Naruto: Unlocking Kaido Template

Sara knelt alone before the throne. The dazzling sunlight shone through the fractured stained glass behind her, casting colorful patterns on the floor. In that moment, she thought of her mother again.

A fat man strode in through the massive door. His eye sockets were dark, sunken, and lifeless. He twisted his greasy frame with an awkward gait, staring down at Sara's back with a disdainful grin, although his tone was oddly respectful.

"Lady Sara, what are you still doing here? The people are waiting for your speech. You should hurry." A barely noticeable murderous gleam flashed in Mukade's eyes.

Snapping out of her memories, Sara turned and smiled brightly.

"You're right, Mukade. Let's go..."

Zixu followed silently behind Sara, his steps ghost-like. Sara seemed distant, her mind drifting back. While waving to the crowd from the high tower, she could've sworn she felt a pair of hands push her.

"No way... It couldn't have been Mukade. I must be overthinking." Despite her doubts, Muakde's years of mental manipulation still clouded Sara trust.

Zixu didn't care what she believed. He silently accompanied her to a mechanical platform, similar to an elevator. Once they were inside, Zixu peeled away his disguise and appeared behind Sara like a ghost.

"Don't you find it strange? When you were pushed—those 'people' kept cheering. Like it didn't matter who gave the speech, right?"

"Ah!" Sara collapsed to the ground in shock. She hadn't expected someone to suddenly appear.

Panic surged in her eyes, but she forced herself to stand and face Zixu.

"No matter what you say, I won't believe it! Mukade would never lie to me!"

Zixu shrugged as the platform came to a halt. Without a glance back, he walked out casually.

"Believe me or not, I don't care. There's no love without a reason—and no hate without cause. Right now, I'm protecting you because I need something from you to trade. Can Mukade say the same?"

He turned the corner and vanished. Sara hesitated, then started jogging—intent on reporting this to Mukade. But Zixu's words lingered like thorns in her chest. Fear crept into her.

"Come on, Sara. You're Queen of Roran. Have your own damn mind." She slapped her cheeks, trying to stay grounded. But before she could move further, a black hand reached from a nearby door and yanked her inside.

The room was pitch black. She couldn't see. As her eyes adjusted, she heard rustling, metal scraping the floor, and hushed women's voices.

"Who's there?! What do you want?!" Sara shouted, trying to stay composed.

"Give it back to us!" the voices cried, trembling with grief and rage.

"Give what back? I didn't take anything!"

"They're asking for their fathers and brothers," Zixu said calmly, flicking on the light.

Sara winced as her eyes struggled with the sudden brightness. In front of her stood several women—dirty, grim-faced, gripping hoes and shovels like weapons. They stared warily at Zixu.

He tossed a few notebooks onto the floor beside Sara.

"My diary?! Don't read it!" one girl squealed. Her voice was soft, embarrassed.

"Not that one," Zixu said. "Look at the last one."

Sara flipped through and read. As she scanned the final pages, her face paled. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Me? You're saying I gave the order to recruit the men in your families? No! I never approved anything like that—it must be a mistake."

The women hesitated. Their expressions softened slightly. But their silence showed their doubt.

Zixu stepped forward.

"I'll say it, since you won't. Let's not pretend. Sara, you're a puppet queen. You hold no actual power. Mukade makes all the decisions. Right?"

Sara scowled and snapped back, "That's not true! Mukade consults me! He—"

Zixu raised a hand, silencing her.

"Spare me. Minato Namikaze warned that Mukade was building war machines. He needed manpower. Those men were taken as slave labor. There's no way one person manages all the puppet tech here alone. Haven't you figured it out yet, my dear puppet princess?"

He walked over, resting a hand on her head. She tried to look away.

"You were fooled from the very beginning. Mukade found the perfect puppet queen. I don't know how you became Queen of Roran so young, but odds are, the last ruler found out about Mukade's plot and was eliminated. Then came your turn..."

Sara's mind reeled. The truth shattered everything she thought she knew.

But Zixu didn't give her time to grieve. He snatched her up and dashed outside.

The sky was dim now, fireworks exploding overhead. A grand parade marched on.

Strangely, no one seemed to notice Sara's absence. The people below kept cheering.

Zixu dove into the crowd with Sara. That's when she realized—they weren't people at all.

Puppets. All of them.

Then, she looked to the stage.

A mechanical puppet stood there, dressed just like her, waving stiffly to the fake crowd below.

"How... How is this possible..."

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