At this moment, Uchiha Hikaru looked up at Queen Sara, high above, and subconsciously began to consider whether he should rescue her.
After about 0.1 seconds of deliberation, he decided to give up.
If he jumped in to save Sara now, Mukade would definitely grow suspicious. Although Mukade had fabricated a false identity for him—claiming he was a Konoha guard-nin—they both knew the truth: they were each after the Dragon Vein.
In Uchiha Hikaru's eyes, Mukade likely wanted to use him to eliminate Naruto, Minato, and the others—only to betray him later. If Mukade could defeat him, he would. If not, he'd probably just surrender.
Either way, Mukade would never back himself into a corner.
If he saw Uchiha Hikaru saving Sara now, it would be tantamount to announcing, "Yes, I am a guard from Konoha!"
Worse, Mukade might activate the Dragon Vein and self-destruct. The destruction of Rōran would be one thing—but if the Dragon Vein's chakra vanished as well, Uchiha Hikaru would suffer a major loss.
So, Hikaru simply leapt down into the shade beneath the white stone pillars, pulled out a glass of orange juice from his storage scroll, and settled in to watch the show.
After all, it was three o'clock. Tea time~ (๑>◡<๑)
Just then, Naruto—nearby—saw Sara falling from the platform.
He didn't even pause to think about the pain in his injured leg. Bracing himself, he launched upward and caught Sara mid-air.
Using chakra, he stuck his feet to the palace wall, launched again, and landed in a white-stone-pillared corridor in the palace's backyard.
As soon as he landed, Uchiha Hikaru casually handed him a plastic bag filled with juice and a straw.
"Yo, Naruto. It's three o'clock. Let's put Princess Sara down and have some tea first~"
"Oh!"
"Thank you, Brother Hikaru!"
Naruto immediately let go of Sara to take the juice.
A second later…
"Ahhh!"
"IT HURTS!!"
Sara had been completely forgotten and dropped straight onto the ground.
"G-Gomennasai…"
Slap! Slap! BAM!
Sara stood up, delivered two resounding slaps across Naruto's cheeks, and finished with a sharp elbow to his face before launching into a verbal barrage.
"You idiot! You pervert! You stupid pervert!"
Naruto clutched his red, swollen cheeks with one hand while still holding the fruit tea bag in the other, eyes watering. (;ω;)
"Why am I the one getting hit when I saved her…?"
Sniffling, Naruto took two big sips of juice through the straw.
Sara's face turned red with embarrassment. She quickly realized she had overreacted and bowed to Naruto.
Thankfully, Naruto wasn't one to hold a grudge. He waved it off with a grin.
Hikaru handed another juice bag to Sara.
Silently, she accepted it, and the three of them sat in a row under the pillars, sipping juice together under the shade.
Naruto finished first and, remembering Sara's fall, turned to her with concern.
"Sara, how did you fall from up there?"
With juice still in her mouth, Sara paused and frowned, trying to remember.
"I think... I was pushed. I took two steps forward... and then the platform collapsed."
Uchiha Hikaru continued sipping his juice leisurely, ready to enjoy the next part of the drama. (¬‿¬ )
Naruto, however, grew serious.
That did seem suspicious… Her two steps had looked unnatural. And the collapse was too coincidental.
"Could someone be trying to kill you?"
At his words, Sara panicked slightly and shook her head in denial.
"No! That's impossible!"
"Didn't you see everyone cheering for me at the ceremony?"
But Naruto still felt something was off about the crowd… like it was all too perfect.
"But you felt like you were pushed, didn't you?"
Sara hesitated again, beginning to question herself. Maybe she just slipped?
"This… must've been my own mistake…"
Just then, three masked figures appeared.
"Have you found your comrades, Naruto?"
Naruto instinctively pulled a kunai from his pouch and held it defensively in front of him.
"There's nothing I could do. She fell right in front of me."
Sara stepped forward abruptly, placing herself protectively in front of Naruto and Uchiha Hikaru.
Hikaru tossed away his empty juice bag.
Oho! It's getting exciting! Live broadcast! Must not blink! (≧▽≦)
"Who are you people!? You just show up with masks on—how suspicious!"
Naruto's eyes narrowed. His mind raced.
"Wait a minute… Are you the ones who tried to kill her!?"
He lunged toward the masked Minato with his kunai.
From the sidelines, Uchiha Hikaru gave Naruto an approving nod.
Nice! That's some real ninja guts! Going for your own father—10 out of 10 points for guts! (☉｡☉)!
Minato dodged and, in a flash, gripped Naruto's throat with one hand, the Flying Thunder God Kunai pressed to his neck.
As expected of Minato Namikaze—grabbed his own son without even flinching.
Naruto struggled against his grip, clutching at Minato's arm.
"We're here to protect Her Majesty the Queen. Don't misunderstand."
No one noticed the crowd in the square had suddenly begun dispersing in waves, making strange, eerie sounds as they fled.
Minato glanced at Uchiha Hikaru, who was still casually seated behind them.
Hikaru shrugged. Not his problem.
Minato then escorted Sara back to the palace.
Inside, Sara leaned against a stone pillar, knees hugged to her chest. Her eyes were distant and filled with confusion.
Naruto turned to Minato.
"There was a puppet attack… then the platform collapsed at the celebration…"
"Just what the hell is going on here!?"
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