Chapter 143: The Arrival of An Lushan

"You are the Desert Emperor...?" Baki stared blankly at Shiramaki, reversing the blade toward him while countless conspiracy theories spun wildly in his mind.

"As expected... you're in this together!" Yugao reacted with extreme speed, placing a kunai against Shiramaki's neck with lightning velocity.

He was the one who had tricked everyone into coming here; he was the Desert Emperor!

He had lured the Jinchuriki and caused the death of Monk Fuku...

What an old, scheming bastard!!

"Are you idiots? You only grow your pectoral muscles and not your brains!" Disregarding the kunai at his throat, Shiramaki struck Yugao squarely on the forehead with a palm-blade.

"Hit me again and see if I don't kill you!" Yugao threatened angrily.

Thump, thump, thump... Three more strikes followed.

"You!!!" Yugao gritted her teeth with trembling hands, almost slicing through his skin.

"Give me a reason!" Looking at the dense pack of puppets surrounding them, Baki knew that if they killed the wrong person here, none of them would survive either.

"You need to get the sequence straight first. It's not that I came here because I am the Desert Emperor, but rather that I became the Desert Emperor after I came here," Shiramaki explained.

"Is there a difference?" Yugao knitted her brows.

"Of course there's a difference! Anrokusan shouted for the future Desert Emperor, but the present me is not yet the Desert Emperor. Only after I become the Desert Emperor will my present self become my future self. Where do I come from in life, and where do I go in death? Why did I appear at this time, and what does my appearance mean to time? Did the Desert Emperor choose me, or did I choose the Desert Emperor?" Shiramaki rambled on like a tongue-twister.

"...Did you understand any of that?" Yugao looked at Baki.

"A little..." Baki blinked.

"Which part?" Shiramaki was somewhat curious that this guy could actually follow.

"None of it..." Baki added.

Shiramaki sighed and shook his head, looking deeply disappointed: "Is there an inevitable connection between me and the future? Does the universe have an end, and does time have a length? Where does past time vanish, and where does future time stop? Is the me you saw a moment ago the same me you see right now?"

"Shut up! I'll kill you!" Sand Village natives had never placed much importance on cultural studies. Yugao clutched her temples, getting a headache from the rambling.

"Who killed whom? Did the present you kill the past me? Or did the future you kill the present me?" Shiramaki smiled. Time, much like the universe, gave you a headache the moment you thought about it.

"Heh, if I hadn't figured things out by tweaking my setup in the space-time tunnel, I wouldn't have understood either." Karin flicked the Z-style space-time drive on her wrist.

"Your Majesty the Emperor... you still show so little respect for this old minister..." Anrokusan was trembling all over with rage.

"Sorry, sorry, I forgot there was still a kneeling subject here. Well then... Minister Anrokusan, do you have anything you wish to say to me?" Shiramaki asked curiously.

"Your Majesty the Emperor, the task you entrusted to me has been flawlessly completed by Anrokusan. Please inspect it," Anrokusan said with a corner of his mouth curved into a deep bow.

Boom! The entire palace square shook slightly.

"The great Desert Emperor, your loyal soldiers pay their respects." Countless puppet soldiers present simultaneously dropped to one knee in unison.

"Oh, a task? What kind of task did the future me assign to you?" Shiramaki became even more curious.

"Great Emperor, the task you gave me was precisely to forge an unstoppable army, to be at your command at the end of this chaotic era and conquer this decayed ninja world!" Anrokusan bowed deeply once more.

"Damn it, and you still say you're not in this together!" Yugao pressed the kunai harder against Shiramaki's neck.

"Wait... the future me had you come over to forge an army, so the present me can command it to conquer the ninja world?" Shiramaki pointed at himself, then looked at Karin.

"Don't look at me. I never interfere with Loulan's affairs," Karin shrugged.

"That is correct, Your Majesty. This is precisely the order you issued. I never imagined Her Highness the Princess would also come to this era," Anrokusan said humbly.

"Alright, setting aside whether or not I actually issued this command, you and these puppets are all loyal to me, right?" Shiramaki pointed at the puppet soldiers filling the square.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Our loyalty is as pure as the bright moon," Anrokusan said, placing a hand over his chest.

"Is that so? I wonder if you've read this book?" Shiramaki pulled out a book and handed it to Anrokusan.

After a brief hesitation, Anrokusan took the book, opened it, glanced at it for a moment, and closed it: "Your Majesty, you bestowed this book upon me on the very first day I swore allegiance to you..."

"Oh? Then did you read it?" Shiramaki smiled; as expected, he remained true to himself.

"Forgive Anrokusan's dullness, but I truly fail to see what is so exquisite about this book..." Anrokusan shook his head. As a man with ambitions for the world, how could he possibly bog himself down in romance?

"What a pity. Then what about this kind of outfit—have you ever worn it?" Shiramaki retrieved a piece of women's clothing from Tobi's mouth.

"Not this again..." Anrokusan gritted his teeth, his entire body trembling. "Does Your Majesty intend to humiliate me once more..."

"So you've already worn it... What a pity..." Shiramaki scratched his head and rubbed his chin. If future Baizu had worn women's clothing, could the present Anrokusan unlock some gold coins again?

"Your Majesty, please step into the palace. I have already arranged the finest service, and your favorite maids await your arrival." Anrokusan bent over, making a gesture of invitation. In the distance, two rows of maids in black dresses and white silk stockings at the palace entrance were holding the hems of their skirts, bowing in welcome.

"Good grief, living the high life indeed. No wonder emperors love sycophantic ministers—he truly understands my desires!" Shiramaki's eyes danced with delight. If Karin hadn't already given them snacks earlier, the group probably would have charged inside to feast wildly.

Even now, they were feeling rather tempted, since the things Karin brought along were just snacks, not a proper meal.

Yet, none of them made a move.

"Please..." Anrokusan urged again.

"How about this, call Sara out to see me." Shiramaki said instead.

"Sara? It is late now, and Her Highness Sara has already gone to sleep. Perhaps we should meet tomorrow instead," Anrokusan explained.

"As a princess, she doesn't even come out to greet the emperor's arrival? That's hardly proper etiquette, is it? Never mind sleeping, carry her over here even if she's dead." Shiramaki issued the command with the arrogant swagger of a true emperor.

"Very well, Your Majesty. I shall inform Her Highness Sara right away. Please enter the palace and rest first," Anrokusan seemed to compromise.

"No need. The stars are so lovely tonight, and the evening breeze is so warm—have them bring everything outside for a candlelit dinner instead." Shiramaki wasn't foolish enough to willingly step into a rat cage.

Gritting his teeth with a grinding sound, Anrokusan finally plunged into complete mental derangement: "Why! Why won't you go in! Inside is the grand feast I prepared for His Majesty! Why won't you go in! Get inside, all of you!!!"

"Please, Your Majesty, step into the palace!" The puppet soldiers chanted in unison with deep, hollow voices.

The white-silk maids at the entrance began performing stiff, mechanical movements like marionettes, repeating mechanically, "Please let us serve His Majesty... We are professional maids..."

"Idiots!" Shiramaki instantly drew his blade and unleashed Steel Tempest. A flash of cold light swept past, cherry blossoms fell, and Anrokusan's head dropped to the ground with a dull thud, rolling a couple of times.

"Hasaki!"