Naruto: Unlocking Kaido Template

"Do you understand now? My dear little princess, you've been kept in the dark."

Zixu shook the dazed Sara in his arms, and she slowly calmed down. She wasn't that fragile. Since everything had already happened, what she needed to do was focus on saving what remained.

She stepped away from Zixu's arms, her expression turning firm as if she had made a crucial decision. Walking to the opposite side, she bowed deeply to him, eyes filled with resolve.

"Please help me. Help Roran. Mukade's power comes entirely from the Dragon Veins, and the weapons of war are powered by that same energy. I hope you can help me seal the Dragon Veins. I'm deeply grateful!"

Sara almost bent completely over, and Zixu simply stared at her in silence.

"Give me a reason to help you. I'm a realist—I won't move without one," Zixu said, his tone indifferent as he glanced at the puppets nearby. He casually injected a trace of chakra into them. Blue chakra lines lit up, flowing into the surrounding pipes.

"I... I can give you everything I have! Just please save Roran! If you want me... I won't refuse... as long as you stop Mukade"

Sara's voice trembled with determination. When Zixu asked what she could offer, she realized she had nothing of value.

As a princess, being forced to humble herself this way—offering her own body as a bargaining chip—was humiliating. But she had gone through too much in such a short time.

Zixu shook his head and lifted her chin gently, feeling the trembling in her body. He sighed.

"Stand tall. You are the Queen of Roran. You mustn't bow so easily. As for marrying me... forget it. I only have one condition—if we meet again in the future, I want Roran to join my camp. Or at the very least, not oppose me."

Sara felt a pang of disappointment at his rejection, but she quickly agreed to his terms. At this point, it wasn't even certain if Roran could be reclaimed from Mukade. The Dragon Vein's endless chakra was too dangerous.

"That's simple. You seal the Dragon Vein, and I'll follow. You still remember the way, right?"

"Okay!"

Sara nodded and ran ahead, leading Zixu underground past the lifeless puppets.

The rumble of machinery echoed like thunder beneath the earth. Smoke billowed upward, and puppet parts moved rapidly along conveyor belts in assembly line fashion.

Mechanical puppets were assembled one after another, but contrasting this highly advanced process were emaciated men in tattered prison garb. Their wrists and ankles were chained as they pushed giant gears, like ants beneath the weight of a world. It was horrifying to realize these automated industries ran on the backs of regular men.

"This is real... It's actually real... Mukade"

Sara's voice cracked. Her final sliver of hope died.

"If we get close to that area, I can sense the Dragon Vein," she said quietly, pointing. Zixu took the lead again.

But of course, the man they least wanted to see appeared—Mukade. He had been waiting. After discovering Sara was still alive, he'd anticipated she'd return to seal the Dragon Vein. Only members of the royal bloodline could do that. If he killed her, he'd become truly unstoppable.

Countless puppet parts surged forward. Zixu shoved Sara aside, wrapped himself in wind blades (風刃, Kazejin), and blew away the approaching parts. In the process, he shattered the gears binding the workers, allowing them to flee.

But more puppet parts swarmed in like a hurricane. Zixu considered breaking free immediately, but knowing Mukade control over the Dragon Veins, he suspected stronger restraints would follow. So he let the puppets consume him.

"You look like you've got something to say. Go ahead," Zixu muttered, despite being bound tightly.

"Still so arrogant."

Mukade sneered, turning his gaze toward Sara like a villain enjoying the last act.

"Sara, Sara... So naive. You're nothing like your cunning mother. When she discovered I was after the Dragon Vein, she terminated my plan without hesitation. I had no choice but to eliminate her."

Mukade stepped closer to the stunned princess.

"You're a perfect puppet. So easy to fool with a few words. Thanks to you, my war army is nearly complete. Now you're useless. Time to become a real puppet."

He laughed maniacally and flicked his fingers. A kunai controlled by a purple chakra thread shot toward Sara.

"A puppet, huh..."

Sara stood frozen. She had indeed been foolish. Her trust had led to the ruin of Rlran and her mother's death. She bit her lip in anguish.

Ding ding—!

The kunai was blocked by a slicing wind blade. Zixu's voice echoed from within the puppet pile.

"How boring. That's all you had to say?"

With a grunt, Zixu flexed, and the puppets drained his chakra to tighten their grip. It was clever—using his power against him.

But Zixu wasn't in the mood to play anymore. He was already injured. If his chakra was depleted here, things might really go sideways.

His body changed. Dragon scales spread across his skin, horns erupted from his forehead, and his frame elongated. Light red clouds floated around him.

In the blink of an eye, Zixu transformed into a dragon.

As a green dragon, his size dwarfed the machines around him. The puppets binding him exploded outward, raining metallic debris everywhere. His now-draconic eyes locked onto Mukade.

"I'm protecting Sara now. Got a problem with that? Say what you just said again," he growled.

Lightning crackled across his massive body. Tiny sparks leapt from him like mischievous snakes, darting through the factory, blasting puppet parts, then playfully returning to him like naughty children celebrating the New Year.

Sara stood in awe. Her family had protected the Dragon Veins for generations, yet never once had they seen a real dragon. Legends spoke of them, but to witness one with her own eyes left her breathless.

"D-Dragon God..."

Though she didn't fully understand, reverence shone in her eyes. She had misunderstood—but she was in awe nonetheless.

"Yeah... That guy definitely isn't simple."

Namikaze Minato muttered from a hidden spot. He had sensed that the stranger from the future was dangerous, but this transformation into a dragon was completely unexpected—even to him.

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