Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 289 The Loud Conspiracy Discovered

"So this is just a coincidence?" the young man said from the side.

"Whether it's a coincidence or someone did it on purpose, it doesn't really matter anymore." The man in black raised his head, his black hat fell down, revealing a pair of eyes, one red and one white. He looked up at the sky, staring intently at the moon's trajectory.

One of them thought to himself, "Time, I hope you are on my side."

The other person thought to themselves, "I hope nothing unexpected happens."

However, at that moment, a disturbance came from the bottom of the tower. The underground dragon vein had unexpectedly encountered a problem!

The three exchanged a glance, said nothing, flipped over and leaped out of the door, heading straight for the underground.

-

The Tower Palace has three underground levels, which is the location of the sealed underground dragon vein. Dozens of towering stone towers stand around it.

The patterns extending from the base of the tower are a sealing technique, containing a mixture of chakra and surging natural energy, as well as an indescribable power.

The power was immense yet not chaotic, radiating a red and gray hue, as if it were alive.

Soon, this surging power burst forth, and a figure, standing on a giant centipede-shaped puppet, appeared and disappeared, seemingly about to emerge from the dragon vein...

Let's rewind half an hour.

Minato Namikaze followed closely behind the man, who led him to the dragon vein of the underground palace. The man stopped and looked around, but did not take any immediate action, clearly waiting for someone.

He hesitated, but did not act rashly.

Sure enough, not long after, two figures arrived quietly from different directions, one after the other.

Neither of them concealed their identities, and Minato Namikaze recognized their faces. One of them was Mir Herat, a minister of the Loulan Kingdom.

Minato had once seen him discussing matters with the Queen from afar; his words were earnest, and his demeanor respectful. But now, that gentle and refined air had completely vanished, replaced by an almost obsessive gloom.

The other one is Set Kassia, the chief guard of the ancient Loulan Kingdom.

He cautiously looked around, and only when he saw that no one was coming did he walk up to the two men. The three of them exchanged glances, each with their own ulterior motives.

"Everyone's here. Time's short, let's get down to business."

Mir spoke first, saying, "I've already redeployed 30% of the guards to the dragon vein seal under the guise of maintenance. The rest are all Seth's men, so there won't be any leaks. The question now is, will your method actually work?"

The spy smiled and said, "The method can certainly be used. This is a sealing technique from the Land of Whirlpools, and only our five great ninja villages possess it."

But I must first make it clear what I want. I only need the power of the dragon vein to guide the groundwater and create an underground river connecting the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain.

Indeed, dragon veins can not only create defensive barriers, but can also cause groundwater within a hundred kilometers to flow upwards and turn into fountains that flow into the ancient Loulan Kingdom. This is why Loulan has never lacked water for centuries.

Now that the Wind Kingdom has finally conquered part of the Rain Kingdom and has a source of drinking water, the manpower required is too great, so they thought of Loulan and wanted to take a shortcut.

As for the consequences of activating the dragon vein, who cares about the future? They can't survive right now.

"The people behind the Land of Rain want this waterway, and someone from the Land of Wind is willing to pay for the water. I'm just a middleman, running errands for them."

"You will hand over the method of using the dragon vein to me, and the people behind me will naturally fulfill their promise and help you completely stabilize the seal. With the dragon vein not running rampant, your Loulan won't have to live in constant fear. Everyone gets what they need."

Seth listened with his arms crossed and a blank expression before slowly speaking, "You've stated your conditions. But you haven't mentioned what I want."

"Hehe, I know, you want power. The living power of the dragon vein."

Seth neither denied nor nodded. When he was sixteen, the ancient kingdom of Loulan fully opened up trade, becoming a stopover point for goods from other countries bound for the Land of Wind.

That year, a twelve-year-old boy from Kumogakure, who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy, defeated him in just a few moves, and he never forgot that humiliation.

That day, all his pride shattered. What was the greatest swordsman of Loulan? He was nothing in front of a powerful ninja.

Even after he learned to use chakra, he was still no match for an ordinary Jonin.

From then on, he understood one thing: what he needed was real power, the power to go out into the world and not be trampled underfoot by anyone.

"I can feel that power within the dragon vein; I need it, but only a portion of it."

"Don't worry, you'll definitely get a share."

Mir listened from the side, a cold smile playing on his lips.

He already knew what Seth wanted: a simple-minded brute, easy to control.

"Alright." Mir waved his hand to interrupt, "I understand your conditions. We can provide the method for guiding groundwater through the dragon vein. But the prerequisite is that your people must first come up with a plan for reinforcing the seal. I will only hand over the method after I confirm its feasibility."

The spy asked, "Can't you trust me?"

"This isn't a matter of trust. It's a deal. You want the power of Loulan's dragon vein, but on the condition that you help me obtain Loulan and ascend the throne."

He wanted to conquer the country, he wanted to become the king, and he wanted to make the Queen of Loulan his slave!

This is because more than a decade ago, the previous Queen of Loulan refused his marriage proposal because he was three years younger than her, and instead married his incompetent younger brother.

It wasn't until later that he learned the real reason the Loulan Queen didn't accept him was because his ambition was too great.

The Loulan royal family passed down the throne to daughters, not sons, because the daughters possessed the bloodline and the secret of the sealing technique. However, they refused to pass it on to men and continued to control the government.

On what grounds?

For over a decade, he has devoted himself wholeheartedly to the country's development and prosperity, which is entirely due to his efforts. He established a cargo base in the village, bringing economic benefits and vitality to the nation.

But his efforts were never rewarded. After his niece took over, she wanted to remove him from his position and even wanted to close down the ancient kingdom of Loulan, giving the reason that she wanted to completely seal off the dragon vein.

Why? Why remove him? Why do we have such good resources but not make use of them? Women are so old-fashioned and short-sighted.

This disturbance in the dragon veins presents him with his opportunity. As long as he has a way to seal the dragon veins, it doesn't matter whether the Queen hands over the sealing technique or not.

Just as the three were bickering and secretly plotting, Minato Namikaze suddenly caught a glimpse of his three disciples in the corner.

He slipped past them silently, landing beside them: "What are you doing here?"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Asuma knew in his heart that something was wrong; his master had discovered him!

But he quickly mustered his courage and asked, "Master, what brings you here?"