Gelel Ore Vein

The Gelel Ore Vein was a mineral vein that appeared in the movie The Great Clash! The Phantom Ruins of the Depths. According to others, the power it contained could destroy half a continent.

Minamoto Takuya did not believe it possessed such power. It was merely that they lacked perspective and had deliberately exaggerated the danger so the listener would understand the gravity of the situation.

But there was no denying that the Gelel Ore Vein contained an enormous amount of energy.

Judging from the Original Work, the power of the Gelel Ore Vein was likely not Chakra, but rather something more like Natural Energy filled with Yang Release.

He believed it was filled with Yang Release because even some of the energy it leaked could completely heal heavily injured people and even cause green plants to grow from bare rock walls.

Timothy, the main character of this movie who had received a transplanted Gelel Stone, possessed a physique through the Gelel Stone that was nearly comparable to Naruto Uzumaki, who had the Nine-Tails.

They had both fallen from a cliff and suffered nearly identical injuries, yet their recovery speeds had actually been about the same!

Recovery effects capable of rivaling the Nine-Tails were utterly ridiculous.

These abilities truly gave Minamoto Takuya the feeling of looking at Hashirama Senju's Sage Body, except it was a bargain-bin version.

The reason he called it Natural Energy was also because the villains in this movie could use Gelel Stones to transform into monstrous forms of various animals, such as apes, bats, and so on...

This resembled Natural Energy quite closely. Sage Mode learned at Mount Myōboku could turn one into a frog, while Sage Mode from Ryūchi Cave could transform one into a dragon.

Furthermore, Orochimaru's curse mark, which absorbed Natural Energy, would transform its user into all kinds of monsters once activated. Mizuki had also turned into a tiger using Orochimaru's incomplete research into Natural Energy.

All of this proved that the power of the Gelel Ore Vein possessed many similarities to Natural Energy.

Minamoto Takuya did not know exactly what it was. It was probably not Chakra, but that did not matter. What he needed was its ability to grant someone recovery power comparable to the Nine-Tails' physique.

As for its physique-enhancing effects, those required long-term accumulation. And after more than a decade of enhancement, Timothy was only about as strong as Naruto at that time. That was nowhere near enough.

If he could integrate this power into himself, then he could probably temper his body without limits—training himself to death as long as he did not actually die...

The next day, he successfully accepted a mission from Minato Namikaze and left the village.

Minamoto Takuya still remembered the astonished expression Minato Namikaze had worn when he learned that Takuya wanted to take on a mission.

Then, Minato had said teasingly, "Senior, you're finally taking a mission. If you kept staying in the Laboratory, I was going to consider temporarily cutting off the Sealing Team's research funding to make you take a break."

"Don't. Aren't I going on a mission to relax?" Minamoto Takuya yawned and replied casually.

"Alright." Minato Namikaze nodded as well. "After you finish the mission, you can take a look around outside. There's no need to hurry back."

"I'll think about it." Minamoto Takuya did not refuse.

He then left Konoha and came to the Land of Rivers.

The Gelel Ore Vein was located here. In the Original Work, they had attacked Sunagakure before encountering Konoha ninja, so it could basically be confirmed that it was somewhere between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.

And this place was the Land of Rivers.

Minamoto Takuya had long since sent his subordinates here to gather information. So much time had passed that he had nearly forgotten about it, which was why he did not react immediately when Crow notified him.

"My lord, this is all the relevant information I have compiled." The leader below him had cold sweat on his forehead as he respectfully handed the scroll in his hand to Minamoto Takuya.

He was worried that the other man would be dissatisfied and use the Life-Death Talisman on him. Even though several years had passed, he still remembered that pain as vividly as ever.

Moreover, he was not completely confident in the information he had submitted.

Minamoto Takuya had sent them to search several years ago, but the Timothy he had found was only around a year old at the time, so he suspected it might have simply been someone with the same name.

But he truly could not find anyone else named Timothy. So much time had passed that he could only grit his teeth and compile the boy's information for submission.

Minamoto Takuya looked through the materials in his hands. They were divided into three parts: one concerned Timothy's village, one concerned the Wandering People's caravan, and the last concerned the wealthy merchant Heide.

He checked Timothy's age and thought it over. This age should be right. Even if Timothy was older than Naruto Uzumaki, it could not be by much.

The materials on the Wandering People's caravan not only investigated their members but also recorded the routes they had taken each year. They discovered that although the route changed every year, they always passed through one particular place.

Thus, they believed that place was where the thing Minamoto Takuya sought was located.

Finally, the information on the villain Heide was quite detailed. As a wealthy merchant, he was indeed fairly easy to investigate.

"Mm, this was gathered well." After reading it, Minamoto Takuya was somewhat surprised by their ability to collect intelligence. This information was truly very thorough.

"It is good that you are satisfied, my lord." The leader let out a breath of relief, and the heart he had been holding in his throat finally settled.

But soon, fear rose within him again. If this information was correct, then Minamoto Takuya had asked him years in advance to search for someone who would not be born until several years later?

This...

The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became. The other man's power had already surpassed the limits of his understanding.

"Don't think about things you shouldn't. Work for me, and I'll guarantee you wealth and glory." Minamoto Takuya glanced at him, roughly understanding what he was thinking, and gave him a reminder.

"You are right, my lord." The leader finally abandoned that thought. He even suddenly felt somewhat reassured. The stronger Minamoto Takuya was, and the further beyond their understanding he became, the better it seemed.

Because that meant Minamoto Takuya probably had no interest in their lives. As long as they carried out their duties properly, then...

"This is your reward." Minamoto Takuya was not stingy. A large chest appeared in his hand, filled entirely with gold, silver, and jewels. There was no need for him to shortchange them over such things.

"Thank you, my lord!" The leader's eyes shone as he stared at the gold, silver, and jewels. He could not even stop himself from drooling. His subordinates were even worse off; if they were not afraid of dying, they probably would have already pounced on it.

"This is what you deserve. Return and await orders. Wait for my next mission," Minamoto Takuya said.

"Yes!"

After speaking, Minamoto Takuya left, leaving behind a large group of people drooling as they stared at that chest of gold, silver, and jewels.

The leader took a deep breath. He had initially thought that having the Life-Death Talisman placed on them meant they were nothing more than unpaid labor, with no rewards whatsoever.

But now, it seemed that this... might actually be their good fortune.

People die for wealth, birds die for food. As long as the reward was great enough, what was one life worth? Besides, were they not still alive?!