Konoha: Superman template, the spoiled brat becomes strong.

Chapter 828 Rasa's Coup

Kisame Gen's pupils contracted in the smoke. As he raised his hand to form a hand seal, he was pulled back by a ninja behind him—the smoke contained a toxin that corroded chakra, and even his headband began to hiss.

"Chase!" Kisame Gen shouted.

Three elite ninjas rushed into the smoke first. Just as he was about to take a step, he felt something tug at the corner of his clothes.

Looking down, he only saw a pale blue glow, like a dandelion being swept by the wind. Before he could take a closer look, he suddenly heard the sound of Shuiyue's broken sword cutting through the air in the smoke. He instinctively leaned back, and the glow stuck to the inside of his wrist guard.

The breakout was smoother than expected.

Byakuya grabbed Suigetsu's wrist and ran towards the ventilation shaft, while Chiyo used the Sand Concealment Technique "Sand Wall" to block the pursuers from behind.

The blood mist had dissipated at some point, and the raindrops were once again clearly hitting my face.

As the three climbed over the wall of the Ghost Water Mansion, the eastern sky was just beginning to lighten, and in the distance came the sound of explosions coming from the direction of the Land of Wind—Rasa's coup had begun.

“That guy…” Shuiyue wiped the rain off her face and turned to look at the still-smoking building behind her. “Kisame Gen didn’t catch up?”

"We can't catch up." Bai Ye looked down at his palm.

There floated a faint blue light, pulsating in sync with the cracks on his amulet.

He knew that at this moment, on the official road twenty miles away, a man wearing dark-patterned armor was touching his wrist guards and muttering, "Where did this fluorescence come from?" Meanwhile, his spores had already quietly entered the core of the Contract Ring by following that man's chakra circuit.

It's still raining.

Bai Ye stuffed the rubbing into his bosom, and as he turned around, the crack on the amulet suddenly burned painfully.

He smiled as he looked in the direction of the Land of Wind—it was time to close the net.

Raindrops wove a gray curtain in the pre-dawn light, while the soles of the white night's boots rolled over slippery pebbles, condensing into white mist with each breath.

He lowered his eyes and stared at the faint blue fluorescence in his palm—the spores were growing along Kisame Gen's chakra pathways, and at this moment they were like a string of glowing prayer beads, accurately projecting the location twenty miles away into his consciousness.

"We've arrived." Shuiyue suddenly stopped, her broken sword drawing a silver arc in the rain.

She raised her chin and pointed ahead—the outline of the abandoned mine was faintly visible in the morning mist. The hollowed-out parts of the mountain resembled the gaping black hole of a giant beast. At the entrance, on the rusty iron gate, three bronze puppets were coiled, their joints still stained with dark red bloodstains that had not been completely peeled off.

"Isn't this the 'Ring of Contracts' you mentioned back then?" Shuiyue frowned, tapping her headband with the back of her sword. "Back then in the ruins of Sunagakure, you said they hid the core in a mineral vein at the boundary of wind and soil. I thought it was some old, outdated information."

Bai Ye reached out and caught a raindrop that drifted in front of him, gently rubbing it between his fingertips.

A few wisps of pale blue floated in the water droplets; these were the spores he had planted: "Kisame's chakra fluctuations suddenly stabilized here."

They made no attempt to conceal it. "His voice was low, half of the last syllable carried away by the mountain wind—faint puppet signals floated in the air at the mine entrance, like a swarm of flies on strings, buzzing on the metal surface."

“I’ll go in through the ventilation duct.” Suigetsu untied the water pouch from her waist and tossed it to Chiyo. “Your old Sand Village puppet can’t squeeze through a crack as wide as a palm.” She raised an eyebrow at Byakuya, the silver ornaments in her hair glittering in the rain. “Remember to leave me one alive.”

Before she finished speaking, her figure had already slid along the mountainside to the right, the tips of her boots scraping against the rock face and leaving a few sparks.

Bai Ye stared in the direction she had disappeared, his Adam's apple bobbing.

The blue light at his fingertips suddenly burned, and he realized with a start that he had been gripping too tightly, his nails almost digging into his palms. "Let's go." He nodded to Chiyo and turned to walk towards the mine entrance.

Chapter 829 Now, we must fulfill his last wish.

The bronze golem's joints creaked and groaned in the rain.

The one on the far left suddenly raised its arm, and three poisoned short blades popped out from its metal hand.

Bai Ye neither dodged nor flinched, but raised his hand and placed it on his chest—where a spore talisman he had cultivated with his own chakra was affixed.

The short blade suddenly fell to the ground three inches from his throat, the puppet's eyes turned from red to gray, and specks of blue mist seeped from its mechanical joints.

“The spores simulated the authentication signal of the Ring of Contracts.” Bai Ye crouched down and used the tip of his knife to pick up the copper plate on the back of the puppet’s neck.

The inside was densely engraved with incantations, and the last line ended with the spiral pattern unique to the Blood Pact Ring: "Their defense system... is waiting for its own people."

Chiyo's Sand Village headband was darkened by the rain. She held a string of jade prayer beads, her fingertips lightly grinding the incantation for the character "破" (break). "In the lineage of the first generation of puppeteers, there was indeed a saying about 'inviting wolves into the house.'" Her gaze swept deep into the entrance; something seemed to be wriggling in the shadows. "Be careful, there might be living beings buried beneath this vein."

Bai Ye didn't reply.

He could hear his own heartbeat, faster and faster, like the beat of a war drum.

The rubbing in his arms was still warm from his body; it was taken from the mural of the Hall of Dark Waters—in the painting, the first puppeteer kneels before the Blood Pact, with the corpses of various daimyo behind him.

It wasn't a prophecy after all, it was...

"boom!"

A muffled sound came from the direction of the ventilation duct, mixed with a sharp, twisting metallic whistle.

Bai Ye's pupils suddenly contracted, and he took off running towards the source of the sound.

Chiyo's sand wall formed behind him, blocking two kunai that were suddenly shot at him.

The iron plate at the pipe entrance was half lifted off, and Shuiyue's broken sword was stuck in the crack in the wall, with half a bloodstained black cloth wrapped around the blade.

Bai Ye crawled into the pipe, the damp, rusty smell filling his nostrils.

Ten meters ahead, he saw Shuiyue leaning against the pipe wall, her chest heaving violently, with a deep wound on her left forearm that exposed the bone, and blood dripping down between her fingers.

“Obsidian.” She gritted her teeth and spat out the two words, twirling the broken sword in her palm. “That guy said… the Eye of Blood Pact has been activated.”

Bai Ye's breath caught in her throat.

He reached for the kunai at his waist, his knuckles turning white from the force.

Footsteps came from deep inside the pipe, very slowly, like stepping on taut musical strings.

A man dressed in dark-patterned armor emerged from the shadows, a bronze mark of a contract ring tattooed on the corner of his left eye, which pulsated gently with his smile.

“Mr. Bai.” Obsidian’s voice was like a poisoned needle dipped in honey. “I have long admired your name.” He raised his hand, and the torches at the top of the pipe suddenly lit up, illuminating the dense incantations on the wall—all carved with the spiral patterns of the Blood Pact Ring. “You think you can stop fate?”

It's too late.

A chill ran down Bai Ye's neck.

He walked past Shuiyue and stood in front of her, catching a glimpse out of the corner of his eye that she had secretly scattered a handful of chakra test strips at her feet—their pre-arranged code for "needing medical help." "The Eye of Blood Pact..." he forced himself to speak, but his voice was hoarser than expected, "You use it to foresee the future?"

"Precognition?" Obsidian chuckled, the bronze rings on his armor clanging together. "That's the most useless function." He raised his hand and pressed it against the wall, the incantation suddenly glowing red. "True power is influencing reality through the puppet network." His gaze swept over the rubbing in Bai Ye's arms. "The first puppeteer wanted to change history, but was devoured by his own creation."

Now, we will fulfill his last wish.

Bai Ye felt as if an ice spike was drilling up his spine.

Chapter 830 The Time to Close the Net

He recalled the expression on the face of the Fire Country's daimyo when he died—his pupils reflecting a blood-red light, exactly the same as the red light on the wall now. "So this is the war between nations..."

“It’s all a domino effect we’ve set off.” Obsidian’s fingertips traced the wall, the incantation flowing with his movements. “The daimyo’s ambition, the ninja’s anger, the commoners’ fear… all excellent fuel.” He suddenly tilted his head. “But you’ve come at the right time. The First Hokage’s bloodline chakra should make the Blood Pact Eye even more…perfect.”

Before the words were finished, a deafening roar came from outside the pipe.

Bai Ye suddenly turned his head and, through the crack in the pipe wall, saw the outline of the mine's central hall—a huge puppet device stood in the center, with a blood-red crystal embedded at the very top, pulsating with some kind of rhythm. With each jump, the incantation on the wall would light up a little more.

“That is…” His voice caught in his throat.

"The Eye of Blood Pact." Obsidian's voice suddenly softened, as if introducing a most precious artifact. "It will make all those who defy 'fate' disappear into history."

Shuiyue's broken sword suddenly stabbed towards Heiyao's face.

He turned his head to avoid it, sparks flying as his armor grazed the blade.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Bai Ye grabbed Shui Yue and ran towards the hall, while Hei Yao's laughter came from behind: "Run, Mr. Bai."

When you see its true power...

The voice was cut off by a metallic tearing sound.

Bai Ye burst through the hall door, and the sight before him made him stagger—the puppet device was thirty meters tall, with countless bronze chains wrapped around its joints, and each chain ended in a small glass jar containing the headbands of ninjas from various countries.

The Eye of Blood Pact rotated at the top, its red light licking the ceiling like a living thing, turning the entire hall into an eerie blood color.

"This is the core of your manipulation of war." Bai Ye's fingers dug deeply into his palms. "Feeding it with the chakra of ninjas from various countries, and then using it to change history..."

“Smart.” Obsidian’s voice came from behind the device.

He stood on the elevator platform, forming hand seals directly in front of the Eye of Blood Pact, "But it's too late for you."

Shuiyue suddenly tugged at Baiye's sleeve.

She pointed outside the hall—the sound of horses' hooves could be faintly heard in the morning mist, mixed with the crisp clanging of metal.

A gruff male voice pierced through the rain, carrying the distinctive sandy texture of the Land of Wind: "Surround this mine!"

Anyone who dares to let a member of the Ring of Contract escape, I'll bury you all in a sandstorm!

Bai Ye smiled as he looked in the direction of the sound.

He took out the rubbing from his pocket and unfolded it in the red light—the corpse behind the first puppeteer in the painting was now wearing the crowns of various national lords, corresponding one by one with the headbands in the hall.

"It's time to close the net," he said softly.

The red light of the Blood Pact Eye suddenly surged.

The rain curtain was torn apart by the sound of horses' hooves.

Rasa's chakra surged like a scorching sandstorm into the mine's perimeter. His black leather gloves clenched tightly around kunai, his knuckles turning white from the force: "Tear down this damn iron gate!" Fifty Sand Village Jonin behind him simultaneously formed hand seals, their Wind Release techniques whipping up rubble and hurling it at the rusty iron gate. "Ebizo!" he roared, his voice laced with the shrill whistling of wind blades, "You dare sell your puppet techniques to those lunatics? I'll bury you in Sasori's coffin right now!"

The buzzing of the communication bot exploded in the torrential rain.

Luo Sha whirled around and saw a small bronze figure floating in mid-air—Ebizo's usual communication device. "Lord Kazekage," the voice said, like sandpaper rubbing against bronze, "While you're still arguing about who owns the puppetry technique, we've already been weaving a new destiny." The bronze figure's eyes flashed with a deep blue light. "When you finally understand—"

Chapter 831 The First Generation Failed, and So Will You?

"Shut up!" Luo Sha smashed the communication puppet with his fist, and shards of copper splashed onto his headband. "Surround all the exits!" He kicked away the rubble on the ground, his gaze sweeping over the mine entrance, his Adam's apple bobbing—the blue mist emanating from there was clearly mixed with the scent of White Night spores.

Deep inside the mine, Bai Ye's breath almost solidified.

He climbed up the bronze support frame of the puppet device, the red light of the Blood Pact Eye casting afterimages on his retina.

The spiral runes at the core of the device were merging at a speed visible to the naked eye, with the chakra of the headbands of ninjas from various countries flowing in each rune—the red gold of Sunagakure, the lightning patterns of Kumogakure, and the water patterns of Kirigakure—all now serving as fuel.

"Too late." Obsidian's voice came from above.

Bai Ye looked up and met the other person's eyes, which were stained with the red light of the blood pact.

The man stood on the platform at the top of the device, dark red chakra seeping from the gaps in his armor. "The last bit of energy it needs is the death resonance of the First Generation bloodline." He raised his hand to form a hand seal, and the mental barrier pressed down as if it were a physical entity. The spores of White Night turned into blue smoke as soon as they touched the barrier.

Bai Ye's fingertips dug dents into the bracket.

He could hear the thunderous pounding of his own heart, like war drums urging him to his death—the horrific scene of the Fire Kingdom's daimyo's demise, the armies gathering at the borders of various nations, the fragments of history altered by the Blood Pact Eye—all of it exploded into fireworks in his mind. "The core circuit must be severed," he gritted his teeth, the spore talisman in his palm crumpled. "But the barrier... requires physical impact."

"then!"

The sound of metal cutting through the air arrived before the voice could be heard.

Bai Ye instinctively leaned back, and a puppet core engraved with inverted spiral patterns grazed his nose and slammed into the barrier.

Blue-purple sparks exploded, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the barrier.

He looked up and saw Suigetsu hanging from the ventilation duct, her broken sword embedded in the duct wall, blood still seeping from the wound on her left forearm, but she grinned at him: "I stole it from the Sand Village ruins. That old bastard Chiyo said he could reverse-disassemble the puppet technique."

Bai Ye's pupils suddenly contracted.

He grasped the falling core, and a familiar Sand Village Puppet Technique fluctuation emanated from his palm—it was the "Break" spell that Chiyo had improved over thirty years. "Thanks," he muttered, using the momentum to leap onto the platform.

The obsidian barrier pressed down again, but the moment it touched the core, it was backlashed by the reverse runes and burst out with blinding white light.

"Are you crazy?!" Cracks appeared in Obsidian's armor. "That thing will detonate the entire device!"

"What I want is to detonate it." Bai Ye forcefully shoved the core into the crystal base of the Blood Pact Eye.

The red light instantly twisted into a vortex, and the bronze chains at the joints of the device emitted a dying groan.

The headbands of ninjas from various countries vibrated violently inside the glass jar. The Sand Village's red-gold headband shattered first, and fragments pierced the back of Byakuya's hand, but he felt no pain—he heard the gears of history screaming.

The crystal of the Blood Pact Eye shattered with a deafening roar.

Red light rained down like drops of blood, and the bronze casing of the device began to disintegrate.

Obsidian was thrown back by the shockwave, his armor shattering as he crashed into the wall, yet he still grinned: "You think... you can stop fate?" He drew spirals on the ground with his blood-stained fingers. "The first generation failed, and you will too... Ah!"

Shuiyue's broken blade pierced his shoulder.

She leaped down from the shattered device, the tip of her blade pressed against Obsidian's throat: "Shut up."

Bai Ye staggered and grabbed the support frame.