Konoha: Superman template, the spoiled brat becomes strong.

The moonlight was obscured by dark clouds, plunging the canyon into a deathly darkness.

The star chart on the barrier stopped rotating, and the iconic scorpion totem of Sunagakure slowly emerged at the position of the brightest North Star.

Chapter 392 Magnetic Escape

Naruto's back pressed against the scorching rock wall, the Nine-Tails' chakra pulsating beneath his skin.

The celestial map flowing across the barrier cast purplish-blue light and shadow on the tip of his sweaty nose. The silver threads woven from chakra crystals were slowly closing in, like a spider web gradually tightening.

127,600 nodes. Sasuke wiped the blood from the corner of his eye. His three-tomoe Sharingan reflected the densely packed light points of the puppet's core, each node absorbing natural energy. He threw out three shuriken to test the barrier; the steel blades melted into molten iron before even touching it, sizzling on the sand.

The girl suddenly ripped open her blood-stained sleeve, revealing a star tattoo on the inside of her forearm.

As moonlight pierced the barrier, the constellation patterns perfectly aligned with the stars in the sky. This was the Shukaku sealing formation of the First Kazekage of Sunagakure. She drew distorted symbols on the sand with her blood, when Naruto suddenly grabbed her fingertips.

Your hands are trembling. Naruto felt the cold, dampness of the girl's palms, and the Nine-Tails' chakra suddenly roared.

He then noticed that the other person's neck had fine, scaly patterns, like ancient pottery eroded by wind and sand.

Sasuke's Kusanagi sword suddenly buzzed, its tip pointing at the girl's throat: "You smell like Shukaku." His Sharingan clearly revealed the grains of sand wriggling within the scar on her earlobe, those grains pulsating rhythmically as the star chart rotated.

At that moment, the barrier emitted a thunderous roar like bells and chimes.

The scorpion-shaped totem at the North Star location cracked open, and tens of thousands of miniature puppets, like army ants swarming out of their nest, surged towards the three along the silver chakra channels.

Naruto instinctively opened the Nine-Tails Chakra Cloak, only to find that the orange flames were suppressed to half an inch above his body by some force.

It's Magnet Release! Sasuke swung his sword and shattered the onrushing horde of puppets. Suddenly, his Sharingan caught sight of the pendant on the girl's chest—the bronze plaque engraved with the code name of the Sand Village's Anbu gleamed with a ghostly blue light under the moonlight.

The puppet army suddenly turned around, unleashing a torrential downpour of poisoned skewer bullets at Naruto.

The girl suddenly threw herself into Naruto's arms.

Just as the three senbon needles were about to pierce her back, Naruto's pupils suddenly contracted, and the Nine-Tails' chakra erupted uncontrollably.

The spirit pearl exploded in his palm with a blinding white light, and at that moment the girl's lips pressed against his burning forehead, and a drop of cool blood slid down the bridge of her nose and into their touching skin.

The Kazekage's bloodline requires sacrifice. Her eyelashes brushed against the fox-whisker pattern on Naruto's face, and the scar on her earlobe suddenly burst forth with red light.

The star chart on the barrier's surface began to rotate counterclockwise, and tens of thousands of puppets froze in mid-air, like flying insects solidified in amber.

Sasuke's Kusanagi sword pierced the ground, and lightning chakra flowed into the earth's veins along the sword.

When the lightning collided with the star chart, creating a purple arc of electricity, he saw clearly the talisman drawn by the girl with her blood—a reverse sealing technique using three different bloodline limits superimposed.

"Last-place finisher!" Sasuke's roar startled the dazed Naruto. The core node was at the three o'clock position!

The Rasengan, carrying the white light of the Spirit Pearl, struck the third joint of the scorpion-shaped totem, causing spiderweb-like cracks to spread across the barrier's surface.

Suddenly, the girl bit her tongue and pressed her bloodied fingertip against Naruto's heart.

The moment the Nine-Tails' chakra resonated with some ancient seal, a crisp cracking sound came from inside the Spirit Orb.

As the first rays of dawn pierced the clouds, the barrier shattered into a shower of stardust.

Naruto staggered and knelt on one knee. The residual spiritual pearl in his palm was incredibly hot, and the Nine-Tails' chakra was surging through his meridians at a speed more than ten times faster than usual.

Sasuke's Sharingan remained active, with new angles faintly emerging at the edges of the three tomoe.

The girl stood atop the sand dune, straightening her tattered clothes, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the newly formed diamond-shaped mark below her collarbone.

As she gazed at the smoke rising from the direction of Konoha Village, the grains of sand in the scar on her earlobe suddenly coalesced into the shape of a miniature Shukaku, only to quietly scatter as she turned away.

Chapter 393 The New Circulation System

The cracks in the barrier shattered with a crisp sound as the Rasengan struck, and the white light emanating from between Naruto's fingers suddenly intertwined with the Nine-Tails' chakra to form a golden-red vortex.

The girl's fingers, which were pressed against his chest, suddenly became hot. Three diamond-shaped marks traveled along his veins into his meridians, instantly compressing the restless tailed beast chakra into solidified liquid energy.

"Sand Rain!" The girl suddenly spun around and flung out her blood-stained hair ribbon, which disintegrated into tens of thousands of magnetic sand particles in the air.

Sasuke's Lightning Release struck at that very moment, and blue-purple arcs of electricity flowed along the magnetic sand network, scorching black hexagram patterns onto the barrier's surface.

Naruto felt a strange tingling sensation running down his spine, as if countless grains of sand were being reassembled in his bone marrow.

The Nine-Tails' chakra cloak expanded uncontrollably, and wherever the three materialized fox tails swept, the puppet remains spontaneously coalesced into a new scorpion-shaped totem.

The girl suddenly bit her lip, exhaling her bloody breath behind Naruto's ear: "Don't resist Shukaku's chakra!"

From deep within the barrier came Shukaku's roar, and the scorpion tail in the center of the star chart suddenly stabbed towards Naruto's crown.

Sasuke's Kusanagi sword suddenly blocked the path of his attack. The immense force the sword bore caused him to kneel on one knee in the sand. The three tomoe of his Sharingan spun wildly: "You loser, pour the Tailed Beast Ball into the life gate in the northwest corner!"

The Rasengan in Naruto's palm suddenly collapsed into a pitch-black sphere, and the golden runes floating on its surface were the reverse seal that the girl had drawn with her blood earlier.

The moment the Tailed Beast Ball touched the barrier itself, nine chains formed from magnetic sand shot out from the girl's sleeves, precisely binding the twelve puppet cores on the outer edge of the barrier.

A thunderous roar of rocks shattering came from deep within the earth's veins, and blood suddenly seeped from Sasuke's Sharingan.

Within his enhanced vision by his eye technique, tens of thousands of chakra threads were weaving a brand new circulatory system within Naruto's body—the ferocity of the Nine-Tails, the chilling coldness of Shukaku, and the purity of the Spirit Orb were perfectly fused into emerald-colored chakra flames.

"break!"

The three roared simultaneously, and the Tailed Beast Ball, entangled with magnetic sand and lightning, exploded with a deafening roar.

The fragments of the barrier lingered in the air for half a second before suddenly transforming into a sandstorm that swept in the opposite direction, shaving the sand dunes within a ten-mile radius down by three inches.

Naruto was knocked to the ground by the shockwave and discovered a diamond-shaped mark on the back of his right hand that resembled the girl's collarbone. The speed at which his chakra flowed was fifteen times faster than before the battle.

As the outline of the Konoha Watchtower appeared on the horizon, Sasuke suddenly pressed the hilt of his sword against the girl's throat: "Your Magnet Release is purer than the Fourth Kazekage's." His Sharingan reflected the Shukaku chakra pulsating in the scar on her earlobe, the sand grains combining to form the cipher symbols of the Sand Village's Dark Side.

The girl silently unbuttoned her collar, revealing the gradually fading Shukaku tattoo on her shoulder blade.

As the first rays of dawn illuminated the side of her neck, Naruto suddenly pressed down on Sasuke's sword hilt: "She saved us seven times." The Nine-Tails' chakra cloak vibrated unconsciously, shaking the sand from the girl's hair into tiny specks of chakra light.

As noon approached, cheers could be clearly heard at the south gate of Konoha.

As Sakura Haruno led the medical team up the city wall, Kakashi suddenly grabbed her shoulder.

The silver-haired Jonin narrowed his one eye slightly, looking at the magnetic sand dust that had not yet dissipated behind Naruto: "Notify the Anbu to prepare a level three alert barrier."

The moment the three crossed the moat, Sasuke's Kusanagi sword suddenly emitted a buzzing sound.

The ninja dogs that were frolicking on the street all tucked their tails between their legs, the barbecue restaurant sign trembled without wind, and the morning market stalls, which had not yet been cleaned up, remained exactly as they had been when they left.

Naruto scratched his itchy fox whisker pattern and discovered that the Nine-Tails' chakra was surging restlessly in his meridians.

"The welcoming ceremony was far too sparse." Sasuke's fingertips traced the door frame of the weapon shop, leaving clear fingerprints on the accumulated dust.

The girl suddenly bent down to tie her shoelaces, and as she stood up, she casually stuffed something into Naruto's ninja tool bag—it was half of a bloodstained Sand Village headband with tiny puppet connection slots engraved on the edge.

The Hokage Rock gleamed an unnatural bluish-gray in the sunlight, and the piercing cries of crows echoed from the direction of the Seventh Training Ground.

As Naruto stepped onto the stone-paved main road, Kurama suddenly let out a low growl of warning in his consciousness.

A kind of chakra, more subtle than any barrier, was spreading along the earth's veins, wrapping around the ankles of every villager like a spider web.

Chapter 394 Magnet Seal Technique

The cracks in the stone pavement are deeper than they were two weeks ago.

Naruto crushed the newly grown moss in the crack with his toe, and the Nine-Tails' chakra surged even more violently in his meridians.

He subconsciously pressed his lower abdomen, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sasuke inspecting the dust on the door frame of the weapons shop—the dust piled up in shapes that looked exactly like some kind of talisman.

Naruto-kun. The girl suddenly grabbed his wristband, the coolness from his fingertips instantly calming the Nine-Tails' chakra. He looked at the third telephone pole to the east.

Three crows were hanging upside down from an insulating porcelain bottle by their claws, their blood-red eyes following their movements.

Naruto recalled the cries coming from the direction of the Seventh Training Ground, and suddenly a cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck.

Kurama sneered in his consciousness: The lingering scent of Magnet Release mixed with bone and phosphorus dust... those puppet-playing scum from Sunagakure...

The ANBU patrol route has changed. Sasuke suddenly spoke, the hum of the Kusanagi sword resonating with the wind chimes under the eaves thirty meters away.

Two undercover agents who should have been patrolling the commercial street were now crouching behind the chimney of a bathhouse, taking notes.

The barbecue restaurant owner rushed out carrying a wooden basin, which was still piled with unwashed radishes.

The plump woman, who always piled extra grilled beef tongue onto Team 7's apron, now had suspicious purple stains on it. "Naruto!" she cried, her eyes red-rimmed, as she shoved a radish into Naruto's arms—a radish that had just been chilled with spring water from the back mountain yesterday...

The moment Naruto caught the carrot, Kurama's chakra suddenly pierced his fingertip.

Bright red chakra threads followed the texture of the radish skin, and three puppet joints the size of sesame seeds were found at the root.

He grinned nonchalantly: "Come over for our special miso-grilled beef tongue tonight!"

As they turned the corner, the girl suddenly stumbled and bumped into Naruto's back.

Twelve children, each wearing a blue ribbon, emerged from the side path carrying wildflowers. The girl at the front tiptoed and placed a wreath around Naruto's neck.

Dew-kissed bellflowers brushed against his bristling fox-like markings, and Kurama suddenly roared in his consciousness space: Back off!

But Naruto had already knelt down and ruffled the little girl's bangs: "Brother is going to the Hokage Building now." Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end—all the children's wrists were tied with dark green knots, clearly the chakra threads used by the puppeteers of Sunagakure to control their puppets.

"Big brother's eyes are so beautiful." The little girl suddenly reached out and touched the corner of his eye, and Naruto saw dark red bits embedded in her fingernails.

Those were fragments of a puppet he shattered three days ago at the border of the Land of Wind.

The sound of Sasuke's sword sheath hitting the bluestone slab with a heavy thud startled the children.

When Naruto got up, he saw the girl using a kunai to remove the flower wreath. The severed bellflower stem was oozing indigo sap, which corroded honeycomb-like holes in the stone pavement.

"Seven o'clock." Sasuke lowered his voice.

Three villagers who were drying bedding suddenly turned around in unison, their wooden clothespins vibrating at the same frequency.

Naruto noticed that their shadows were three times lighter than normal people's, like ink stains that had been exposed to the sun.

When the Hokage Tower finally came into view, the Nine-Tails' chakra suddenly twisted into a sharp spiral in Naruto's stomach.

He leaned against a telephone pole and dry heaved, vaguely seeing golden sand shimmering in his vomit—exactly the same gold dust used by the Magnet Release ninja he killed in Sunagakure three days ago.

Your chakra is resisting a certain resonance. The girl wiped his mouth with her sleeve, and Naruto suddenly smelled the stronger herbal scent emanating from her.

He had only ever smelled this scent in the puppet workshop of Chiyo, the elder of Sunagakure.

Sasuke suddenly used the tip of his sword to poke a stray cat on the roadside.

The orange cat, which should have bristled and fled, remained frozen like a specimen, half a puppet's shaft protruding from its belly. The entire village's chakra circulation system had been compromised. Three tomoe spun wildly in his Sharingan; this was no ordinary puppet technique...

Naruto clenched his fist, his nails digging deep into the old scars on his palm.

Three days ago, the curse of that Sand Village rogue ninja before his death suddenly echoed in his ears: When gold dust seeps into the earth's veins, the puppet will gain a heartbeat under the sunlight. At the time, he thought it was just the ravings of a loser.

The guard in front of the Hokage Building was none other than Shizune.

The medical ninja who always punched him on the head with superhuman strength was mechanically flipping through the entry and exit register.

When Naruto was five steps away from the steps, she suddenly looked up and gave him a standard yet eerie smile: Lady Tsunade is waiting for you.

Sasuke's sword sliced ​​through the air and landed across Naruto's chest.

They all saw it—the pale blue lines that appeared on Shizune's neck, which were clearly traces of the spread of the latest poison from Sunagakure.

The real Shizune should be training with Tsunade in the Shikkotsu Forest right now.

Naruto's shadow clones had already condensed a Rasengan in his palm, but Kurama's chakra suddenly went out of control.

He heard his bones making a clicking sound like a puppet's axle, as if countless golden sands were flowing through his veins toward his heart.

A cold light flashed through the window of the Hokage's office; it was sunlight reflecting off Tsunade's chakra scalpel—but the color was an eerie bluish-gray.

The wooden door to the Hokage's office opened automatically in front of the three of them, and a damp, musty smell mixed with a certain sweet incense wafted out.

Naruto's neck hairs suddenly stood on end—this wasn't Tsunade's usual office.

The rosewood table, which should have been piled high with scrolls, has been transformed into a dark red puppet control panel. All the portraits of the Hokage from previous generations have disappeared from the walls, replaced by a spiderweb woven from dense chakra threads.

"Team Seven is too slow." Sitting behind the puppet platform, "Tsunade" rolled her bluish-gray eyes, her voice like the noise of sandpaper rubbing against iron.

Naruto noticed that the same poison patterns as Shizune appeared below her earlobe, and those blue veins were pulsating eerily in rhythm with her speech.

Sasuke's Kusanagi sword suddenly vibrated at a high frequency, and sparks flew as the blade sliced ​​through the air.

The mysterious girl's kunai pierced the crack in the floor with pinpoint accuracy, and three almost transparent chakra threads snapped instantly.

Naruto instantly realized that this was the highest-level puppet substitution technique in Sunagakure—someone was remotely controlling the Hokage's body.

"Kurama!" Naruto roared in his consciousness space, his crimson tailed beast chakra erupting like a volcano.

But the moment the chakra touched the puppet Tsunade, countless gold dust particles suddenly poured down from the ceiling, forming a constantly rotating sealing array at his feet.