Rōran—A once-ancient city, once the jewel in the middle of a barren desert, now lies in ruins.
Located on the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, Rōran was once a prosperous small nation, building sky-reaching towers and sustaining its civilization through the flow of ancient chakra: Ryūmyaku.
But all of it was destroyed.
The Third Great Ninja War swept everything away.
The last queen of Rōran, Sāra, sacrificed herself to save her people. Now, Rōran is nothing but a legend—a place considered taboo even to speak of in the shinobi world.
Today, amidst the swirling desert sands, a lone figure appears.Uzumaki Kushina, dressed in loose cream-colored robes and a thin veil to block the sand, looks like a tourist from a faraway land.
In her hand, she clutches a weathered map.
"If my calculations are right..." Kushina murmured, lowering the map and gazing at the vast desert before her.
"The ruins of Rōran should be around here."
Her steps press confidently into the hot sand.
Though the desert seems silent, Kushina remains alert, releasing a trickle of chakra to sense her surroundings.
Kurama scoffs in her mind:"Hmph, foolish woman... No one is reckless enough to sneak around an empty place like this."
Kushina just smiles slightly."Doesn't hurt to be cautious, Kurama~ You know my life's full of surprises."
After walking for about fifteen minutes, something catches her eye in the distance.
A crumbling stone structure juts from the sand like the bones of some giant beast.Kushina quickens her pace.
As she draws closer, she can clearly feel it—a fluctuation of chakra, ancient and powerful.
"This is it..." she whispers.
Before her lies a half-buried entrance, resembling a small cave.
The air flowing from within feels dense and ancient, as if it carries stories thousands of years old.Without hesitation, Kushina steps inside.
Inside the ruins, the atmosphere shifts dramatically.
The desert heat is replaced by cool dampness.
Ahead of her sprawls a giant circular chasm, with a narrow stone bridge stretching to its center.At the end of that bridge stands a circular stone platform, and in its center—a faintly glowing three-pronged kunai.
Kushina steps forward, heart pounding.
Gently, she touches the hilt of the kunai, feeling its familiar warmth.
"...Minato..." she whispers.
Her hand trembles slightly.
"I'm sorry, Minato... I know you sealed the Ryūmyaku to protect the world... But now, I need its power."
Kushina clasps her hands together, forming a complex seal.
Red chakra sparks forth, intertwining with the ancient energy of the Ryūmyaku.
A deep rumble echoes, and the kunai emits a bright violet light.
Kurama's voice enters her mind, a hint of concern in his tone:"Are you sure about this, Kushina? The Ryūmyaku... isn't a power to take lightly."
Kushina smiles with conviction.
"I know. But I can't protect them... if I stay as I am now."
The violet light intensifies, forming a vortex around Kushina.
Her body is slowly enveloped by strands of light—threads of chakra—then—
Zaaap!
In an instant, Kushina vanishes, absorbed into the folds of time.
All that remains is the three-pronged kunai, still planted firmly in the center of the platform, a silent witness to a journey through time.
No one knows how much time has passed.
Kushina finally opens her eyes.
A faint dizziness clouds her head as she slowly sits up atop the swirling hot sands.
"Ugh... This... where am I?" she mutters, rubbing her forehead.
Her red eyes, with their vertical pupils, scan the area.
The Ryūmyaku is still present—but its form and the surrounding atmosphere feel entirely different.
Kushina stands and gazes at the slowly pulsing Ryūmyaku.
"Looks like the time jump worked... But whether I've landed in the right year still needs confirming."
She frowns, sensing the fluctuations of the Ryūmyaku's chakra.
As expected, after being used, the Ryūmyaku had lost most of its energy.
It would likely take at least a full year to recharge before it could be used again.Kushina lets out a short sigh.
"Well, I guess I'll have to adapt for a while," she mutters.
Taking a deep breath, Kushina steps out of the hidden cave, facing the blinding morning sun.
"Thank goodness... I arrived in the morning," she says, squinting her eyes.
Carefully, Kushina channels chakra to the soles of her feet and dashes toward the direction she believes leads to the Land of Fire.
After running nonstop for half a day across desert plains and vast grasslands, Kushina finally spots signs of life.
Perched atop one of the tallest trees, she narrows her eyes, scanning the horizon.
A dense forest stretches as far as she can see, with a sparkling river below glinting in the morning light.
The air here is much fresher than the desert.
"This..." Kushina murmurs, inhaling deeply, "…must be within the Land of Fire."
She relaxes on a thick branch and closes her eyes.
Kushina presses her hands together and forms a simple seal, activating a high-level sensory technique—Mind's Eye of Kagura.
As her chakra focus expands, the world transforms into a sea of light in her mind.
Every living creature, every chakra source, glows like a torch in the darkness.
Roughly three kilometers ahead, she immediately detects a battle.
Several chakra signatures are clashing fiercely.
"Interesting..." Kushina's lips curl into a small smile.
But before she can move, a grumbling voice interrupts her thoughts.
"Hmph. If you were going to use that technique from the start, why'd you call me? Interrupting my nap..." Kurama grumbles with irritation.
"Hehe, don't be like that, Kurama," Kushina responds cheerfully. "I guess I just missed hearing your voice~"
"Missed me? Annoying!" Kurama snaps, his tails flailing in frustration within their subconscious realm.
Kushina chuckles.
"Let's make a bet, Kurama! Whose era do you think we're in now? Hashirama and Madara? Or maybe even further back?" she teases with playful excitement.
Kurama snorts louder."I don't care! Just shut up!"
Kushina winks mischievously.
"If I win the bet, you'll let me pet your fluffy tails all I want for a whole day~" she says in a sing-song tone.
"DON'T GET COCKY!!"Kurama roars in her mind, making Kushina burst into laughter in the real world.
Feeling triumphant after teasing the mighty fox, Kushina rises from the tree branch."Yosh, time to see what's next..."