Chapter Fifty-One: The Stone of Grell

Orochimaru returned from the moon to Earth, emerging from a deep pool—the exit set by the Gate of Space.

If memory served, this place was quite close to the ruins of the Hidden Leaf Village.

“Who are you?” Timothy drew his sword and pointed it at Orochimaru, demanding an answer.

He stood at the water’s edge, his expression cold. Timothy loved peace, but believed peace required necessary sacrifices.

Many had died by his hand.

“Who am I?” Orochimaru walked out of the deep pool step by step, nonchalantly saying, “I advise you to put away your weapon.”

He was in good spirits and had no intention of killing anyone.

Timothy frowned. Having lived for years in a mobile fortress, he knew nothing of ninja powers and certainly didn’t recognize Orochimaru.

With raised brows, he ordered his puppet soldiers to attack.

Orochimaru’s expression remained unchanged. His clothes were damp, so he spat out a fire technique to dry them. The puppet soldiers surrounded him, and he increased the flames, burning them all to ashes.

“What’s this?” The soldiers’ outer armor melted, exposing the blank-eyed humans inside, most of them teenagers.

“Using human youths to make puppet soldiers?” Orochimaru scoffed. Such methods were far too primitive.

A waste of human life, resulting only in steel toys—nothing worthy of attention.

“Damn it!” Seeing his puppet soldiers destroyed, Timothy raised his sword and charged at Orochimaru. Unlike the puppets, he was fast and strong, and his blade glowed with light.

This was the power of the Grell Stone.

“For peace!” Timothy shouted, swinging his sword down from above with daunting momentum.

Orochimaru didn’t even bother to dodge. He formed hand seals and pressed his palms to the ground—Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall.

A wall of earth rose, and as Timothy leaped to strike from above, he was blocked, pushed higher, and embedded into the ceiling of the cave.

Too weak.

Orochimaru followed with a Water Style technique. The nearby pool provided great power, blasting a huge hole in the earth wall and cave ceiling. The human fell, buried under the rubble—probably dead.

He was just an ordinary human, not particularly strong. Most likely dead.

But dead or alive, Orochimaru didn’t care. He was about to leave when a battered figure leapt from the debris, sword raised to strike again.

“Thunder God Lightning!”

The sword radiated blinding light, seemingly powerful.

Orochimaru’s face remained calm. He used Substitution Jutsu. His opponent had no experience fighting ninjas and couldn’t pinpoint his true form.

As expected, Timothy’s sword crashed down on the wooden substitute, splitting it in two.

“What!?” The damage revealed the substitute’s true nature, and Timothy was stunned.

Orochimaru himself jumped from the side. Seizing the moment while Timothy’s technique was spent and he was still shocked, Orochimaru grabbed Timothy’s throat, lifting him off the ground as he struggled.

“Interesting,” Orochimaru said, extending his tongue to lick his lips.

This man was clearly an ordinary human, yet he survived the attack and retaliated with formidable power. There was a secret here.

Orochimaru activated his Byakugan, tracing the chakra within Timothy’s body, ultimately discovering the Grell Stone located at his heart.

“What is this?”

Chakra surged in Orochimaru’s hand, forming a chakra scalpel. He cut open Timothy’s chest and extracted the Grell Stone.

“Ah!” Timothy cried out in pain.

…

Meanwhile, inside the mobile fortress, Lord Hyde, ruler of Utopia, discussed cooperation with Shikamaru, Sakura, and Rock Lee.

Lord Hyde wore a cheerful smile. “We can cooperate, but once we conquer Hidden Sound Village, I want all their prisoners!”

Shikamaru frowned. “Lord of Utopia, right now we should focus on the strength of Hidden Sound’s leader, Orochimaru.”

Lord Hyde chuckled quietly, patting his gloved hand, where a Grell Stone was embedded, granting him immense power. He was supremely confident.

“You seem to overestimate that Orochimaru. Perhaps I should reconsider our partnership,” Hyde’s tone was calm but his words were forceful.

Sakura and Rock Lee gritted their teeth, about to speak, but Shikamaru held them back, his expression grave. “Lord Hyde, have you considered the possibility that we may not be able to defeat Orochimaru, leader of Hidden Sound?”

Hyde narrowed his eyes, turning away to gaze out the window. The room was high up; the view outside was unobstructed.

“Don’t ask me that again. I will not lose.” Hyde’s voice was cool. Images of the Grell Stone’s might flashed through his mind—a power capable of destroying the world.

He planned to unify the world; Hidden Sound was merely a minor obstacle.

Just then, a female warrior in armor entered.

“Lord Hyde, Timothy seems to have discovered a vein!”

Hyde turned, excitement lighting his face. “A vein? It’s been found?”

According to reports, the Grell Stone vein was nearby, though its exact location remained unknown.

“Hurry!” Hyde was eager to find Timothy himself.

“You seem to lack faith in my power. Come with me, and I’ll show you,” Hyde said to Shikamaru and his companions.

…

In the cave, Orochimaru pulled out the Grell Stone and tossed Timothy aside, focusing on the stone.

He could see it contained immense chakra, comparable to a normal ninja’s reserves.

“It seems not quite like chakra,” Orochimaru frowned.

The energy in the Grell Stone was different from that refined by the human body—apparently natural energy transformed through some unknown means, stored within this stone.

Stronger than chakra.

“Fascinating—a method to convert natural energy.”

Perhaps this could lead to a new Sage Mode.

Orochimaru looked at Timothy. “What’s the story with this stone? Are you a soldier from a certain nation nearby?”

He considered investigating.

Timothy, gravely injured and lying on the ground, groaned. Hearing Orochimaru’s question, hope flashed in his eyes, quickly hidden from view.

He grunted, acting tough. “I won’t tell you anything!”

In truth, this was Timothy’s scheme. He didn’t believe Orochimaru could defeat Lord Hyde, so Orochimaru’s interest in Utopia pleased him.

But he couldn’t make it obvious—if Orochimaru sensed something amiss, he might change his mind. So Timothy feigned stubbornness, trying to reveal information in a way that seemed reluctant.

Orochimaru immediately saw through Timothy’s ploy. Timothy was too inexperienced; his acting poor. But Orochimaru decided to play along.

He approached, and a snake slithered from his sleeve onto Timothy’s body, winding around his arm, its head facing him.

“Will you talk?” Orochimaru asked mildly.

“I’ll talk, I’ll talk! My country, Utopia, is nearby. I’ll take you there!” Timothy feigned terror.

In his heart, he believed Orochimaru was doomed.

Crack! Crack!

Suddenly, the sound of bones breaking echoed. The snake around Timothy’s arm squeezed, snapping the limb, and opened its jaws to devour it.

Timothy cried out in pain, utterly confused—why wasn’t Orochimaru following the script?

He’d already confessed, so why did the snake still break his arm?