Chapter 1: Is This Loulan?

Chapter 1: Is This Loulan?

"Where exactly are we? Why have we ended up in such a place?"

Naruto stood in awe, his eyes wide as he took in the tall, modern building before him. He, along with Sakura, Sai, and their new Team 7 leader, Yamato, seemed out of place amid the bustling surroundings.

Passersby gave them curious glances, as if they were exotic creatures on display.

"Is this some kind of space-time ninjutsu that transported us here? The architectural style here is completely different from the Five Great Nations. Captain Yamato, do you know where we are?" Sakura asked, taking in their strange surroundings.

"It doesn't feel like it belongs to this era at all. It's almost too prosperous... If there was such a bustling city in the ninja world, it would be famous, but I've never seen or heard of this place. It's bizarre," Yamato replied, a thoughtful frown on his face as he rested his hand on his chin.

Sai's eyes flickered with unreadable thoughts.

"Hey there! Are you guys playing cosplay? That forehead protector suggests you're from the Leaf Village in the ninja era. The craftsmanship is impressive!" A girl with short brown hair, wearing a short skirt and thigh-high socks, approached them with a cheerful smile, tilting her head cutely as she greeted them.

"Cosplay? Ninja era? What do you mean by that?" Naruto asked, bewildered by the girl's words.

"Sorry, we're having a hard time understanding what you're saying," Sakura said politely. "But yes, we are indeed ninjas from the Leaf Village, and we are on a mission from the Hokage to pursue a wanted criminal with the nickname 'Centipede' and the real name of An Lushan. He has a sleazy appearance, and we need to find him."

"Huh? A mission from the Hokage? Pursuing a wanted criminal? You guys are really into this, aren't you? Well then, consider me your friendly neighborhood guard of the Divine Might Empire! How may I assist you?" The brown-haired girl smiled at the group, her expression a mix of surprise and amusement.

"Divine Might Empire? Is that what this place is called? It seems far more prosperous than our Leaf Village. Impressive!" Naruto exclaimed, giving the girl a thumbs-up.

"Of course! The Divine Might Empire was established by the flawless and omnipotent Divine Might Emperor, who brought an end to the era of ninja villages and unified the world," the girl explained. "But I must say, this place can't be considered truly prosperous. Loulan is just an ancient town, a tourist attraction if you will. It's not a major city or anything."

The information she revealed only added to Naruto and his companions' confusion.

"Wait, you said the emperor ended the era of ninja villages and unified the world?" Yamato interjected, forcing himself to remain calm. "Can you explain what you mean by that?"

"Ah, so you want to test my knowledge of history, huh? Well, you've come to the right person! I'm Sai, an elite student at Oasis Academy, and this kind of historical trivia is a piece of cake for me! Listen up, everyone! The Divine Might Empire was founded twenty-two years ago by the Divine Might Emperor, also known as the legendary Senju Tianren," the girl—Sai—began her explanation with enthusiasm. "Twenty-two years ago, it was an era of ignorance, poverty, and constant war and slaughter. This period was known as the Ninja Village Era. Ninjas in those villages possessed ninjutsu and had powers far beyond that of regular people. However, all they knew was killing and destruction. The entire world suffered from the scars of war, and the common folk lived in misery, losing their homes and loved ones, becoming refugees in their own land. Our glorious Divine Might Emperor could not bear to see such cruelty, ignorance, and backwardness continue. He especially could not stand to see innocent villagers go hungry and watch as children were sent to battlefields to be mercilessly slaughtered. And so, with his unparalleled power, he launched a Unification War against the four major ninja villages, using Fire Country's Leaf Village as his base."

The girl continued, her enthusiasm growing with each word until she suddenly pointed towards the distance.

There, a statue stood at least thirty to forty meters tall.

The statue depicted a man with disheveled hair and a bare upper body, his exposed physique exuding strength, and even the carved eyes seemed to carry a fierce gaze.

His eyes seemed to gaze upon the distant horizon, as if the world lay beneath his feet.

"Oh, great God-Emperor Shenwu! Please bless me so that after I graduate from Oasis Academy, I may smoothly travel to the Imperial Capital and join the Imperial Guard Corps!

Then I can better serve the Empire!"

The girl paused in her explanation and closed her eyes, her hands pressed together as she offered a sincere prayer to the statue.

She wore an expression of profound reverence and adoration.

Looking around, they noticed a few others who were also praying in the direction of the statue.

Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato exchanged glances, and at Yamato's signal, they quickly left.

Once they reached an alley out of sight, Naruto held his head in confusion and pain.

"Captain Yamato, Sai, Sakura! What did that girl just say? I couldn't understand a word of it!"

"I couldn't understand either," Sakura said. "But something about this place feels odd."

"Let's split up and gather information for now," Yamato suggested after a moment's thought. "We'll meet back here in an hour."

The four of them soon parted ways and reconvened an hour later, their expressions more solemn than before.

"Now it's confirmed," Yamato began. "Everyone here believes that God-Emperor Shenwu, also known as Senju Tianren, eradicated the ninja villages and unified the world."

"Why is that?" Naruto asked, perplexed. "Are all these people under some kind of genjutsu? How can they believe such outrageous things? Konoha and the other Great Ninja Villages still exist."

"Whether it's genjutsu or not, this place is strange," Sakura said. "Even stranger is that they call this place Loulan Ancient Town.

That's impossible because Loulan Ancient City is already in ruins, a place of desert and broken walls, completely unlike this town.

Even disregarding the city, this place is lush with greenery, even more so than Konoha.

It has nothing to do with deserts!

How can this be Loulan?"

"So, is it possible that we're the ones under a genjutsu?" Sai asked, surprising them.

"That's actually possible! Genjutsu Release!"

Naruto's eyes lit up as he brought his hands together to perform the release seal, but nothing around them changed.

"Release! Release! Release! Why isn't it working?!"

Naruto cried out in frustration.

Clang!

"Idiot! We're not under any genjutsu in the first place!"

Sakura's iron fist greeted Naruto, who cradled his head in pain.

"Ouch! Now I know for sure this isn't a genjutsu! Sakura's fist wouldn't hurt this much in an illusion!"

Naruto rubbed his head, feeling the bump that was forming.

Clang!

"Idiot!"

"So, it's not that we're under a genjutsu, but rather everyone here is!" Naruto declared, his eyes determined. "We need to save them!"

"These people are certainly odd, but they don't seem to be under a genjutsu," Sakura argued. "I think we should check the Dragon Vein.

If there's a Dragon Vein here, then perhaps this place really is Loulan.

And if that's the case, then the information we received earlier..."

Yamato trailed off, but the implication was clear to them all.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end