Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

Chapter 921 Isn't it normal for the elderly to be easily deceived?

"Huh? Why is it suddenly so quiet outside?"

Sara, who was speeding up the stairs of the Dragon Vein Tower, paused and turned to look at Naruto behind her in confusion.

"Boom boom boom!"

"Boom boom boom!"

Naruto listened intently; it was indeed much quieter, but he could still faintly hear a rhythmic thud. The serious expression on his face lingered.

"Perhaps it's just that Brother Golden Hair and his men have temporarily held An Lushan back. Don't worry about that for now, sealing the dragon vein is the most important thing!"

"Leave it to me!"

Upon hearing this, Sarah immediately patted her unremarkable little chest, her eyes filled with determination.

Since all of this started because of her, she should be the one to end it.

"Oh!"

An Lushan, still suspended in mid-air, was completely bewildered. He had clearly absorbed enough Dragon Vein power that the entire ninja world should tremble before his terrifying strength. How could he be humiliated like a dog by an unknown Konoha ninja?

"It's flying again."

Choza Akimichi, who was applying ointment to his face, looked up at the centipede puppet being tossed around like a basketball by Gin Uchiha in mid-air. A slight twitch appeared at the corner of his purplish-blue lips. He then turned his gaze to Minato, who seemed lost in thought to himself.

"Minato, who exactly is this Gin-senpai? If the Uchiha clan had such a strong member, the Third Hokage should have already..."

"Ding-zuo, don't say anything that's detrimental to unity."

Minato glanced discreetly at Yamato, who was frowning and deep in thought not far away, and quietly stopped his teammate from speaking further, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

Although he was a ninja of commoner origin, he had a fairly good understanding of the intricate relationships between the various factions in the village. The conflict between the Uchiha clan and the ninja alliance led by the Third Hokage had been going on for quite some time.

If it weren't for the current Uchiha clan leader, Fugaku Uchiha, having a calm personality and being able to keep the troublemakers in the clan in check, the village would have been in complete chaos long ago.

"Senior Yin is a senior from the same era as the First Generation, and his understanding of the Will of Fire is beyond the reach of ordinary people."

Everyone knows that the Uchiha clan is being suppressed, yet old monsters like Uchiha Gin have remained calm and haven't shown up to reprimand them, which is enough to demonstrate their magnanimity and broad vision.

"."

Chiyo, who was standing nearby, overheard the entire conversation between the two and nearly rolled her eyes to the sky.

Uncle Yin has almost completely fooled these guys; it seems that people from other timelines aren't much smarter.

"Boom!"

Just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts, trying to give the veteran Uchiha Gin more screen time, a huge black shadow descended from the sky and crashed heavily in front of them. It was none other than An Lushan, his body tattered and battered.

"I'm sorry."

Watching Uchiha Gin slowly descend from the sky, he shook his chin, which was now broken into three pieces, and spoke shakily.

Transforming oneself into a puppet does grant immunity to pain, but every punch from this curly-haired man felt like it was striking his very soul. A series of punches nearly shattered his spirit.

"What I hate most is apologizing afterward."

Uchiha Gin, clenching his fists, stretched his neck. The chilling aura emanating from his deadpan eyes nearly ruptured the drainage system of An Lushan's puppet.

"I'm sorry, I was wrong. I shouldn't have coveted the dragon vein of Loulan, shouldn't have deceived Princess Sara, shouldn't have betrayed the village, and shouldn't have bullied the Fifth Generation Chief."

Amidst the astonished gazes of those around him, An Lushan pressed his head firmly to the ground and recounted all the evil deeds he had committed in his life, feigning remorse and repentance.

"Ok?"

Seeing An Lushan shaking his head vigorously, Uchiha Gin lowered his fist, which was imbued with monstrous strength, but a hint of amusement flashed in his red eyes.

What a dishonest guy.

From his perspective, several grotesque puppets crawled out of An Lushan's belly, which was pressed against the ground, and silently burrowed underground, heading towards the Dragon Vein Tower.

"My lord, if you spare my life, I, Baizu, am willing to offer you the power of the dragon vein with both hands."

Seeing that his pleading strategy was beginning to work, An Lushan was filled with disdain.

Let you be arrogant for a while longer. Once I have fully mastered the power of the lower dragon veins, I will make you pay for all the humiliation you suffered.

Minato, who was not far away, heard this and couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.

Who is Senior Yin? Why would he covet such power of dubious origin?

“Interesting. Then give me the power of the dragon vein now.”

"Uh"

The crowd stared in disbelief at Uchiha Gin, who was reaching out his large hand towards An Lushan.

"Senior, don't believe him!"

Yamato recalled the technique An Lushan used to inhale the poison into his body at the risk of his life. How could such a ruthless and depraved man easily submit? He immediately spoke up to warn him.

An Lushan himself was also caught off guard. Why didn't this curly-haired guy play by the rules?

"You...you really want to?"

"Otherwise, with such immense power, no one could refuse it."

Uchiha Gin crossed his arms, his eyes full of mockery.

"Okay, please wait a moment, sir."

An Lushan calculated the time it would take for the puppet to leave. As long as the dragon vein was not sealed within five minutes, he could fully grasp the power of the dragon vein hidden beneath his feet.

"Boom~"

With a deafening roar and a flurry of flying sand and stones, An Lushan's enormous puppet body rapidly shrank, eventually reverting to his original form.

"Thump~"

An Lushan slid to his knees and moved in front of Uchiha Gintoki, rubbing his hands together with a fawning expression, clearly not up to any good.

"My lord, to master the power of the dragon vein, a prerequisite must be met."

"tell me the story."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow, wanting to see what tricks An Lushan was up to.

"We need the bloodline of the Loulan royal family as the key."

Even at this critical moment, An Lushan was still thinking of using someone else to do his dirty work.

"Then where does your power come from?"

"I only used Princess Sara to unlock a small part of the dragon vein's power. To fully master it, I will have to wait some time."

In order to lower Uchiha Gin's guard, An Lushan deliberately weakened his own power.

"From what you're saying, you want me to stop that girl from sealing the dragon vein?"

"If you don't want the power of the dragon vein, you can sit back and watch. However, this dragon vein has its own consciousness, and we don't know when it will respond to the summons again."

An Lushan kept his head down. He had calculated that no one would refuse such a powerful force that could grant him instant access to the heavens. If Uchiha Gin hesitated for even a moment, he would be able to completely seize the power of the Dragon Vein.

"Senior Yin!"

Seeing that Uchiha Gin was clearly somewhat tempted, Minato immediately flew forward, drawing his sword and watching An Lushan warily as he continued to bewitch the old man.

Everyone says that the elderly are easily deceived, and now he has no choice but to believe it.

"Minato, what do you think about me handing over the power of the dragon vein to the village?"

"No, the dragon vein is the foundation of Loulan's existence, and this place belongs to the territory of the Wind Kingdom. If we do something like forcibly seizing it, we will definitely be condemned by all sides."

To be honest, Minato was indeed tempted when he heard Gin Uchiha's suggestion. Who wouldn't want their village to become stronger? But if the price was becoming a target of public criticism, it would be a losing proposition.

"What you said makes sense, Lao An, I don't want it anymore."

"what?"

Seeing Uchiha Gin resolutely shake his head, An Lushan swallowed back the seductive words he was about to utter.

"This is a dragon vein; its strength is definitely no less than any tailed beast." "Minato, why don't we give it a try? As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold."

"Senior Yin!"

Uchiha Gin's agile swaying from side to side was driving Minato crazy, while An Lushan, watching the two argue, was secretly laughing. The longer they dragged it out, the more advantageous it would be for him.

Inside the Dragon Vein Tower,

Naruto, who was following Sara down the stairs, had his usually dull sixth sense come into play for the first time.

"careful!"

Just before several An Lushan puppets burst through the wall, he pushed aside the bewildered Sara, and was then knocked away by the puppets inside the wall, falling into the abyss-like depths of the earth.

"boom!"

"Old An?"

Sarah, who had rolled several times down the stairs, sat up and looked at the several An Lushan puppets emerging from the wall with a complicated expression.

“Princess, I don’t want to kill you. Give up sealing the dragon vein, and I promise not to harm any of the people of Loulan.”

These puppets that An Lushan sent out all contained his will and could communicate fluently with Sara.

"Old An, do you think I'll trust you again?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow upon hearing this; she was simply naive, not stupid.

You, An Lushan, were already plotting to seize power, so why are you pretending to be an innocent white lotus?

"Hehehe~ Since that's the case, don't blame me for not showing any mercy to my former lord and subject."

An Lushan, exposed but not angry, saw Sarah as nothing more than meat on a chopping block, completely at his mercy. He chuckled sinisterly and controlled the other puppets to grab Sarah.

"Spiral pills!"

Just as he was about to succeed, Naruto, who had just fallen into the abyss, stepped on the clone and successfully returned to the battlefield by stepping on the clone with his left foot on the right.

"A persistent little ghost."

An Lushan looked at Naruto, who was holding a blue chakra ball, with impatience on his face. Why were the Konoha ninjas like dog skin plasters, once they were stuck on, they couldn't be removed?

"Crack!"

"Whoosh whoosh!"

With a thought, the surrounding puppets raised their arms, unleashing a torrent of egg-sized blue light projectiles.

"what!"

Caught off guard, Naruto was hit by several bullets and sent flying, crashing onto the stairs below. Although his injuries were not fatal, they prevented him from further disrupting An Lushan's delaying tactics.

"Princess, rest assured, this old minister will not take your life."

Having dealt with the troublesome Naruto, An Lushan turned his gaze to Sara, who was trembling and holding swords in both hands. He licked his lips with a sinister expression.

"After all, this old minister still wishes to be your father."

"what?"

Sarah's face darkened upon hearing this. So Old Ann not only coveted the dragon vein, but also wanted to become her stepfather.

"Jie Jie Jie~"

"Snapped!"

A woodcutter's knife, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, struck An Lushan precisely in the back of the head. The injury was minor, but the humiliation was immense.

With a displeased expression, An Lushan turned his head and, following the parabolic trajectory of the woodcutter's knife, immediately spotted the huddled refugees on the stairs above.

"You ants, how dare you follow me here!"

"You...didn't I tell you to leave quickly?"

Sarah recognized these people as the migrant workers she had rescued from the underground puppet factory.

"Princess Sarah, we've come to support you!"

In the crowd, a chubby, good-looking boy rubbed his bulbous nose. Judging from the empty scabbard at his waist, he was undoubtedly the one who had just thrown out the wood-chopping knife.

"You piece of trash who doesn't even have chakra dare to speak so arrogantly in front of me."

With a grim expression, An Lushan pulled the wood-chopping knife from the back of his head and crushed it into pieces with a snap.

Ah! My family heirloom wood-chopping knife!

Sarah saw the undisguised murderous intent in An Lushan's eyes and immediately shouted to the refugees above.

"Run! You are no match for him!"

"None of you will escape!"

Staring intently at the refugees wielding tattered farm tools, An Lushan decided to vent all the frustration he'd suffered outside on these troublesome fellows.

"Shh!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and threw out several poisoned needles, their chilling glint standing out starkly in the dim tower.

Just as the refugees, wielding their rusty farm tools, were preparing to use their bare bodies to withstand An Lushan's poisoned needles, a figure suddenly appeared from below and blocked their path.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!—"

As streaks of blood splattered, a strange light flashed in Sarah's eyes as she covered her mouth.

"Naruto!"

despair--

Naruto, with poison needles stuck in his body, staggered down in front of Sara, his face alternating between pale and purple, indicating that the poison was taking effect.

However, in just a few breaths, his complexion returned to normal, it seemed that Lao Jiu, who valued his life, had exerted his strength again.

Naruto painfully pulled out the poisoned needle that was stuck in a non-vital area, gasping for breath several times in pain.

"Hmm, thankfully I consulted Neji about back acupoints."

Looking at the three-inch-long poisoned needle in his hand, he breathed a sigh of relief, still shaken. Indeed, learning more useful knowledge could save his life.

When he got back, he was determined to brag to Neji about his heroic act of shielding someone from needles with his back.

"You little brat, you're really tough, just like Gaara. Even though he's already dead..."

An Lushan stared grimly at Naruto, who had caused the trouble. This guy, like Gaara, was a Jinchūriki, and his life was just as tough.

"You are not allowed to insult my friend!"

Upon hearing An Lushan mention Gaara's name for the second time, a rare killing intent flashed in Naruto's eyes.

Gaara worked so hard to protect everyone in the village, even sacrificing his own life for it. You, a former Sand Village resident, not only don't know how to be grateful, but also slander him like this.

"Heh, only monsters would be friends with other monsters, right?"

Unaware that his death was imminent, An Lushan continued to provoke Naruto with his malicious words, which acted like a universal key, easily breaking the seal that the Nine-Tails had just locked.

"Roar!"

The next second, with a roar that shook the heavens, fiery red chakra shot into the sky, instantly pushing the slowly flowing purple dragon vein power within the tower upwards.

"Tsk!"

Outside the tower, Gintoki Uchiha, who was arguing with Minato, turned his head as if sensing something, glanced at the Dragon Vein Tower that was being overrun by crimson, and pursed his lips slightly.

"Senior Yin, even if we successfully bring the power of the dragon vein back to the village, without a user manual, how are we supposed to use this power?"

"Yes, it's too much trouble, so I've decided not to take it back."

Uchiha Gin casually waved his hand and walked towards An Lushan, who was kneeling with his head bowed.

"Uh?"

The usually eloquent Minato paused for a moment upon hearing this. He had been trying to persuade him for so long, couldn't Minato at least say a few words in rebuttal?

"My lord, you have no idea how powerful the Dragon Vein truly is. When the time comes, not only Konoha, but the entire ninja world will submit to you."

Seeing Uchiha Gin standing in front of him, An Lushan quickly looked up and flashed a fawning smile, while inwardly he sneered.

He could feel the speed at which the power of the dragon vein was transmitted suddenly increase several times. In another minute, no, in 30 seconds, he would be the perfect dragon vein human pillar.

"Little Anzi, I don't know just how powerful the dragon vein is, all I know is that you're about to die." (End of Chapter)