Naruto's civilian cannon fodder starts with the three-body technique

Chapter 391 The Tragedy of a Small Country
Baizu's expertise in puppetry, especially in using dragon veins to drive a large-scale puppet army, is truly unique, making him a rare technical talent.

The secret research and development base of the Land of Waves needs researchers with ideas and abilities like this; killing them directly would be a waste.

As for whether Centipede would rebel, Sasuke Umino didn't care at all. Centipede's basic strength was just so-so. He could only exert decent combat power with the help of the Dragon Pulse Puppet. Without the Dragon Pulse Puppet, he was just a special Jonin.

If Centipede's ninja talent and strength were truly remarkable, he wouldn't have betrayed Sunagakure. His talent lay more in puppet development.

Bringing him to the Land of Waves and controlling him with a cursed seal, Centipede is a pretty good ox or horse, the kind that can be used as a slave. His abilities are essentially a weaker version of Hiruko, and he's only an expert in puppetry, not comparable to true technological giants like Hiruko or Orochimaru.

However, something is better than nothing. The Land of Waves and Konoha will vigorously develop their puppet forces, and with the addition of Centipede, this chosen ox-horse, the process will surely be accelerated.

"Your life is temporarily in your hands, depending on your performance," Umino Sasuke said coldly, then turned and swaggered toward the main gate of the palace.

The guards outside the hall were horrified to see Lord An Lushan being dragged along like a dead dog by a strange ninja. They immediately drew their weapons and surrounded him, shouting, "Who goes there?! Release Lord An Lushan!"

Umino Sasuke kept walking, but his cold gaze swept over the guards.

"Illusion: Naraku-seeing Technique!"

The genjutsu enhanced by sound escape spread out, and these guards, who were at most Chunin level, couldn't even resist for a moment. Like wheat that had been cut down, their eyes glazed over, and they collapsed to the ground without a sound.

Queen Loulan was preparing to handle state affairs in the palace when she heard the unusual noise outside the door. As soon as she looked up, she saw Umino Sasuke dragging his centipede-like legs into the palace step by step.

She was shocked and her face turned pale instantly, but her long experience in high positions made her suppress the urge to scream and try to remain calm. She also saw clearly Umino Sasuke's headband and attire.

"A Konoha ninja?!" Her voice trembled slightly, but she struggled to maintain her queenly composure. "What did you do to Mr. An Lushan?"

Even at this moment, her primary concern was still the safety of her subjects, a magnanimity that earned a silent nod of approval from Umino Sasuke.

Sasuke Umino tossed Hyakuzuki into the center of the hall like trash, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable authority: "Your Majesty, the 'Mr. An Lushan' you so fiercely protect is actually Hyakuzuki, a traitorous ninja from Sunagakure. He stole Sunagakure's secret puppetry technique and fled here. Your Majesty, by harboring and heavily relying on him, are you trying to make enemies of Sunagakure and Konoha?"

The Queen of Loulan's face grew even paler, her lips trembled slightly, she closed her eyes, and took a deep breath: "Sir, you really are a ninja, and a rogue ninja at that!"

She opened her eyes, glanced at the centipede on the ground with a complicated expression, then looked at Umino Sasuke, trying to keep her voice steady: "You have come from afar and infiltrated my Loulan. Surely it's not just to capture a rogue ninja from Sunagakure? My Loulan is a small and weak country, and has always adhered to neutrality. We only wish to seek peace in this desert and will never participate in external conflicts. Please speak plainly about your demands."

She tried to take the initiative by first demonstrating Loulan's neutral stance.

"Neutral?" Sasuke Umino chuckled, but there was no warmth in his laughter. "I doubt you're neutral. Her Majesty the Queen is harboring a rogue ninja from Sunagakure and allowing him to use the Dragon Vein energy. It seems you have much more to your name."

He paused, his tone suddenly turning stern: "According to reliable intelligence jointly obtained by Konoha and the Daimyo's Mansion of the Land of Wind, the rogue ninja Centipede is secretly developing large-scale war puppets within the territory of Loulan using the energy of the Dragon Vein. The scale and technological level of these puppets have seriously threatened the peace and stability of the region and even the entire ninja world! Your Majesty, please explain, what is the intention of a neutral small country secretly developing such large-scale weapons of war? Could it be that you also harbor the same 'ambition to rule the ninja world' as him?"

"War puppets?! Mass-produced?!"

The Queen of Loulan vehemently denied it, her face filled with shock and disbelief. "Absolutely not! The power of the dragon vein was only used by us to build the country and improve people's livelihoods. The idea that it was used to create war puppets is utter nonsense! Sir... the projects that Centipede was in charge of were all in the fields of water conservancy, construction, and agriculture..."

"Oh? Is that so?" Umino Sasuke seemed to have expected her to deny it, his tone carrying an air of complete control. "It seems Your Majesty has been kept in the dark. But it doesn't matter, facts speak louder than words. So please come with me to a place and see for yourself."

Before the Queen could answer, Umino Sasuke gestured for her to follow. A strong sense of unease rose in the Queen of Loulan's heart. She glanced at the unconscious Centipede on the ground, then at the unfathomable Umino Sasuke, knowing that she had no room to refuse.

She took a deep breath, gestured to the few bodyguards who rushed over upon hearing the commotion, and, surrounded by their loyal guards, followed Umino Sasuke out of the palace.

With a clear objective, Umino Sasuke led them directly to the tallest newly built tower in the city, which was said to be the "Energy Regulation Center" built under the supervision of An Lushan.

When the tower guards saw the Queen arrive in person, although they were a little confused to see the stranger, Umino Sasuke, they still bowed and made way for her.

Upon entering the tower, Umino Sasuke headed directly towards the entrance to the underground level. An unusually thick metal door, shimmering with a faint chakra glow, blocked his path, clearly not a conventional passage.

"Everyone, stop here," Umino Sasuke said calmly.

The queen and her guards instinctively stopped in their tracks. They saw Umino Sasuke clench his right fist, and a dense layer of chakra instantly covered it. Without any fancy moves, he simply and directly threw a punch.

boom! ! !
A deafening roar echoed within the tower. The seemingly sturdy metal door was torn apart by the violent force as if it were made of paper, ultimately blasting a huge hole in it.

Smoke and dust filled the air, and gravel flew everywhere.

The guards were horrified and immediately stood in front of the Queen, staring nervously at what was behind the smoke and dust.

As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, the scene behind the door was revealed. Queen Loulan pushed aside the guards and looked ahead. After just one glance, she froze on the spot as if struck by lightning, all color draining from her face, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief and horror.

Behind the door lies an extremely vast underground space.

Within this space, hundreds of war puppets were densely packed and neatly arranged. These puppets had a uniform shape and cold lines, and were connected to thick energy conduits. The other end of the conduits extended into the depths of the ground, from which faint, powerful energy fluctuations could be heard.

Their eyes gleamed with an eerie light, their arms were covered with sharp blades or firing ports, and they stood there silently, exuding a chilling aura of killing intent. This was essentially an arsenal hidden in the heart of the city.

“Your Majesty,” a guard’s voice was hoarse and filled with fear, “these are all powerful puppets…”

Umino Sasuke turned around, his gaze like a cold blade, piercing directly at the Queen of Loulan: "Your Majesty, now, what explanation do you have? Such a large puppet army is enough to destroy any major oasis in the Land of Wind in a short time! Is this what you call 'for the people's livelihood'? Is this what you call 'neutrality'? Does Loulan want to become a second Sunagakure, or does it want to use this power to grab a share of this chaotic world? Do you know that such behavior is absolutely forbidden by the major powers? This will bring annihilation upon your country!"

The Queen of Loulan trembled violently, swaying precariously. She was only able to stay upright thanks to the support of her guards. Looking at the steel jungle before her, she felt a dizzying sensation and an overwhelming chill rose from the depths of her heart. She had been completely deceived. An Lushan had secretly amassed a terrifying power right under her nose, in the heart of her country, a power that could bring about her death.

"I don't know, I really have no idea!" Her voice trembled, filled with sobs and despair. "I was deceived by him, used by him. All his reports were about public welfare projects, I..."

She tried to distance herself, but Sasuke Umino coldly interrupted her: "Does a mere claim of ignorance absolve Loulan of its grave crimes of harboring serious criminals, secretly developing forbidden weapons, and threatening the peace of the ninja world? Your Majesty, do you intend to follow the example of the Land of Rain and disrupt the balance of the ninja world? That's far too naive. If Konoha hadn't discovered this in time, what catastrophic consequences would have occurred if this puppet army had been deployed to the battlefield? At that point, neither Konoha nor any other major power would have given Loulan any chance to defend itself."

Umino Sasuke stepped forward, his powerful aura making the Queen of Loulan and her guards almost breathless: "Given the enormous security threats currently posed by the Loulan Kingdom, and its actions which have seriously violated the Shinobi World Peace Treaty, I, in my capacity as the highest-ranking commander of the Konoha front and the person fully responsible for security affairs in the Land of Wind, hereby declare: From this moment forward, the Loulan Kingdom will be placed under indefinite military control, with the Konoha Iron Wall Anbu taking full control of its defenses and sealing off its borders until the military threat is completely quelled, all illegal puppets are destroyed, the cause of the incident is fully investigated, and a solution is jointly agreed upon by the Daimyo of the Land of Wind and Konoha! Your Majesty, do you have any objections?"

The Queen of Loulan looked at Umino Sasuke's emotionless eyes, then at the despairing puppet army, and finally at her people who were fearful yet still loyal in protecting her. A feeling of powerlessness overwhelmed her like a tide.

Small countries have no voice, yet they dared to harbor traitors and develop a large-scale military force with prohibited weapons. If their crimes are proven, it will be absolutely fatal for a small country like her.

Resistance? To rely on Loulan's own strength to fight against the elite Konoha forces that had just crushed the Land of Wind would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock, and would only bring Loulan immediate and true destruction.

She closed her eyes, two silent tears sliding down her cheeks. Finally, with all her remaining strength, she said dejectedly, "No...no objections. I will order the people of Loulan to cooperate with Konoha's actions. Please do not harm them..."

"As long as they obey orders, Konoha will not harm any civilians without cause," Umino Sasuke made the bare minimum assurance.

Soon, Senju Nawaki, having received the signal, led the Iron Wall Dark Guard into the Loulan Kingdom, quickly seizing control of the city gates, energy facilities, high points, and the tower where the puppet factory was hidden.

Throughout the process, thanks to the Queen's personal command, no large-scale conflict broke out. Although the garrison and people of Loulan were filled with confusion, fear, and resentment, they still chose to obey the Queen's decree.

However, Sasuke Umino could clearly sense the tension and hostility permeating the air.

The people of Loulan's love for their Queen was heartfelt; when they saw her being coerced by the Konoha ninja, their eyes were filled with anger and humiliation.

Many young men clenched their fists, staring at the Konoha ninjas with hostile eyes, but they suppressed their anger for the time being due to the Queen's orders and the powerful force displayed by Konoha.

It is conceivable that if Konoha were to take any actions detrimental to the Queen, this seemingly peaceful city would instantly transform into a boiling volcano, erupting with massive resistance against the invasion.

Sasuke Unno took it all in. He understood that the key to completely controlling Loulan and the Dragon Vein was not to suppress them by force, but to deal with the Loulan Queen who was deeply loved by the people.

She is not only the nominal ruler, but also the core key connecting the dragon vein and the anchor of stability for the people of Loulan. Simply controlling or replacing her would have endless consequences.

"Nawaki," Sasuke Unno instructed, "Isolate the rogue ninja Hyakuzoku under tight security. His knowledge of puppetry is still useful. Thoroughly search the puppet factory and all facilities related to the Dragon Vein, and draw up detailed blueprints, but do not touch the core of the Dragon Vein for now. Send more people to 'protect' Her Majesty. Without my order, no one is allowed to approach her, and she is not allowed to leave the palace. Announce to the public that Her Majesty needs to cooperate with the investigation and is temporarily recuperating."

"Yes!" Senju Nawaki accepted the order and left.

Umino Sasuke walked alone into the depths of the palace, standing in the core area where the dragon vein energy surged. The vast and chaotic energy flow was like an underground river, surging endlessly, full of infinite vitality and extremely violent.

He tried to guide a wisp of dragon vein energy, but found that this energy was like a raging beast with its own consciousness, unruly and difficult to control. Even with his current exquisite control over chakra, he found it extremely difficult, as if he were trying to restrain a bolt of lightning with his bare hands.

With a thought, he summoned his greatsword Samehada. As soon as Samehada appeared, it immediately showed great "interest" in the rich dragon vein energy around it, wriggling its body and making excited "chirping" sounds.

"Chakra Absorption!"

Samehada eagerly opened its large mouth, filled with sharp teeth, attempting to devour the surging dragon vein energy.

However, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse after the first stream of dragon vein energy was absorbed into its body.

(End of this chapter)