Sara anxiously tugged at Yuzuru's arm.
The power of the Dragon Vein: Ryūmyaku was simply too immense. If it were to go berserk, even she might not be able to control it.
"Don't worry. Nothing will happen."
Yuzuru gently rubbed Sara's long hair, his expression calm.
Even back when he had first met Sara, the power of the Dragon Vein had already posed no threat to him—let alone now.
After bringing Sara to the very center of the Dragon Vein, she immediately knelt down on the ground.
She began to chant softly.
It seemed to be an ancient song—one Yuzuru couldn't quite understand.
As Sara's chanting continued, the once-rampaging Dragon Vein gradually calmed down.
In the end, it returned to its usual tranquility.
"Yuzuru, the Dragon Vein has quieted down now."
"But the Sand ninja from earlier seems to have disappeared."
Hearing Sara's doubt, Yuzuru thought for a moment and decided not to hide the truth.
"Sara, that Sand ninja we encountered earlier was Anrokuzan."
"He was the one who used the power of the Dragon Vein to travel back to the ancient Roran in the past."
Sara clenched her teeth. "So it really was him!"
Anrokuzan had killed her mother and planned to enslave the people of the Kingdom of Roran. He had even harbored delusions of unifying the shinobi world using the power of the Dragon Vein…
Watching him escape right before her eyes left Sara deeply unwilling to accept it.
Seeing this, Yuzuru comforted her. "Sara, what's already happened can't be changed."
"If I had killed Mukade just now, it likely would have triggered something unpredictable."
"I know." Sara lifted her head, forcing down the emotions in her heart.
"Actually, without Anrokuzan, the people of Roran might never have lived such a happy and peaceful life."
"And… I probably wouldn't have been able to meet you either."
Yuzuru smiled. "That's true. Once the sealing of the Dragon Vein is finished, I'll take you around the shinobi world."
"Mhm!"
Sara spoke no more, focusing entirely on guiding the Dragon Vein. She had attempted this once before after Anrokuzan was killed, so she was well-acquainted with the process.
"It's coming!"
Under Sara's guidance, the power of the Dragon Vein began to pour endlessly into Yuzuru's body.
Feeling that dense natural energy, Yuzuru couldn't help but feel excited.
This time, the power of the Dragon Vein caused no damage to his body at all.
The sealing process went exceptionally smoothly and lasted for three days and three nights.
Aside from the initial phase that required Sara's guidance, Yuzuru was later able to absorb the Dragon Vein's power on his own.
When the final trace of the Dragon Vein's power was sealed into his body, Yuzuru slowly opened his eyes.
"It's done."
Sara, who had been drowsy at the side, immediately perked up.
"Yuzuru, how do you feel? You're not hurt, are you?"
"No need to worry."
With a single thought, the Dragon Vein power sealed within Yuzuru's body began to circulate along specific pathways.
In an instant, he entered Sage Mode.
"Sage Art: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
"Sage Art: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"Sage Art: Yin Release Lightning Dispatch!"
"..."
Yuzuru formed seals nonstop, releasing one powerful sage technique after another.
Under the overwhelming might of the sage arts, the underground ruins of Roran were completely reduced to dust.
"Hahahahaha… I really am the most enduring one!"
After finishing his test, Yuzuru couldn't help but burst into laughter.
The defining feature of the Shikkotsu Forest's sage arts was the ability to generate senjutsu chakra while fighting.
In theory, as long as the production of senjutsu chakra was fast enough and natural energy sufficiently abundant, Sage Mode could be maintained indefinitely.
Yuzuru already possessed a Sage Body. After sealing the Dragon Vein within himself, he even skipped the step of absorbing natural energy into his body altogether. As a result, even in all-out combat, his rate of producing senjutsu chakra was more than sufficient.
As for natural energy…
With the Dragon Vein inside his body, there was nothing to worry about at all.
With both factors combined, he no longer needed to constantly calculate his remaining senjutsu chakra like Naruto Uzumaki did in the original story.
As long as the Dragon Vein didn't disappear, he could maintain Sage Mode forever!
After calming himself down, Yuzuru turned to Sara and asked, "Sara, you helped me tremendously this time. What reward do you want?"
Sara shook her head. "There's nothing I want. Just being by your side is enough for me."
Seeing how obedient and gentle she looked, Yuzuru's heart stirred.
He pulled Sara into his arms. "You must be tired after these past few days. Let's take some time to properly relax here."
————
————
Yuzuru and Sara returned to the Hidden Cloud Village.
Because he had promised to accompany Sara on a proper trip, Yuzuru didn't use Kamui to travel.
It took them a full fifteen days to make the journey back from the Land of Wind.
"Yuzuru, you're finally back."
As soon as they arrived home, Tsunade, Mikoto, Kushina, and the others immediately came out to greet them.
Only after seeing that Yuzuru was completely unharmed did they finally let out a sigh of relief.
Yuzuru laughed. "It was just sealing a Dragon Vein. Was it really worth worrying this much?"
Karura puffed out her cheeks and said softly, "But we couldn't help worrying."
"It's been almost a month without any news at all."
Hearing this, Sara stuck out her tongue apologetically. "That's my fault. I dragged Yuzuru around for a few extra days."
After chatting for a while, Tsunade finally spoke up. "Yuzuru, Obito has come looking for you several times. When you have time, go see him."
Yuzuru raised an eyebrow, already more or less guessing why Obito was seeking him out.
He nodded. "Got it."
————
————
"Lightning Fang Impact!"
On the training ground, Obito let out a low shout as a lightning wolf formed from Lightning Release rushed straight toward a wooden post.
The next moment, he took out two Fūma Shuriken and hurled them forward.
The shuriken embedded themselves precisely into the post. Immediately after, Obito shouted again, "Lightning Release: Lightning Scorch Strike!"
Blue lightning surged along the steel wires and shot straight into the post where the Fūma Shuriken were lodged.
Boom!
Amid a crackling explosion, the wooden post was instantly charred black.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Spear!"
Obito grasped a massive lightning spear with both hands and hurled it forward.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Cutter! Chidori!"
The moment the spear pierced through a post, Obito followed like a shadow, slicing the post cleanly in half with Lightning Cutter.
"Huff… huff…"
Obito stopped, panting heavily, as the scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan faded away.
He was in a terrible mood.
Not long ago, he had sparred with Shisui. He had originally intended to properly guide his junior—but ended up losing instead.
After pressing him for answers, he learned that Shisui had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Before those powerful eyes, his own three-tomoe Sharingan stood no chance at all.
Thinking of this, Obito clenched his fists in silence.
"Damn it… just a few years ago, he was still a little brat following behind me…"
"I'll definitely obtain the Mangekyō Sharingan too!"