PART 2.

What king would be disturbed by the idea of not taking his guests to a more suitable place to discuss their affairs?

He, without a doubt. Since most of the ninja disappeared, it was impossible to know how many guards were bought by the other elders. Therefore, he also couldn't trust them any more than his own ninjas.

It was almost a total embarrassment to attend to his guests in the large dining room. If it weren't for the tea and cookies he'd ordered from one of the few ninjas left in the palace, the meeting would have been one of the worst he'd ever organized.

Konoha's ninjas were seated in their respective chairs in the great hall, with Saturo leading the snack. Trozani's ninja closed the door behind him, and Saturo couldn't help but analyze the faces of those ninjas. It's been years since I've seen Konoha's ninjas so closely.

"He is one of the few left in Trozani." The King explained, noticing the curiosity of the ninjas he had hired. "There are many disappeared, and I had no choice but to order their stays here."

"You're very understanding of your ninjas, apparently." Commented the White-haired with obvious admiration. 

The teenagers who listened attentively took the time to scan the room with their eyes. They looked at the striking and even menacing decorations, such as the head of a completely dark eagle on a wall, twice the size of a human head.

"It is my duty to protect all of them, not just civilians." Saturo said, linking his fingers on the table. "The ninjas here are proof of justice and honor, I can't allow them to disappear and leave Trozani with only discord and selfishness. It is unacceptable."

"Excuse me..."

The hairy girl interrupted, raising the palm of her hand to the height of her face, as if avoiding an offensive act in front of the king.

"You refer to this place as 'Trozani'. But what exactly is it?" One of Konoha's ninjas asked. 

"Oh...! I see..." Replied the king, opening his eyes in surprise. "I thought that what was said about the third Hokage was exaggeration. But I see that no one really knows about us. He kept his word."

Two of the three teenagers showed surprise at those words, while the third, the white-haired one, hid his interest in the matter.

The blond, identified as Uzumaki, did not hide his dissatisfaction with the lack of context. Shrugging his shoulders with his hands under the table, he raised one of his eyebrows enormously.

Saturo wondered why he seemed to be the target of that expression. As if the boy questioned the veracity of his words.

"It was a long time ago... I wasn't even half as tall as you." Saturo told them, remembering times gone by. "A good man fleeing from Konoha showed many of us his specialty with sealing and similar skills, and he lifted the barrier, thus creating a phenomenon that could not be found anywhere."

"What phenomenon?" Kakashi asked with interest. 

Saturo raised his index finger as a sign of attention.

"Everything that lies inside the barrier is just as it looked at the moment it was raised." He revealed. "Trozani is the name given to it by our first king. It is a city, in general. It's very big, and life here doesn't age compared to the people who live here."

"A place that doesn't age? Is that possible?" Sakura asked, amazed by the idea. 

"You're here, didn't you see it when they came in?" The King replied, causing Sakura to realize the truth behind his words. 

"The decorations and buildings... They have something of the other villages!" Sakura exclaimed, amazed at what she saw. 

"That's right, young lady." Saturo confirmed. "Everything here has something of what we saw and enjoyed outside before we raised the barrier. Time does not pass here, and we keep things from the other villages to teach the younger ones about them."

"That's incredible... that a barrier can do that..." Sakura murmured, still amazed by the revelation. 

"The previous King must have been powerful." Sai commented calmly. 

Saturus nodded approvingly, pleased that outsiders recognized the former King's greatness without even knowing him. He was proud of his legacy.

A brief silence enveloped the room, bringing with it a sense of comforting peace. Only the soft ticking of the clock could be heard in the corridor outside, indicating that time continued its relentless march.

Kakashi, with his eyes closed for a moment, began to organize his thoughts. Saturo knew that the conversation was about to take a new turn.

He let go of the excitement of seeing the Foreign Shinobi and put his feet back on the ground, preparing to listen to what Kakashi had to say.

"Let it go once and for all, we're alone now." No one can hear us. Saturo said, granting permission to speak freely. 

With the permission granted, Kakashi showed a sorry expression and then prepared to properly communicate the basic intentions of the mission, everything that could be shared.

"I was informed of the state of emergency in your city. However, there is something that worries me about his request." Kakashi explained, attracting Saturo's attention. 

"And that's it?" Saturo asked, raising an eyebrow at the slight joke he heard in a voice close to them. 

"It's about your story with Konoha." Hatake explained, catching Saturo's attention. "I am aware of some things, as well as of what was mentioned in that letter."

"Letter?" Saturo asked, intrigued by the mention. 

Again, the jocular tone was felt in the voice of the blond Uzumaki, through a gasp. A faint growl, barely perceptible and stifled by obligation, escaped Saturo's lips.

The King looked up, trying to remember everything about that letter. It was true, when he asked for help, he did so through a letter addressed to Konoha.

That letter was sent by a Ninja that he himself had dispatched from his lands. The last time she saw him was when she said goodbye to him at the gates of the Luna palace.

If the letter arrived safely, then that Ninja had disappeared on the way to Trozani.

An uneasiness began to settle in the pit of Saturo's stomach. Despite the initial excitement, he had drunk some tea to accompany his guests. However, now he didn't even want to take a sip.

He pushed the cup aside carefully, making sure not to dirty the table or look impolite. He took a deep breath and turned his gaze to Kakashi, as if he was begging for forgiveness.

"I know that the way I wrote that letter was not the best." Saturo began, resting his fists on the table to emphasize his sincerity. "Hatake Kakashi, right? Forgive me. The most sensible thing for Konoha is to come this way to make sure I don't pose a threat to them."

"That's..."

"It is not necessary to be so formal." The king interjected with a brief bow. "We both know that you took that letter as a threat, and that's fine. At least, I have in front of me Ninjas who take the time to listen to my side of the story first."

Just as the King of Trozani finished his sympathetic explanation, Naruto couldn't hold back anymore and exploded. He grunted as he slapped the table with his palms, making it tremble for a moment.

His two companions no longer knew how to calm him down. Naruto was standing, with his hands on the table, staring intensely at Saturo as if he wanted to pierce him with his blue eyes. Finally, Saturo was able to face him face to face.

The boy had whisker marks on his cheeks and bright yellow hair. His tanned skin added a curious detail that caught Saturo's attention. I felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if I knew him from somewhere, but I couldn't remember it. It was a feeling of closeness that deserved to be celebrated, but why?

Staring into Uzumaki's eyes, Saturo decided to break the awkward silence.

"Oh, Uzumaki-kun." The King finally said. "Is something wrong? Don't like cookies?"

"Naruto!"

The whisper, exclaimed with intensity, puzzled Saturo. He had no choice but to observe the teenagers one by one, in deep confusion.

Had he said something wrong? Perhaps in Konoha they had different customs, perhaps the young man did not feel comfortable with the treatment that the King was giving. There were many factors at play that could explain their reaction.

However, the blond spoke without waiting for another word from anyone else.

"I can't stand this falsehood. This hypocritical treatment is infuriating me..."

"Hypocritical treatment?" The King asked, trying to understand. 

"That's right!" The blue-eyed man exclaimed fervently. "You dare to justify everything you did just to get our help! Why didn't you talk directly to the Hokage instead of resorting to these tricks? There was no need to kill all those innocent people!"

"Naruto, sit down!"

"And you still come to tell us about your reign... you escaped from Konoha, right?" Naruto highlighted this point, catching Kakashi's attention. "That makes you a fugitive, someone who left the village. With what you have done, wouldn't it be more right for you to be taken to prison?"

"Naruto, shut your mouth!!"

Sakura forced Naruto to sit down when she hit the back of his neck with the palm of his hand. The boy was visibly angry, gritting his teeth. However, before the resigned gaze of his companions and the masked adult, he was forced to remain silent.

The atmosphere became uncomfortable. It seemed that Saturo was the only one who was not aware of what had just been mentioned.

"Excuse me..." Saturo addressed Kakashi respectfully. "Could you explain to me what's going on?"

The white-haired man looked embarrassed.

"Forgive the rudeness of one of my Ninjas, I assure you that was not the intention of the meeting."

"I see, but I didn't mean that." The king corrected curiously. "I mean... Just now, he referred to our people as aggressors. Has anything happened that you are not aware of?"

The king's clarification stunned three of the four Shinobi of Konoha. Naruto, who was still rubbing the back of his neck from the previous blow, frowned in her direction, equally confused by those words.

Everyone except the king seemed to be the only realists in the matter. The monarch himself looked like a child who had just revealed a confidential secret, while the younger ones in the room looked at him as if he had three heads.

"Saturo-sama." Kakashi called him respectfully. "Are you aware of what happened in Konoha?"

Saturus raised both eyebrows.

"I have no idea what you're telling me, Hatake-dono! I mean, I barely go out into my back garden."

"But you're the King!" Again, Naruto stood in the way, with Sakura holding him firmly by the shoulder. "How is it possible that a King is not aware of the state of his kingdom?! You didn't just threaten Konoha! But you acted accordingly when you didn't get a response to the letter!"

"What are you saying?!" He would never commit an atrocity that stained the crown! Saturo quickly defended himself, who stood up immediately. "My respect for the first King is infinite! I would never do anything that would dishonor his legacy!"

"Then how do you explain the dead in Konoha?! Hey?!"

Naruto's scream made the large dining room vibrate.

Saturo opened his eyes immensely, putting his hand to his chest. The confidence he had shown before had been completely broken.

"All those people... They were already dead before they passed through the portals." Naruto muttered with extreme annoyance. The spittle that passed through his throat made an effort not to get stuck. "You just said that the previous king was very good at those skills. Isn't your city very good at that?"

"I... I have no idea. I need an urgent explanation!"

"The reality is, Saturo-sama." Kakashi interjected, getting up from his seat to try to calm Naruto down. "Apparently, after you sent the letter, we experienced a tragedy in Konoha. People who were not from there came out of the doorways and fell dead to the ground. There were many injuries, and due to the state of the people who came out of the portals, the Hokage had no choice but to consider it a threat."

Saturo did not take his attention away from Kakashi. He was dumbfounded.

Konoha's Jōnin remained serene.

"Saturo-sama." At his call, the King swallowed dry. "From your reaction, I can't help but think that you weren't aware."

"Well, it's true... I didn't know anything about it, not even that I was the main suspect."

"I am sorry to involve you in this, but I hope you understand that these measures were taken to ensure the well-being of our village." Kakashi apologized. "However, with this more or less clarified, indications of something else emerge."

Sakura gasped from her stall. The option of the King's innocence was active if he turned out to be innocent, although it seemed impossible since they firmly believed in his guilt.

"There are too many coincidences." This time, Sai dared to add. "First, this happens right after the King sent a letter asking for help for the disappearances. It seems as if the person responsible wants to blame the King."

Saturo felt that his chin would fall at any moment.

"Why blame me...? I have never left these walls!"

"How long has it been since you went abroad?" Sakura asked. 

"No one here has been out since he was born or first set foot in these lands." The king revealed. Both Sakura and the others were shocked. "Only the most trusted merchants and local ninjas can leave and enter, but under strict requirements. Even I need to meet some."

"Because that would put at risk everything built here." Sai commented with certainty. 

The Saturan King nodded quickly. Having someone understand his words perfectly in a single attempt was comforting.

"But..." Saturo added, when silence began to permeate the atmosphere. "It's for a similar reason that I called you secretly."

The Konoha ninjas quickly looked up, watching him carefully so as not to miss a single detail.

"It's been years since I took power, and since then, those around me have done nothing but betray me and abuse their status." Saturo lamented. 

"Are you suggesting that someone from the inside could be to blame?" Kakashi asked. 

"I wouldn't be surprised. After all, ninjas began to disappear as reports became more frequent." Saturo explained. "Besides, I'm almost sure that more than one has gone abroad freely. I can't understand why they are so insistent that I not visit their palaces unannounced."

"Maybe they have things inside them that could implicate them." Sakura suggested cunningly. 

The man nodded in agreement with Sakura's terse reasoning.

"I asked them for help, and they may have found out and provoked all this. But..." Saturo's tone became harsher, delving into a subject that was beyond the common knowledge of the city. "The only one capable of executing that kind of skill is the first king. There are few who possess such skill."

"Do you know any of them?" Kakashi asked. 

Saturo hardened his gaze towards Kakashi, showing confidence in him and willingness to collaborate in the protection of his own.

"In fact, only a few of the elders possess that ability." He declared. "But it's extraordinarily special, as it requires a scroll and a huge amount of Chakra. However, it is only used to transport one person or large objects in a single trip."

"But this time there were many." Sakura deepened. "Numerous portals appeared everywhere, and people fell from them. Do you recognize any similar skills?"

"Yes, I do." The second king affirmed, his countenance darkened. 

Saturo's gaze became distant, as if he was no longer present with them. He seemed to be looking out into nothingness.

"I know of a skill that performs similar actions. However, it was a long time ago that I read about it somewhere in the palace's underground library. A place that only the king has access to, with writings forbidden by the first king: the creator of all our abilities."

To the ninjas of Konoha, what was being narrated was no longer unknown. Perhaps it was the background to the hidden truth behind the incident that had shaken their village.

They no longer considered it possible to ignore him, and decided to investigate by their own means, especially when the king himself made it clear that he could not trust the people who were supposed to help him.

Konoha and Trozani were united by a misfortune: a war between wealthy people seeking more power and a village caught in a conflict of another.

This situation clarified Kakashi's perspective, and he quickly began to draw up his plans.

"Saturo-sama." When he called him, the King looked at him calmly. "Do you know only about our visit?"

"Except for the palace ninjas." The old man replied. "No one else here is aware of my contact with the outside."

"But you are the King. Sakura, eager to incite the Monarch to take the necessary measures, intervened. How serious is the mistrust here?"

"It's very serious, young lady. If they find that I have knowledge of it and I do not agree, they will force me to abdicate. If that happens, they will go against the people who trust me."

"And if any of them take power, they'll have access to the underground library." Sai lit up the conversation with his observation. His two companions seemed equally surprised. "You want to avoid harm not only in Trozani, but also in the other villages that will suffer under the rule of what is in that place."

"You get things very quickly." Saturus praised the young man. Then he closed his eyes in reflection. "I was informed about something alarming. I called them to help me because I really care about the well-being of my ninjas. Their families are very distressed."

The king turned his back on his guests. As if the world was patiently waiting for him, he took the time to walk slowly to a painting hanging on the wall behind the main seat of the large dining hall.

It was a picture of a reddish sunset, almost bloody, with no more striking colors than red and orange, which combined in a disgusting way with the room.

He stared at that painting, reflecting on the mistakes he had made by not acting more quickly when he discovered the elders' traps.

Perhaps the information had been leaked and they now had access to the underground library. Or perhaps they had found the information elsewhere. Saturo was in a dilemma.

"I don't remember exactly when I read about that ability." The second King spoke. "But I'm sure of your level of danger. This technique is considered as Forbidden."

"A forbidden technique?" The masked man asked behind him. "What is the purpose of this technique? What does it entail?"

Saturus wanted for a moment to pretend that he had not heard anything. When was the last time you felt that fear?

His chest felt empty, his throat dry. The library was full of books, an overwhelming amount. Anyone who longed to quench their thirst for knowledge to the extreme would wish to live there never to divulge what they had read.

But, as incredible as it is dangerous for others, because an ability could benefit some, but harm many others by a selfish act.

"It is not something to be taken lightly." Saturo finally said, turning his gaze over his shoulder. "I need to know all the details first. The techniques here are varied, although some may seem similar. Their objectives and scope are different."

His gaze fell directly on Kakashi, who nodded without hesitation.

Then, Saturo turned his attention to the youngest. Now that he would have a chance to talk to Kakashi alone, he hoped he could calm the grumpy young man down. He didn't like to see others affected that way, especially if he was the cause.

"I will order privacy in the palace. Meanwhile, a Ninja will show them around, and they can stay as long as they want. I only ask you to avoid approaching the doors and windows, please."

"Understood." The girl replied enthusiastically, while Sai expressed his agreement with a respectful nod. 

Naruto, however, didn't seem convinced to leave the room. You could tell he was a young man who was passionate about his work and wanted to be aware of all the details related to his mission.

However, something troubled Saturo deeply. He frowned as the Uzumaki closed the door behind him. It was a minuscule feeling, but she wished with all her heart that the technique that was spinning in her head hadn't been activated.

Saturo would feel guilty if that mix of events materialized.