"The Uchiha clan is nearly wiped out… who released this?"
Morkel frowned as he stared at the crows circling above.
After the tragic annihilation of the Uchiha clan, only Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke remained. Morkel was very familiar with their chakra signatures. Though these crows carried a similar presence, it wasn't exactly the same.
Then, a thought struck him—someone else possessed Uchiha chakra.
Danzo.
Morkel narrowed his eyes, watching the crows closely.
Could Danzo be spying on me?
But why?
Unable to determine Danzo's motives, Morkel decided to stay silent and not alert the other party.
After finishing his grocery shopping, Morkel returned home using his teleportation skill and began cooking dinner. Once he was done, he immersed himself in studying the Stone of Grayl.
As his friend Hyde had mentioned, the stone contained an energy similar to chakra. Morkel, being a quick learner, had already discovered various ways to harness this power.
It could be used to set up magic circles, recharge chakra, and even perform medical procedures.
However, there was a problem—the Grayl Stone was incredibly rare.
The Iron Fortress relied on it for power, depleting the resource rapidly.
Morkel wondered: Could chakra serve as a substitute to power the Iron Fortress?
A Revolutionary Discovery
That night, an idea struck him. Without hesitation, he slipped out of his room and headed straight to the Iron Fortress.
Two days later, Morkel successfully modified the energy-absorbing device inside the fortress.
His invention allowed chakra to replace the Grayl Stone, enabling the Iron Fortress to move, fire weapons, and scout territory.
This breakthrough drastically reduced operating costs!
Now, the saved Grayl Stones could be used for developing other advanced technologies.
Standing in the fortress's main control room, Morkel poured his chakra into the modified system.
A mechanical click echoed through the fortress.
Numbers flashed across the screens.
The fortress trembled as gears turned.
Then—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The massive steel colossus, towering hundreds of meters high, took its first step!
Shock and Awe in Konoha
The people of Konoha Village rushed out in excitement.
"The Iron Fortress is moving!"
"Incredible! Our scientists are amazing!"
"With this fortress, no village will dare challenge us!"
"All thanks to Morkel!"
Someone shouted, "Don't call him a brat! He's the next Hokage, show some respect!"
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, Tsunade stood by the window, arms crossed, watching the Iron Fortress march forward.
"I told them to study the stone before touching the fortress…"
A researcher bowed and replied, "Hokage-sama, we've been studying the stone. No one entered the fortress today."
"Huh?" Tsunade blinked.
"Then who's piloting the fortress right now?"
Morkel's Groundbreaking Feat
Morkel continued maneuvering the fortress, experimenting with its speed control device.
By adjusting chakra input, he could increase speed, enhance artillery power, and optimize movement.
"This is brilliant," Morkel muttered in satisfaction.
His experiment was a success. He decided to report it to the Hokage.
However, the moment he stepped out of the fortress, he froze.
A massive crowd surrounded him.
Anbu, security teams, bodyguards—nearly all of Konoha's elite warriors stood before him!
Morkel scratched his head. "What's with the crowd?"
Tsunade pushed through the gathering, arms still crossed. "What did you just do?"
Morkel looked innocent. "Nothing. Just upgraded the fortress's energy system. Now it runs on chakra."
The crowd erupted into chaos.
A scientist blurted out, "How did you do it?!"
Realizing his outburst, he cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "I mean, can you share your method?"
Morkel calmly explained, "First, you modify the device like this… then tweak it this way… and finally fine-tune it ten times."
The researchers stared at him, dumbfounded.
"You're speaking in plain words, right? Then why can't we understand anything?!"
Tsunade was equally stunned. "Wait… you're saying we no longer need Grayl Stones? The fortress runs entirely on chakra?"
Morkel nodded. "Yeah. But it's a chakra glutton. Just circling the village a few times drained one-thousandth of my chakra."
Silence.
One-thousandth?
Morkel had been operating the fortress for over ten minutes.
That meant his total chakra reserve was… absurd!
One researcher gasped, "If an ordinary ninja requires ten people's worth of chakra per minute to keep it running, then Morkel's chakra is equivalent to millions?!"
Tsunade sighed. "You've done enough for today. Go home and rest."
As Morkel prepared to leave, he suddenly pulled Tsunade aside.
"Tsunade-sama, what kind of person is Danzo?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"
Morkel shrugged. "No reason. Just curious. He's always lurking in the shadows… kinda creepy."
Tsunade chuckled. "You? Afraid of Danzo? That's a first."
Morkel laughed it off and teleported home.
A Dark Omen
In the following days, Morkel, Naruto, and Sai continued their missions as usual.
After one mission, Sai leaned in and whispered, "Be careful these days."
Morkel frowned. "What do you mean?"
Sai didn't explain. He simply flew away on his ink eagle.
Morkel stood there, puzzled.
That night, as he studied illusion techniques, there was a sudden knock on his door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Morkel glanced at the clock—past 1 AM.
He carefully got up, not wanting to wake Naruto, and opened the door.
A ninja in dark attire stood outside.
Anbu? At this hour?
Morkel raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"
The Anbu motioned for him to follow.
Morkel hesitated but agreed.
The Trap at Nanga Bridge
They arrived at Nanga Bridge, far from the village.
A lone figure stood at the center—Danzo.
Morkel tensed.
Danzo's cold gaze sent chills down his spine.
"Why is Danzo here? Hokage-sama was supposed to be waiting…"
The Anbu beside him suddenly spoke, his tone turning sharp.
"Danzo-sama's name must be spoken with respect!"
At that moment, Danzo activated a barrier—trapping Morkel inside!
From the shadows, dozens of ninjas emerged, surrounding him.
A well-laid ambush.
Morkel's mind raced.
"You admire me, Danzo? Then why set a trap?"
Danzo smirked. "Powerful people like you must either join me… or be eliminated."
He slowly unwrapped the bandage covering his right eye.
A Three-Tomoe Sharingan stared back at Morkel.
Then—
The tomoe spun rapidly, forming a windmill pattern.
Danzo growled:
"Distinguished Heavenly Gods!"
Morkel's body froze in place.
A sinister smile crept onto Danzo's face.
"The strongest illusion… inescapable… absolute control over your will."
Morkel's mind spiraled into chaos.
His thoughts clashed against each other.
Danzo chuckled darkly.
"No matter how powerful you are… you will submit to me."
To be continued…
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