Chapter 29: The Convergence of Three Forces
Though the Land of Rōran was small, its capital—Rōran City—was anything but modest. Even from a distance, one could feel its grandeur. And as one drew closer, craning their neck to take in the towers that seemed to pierce the heavens, even the most jaded soul of this era would feel a twinge of awe.
Sure, a shinobi could recreate such structures with ease using ninjutsu.
But Rōran had no hidden village.
In fact, it wasn't even clear if they had any shinobi at all.
At least, according to the official intel.
The only known power Rōran possessed was the mythical Dragon Vein. While the Five Great Shinobi Villages initially dismissed it as an oddity, few among their upper ranks could truly resist the lure of a non-human source of energy—if the opportunity to seize it arose.
"So this is Rōran, huh? Tch, for a small nation, this city is ridiculously over the top."
"Heh, no wonder the Mizukage-sama wants it."
"Judging by this alone, there must be something special about that so-called Dragon Vein."
From the cover of a low hill several kilometers away, a Mist shinobi squad lingered, gesturing toward the distant silhouette of Rōran City.
Kakashi, hidden nearby, was too far to hear what they were saying, but he saw their gestures. After a brief discussion, the four shinobi split up under the command of their squad leader, fanning out toward both flanks of the city.
This put Kakashi in a tough spot.
Alone, he couldn't track them all.
After a moment's hesitation, he chose to follow the leading Chūnin. Judging from their formation and movement, this was clearly a forward reconnaissance unit—eventually, they'd regroup. Tracking the leader would be the best way to learn more.
But barely three minutes into the pursuit—
BOOM!!
A thunderous explosion rocked the air.
Kakashi's expression tightened as the ground beneath his feet trembled.
The Mist shinobi ahead halted as well, eyes both snapping toward the heart of Rōran.
Massive chakra fluctuations.
Devastating tremors.
There was no doubt—someone powerful was fighting inside the city.
BOOM!
KRAK!
CRASH!
The explosions came in waves.
From the distance, they could both see the city's iconic towers shaking violently, some collapsing entirely. Only jōnin-level combat—or greater—could cause this level of destruction.
There was no way a regular Chūnin or Genin could manage that. At best, they might know B-rank techniques. But anything A-rank or higher? That wasn't just a question of skill—it was about privilege. Very few even had access to such techniques.
"Is this... following the canon storyline?"
Kakashi's eyes narrowed in contemplation.
But without further intel, he couldn't be sure.
Then—
Swoosh!
The Mist Chūnin dashed toward the heart of the city, no doubt hoping to identify the cause of the chaos. Kakashi gave a short pause… then followed. He, too, was curious—curious whether someone like Naruto Uzumaki from the future might truly appear here.
Because if so…
It might forever alter Kakashi's perception of this world.
Was this a unique reality?
Or one of many parallel dimensions?
He needed to see for himself.
Swoosh.
As Kakashi closed the distance, he could feel it: the intensity of the battle grew with every step. The very earth around him trembled. Buildings cracked. Towers tumbled.
"What's happening!?"
"Something exploded! Over there, by the palace!"
"The Queen! Is Her Majesty safe!?"
"Run! It's coming down!"
From the base of the towers, terrified citizens fled in droves—ordinary people scrambling to escape as the stone giants around them toppled one after another.
Rōran may have been small in scale, but Rōran City still held tens of thousands of citizens.
Now they all felt the quake.
Worse—
They believed their Queen was in danger.
Those loyal to the Queen—those brave or foolish enough—ran toward the explosions. They had no idea what kind of battle was unfolding, or what kind of power was being unleashed.
They couldn't know.
This level of combat was beyond comprehension—even for a trained shinobi.
Even Kakashi's face was now clouded with grim realization.
This… this isn't a battle I can interfere with.
Even a standard jōnin is out of my league right now...
Swoosh!
BOOM!
Another tower crumbled. A huge stone block hurtled down—Kakashi narrowly evaded it, darting to the side.
Then—
He broke into the heart of the chaos.
And saw them.
At least a dozen figures, standing in a tense confrontation.
> "Hmph. Leaf shinobi. You're in the wrong place. This is our territory—under the authority of Sunagakure."
From the left, a tall young woman stepped forward. Her arms were covered with purple sleeves, and fiery red orbs floated in orbit around her like planets around a sun. Her words were directed with disdain at a masked, golden-haired man across from her.
"Oh? Pakura-san, isn't it? I'm afraid you're mistaken. This is the Land of Rōran, not the Land of Wind. We were invited here by Her Majesty the Queen. So I'd say you have no grounds to be giving us orders."
The masked man chuckled, his voice polite yet sharp.
This was no chance encounter.
The three great villages—Konoha, Suna, and Kiri—were all converging here.
And Rōran, with its secrets and the Dragon Vein,
was about to become the spark that reignited the flames of war.