Barrier Guards Light the Beacon Fire, Pupils Awaken to Break the Maze

The tremors in the underground altar grew increasingly violent as the dark golden chakra surrounding Ying Zhishui transformed into countless spatial blades, sweeping toward Su Ye and the others. Su Ye immediately unleashed the repulsive force of his Rinnegan, enveloping the group in a pale purple barrier. However, the moment the spatial blades struck the barrier, they pierced straight through the defense, leaving deep, bottomless fissures in the ground.

Spatial penetration? Su Ye's pupils contracted sharply. His Rinne Sharingan spun rapidly, finally catching the trajectory of the blades—they were not physical attacks, but rather distortions of spatial dimensions that allowed them to bypass defensive barriers entirely. Seizing the opportunity, Sasuke unleashed his Full-Body Susanoo, which swung a long sword through the air. Black flames, infused with the power of the Guardian Fire, formed a giant blade of fire that slashed toward Ying Zhishui.

Ying Zhishui chuckled, his body dissolving into spatial ripples. The moment the fire blade missed, he reappeared behind Sasuke, his dark golden chakra condensing into sharp claws aimed directly at Sasuke's heart. Seeing this, Naruto erupted with Tailed Beast chakra, launching a golden Tailed Beast Bomb at Ying Zhishui. Forced to turn and defend, Ying Zhishui was met with the shockwave of the Tailed Beast Bomb, which shook the entire underground passage until it was on the verge of collapse.

"We don't have time to waste here!" Su Ye roared, pushing the power of his Rinnegan to its limit. Pale purple chakra transformed into chains, temporarily binding Ying Zhishui's body. "Sasuke, take the Guardian Fire and go reinforce the Konoha barrier immediately! Leave this to us!" Sasuke nodded, his Susanoo turning into a streak of light as he flew toward the surface. Seeing this, a fierce glint flashed in Ying Zhishui's eyes; his spatial power surged, breaking free from the chakra chains as he gave chase.

Dilu immediately swung his vajra, activating the Six Styles ultimate technique, "Iron Body: Hard," turning his body into a steel fortress to block Ying Zhishui's path. "Want to leave? You'll have to get past me first!" Dilu bellowed, golden Buddhist light erupting from his vajra as he smashed it toward Ying Zhishui. Ying Zhishui was forced into combat, and the collision between the dark golden chakra and the Buddhist light sent stones raining down from the ceiling of the passage. Su Ye and Naruto took the opportunity to follow Sasuke's lead, rushing toward Konoha.

Outside Konoha, countless Demon Eater phantoms were frantically assaulting the spatial barrier. The runes on the barrier's light screen flickered incessantly, its pale blue glow gradually dimming. Tsunade stood at the center of the barrier, hands forming seals as she continuously poured her own chakra into it, yet the number of Demon Eaters only grew, and the cracks in the barrier continued to widen.

"Sasuke, hurry!" Tsunade shouted upon seeing Sasuke. Landing beside the barrier's hub, Sasuke immediately activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, the power of the golden fire seed surging from his pupils and merging into the barrier. Instantly, the cracks began to mend, and golden patterns emerged within the pale blue light. The moment the Demon Eater phantoms touched the barrier, they were incinerated into ash by the golden flames.

But at that very moment, Ying Zhishui's figure suddenly appeared above the barrier hub. His dark golden chakra condensed into a massive spatial rift, from which countless hulking Demon Eater Lords began to crawl out. "So what if you reinforce the barrier?" Ying Zhishui sneered. "Today, I will make all of Konoha fodder for the other dimension!"

Ying Zhishui raised his hands to form seals, and black mist poured from the spatial rift. As the mist merged with the Demon Eater Lords, their sizes swelled instantly, their bodies covered in dark golden scales as they launched a fierce assault on the barrier. The light screen shuddered violently, the golden patterns flickering as if they might collapse at any moment. Sasuke immediately gathered the power of the fire seed, intending to strengthen the barrier, but Ying Zhishui suddenly appeared behind him, his spatial power striking toward Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan: "The Uchiha's fire seed power belongs to me!"

At the critical moment, Su Ye and Naruto arrived just in time. Su Ye channeled his Rinne Sharingan, his pale purple chakra forming a barrier that blocked Ying Zhishui's attack. Naruto entered Nine-Tails Mode, his golden Tailed Beast chakra forming a giant fist that slammed toward Ying Zhishui. Ying Zhishui was forced to retreat, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes: "How does your Rinnegan possess spatial power?"

Su Ye did not answer, his Rinne Sharingan glowing with an eerie light. In the heat of the battle with Ying Zhishui, his ocular technique was undergoing a metamorphosis; spatial runes began to manifest within his pale purple pupils. "Rinne: Space Exile!" Su Ye roared, his chakra forming a spatial vortex in an attempt to suck Ying Zhishui into another dimension. Ying Zhishui's expression changed drastically as he immediately unleashed his spatial power to resist, but the suction of the vortex grew stronger, and his body began to be pulled in.

"Impossible!" Ying Zhishui bellowed, releasing all his dark golden chakra in a desperate attempt to break free from the vortex. But just then, Sasuke launched an attack, the golden fire seed power merging into his Susanoo's sword as he slashed at Ying Zhishui. With no way to dodge, Ying Zhishui was struck by the blade, and the spatial power within him instantly fell into chaos. Seizing the opportunity, Su Ye increased the vortex's suction, pulling half of Ying Zhishui's body into the other dimension.

"I will not admit defeat like this!" A look of madness flashed in Ying Zhishui's eyes as he detonated the part of his body that had been pulled into the other dimension. The violent explosion instantly tore the spatial vortex apart. Su Ye was sent flying by the shockwave, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Ying Zhishui's remaining half turned into spatial ripples and flew toward the barrier hub: "Even if I only have half my power left, I will still destroy Konoha!"

Ying Zhishui's remnant body merged into the spatial rift, and the black mist pouring from it surged, the power of the Demon Eater Lords strengthening in turn. The golden patterns on the barrier began to shatter, and Tsunade's chakra was exhausted, her body swaying unsteadily. "Is it... is it really over?" Tsunade looked at the collapsing barrier, a trace of despair in her eyes.

Just then, Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan suddenly glowed red, the power of the Guardian Fire resonating with the Uchiha bloodline within him. A dusty memory flooded his mind—in the vision, on the night of the clan's massacre, a blurry black shadow stood beside Itachi. The chakra fluctuations of that shadow were identical to Ying Zhishui's. "It's you!" Sasuke roared, intense killing intent flashing in his eyes. "You were there on the night of the massacre!"

Sasuke poured all his power into his Susanoo, the golden fire seed power intertwining with the black flames to form a giant sword shadow that slashed toward the spatial rift. The moment the sword shadow struck the rift, countless golden runes emerged from it, resonating with the golden patterns on the barrier to form a massive sealing formation. "This is... the Uchiha bloodline sealing technique!" Tsunade looked at the formation, a glimmer of surprise in her eyes.

Within the sealing formation, golden light surged, the spatial rift began to close, and the bodies of the Demon Eater Lords continuously dissipated. Ying Zhishui's remnant body flew out from the rift, his form gradually becoming transparent: "No! I won't accept this!" Ying Zhishui roared, attempting to launch another attack, but the power of the sealing formation grew stronger, trapping him completely.

Su Ye struggled to his feet, the spatial runes in his Rinne Sharingan becoming clearer than ever. He channeled his newly awakened ocular technique, his pale purple chakra merging into the sealing formation: "Rinne: Samsara Spatial Seal!" The golden runes in the formation intertwined with the pale purple chakra, forming massive chains that completely sealed Ying Zhishui's remnant body. With the descent of the final chain, the spatial rift closed entirely, and the crisis facing Konoha was temporarily averted.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Sasuke walked over to Su Ye, his expression grave: "Ying Zhishui participated in the night of the massacre. Furthermore, his power seems to be related to the third-party force from back then." Su Ye nodded, his Rinne Sharingan spinning slightly: "It seems the truth behind the Uchiha massacre is far more complex than we imagined. Although Ying Zhishui has been sealed, the force from the other dimension behind him has yet to surface."

Just then, a red light suddenly appeared in the sky above Konoha, and a blurry figure slowly emerged from within it. The figure was shrouded in the same dark golden chakra as Ying Zhishui, yet it was far more powerful. "Interesting little ones," the figure spoke, their voice carrying icy killing intent. "To think you could seal Ying Zhishui. However, this is only the beginning. Next time, I will come personally to destroy Konoha."

As the words fell, the figure dissolved into red light and vanished. Su Ye watched the direction where the light had disappeared, a grave look in his eyes: "A new enemy has appeared." Tsunade walked over to the group, her expression stern: "It seems we need to investigate the true purpose of this other-dimensional force as soon as possible. At the same time, we must strengthen Konoha's defenses to prepare for the next crisis."

Sasuke clenched his fists, a determined light flashing in his eyes: "No matter who the enemy is, I will find the truth behind the massacre and protect Konoha." Naruto nodded, Tailed Beast chakra swirling around him: "Sasuke, I'll help you. Together, we will protect Konoha." Su Ye looked at the two, his Rinne Sharingan glowing with a pale purple light: "And me. This time, we will not let history repeat itself."

The crisis in Konoha was temporarily resolved, but a new threat had already quietly descended. Su Ye, Sasuke, Naruto, and the others stood in the sky above Konoha, gazing into the distance. They knew that a greater storm was approaching, and they had to be prepared to meet the new challenge.