Chapter 32 – Intentions
The Scorch Release kunoichi from Sunagakure was now truly enraged.
And in this moment—
She finally unleashed the full fury of her power.
Forget about Konoha.
Sunagakure would not bow to anyone.
When it came to the safety and interests of the village, Pakura would never retreat.
After all, the seat of the Fourth Kazekage still hadn't been officially decided.
Yes, that man might be acting as interim leader right now—
But "acting" was still only acting.
As long as the two elder advisors hadn't made a final decision, and the Daimyō's formal appointment hadn't been announced,
everything was still in flux.
To become the first female Kage in the history of the Five Great Ninja Villages—
That had always been Pakura's lifelong goal.
Defeat powerful enemies.
Win greater benefits for her village.
That was the best—and only—path to securing the Kazekage title.
---
"Shff!"
"BOOOOM!!!"
A surge of blazing flames exploded outward.
At that moment, Pakura unleashed the full might of her Scorch Release.
Now facing her at full strength, Minato's expression grew serious.
He readied himself with utmost caution.
At just 18 years old, this Minato was not yet the seasoned warrior who would one day become the Fourth Hokage.
He was powerful, yes—
But still young.
And standing opposite him was the famous Scorch Release user of the Sand.
Minato knew he couldn't afford even the slightest carelessness.
Of course—
That didn't mean he intended to settle the score with Pakura here and now.
His mission was simply to stall her.
After all, Konoha wasn't ready to go to war with any of the major villages yet.
Minato knew his own Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, all too well.
If diplomacy was still an option—
Then they absolutely could not strike first.
That's why, elsewhere on the battlefield, shinobi like Shibi Aburame and Choza Akimichi were holding back.
Their orders were to incapacitate, not kill.
Unless absolutely necessary, they would not take any Sand ninja's life.
Konoha had already begun limited engagements with the Mist in the southeast—
But with Sunagakure, outward peace still had to be maintained.
A completely different situation.
---
"BAM!"
"RRRRUMMMMBLE!!"
The shockwaves from the battle rippled outward.
The very earth trembled violently underfoot.
Kakashi—who was now escorting Queen Sara and her daughter away from the battlefield—
Involuntarily turned back to glance toward where Minato was fighting.
Then, subtly, he looked over at the queen beside him, whose face now carried a faint trace of unease.
In Kakashi's eyes, a quiet flicker of thought emerged.
"So... things really have changed."
At first—
He hadn't understood.
He wasn't even supposed to be part of the Roran storyline.
Logically, until he interfered, the plot should've followed the original trajectory:
The death of his father in this life, the mysterious disappearance of the Third Kazekage, and so on.
If this was the so-called "butterfly effect",
then wasn't it supposed to be triggered only after the butterfly flapped its wings?
But now—
Kakashi understood.
The moment he didn't join Minato's team like in the original timeline—
And instead entered the ANBU early—
The entire story had already started to change.
As long as anything was even remotely connected to him, the timeline would shift.
That included the entire Rōran arc.
The changes he had already made…
They might even prevent Uzumaki Naruto from ever being born.
Or, even if he were still born, the timing could be different—and that alone could create drastic changes.
And then there was the Dragon Vein of Rōran.
Kakashi had his own designs on that too.
A power that could traverse time and space—
There was no way Kakashi wouldn't be intrigued.
If he could somehow claim the Dragon Vein's power for himself,
then no one from the future could ever use it to travel back again.
By the same logic, it proved one thing:
"There are no parallel timelines here—only one single, continuous world."
A thoughtful glimmer passed through Kakashi's eyes.
While keeping close to Queen Sara's side, shielding her from any possible attacks,
he discreetly retrieved a small syringe.
"Shff!"
With swift, precise motion,
he gently pricked the queen's exposed skin, drawing a small vial of blood in an instant.
Then he quietly stored it away.
Though Kakashi hadn't yet figured out how he would take control of the Dragon Vein's power,
he did know this much:
Only the royal bloodline of Rōran could unlock it.
That alone made this sample a critical precaution.
Queen Sara didn't notice a thing.
The prick had been too quick and light—
And her mind was completely preoccupied with the safety of her daughter, her people, and her kingdom.
Even if she had felt something, she likely would've brushed it off as an illusion.
---
Just as they were leaving the crumbling ruins of the central tower,
Queen Sara suddenly came to a stop.
She turned to Kakashi with a hesitant expression, as though what she was about to ask was difficult to say out loud.
"Honored ninja… Would it be possible for us to take a slight detour?"
Her tone was cautious, almost pleading.
"If I leave the city without a word, I fear it will throw my people into chaos. I'd like to personally speak with several of my ministers before we go."
Though she was a queen, there was nothing haughty in her bearing.
A ruler who could clearly see her own situation—one who understood the bigger picture—was a rare kind of nobility.
By contrast, the teenage girl by her side—barely fourteen or fifteen—still eyed Kakashi warily, her guard fully up.
That was the difference between experience and immaturity.
And a stark contrast in mindset.
Queen Sara knew all too well:
Right now, her only hope was to rely on the shinobi from Konoha.
The so-called pride of royalty?
Just a joke.
In times of war and chaos—
If you wanted to survive, you had to be willing to discard all those meaningless things.
---
Kakashi remained silent for a moment, weighing the risks and benefits.
Then he nodded.
"We can take a short detour. But this area is still very dangerous, Your Majesty."
"Thank you," Queen Sara replied gratefully.
Rōran wasn't a particularly large city—
Fewer than ten thousand people lived there.
Even with the special regions accounted for, the entire capital was less than one-tenth the size of Konoha.
And that was only comparing it to the residential zones of the Hidden Leaf.
So, as they headed north out of the city—
Kakashi, acting as escort, still ran into groups of guards and citizens trying to rush to the queen's aid.
At first, they mistook Kakashi for an enemy.
But Queen Sara managed to calm them down and persuade each group to stand down.
Even the armed guards.
The queen knew very well—
In front of a ninja, no number of ordinary soldiers would make a difference.
They'd only be slaughtered.
She wasn't about to let her people die for nothing.
---
Kakashi silently observed Queen Sara as she walked beside him.
In his heart, he first nodded in quiet respect—
Then shook his head with a hint of sorrow.
She was the kind of leader worthy of admiration.
But sadly, she had the misfortune of being born into such a cruel world—
And ruling over such a weak country.
Her kindness—
Would be the very poison that doomed her.