Konoha: Superman template, the spoiled brat becomes strong.

Bai Ye's pupils contracted sharply, his body reacting before his brain—he grabbed the puppet skeleton beside him and used it to retreat backward, but Obito's hand had already pierced through space and was grabbing at his heart.

The wind lifted Obito's cloak, revealing his signature red cloud underneath.

Byakuya could see the chakra at his fingertips drawing out blue light in the air, like a snake flicking its tongue.

He gritted his teeth and continued to retreat, his back slamming against the cold wall, while Obito's hand was only three inches away from his heart.

“This time…” Obito’s voice was tinged with the hum of distorted space, “I will not take a hit for you again.”

Bai Ye's breathing almost stopped.

He could hear his own heart pounding, and he could see his own reflection in Obito's pupils—the underdog who had once been protected behind him, now forced to raise the sword himself.

He took a deep breath, gathering chakra at the soles of his feet, preparing to use the Body Flicker Technique to evade this fatal blow.

Obito's hand had already touched his collar.

Chapter 631 Using a Puppet to Shield Oneself

As the blue light of Obito's chakra brushed past Byakuya's clothes, a line of blood was drawn from the back of his neck.

The excruciating pain was like a red-hot needle, causing his pupils to contract, but it also completely ignited the dormant fighting instincts within his body—this was not the Obito who would have shielded him from harm back then; the purplish-black chakra seeping from the joints of his mechanical arm was drilling into his flesh along his wounds.

"Space-time ninjutsu?" Bai Ye gritted his teeth and took two steps, his back slamming heavily into the pile of puppets.

Scattered puppet parts fell at his feet, and half of a bronze puppet eye rolled to Obito's feet, reflecting the crimson kaleidoscope surging in his eyes. "What you taught me back then was how to use shadow clones to trick kunai, not how to kill people with spacetime rifts."

Obito's lips curled into a twisted smile, his mechanical arm trembling slightly at his side. "The Obito of yesteryear is long gone." His voice rolled like rusty gears. "The one standing here now is the successor to the will of Madara Uchiha, who witnessed the truth of the world." Before he finished speaking, a black vortex suddenly cracked open beneath his feet, and he sank into it as if he were sinking into water.

Byakuya's Sharingan suddenly turned.

The three tomoe left afterimages in his pupils as he caught the direction of Obito's last chakra fluctuation before he disappeared—the top of his head!

"Wind Release: Vacuum Ball!" He raised his hand to form a hand seal, and chakra condensed into a blue ball of energy in his palm, which he then forcefully pushed towards the ceiling.

Broken wooden beams and dust fell down in a flurry, and Obito's figure indeed appeared from the broken roof. His right shoulder was torn open by a wind blade, leaving a deep wound that exposed bone. His dark red cloud robe was soaked in blood, yet he still raised his mechanical arm and pressed it down on him.

“Not bad prediction.” Obito’s voice was devoid of pain, instead carrying a morbid excitement. “But you missed the left side.”

Bai Ye's temples throbbed.

He could clearly sense the spatial distortion coming from the left wall, and almost instinctively spun around and kicked a half-human-sized puppet towards that abnormal area.

Amidst the flying sawdust, Obito's left hand emerged from within the wall, his fingertips brushing against Byakuya's waist, leaving three charred marks on his clothes.

"Your chakra control has deteriorated." Byakuya swung a kunai backhand, aiming precisely at Obito's exposed wrist.

The kunai pierced through Obito's arm, but it felt like it had plunged into water—it was an intangible illusion!

His pupils contracted sharply as he finally remembered the key points of space-time ninjutsu that Obito had taught him: "The Sharingan's space-time abilities require precise chakra control to maintain the transformation between physical and intangible forms."

"So that Wind Release technique you used just now was a deliberate attempt to expose your chakra flow?" Obito emerged from the shadows on the right, his blood dripping from the kunai on his mechanical arm. "Clever, but not enough." He suddenly accelerated, the mechanical joints emitting a piercing roar. "You thought I'd give you time to form hand seals?"

Bai Ye's back was covered in cold sweat.

He could feel the Golden Butterfly Stone fragments burning in his palm, and natural energy surging through his blood vessels into his limbs—this was the body's instinctive reaction in the face of life and death.

But Obito's speed was too fast, so fast that his Sharingan could only catch afterimages.

Just as the robotic arm was about to pierce his heart, he suddenly bent down, grabbed the puppet skeleton at his feet, and held it across his chest.

"Crack!"

The sound of metal bones shattering mingled with the muffled thud of flesh being pierced.

Bai Ye staggered backward, watching as Obito's mechanical arm pierced through the puppet's chest cavity, its tip barely half an inch from his heart.

Cold sweat dripped down his chin, and he could hear his own rapid breathing, as grating as a broken bellows.

"Using a puppet to block a blow?" Obito tilted his head, his mechanical arm slowly retracting. "You've certainly learned most of Chiyo's skills." His kaleidoscope suddenly spun violently. "However—"

Chapter 632 Reinforcements

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from outside the warehouse.

Bai Ye's ears twitched.

That was the sound of soft-soled ninja boots specially made by Sunagakure stepping on the bluestone slabs, mixed with the subtle vibrations of chakra flowing through them.

He quickly glanced at Obito's expression—the other's pupils contracted slightly, indicating that he had also heard it.

"Reinforcements?" Obito chuckled, his mechanical arm extending to his side. "Just in time."

Before he could finish speaking, the warehouse door was smashed open.

Moonlight streamed through the crack in the door, illuminating Granny Chiyo standing in the doorway, leaning on her cane, followed by more than twenty Sand Village ninja. Ebizo stood to her right, holding a kunai, the wrinkles on his forehead deepening with tension.

"White Night!" Chiyo's voice rang out like hammering on bronze. "Step back behind me!" She raised her hand, forming a hand seal, and the puppet remains of Sasori of the Crimson Sand condensed in her palm. "Ebizo, seal off all exits!"

Everyone else, form an earthen wall!

Obito's gaze swept over the sudden influx of ninjas, and the rotation frequency of his Mangekyou Sharingan suddenly increased.

He took a half step back, pressing his back against the wall, the blue chakra light on the mechanical arm becoming increasingly dazzling. "Looks like today's show will have to end early."

Byakuya took the opportunity to retreat to Chiyo's side.

He could feel his chakra rapidly draining away, and the spot on his left waist where Obito had grazed him was burning with pain. But what made him even more uneasy at this moment was the knowing smile in Obito's eyes—the look of a hunter watching his prey being caged.

"Trying to leave?" Ebizo threw out three kunai, but Obito easily dodged them with his space-time ninjutsu. "Not so easy!"

"Don't rush." ​​Obito suddenly raised his mechanical arm, a purple chakra ball condensing in his palm. "I'll leave you a little something for our first meeting."

Byakuya's Sharingan detected the spatial fluctuations surging within the chakra sphere.

He shouted "Scatter!" and pulled Chiyo aside.

The next second, the chakra ball exploded, and the black spatial vortex spread like vines throughout the warehouse, smashing shelves, overturning tables and chairs, and even tearing several cracks in the earthen array wall that Chiyo had just formed.

When the dust settled, Obito's spot was empty.

"Chase!" Ebizo commanded the ninjas to rush towards the window, but Chiyo stopped them.

"Don't chase after them." Chiyo stared at the spatial fluctuations remaining on the ground, slamming her cane heavily on the ground. "Those are remnants of Kamui."

Even with the Sand Village's tracking techniques, they couldn't catch an enemy who possessed space-time ninjutsu. She turned to look at Byakuya, her gaze falling on the golden butterfly stone on his chest, "Are you alright?"

Bai Ye shook his head, clutching his aching left waist.

He gazed in the direction where Obito had disappeared, the burning sensation of the Gold Butterfly Stone still lingering, even intensifying slightly.

Moonlight streamed through the broken roof outside the warehouse, illuminating the corner of a garment with a black background and red clouds—the spot where Obito had just stood.

"This is just the beginning."

Obito's voice suddenly rang in everyone's ears, as if it were drifting from a great distance, or as if it were directly engraved in their minds.

Bai Ye's fingers unconsciously tightened around the Golden Butterfly Stone.

He could feel the natural energy surging wildly within the fragments, as if responding to some kind of call.

Chiyo's gaze swept over his palm, a hint of inquiry flashing in her eyes, but in the end she just pursed her lips and turned to Ebizo, saying, "Immediately seal off the news and notify the Kage-level ninjas of each village—Uchiha Obito has returned."

The wind outside the warehouse suddenly picked up, whipping up the puppet fragments on the ground and making a creaking sound as they hit the broken wooden door.

Byakuya gazed at the empty wall under the moonlight, Obito's last words still echoing in his ears.

He knew that the storm he had started had only just begun.

Chapter 633 Coordinating with the Spirit Sealing Array

Before the dust in the warehouse had completely settled, Granny Chiyo slammed her cane heavily on the cracked floor: "Ebizo, take three teams of ANBU to clean up the scene. All residual chakra samples related to space-time ninjutsu must be sealed." As she turned, the wrinkles under her eyes deepened with tension. "Byakuya, come back to the village with me."

Bai Ye pressed his hand against the wound on his left waist, and could feel the bloodstains slowly seeping through the fabric.

The golden stone felt hot against my skin, like a burning ember; even breathing was painfully hot.

He stared at the corner where Obito had disappeared, where remnants of black fabric with red clouds still clung—scattered by the blast wave during the explosion. "Grandma," he said, his voice heavy, "Obito said 'this is just the beginning,' his goal..."

“We’ll talk about it when we get back to the village,” Chiyo interrupted him, placing her withered hand on his shoulder.

The old man's palms, calloused from years of manipulating puppets, were surprisingly warm at this moment. "Let me treat your injuries first."

The night roads of Sunagakure Village were bathed in moonlight, turning them white, and the shadows cast by the stone walls resembled outstretched claws of a beast.

Bai Ye walked at the very front of the group, and could hear the ninjas behind him whispering: "That's the Sharingan, right?" "Space-time ninjutsu... Could it be the Uchiha from back then?" He touched the Golden Butterfly Stone on his chest, the natural energy within the fragments was still restless, as if it was being drawn out of his body by something.

The candles in the conference room had just been lit when Mei Terumi pushed open the door and entered.

Her sleeves were still damp with water, and droplets of water dripping from her hair splashed on the ground, creating tiny ripples: "Grandma Chiyo, I just received a message from Kirigakure—the Land of Lightning has already amassed five thousand troops on the border."

"Where is Konoha?" Kakashi leaned against the windowsill, his lips pressed into a thin line beneath his mask.

His headband was askew, revealing his left Sharingan eye. "After the death of the Fire Country Daimyo, the Wind, Water, and Lightning Countries have all been stirring, and now Obito has joined the fray..."

“So we need to weave a net first.” Mei Terumi tapped the table with her fingertips, and the Water Mirror Technique unfolded before everyone, reflecting a map of the ninja world. “Contact the old site of the Five Kage Summit and have the Kage-level ninjas from each village gather in Sunagakure within three days.” When she looked up, the flickering candlelight reflected in her pupils. “Obito’s goal is not just the Land of Fire; he wants chaos in the entire ninja world.”

Byakuya stared at the red dot in the water mirror—that was the location of the Land of Lightning's army.

The golden stone suddenly became intensely hot, and he groaned, pressing his palm against the table.

"Your injury?" Chiyo immediately leaned forward.

“No.” Bai Ye shook his head, his fingertips gripping the Golden Butterfly Stone tightly. “It’s this.” He spread out the fragments, a pale golden light dancing in his palm. “It was resonating when Obito appeared.”

Mei Terumi just mentioned the Land of Lightning's army, and it...

The meeting room suddenly fell silent.

Ebizo rubbed the stubble on his chin: "This stone... could it be related to the Ten-Tails seal from back then?"

“Yukino might know.” Byakuya thought of the girl in the library who was always yawning while holding ancient books. “She has studied all the documents from Sunagakure about ancient ninjutsu.”

By the time the meeting ended, the moon outside the window had climbed high in the sky.

Yukino stood in the corridor, holding a half-rolled, yellowed copy of "The Ancient Scroll of Wind" in her arms, dust from the pages clinging to her hair. "Lady Byakuya, I've found something." Her voice was as clear as a spring stream, yet it trembled uncontrollably. "It's about the Golden Butterfly Stone."

The scent of sandalwood mixed with the smell of mildew wafted over from the library.

Yukino spread the ancient book on the table, her fingertip tracing a line of faded ink: "This records that the Golden Butterfly Stone is the sealing medium of the Otsutsuki clan, capable of absorbing natural energy... but it needs to be used in conjunction with a 'Sealing Array' to activate it." She turned to another page, where she drew complex incantations, "As for the materials... it requires fragments of the Ten-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball, branches of the Divine Tree, and..."

Chapter 634 Heading to the Thunder Country Military Camp

"Wait." Bai Ye pressed down on her wrist. "A fragment of a Tailed Beast Ball?"

Where are we supposed to find this?

“Perhaps it can be a substitute.” Yukino’s ears turned red, and the places he touched felt slightly hot. “The ancient scrolls say that any powerful chakra source can do it.”

For example... the chakra of tailed beasts?

Bai Ye's breath hitched.

He recalled Obito's Kamui from earlier, and the rumors of the Ten-Tails' resurrection, and his Adam's apple bobbed: "If we could suppress Obito's space-time ninjutsu..."

Just as I finished smoothing out the curled corners of the ancient book, I heard the soft tapping of wooden clogs outside the door.

Sasuke leaned against the doorframe, his moon-white hunting robe damp with night dew, the emblem of the Land of Fire in his hair gleaming coldly in the moonlight: "I heard you're looking for a way to deal with Obito?" His voice was sweet as honey. "I have some information that might be of help."

Chiyo slammed her cane on the ground with a thud: "Speak."

"The Iwagakure branch in the western part of the Land of Fire holds the First Hokage's Fire-Sealing Scroll." Sasuke walked in, his gaze sweeping over the Golden Butterfly Stone in Byakuya's palm. "That scroll can seal all fire-related ninjutsu—including Obito's space-time flares."

"Conditions?" Ebizo narrowed his eyes.

Sasuke smiled, revealing his sharp canine teeth: "I need your help to reclaim my position as the Daimyo of the Land of Fire." His knuckles pressed against the table, his fingertips calloused from years of wielding swords. "My father died under mysterious circumstances, and those old retainers want to install a puppet in the throne... and I need your ninja army."

The candlelight in the conference room suddenly flickered and one of them went out.

"The credibility of this information..." Mei Terumi began to speak, but was interrupted by hurried footsteps.

A sweaty ANBU ninja burst through the door, his armor still covered in bits of grass: "Something's wrong!"

The vanguard of the Land of Lightning has already crossed the Wind and Lightning Gorge and is expected to arrive at Sunagakure in two days!

The air solidified instantly.

Yukino instinctively grabbed Byakuya's sleeve, and the ancient book fell to the ground with a "thud".

"What's the panic!" Chiyo slammed her cane on the floor, making the candlesticks shake. "Ebizo, go and deploy the puppet troops to guard the east gate; Terumi Mei, contact Kirigakure and have them hold them back from the sea; Kakashi..." She turned to the Konoha Jonin, "You take the Anbu to scout the Land of Lightning's supply camp."