Konoha: Superman template, the spoiled brat becomes strong.

Kakashi appeared behind him unnoticed, holding half a charred carrier pigeon feather in his hand: "The carrier pigeon leg bands from the Land of Lightning are made of silver, engraved with the lightning crest of Kumogakure." His voice was like the wind in the dead of night, "When you sent someone to deliver the secret message, didn't you notice the crows on the roof beams?"

Ebizo suddenly slapped his thigh and laughed, his fat making the teacup clatter: "Brilliant, brilliant! This trick of using someone else to do the dirty work is brilliant—first, lure the Allied Forces to force Sunagakure, then use the Land of Lightning to capture Byakuya, and finally reap the benefits and become the Daimyo." He squinted and leaned closer to Sasuke, "But you overlooked one thing: our Sunagakure crows fly faster than carrier pigeons."

"Take him away." Granny Chiyo's voice struck like a hammer on an old tortoise shell. "Lock him in the rock dungeon and have ten ANBU guards watch over him." She turned to Bai Ye, the wariness in her eyes fading slightly, replaced by a hint of inquiry. "What do you think?"

Bai Ye loosened his grip on the Golden Butterfly Stone, the patterns of the fragments imprinted on his palm, red as if about to bleed.

He looked out the window—Yukino was running this way, carrying a lantern, her hair ribbon fluttering in the wind like a dancing flame. “What he wants isn’t cooperation,” he said, “but to prove that he’s smarter than my father, and better able to control the situation than any of the daimyo.”

"Then what are you going to do?" Mei Terumi put away her water fan, her ice-blue skirt sweeping across the ground where Sasuke had just stood, as if wiping something dirty.

Bai Ye suddenly laughed.

This was the first time he had laughed that night, with a hint of relief at breaking the deadlock: "He wants to be the player, and I'll be the piece." He took out a kunai and tossed it into the air, the moonlight flashing on the tip of the blade, "But first, I have to clean the chessboard."

"Byakuya!" Yukino's voice, carried by the wind, burst into the council chamber, causing the pages of the ancient book in her arms to rustle as it turned. "I found it!"

The 'Sealing Technique' recorded in the Thousand-Hand Scroll can temporarily suppress rampaging chakra using the Golden Butterfly Stone—"She ran to the table, her fingertips trembling as she touched the yellowed pages," the required materials are... scales of the Three-Tails, blood crystals of the Kaguya clan, and...

Bai Ye bent down to look at the ancient book.

The candlelight reflected off his eyelashes, casting flickering shadows on Yukino's face.

He heard his own heartbeat suddenly become very soft, as soft as snow falling on the Golden Butterfly Stone.

Sasuke's roar came from the direction of the distant Iwagakure, but it was quickly suppressed by the reprimands of the Anbu.

“Anything else?” he asked.

Yukino's finger stopped on a line of small print, and when she looked up, her eyes shone as if stars had fallen into them: "And... the souls of the sacrificers."

The moonlight outside the window was suddenly obscured by clouds.

Bai Ye's fingertips traced the words "Life Soul," and the Golden Butterfly Stone burned in his palm.

He could feel the natural energy resonating within the fragments, like a very old song being sung.

Yukino's body temperature radiated through their clasped hands, a warmth that made one's heart flutter.

The crisp sound of metal clashing came from the direction of the rock dungeon, mixed with Sasuke's suppressed laughter, like a fine needle piercing into the ear.

“Continue the investigation,” Bai Ye said, his voice so soft it was as if he were afraid of waking something. “List out the remaining materials.”

Yukino nodded vigorously, her hair brushing against the back of his hand.

She turned the pages quickly, making a soft tearing sound, like she was tearing an old map.

When the candlelight in the council chamber was lit again, Bai Ye saw his reflection in the ancient book, which overlapped with the shadow of the Golden Butterfly Stone, like a butterfly about to take flight.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the village, behind the iron bars of the rock prison, Sasuke stared at the blood on his palm—the blood from when he had been torn by the chains during his struggle. The blood droplets fell to the ground and seeped into the red soil unique to Sunagakure, blooming into tiny, tiny flowers.

“Interesting,” he murmured, a smile colder than the moonlight. “Looks like I’ll have to revisit my plans.”

Chapter 628 A Piece of Intelligence

A spark popped from the candle wick in the council chamber, and Yukino's fingertip was still on the words "Life Soul" when the sound of chains being dragged suddenly came from the direction of the Iwagakure.

Bai Ye's ears twitched—it wasn't the footsteps of the Dark Guard patrolling; it was someone deliberately making heavy footsteps, stepping on the sand as they came this way.

"Get out of the way!" Sasuke's voice crashed through the doorway first. His scalp was damp with the scent of the rock prison, and half of a chain still clung to his wrist. "I want to see your decision-makers." The ANBU ninja escorting him followed closely behind, clutching kunai, but were stopped by Granny Chiyo's raised hand.

The old woman squinted, her knuckles tapping softly on the sandalwood table: "Unlock the chains."

Ebi coughed softly beside her, his withered fingers stroking the short sword at his waist.

The advisory group of Sunagakure has always been in sync, and this cough was enough for the Anbu to understand that if this kid tried anything funny, the puppeteer hiding on the beam would first pierce his throat with a poisoned needle.

Sasuke rubbed his wrist, which was red from being bound, and his gaze swept over everyone present before finally settling on Byakuya's face.

He suddenly smiled, like a hunter finally spotting his prey in a trap: "I can offer some information." Before he finished speaking, Mei Terumi's water fan unfurled with a "whoosh," its icy blue surface reflecting the candlelight and casting a cold, blade-like shadow at Sasuke's feet. "In exchange for what?"

“Support me in reclaiming the title of Daimyo of the Land of Fire.” Sasuke’s voice was as soft as if he were talking about everyday things. “My father died a pathetic death. Those fools who want to take over the Land of Fire think I’m a useless coward who can only cry and mourn. But what you need is a new Daimyo who can keep the Land of Fire stable, not a mess that is divided up by the troops stationed by various countries.”

Grandma Chiyo dug her fingernails into her palm.

She had lived for nearly a century and had seen too many young people use "ambition" as a bargaining chip, but the calmness in those eyes reminded her of the Third Kazekage when he was young—the Kazekage at that time also said that he would make Sunagakure no longer rely on selling nuclear crystals to exchange for food, but what happened?

In the end, he was turned into a human puppet by the puppeteer he had trained.

"The intelligence details," Bai Ye began, his voice like a kunai chilled to the bone.

He could feel the Golden Butterfly Stone burning hot in his sleeve. The warmth from Yukino's fingertips still lingered on the back of his hand, but now it felt cold from Sasuke's aura.

Sasuke pulled a roll of parchment from his pocket, the edges still covered with bits of dirt from the Iwagakure.

When unfolded, Obito's portrait came into view—pale skin, half of his face wrapped in bandages, and his three-tomoe Sharingan eyes glowing crimson in the moonlight.

Kakashi's pupils suddenly contracted, and his knuckles clenched so tightly they turned white: "This is..."

“Uchiha Obito.” Sasuke’s voice was low. “He didn’t die at Kannabi Bridge. He’s the commander of the Allied Forces now, and he’s used the name ‘Akatsuki’ to unite the remnants of Iwagakure and Kirigakure—don’t look at me like that,” he swept his gaze across Mei Terumi’s cold eyes. “My father’s spies planted an informant among him. The informant died three days ago, but the intelligence came back.”

The air in the council chamber suddenly froze.

Mei Terumi's water fan slowly closed, the soft sound of the fan ribs colliding felt like a tap on the heart: "His ability."

"Space-time ninjutsu." Kakashi's voice was hoarse, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed the rest of the sentence—it was a technique that originated from the same source as his Sharingan.

When Obito was crushed by a boulder, he thought he had lost his teammate who always had a big smile, until three years ago when he saw that eye again in the bloody mist of Kirigakure.

“So you need to split your forces.” Sasuke’s finger traced across the map, stopping at the canyon outside the east gate of Sunagakure. “The Mizukage and Lord Ebizo will hold them off from the front, while Byakuya and Kakashi, the Jonin, will launch a surprise attack on the command post from the flanks—Obito’s space-time technique has a five-second cooldown, a weakness exploited by his informant at the cost of his life.”

Chapter 629 Enough for you to win

Grandma Chiyo's gaze swept over everyone's faces.

Yukino had retreated to the corner at some point, still clutching the "Thousand Hands Scroll" in her arms, the flame pattern on her hair ribbon lifted by the draft; Mei Terumi's fingertips rested on her chin, half a blade of water-style chakra peeking out from under her ice-blue skirt; Kakashi's mask was blown by the night wind, revealing his tightly pursed lips—a habit he had when nervous.

"Why should I believe you?" Ebizo suddenly spoke, his short sword clanging against the table. "Your father's spy? Or is this your own conspiracy?"

Sasuke didn't avoid his gaze. Instead, he took a half step forward, the chains dragging on the ground with a screech: "Because I know better than you that what Obito wanted wasn't the Land of Fire." His voice suddenly softened, as if he were telling a secret, "What he wanted was... to turn all the ninja villages into ruins."

Bai Ye's temples throbbed.

The Golden Butterfly Stone burned in his palm. He could hear the hum of natural energy within the fragments, overlapping with Obito's laughter from his memory—it was during the Chunin Exams, when Obito blocked a kunai from an Iwagakure ninja for him and said, "Hey, loser, don't always make me save you."

"Deal." Granny Chiyo's words broke the silence.

The old woman took out a puppet scroll from her waist, and wrapped a red silk thread around her finger three times—this was the secret code for the highest decision-making of Sunagakure. "But if the information is false..." Her gaze swept over Sasuke's throat, "your soul will be sealed into a puppet, to guard the gates of Sunagakure for all eternity."

Sasuke bent down to pick up the parchment from the ground, his movements as calm as if he were in his own study.

As he straightened up, Byakuya noticed the blood seeping from his cuffs—the iron chains of the Rock Prison had worn through his wrists, and drops of blood were dripping from between his fingers onto the map, spreading a red patch over Obito's portrait where his right eye should be.

“I swear in the name of the heir to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.” Sasuke’s voice was tinged with something burning hot. “This information is enough for you to win.”

As everyone began to gather around the map, Bai Ye retreated to the window.

Moonlight streamed through the window again, and he saw Yukino walking over with ancient books in her arms, the flames of her hair ribbon dancing in the wind: "Do you need me to prepare a materials list?"

"After this battle is over." Bai Ye touched the top of her head, his fingertips brushing against her cool earlobe behind her ear—she had been clutching the Thousand Hands Scroll the whole time, and there were still red marks from the pages pressing into the back of her hand.

In the distance came the shouts of the ANBU troop assembling. Mei Terumi's water fan drew silver arcs in the moonlight as she explained tactics to the vanguard. Kakashi squatted in front of the map, drawing a surprise attack route on the sand with kunai. His mask was blown up by the night wind, revealing the dark circles under his eyes.

Sasuke suddenly appeared beside him.

The boy's breath brushed against his ear: "Remember, only you can stop Obito."

Bai Ye's back tensed.

He recalled Sasuke's smile as he looked at the blood flowers in the prison, the ancient song in the Golden Butterfly Stone, and the stars in Yukino's eyes when she spoke of "life spirit".

A chilling premonition crept up his spine—Sasuke's plans were never as simple as "cooperation."

"Why me?" he asked, his voice colder than the moonlight.

Sasuke did not answer.

He turned and walked toward the shadows, the chains dragging a winding trail on the ground like a snake that might turn on him at any moment.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the village, in an abandoned, wind-eroded cave, a pale figure unveiled the camouflage of the Dark Guard, and the three-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated in the darkness.

As the rallying cry of the Anbu tore a rift in the night sky above Sunagakure, Byakuya was staring intently at Sasuke's departing figure.

Chapter 630 I Know the Inside Story

The sound of the boy's chains dragging on the ground was like a fine needle, pricking the skin on the back of his neck—the silver chains were not only wearing down his wrists, but also something more subtle, such as trust.

"White Demon." Granny Chiyo's puppet strings suddenly tightened, the red threads gleaming with a cold metallic light in the moonlight. "It's time to set off."

As Byakuya turned around, Sasuke's words still echoed in his ears. "Only you can save the ninja world." These words sounded just like Obito's oft-repeated phrase, "You're a loser, don't drag the team down." But when Sasuke said them, the last syllable carried a venomous hook.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he was about to say something when the distinctive eagle flute signal of the Dark Guard suddenly rang out from afar—three long and two short blasts, an emergency alarm.

"Intruders!" Ebizo's voice, mixed with the sound of the wind, crashed into everyone's ears.

The old consultant, who always seemed to be stroking his beard, was now grabbing the patrol squad leader by the collar, his knuckles white. "The barrier team says three nodes of the western protective array have been broken, and the chakra residue... is from the Sharingan!"

Granny Chiyo's pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints.

The puppet scroll at her waist sprang open half an inch with a "whoosh," and the chakra fluctuations of the Crimson Secret Technique: Hundred Puppet Manipulation surged out like a wave: "Seal off the entire village!"

All ninjas are divided into groups to search according to the secret order number C, while the medical team is sent to protect the important document room—Yukino!

Yukino, who was running towards the library with ancient books in her arms, suddenly stopped, the flame tassels on her hairband brushing against her cheek.

When she looked up, the panic in her eyes was quickly suppressed into determination: "I will protect the Thousand-Hand Scroll." Before she finished speaking, she had already lifted the hem of her skirt and rushed into the moonlight. Two osmanthus flowers on the top of her hair were blown off by the wind and drifted to Bai Ye's feet.

Mei Terumi's water fan snapped open, its surface condensing into ice blades of azure chakra. "The Hidden Mist Vanguard, come with me to seal off the water source. Those crevices in the rocks are where rats easily hide." As she passed Byakuya, the hem of her robe brushed against the back of his hand, carrying the damp coolness characteristic of the Land of Water. "Be careful, that guy's space-time ninjutsu..."

"Kakashi and I split up." Byakuya interrupted her, his gaze sweeping over the copy ninja crouching in front of the sand map.

Kakashi had already fastened his headband at some point, and the Sharingan in his left eye was faintly visible in the shadows.

The kunai on his fingertips was pressed against the marker in the center of Sunagakure. Hearing the summons, he stood up abruptly, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth beneath his mask: "The outer perimeter is yours. The inner perimeter... I know it well."

These words caused Bai Ye's heart to suddenly clench with pain.

Obito said something similar. During the Chunin Exams, when they were surrounded by Iwagakure in the Forest of Death, Obito handed him a kunai and casually said, "I know them well."

He looked down at the golden butterfly stone in his palm. The natural energy within the fragments suddenly became scorching hot, like a living thing about to burn through his skin.

"Let's go." He gripped the golden butterfly stone tightly, turned around, and ran out of the village.

The night wind lifted his sleeve, revealing a pale pink old scar on his arm—it was left by Obito when he shielded him from the Iwagakure kunai. At the time, Obito had scolded him, "Idiot, your chakra control is so bad," but the next second he used his body to catch the poisoned kunai for him.

The abandoned warehouse in the west of the village cast a huge shadow under the moonlight.

Byakuya's sensory chakra spread out like a spider web, and the dust floating in the air suddenly showed an unnatural disturbance—someone was using ninjutsu to cover their breathing, but the residual chakra could not deceive him.

He moved close to the base of the wall, his boots crushing half a piece of wind-eroded pottery, the crisp sound particularly clear in the silence.

The moment I pushed open the door, a musty smell mixed with the smell of rust hit me.

He squinted to adjust to the darkness and saw several broken puppets piled in the corner, their red paint peeling off their skeletons, like a pile of withered bones whose souls had been taken away.

The chakra fluctuations became more pronounced, right behind the wooden beam on the left.

He flicked three kunai with his fingers and aimed them at three possible hiding places on the beam, but only heard the dull sound of wood breaking.

"The reaction time is still so slow."

When the deep voice came down from above, all the hairs on the back of Bai Ye's neck stood on end.

As he tilted his head back, he spun and flipped to the side—Sharingan?

No, it was the crimson glow of the three tomoe spinning in the darkness—and Obito, the one who always used to ruffle his hair in his memory, was now standing where he had just been, his pale face like a faded piece of paper in the moonlight.

"Long time no see, Byakuya." Obito's voice carried a twisted tenderness. "I knew you would come." As he raised his hand, his sleeve slipped down, revealing the mottled mechanical patterns on his forearm. "The space-time ninjutsu I didn't teach you back then, now you can catch up."

Bai Ye's fingers pinched crescent-shaped marks into her palm.

The scorching heat of the Golden Butterfly Stone suddenly turned into a bone-chilling cold, and the natural energy within the fragments began to surge wildly—it was Obito's chakra, and the temperature was completely different from when he shielded Obito from a knife in his memory.

He took a half step back, his ankle hitting a protruding brick. In the instant he looked down, he caught a glimpse of half a piece of clothing with a black background and red clouds embedded in the crack between the bricks.

When will you...?

“From the moment you agreed to cooperate with Sasuke,” Obito’s three-tomoe Sharingan slowly transformed into a Mangekyou Sharingan, “his plan requires a sufficiently strong bait.”

"And you..." He tilted his head and smiled, "just so happens to be the person I most want to see."

Before the words were finished, a black spatial vortex suddenly cracked open in the ground.