Timothy had once believed that Lord Hyde was his savior—the one he would follow for the rest of his life. Hyde had promised an ideal country, a utopia, and Timothy had worked tirelessly to make that dream a reality, never once doubting his leader's words.
But now, as he looked at Hyde, a horrifying realization struck him. The face of the man responsible for the massacre—the one who had brought destruction—looked exactly like Hyde.
Timothy's body trembled as he stared at Hyde in disbelief. His entire world shattered in an instant.
Hyde, noticing his expression, let out a wild, sinister laugh, one he had long suppressed.
"So, you finally see the truth," Hyde mocked. "You worked for the enemy all this time. Are you angry?"
Timothy couldn't speak. His throat was dry, and his mind was in turmoil.
Hyde smirked. "Today, you'll make your final contribution to Utopia. Your blood will activate the Grayer Mine!"
Without hesitation, Hyde raised his knife and thrust it toward Timothy's neck.
"OF!"
The blade, which should have easily pierced Timothy's flesh, suddenly stopped. Hyde's eyes widened in confusion. Then, he noticed something—a head of unmistakable red hair.
"Morkel?!" Hyde gasped in horror.
"You… you should be dead!"
Morkel stood before him, unharmed, his signature red hair flowing in the wind. He casually pointed toward the ground where his body was supposed to be, but all that remained was a pile of wood.
"It's a shame you're not a ninja," Morkel said with a smirk. "Otherwise, you'd know about the Wood Style Clone Technique."
Hyde's face twisted in frustration, but he quickly composed himself.
"So what if you're alive?" he sneered. "You really think a handful of kids can stop me from opening the Grayer Mine?"
He had spent years researching Grayer Ore, obtaining unimaginable power. There was no way these brats could stop him.
Just as he finished speaking, a lion ink drawing flew toward him, slamming hard into his waist.
"Bang!"
The impact sent Hyde tumbling. Before he could react, Naruto leaped into the air, Rasengan in hand.
"Take this!" Naruto shouted, driving the Rasengan directly into Hyde's chest.
"Boom!"
The sheer force of the attack sent Hyde crashing into the ruins, smashing through multiple stone pillars.
Morkel narrowed his eyes, watching the dust settle. "Huh. He's still alive?"
Sure enough, Hyde emerged from the smoke.
But something had changed.
His pupils were no longer normal—they had turned into blood-red vertical slits. His entire body, now an eerie dark blue, pulsed with energy.
He tore off his robe, revealing his grotesquely mutated body.
"I told you brats…" Hyde snarled. "You can't beat me!"
Master He Yan stepped cautiously beside Morkel and whispered, "The Grayer Ore has strange powers. Maybe we should attack the stone in his hand?"
Morkel tilted his head. "Can this Grayer Stone bring back the dead?"
He Yan hesitated, then shook his head. "No… I don't believe it can."
Morkel smirked. "Then that makes things simple. As long as he can still die, we can win."
The moment his words fell, a strong gust of wind blew away He Yan's hat.
And in the blink of an eye—Morkel had vanished.
Ahead…
Morkel dashed toward Hyde at full speed, his hands crackling with lightning chakra.
Hyde's face twisted in terror. He knew that if Morkel's attack landed, it would be fatal.
But he wasn't going down that easily.
"Didn't your teacher ever tell you that battles require strategy?" Hyde taunted.
With a swift motion, black wings sprouted from his back, expanding into a massive, unknown structure.
"Swish!"
The wings shot forward like black spears, aiming to crush Morkel.
But Morkel didn't flinch. He raised his hands, and his Lightning Chakra Cloak crackled as he clashed against the incoming attack.
"Crack…!"
Within seconds, Hyde's black wings began to shatter.
Morkel pressed forward, his lightning-coated arms tearing through Hyde's defenses.
In a flash, he was upon Hyde.
The last thing Hyde saw was the bright, electric blue glow of Morkel's lightning chakra.
"ABU!"
Morkel's lightning-charged arms pierced straight through Hyde's chest.
A gurgled gasp escaped Hyde's lips.
No matter how much the Grayer Ore had strengthened his body, a destroyed heart meant the end.
As Hyde's body fell lifelessly to the ground, Timothy dropped to his knees, completely drained.
He Yan let out a long sigh of relief. "That was close. If you hadn't arrived in time, Morkel, I would've died here."
Naruto scratched his head. "Wait… I thought you needed royal blood to open the treasure vault?"
He Yan smiled. "I never planned to give Hyde what he wanted. The formation I pointed him to—if he had activated it, the ruins would have self-destructed instead."
Naruto and Sai exchanged impressed looks and gave He Yan a thumbs-up. "Smart move, old man!"
Meanwhile, Morkel walked toward Timothy.
"What are your plans now?" he asked.
Timothy hesitated. His faith had been shattered, and his future was uncertain.
Finally, he glanced at He Yan.
"Can I… join the caravan?" Timothy asked. "I'll do whatever work needs to be done, even the lowest of tasks."
He Yan studied Timothy for a moment, then nodded.
Despite everything, Timothy had never directly harmed the caravan. And as a descendant of the royal family, he deserved a second chance.
Later, Morkel and his team returned to the Iron Fortress and rescued the remaining children that Hyde had exploited.
Timothy then turned to Morkel, Naruto, and Sai.
"We have no use for this fortress anymore," Timothy said. "It belongs to you now. Use it wisely… or destroy it."
Morkel and Naruto exchanged glances.
A massive, fully armed fortress like this could be worth millions just in scrap metal.
But more importantly, it had high strategic value.
"If we get this back to Konoha…" Naruto mused. "Our village's defenses would increase by two levels!"
Morkel nodded.
And so, they made their decision—they would take the fortress home.
One Month Later – Konoha
Inside the Hokage's office, Tsunade and Shizune discussed Morkel's long absence.
"Could he have been ambushed?" Shizune asked worriedly.
Tsunade scoffed. "That brat? He'd sooner trick his enemies than be tricked himself."
But then, an Anbu member rushed in.
"Hokage-sama!" the ninja reported. "Morkel has returned! Ten kilometers west of the village, he's using Wood Style: True Several Thousand Hands to transport… something!"
Tsunade's eyes widened. "Wait. He's moving something using True Several Thousand Hands?!"
A few minutes later, the entire village shook as a massive wooden Buddha—over 500 meters tall—dragged a giant steel fortress into Konoha.
People gasped in awe.
"Where did Morkel even get something like that?!"
Tsunade, watching from the Hokage's office, let out a deep sigh.
"That kid…" she muttered. "He never fails to surprise me."
And as the village marveled at the iron fortress, Morkel walked toward the Hokage's office—ready to collect his well-earned reward.
---
More chapters available