Konoha: Superman template, the spoiled brat becomes strong.

Bai Ye struggled to sit up and touched his chest—the mark was clearer than ever before; within the pale blue lines, there seemed to be a faint red mark.

He looked toward the distant Iwagakure village, where a few dark clouds drifted across the sky, obscuring the moonlight.

"Iwagakure Village..." he said softly.

Chiyo followed his gaze and frowned: What do you want to say?

Bai Ye did not answer.

He recalled the red light he had seen in the last part of his consciousness space, the record of the Seal of Destiny in the ancient books of Yanyin Village, and the stone slab fragments in the eyes of the Destiny Messenger, Liuli.

Something hot was flowing through his veins, more intensely than when he had swallowed the pills.

Some answers need to be revealed.

But this time, the answer points to the depths of Iwagakure (Hidden Stone Village).

The moonlight was torn to pieces by the dark clouds. Byakuya stepped on the gravel behind Iwagakure Village, the soles of his boots making a soft, crunching sound as they rubbed against the weathered rocks.

He walked at the front, his bone wings casting jagged shadows behind him, each step carrying an unwavering determination—this was the first sentence he had uttered in three days: "To the forbidden altar."

Ai's steps were a beat slower than usual, his charred breastplate rising and falling with his breath. He reached for the hilt of his Raikiri sword at his waist, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. "That place has been sealed for seven hundred years." Fragments of Onoki's rock helmet hung at his waist. He looked up at the churning clouds, his Rock Release chakra condensing into tiny pebbles in his palm. "The barrier technique was sealed by the First Hokage himself. The Second Tsuchikage tried it three times..."

“That’s why I came.” Bai Ye’s voice was like a blade chilled by ice. He stopped and turned around, the moonlight illuminating the dark fire flickering in his eyes. “Three days ago in the consciousness space, the eyes of the Messenger of Destiny were fragments of stone tablets.” He touched the mark on his chest, the red mark in the pale blue pattern burning with his heartbeat. “The ancient texts of Yan Yin said that when the first altar was sealed, the ‘will of a living person’ was used as a catalyst.”

Chiyo's fingers gently caressed her sand ninja headband, and she could hear the cracking of her joints—this old body hadn't felt this tense in a long time.

Ebizo drew his short sword three inches from its sheath, the blade reflecting the tense faces of the crowd: "The entrance to the altar is just ahead."

The air suddenly became thick.

Chapter 585 We Will Meet After All

Byakuya's bone wings were the first to notice the anomaly—the originally smooth flow of chakra had been disrupted by some force.

He looked up and saw that the altar ruins, which should have been broken walls and ruins, were now covered by a semi-transparent barrier with blood-red runes floating on the surface, writhing like living things.

“A barrier.” Onoki’s pupils contracted to pinpoints. “It’s different from what’s recorded. This layer… looks like someone patched up the First Hokage’s technique.”

A's lightning chakra danced at his fingertips, but was deflected by the barrier into a shower of tiny sparks: "Don't touch it, that last strike almost burned through my chakra cloak."

Bai Ye didn't say anything.

He closed his eyes, and memories flooded back—three months ago, when he broke through the forbidden area of ​​Konoha, he had used bone wings to simulate the First Hokage's Wood Release sealing technique.

Tsunade once said that the core of the First Hokage's seal was not chakra, but "the will that resonates with the earth".

He spread his bone wings, and the bluish-gray bone blades gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

The electric current of the Thunder Resonance surged up his spine to his brow bone, and he could clearly hear the vibrations of his own heartbeat and the frequency of the barrier runes—very slow, very slow, like the pulse of a dying man.

"Lend me some Earth Release techniques." He suddenly turned to look at Onoki.

Old Tu Ying was stunned for a moment, then pressed his palm to the ground.

The unique, heavy chakra of Iwagakure surged down the surface and intertwined with the lightning within Byakuya's body.

A pale golden light began to seep from the tips of the bone wings, the life force unique to the First Hokage's Wood Release—so that's it. When the First Hokage used Wood Release to seal, he was essentially weaving the life force of the earth into a net.

"break!"

The moment the bone wings swung down, Bai Ye felt something cracking deep within his soul.

The crimson runes on the barrier's surface emitted a piercing shriek, and the gap torn open by the bone wings revealed the mottled bronze walls inside the altar.

"Watch out!" Chiyo's Sandstorm Shukaku was gathering in her palm when two figures emerged from behind the bronze door.

The messenger of destiny was still wearing that blood-stained white robe, his glass eyes gleaming eerily in the darkness—this time Bai Ye saw clearly that they were not eyes at all, but a fragment of a stone slab embedded in flesh and blood, the patterns of which were exactly the same as the blood-red runes on the barrier.

The man standing beside him was draped in the red robes of Sunagakure, his face overlapping with that of the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, in his memory, except that his skin had an unnatural bluish-gray tinge, and his pupils flickered with a greedy flame.

"It's half a day earlier than I expected." The messenger's voice was like a rusty gear. "But it doesn't matter. Those who are meant to be seen will eventually be seen."

Rasa suddenly grinned, a smile so distorted it was almost inhuman: "Byakuya, you killed me once, this time..." His fingertips traced the black stone slab in the center of the altar, "With this, I can make Sunagakure the king of the ninja world!"

Bai Ye's bone wings tensed instantly.

He noticed that the runes beneath the feet of the Messenger of Destiny were spreading in a certain pattern—a Yin-Yang Twin Array Diagram, which perfectly matched the fragmented diagram he had seen before in the Daimyo's Mansion in the Land of Fire.

It turns out that all the assassinations and wars were to nourish this array with the negative emotions of the daimyo of various countries, and the stone slabs of the altar... were the containers for collecting these emotions.

“What you want is not war.” Bai Ye’s voice was soft, but it was like a heavy hammer hitting a bronze wall. “It is the negative aspect of the ‘will of the living,’ used to resurrect something.”

The Messenger's crystal eyes flashed with approval: "Intelligent."

The first generation sealed it with the light side of the 'will of the living,' and I used the dark side to break the seal.

"Once this array is complete..." His hand rested on Luo Sha's shoulder, "Your Wind Shadow is nothing more than a container I picked up at random."

Luo Sha's body suddenly trembled violently, and runes identical to those on the stone slab appeared on his arms. Strange lumps bulged under his bluish-gray skin: "You lied to me!"

You said...

"Shut up." The messenger's tone remained calm. "The purpose of a container is to hold things."

Bai Ye didn't give them any more chances to speak.

Chapter 586 Got it!

The bone wings transformed into six bone blades, slashing towards the spreading runes with a crackling sound resonating with thunder.

With each thread severed, the temperature of the altar dropped several degrees—the runes were absorbing his chakra.

“Interesting.” A cold smile curved the corners of the Destiny Messenger’s lips. “Your bone wings can mimic the first generation’s sealing technique. No wonder you’ve been able to disrupt my plans all the way.” He raised his hand, and the entire space of the altar suddenly distorted. Bai Ye felt as if countless hands were tearing at his soul, and the mark on his chest was so red it was almost dripping blood.

"Cough..." A's Lightning Release barrier unfolded again, a golden cocoon protecting Chiyo and Ebizo in the center. "You brat!"

Don't force yourself!

Onoki's rock fist slammed into the distorted space, and amidst the flying debris, he roared, "This is a space-time ninjutsu!"

He's going to trap us here!

White Night's bone wings began to bleed.

He could clearly feel his strength draining away, and with each breath, a metallic taste rose in his throat.

But when he saw Rasa staggering toward the stone slab in the center of the altar, something hotter surged up—not chakra, but anger, resentment, and the thought, "I can't let this guy succeed."

"Thunder Resonance - Ultimate!"

The bone blades of the bone wings all exploded, turning into a sky full of lightning needles.

Bai Ye's pupils turned pure gold, and he could see the veins of every rune and every crack in the distortion of space.

When the last lightning rod pierced the messenger's chest, the surprise on his face was so clear.

"You..." The Messenger's body began to turn transparent, "...you actually used your soul to burn chakra..."

Luo Sha's scream interrupted him.

The resurrected Wind Shadow had already grasped the stone tablet. Half of his face had turned to dust, while the other half was still laughing wildly: "I got it!"

I got...

The dust spread faster than his voice could travel.

Bai Ye leaped up from the dust, the remnants of his bone wings barely catching the falling stone slab.

The moment his fingertips touched the stone slab, countless images flooded his mind—the greed of various daimyo, the struggles of ninjas, the blood and tears of commoners, all flowing into his body along with the mark.

"inverse!"

He inserted the stone slab into the groove in the center of the altar.

The originally spreading runes suddenly reversed, contracting wildly like a tattered ball of yarn.

The figure of the Messenger of Destiny emitted a piercing scream within the vortex of runes, its last wisp of transparent body being sucked into the stone slab.

The space around the altar finally calmed down.

Bai Ye knelt on the ground, the taste of blood in his throat almost overwhelming him.

He looked up and saw that Ai's barrier had shattered, the Raikage was kneeling on the ground, blood seeping from the charred skin on his chest; Onoki's rock helmet was completely broken, his white hair stained with blood and rubble; Chiyo's sandstorm Shukaku had dissipated in the air, and she was pressing her trembling hand against the wound on Ebizo's arm.

"Is this...enough?" His voice was as soft as a sigh.

Chiyo walked over and touched his forehead with her withered hand.

Her palms carried the unique warmth of the Sand Village, like when his mother lulled him to sleep as a child: "You did it, child." Her eyes reddened, "But this is just the beginning... The future of the ninja world needs more people like you."

Bai Ye wanted to laugh, but could only manage a forced smile.

He felt something leaving his body—was it chakra?

Is it the soul?

Or is it the mark on his chest that has been with him for three years?

He looked down and saw that the pale blue lines were fading, and the red marks were like embers about to burn out, flickering on and off.

Before his consciousness sank into darkness, he heard Ai roar: "Hey!"

Brat!

"Don't sleep!" He heard the muffled thud of Onoki slamming the ground with his Rock Release technique, and Chiyo's whisper: "Sleep now...this time, you should get some rest."

Then, he couldn't hear anything anymore.

Moonlight once again pierced through the clouds, shining on the bronze walls of the altar.

On Bai Ye's chest, the mark that once made countless ninjas fearful was fading at a visible speed, as if some force had drained its last glimmer of light.

Chapter 587 Going Against Fate

The moonlight, like crushed silver sand, leaked through the cracks in the mountain cave onto the pale face of the white night.

His eyelashes cast butterfly-wing-like shadows under his eyes, and the ninja world map mark on his chest, which had once burned like a flame, was now so faint that it almost melted into his skin, leaving only a few bluish marks like faded spider webs.

"His heartbeat is as weak as a spider's thread." Chiyo's withered fingers rested on his wrist, her nails gleaming with the distinctive ochre color of Sunagakure.

As she turned around, the puppet strings at her waist made a slight rubbing sound—a small movement she only made when she was nervous.

The wind and sand outside the cave, whipping up loose rocks, crashed against the sand barrier at the cave entrance with muffled thuds, but couldn't drown out her whisper to her younger brother: "Ebizo, the crows of the Land of Fire are already circling the border. The Raikage's injury means Kumogakure can't attend to him for the time being, but the Tsuchikage's Iwa ninja..."

“Sister.” Ebizo’s voice came from deep within the cave.

He squatted by the campfire, a bronze pestle grinding in a stone mortar, the dark red medicine mixed with chakra fluorescence. "That's not what I'm asking about." When he looked up, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes resembled sand dunes plowed by the wind. "You really believe this kid can save the ninja world?"

Three days ago he burned down half of the casino in Amegakure, and now he's a savior?

Chiyo's gaze fell on the lingering bruise on Byakuya's neck—a mark left by a rock that had struck him during their transport.

She suddenly recalled the image of the boy catching the stone slab with fragments of bone wings on the altar, the blood dripping from his palms, piercing the stone surface and blooming into tiny flowers. "His power never came from chakra." She reached out and stroked Bai Ye's hair, her fingertips touching the blood-stained stray hairs. "It came from those things he didn't want to forget."

The wind outside the cave suddenly changed direction, tearing a small gap in the sand barrier, allowing moonlight to leak in and illuminate Bai Ye's tightly clenched left hand.

A strip of cloth peeked out from between his fingers; it was a baby swaddling clothes with scorch marks that he had picked up three years ago in the ruins of the Land of Fire.

Ebizo stopped pounding his medicine.

He stared at the strip of cloth for a moment, then suddenly stood up.

His rough cloth boots crunched over the gravel, casting swaying shadows on the cave wall. "The medical technique requires activating his chakra circuits." He pulled a scroll from his robes, unfurling it to reveal densely packed sand-like runes. "But his mark is fading..."

“That was the backlash from the stone slab.” Chiyo’s voice suddenly turned cold, like a stone slab baked by the sun. “When he used his soul to burn chakra to reverse the runes, he essentially tied his fate to the consciousness of the ninja world.” She recalled the images that flooded the boy’s mind on the altar—the sinister grin of the Fire Country Daimyo holding a commoner’s tax bill, the eyes of the Kirigakure ninjas submerged in blood mist, and the trembling boy curled up in the rubble as Byakuya’s parents lay in blood. “That child…” Her Adam’s apple bobbed. “He has seen all suffering, which is why he chooses to defy fate.”

The pestle slammed into the stone mortar with a "thud".

Ebizo's knuckles clenched until they turned white, but a knowing look appeared in his eyes: "So he would rather burn his soul than not seal the messenger of destiny into the stone slab—because that thing is exploiting the evil in people's hearts?"

Chiyo nodded.

A sandstorm howled outside the cave, sounding just like the cries of orphans on the edge of the battlefield during the Third Shinobi World War. "The stone slab isn't a weapon," she said, crouching down to look the unconscious boy in the eye. "It's a mirror, reflecting what everyone who comes into contact with it desires most."

The daimyo of the Land of Fire craved power, so he saw only the illusion of conquering other nations; Rasa desired resurrection, so he saw only his son's smiling face… “Her fingernail lightly traced Bai Ye's brow,” but what Bai Ye saw was all those crushed by these 'desires.'

Ebizo fell silent.

He gripped the pestle again, his movements as gentle as if he were soothing a baby to sleep: "Let's begin."

As the chakra fluctuations spread through the cave, Byakuya's eyelashes trembled violently.