The underground altar shook more violently by the second. The dark golden chakra surrounding Ying Zhishui transformed into countless spatial blades that swept toward Su Ye and the others. Su Ye immediately unleashed the repulsive force of his Rinnegan, enveloping everyone in a pale violet barrier. Yet the moment the spatial blades struck it, they pierced straight through the defense, leaving a series of bottomless fissures in the ground.
"Spatial penetration?" Su Ye's pupils contracted. His Rinne Sharingan spun rapidly, and at last he saw the blades' trajectories. They weren't physical attacks; they twisted spatial dimensions to bypass defensive barriers entirely. Seizing his chance, Sasuke sent his Perfect Susanoo slashing through the air with its long sword. Black flames wrapped around the golden Power of the Fire Seed, forming a colossal blade of fire that cleaved toward Ying Zhishui.
Ying Zhishui chuckled. His body dissolved into ripples in space, and as the blade of fire missed, he appeared behind Sasuke. Dark golden chakra gathered into claws that lunged straight for Sasuke's back. Seeing this, Naruto unleashed his Tailed Beast Chakra, firing a golden Tailed Beast Bomb at Ying Zhishui. Forced to turn and defend himself, Ying Zhishui was caught in the shock wave of the bomb's explosion, which shook the entire underground passage to the brink of collapse.
"We don't have time to waste here!" Su Ye roared, pushing the power of his Rinnegan to its limit. Pale violet chakra formed into chains that briefly bound Ying Zhishui. "Sasuke, take the Guardian Fire and reinforce Konoha's barrier at once! We'll handle things here!" Sasuke nodded, and his Susanoo became a streak of light as it flew toward the surface. Seeing this, Ying Zhishui's eyes flashed with menace. His spatial power surged, breaking free of the chakra chains as he chased after Sasuke.
Chiriku immediately swung his Vajra and activated the Six Styles Secret Art, "Iron Body: Steel." His body became a steel fortress, blocking Ying Zhishui's way. "Trying to leave? You'll have to get past me first!" Chiriku roared. Golden Buddhist light shone from his Vajra as he brought it down on Ying Zhishui. Forced to fight back, Ying Zhishui clashed dark golden chakra against the Buddhist light. The resulting energy waves shook stones loose from the ceiling. Su Ye and Naruto took the opportunity to follow Sasuke toward Konoha.
Outside Konoha, countless Demon Eater phantoms were savagely battering the spatial barrier. The runes on its shimmering surface flickered, and its pale blue light gradually dimmed. Tsunade stood at the barrier's core, forming Hand Seals and pouring her chakra into it without pause. But the Demon Eaters kept multiplying, and the cracks in the barrier continued to spread.
"Sasuke, hurry!" Tsunade shouted when she saw him approaching. Sasuke landed beside the barrier's core and immediately activated his Mangekyō Sharingan. The Power of the Fire Seed flowed from his eyes and into the barrier. In an instant, the cracks began to mend. Golden patterns appeared in the pale blue light, and the Demon Eater phantoms turned to ash the moment they touched the barrier.
But just then, Ying Zhishui suddenly appeared above the barrier's core. Dark golden chakra formed a colossal spatial rift, and through it, countless enormous Demon Eater Lords began to crawl out. "So what if you reinforced the barrier?" Ying Zhishui sneered. "Today, I'll turn all of Konoha into nourishment for another dimension!"
Ying Zhishui formed Hand Seals. Black mist poured from the spatial rift and fused with the Demon Eater Lords. They grew larger in an instant, dark golden scales covering their bodies as they launched a fierce assault on the barrier. Its shimmering surface shook violently, and the golden patterns began to flicker, on the verge of collapsing. Sasuke immediately gathered the Power of the Fire Seed to strengthen it, but Ying Zhishui suddenly appeared behind him, spatial power striking toward his Mangekyō Sharingan. "The Uchiha's Power of the Fire Seed is mine!"
At the critical moment, Su Ye and Naruto arrived. Su Ye wielded his Rinne Sharingan, forming a barrier of pale violet chakra that blocked Ying Zhishui's attack. Naruto entered Nine-Tails Mode, forming a gigantic fist from golden Tailed Beast Chakra and swinging it at Ying Zhishui. Forced back, Ying Zhishui stared in astonishment. "How does your Rinnegan possess spatial power?"
Su Ye didn't answer. An unusual light shimmered in his Rinne Sharingan. In his battle against Ying Zhishui, his eye technique was evolving. Spatial runes began to appear in his pale violet pupils. "Rinne: Space Exile!" Su Ye roared. His chakra formed a spatial vortex that tried to suck Ying Zhishui into another dimension. Ying Zhishui's expression changed. He immediately unleashed his spatial power to resist, but the vortex's pull grew stronger, and his body began to be dragged in.
"Impossible!" Ying Zhishui roared, unleashing all his dark golden chakra in an attempt to break free of the vortex. But just then, Sasuke launched an attack. The Power of the Fire Seed flowed into his Susanoo's long sword as he slashed at Ying Zhishui. With nowhere to dodge, Ying Zhishui was struck, and the spatial power inside him instantly fell into disarray. Seizing his chance, Su Ye intensified the vortex's pull and sucked half of Ying Zhishui's body into another dimension.
"I won't lose like this!" A look of madness flashed in Ying Zhishui's eyes. He detonated the part of his body that had been sucked into the other dimension, and the violent explosion tore the spatial vortex apart. The shock wave sent Su Ye flying, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. The other half of Ying Zhishui's body turned into ripples in space and flew toward the barrier's core. "Even with only half my power left, I'll still destroy Konoha!"
Ying Zhishui's remaining body merged with the spatial rift. The black mist pouring from it surged, and the Demon Eater Lords grew stronger. The golden patterns on the barrier began to shatter. Tsunade's chakra was exhausted, and she staggered unsteadily. "Are we really going to lose?" she wondered, despair in her eyes as she watched the barrier collapse.
Just then, red light suddenly glimmered in Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan. The power of the Guardian Fire resonated with the Uchiha blood coursing through him. A sealed memory surfaced in his mind. In the vision of the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre, a blurry figure stood beside Itachi. The figure's chakra was identical to Ying Zhishui's. "It was you!" Sasuke roared, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. "You were there on the night of the massacre!"
Sasuke poured all his power into his Susanoo. The golden Power of the Fire Seed intertwined with black flames, forming a colossal sword-shaped shadow that slashed toward the spatial rift. The instant it struck, countless golden runes appeared inside the rift. They resonated with the golden patterns on the barrier, forming an enormous sealing array. "This is...the Uchiha bloodline's Sealing Jutsu!" Tsunade exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as she looked at the array.
Golden light flared within the sealing array. The spatial rift began to close, and the Demon Eater Lords' bodies started to vanish. Ying Zhishui's remaining body flew out of the rift, growing increasingly transparent. "No! I refuse to accept this!" he roared, trying to attack again, but the sealing array's power grew stronger and trapped him completely.
Su Ye struggled to his feet, the spatial runes in his Rinne Sharingan growing ever clearer. He channeled his newly awakened eye technique, sending pale violet chakra into the sealing array. "Rinne: Spatial Seal!" The array's golden runes intertwined with the pale violet chakra, forming a gigantic chain that sealed Ying Zhishui's remaining body completely. As the last chain fell into place, the spatial rift closed entirely, and Konoha's crisis was temporarily averted.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Sasuke walked over to Su Ye, his expression grave. "Ying Zhishui was involved in the night of the massacre. And his power seems connected to the third party from back then." Su Ye nodded, his Rinne Sharingan turning slightly. "It seems the truth behind the Uchiha Clan Massacre is far more complicated than we imagined. Ying Zhishui may be sealed, but the forces from the other dimension behind him still haven't shown themselves."
Just then, red light suddenly shimmered above Konoha, and a blurred figure slowly appeared within it. Dark golden chakra, of the same origin as Ying Zhishui's, coiled around the figure, but its power was even greater. "How interesting, little ones," the figure said, its voice cold with murderous intent. "You actually managed to seal Ying Zhishui. But this is only the beginning. Next time, I'll come in person and destroy Konoha."
With that, the figure vanished in a flash of red light. Su Ye stared in the direction it had disappeared, his expression grave. "A new enemy has appeared." Tsunade joined the others, her expression stern. "It seems we need to investigate the true motives of the forces from the other dimension as soon as possible. We also need to strengthen Konoha's defenses and prepare for the next crisis."
Sasuke clenched his fists, determination shining in his eyes. "No matter who the enemy is, I'll uncover the truth behind the massacre and protect Konoha." Naruto nodded, Tailed Beast Chakra swirling around him. "Sasuke, I'll help you. Together, we'll protect Konoha." Su Ye looked at them, pale violet light shimmering in his Rinne Sharingan. "And I'll be there too. This time, we won't let the tragedy happen again."
Konoha's crisis had been temporarily averted, but a new threat had already appeared. Su Ye, Sasuke, Naruto, and the others stood above Konoha, gazing into the distance. They knew a greater storm was coming. They had to be ready to face the challenges ahead.
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