Konoha: Superman template, the spoiled brat becomes strong.

Back then, Madara Uchiha used Susanoo to cleave the stone slab three times, leaving not even a crack. The pebble suddenly expanded into a rock the size of a millstone. The real threat was in the shadows, that guy who called himself the messenger of destiny. His gaze swept over the white night, and... certain vessels chosen by will.

Bai Ye's heart tightened.

Three days ago, when he assassinated the daimyo in the Land of Fire, he did smell a scent similar to rotten wood at the scene—that was the unique scent of the Second Hokage Tobirama's Water Release techniques.

The mark on his chest was now slightly warming as Onoki spoke.

Stop being so mysterious, old man! Raikage slammed his fist on the stone table, sending stone chips flying. You say the Chosen One has a backup plan, where's the evidence?

Evidence? Onoki pointed his finger to the top of the cave. Why do you think I crawled into this rat hole? His Earth Release chakra surged out, and the fluorescent moss on the cave wall suddenly twisted into a strange pattern. Three hours ago, the barrier team of Iwagakure discovered this at the ruins of the Fire Temple. The pattern formed by the moss gradually became clear, and it turned out to be a six-pointed star with an ouroboros coiled around it, exactly the same as the mark left by the Second Hokage before he disappeared twenty years ago.

A collective gasp filled the room.

Bai Ye recalled the words of the Third Hokage before he fell into a coma: "The will of the ninja world has never been the choice of the gods." It turned out that the so-called will had long been altered.

"Enough!" Bai Ye suddenly stood up.

Chapter 571 Sea of ​​Consciousness

All eyes turned to him, and the Raikage's chakra cloak even brushed against his sleeve.

But he just stared at the scorch marks on the stone table. Whether it was the stone slab or the messenger of destiny, their core purpose was the same—he paused, the will to unify the ninja world.

A drop of water dripped from a stalactite on the cave ceiling and hit the stone table, making a crisp sound.

True peace is never achieved by destroying anything. Bai Ye's voice was soft, yet it cut through the tense air like a knife. It was something we, the living, fought for with our lives. He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a silver mark on his chest, just like this thing you call a vessel. It's not a curse, it's... it's the monument etched on my body by the will that refuses to be replaced.

The Raikage's chakra cloak slowly dissipated.

Onoki squinted, and the pebble shrank back into a grain of sand in his palm.

Granny Chiyo sighed softly, while Ebizo reached for the puppet strings at his waist—he was helping Byakuya keep the peace.

Just then, a soft laugh came from outside the cave.

The laughter, like strings of a musical instrument immersed in ice water, seeped in through the ventilation duct.

Bai Ye's bone wings were restless behind him, but were pressed painfully by some force.

He then noticed that the rune array on the stone table had turned red at some point, and the scorch marks were spreading along the lines, like snakes coming to life.

It seems you have already noticed my presence.

The sounds came from all directions.

The fluorescent moss on the cave wall suddenly went out, and two eerie green lights appeared in the darkness—the eyes of the messenger of destiny.

He was wearing the standard armor of the Second Hokage, but the breastplate on his chest was cracked into a spiderweb pattern, revealing the writhing black chakra beneath.

"Foolish Kage," he said, raising the stone slab fragment in his hand, which glowed with an eerie purple light. "You think gathering here to discuss anything will change anything?" His fingertips traced the fragment, the power of the stone slab already integrated into the consciousness network of the ninja world. Every villager's prayer, every ninja's oath, provided nourishment for it.

Even if you kill me now, his mouth will grin, revealing his gleaming white teeth, and the next Chosen One will awaken in a younger body.

Bai Ye suddenly felt a sharp pain in her temple.

The rune array on the stone table lit up completely, and the red light spread across everyone's feet like blood.

He tried to summon bone wings, but found that his chakra was like being put into a meat grinder, shattered into stardust.

The Raikage's chakra cloak took shape again, but it was 30% dimmer than usual; Onoki's earth-style hand seals were a beat too slow, and the pebble hit the ground as soon as it floated up.

"This is... a consciousness space?" Granny Chiyo's voice was filled with panic as she pressed her hand to her chest. "My chakra... my chakra has been drained!"

Welcome to your sea of ​​consciousness. The figure of the Chosen One blurs in the red light. Here, your fears, hesitations, and weaknesses will become weapons. His fingertip points at the Raikage. For example, you, A, are afraid of losing the glory of the Land of Lightning; Onoki, you fear the collapse of Iwagakure after your death; and you, his gaze sweeps over Byakuya, what you fear most... is that you will eventually become the second Chosen One.

Bai Ye's temples felt like they were about to explode.

He saw cracks appear in the Raikage's chakra cloak, Onoki's white eyebrows trembled, and Ebizo's puppet strings wrapped around his wrists—it was a self-imposed restraint in his subconscious.

"Wake up!" the Raikage suddenly roared.

He slammed his fist into his temple, blood streaming down his cheek. My fear?

What I fear most is that the ninjas of the Land of Lightning will die in unnecessary wars! His chakra cloak has regained its brightness, but what I fear even more is that they won't even be given a chance to fight back!

He charged towards the Messenger of Destiny, his chakra cloak crackling with lightning, like a thunderclap.

The messenger's pupils contracted, and he raised his hand to form a seal, unleashing a black blade of light to meet the attack.

"Run!" The Raikage's back was slashed open by the light blade, and blood splattered on Bai Ye's face. I held him back!

"To the abandoned altar in Iwagakure Village—" His voice suddenly stopped. "No... wait, that mark is a trap!"

But Bai Ye had already seen it clearly.

At the edge of the consciousness space, a huge map of the ninja world appeared, and a point deep in the Hidden Stone Village was flashing a dazzling red light, like an open eye.

That's... the abandoned altar of the Temple of Fire?

He had heard the Third Hokage mention that it was the place where the First Hokage sealed some forbidden power after his final battle with Madara.

"Let's go!" Granny Chiyo grabbed Byakuya's arm. Ebizo's puppet strings had already become entangled in the stalactites on the cave wall, and the Raikage's chakra barrier wouldn't last much longer!

Bai Ye took one last look at Lei Ying.

The burly man was covered in blood, yet he was still laughing and cursing, the lightning from his chakra cloak slowly pushing away the black light blade of the messenger of destiny.

Something was glowing on his chest—a fragment of the Land of Lightning's headband, stained with blood, yet still gleaming silver.

As the moonlight from outside the cave shone on him again, Bai Ye touched the collar of his clothes, which was stained red with Lei Ying's blood.

In the distance, the camels of Sunagakure were pacing restlessly, their bells shattering.

He took out the bronze bell he had obtained from Ebizo; the scorpion-patterned wind character gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

The abandoned altar of Iwagakure Village... he murmured, and the mark on his chest suddenly burned with pain, as if someone had carved new lines into it.

Ebizo's voice came from behind: Do you need me to dispatch the Sunagakure Anbu?

No need. Bai Ye put the bell into his bosom. Some roads must be walked alone.

He looked up and gazed northwards, towards the direction of Iwagakure (Hidden Rock Village), where dark clouds were gathering.

Deep within the clouds, the outline of the abandoned altar slowly became clear as the wind howled.

Chapter 572 The Disguise of the Barrier

The desolate mountains north of Iwagakure Village resemble a lurking beast in the night, and the abandoned altar in the mountain valley has been silent for a hundred years.

As Bai Ye stepped onto the last step of the gravel, the moonlight was suddenly swallowed by dark clouds, and the entire altar was shrouded in a bluish-gray mist. The mottled emblem of the Rock Shadow Clan on the stone wall shone with an eerie, ghostly blue.

The chakra fluctuations are off. Poison powder seeped from the fingertips of Granny Chiyo's puppet, condensing into tiny vortexes in mid-air. This mist... is a disguise for the barrier.

Ebizo's puppet salamander unleashed tentacles to probe chakra, only to be shredded the instant it touched the wall of mist. It was a composite sealing technique, with at least three layers of barriers. He narrowed his eyes; it was somewhat similar in structure to the technique the First Hokage used to seal the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki—but far more insidious.

Bai Ye pressed the burning mark on his chest, and memories suddenly surged back.

Three months ago in the forbidden area of ​​Konoha, he had seen similar patterns engraved on the roots of the Divine Tree. At that time, the Third Hokage said that it was a forbidden technique that the First Hokage could only break by using Wood Release to resonate with natural energy.

He looked up at the mist that shrouded the altar, his bone wings silently unfurling behind him, and tiny sparks of lightning dancing on his pale bone blades.

Thunder Resonance, activated.

With a low shout, the incantations on the surface of the bone wings lit up with a purple glow.

Byakuya could clearly sense the chakra particles flowing in the air. They gathered at the tip of the bone blade as if attracted by a magnet, resonating with the lightning chakra within his body.

When the first metallic hum sounded, the fog suddenly twisted violently, revealing dark red runes below—the sealing mark of the First Hokage.

"I see." A sharp glint flashed in Bai Ye's eyes, and his bone wings suddenly retracted into two bone blades. The First Hokage's sealing technique required the guidance of natural energy, while the Thunder Resonance could simulate the life magnetic field of Wood Release... He swung his blades, and the bone blades enveloped in purple lightning precisely pierced the weak point of the rune. "Open!"

The roar echoed through the mountain valley.

A crack was torn open in the fog, revealing the scene inside the altar: a translucent core stone slab floated on the central circular stone platform, surrounded by countless golden runes, and in the center of the runes, two figures stood quietly waiting.

On the left is a man wearing a black feather cloak, whose face bears a seven-tenths resemblance to the Second Hokage, Tobirama, except that his pupils are a cold, iron-gray color; on the right is a gaunt figure wrapped in a Kazekage robe, with ghostly green flames flickering in his eye sockets—it is none other than the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, who should have died at Orochimaru's hands.

Welcome, Mr. White Night. The voice of the Messenger of Destiny was like an icicle scraping against metal: I've been waiting for you for a long time.

Luo Sha grinned, revealing his yellowed teeth: Didn't expect that, did you?

This old man used forbidden magic to pull me back from the Pure Land, saying he wanted me to witness the folly of the living. His gaze greedily swept over the core stone slab, but now it seems I can get some benefits first.

Bai Ye's bone wings unfurled again, covering his entire body to form a defensive barrier.

He noticed that the runes appearing on the altar walls were flowing in a certain pattern, perfectly matching the trajectory of the Yin-Yang Twin Array found earlier in the Fire Country Daimyo's residence. "You're not trying to guide the ninja world towards peace at all." He stared at the Messenger of Destiny. Those conspiracies that instigated war, the deaths of the Fire Country Daimyo—all were to collect the negative emotions of the various Daimyo—to power this altar.

Clever. The Messenger of Destiny clapped, flicking several threads of runes from his fingertips. The First Hokage wanted to unite the ninja world with love and understanding, the Third Hokage wanted to restrain violence with rules and order, but they both failed. The threads intertwined in the air, cutting the altar space into countless fragments. What I want to create is a world of absolute rationality.

When all the desires, fears, and greed of the living are refined into energy, this altar can materialize a perfect ninja world governed by data—a world without war, without betrayal, where even pain is precisely controllable.

Chapter 573 You Did It

Bai Ye's bone blade severed the threads, only to find that new runes immediately grew from the cut. So you resurrected Luo Sha to use his greed as the final ingredient? He dodged a thread aimed at his throat, but the will of the living can never be calculated by data.

"That'll show you what true will is." The messenger of destiny waved his hand, and the entire altar suddenly trembled violently.

Byakuya felt as if his chakra had been drained, and even his bone wings began to crack—that was the spatial turbulence eroding his body.

Lightning Release: Thousand Birds Sharp Spear! He shouted, and his right hand gathered dazzling lightning.

But when the lightning touched the messenger's defenses, it vanished silently, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.

"It's useless." The voice of the Messenger of Destiny carried pity. "All the rules in this space are set by me. Your lightning release, bone wings, and even your proud will of living beings are nothing but... errors in the face of absolute rationality."

Just then, Luo Sha suddenly sprang into action.

His undead body pierced through the runic barrier, his fingernails transforming into wind blades that stabbed Bai Ye in the back of the heart: Error?

I don't care about rationality!

This broken stone slab can restore my physical body and give me control over the entire Wind Kingdom—

"Luo Sha!" The voice of the messenger of destiny cracked for the first time; you simply could not withstand the power of the stone slab!

But the Undead Wind Shadow had already seized the core stone tablet.

Dark blue runes spread along his arm like venomous snakes, instantly devouring half of his face.

Luo Sha's screams pierced the air as his body began to disintegrate from his fingertips, leaving only a pair of terrified eyes staring at Bai Ye: "Save...me!"

It was too late. Bai Ye grabbed the edge of the stone slab with his backhand, unleashing the full power of Thunder Resonance.

He could sense the negative energy surging within the stone slab—the greed of the various daimyo, the Raikage's anger, and even his own past confusion.

But as he channeled this energy through his arm into the ground, an unexpected warmth suddenly surged through his body: it was the silver light of the Raikage's headband fragment, the temperature of Granny Chiyo pulling him away from the cave, and the cheers of the Sunagakure children as he passed by.

This is the will of the living. Bai Ye chuckled softly, and the runes on the stone slab began to flow in reverse, not as calculated emotions, but as the heartbeat of someone who chose to persevere even knowing they would be hurt or fail.

The figure of the messenger of destiny began to become transparent.

He stared at the reversed runes, and a crack finally appeared in his rationality: You...you have no idea what you've released!

I know. Bai Ye plunged the stone slab heavily into the center of the altar; what I released was... their choice.

With a roar, all the runes on the altar went out.

Moonlight shone on everyone again. Granny Chiyo staggered and helped Byakuya up. Ebizo's puppet quickly bandaged the wound on his arm.

Bai Ye felt as if all his strength had been drained from his body, and even his bone wings retracted into his body.

He looked at the place where the messenger of destiny had disappeared, where only a pale golden dust remained, much like the morning sunlight of the Land of Fire.

Is this... enough? He looked up and asked Chiyo, his voice as soft as a sigh.

Grandma Chiyo touched his forehead, tears welling in the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes: You did it, child.

But this is just the beginning... The future of the ninja world needs more people like you.

Before he could finish speaking, everything went black before Bai Ye's eyes.

In his last moments before losing consciousness, he felt the ninja world map mark on his chest warm slightly, then slowly dimmed, like a lamp that had burned out.

A mountain breeze swept across the altar, carrying mist, while the morning bell of Iwagakure Village rang out in the distance.

In a more distant place, the sky over the Land of Fire was beginning to lighten, as if awaiting a new beginning.

Chapter 574 Soul Struggle

As the mountain wind swept across the altar, carrying mist, Bai Ye's consciousness was plunging into chaos.