes immediately sweeping over Akira's form to ensure he was completely unharmed. Once satisfied, her sharp gaze slid over to the flushed, red-haired girl clinging to him.
Sara instinctively shrank back, burying her chin into her collar. She might have been the Queen of Rouran, but under the piercing scrutiny of a mature, powerful kunoichi like Kurenai, she felt exactly like a startled white rabbit caught in the open.
Kurenai calmly rolled her scroll shut. She crossed her arms beneath her chest and leaned back against the edge of the heavy oak desk. She shifted her stance, crossing her long legs—clad in their signature shinobi fishnet stockings—in a display that exuded effortless, dangerous charm.
"Hokage-sama is truly diligent," Kurenai noted, her tone laced with a dry, teasing edge that barely concealed a subtle, almost imperceptible trace of sourness.
"When it comes to this kind of romantic fortune, I am afraid there is not a single man in the entire shinobi world who could possibly surpass you."
Akira gently released his hold on Sara, allowing her to stand on her own. He closed the distance between himself and Kurenai, a dark, playful smile curving his lips as he stepped into her personal space.
"What is wrong?" he murmured, leaning in just enough to make her breath hitch.
"Why do I suddenly smell something sour in the air?"
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