The Gelel Stone

"Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Technique!!"

Fierce flames spewed from Sasuke's mouth, rushing towards the two armored soldiers in front of him like a colossal dragon.

The fire dragon seared the armor, and the scorching heat only slightly slowed the soldiers' advance! Yet, they continued to approach Sasuke step by step.

"Damn it... What kind of monster is this!"

Sasuke's Sharingan stared intently at the two soldiers, searching for weaknesses.

Two Lightning Orbs appeared in his hands.

"Attack the heart."

Hearing the voice, Sasuke's eyes immediately locked onto the soldiers' hearts. The Lightning Orbs exploded the moment they were thrown!

The violent lightning seemed capable of destroying everything! It struck the hearts of the two soldiers fiercely.

"Yamei! How are Naruto and the others?" Seeing this, Sasuke rejoiced and quickly turned to look at Yamei, only to freeze completely.

"They went after the enemy."

Yamei's gaze was fixed on the two soldiers, his eyes already transformed into the Mangekyo pattern.

"Are those... two souls?"

Yamei looked with surprise at the spot where the soldiers had vanished. Two figures in white clothes floated out from within the soldiers and then disappeared!

"So... these soldiers are powered by a method similar to storing Chakra, and controlled by human souls?"

Yamei frowned, the scene felt very familiar, and his mind raced, trying to recall.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and Yamei's expression turned ecstatic!

Phantom Traces of Earth! Heide Legion!

Gelel Stone!!

No wonder it felt so familiar!

In this storyline, everything originated from the Gelel Stone mines! The Source of Life!

It was a powerful energy capable of destroying half the continent! And it contained terrifying life energy!

The ancient civilization had used it to build a powerful kingdom, but it was also the cause of that kingdom's destruction!

Later, Heide accidentally discovered the Book of Gelel and the Gelel Stone, and then established the Heide Legion to search for the Gelel Stone mines, which was the Source of Life.

These soldiers were mechanical monsters created by Heide using the Gelel Stone, deceiving idealistic youths with the promise of 'building an ideal peaceful kingdom without war.'

"This is interesting. According to the story, the Heide Legion only revealed themselves after Sasuke's defection and attacked the Land of Wind."

"Now, because of our early arrival, we've encountered them ahead of schedule? I wonder if we can still find the Source of Life! That's a valuable thing!"

A glint of greed flashed in Yamei's eyes!

After all, the energy contained in the Source of Life was no less than that of several Tailed Beasts! It might even be stronger! It was rumored to be capable of destroying half the continent!

Furthermore, it contained extreme life energy, giving it a Divine Tree-like feel.

Yamei even suspected that the Source of Life might be a Divine Tree Fruit!

With a decision made, Yamei, while secretly plotting, looked at Sasuke and said, "Let's go support Naruto and the others."

Not receiving a response, Yamei turned his head curiously.

"Your eyes..." Sasuke stared at Yamei's eyes with a complex expression, as if confirming an answer.

"Sharingan," Yamei chuckled lightly.

"You have Uchiha blood? And... is that the Mangekyo?" Sasuke's tone held a hint of anticipation he hadn't noticed himself.

He knew that if the Sharingan was stolen, it would remain permanently active!

But Yamei's could be activated and deactivated normally, indicating that Yamei possessed Uchiha blood!

Although he didn't quite understand why Yamei's eyes were pink... and even when the Sharingan was activated, they remained pink...

A mutation of the Sharingan?

"Uchiha blood? I'm not sure. It just opened inexplicably,"

Yamei shrugged, then his Sharingan spun. "This is indeed the Mangekyo."

Sasuke's mouth fell open upon hearing this, and he became dejected.

Why?

Yamei was clearly around the same age as him, so why was he so powerful! And his Sharingan was even stronger than his own!

Compared to him, he felt like a piece of trash.

Seeing Sasuke's dejected look, Yamei couldn't help but tease, "Feeling down? This doesn't seem like the Sasuke I know."

"Who... Who said that! It's just the Mangekyo! I'll definitely achieve it too!"

Sasuke clenched his fists. I'm the one who has to kill that man! How can I not withstand this small setback!

"It's good that you're not dejected. Let's go, let's support Naruto and the others." Yamei reached out and ruffled Sasuke's hair.

Sasuke's small face flushed red.

For some reason!

Sometimes, in front of Yamei, he felt like he was acting like a child!

Feeling the warmth on his head, he had wanted to speak up several times... but in the end, he remained silent.

Yamei naturally saw Sasuke's embarrassment, but... wasn't this kind of Sasuke really amusing?

As they moved through the dense forest, watching Sasuke lost in thought, Yamei finally couldn't help but laugh.

Sasuke awkwardly scratched his head. "What... what are you laughing at?"

"Do you want me to teach you how to use the Sharingan?" Yamei asked directly.

"N-no!" Sasuke vehemently denied.

"Oh... I was going to teach you... but now it seems..."

"Actually, if you want to teach me, I can learn."

"Hahaha..."

Listening to Yamei's hearty laughter, Sasuke couldn't help but blush, feeling inexplicably ashamed!

The camp wasn't far from the coast. As soon as the two reached the shore, they saw the towering fortress on the sea and the group fighting fiercely on the beach.

"Huh!? Kakashi and Kurenai have already joined the fight?"

Yamei looked down. Shikamaru, Choji, and the others were struggling to fend off the soldiers' attacks, already sustaining injuries.

Not far away, a monster that had transformed into a giant ape covered in lightning, and a humanoid bat flying in the sky launching attacks, were working together with over a dozen soldiers to keep Kakashi and Kurenai tightly engaged.

"Naruto!!"

Sasuke suddenly exclaimed. Yamei followed his gaze and saw someone holding a short sword, carrying a bound Naruto towards the fortress.

"Let's go! Join the fight!"

Yamei drew the Ninja Sword from his waist and used the Body Flicker Technique, with Sasuke quickly following.

"Fang Over Fang!!"

"Human Boulder!!"

Two soldiers who had been near Ino, sitting on the beach, were sent flying by Choji and Kiba.

Nearby, one soldier struck another, knocking him to the ground. Then, Ino's voice rang out, "Shikamaru! Naruto is about to be captured!"

Shikamaru used his Shadow Possession Jutsu to restrain several soldiers, his expression grim as he glanced in Kakashi's direction! Realizing Kakashi and the others couldn't break free anytime soon, he became extremely anxious.

"Why aren't Yamei and the others here yet! If they don't come soon, we'll all be wiped out!"

These soldiers didn't feel pain; even with missing limbs, they could still fight, making them incredibly difficult to deal with.

It was also thanks to Hinata's Byakugan spotting some of the soldiers' weaknesses that they had managed to hold on until now.

Shikamaru couldn't help but look in Hinata's direction, and his expression immediately changed!

"Hinata! Watch out!"

Hearing the shout, Hinata's heart tightened, and she quickly tried to dodge, but the ground suddenly cracked open! A hammer burst from the earth, smashing towards her!