Hoshigakure

"This is it!" Souya shouted.

They had flown to a position slightly to the right of the top of the Valley of the End.

Souya looked at the semi-transparent barrier shell before him. After a slight probe, he could sense that this was likely the barrier's node.

"Should we just break it open?" Sasori asked.

A ball of blue chakra rose from Souya's finger and gently touched the node, causing an almost imperceptible ripple.

"It shouldn't be that simple. The strength of this barrier is quite considerable. The sealer's cultivation is far superior to mine!" Souya frowned, deep in thought.

"Let's try the sealing-breaking technique first..." Souya formed hand seals, drawing black runes in the air. The runes intertwined, spreading out and attaching themselves to the barrier.

Crack... Crack...

The runes, like leeches, greedily absorbed the barrier's power.

"It seems this barrier wasn't set up by people from Hoshigakure, otherwise, there would be someone maintaining it..." Souya felt the barrier's power gradually weakening.

After a while, the barrier node before Souya was covered in fractured lines, appearing as if it could be shattered with a light tap.

Souya stroked his chin. With his sealing technique level, he could only weaken the node to this extent. Silently removing this barrier was beyond his current capabilities.

"Sasori, let's break it by force!"

Souya clenched his right hand, and from the end of the Gold Rod on his back, a solidified stream of Gold Dust quickly flew out, converging on his right hand.

Before long, Souya held a two-meter-long golden spear in his hand, its tip incredibly sharp, emitting an eerie glow.

Sasori also walked up to the golden spear, placing his hands on it. A layer of pale yellow chakra began to coat the surface. This chakra was like flowing, tiny wind blades, incredibly dense, with its flow forming subtle rings of wind patterns.

Although Sasori was a Puppeteer, his mastery of wind-style chakra nature transformation was still superior to that of ordinary ninjas.

Souya controlled the golden clouds and flew dozens of meters away. He then raised the spear high, and even the light breeze blowing through the air seemed to be pulled by the wind patterns on the spear's surface.

Solid muscles bulged on Souya's arm as he swung the spear fiercely towards the node.

Thump!

Crack! Crack!

The fine cracks in the node finally couldn't withstand the immense force. The spear tip pierced directly through, and the cracks rapidly spread outwards.

Bang!

Like a shattered porcelain bowl, the barrier that had stood over the Valley of the End for who knows how many years was finally broken by uninvited guests.

The collapsing barrier scattered countless semi-transparent light spots, reflecting dazzling colors in the sunlight.

The golden spear, its power not yet exhausted, pierced straight into the earthen slope within the barrier, its destination unknown.

"The power is quite impressive!" Souya was quite satisfied with the power of the combined attack with Sasori, but he rarely had the opportunity to use such a move against strong enemies.

After all, enemies at the Jonin level and above were not slow-witted. Without completely restraining the enemy, the hit rate of this move was not high.

"Who's there?!"

As Souya and Sasori leisurely flew above the Valley of the End, freely observing the secluded land, an angry shout suddenly rang out.

The newcomer was a black-haired young ninja wearing a star-shaped forehead protector. He had been active at the edge of the barrier and, sensing its destruction, had rushed towards them.

Behind him, a pair of light purple chakra wings flapped continuously, granting him flight.

As he formed a hand seal, the wing-shaped chakra behind him transformed into the appearance of a ferocious beast, baring its fangs and claws.

"Oh? Quite interesting..." Sasori's eyes lit up. Clearly, this never-before-seen chakra cultivation system piqued his curiosity. However, attracting Sasori's interest was not a good thing.

"Hotarubi Star!"

Just as the Hoshigakure ninja and Souya were confronting each other, another young female ninja quickly flew over from a distance. She was beautiful, with an elegant demeanor and striking purplish-red hair.

"Natsuhi Star! Why are you here? These two can break our barrier and enter our village, so their strength must be extraordinary..." Hotarubi Star quickly explained to her.

"You don't need to worry. I once read in a book of ninja world secrets that your village has a strange star that fell from the sky many years ago."

"I'm very interested and would like to borrow this star for research. Of course, I will provide you with some financial compensation. Do you agree?" Souya controlled the golden clouds, hovering above them with a condescending posture, and said.

Souya and Sasori were both wearing gas masks, so their expressions couldn't be seen, but their aura indicated they were no ordinary individuals.

The male Hoshigakure ninja's face was filled with apprehension. After all, this uninvited guest also possessed the ability to fly. He had heard from the elders in his village that people capable of flight were extremely rare in the ninja world.

The chakra cultivated by the ninjas of their village using that star had a faint purple hue, vastly different from other cultivation systems.

Furthermore, the ancestor who created the "Mysterious Peacock Method" to match this chakra was so arrogant that they even conceived the idea of calling themselves "Hoshigakure."

However, as time passed, the ninjas of Hoshigakure gradually discovered that this cultivation system had immense hidden dangers.

The method of drawing chakra from the star placed a tremendous burden on the body. In addition to the constant pain during cultivation, the deeper one's cultivation progressed, the closer they were to death.

Therefore, after numerous Hoshigakure ninjas died in agony, a faction advocating for the abolition of this cultivation method emerged in their village.

The two Hoshigakure ninjas exchanged glances, a hint of surprise in their eyes.

"Are you really just here to take the Star?"

Natsuhi, whose beautiful face was filled with sincerity, asked.

The four of them were currently standing at the top of a hill, beside a clear stream flowing down, making a gurgling sound.

Lush green grass covered the ground, with unnamed pink wildflowers peeking out between the blades. Below the mountain, the plains were planted with many verdant grains, and some farmers were diligently tending to them, bent over.

Outsiders would never have guessed that the "Hell Valley," which enjoyed immense fame in this area, was actually a scene of idyllic paradise.