Chapter 957

In fact, the moment she had seen Xiaomei earlier, she understood that Young Yuanzi had sent someone to help her.

Because of Kushina's existence, Naruko would begin training in the Nine-Tails transformation and additional techniques.

As for Sanae's instruction, Xiaomei would step in to handle it — as fellow users of Kekkei Genkai, she always found it beyond her strength.

In Rouran, Young Yuanzi had a room of her own in the Queen's palace. Although she rarely used it, ever since she had suppressed and taken control of the Dragon Vein, completely rewriting the prophecy of Rouran's destruction, the Queen had insisted on giving Young Yuanzi the best treatment in every arrangement. Even though Young Yuanzi herself did not actually stay there, every day, dedicated staff would come to tidy and clean the room.

If not for the matter discussed today, which had kept Young Yuanzi in the palace until late at night, and the Queen's earnest urging to stay, she might never have known she had such a luxurious room here. She reached out and pressed the broad bed in the bedroom — the mattress was so soft that Young Yuanzi suspected the Huang Quan Swamp Technique had been applied to it. Thinking that sleeping one night on such a comfortable bed would mean absolutely no one would be willing to wake up early the next morning…

Knock knock knock—

The door was being knocked on. Whoever would come looking for her at this late hour — Young Yuanzi didn't need to think to know, and at the same time she understood the other's attitude: regarding the topic that had been argued back and forth all day, the other party had likely already made a decision.

"Sure enough, what was bound to come has come, hasn't it…" Sighing, Young Yuanzi pulled her thoughts away from criticizing the bedroom's luxurious indulgence. In truth, she did not approve of spending an entire day in discussion without ever getting to the point — just thinking about the proposals those ministers had put forward this morning made her faintly angry.

Within this, there was probably also some meaning of plot correction. Knowing full well it was so, she still could not quite resign herself to it.

She opened the door, and standing outside was indeed the Queen of Rouran — but the other person was a great surprise to Young Yuanzi.

"B-Big Sis!?" Senju Mito — or rather Uzumaki Mito — Young Yuanzi's own elder sister and mother in this life, had actually come to find her. For a moment, ten thousand reasons flashed through Young Yuanzi's mind.

But she could not figure out how the Queen of Rouran had managed to persuade Mito.

"We can't exactly talk at the doorway, can we? Aren't you going to invite us in?"

Added to that, the Uzumaki clan's inherently vigorous life force meant that at an age when ordinary people should have long since passed away, Mito's breathing remained steady, and time had been unable to leave any mark on her. At this moment, Mito looked no different from when she was in her twenties or thirties. Of course, Young Yuanzi obeyed her elder sister's words — she quickly stepped aside from the doorway and let the two into the room.

"I believe you already know why I've come?" The Queen of Rouran was somewhat embarrassed. After all, by inviting Mito over, on one hand she wanted to find a powerful backer to bolster her position; on the other hand, this backer, for Young Yuanzi, actually carried a faint element of coercion within it.

"I won't say much more — just one question. Establishing a ninja village to train shinobi, forming an independent armed force — before doing so, have you considered the consequences?" Setting aside everything else, Young Yuanzi chose to get straight to the point.

"I admit, Rouran now controls the economic lifelines of many countries because of the trade caravans, but behind all this prosperity, there is one thing that has never changed."

Young Yuanzi stared straight into the Queen of Rouran's eyes, hoping to find an answer. The Queen also listened very carefully to Young Yuanzi's question — her gaze did not waver in the slightest, and she even agreed with Young Yuanzi's view.

"That's right — Rouran is a small country. This has never changed." What Young Yuanzi was referring to, the Queen of Rouran understood perfectly well in her heart.

"For us, whether it's establishing a ninja village, raising an armed force, or even forming a unique ninjutsu system — none of these are problems. But we still need a leader capable of supporting this entire plan… and you are the most suitable."

"In other words, you've already studied it and decided — I'm to be this bellwether?"

It went without saying — from the moment the Queen and Big Sis had come together, Young Yuanzi had already understood everything.

Even the Queen, facing Young Yuanzi's such blunt language, could not help blushing a little.

"Yes. To put it this way, it was decided from the very beginning. After all, looking across Rouran and even the entire Shinobi World, the best choice for us is you."

Young Yuanzi had neither black-framed glasses to push up, nor any desire to recite poetry. She found that no matter what, she could not escape those "plots" she had absolutely no wish to participate in. She had to admit a sense of powerless resistance rising in her heart. She looked at Uzumaki Mito — while Mito was her elder sister, she was also the wife of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. It could be said that Konoha, having experienced the rule of two generations of the Senju clan — Hashirama and Tobirama — held more ties and entanglements for her than for Young Yuanzi.

So, on this matter, you support Rouran in establishing a ninja village?

"This is your ninja village, Young Yuanzi."