Konoha: Superman template, the spoiled brat becomes strong.

"Yes." Everyone responded in unison.

Bai Ye took a deep breath, and the heat of the Golden Butterfly Stone gradually subsided, leaving only a slight coolness.

He bent down to pick up the ancient book, the dust on the cover settling on the back of his hand like the weight of fate. "I'm going to the Land of Lightning's military camp," he said, his voice icy. "Obito wants to cause chaos, but I'll make sure his plans are completely thwarted."

“Wait!” The ANBU ninja suddenly spoke again, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. “And… the patrol outside the village said they saw… saw the hem of a robe with a black background and red clouds.” His voice trembled. “On the sand dunes to the west.”

Bai Ye's fingers tightened suddenly, the corner of the ancient book piercing into his palm.

The wind outside the window swirled sand grains against the window paper, making a soft, rustling sound, much like Obito's whisper before he disappeared—"This is just the beginning."

As soon as the ANBU ninja finished speaking, the air in the conference room seemed to have been sucked out of its oxygen.

Grandma Chiyo's cane tip was deeply embedded in the crack in the floor, and her knuckles turned white from the force.

A storm raged in her cloudy pupils—black background with red clouds, the symbol of the Akatsuki organization, whose leader was none other than Uchiha Obito, who could manipulate space and time.

Ebizo's fingers tapped rapidly on the table, his gaze sweeping across the sand and mist whipped up by the wind outside the window. His Adam's apple bobbed, but he ultimately remained silent.

Chapter 635 They're Coming for Me

Mei Terumi's fingertips unconsciously caressed the sharkskin scabbard of her water sword at her waist. Her cold and beautiful face was as taut as an ice sculpture, with only the coral beads on her earrings trembling slightly with her breath, betraying her nervousness.

Yukino's nails dug almost into Byakuya's hand, dust from the ancient book's cover falling softly onto their clasped hands, like drops of undried tears. "Byakuya-sama... Byakuya-sama," her voice trembled, "Obito... could he be after...?"

"They're after me," Bai Ye interrupted her.

The golden stone burned intensely in my palm, like an ember that could never be extinguished.

He recalled the purplish-black vortex churning in Obito's Sharingan when Obito used Kamui to pierce his kunai three days ago; he recalled the rocks shattered when the Ten-Tails sapling broke through the soil in the ruins of Amegakure; and he also recalled the Fire-Sealing Scroll that Sasuke had just mentioned—Obito's plan was never a single-point assassination, but rather to drag the entire ninja world into the vortex.

"Byakuya," Chiyo suddenly spoke, her cane tapping crisply on the floor. "Are you going to chase after her?"

"Yes." Byakuya released Yukino's hand and carefully placed the ancient book into the wooden box, his movements as light as if he were placing fragile moonlight. "The army of the Land of Lightning can be delayed, but Obito's footsteps cannot be delayed."

If he were to lay something on the outskirts of Sunagakure... "He didn't finish speaking, his gaze sweeping across everyone's tense faces, the answer already written in everyone's eyes—what Obito wanted was never a single city or a single stronghold, but to cause all defenses to collapse in chaos.

“I’ll send twenty Sand Village Jonin with you,” Ebizo suddenly interjected, his fingers gripping the copper ring on the puppet strings at his waist. “While puppet troops are strong in defense, their tracking…”

"No need." Bai Ye interrupted him, his fingertips brushing against the kunai hidden in his sleeve. "Obito's space-time ninjutsu can penetrate any formation."

Too many people would only make them his target. He turned to Chiyo, "Grandma, I'm leaving the Land of Lightning to you. I need three hours—" He paused, "at most three hours, to pinpoint Obito's whereabouts."

Chiyo stared into his eyes for a full three breaths, then suddenly smiled, a hint of the sharpness of the "God of Puppets" from her past overflowing from her wrinkles: "Good."

"Ebizo, give him the Chakra Compass of the Wind Formation; Mei Terumi, have the Hidden Mist Village's Water Mirror Technique cover the western sand dunes; Kakashi..." She turned to the silent Konoha Jonin, "You led the Anbu to intercept the Land of Lightning's envoy, their advance party couldn't have been this fast—someone is pulling the strings."

Kakashi's headband slid down half an inch, revealing the cold light of his Sharingan: "Understood." As he turned, the Copy Ninja's black cloak swept across the candlestick, sparks splashing onto the straw mat, which were instantly extinguished by Yukino's foot.

Sasuke suddenly stepped forward, a drop of dew from his moon-white hunting robe staining the floor and spreading into a pale gray circle. "I'll go with you." His voice held a sharpness unique to youth. "The Land of Fire's Anbu has a base in the west; I know it well..."

"No." Bai Ye and Chiyo said at the same time.

Byakuya looked at Sasuke, the heat of the Golden Butterfly Stone emanating from his palm: "Your father has just died, and the old ministers of the Land of Fire are watching you closely."

"If you leave, they'll immediately install a puppet in power." His tone was like a knife chilled to the bone, "What you want is a position, not to be buried with someone."

Sasuke bit his lower lip until it turned white, then finally flicked his sleeve heavily: "Fine."

But if you don't hear from me after three hours...

"I'll have a messenger hawk from Sunagakure bring you a strand of Obito's hair." Bai Ye tugged at the corner of his mouth; this was his first smile of the day, yet it was colder than tears.

As he turned to walk towards the door, Yukino suddenly caught up with him and shoved a cloth bag into his arms. "It's...it's hot rice balls." Her ears were bright red, as if they were about to bleed. "You...you never eat..."

Chapter 636 The Abandoned Valley of the Wind

Bai Ye lowered his head, and the tangy aroma of pickled plums wafted from the cloth bag.

He tucked the cloth bag into his coat, its warmth seeping through his clothing to soothe his heart: "Wait for me to come back."

The door creaked shut, blocking Yukino's silhouette behind it.

Byakuya took a deep breath, the sand and the fishy smell of morning dew filling his nostrils—a unique scent of Sunagakure. He suddenly remembered the first time he came here, the wind was just like this, whipping up Granny Chiyo's puppet strings and making his cheeks sting.

The chakra compass burned in my palm, its pointer spinning wildly until it finally pointed to the western sand dunes.

Bai Ye's toes barely touched the ground, like a withered leaf swept by the wind, brushing past the thatched roof.

He could feel the chakra fluctuations beneath his feet—that was Ebizo activating a defensive barrier. The walls of Sunagakure gleamed with an earthy yellow hue in the morning light, like a giant beast awakening.

Three kilometers away, beneath the sand dunes, the remnants of chakra suddenly became clear.

Byakuya crouched down, pressing his fingertips to the sand. A few strands of dark purple chakra were embedded in the fine gravel, carrying the stench of rotting tree roots—this was Obito's mark, a special chakra extracted from the cells of the Ten-Tails, which even the wind could not disperse.

He followed the trail for two miles when the wind suddenly changed direction.

The originally dry wind now carried a damp, earthy smell, as if something was churning underground.

Bai Ye's neck hairs stood on end, forming a "close" seal, and his chakra exploded through his five senses—three hundred meters ahead lay the abandoned Valley of the Wind.

The dead tree at the mouth of the valley was broken in half, and fresh sawdust was still stuck to the break.

Bai Ye slid in along the rock wall, crushing several withered sea buckthorn stalks with the soles of his boots.

The deeper he went into the valley, the colder the air became; he could even see his own breath condensing into white mist in front of him.

"Click——"

That's the sound of bones breaking.

Bai Ye suddenly stopped, his gaze sweeping over the pile of rubble on his left.

There was a half-buried corpse there, the ANBU uniform torn to shreds, with a charred hole in its chest, the edges still stained with purple chakra—exactly the same as the marks on the sand.

He crouched down and used a kunai to lift the dead man's wrist.

The wrist bones were completely shattered, as if crushed by some immense force, and the deceased's pupils were constricted to pinpoints—a typical symptom of being under a genjutsu. "Obito," Byakuya murmured, his voice fragmented by the wind.

The cave entrance is hidden in the shadows of the valley wall, disguised as an ordinary rock.

As soon as Byakuya's fingertips touched the surface of the rock, he felt the fluctuation of chakra—the remnants of space-time ninjutsu, like ripples on the surface of water.

He quickly formed hand seals, and the Shadow Clone Technique exploded behind him, with three clones spreading out in a triangular formation, while his main body merged into the shadows, like a drop of ink seeping into the night.

The air inside the cave was so humid you could wring water out of it, and the rock walls were covered with fluorescent moss that emitted a ghostly blue light.

Bai Ye's footsteps were as light as a feather. He could hear his own heartbeat, one beat, two beats, in sync with the rhythm of dripping water in the distance.

After three turns, the view suddenly opened up.

In the vast underground space, the altar resembled a small black mountain, surrounded by twisted runes—forbidden magic arrays he had seen in ancient texts of the Land of Whirlpools, used to fix spacetime rifts.

In the center of the altar, a crystal ball floats, its blue light swirling, and within it, a black mist can be vaguely seen churning, like a sealed storm.

"You are indeed here."

The sound came from above.

Chapter 637 The Perfect Obstacle

Bai Ye's pupils contracted sharply, chakra gathered at the soles of his feet, and he retreated violently backward.

He looked up and saw Obito Uchiha standing at the top of the altar, half of his face wrapped in bandages, and his other Sharingan glowing with an eerie red light.

His black robe with red cloud patterns was lifted by some force, revealing the white Zetsu tentacles wrapped around his calves.

“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.” Obito’s voice was like a rusty gear turning. “I’ve been waiting since the day you showed up at the Daimyo’s residence in the Land of Fire.” He raised his hand, and the blue light of the crystal ball suddenly surged. “You think the Fire Sealing Scroll can restrain me?”

"You think uniting all nations can stop the Ten-Tails?" He laughed, a laugh mingled with the hiss of White Zetsu. "Foolish child, you have no idea what you're fighting."

Byakuya's right hand rested on the handle of the kunai, the golden butterfly stone burning his palm so intensely it almost scorched his skin.

He could feel the black mist seeping out of the crystal ball, and the air filled with a rotten, sweet stench—the smell of the Ten-Tails' cells. "Obito," he spoke, his voice colder than the water in the cave, "you think you can reshape the world by using Akatsuki as pawns and the Ten-Tails as a weapon?"

"Reshape?"

No. "Obito's Sharingan slowly rotated," it was creation.

A world without war, without separation.

"And you..." His fingertip pointed at the white night, "you are the perfect obstacle, so I will crush you myself."

Before he could finish speaking, a purple ripple suddenly appeared in Obito's left eye.

A sharp pain shot through the back of Byakuya's neck—a warning sign before a space-time ninjutsu was activated.

Without thinking, he rolled to the right, and the ground cracked open where he had been, revealing a bottomless fissure.

At the same time, a black lightning bolt shot out from Obito's fingertip, grazing Byakuya's left shoulder, and the burning pain made him gasp.

"This is just an appetizer." Obito's voice held a morbid excitement. "Next, I'll make you watch as Sunagakure is reduced to ruins by the Ten-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball, and watch the people you care about..."

As Bai Ye wiped the blood from his shoulder, the Golden Butterfly Stone suddenly shone brightly.

His pupils flickered with a flame, not of anger, but something colder—determination. “You’re wrong.” He stood up, twirling a kunai gracefully between his fingers. “I’ll show you how your perfect world will shatter into dust in my hands.”

Obito's Sharingan shrank to the size of a pinhead.

He raised his hand again, and purple spatial ripples exploded between the two of them.

Byakuya's breathing softened, and chakra flowed throughout his body like a taut string.

This time, he clearly saw the trajectory of Obito's hand seals—it was the starting stance of a space-time ninjutsu.

When the spatial fluctuations surged again, Bai Ye's figure suddenly disappeared from the spot.

Obito's attack grazed the spot where he had just been standing, blasting a hole in the rock wall that was as tall as a person.

As the dust settled, Bai Ye stood on a rock five meters away, his trouser legs lifted by the gust of air, revealing undried bloodstains on his calves.

"Not bad reaction." Obito's lips curled into a twisted smile. "But you haven't seen the real thing yet—"

"Enough." Bai Ye interrupted him, her voice icy. "Let me see just how fragile your so-called perfect world really is."

His fingers moved rapidly, forming hand seals. The light of the Golden Butterfly Stone merged with chakra, condensing into a golden blade in his palm.

Obito's Sharingan suddenly trembled violently, as if he had sensed danger.

But Bai Ye knew that the real battle had only just begun.

Chapter 638 Collecting Ancient Techniques

The damp smell of the cave, mixed with the stench of blood, filled Bai Ye's nostrils, making his back teeth clench until they ached.

Obito's Sharingan glowed crimson in the darkness, like two inextinguishable will-o'-the-wisps—this was the third time he had dodged his opponent's space-time ninjutsu.

"Chakra consumption is 30% faster than expected." Byakuya's nails almost dug into his palms as he stared intently at the black lightning flickering at Obito's fingertips.

When the lightning bolt grazed his left shoulder, he clearly smelled the odor of burning flesh, but the stinging pain from the wound now only heightened his senses.

The Golden Butterfly Stone, a keepsake from his mother, was burning hot against his chest. It was now resonating with his heartbeat, channeling chakra into his limbs and bones in a more efficient way.

“Obito’s space-time ninjutsu requires a gap in hand seals. The starting stance of that Kamui attack was 0.3 seconds slower than the last one.” He counted the speed of his opponent’s hand seals, his Adam’s apple bobbing – the opportunity had arrived.

Obito raised his left hand again, and the moment the purple ripples exploded between the two, Byakuya leaped up, his toes touching the ground.

He clearly saw the last hand seal the other party made: Wei, Si, Shen—this was the fixed trajectory before the divine power was activated.

The rock wall beneath him exploded with a deafening roar, shards of rock flying past his ears. Obito's cold laughter, mixed with the debris, pierced his eardrums: "No matter how beautifully you hide, you're just prolonging your life. The Ten-Tails' chakra is permeating the entire Sand Village. When the Tailed Beast Ball falls—"

"Shut up." Bai Ye twisted his body in mid-air, and the kunai slid from his sleeve into his palm.

Before Obito could finish speaking, the light from the Golden Butterfly Stone suddenly pierced through his outer garment, forming a golden cocoon of light around him.

This was a technique recorded in an ancient scroll he had found in the Sunagakure Library three days ago. It required the perfect fusion of the energy of the Golden Butterfly Stone with his own chakra. At this moment, his fingertips were trembling, not from fear, but from excitement.

“Yukino said that this technique can seal off a space within five meters.” He recalled the bespectacled librarian’s hushed warning, “but the price is three days’ worth of chakra.”

Obito's Sharingan suddenly trembled violently, as if he had sensed danger.

He attempted to form a hand seal to transfer the energy, but Bai Ye's fingers had already completed the final seal: "Seal!"

The golden cocoon of light shot out like a living thing, instantly wrapping around Obito's legs.

Obito's pupils contracted to pinpoints, his chakra surging wildly as he tried to tear apart the cocoon of light, but a hissing sound came out the instant he touched the energy of the Golden Butterfly Stone.

“Interesting.” He grinned, but the curve of his lips was devoid of warmth. “It seems I underestimated your ability to collect ancient techniques.”

Bai Ye didn't reply.