"What should we do? Sensei's been taken away, and we don't have any ninken with us. How are we supposed to find him?"
Naruto asked anxiously.
"It's fine."
Shinju waved his hand casually, showing he wasn't worried about something this small.
Right after, he formed a summoning seal, bit his finger, and pressed his hand to the ground.
Fwoosh!
With a burst of smoke, a mighty wolf-dog appeared, summoned by Shinju!
He turned to Naruto and explained,
"Last time we went after Sasuke, I found ninken extremely useful, so when we got back to the village, I asked the Inuzuka clan for one."
...
Over ten kilometers away from Shinju's group.
Haido dragged old Kahiko up to the top of a mountain.
From here, looking down, you could see a vast stretch of ancient ruins.
The stone structures were covered in moss and wild grass, clearly untouched for many years.
"This is where the ore vein is located?" Haido demanded.
Kahiko trembled as he nodded.
"Yes… this is the place recorded by our ancestors."
Thinking of the huge amount of Stone of Gelel he was about to obtain, Haido couldn't hide his smugness.
Carefully, Kahiko asked from the side,
"I've already brought you to the ore vein like you wanted… can't you let my people go now?"
Haido smiled softly, putting on a harmless facade.
"No rush. We haven't even gone inside yet. Once I've obtained all the Stone of Gelel, your people will naturally be safe."
With that, Haido forced Kahiko to descend the mountain and step into the ancient ruins.
They walked until they reached the center of the ruins.
Under Haido's threats, Kahiko activated a hidden mechanism leading deep underground.
Clank, clank, clank—
The sound of turning gears echoed as the platform they were standing on began to descend slowly.
At that moment, Shinju's group arrived with the ninken leading the way!
Shinju's sharp eyes immediately spotted Haido standing on the platform!
"Stop right there!!"
Shinju and Naruto shouted together, charging forward at full speed.
He was going to avenge everyone in the caravan who had died!
Behind them, Sai quickly sat down and began drawing.
On the other side, Temujin — who was tied up and dragged along — wore a complicated expression.
Thinking of all the innocent people who had suffered because of the caravan attack…
The ideals he had upheld all these years — "Great dreams require sacrifices" — were beginning to crumble.
Did those kind, innocent people… really deserve to die?
Lost in confusion, Temujin wanted to hear Haido-sama's answer to his doubts.
Inside the ruins, Shinju and Naruto were now less than fifty meters away from Haido!
The next moment—
Clank!
A loud grinding sound came from beneath Haido's platform!
Then, clang! — the platform suddenly dropped!
The unexpected event caught Haido completely off guard!
Moments later, Shinju's group above heard a massive boom echo from below!
They guessed Haido and Kahiko had fallen underground!
"Old man!"
Naruto rushed forward, intending to leap down the tunnel after them.
Fwoosh!
Suddenly, a female knight clad in full armor appeared, blocking Naruto's path!
It was Fugai — one of Haido's people, sent with the investigative caravan… and the one who had wiped out the merchants after Haido captured Kahiko!
"Get out of my way!"
Naruto roared angrily.
Fugai drew the sword at her waist, her eyes wild and unhinged.
"I won't let you interfere with Haido-sama's plans!"
"Over my dead body!"
The next instant—
A blur of motion!
Shing!!
A white blade sliced cleanly across Fugai's throat!
A spray of crimson followed!
A single strike — fatal and precise!
Shinju calmly flicked the blood from his bone blade, his expression cold as he looked at the dying Fugai on the ground.
"Next time… don't talk like this."
Naruto: (⊙o⊙)
Shinju's speed… was so fast that even he hadn't seen it coming!
Wait, since when was Shinju so decisive when it came to killing?!
Up above the ruins, Temujin froze in shock.
He hadn't even seen Shinju move — Fugai was just dead!
"So strong… this is what a shinobi is?! (´°Δ°`)"
Meanwhile, Sai's expression: Σ( ° △ °|||)︴
That red-haired kid always seemed so easygoing on the surface…
But when he got serious, he was terrifying!
His calm expression gave off the same feeling as an explosive tag — one that could detonate at any moment!
And one with massive destructive power!
What kind of missions was Danzo-sama assigning him to anyway?!
(||๐_๐)
Monitor and find a way to assassinate Shinju?!
Even Danzo-sama himself couldn't manage that!
...
Deep beneath the ruins.
Haido looked around the empty underground hall with irritation. "Why don't I see any Stone of Gelel yet?"
"That's the kingdom's highest secret. Of course they'd hide it well," Kahiko replied matter-of-factly.
"To reach the Stone of Gelel, you have to unlock the final seal."
"Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and open it!" Haido urged, impatient.
He couldn't wait a second longer!
"To unlock the final seal, you need royal blood," Kahiko explained.
Haido's eyes narrowed, his face twisting in suspicion.
"You old fool… are you trying to mess with me?! (ꐦ ಠ皿ಠ)"
Worried for his clan, Kahiko frantically waved his hands.
"No, no, no! I know where to find royal blood!"
"That blonde-haired boy… there's a high chance he's from the royal family."
"You mean Temujin? Are you sure?"
Haido's gaze sharpened.
He had known Temujin for years — yet he'd never noticed the boy carried royal blood in his veins.
Kahiko hurriedly explained,
"I'm telling the truth! Nerugui used to live in the royal palace. The only reason it's close to that boy is because he carries royal blood!"
"Besides, the Stone of Gelel implanted in him… only members of the royal family can fully synchronize with its power."
Hearing the old man's explanation, Haido thought it over carefully… and it did make sense.
Just then—
Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh…
Shinju, Naruto, Sai, and Temujin jumped down into the cavern.
Haido's grin widened.
He'd just been wondering how to bring Temujin down here…
And now these kids had saved him the trouble!
Temujin, his hands and feet still bound, looked at Haido-sama anxiously.
"Haido-sama, I… I have something I need to ask you."
"Later," Haido said dismissively, flexing the gloves on his hands with excitement. "First, I'll deal with these overconfident brats."
With a whoosh, four black, dragonfly-like wings sprouted from his back!
"For the sake of our ideal kingdom… did we really have to kill so many people?!"
Temujin shouted desperately.
But Haido ignored his words completely, dashing toward Shinju's group in a blur.
A flash of silver light—
Haido's blade swung, and in an instant, Shinju's trio was down!
Then, grabbing Temujin's body, Haido dragged him to the center of the altar, pressing the blade of his sword against the boy's neck…
Temujin's face went pale.
"Haido-sama, what are you doing?! Σ(っ °Д °;)っ"
Haido smiled as if nothing were wrong.
"I never thought you carried royal blood in you… Leaving you alive when we destroyed that village back then… turned out to be the right choice."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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