"This…", Yakumo, Hinata, and Kurenai all stared dumbfounded.
"Actually turning into an old man…"
Yakumo's expression turned hesitant, "Aoba, are we really going to such a strange place?"
Even Kurenai was wavering a little.
She definitely didn't want to turn into an old granny ahead of time.
But Aoba looked toward Temari, "Temari, what you said was about someone forcing their way in. Entering normally shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Temari shook her head, "I'm not sure about that either, but Granny Chiyo probably knows."
———
"You want to go to Roran?"
Chiyo cried out in surprise.
Aoba nodded, "We want to go see it, just treat it like traveling."
"Just traveling?"
Chiyo's expression grew a little odd, "Then you can just go straight in. Sunagakure has passes for entering Roran."
"But that Queen of Roran can borrow the power of the Dragon Vein, and she also knows a powerful space-time ninjutsu. If you have other purposes, then please be careful."
"I understand, thank you."
Aoba thanked Chiyo.
Since they had gotten the intel they wanted, the next day Aoba's group gathered at Sunagakure's gate, ready to leave.
"This time Aoba-sama personally came; if Sunagakure's hospitality was lacking, please forgive us."
Chiyo spoke polite words to Aoba. Logically, these words should have come from the current Kazekage, Gaara.
But Gaara was currently listening with Kankuro to Temari's endless instructions.
From eating and sleeping, to clothing and grooming, thorough to the extreme, truly the eldest-sister-as-mother.
"No problem. Although at the start things weren't very pleasant, these past days we've had a good time."
As the saying goes, you don't hit a smiling face; Aoba responded politely in kind.
"That's good. You're welcome to visit Sunagakure again, Aoba-sama."
That's what Chiyo said with her mouth, though who knew what she thought inside.
"Mm."
Aoba also nodded.
While the two spoke, Temari's conversation with Gaara and Kankuro ended as well.
"Aoba, let's go."
Temari returned to Aoba's side.
Aoba looked at Gaara and Kankuro, "If you want to see Temari, you can come visit Konoha anytime."
"We understand."
Gaara and Kankuro both nodded.
———
Roran had once been a country southwest of Sunagakure.
But to call it a country, Roran's land area and population couldn't even compare with other small countries.
To call it just a town, Roran wasn't under the Land of Wind's control, it had independent autonomy.
In the original storyline, Roran was destroyed during the Third Great Ninja War, probably caught in the crossfire.
As for the precise reason for its destruction, that was a mystery.
After all, the annihilation of a small country was not common in the ninja world, but it wasn't unheard of either.
The Akatsuki's Sasori of the Red Sand once destroyed a whole country just to test his puppet art.
The group of five trekked through the desert for a whole day before finding, at the location marked for Roran on the old maps, a flourishing oasis.
In sharp contrast with the rolling yellow sands all around.
"Roran is inside this oasis?", Yakumo asked.
Hinata activated her Byakugan and looked into the depths of the oasis, but saw only a layer of mist, as if something was covering it.
"There's a barrier outside, I can't see in."
"Then let's go in and take a look. Stay behind me."
Aoba led the way into the oasis.
He was already certain Roran's changes had some connection to him.
What Hinata could see, he could naturally sense as well.
And this barrier even felt a little familiar to him, similar to some barrier techniques he had mastered, though mixed with a strange chakra.
That was probably the Dragon Vein chakra.
Looked like this was a barrier designed using the Dragon Vein's chakra.
Yakumo and the others didn't hesitate, following directly behind Aoba. They had full confidence in him.
The five passed smoothly into Roran.
The barrier outside, meant for defense, felt like a joke. It didn't hinder them at all, and they simply walked through.
The passes they'd gotten from Chiyo hadn't been needed at all.
Then Aoba's group was stunned by the city's development.
Back when Aoba had been processing the treasure brought back from the Land of Waves, he had visited most of the major towns in the Land of Fire, and none had been as developed as Roran.
This was a highly prosperous industrialized city.
Tall buildings crowded together, brilliantly lit, the streets packed with shoulder-to-shoulder residents coming and going.
On the roads there were even vehicles like cars driving past…
"A… amazing!", Temari froze on the spot.
It was her first time seeing a city like this, and Yakumo, Hinata, and the others weren't much better off.
They all looked like they'd never seen such things before.
And as the five entered Roran, they also drew the attention of the locals.
Quite a few people cast their gazes on them.
For this group of outsiders suddenly appearing in their city, they were very curious.
Aoba casually stopped a passerby and asked, "Excuse me, who is your current queen? And how can we meet her?"
The man's eyes turned blank, clearly caught in genjutsu, and he spoke the information Aoba wanted.
"Our queen is called Seramu. If you want to meet Her Majesty, you can go directly to the central tower, but you'll need an appointment."
"Aoba, weren't we just sightseeing? Why do you want to meet Roran's queen?"
Yakumo looked puzzled, clearly thrown off by his actions.
"I have some things I want to ask this Queen of Roran."
Aoba didn't explain much. Some questions could only be answered after meeting this queen called Seramu.
It was a name he found very unfamiliar.
The group headed toward the central tower in the city. But before they got far, a squad of soldier-looking men appeared before them.
The leader bowed respectfully to Aoba, "Are you Aoba-sama?"
Everyone was stunned. Aoba nodded, asking doubtfully, "That's me. You know me?"
The soldier hesitated a moment, then also nodded, "We've met a few times before. Her Majesty the Queen has asked us to invite you to her."
The group instantly looked at one another.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.