Konoha: Superman template, the spoiled brat becomes strong.

In a daze, he heard Ziyuan's voice.

It was a rainy night in the Land of Waves. She stood in front of him, holding an umbrella, water dripping from her hair, her eyes shining like stars: "You always say you're a playboy, but I know you know better than anyone what you should do."

"What needs to be done..." he murmured, his fingers pressed against his chest.

The lightning patterns there had spread to his neck, and the blood vessels under his skin were clearly visible, like purple centipedes crawling all over him.

But his eyes grew brighter and brighter, and a clear light returned to his gray pupils.

When his consciousness returned to the real world, the figure of the Messenger of Destiny had completely vanished, leaving only a wisp of black mist that slipped into the black rift that tore through space.

His bone wings were almost completely shattered, with only a few tattered feathers hanging on his back, dripping with dark red blood.

Bai Ye bent down and picked up a fragment of the Second Hokage's bone from beside his feet, gently stroking the patterns on it with his fingertips.

Then he looked up at the sky, where the spatial rift was closing. Before the last wisp of black mist disappeared, he heard the messenger of destiny's cold laughter: Go to Konoha and see if the answer you are looking for is another abyss.

He did not respond.

He simply pressed his hand to his chest, where the ninja world map mark was still burning hot.

He could feel that Darui's lightning was resonating with the fragments of the golden chains, weaving a net of light within his body, temporarily slowing the loss of his life force.

Darui, Shion... He whispered to the void, "You said you wanted me to see a more beautiful ninja world for you."

Now, I roughly know where to begin.

A sudden gust of night wind whipped up a cloud of blood.

Bai Ye staggered forward two steps and coughed up another mouthful of black blood.

But his steps were steady, as if he had chosen a certain direction.

Under the moonlight, his shadow was stretched long, eventually disappearing on the mountain path leading to Konoha Village.

Unseen by him, deep within the forbidden area of ​​Konoha Village, a stone tablet inscribed with the words "Divine Tree" suddenly began to glow faintly.

The soil beneath the monument cracked open, releasing wisps of black mist identical to that emanating from the body of the messenger of destiny.

Chapter 539 The Foundation of Yin-Yang Escape

Moonlight cast a silvery frost on the bluestone steps behind Konoha. As Byakuya's boots crunched over the last layer of withered leaves, he caught a whiff of the familiar scent of decay and life—the unique aroma of Konoha's forbidden grounds, a blend of the rings of thousand-year-old trees and the chakra remnants of countless ninjas.

He raised his hand to his chest, and the markings of the ninja world map rose and fell with his breath, like a red-hot iron outlining the Land of Fire beneath his skin.

Suddenly, the two ancient pine trees at the entrance to the forbidden area trembled, revealing the stone gate that had been hidden in the shadows of the trees.

But what greeted him was not the silence he had imagined, but a pale purple barrier, rippling like the surface of water.

The voice of the messenger, shrouded in metallic coldness, seeped from behind the barrier: Welcome to the beginning of everything, White Night.

The true secret of the will of the living is hidden here.

Bai Ye's pupils contracted slightly.

He took a half step back and observed his surroundings by the moonlight—the stone tablet in the center of the forbidden area, half-hidden in the weeds, finally revealed its full appearance. The mottled stone surface was engraved with an intricate Yin-Yang twin array, with black and white patterns intertwined like living things, and it even bore some resemblance to the golden chains on his bone wings.

The Yin-Yang Escape formation base. He muttered to himself.

Unconsciously, his fingertips caressed the bone wings at his waist, where the lingering warmth of Darui's lightning still remained.

Three days ago, at the border of the Land of Lightning, the purple lightning that pierced the sky not only saved his life by half, but also caused the fragments of chains in his body to resonate with the Raikage's chakra. At this moment, they are traveling along his meridians, replenishing his chakra that had been depleted by the black mist.

Before the words were even finished, the barrier suddenly vanished as if ice and snow were melting away.

A semi-transparent phantom emerged from behind the stone tablet, with white hair tied up high and a leaf ornament on his forehead—it was none other than the late Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

His gaze swept over the mark on Bai Ye's chest, then fell on the pair of bone wings, his expression as serious as when he stood on the Fire Shadow Rock overlooking the village: If anyone sees these words, it means that the conspiracy of the Chosen One has been exposed.

You must understand, the will of the living is not the means to seal the evil god... He paused, and a faint glow of chakra emanated from the tip of the phantom's finger. Instead, it was the power of the ninja's conviction that was used to maintain the existence of the evil god.

Bai Ye's breathing suddenly faltered.

He recalled the fishermen he saw kneeling in front of the shrine in the Land of Water, the boys of Iwagakure in the Land of Earth shouting slogans for the village in the training ground, and how he once thought those burning beliefs were the light that would protect the ninja world—but they were just nourishment.

Where is the real sealing technique? His voice was deep, and his bone wings unconsciously unfolded half an inch behind him. The wind he created swept up a few withered leaves that hit Hiruzen Sarutobi's phantom image, but they passed right through.

The Third Hokage pointed to a crack at the bottom of the stone tablet that was almost integrated with the stone's texture: the key to deciphering it lay in the coded message carved by successive Hokage using chakra.

Bai Ye knelt on one knee, pressing his fingertips against the crack.

Chakra flowed into his fingertips, and the stone patterns suddenly glowed with golden light. The cracks split open like blooming flowers, revealing stone steps extending downwards.

A musty smell mixed with the damp earthy scent rose up. He took out the kunai from his waist, ignited his chakra, and looked down by the firelight—at the end of the stone steps was a circular altar, with a crystal as tall as a person standing in the center, and countless pale blue runes floating in it, like imprisoned stars.

Resonance of Lightning... He pressed his hand to his chest, and Darui's lightning suddenly exploded within his body. Fragments of golden chains rushed up his arms through his veins, condensing into tiny chains of light at his fingertips.

Chapter 540 Whose scheme is it exactly?

When the tip of the bone wing gently touched the crystal, the entire altar trembled.

The runes spun wildly, projecting blurry words onto the crystal surface: Only sacrifice can bring liberation, only faith can restore order.

This is... Bai Ye's words were cut off by the hum of the crystal.

He gritted his teeth, and his bone wings expanded to their maximum extent, with all twelve bone spikes simultaneously piercing the crystal core.

The golden chains, as if alive, burrowed into the crystal's cracks, instantly activating the seal within—countless images flashed before his eyes: the First Hokage, Hashirama, confronting Madara at the Valley of the End, a wooden dragon formed from chakra entwined with shimmering black mist; the Second Hokage, Tobirama, drawing sealing incantations in a secret chamber, sweat dripping from his brow onto the scroll, the ink strangely transforming into chains; the Third Hokage himself closing his eyes before the altar, chakra flowing like a stream into the stone tablet...

Yes, you've finally seen the truth. The messenger's voice licked your ear like a snake's tongue, but can you afford the price?

The image suddenly distorted.

Byakuya saw the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, smiling at the festival, but behind him, black mist was drilling into his heart along his chakra meridians; the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, shouted "Iwagakure will live forever" on the battlefield, but his belief turned into particles of light and was swallowed by an invisible mouth in the air; even when Darui raised his sword in the thunderstorm, there were a few wisps of black mist floating in the lightning he thought was hope.

This is a deception that has lasted for hundreds of years. Bai Ye felt a bloody taste in his throat, but his laughter was more like a grimace. He fed the evil god with the beliefs of ninjas, and then used the will of the living to make us willingly sacrifice ourselves.

Suddenly, the crystal emitted a blinding white light.

Bai Ye was thrown to the ground by the impact, his back slamming against the altar's stone wall, the blood he coughed up congealing into black in the air.

He saw spiderweb-like cracks appear in the center of the crystal, and violent energy surged out like a tide, its target the ninja world map mark on his heart—the hub connecting him to the beliefs of all ninjas.

Hurry up... this is the only thing I can do for you.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's phantom image suddenly blocked his way.

The Third Hokage's chakra patterns flickered violently in the energy surge, like a candle flame in the wind.

He turned to Byakuya and gave him the same gentle smile he had shown when he taught Naruto: "I've guarded this place for forty years, and finally, I've waited for the person who can end all of this..."

No! Bai Ye struggled to his feet with his bone wings, but could only watch as the phantom was torn apart bit by bit by the energy tide.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's headband pendant lay at his feet, still retaining a trace of warm chakra.

As the last wisp of light dissipated, a pitch-black crack appeared in the center of the crystal, like a giant eye ready to devour its prey.

The real game has only just begun... The laughter of the messenger of destiny came from the crack, mixed with some ancient and cold murmur.

Bai Ye trembled as she picked up the headband pendant, suddenly feeling the mark on her chest burning.

This time it wasn't a burning sensation, but a stinging pain that was being pulled along—he could clearly sense that the wisp of black mist he had severed in the direction of the Daimyo's mansion in the Land of Fire was beginning to writhe again; Granny Chiyo of the Sand Village in the Land of Wind was holding a blood-stained secret letter; and even the fragments of lightning left by Darui in the Hidden Cloud Village in the Land of Lightning were resonating anew with the chains within his body.

The black mist seeping from the crystal crack coiled around his wrist, but was shredded by the golden chains the moment it touched the bone wings.

Bai Ye wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked up into the depths of the crack—there was light there, faint, yet clearer than ever before.

He carefully put Hiruzen Sarutobi's headband pendant close to his body, and his bone wings spread out behind him like a battle flag.

Let me see whose game this is.

Outside the altar, the sacred tree stele in the forbidden area of ​​Konoha suddenly burst forth with dazzling golden light.

The bark, eroded by the black mist for many years, peeled off in a rustling motion, revealing newly sprouted emerald green buds underneath.

In a more distant place, on the desks of the Five Kage's offices, the Fire Mark representing Konoha simultaneously glowed faintly—it was a power from the forbidden land, a power that had slumbered for a thousand years, awakening.

Chapter 541 An Unfulfilled Obsession

Spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the crystal barrier inside the altar during the previous violent tremors, and a ghostly blue light seeped out from the cracks, stretching the shadow of the white night into a long, thin line.

His fingers, hanging by his sides, curled slightly, his nails almost digging into his palms—the headband pendant of Hiruzen Sarutobi was burning hot against his chest, creating an eerie resonance with the surging power within him.

The power gnawed at his consciousness like a living thing. For a moment, he even heard the Third Hokage's old but steady voice: "Kid, don't let your emotions cloud your judgment."

Your plan ends here. Bai Ye raised his head, his bone wings unfurling behind him like a golden battle banner, severing the last wisp of black mist that had been coiling around him.

His voice was hoarse, like metal scraping, clearly indicating that the battle with the crystal core had taken a heavy toll.

The figure of the messenger of destiny emerged from the depths of the crystal.

He was a man wearing the same crimson cloud-patterned battle suit as the Second Hokage. His face bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Tobirama, but with an added touch of mechanical coldness.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his fingertips wreathed in pale purple chakra: in control of the situation?

Do you think you can still distinguish between the white night and the will of the living?

Before he finished speaking, the runes on the crystal surface suddenly trembled violently.

Hundreds of translucent phantoms emerged from the cracks—Obito Uchiha's shattered headband, Jiraiya's soaked scroll, Rin's blood-stained medical kit, and even young Kakashi's tightly clutched kunai.

These fragments coalesced in mid-air into blurry human figures, each face bearing unspoken regrets.

Bai Ye's pupils suddenly contracted.

He saw Obito's phantom reach out, his fingertips almost touching his face—that was the look in Obito's eyes before he was crushed by the boulder at Kannabi Bridge; he saw Jiraiya's phantom open his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing, clearly wanting to say that his teacher believed he could change the prophecy; what made his heart ache the most was Rin, her phantom clutching the headband she had given to Kakashi, tears freezing into ice crystals in the void.

These are the unfulfilled obsessions of generations of ninjas. The voice of the messenger of destiny pierces the eardrum like an ice pick; they yearn to be remembered, yearn to be understood, and that is why I have condensed them into weapons.

For every one you resolve, a portion of your life force is drained away—after all, the essence of the will of the living is to use your life to bear their wishes.

Bai Ye's temples throbbed.

He finally understood why he had sensed Chiyo's blood letter from Sunagakure and Darui's fragments from Kumogakure—those were the wills of living people connecting him with the karma of all the ninjas.

He gritted his teeth, and the golden chains on his bone wings suddenly emitted a faint light, a power that resonated with the Darui Lightning Fragment.

"Obito." He suddenly spoke, his voice filled with a gentleness that even surprised himself, "You said you wanted to create a world with Rin."

But look, Kakashi is still wearing the headband you gave him, and the children of Team 7 are protecting Konoha.

Your wish will be fulfilled by someone else.

Obito's phantom paused. A faint light peeked from his empty eye sockets.

Jiraiya-sensei. Byakuya's Adam's apple bobbed. Naruto had already turned to the last volume of your book, "The Story of a Resilient and Persevering Ninja."

He said that he would use his own life to complete the ending you didn't finish writing.

Jiraiya's phantom suddenly smiled, the curve of his lips exactly the same as the lecherous sage in his memory who always loved to peek into the girls' bathroom.

Finally, it's Lin.

Chapter 542 Awakening the Sense of Completion

Bai Ye raised his hand and gently touched her forehead: What you taught Kakashi was more than just teamwork.

He now checks each team member's headband before a mission and cooks miso soup for three people on rainy nights.

You have never been forgotten.

Lin's phantom transformed into specks of light, merging into the mark on Bai Ye's heart.

He staggered and clung to the crystal wall, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth—every word he spoke felt like a heavy hammer striking his soul.

But the gazes of those phantoms were no longer accusatory, but rather filled with a relieved sense of relief.

Interesting. The messenger's fingertips paused for a moment, and you were able to awaken a sense of accomplishment in them.

But this couldn't change the outcome—he raised his hand, and all the unresolved illusions suddenly accelerated. The words in the crystal core, did you see them?

Only through sacrifice can one find liberation.

Bai Ye looked up and, sure enough, saw a line of ancient characters emerging from the depths of the crystal.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and sneered: Sacrifice?

I have already sacrificed too much.

To stop the war, I killed a daimyo; to protect the ninja, I was treated like a monster; even the last person I could speak the truth to... He touched the headband pendant on his chest, and Hiruzen Sarutobi disappeared.