Konoha: Superman template, the spoiled brat becomes strong.

"The game has only just begun..."

The scraping sound from underground suddenly grew closer, as if something was scratching at the stone wall with its fingernails, trying to climb up.

The lead box in Yukino's arms suddenly shook violently, and a faint blue light seeped out from the gap in the lid, making her clothes shine.

Mei Terumi's short sword was drawn with a "whoosh," its blade slicing through the smoke, but only striking a wisp of bone-chilling air.

"Byakuya... Byakuya?" Yukino suddenly called out softly.

Chiyo then noticed the sound of fabric rubbing against the corner of the wall.

The figure leaning against the stone wall stirred, slowly raising its head.

Moonlight streamed through the broken windowpane, illuminating the corner of his eye—where a faint pink scar lay, left three days ago when he shielded Yukino from a kunai.

Bai Ye's eyelashes trembled.

He could hear the sound of his own blood flowing, like the beating of drums, or like some kind of ancient incantation.

Fragments of memories from before he fell into a coma surged through his mind: the blood-red banquet at the Daimyo's mansion in the Land of Fire, the burning sensation of the star iron shards piercing his palm, and that voice... no, not the one now, but a voice from a more distant past, a voice that had whispered in the depths of his consciousness for ten years.

Chapter 608 So what if I'm awake?

"Awake?" Mei Terumi's water shield solidified into a semi-circle around her, her gaze sweeping over Byakuya. "How are you feeling?"

Bai Ye didn't say anything.

He stood up, supporting himself against the stone wall. The star iron fragment in his palm suddenly became hot, resonating with the lead box in Yukino's arms.

In the darkness, those scarlet eyes suddenly contracted, like a wild beast stung by a stab.

He could feel something trying to penetrate his consciousness through the connection of the Star Iron—the same hunger that wanted to tear his soul apart, just like every time he awakened before.

"Naive!" The messenger's voice was tinged with anxiety. "Even if he wakes up, so what?"

This body... has long been my vessel!

Before the words were finished, eight dark figures darted out of the smoke.

The first one aimed straight for the lead box in Yukino's arms. Chiyo's explosive tag almost grazed Yukino's ear tip before exploding and shattering half of the stone wall with a "boom".

Amidst the flying debris, Mei Terumi's water dragon bullet, coated with ice shards, charged forward. The water dragon's gaping maw bit through two dark figures, but upon touching the third, it shattered like glass, breaking into countless water arrows.

"Retreat!" Ebizo slammed his pipe on the ground, the sparks igniting the remaining smoke. In the brief moment of light, he saw the true nature of those shadowy figures—they weren't physical entities at all, but vengeful spirits formed from chakra, each bound by rusty chains.

Bai Ye suddenly pressed his temple.

The patterns on those chains were exactly the same as the altar bricks that repeatedly appeared in his dreams.

Ten years ago, when he found fragments of Star Iron in the ruins of Rain Village, he also saw chains like these.

So... so it all started back then.

"Go!" He grabbed Yukino's wrist, and the vibration of the lead box was transmitted through the girl's palm to his hand, burning his skin almost to the point of being scalded.

Mei Terumi's water shield contracted into a barrier behind them, while Ebizo kept throwing smoke bombs behind them. The four of them stumbled and retreated towards the door.

Just as I was about to step out of the bedroom door, a blinding white light suddenly pierced through the darkness.

That light wasn't a ninjutsu; it was more like a gift from nature, carrying the unique, refreshing scent of Konoha.

"Do you need help?"

The familiar voice mixed with the soft clanging of metal was the sound of a kunai being sheathed.

Chiyo squinted and saw the tall figure in the white light: a blue outfit covering his strong muscles, a headband with dark patterns covering his left eye, and the tips of his hair were covered with the morning dew of Konoha—who else could it be but Hatake Kakashi?

Bai Ye paused in his steps.

He could feel that the pair of scarlet eyes in the darkness behind him were fading away at a visible speed.

The burning sensation from the star iron fragments also weakened, as if it had been suppressed by some more powerful force.

Chiyo loosened her grip on the explosive tag, which had been clenched until it went numb; her knuckles gleamed bluish-white in the moonlight.

She gazed at the sunlight streaming in behind Kakashi, and a faint smile finally appeared on her lips.

This Konoha Jonin, who was always late, did not disappoint the sake jar she had bet with Tsunade back then.

"Kakashi..." she murmured the name, the last syllable of which was swept away by the wind that suddenly rushed in through the window.

Farther away, in the mountains outside Ghost Cry Castle, a figure cloaked in black was gazing at the brightly lit window, his fingertips tracing the scroll in his arms—on which, drawn in blood, were patterns identical to those on Byakuya's palm and Yukino's rubbing paper.

"The game... has only just begun."

Chapter 609 Unexpected Reinforcements

The aftershocks of Chiyo's explosive tag were still reverberating in the air, and shards of ice from Mei Terumi's Water Dragon Bullet were falling down in a flurry.

When that white light, carrying the crisp scent of Konoha, pierced the darkness, her fingers, gripping the explosive tag, loosened slightly—ten years ago, at a gambling den in the Land of Fire, she and Tsunade made a bet over a jar of sake, with her saying, "If that kid can become a Special Jonin before the Third Chunin Exams, I'll give you the secret puppetry manual of Sunagakure."

Looking at the figure with a headband in the moonlight, she suddenly remembered Tsunade laughing as she slapped the table: "Old woman, you're doomed."

"Kakashi..." Her voice was broken by the draft, and as soon as the last syllable left her lips, the lead box in Yukino's arms suddenly became even hotter.

The girl cried out in pain as Bai Ye's palm covered her.

He could feel the chain patterns moving across the surface of the lead box, like living things drilling into his fingertips, but this time, the burning sensation was mixed with a coolness—the temperature of Kakashi's chakra, with the sharpness unique to lightning, yet it unexpectedly suppressed the restlessness of the star iron fragments.

"Need any help?" A familiar voice mingled with the soft sound of a kunai being sheathed.

When Byakuya turned his head, he saw Kakashi's right eye curving into a very faint arc—a micro-expression he only showed when he was in a good mood.

Ten years ago, in the ruins of Amegakure, this Jonin who was always late walked up to him, stepping over the broken blades scattered on the ground, and handed him half a burnt dorayaki: "Kid, lost?"

"Withdraw." Ebizo's pipe struck the ground, sparks flying, and his eyes shone unusually bright through the smoke.

The Sand Village advisor, who was always calculating and scheming, seemed like a different person at this moment. He pointed his pipe in Kakashi's direction and said, "The Konoha Jonin are always a step ahead of us Sand Village Jonin—but they've arrived just in time." He shook out a smoke grenade from his pocket, sparks flying onto the grenade and rising into the air. "Keep up close, the tunnels of Oniku Fortress are more adept at eating people than you think."

Mei Terumi's water shield contracted into a diamond-shaped barrier behind everyone, the water ripples swaying with each step, reflecting the gradually fading crimson pupils behind them.

She could feel the vengeful spirits' chains scratching at the water shield, the scraping sound of their nails against the water's surface sending shivers down her spine. "When did Konoha's intelligence network become so efficient?" She glanced sideways at Kakashi walking beside her, the ice shards clinging to his hair gleaming coldly in the moonlight. "The ravens from Kirigakure only detected the disturbance at Onikaku Castle three days ago, and you two seem to have arrived just in time."

“Three days ago, Danzo’s crow smashed the window of the Hokage’s office.” Kakashi twirled a kunai between his fingers, his left eye, hidden beneath his headband, flickering in the shadows. “He said, ‘The old witch of Sunagakure and that mysterious kid are going to turn the Land of Fire upside down,’ and then… he got sprayed in the face with medical tools by Tsunade-sama’s slug.” He suddenly stopped, the kunai striking the stone wall ahead with a “clink”—dark red liquid seeped from the cracks, creeping along the veins into a chain shape. “Turn right, third bluestone slab.”

The lead box was still pressed against Bai Ye's palm.

The burning sensation from the star iron fragments gradually weakened as they approached the tunnel exit, while the altar patterns that had repeatedly appeared in the dream became clearer and clearer.

He recalled a rainy night in Amegakure ten years ago, when he huddled behind a broken wall, gnawing on a hardened rice ball, and then saw a man in blue overalls wading through puddles, his boot heel crushing a piece of pebbles with chain patterns. "This stone..." He had just begun to speak when Kakashi crouched down and used a kunai to pick up the pebbles: "A fragment of Star Iron, capable of drawing upon Yin-attribute chakra."

Kid, where did you find that?

“We’ve arrived.” Ebizo’s pipe struck the bluestone slab, which echoed hollowly.

Mei Terumi's water-style technique instantly penetrated the cracks in the stone, and with a soft "click," the entire stone wall slid open to both sides.

The morning light streamed in through the cracks, carrying the unique scent of pine trees from the mountains and forests—this was the first time they had seen the sun since they had been trapped in Ghost Cry Fortress for three days.

Yukino suddenly tugged at Byakuya's sleeve.

Chapter 610 Yin Escape Forbidden Technique

The girl's fingertips trembled, and the chain patterns on the surface of the lead box now glowed with a ghostly blue light, as if they were alive, crawling up her wrist. "Brother Bai... Bai Ye..." her voice trembled with sobs, "The lead box is talking."

Do you think you can escape like this?

The voice of the messenger of destiny cut through everyone's eardrums like a rusty saw.

The ground suddenly shook violently. Bai Ye staggered and grabbed the stone wall for support. He saw black chakra seeping out from the cracks in the bluestone slabs and condensing into a vortex at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The center of the vortex was crimson, and the chains of vengeful spirits that they had thrown off were emerging from it, each chain ending in a distorted face—the daimyo of the Land of Fire, the finance minister of the Land of Lightning, and the nobleman of the Land of Water whom they had assassinated three days earlier.

"Back off!" Kakashi's Lightning Blade instantly formed in his palm, and blue-purple arcs of electricity slashed towards the vortex.

The moment the lightning blade touched the vortex, it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, only causing ripples on the surface of the vortex.

Mei Terumi followed up with her Water Dragon Bullet. The water dragon, with its sharp teeth, bit through the three chains, but was swept back into the vortex and turned into countless water needles that pierced the stone walls around them.

Chiyo had the explosive tag in her hand, but stopped when she touched the fuse.

She gazed at the faintly visible patterns at the center of the vortex—exactly the same as the mark on Byakuya's palm and the pattern on Yukino's rubbing paper. "This is... a forbidden Yin Release technique," her voice low. "Using the resentment of the living as a catalyst, fragments of star iron as a medium... the altar of the Land of Whirlpools from back then..."

"give it to me."

Bai Ye's voice was soft, yet it struck everyone's eardrums like a heavy hammer.

He released Yukino's hand, and the lead box clattered to the ground.

The burning sensation from the star iron fragments transformed into a surge of heat throughout his body, and the altar images that had appeared in his dreams suddenly became clear: he was kneeling in the center of a pool of blood, chains piercing his shoulders, and above his head floated fragments identical to those in the lead box.

Above the fragments, a voice says, "You are the key."

He closed his eyes.

Chakra surged from his dantian, carrying the warmth of the Star Iron fragments from his memories, the lingering warmth of the dorayaki Kakashi handed him in the ruins of Amegakure, and the stinging pain of Granny Chiyo bandaging his wounds with puppet strings in the desert of Sunagakure.

Light emanated from his fingertips, first pale blue, then turning blazing white, until it was so bright that everyone had to close their eyes.

When visibility returned, the vortex had begun to dissipate.

The crisp sound of breaking chains echoed one after another, the screams of vengeful spirits gradually weakened into sobs, and were finally swept away by the morning wind.

The lead box lay on the ground, its surface texture completely faded, looking like an ordinary tin box.

"White..." Mei Terumi's voice caught in her throat.

She gazed at Bai Ye, the mysterious ninja who always hid his emotions in his eyes. At this moment, he was still surrounded by a faint glow, and the ends of his hair were covered with tiny particles of light, like his head was adorned with stars.

What alarmed her even more were his eyes—his originally dark pupils now shimmered with a pale gold, and she could vaguely see the flowing patterns within them, just like the vortex that had just vanished.

Kakashi's Lightning Blade had dissipated, and as he gazed at the increasingly intense light emanating from Byakuya, his left eye beneath his headband slightly contracted.

The rubble from Amegakure ten years ago, the crow that Danzo crashed into the window three days ago, the boy now radiating golden light... these fragments pieced together a blurry pattern in his mind, and at the center of the pattern, a voice said: "The game... has only just begun."

In the morning light, the radiance emanating from Bai Ye continued to spread.

He could hear the sound of scrolls unfurling, the rustling of cloaks rubbing together, and a familiar yet unfamiliar voice laughing from afar.

But at this moment his attention was entirely on his palm—there was a new line there, like a chain, or some kind of key.

Meanwhile, in the mountains outside Ghost Cry Fortress, a figure draped in a black cloak tucked a blood-stained scroll into his robes.

He gazed at the brightly lit exit, his fingertips tracing the golden lines on his palm, and chuckled softly, "Finally... the awakening is about to begin."

Chapter 611 Yukino in a Coma

He could hear the sound of scrolls unfurling, the rustling of cloaks rubbing together, and a familiar yet unfamiliar voice laughing from afar.

But at this moment his attention was entirely on his palm—there was a new line there, like a chain, or some kind of key.

Meanwhile, in the mountains outside Ghost Cry Fortress, a figure draped in a black cloak tucked a blood-stained scroll into his robes.

He gazed at the brightly lit exit, his fingertips tracing the golden lines on his palm, and chuckled softly, "Finally... I'm about to awaken."

The morning light pierced through the ruins of Ghost Cry Fortress, drawing away the last ray of golden light from the tips of White Night's hair.

His hands, hanging by his sides, trembled slightly. The newly formed lock-like lines on his palms still shone with a pale gold hue, like thin iron wires that had been heated by fire, throbbing painfully against his skin.

"Impossible... You actually managed to do that..."

A hoarse, drawn-out voice drifted from the depths of the ruins, like a broken bellows leaking air.

The voice of the messenger of destiny finally faded to almost inaudibility. A few wisps of black smoke rose from the direction of the underground chamber of Ghost Cry Fortress, and a gust of wind carrying the smell of decaying leaves swept past everyone's feet.

Granny Chiyo wrapped the puppet strings around her fingertips twice, and the metal joints made a soft clicking sound.

Her squinting eyes reflected the image of the white night—the child's eyelashes were still covered with specks of light, like butterfly wings wet with morning dew.

The old advisor nudged Ebizo beside her with her elbow. Another advisor from Sunagakure was secretly wiping the sweat from his brow. When he saw her looking over, he immediately put on a wrinkled smile, and the tassels on the puppet bag swayed.

Mei Terumi unconsciously pinched her cuff, the Samehada wristband unique to the Mizukage digging painfully into her wrist.

She watched as the golden pupils of the white night slowly faded back to black, her Adam's apple bobbed, but she ultimately didn't utter the word "monster."

Kakashi spoke first, the lingering burnt smell of his Lightning Blade still clinging to his fingertips, his Sharingan beneath his headband slightly narrowing: "Just who are you?"

Bai Ye looked down at his palm; the lines on his palm were fading, like ink being soaked in warm water.

He recalled the surge of heat that had just coursed through his body—the dorayaki Kakashi handed him in the ruins of Amegakure, the cloyingly sweet red bean paste melting on his tongue; the stinging pain of the metallic chill and body heat intertwined when Granny Chiyo's puppet strings wrapped around his wounds in the desert of Sunagakure; and the touch of Yukino's calloused hands brushing against his palms when he released her.