Let's rewind time a little.
While the puppet army searched for Minato's traces, Ryuji headed to Mukade's workshop.
It was a tall tower.
Inside, various grotesque puppet artworks were displayed, along with some of Mukade's failed or proud creations exhibited there.
Ryuji only glanced at them casually before deciding to melt them all down for remodeling.
These things were not only disgusting in design but also very backward in practicality… a complete waste of materials.
...
The puppet production workshop was underground, in terrain similar to the Dragon Vein's location. It required traversing a long, spiral staircase to reach the bottom.
The underground space was vast. In the center was a spiral winch-like furnace. Dragon Vein Chakra descended from the tower's top, entering the furnace as an energy source.
Conveyor belts linked around the furnace transported materials and output finished components. These parts would be sent via belts to other rooms, where they would automatically assemble with parts produced by other machines.
It was more like a factory than a workshop.
"These machines and equipment can forge materials and parts for the Mechanical City."
The machinery here, from steelmaking to producing various components, could meet many needs.
However, all these machines had already stopped working.
The young and middle-aged workers from Roran, each exhausted, leaned against something, lying down. Seeing Ryuji enter, they merely glanced up before closing their eyes again to rest.
They were too tired.
Since the previous Queen died, Anrokuzan had secretly replaced the people of Roran with puppets, keeping it from Sara. And the true people of Roran... all the young and middle-aged adults were enslaved to work in the underground factory, while the elderly, women, and children were driven to live in the underground areas at the edges.
They weren't allowed to go home, working day and night with almost no rest, their bodies constantly pushed to the brink of collapse.
Ryuji knew this, so he didn't say anything.
These people would be Sunagakure's villagers in the future. Naturally, he wouldn't continue making them do hard labor.
Moreover, he didn't need forced labor.
Ryuji walked straight along the central steps to an inner room. Both Gin and Sara were there.
Besides them, there was also a man who was unexpected, yet understandable given the circumstances.
—Yamato.
Or perhaps called Tenzo, or maybe neither.
This man, wearing a green flak jacket and a Konoha's forehead protector, with large eyes like a cow's, had too many aliases from his time as a Konoha's Anbu.
Gin pointed at the man tied up on the floor. "After we arrived here, this guy suddenly ambushed us, trying to take Sara away."
"I see." Ryuji nodded, then looked at the Konoha's Shinobi. "It seems you were already observing the battle from afar during the fight in the streets earlier."
Yamato glanced at him, lowered his head, and remained silent, not uttering a word.
"Afraid I'll pry information from you?"
Seeing Yamato's reaction, Ryuji couldn't help but smile. "I suppose even if I said something like 'Don't worry, I won't pry information from you', you wouldn't believe it. But that's actually the truth. For me, your very existence is more valuable than any intelligence."
Ryuji removed Armor and handed it to Gin. "Extract the bloodstains from the face mask. They are very precious."
"Yes, Master."
After receiving the order, Gin took Armor to the side to extract the blood.
Meanwhile, Ryuji took out a syringe and began drawing Yamato's blood. "You're a Wood Release user, with stronger vitality than ordinary people. You don't mind if I draw a little more, right?"
'Would my objection matter?'
Yamato still didn't speak, just watched silently, mentally complaining before continuously thinking about how to escape.
But racking his brains yielded no ideas.
Ryuji drew five large tubes of blood in a row and was about to draw a sixth when Yamato's figure began to fade.
'Returning to the future?'
Ryuji was momentarily stunned, then put down the syringe and took out an instrument to take measurements.
This world had Space-Time Ninjutsu, so Ryuji wasn't completely ignorant about Space-Time.
He wanted to understand the spatial frequency caused by time travel, to see if there was a chance to develop something like a time machine.
Although the possibility was very low, even if not, other byproducts could be developed.
For example, spatial equipment like scrolls… though that possibility is also extremely low.
While testing, Ryuji asked, "By the way, how did you travel through time?"
After Mukade died, they still traveled here, meaning the earlier temporal correction changed the cause of time travel from Mukade devouring Minato's seal to something else... This was also why Naruto and Minato suddenly appeared.
Temporal correction only changed the starting point of everything… i.e., making the minimal changes to maintain the original historical progression.
Understanding the reason would greatly aid his research.
Unfortunately, facing his inquiry, Yamato just glanced at him before lowering his head in silence.
Ryuji didn't press further, nor did he resort to torture.
After all, as an Anbu, Yamato must have undergone considerable training in preventing information leaks.
If there was ample time, he might have tried.
But now, forget it.
However...
Slash!
Bright red blood spurted. Yamato stared at the enemy holding his severed arm, his pupils contracting sharply. Then pain surged, and he couldn't help but collapse, groaning, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.
"Since you're unwilling to say anything, then leave behind the most valuable thing." Ryuji held the bloody arm, speaking impassively. His indifferent expression, splattered with crimson, appeared eerie.
Sara nearby couldn't help but show a fearful expression, unconsciously taking two steps back.
'Miscalculation.'
Ryuji inwardly shook his head.
Letting someone who just pledged allegiance see his brutal side... If the other person inherently liked this style, it might be fine, but Sara was a genuinely kind-hearted girl.
Letting her see this side of him would undoubtedly increase her fear and distrust toward him.
But there was no time to prepare for this situation.
Watching Yamato completely vanish from this timeline, the arm in Ryuji's hand showed no abnormalities.
He guessed correctly. Body parts detached from Yamato himself no longer belonged to him.
This was why Ryuji didn't kill Yamato.
Although a complete corpse had more research value than an arm, there was no guarantee the corpse wouldn't also return to the future.
It was better to spare his life... If a single arm couldn't yield corresponding research value, then in the future, there would still be a complete person to study.
Ryuji preserved Yamato's arm with tools, then sealed it into a storage scroll. Shortly after, a message came through the Sea of Consciousness from the knight puppets.
"Master, we have captured Aburame Shibi and Akimichi Choza. Namikaze Minato escaped."
"What about Uzumaki Naruto?"
"No trace was found."
'No trace found... He probably also returned to the future!'
Ryuji pondered slightly, then commanded, "Then detain those two for now."
"Yes."
After handling that matter, Ryuji turned to look at the frightened Queen of Roran. "Sara, these people were captured and brought to this sunless place for hard labor, not returning home for years. Take them to find their families and reunite them. Also, notify them that Roran is now incorporated into Sunagakure."