The Land of Wind.
Northern region, Ryusa Town.
"Sara!"
A young woman was occupied with chores inside her home when, not far outside, a figure came rushing towards her, continuously shouting the woman's name as she ran.
This young woman, named Sara, appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old. She possessed deep red hair, deep brown eyes, and remarkably beautiful features.
The person hurrying towards Sara's house was a slightly plump, middle-aged woman.
"Aunt Yuri, what's the rush?" Hearing the calls, Sara stepped outside, looking at the approaching middle-aged woman.
The middle-aged woman rushed forward, grabbing Sara's arm and pulling her along anxiously. "Sara, quick! That girl Sachie got into trouble! She's been caught!"
"What? Aunt Yuri, what happened exactly?" Sara panicked, her voice filled with urgency.
"Aiya! I don't know the details either, just that she was caught! We need to hurry over there!" the middle-aged woman named Yuri urged.
The two women sprinted off, heading directly towards the town's North Street.
Arriving at the entrance to North Street, Sara saw that a crowd of townspeople had already gathered.
"Sachie!" Sara cried out anxiously, pushing her way through the throng of people.
Once she broke through the crowd, Sara froze on the spot.
In the center of the gathering, her daughter Sachie was being held by a young man, her small arms pinned behind her back, her cheeks puffed out indignantly.
Looking at the scene, it didn't seem quite as terrible as Sara had initially feared.
"Mama," the little girl murmured weakly upon seeing Sara push through the crowd, slightly taken aback.
The young man holding her daughter, however, observed Sara with distinct interest.
"Sachie!" Hearing her daughter's voice, Sara finally snapped out of her daze. She lunged forward, reaching out to snatch the little girl away.
The young man, seeing her approach, didn't seem to mind, easily relaxing his grip on the girl's arms.
"Sachie, are you alright?" Pulling her daughter close, Sara looked her over from head to toe, asking with deep concern.
"Mama, I'm okay," Sachie whispered, shrinking into Sara's embrace.
It was only then that Sara sensed something wasn't quite right. She looked down at Sachie and pressed, "What exactly happened here?"
Sachie glanced nervously up at the young man, then shook her head at Sara, refusing to say anything.
Seeing this, Sara couldn't help but turn her gaze towards the young man.
He possessed a sturdy, well-built physique and looked to be around twenty years old. From him, Sara felt a long-forgotten, familiar aura – one of confidence and calm composure. This young man is far from ordinary, she thought.
"Madam," the young man said under Sara's scrutiny, shrugging slightly and spreading his hands in a helpless gesture, "I assure you, I meant no offense. It was your daughter who attacked me first."
"You—!" Hearing his words, Sachie, still huddled in Sara's arms, flushed bright red. She opened her mouth as if to retort angrily, but apprehension held her back, and she ultimately said nothing.
Witnessing this exchange, Sara seemed to grasp the situation. She offered the young man a faint smile and said softly, "This matter is Sachie's fault. Sir, please, follow me."
Taking the lead, Sara gently guided her daughter towards their home. Behind them, a slight smile touched the young man's lips as he followed.
As Sara and the young man departed, the crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed. Amidst them, only Aunt Yuri lingered, staring worriedly in the direction Sara had gone. Finally, gritting her teeth with resolve, she turned and hurried off in another direction.
Soon, the young man followed Sara and her daughter back to their small courtyard home.
"The house is rather humble, please don't mind," Sara said apologetically, leading him into the living room.
The young man merely smiled politely in response, his eyes scanning the room's interior. The furnishings indicated that the family was indeed not well-off. After a quick survey, his gaze returned to Sara.
At this point, the two were kneeling formally opposite each other. From the doorway, little Sachie peeked out timidly, her small head barely visible, her eyes filled with worry and tension.
After a moment of silence, the young man finally spoke, his voice soft with reflection. "To think the former queen of the ancient kingdom of Roran has fallen to such modest circumstances. How unpredictable life truly is."
Hearing his words, Sara's expression shifted subtly, and her kneeling form stiffened almost imperceptibly. In the doorway, panic flashed across Sachie's face.
Like a feisty kitten trying to look fierce, she burst into the room.
"You bad man! Don't you dare hurt my mama!" Sachie charged towards the young man, baring her teeth ferociously.
"Sachie!" Sara quickly intercepted the girl, pulling her close and shielding her protectively behind her back.
"The ancient kingdom of Roran has already perished," Sara said, a bitter smile touching her lips. "And I am no longer the queen of Roran." Since he clearly knew her identity, denial was pointless.
Sara was indeed the last queen of the ancient kingdom of Roran.
"Heh," the young man shook his head with a respectful smile. "Your Highness Sara, willingly giving up your former privileges to live as an ordinary citizen of the Land of Wind, all to protect the last remnants of Roran's people... that act alone commands the respect of all."
He paused, then continued with a slight bow, "Ah, forgive my manners. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Akimichi Tatsuya, a ninja from Konoha Village. Please forgive my impudent visit, Your Highness Sara."
This young man was, indeed, Tatsuya.
He had remained in the Land of Demons for over half a year, departing only after Shion had formally assumed her role as the new Miko. Jizo remained stationed there, sufficiently powerful to ensure the safety of both Shion and the Land of Demons.
Upon leaving the Land of Demons, however, Tatsuya hadn't immediately returned to Konoha Village. Instead, he had journeyed to the Land of Wind.
Having successfully developed the Soul Seal in the Land of Demons, Tatsuya's artificial tailed beast project was now just one step away from completion. That final step required unsealing and then resealing the Dragon Vein.
Truthfully, with Tatsuya's current level of strength, capturing a real tailed beast wouldn't be difficult. With a tailed beast, creating a jinchuriki would be simple. However, Tatsuya was unwilling to do so. He didn't particularly value a standard tailed beast jinchuriki, as it wouldn't provide a significant boost to his own power. The only exceptions would be the Eight-Tails or the Nine-Tails, but attempting to capture either of them was extremely difficult and fraught with immense karmic consequences.
His persistent desire to create a tailed beast specifically from the Dragon Vein stemmed from the unique properties inherent to the Dragon Vein itself.