Konoha: Superman template, the spoiled brat becomes strong.

The argument between the two was interrupted by a sudden sandstorm.

The bandages left by the mysterious girl suddenly burst into flames, and a winding star map emerged from the bluish-purple flames.

The spirit orb in Naruto's arms trembled violently, and spiderweb-like cracks suddenly appeared all over the crystallized sand ninjas.

Sasuke's sword sheath slammed heavily against Naruto's lower back: it was going to shatter. He grabbed Naruto by the back of his collar and retreated hastily, the sound of shattering glass echoing from the desert behind them.

The moonlight suddenly dimmed by three degrees, and the position of the Big Dipper shifted strangely by two inches.

When Naruto touched the space-time scroll in his ninja tool pouch, he discovered that the Flying Thunder God Technique seal drawn on it with cinnabar was slowly melting.

Sasuke suddenly pressed down on his bleeding hand, and their blood mingled on the dragon vein crystal, forming a strange spiral—in the northwestern night sky, three crimson stars were forming a serpent's head pattern.

A muffled, thunderous tremor came from deep within the sand. The crystallized sand ninjas, which should have been solidified for twelve hours, were now slowly sinking along with the shattered crystal fragments.

Sasuke's sword tip suddenly burst into black flames, while the star-shaped mark on the back of Naruto's neck shone so brightly it almost scorched through his skin.

Sasuke's sword tip hissed amidst the black flames, and the tremors in the desert intensified.

The crystallized sand particles sink into the sand surface, forming vortices. Those crystals that should have been as hard as steel are now as brittle as thin ice.

The mysterious girl's bandage ash suddenly floated up, forming a glowing star ring around the three of them.

"Hold on tight!" Naruto grabbed the girl's wrist with his backhand, and the golden cloak formed by the Nine-Tails' chakra enveloped the three of them.

Sasuke's Amaterasu Fire collided with the crystallized sand wall, and the black flames burned spiderweb-like cracks on the surface of the transparent material.

A sandstorm swirled up shards of sand, and the snake tattoo behind the girl's ear suddenly glowed with a bluish light.

Sasuke's Sharingan suddenly contracted: You have... Before he could finish speaking, the sand ten meters away collapsed with a roar.

The residual chakra from the crystallized Sand Ninja created an energy turbulence that tore cracks in the ground beneath the three of them.

The star chart in the girl's arms unfolded automatically, and the bronze star markers of the Twenty-Eight Mansions jingled in the strong wind.

Naruto pressed the Spirit Orb into the central groove of the star chart, and the Loulan characters and stars lit up simultaneously.

As the Seven Killings Star's copper button popped up, Sasuke's Kusanagi sword suddenly turned and stabbed towards the girl's throat: Explain your relationship with the Dragon Vein! The tip of the sword was stopped by Naruto's kunai before it touched her skin, and sparks from the metal clashing splashed onto the star chart.

Now is not the time to talk about this! Naruto's forehead veins bulged, and the light of the Spirit Orb spread along the trajectory of the stars.

The sound of machinery whirring came from the bottom of the sand pit, and twelve Sand Village puppets burst out of the ground, their joints inlaid with chakra-absorbing magnets that gleamed with a dark red light.

The girl suddenly bit her fingertip and dripped blood onto the constellation Ophiuchus.

Amidst the intense light emanating from the spirit pearl, a teleportation array with a diameter of three meters appeared beneath the feet of the three.

Sasuke's black flames burned along the sword towards the group of puppets, only to be absorbed in reverse the instant they touched the magnet. This was developed by the Second Kazekage... His warning was drowned out by the roar of space distortion.

Naruto felt the mark on the back of his neck burning hot, like a branding iron. The moment the teleportation array activated, he caught a glimpse of the Sand Village rogue ninja headband slipping from the girl's sleeve.

Amidst the dizzying sensation of spatial displacement, Sasuke's Sharingan caught sight of the scorpion character engraved on the back of the star chart, while the Loulan script on the surface of the spirit pearl was reorganizing into a brand new sealing technique.

When their feet touched the ground again, the three of them stood in a sandstone formation that was bathed in the silvery light of the moon.

At the canyon entrance, a hundred meters away, the remaining light traces from the spirit pearl formed an arrow shape pointing northeast.

Just as Naruto was about to speak, he noticed that the teleportation array that had just been activated had left scorch marks on the ground resembling snake molts, and those marks were extending in the direction indicated by the spirit orb at a visible speed.

Sasuke's scabbard slammed heavily against the rock wall: Explanation. He stared at the puppet thread marks that were gradually appearing on the inside of the girl's wrist, the three tomoe slowly rotating in his eyes.

The hooting of an owl came from the depths of the canyon, carrying a metallic, grating sound.

Chapter 390 The Spirit Pearl's Guidance is a Trap

Naruto gripped the spirit orb tightly in his hand, beads of sweat sliding down his headband and into his collar.

The silver edge cast by the moonlight on the sandstone surface is being eroded by a dark purple hue, and the scorch marks resembling snake molts have spread to the mouth of the canyon, weaving into a network-like structure on the rock walls.

Sasuke's Kusanagi sword was held three inches from the girl's neck, the blade reflecting the puppet thread marks on the inside of her wrist turning from blue to red.

"It's Magnet Release Puppet Strings." The girl suddenly raised her left hand, the Sand Village rogue ninja headband faintly visible on her sleeve. "Look at the cracks in the Spirit Orb." Her fingertips brushed across the surface of the orb, and the previously reconstructed Loulan script suddenly emitted black mist.

The sealing array on the back of Naruto's neck suddenly contracted, causing him to kneel on one knee in pain, and the Nine-Tails' chakra uncontrollably overflowed from his fingertips.

Sasuke's Sharingan suddenly detected something unusual: the three tomoe glowed red in the night. The earth's veins at the two o'clock position were twisting. He picked up a piece of rock with the tip of his sword and threw it into the canyon. The rock suddenly fell vertically twenty meters away, as if swallowed by an invisible giant mouth.

The light arrow guided by the spirit pearl began to flicker, and tiny black tentacles split off from its tail.

When the first wisp of black mist wrapped around Naruto's ankle, Sasuke had already completed the Fire Release hand seals.

The Fireball spell condensed into ice crystals the moment it touched the mist, shattering into countless pieces on the ground.

The girl suddenly ripped open her left sleeve, revealing a star-shaped tattoo covering her entire arm: it was the Nether Sand of the Second Kazekage! Before she finished speaking, the entire canyon was shrouded in a thick, inky mist, which even swallowed up the moonlight.

Naruto used Shadow Clones to scout ahead, and the six clones froze as soon as they stepped into the fog.

Sasuke's Chidori Stream pierced through one of the clones, but the electric current flowed through the chakra and backfired on the main body.

Suddenly, the girl bit her right thumb and flicked the blood bead at the Spirit Orb: "I need to borrow your chakra!" Naruto couldn't stop her in time, and the Spirit Orb had already forcibly extracted 30% of the Nine-Tails' chakra.

A crimson halo expanded a barrier five meters in diameter, and the drifting black mist condensed into countless hand shapes outside the barrier.

The headband of the rogue Sand Village ninja was fake. Sasuke's sword suddenly pressed against the girl's throat, and his right hand formed the Cloud Village's Lightning Release seal. The sound of sand rubbing against each other came from outside the barrier, and the black mist hand began to rhythmically pat the barrier.

Naruto noticed a crescent-shaped scar on the girl's left earlobe, which was strikingly similar to the pattern of the sealing array on the back of his neck.

When the first crack appeared in the barrier, the girl suddenly crushed the pill hidden between her fingers.

Amidst the purple smoke, the puppet strings on her wrists swelled into chakra chains, instantly binding Naruto and Sasuke around their waists.

Just as Naruto was about to unleash his Tailed Beast Chakra, he saw the girl's pupils turn into snake-like vertical pupils: the Nether Sand was devouring the earth's veins, and the Spirit Orb's guidance was a trap! She tore off the necklace around her neck, and the magnet in the pendant suddenly attracted the surrounding black mist.

Sasuke's Sharingan finally saw through the truth—those scorched snake marks were not remnants of a teleportation array at all, but rather the molting skin of some kind of giant creature.

The Loulan script on the surface of the Spirit Pearl is undergoing a second recombination, and the resulting pattern perfectly matches the sealing technique on Naruto's abdomen.

Suddenly, the girl pressed the spirit pearl into her chest. The moment the chakra chains snapped, she rushed toward the gap in the barrier.

Wait! Naruto's shadow clone missed its target.

As the girl turned her head, the bloody tears streaming from her left eye traced an eerie arc in the night.

The headband of the rogue ninja in her sleeve suddenly melted into liquid metal, reforming into the outline of a scorpion-shaped puppet in the mist.

Sasuke's Kusanagi sword shattered the black mist hand that lunged at him, but the lightning wrapped around the sword was once again swallowed up.

As the girl's figure completely disappeared into the black mist, Naruto discovered that the burning pain from the sealing array on the back of his neck had turned into a bone-chilling cold.

Sasuke's Sharingan detected something wriggling deep within the mist, like countless molting snakes rebuilding their skeletons.

Before the remaining light arrow from the Spirit Orb completely extinguished, the symbol of Sunagakure suddenly appeared at the arrowhead, and embedded in the center of the symbol was the crescent-shaped scar on the girl's earlobe.

The sound of gold dust rubbing together came from deep within the canyon, and the vibrations of some kind of metal mechanism being activated traveled along the rock wall.

Just as Naruto was about to form hand seals, the sandstone beneath his feet suddenly collapsed into a vortex of quicksand.

Sasuke flung out a steel wire that got entangled in the rock pillar, only to find that the black mist was corroding his chakra along the wire.

As the last glimmer of light from the spirit orb vanished, the two simultaneously heard the sound of fabric tearing from the depths of the mist, followed by the muffled thud of a heavy object falling to the ground.

When Naruto heard the girl's scream coming from the depths of the thick fog, cold sweat had already seeped down his back.

Ignoring Sasuke's attempts to stop him, he unleashed a burst of Nine-Tails chakra beneath his feet, propelling himself into the black mist like an arrow.

The stinging sensation of the sand scraping against my cheek suddenly disappeared, and a thick darkness enveloped my entire body, making even my breathing feel sticky.

Sasuke's lightning flashed three meters behind him, and the moment the Chidori spear cleaved through the mist, they both saw the scene—a girl being pressed against a rock wall by six humanoid black figures, those faceless black creatures inserting their arms into her shoulders.

Dark purple lines spread along the wound, reacting violently with the puppet thread marks on her wrist.

Multiple Shadow Clone Technique! Naruto formed hand seals, and twenty clones pounced on the shadow.

However, the punches and kicks passed directly through the shadowy figure's body, as if striking an illusion formed by thick fog.

Sasuke's Sharingan spun rapidly, and he suddenly grabbed Naruto by the back of his collar and pulled him back: The chakra flow is wrong!

The clone, which was a step too late, suddenly twisted and deformed, and the black substance connected to the main body through the chakra and launched a counterattack.

Naruto groaned as he cut off his chakra supply, watching as his shadow clones were being assimilated by the black shadow, transforming into six new, pitch-black individuals.

The girl suddenly raised her neck and let out a sharp whistle.

Chapter 391 Give me the beads!

The shadowy figures that were about to touch her suddenly stopped, and ripples appeared on their surfaces.

She seized the opportunity to break free of her restraints and flung out three kunai crackling with electricity from her sleeve: a physical attack!

Sasuke's Kusanagi sword cut through the approaching black shadow, but the cut instantly healed.

The lightning chakra attached to the sword was swallowed by the black mist, forming tiny lightning patterns within the mist.

Naruto noticed that whenever the light from the Spirit Orb swept across the shadowy figures, their movements would slow down by a fraction.

"Give me the bead!" The girl suddenly bumped into Naruto's arms, her blood-stained fingers grabbing the spirit bead.

The Nine-Tails' chakra surged uncontrollably into the bead, and the Loulan script suddenly burst forth with a blood-red light.

The nearest dark figure emitted a scream like sandpaper being rubbed, and evaporated into black smoke in the red light.

Sasuke's Sharingan suddenly widened: Two o'clock! He threw out five shuriken attached with explosive tags.

Within the black mist ripped open by the explosion, the melting remains of a Sand Village puppet were revealed, with the magnet embedded in its core resonating with the spirit orb.

More shadowy figures seeped out from the rock face; this time they learned to keep their distance.

The girl placed the spirit orb in Naruto's palm, her fingers tracing the hand seals he was forming: "Use Wind Release in conjunction with my Lightning Release!" With her left hand, she formed the Lightning Tiger Chasing Fang Seal of Cloud Village, while with her right hand, she formed the Magnet Release Seal of Sand Village.

"Don't order me around!" Naruto complained, but he obediently cooperated and delivered the breakthrough speech.

The swirling air currents, carrying lightning, tore a passage through the mist.

As the shadowy figures dodged the lightning, they collided, and the Spirit Pearl took the opportunity to absorb the dissipated chakra, expanding the range of the red light to ten meters.

Sasuke's Chidori Stream suddenly changed direction, shattering a dark figure that was trying to flank him.

The Sharingan finally caught the key—each of the shadowy figures had the mark of a Sand Village puppet core on its chest.

He swung out a steel wire and wrapped it around the girl's wrist: These are improved puppet soldiers!

Only now did you realize? The girl snapped the steel wire, and lightning from her fingertips touched the ground.

Spiderweb-like currents spread along the sandstone, illuminating the chakra threads hidden in the mist.

The ends of the threads connecting the shadowy figures all led to the sealing array on the back of Naruto's neck.

The Spirit Pearl suddenly vibrated violently, and Naruto felt the Nine-Tails' chakra being frantically extracted.

A crimson pillar of light shot into the sky, and the Loulan script on the surface of the pillar reformed into sealing incantations.

All the shadowy figures simultaneously emitted shrieks, turning into black mist that was completely absorbed by the spirit orb.

As the last wisp of black mist disappeared, the rock wall in front of the three suddenly collapsed.

The moment the moonlight shone down again, Naruto saw a hundred-meter-high transparent barrier standing at the end of the canyon.

The surface of the barrier was covered with celestial patterns, and the patterns formed by the connecting constellations perfectly overlapped with the tattoo on the girl's arm.

Sasuke's sword tip lifted a strand of the girl's hair: "Now can you explain the relationship between the celestial tattoo and the puppet core?" In his Sharingan, the flow of chakra on the surface of the barrier was synchronized with the girl's breathing.

Naruto suddenly pressed his hand to the back of his neck, the chill of the sealing array already spreading to his collarbone.

The spirit pearl was burning hot in his palm, and the eight-pointed star symbol of Sunagakure was faintly visible inside the pearl, with each edge corresponding to a constellation point on the barrier.

The girl silently straightened her torn cuffs, the crescent-shaped scar on her earlobe gleaming faintly in the moonlight.

As she turned to face the barrier, the star chart suddenly lit up, and the projected light spots formed an hourglass-shaped symbol on the ground.

The night wind whipped up sand and gravel, which lashed against the surface of the barrier, producing a crisp, metallic clanging sound.

Naruto felt the Nine-Tails' chakra stirring restlessly within him, just like the instinctive sense of crisis he felt when facing Pain back then.

He gripped the still-warm spirit pearl tightly and noticed that the star chart on the barrier had begun to rotate clockwise.

Sasuke's Sharingan suddenly bled, and the three tomoe spun wildly in excruciating pain.

He saw something even more terrifying—each of the points of light that made up the constellation was a miniature version of the core of a Sand Village puppet, and the silver threads connecting them were clearly crystallized chakra of extremely high purity.

The girl suddenly knelt down, her fingers digging deep into the sand.

The celestial tattoo on her arm was bleeding, and where the blood dripped, ripples spread across the surface of the barrier.

When Naruto reached out to help her, the Nine-Tails' chakra suddenly let out a warning roar.