Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 333 Green, Black, Gold

Within the ruins, only a few rays of moonlight pierced the center, while the rest of the area was dark and gloomy, barely revealing any outlines. This made the faint light shining in the darkness all the more conspicuous.

The vein was buried quite deep, making it hard to imagine that people in ancient times could have reached it. Moreover, it was less a vein and more a mass of energy crystallized due to its extremely high density. While ordinary people might be blinded by the power surrounding the vein, Naruto was able to discover some clues by observing the vein as a whole.

For example, this vein, viewed as a whole, was surprisingly a relatively regular circle. This circle didn't perfectly conform to the geological strata; instead, it strangely "floated" within a huge void. The outer walls of the void weren't ordinary stone walls either; they had a very thick layer of extremely dense material, so thick that even his "sense" couldn't penetrate it. No wonder he hadn't sensed anything from a distance before. If he hadn't found the "elevator" and then sensed further inward along the elevator shaft, he probably wouldn't have discovered the anomaly in that place either.

What puzzled him even more was that energy crystals are inanimate objects and should only release regular ripples, but this boulder had its own "pulse," and the frequency of the pulsation was irregular, as if a drummer composing music at will was stuffed inside.

"boom......"

A deafening roar that approached nearby snapped Naruto back to reality. He knew it was his clone and Torune, already engaged with the enemy within the massive machine. That "tower" capable of traversing the earth most likely belonged to the so-called "Lord Hyde," a figure Naruto held in low regard for and naturally wouldn't allow near the mine. However, that stubborn knight child was also quite headstrong, the type who wouldn't learn until faced with dire consequences. Naruto needed to find a way to expose the man's true colors to the boy.

Thinking of this, Naruto was about to activate the Flying Thunder God Technique again, but after sensing other strong spatial fluctuations near the mark, he immediately withdrew his chakra. No... what happened in the short time he was distracted?

Sensing something was wrong, he immediately leaped down, not forgetting to throw a spark into the crack in the wall as he jumped, burning a swarm of insects hiding there to ashes. Torune was a cautious man; although he obediently left, he wouldn't give him complete trust and would certainly have a backup plan. However, his backup plan was still too obvious to Naruto, so it was understandable that he was burned.

"What are you doing!"

"Since we can't change your mind, let's die here together!"

Timothy never imagined that an old man nearing sixty would have the courage to resist him. Caught off guard, he was stabbed by the old man and suffered a minor injury. Even now, he didn't understand how important his bloodline truly was, but it didn't matter; as long as the old man understood, that was enough.

A bloodstained dagger was plunged into a strange array, and ominous black patterns spread from its center, covering the entire floor of the hall. The ruins began to tremble, and even the ceiling that had blocked the mineral vein shattered and collapsed, revealing a treasure hidden for an unknown number of years.

The solid mineral vein liquefied after being activated! But the flowing liquid floated perfectly on the ceiling, showing no sign of spreading.

"This is..." The black mist, resembling smoke and fog, blocked their escape route. Even without getting close, Timothy could sense the destructive power within it. Everything was crumbling, even the platform they were standing on was collapsing, revealing only an abyss of darkness devoid of any light.

"A black hole leading to the unknown, it will completely take away the Grell mine." The old man already knew the final outcome. With the matter settled, he sat down with a sense of ease, calmly awaiting his death. "I still have a little conscience about taking a child down with me. Who told you to disobey me?"

"Why?" Timothy still didn't understand the old man's motive for insisting on destroying the mine. In his eyes, that powerful force could clearly change the world.

The old man sighed deeply. In the end, he didn't want this boy of his own kind to become a fool. "I told you before, the royal family that left the continent took the last of the Grell Stone and the Grell Book with them. Why can't you understand?"

"You can easily fuse with the Grell Stone, and your blood can activate the array, which proves that you are undoubtedly royalty. As for Hyde, whom you mentioned, where did he learn about the Grell Stone? And how did he enable someone who shouldn't be able to fuse with the stone to use it? You blockhead, you should realize that the Grell Book, which originally belonged to royalty, fell into his hands!"

"Was your village really attacked by bandits?"

Timothy's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately retorted, "Of course! If it weren't for Lord Hyde saving me, I would..."

"Sigh, silly child, you won't believe anything I say now. Anyway, it's already the end, just consider it the ramblings of an old man..." The old man closed his eyes, deciding not to argue anymore.

The platform supporting them was collapsing more and more severely, and soon there was no place left to stand. However, their bodies, which were falling due to the suction, were suddenly fixed by a force. The old man, who had closed his eyes and was waiting for death, opened his eyes in surprise and saw a golden light.

"You two, don't move around."

An unusually large golden hand seized them, and the person controlling the hand was also golden, appearing to be a young boy. This striking gold, amidst the clash of black and light green, unexpectedly blossomed into a third color, vibrant and full of hope.

"You are... the one who fought me that night!" Timothy recognized the boy at a glance, because before that, he had never encountered an opponent who could make him feel immense pressure. Although he left with the old man, it was no different from running away. If this person wanted to chase, he could most likely catch up. It was just that his companion was holding the boy back.

The boy didn't answer, but quickly led them away from the dangerous darkness. Then, still holding them with his seemingly illusory yet incredibly strong giant hands, he propelled them at breakneck speed through the collapsed passage towards the surface. At first, the falling rocks were manageable, but later they came crashing down directly on them, leaving them nowhere to hide.

But the boy didn't care. He stretched out his hand and condensed a chakra ball that could cover the three of them. Just before the ruins collapsed, he managed to pull them out of the ground.