章 142: 142. Gelel Stone
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"Little devil, Shukaku is nearby," Kurama suddenly reminded.
"Huh?" Naruto looked around but didn't see anyone. He opened his small map, noticing three dots: Gaara and his siblings.
As they approached, Naruto waved and called out, "Gaara!"
Gaara looked surprised and asked, "Naruto? What are you doing here?"
"It's a long story. Our unreliable sensei took on a C-rank mission, and then... well, there's a lot to it." Naruto recounted the events animatedly.
Feeling slightly embarrassed at being called unreliable, Kakashi didn't stop Naruto. A Konoha ninja should inform Sunagakure when entering the Land of Wind, after all.
When Naruto finished, he asked, "What about you guys?"
"We're also here on a mission," Temari replied, trying to be brief, feeling no need to share everything with Konoha.
But Gaara was more direct: "Some unknown individuals landed on the coast and attacked the border of the Land of Wind. We've been tracking them since."
Kankuro interjected, "Hey, Gaara, this is..."
Gaara wasn't concerned. "It's fine. We can trust them."
Temari and Kankuro exchanged helpless glances, though their voices held a hint of affection.
Naruto, skipping formalities, asked directly, "Do you need help?"
Kakashi reminded him, "Naruto, even though we're allies, this is Sunagakure's mission. We shouldn't interfere recklessly."
"Well... you've kind of already gotten involved," Temari pointed out, gesturing toward the fallen female knights and armoured soldiers.
"Are they the ones who invaded the Land of Wind?" Kakashi asked, pointing toward the steel fortress in the distance.
Gaara nodded. "Yes. It's a mobile fortress that moves on land and sails the sea like a giant ship."
"More advanced tech, huh?" Naruto's excitement grew. The mobile fortress reminded him of Howl's Moving Castle. He wanted it.
However, even if they captured it, it would likely be considered the property of the Land of Wind, meaning Gaara would handle it officially.
"There's no way around it," Kakashi sighed, scratching his head. "Even though we're just on a mission to find Itachi, we've somehow gotten involved in a border conflict."
"Judging by how they fought, their leader must be in the ruins. It seems they're searching for something. What kind of ruins are these?" Kakashi asked.
Gaara turned to Temari, who hadn't cared about such matters before.
"We don't know all the specifics," Temari said. "The ruins have been here for many years. There was once a city, but it was destroyed in a war."
Kankuro, adjusting the puppets on his back, added, "In any case, we'll know more once we capture their leader."
Just then, the ground shook. Everyone watched in shock as the entire ruins sank several meters.
The abandoned buildings collapsed, and the steel fortress was dragged down, crushed under the rubble.
When the tremors stopped, the ruins had turned into a large crater. A green light radiated from it, and the surrounding Gobi and desert transformed into lush greenery, becoming an oasis.
Everyone felt a wave of relief as if their fatigue and wounds had disappeared.
"This seems like life energy," Kakashi observed, moving his shoulders. He felt stronger than before.
The one most affected was Kankuro. His two puppets, tightly wrapped in bandages, now had green shoots sprouting from within.
"What's going on?!" Kankuro groaned, devastated. His prized Crow and Black Ant puppets, the best in Sunagakure, were now ruined.
Naruto stifled a laugh and pointed to the crater. "Let's check it out."
In the pit, a strange white-haired man with black dragonfly wings was gripping the neck of a boy clad in armour.
The boy struggled, asking, "Lord Haido... why?"
Haido, enraged, shouted, "Everything I've done was to obtain the Gelel ore vein. You, as the last of the royal family, were supposed to open it. But I didn't expect your bloodline to destroy the vein!"
Temujin, stunned, said, "Lord Haido, you saved me. You said it was for the creation of an ideal nation..."
"Yes, I saved you, but I was the one who destroyed your village. It was all for the secret you carried. Now that my dream is shattered, you're useless!" Haido stabbed his hand into Temujin's chest, pulling out an emerald-green stone, then tossed the unconscious boy aside.
A small ferret tried to bite Haido's ankle, but he kicked it away.
Looking up at the group standing above the pit, Haido shouted in a frenzy, "It's all your fault! You ruined everything! You will all be buried with my dreams!"
With that, his wings fluttered, and he flew toward them.
Haido was strong not only could he fly, but the Gelel Stone embedded in his hand enhanced his speed, strength, and healing far beyond that of normal humans.
But strength is relative.
Kakashi revealed his Sharingan.
Sakura cracked her knuckles.
Sasuke drew his Kusanagi blade, crackling with lightning.
Naruto created several shadow clones, readying his Rasengan.
The cork on Gaara's gourd popped out.
Temari unfolded her giant fan.
And Kankuro... well, he wisely stayed back, knowing that a puppet master without puppets was better off out of the fight.
In the end, Haido was defeated, and Gaara personally buried him.
Unfortunately, the Gelel Stone shattered due to overload. Otherwise, Naruto would have loved to study it to see if it could be used without turning its wielder into a monster.
However, after the wave of life energy that swept through them earlier, their lifespans may have even increased slightly.
Sakura checked the injured ferret, relieved to find that its injuries weren't severe.
A group of teenagers emerged from the wrecked steel fortress, staring at their hands in confusion, unsure of what had just happened.
"Sakura, check on the boy in armour. He likely knows important information," Kakashi instructed.
"On it." Sakura went to heal Temujin, who was still unconscious.
As she worked, Gaara asked, "Who are you, and what happened to those children?"
Temujin remained silent, staring blankly.
Naruto nudged Sasuke. "Sasuke, give him a look with your Sharingan. Maybe he'll remember."
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