Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 293 The Last Piece

Time returns to the beginning.

After entering the spacetime vortex, Minato Namikaze's surroundings suddenly changed. All his disciples disappeared, and the surrounding environment became dilapidated, as if it had been decades ago.

Most importantly, the surging energy fluctuations were moving further and further away from him, and the entire Loulan was turning into a huge and dark labyrinth of ruins.

He looked up at the sky, where the sun seemed to disappear, but it was still shining, just not as bright, like a cloudy day when the sun was obscured by dark clouds.

However, upon closer inspection, one will find that there are no dark clouds in the sky, and the sky itself has no color at all; it is all grayish-white.

"Where am I? Something seems wrong."

Minato Namikaze stroked his chin, but a commotion in the distance prevented him from calming down and thinking.

A giant centipede was attacking him. He dodged it, and the giant centipede burrowed into the desert, its massive body emerging again from the sand.

Minato Namikaze used the Flying Thunder God Technique to dodge repeatedly, finally discovering that the person controlling the giant centipede behind the scenes was the same person who had previously projected the Dragon Vein.

"Who are you? Why are you attacking me?"

Minato Namikaze used Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport over, holding a kunai between the man's neck. However, the man just chuckled, and his body instantly reverted to a puppet-like form.

"Heh heh heh, what a hassle. I never expected to run into the Fourth Hokage so soon after I traveled back!"

"The Fourth Hokage? Me? What do you mean?" Minato Namikaze was full of doubts, especially the phrase "traveled from another dimension." Could it be that time travel really exists in this world? But this place doesn't seem to be the past, nor does it seem to be the future.

"You're wrong. I also came from a spacetime vortex, so you didn't actually reach the future. Disrupting spacetime is wrong."

"Didn't reach the future?" The puppet's expression froze for a moment, then it thought, "That's because you're blocking the way. Get out of the way, or you'll delay my rise to power."

How could Minato Namikaze let that happen?

This person's true form is undetectable, so their strength must be immense, especially with this thousand-meter-long centipede puppet. If it were on the battlefield, it would be a nightmare. He absolutely cannot allow such a person to return to the past.

Seeing that the other party was determined to go back, the puppet suddenly erupted, its arm shooting out like a machine, firing out several small cannonballs.

Minato Namikaze dodged the attack the first time, thinking he could avoid it. However, the explosion was too wide. Even though he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to dodge in time, the shockwave still injured his internal organs, causing him to vomit blood.

"Who exactly are you? Why do you want to go back? Did you cause the disturbance in the dragon vein?" Minato Namikaze asked, wiping the blood from his mouth.

Seeing that his opponent was seriously injured and barely managed to dodge his attacks each time, the man was confident of victory and said with a smile, "My name is An Lujun, and I am a great puppeteer. This is my most perfect masterpiece, named Centipede Number One."

"Do you perhaps aspire to rule the world?"

"Ruling the world? No, no, no! I don't have such ambition, nor do I have such strength. I've returned to the past to serve the great Insect Demon Lord. I want to become his right-hand man before he becomes famous, and one of the Four Heavenly Kings, second only to him."

When An Lujun uttered these words, his face was filled with excitement, a kind of worship emanating from his heart, a respect and admiration for an absolute powerhouse.

If Aburame Shisei were here now, he would probably kneel down next to Aburame Shisei and shout "Long live the Emperor!"

That's right, this is the future dominance of Shisei Aburame.

Unfortunately, there are too many future masters, and he became famous too late.

He found a mysterious puppeteer's legacy in the desert and witnessed that perfect weapon on the battlefield.

It was a giant centipede several thousand meters long, which fought the two tailed beasts to a standstill, even wrapping its body around them and nearly killing them.

Although it ultimately failed and was torn in two, in his heart it was the most perfect item.

His Centipede No. 1 was a puppet made from the remains of a giant centipede. Although it was slightly smaller in size, it was by no means weak.

Unfortunately, when he went to meet the Demon of Insects with his most perfect work, the Demon was so dismissive that he was not even allowed to see him.

He waited outside the fortress for countless days until he finally stopped the enemy when they went out.

He ran over, knelt on the ground, and pleaded, "My lord, my lord, wait for me! I'm willing to be your henchman. Please give me a chance to prove myself!"

He then summoned Centipede Number One and flaunted it before the crowd, saying, "My lord, do you see? As long as I have enough materials, I can build countless war machines like these. I will eventually replicate the legendary war insect!"

However, Shisei Aburame merely glanced down at it and said, "How much chakra do you have to control it? Actually, this isn't a war machine at all; it's just a means of transportation. Theoretically, it can grow indefinitely as long as it uses coal, oil, and methane hydrate. Besides, I just created this thing casually."

When he heard those words, his worldview collapsed.

The strongest weapon in his hands was actually just a means of transportation that the adults had casually made.

That sir, that sir is truly amazing!

His face was flushed, and he was filled with excitement. Looking at the four Heavenly Kings surrounding the adults, he vowed to become one of them.

Just then, the adult suddenly turned to him and said, "Actually, it's not without its merits. If you can find an inexhaustible source of energy, perhaps you can go even further."

After saying this, the adult left without further ado. But those words took root in his heart—an inexhaustible source of energy? Since the adult spoke of it, it must exist in this world.

Later, by chance, he found the dragon vein in the desert where he was searching for the puppet inheritance.

He also discovered that the hollow part inside the giant centipede could be used to absorb the dragon vein and serve as a source of power. When that time comes, his Centipede No. 1 will surely be the most perfect puppet creation in the world.

Just when he was completely absorbed in his puppet, an unexpected event occurred: two strange young men appeared in the Dragon Vein Land.

He was hiding among the puppets, underground, and by sheer luck, he overheard their conversation.

What?! The power of the dragon vein can actually travel through time and space! The two of them went back in time to disrupt the growth of the Insect Demon Lord.

How can this be allowed?

So he went back in time, thinking that he had done a favor by tipping him off, and that he would surely become one of the Four Heavenly Kings.