Roran was a miracle nestled deep within the deserts of the Land of Wind. Though surrounded by endless sand, it thrived thanks to abundant water sources and lush vegetation.
Vast oases offered shelter and sustenance to its people. At the heart of this prosperity was the Dragon Vein, a powerful energy source buried beneath the land.
Despite its remote location, Roran maintained active trade with the outside world, and its capital was flourishing with vitality.
Late one night, Queen Seramu of Roran had just lain down to rest when the hurried sound of footsteps outside her chamber startled her awake.
She immediately got out of bed and pulled a thin robe over her nightgown before calling in her personal maid.
After a round of questioning, the queen finally learned what had happened.
It turned out that the palace guards had discovered signs of an intruder. To protect the queen's safety, they had launched a thorough search of every possible hiding spot within the palace.
However, it was as if the intruder had vanished into thin air. Aside from a few traces of blood on the ground, they found no other leads.
Seramu ordered her maid to help her change clothes and sent someone to summon the captain of the guard, Saburo, to report the details of the search.
Before long, a burly man arrived at the queen's chambers with a squad of guards in tow. He knelt respectfully before her and began his report.
With a serious expression, Seramu asked, "Saburo, how did you discover someone had infiltrated the palace?"
Saburo bowed deeply and responded in a firm voice, "A few days ago, a large number of people dressed as shinobi suddenly appeared in the country.
I dispatched men to investigate and learned they were from the Five Great Ninja Villages, as well as factions from Amegakure.
According to them, they were hired by merchant caravans as guards."
The queen frowned slightly. "And where are they now?"
"Most are resting with their caravans at the inns," Saburo replied. "But some of them vanished from our surveillance shortly after arriving."
"Then how does this intrusion relate to them?" Queen Seramu asked.
"To prevent any unrest from rogue shinobi, I stationed highly trained hounds with keen senses throughout the palace guard. That way, we could react quickly to any threat."
The queen nodded in approval at his precaution, then asked with curiosity, "And what did you discover tonight?"
Saburo hesitated slightly, casting her a troubled glance. Seramu gestured for him to speak freely.
"At dusk, we detected traces of a shinobi skirmish near the Dragon Vein's perimeter. I sent men to investigate, and they followed a trail of blood… which ended near the royal palace."
Seramu's heart sank. "And what were the results of your search?"
Saburo shook his head. "We've searched everywhere in the palace, except your private chambers, with the hounds. But we found nothing."
Seramu's face paled. She rose in a hurry and, under heavy guard, rushed toward her sleeping quarters.
What had her so panicked was that her daughter, Sara, was still resting inside.
When the queen returned to her chambers, she found everything untouched. Sara was still curled up under the covers, sleeping peacefully.
Seeing her daughter's innocent, sleeping face, Seramu's tightly strung nerves finally eased.
She ordered a team of elite female guards to conduct a search. After a careful inspection, they found no signs of intrusion.
With that, the guards withdrew to continue their search elsewhere. They would not rest until the intruder was found.
The ordeal had left Seramu drained. Just as she was about to undress and return to bed, she noticed her daughter slowly open her wide, bright eyes.
"Mother," Sara whispered, "a big sister is hurt. Please… help her…"
Seramu's heart seized.
The intruder had been hiding in her daughter's bed all along, and Sara had helped her conceal it.
Seramu forced herself to stay calm. 'She's with Sara right now… I mustn't alarm the guards. If that woman panics and takes Sara hostage… it'll be a disaster.'
But then she realized the intruder must have been badly injured in a fight and, in desperation, sought refuge in the palace. So far, she had shown no intent to harm either of them.
Cautiously, Seramu walked to her daughter's bed and gently lifted the covers.
There, lying motionless, was a young woman around seventeen or eighteen years old. She was unconscious.
From her appearance and clothing, it was clear she wasn't from the Land of Wind.
The forehead protector tied around her head bore the symbol of Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning, marking her as a shinobi from the Konoha-Kumo Alliance.
Seramu had long admired the Third Hokage. She had heard tales of his battlefield prowess at the age of twelve, as well as his compassion and benevolence at home.
As a fellow ruler, she held him in great esteem.
Since this girl was likely his subordinate, and hadn't harmed Sara, Seramu decided against exposing her.
She had her maid take Sara to rest in another chamber, then quietly summoned a physician to tend to the girl's bleeding abdominal wound.
The maid replaced her blood stained clothes with clean nightwear, and the soiled bedding was burned.
By the time everything was taken care of, dawn was already breaking.
Exhausted from the sleepless night, Seramu lay down to rest briefly before morning court.
Just then, the injured girl let out a soft groan and slowly opened her eyes.
Seramu sighed inwardly, abandoning any hope of rest. She rose and approached the bed.
When Iwa opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a soft bed, her wound bandaged.
'I… was saved? I really made it out alive…'
Hearing approaching footsteps, Iwa instinctively rolled over and raised her guard.
But when she reached for her ninja pouch, she found it gone, and her clothes had been replaced with sleepwear.
Her sudden movement reopened her wound. Blood began seeping through the bandages again, and she winced in pain, her face going pale.
Seramu froze mid-step. Seeing how reactive the girl was, she decided not to approach yet and waited for the misunderstanding to clear.
Iwa, naturally composed, quickly began analyzing her surroundings. Her earlier reaction had been pure instinct from years of training, and it had cost her.
She gritted her teeth through the pain and looked up to see a graceful, regal young woman standing before her.
Judging by her attire, this could only be Queen of Roran, the figure she'd read about in intelligence reports.
Realizing she'd been rescued, Iwa softened her stance and offered a respectful bow.
"I'm truly sorry, Your Majesty. Please forgive my rudeness."
Seeing her endure such pain yet remain composed, Seramu finally approached and said gently, "It's all right. Lie back down, I'll call the doctor again."
Iwa shook her head lightly, then focused her chakra to perform medical ninjutsu, sealing her wound within minutes.
Now that she had a moment to breathe, Iwa took in her surroundings. This was indeed the room she'd fled into while being pursued.
She had deliberately let her enemies spot her to alert the palace guards, buying enough time to slip inside.
She quickly turned to the queen. "Please, send someone to retrieve my ninja pouch."
She had critical intel to report to the Third Hokage. Roran was no longer a neutral sanctuary, it had become a deadly trap.
Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure had formed an alliance to ambush the Hokage deep in the desert.
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