On the Gobi Desert on the Land of Wind border, three figures were walking quickly through the yellow sand.
"According to ancient records, Rōran Ruins should be under the sand dune ahead." Sasuke stopped and Rinnegan carefully scanned the surrounding terrain.
Naruto wiped the sweat from his forehead. "This damn place is so hot, Kurama is complaining."
"Stop talking nonsense and find the entrance quickly." Karin took out the sensing device to detect Chakra Wave's movement underground. "It's strange. The energy response here is very chaotic. It seems like something is interfering."
Sasuke walked to the top of the highest sand dune and unfolded the Cursed Mark diagram in the Uzumaki Clan ancient book. The complex Spatial Coordinates shimmered in the sun, and each symbol contained Ancient Power.
"Found it." Sasuke pointed to a seemingly ordinary area under the dunes, "The place with the strongest space fluctuations is there."
The three of them quickly arrived at the designated location. Naruto curiously squatted down and dug out the sand with his hands a few times. "There's nothing there?"
"Of course you can't see it." Sasuke started Hand Seals, "Rōran is sealed in Space-Time Rift, and special methods are needed to open the channel."
Rinnegan's pupils surged out, and purple light enveloped the Cursed Mark diagram. The ancient symbols began to glow, creating some kind of Resonance with the ground.
Suddenly, the sand began to shake violently.
"Be careful!" Karin shouted, pulling Naruto to jump back.
A huge gap opened in the ground, and a strange blue light gushed out. But the light was mixed with an ominous black energy, which made people feel inexplicable fear.
"Is this a space-time rift?" Naruto stared at the strange scene in front of him with wide eyes.
The crack was bottomless, and deep roaring sounds could be heard from inside. What was even weirder was that the air at the edge of the crack was distorting, and the flow of time became extremely unstable.
"There is something guarding this place." Sasuke took a few steps back alertly.
As soon as he finished speaking, a huge black shadow slowly rose from the crack. It was a monster that looked like a lion but had three heads. Its whole body was covered with translucent scales, and its eyes shone with the power of time and space.
"Space-Time Guardian Beast." Karin turned pale, "The legendary beast that protects ancient ruins."
The three heads of the guardian beast roared at the same time, and the sound waves shocked the three people's eardrums. What was even more frightening was that the time around the monster began to become chaotic.
Naruto wanted to rush forward and attack, but found that his movements became extremely slow, and every step was like walking in water.
"Time slows down!" Sasuke immediately realized the danger, "This guy can control the local flow of time!"
The middle head of the guardian beast opened its mouth and sprayed out a ball of purple energy. The speed of the energy ball was normal, but Naruto's dodge movement was as slow as a snail.
"Naruto!" Sasuke hurriedly activated Heavenly Hand Power, exchanging positions of a boulder with Naruto.
The energy ball hits the boulder and instantly breaks it down into its molecular state.
"This attack is too dangerous!" Naruto was still frightened.
Karin shouted in the distance, "Its ability range is about ten meters, we must keep a distance!"
But the guardian beast obviously did not intend to give them a chance to breathe. The three heads launched spiritual attacks at the same time, and the strange ripples directly affected the brains of the three people.
In an instant, Naruto fell into a hallucination.
He saw that he was still a lonely child, looked at with disgust by the villagers, and isolated and rejected by his peers. The deep-seated loneliness came back to his heart.
Sasuke was also dragged into painful memories. That night of Uchiha Clan Massacre, Itachi's Sharingan, and the corpses of the tribesmen, everything was reenacted.
Karin fell to her knees directly. She recalled the days when she was used as a tool, and those arms that were bitten to a bloody pulp in order to treat others.
"This is a mental attack!" Sasuke bit the tip of his tongue and used the pain to forcefully get rid of the hallucination, "Everyone, wake up quickly!"
Naruto took a deep breath, and the Chakra of Nine-Tails in his body began to flow. "Kurama, help me!"
"Kid, pay attention!" Nine-Tails's voice sounded in his mind, "This kind of mental attack is useless to us!"
Sage Fox Mode is instantly activated, and Naruto's perception ability is greatly improved. He can clearly feel the Chakra flow of the guardian beast, as well as its energy fluctuations that control time.
"Sasuke! Its weak point is between the eyebrows on the left side of the head!" Naruto shouted.
"The distance is too far!" Sasuke frowned, "And there is a time deceleration field protection there!"
"Then let's cooperate!" Naruto started Hand Seals, "If you can pinpoint Spatial Coordinates, I will provide the attack force!"
Sasuke instantly understood what Naruto was thinking. "You want me to use Heavenly Hand Power to send your attack directly to the weak point?"
"That's right!" Naruto's hands began to condense Rasengan, "Five Element Rasenshuriken is too powerful, just use ordinary ones!"
The guardian beast seemed to sense the threat, its three heads roared at the same time, and the time distortion around it became more intense.
"Now!" Naruto threw out Rasengan.
Sasuke's Rinnegan locks firmly on the guardian beast's weakness, and activates Heavenly Hand Power at the moment when Rasengan is about to be affected by the time deceleration field.
The blue energy ball instantly appeared between the eyebrows on the left side of the guardian beast's head, hitting that small weak spot hard.
"Roar!"
The guardian beast screamed in pain, and cracks appeared on the left side of its head. The time deceleration field also fluctuated erratically.
"It works!" Karin said excitedly, "There is a flaw in its defense!"
But the guardian beast's counterattack was even more ferocious. It rushed directly out of the rift in time and space, and its huge body pressed against the three of them.
"Dodge!" Sasuke grabbed Karin's hand and launched Heavenly Hand Power to dodge.
Naruto jumped nimbly among the sand dunes, while Sage Fox Mode's agility allowed him to barely avoid the attack of the guardian beast.
"This is not the way to go!" Naruto gasped, "We must find a way to win with one blow!"
Sasuke looked at the injured guardian beast and suddenly had an adventurous idea.
"Naruto, can you make a super powerful Rasengan?"
"Yes, but it takes time to prepare."
"That's it." Sasuke held Kusanagi Sword tightly, "I'll attract its attention, and you prepare the strongest attack."
"It's too dangerous!" Karin said worriedly.
"There is no choice." Sasuke rushed towards the guardian beast, "And I have a more adventurous plan."
When the guardian beast saw Sasuke approaching, it immediately opened its three giant mouths and prepared to attack. But at this moment, Sasuke made a move that surprised everyone.
"Heavenly Hand Power!"
He actually swapped places with the Energy Core on the guardian beast's chest!
In an instant, Sasuke appeared in the body of the guardian beast, and the core exuding the power of time and space appeared in his original position.
"Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed.
The guardian beast that had lost its core twisted its body in pain, and its three heads roared wildly. But its time control ability had completely failed.
"Now!"