The bamboo grove on the outskirts of the Hyuga Clan Compound rustled in the wind. As three figures landed at its edge, dozens of white Chakra Threads shot out from within the grove, locking onto vital points all around them like a spiderweb. Su Ye activated the Rinne Sharingan. Its pale purple light pierced through the Chakra Threads, revealing more than a dozen Hyuga clan members deeper in the grove. At their head stood Hyuga Haiichi, an elder of the Hyuga Main Family, watching them intently with his Byakugan.
"You've entered the Hyuga Clan Compound without permission. What do you want?" Hyuga Haiichi's voice was wary. Gentle Fist chakra gathered in his palm. "Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and you—the outsider with the Rinne Sharingan. If you don't explain why you're here, don't expect us to show you any mercy."
Sasuke stepped forward and produced the Flame Shadow Tracking Mirror. The red light shimmering across the bronze mirror resonated faintly with the energy deep within the Hyuga Clan Compound. "We've come for the Byakugan Glazed Bead. The remnants of the Shadow of the Ancient God are about to attack the compound. Only by gathering all five Bloodline Treasures can we stop him from being resurrected." Hyuga Haiichi furrowed his brow and scanned the three of them with his Byakugan. He detected no hostile chakra, but he still didn't let down his guard. "The Bloodline Treasures are the foundation of the Hyuga Clan. How could we hand one over to outsiders so easily? Unless you can pass the Byakugan Trial and prove you're worthy of protecting the Glazed Bead."
The training ground at the center of the Hyuga Clan Compound was a circular platform built from white stone, with Gentle Fist symbols carved all around it. As Su Ye and the others stepped onto the platform, it suddenly lit up with white light. Three chakra-made figures emerged from the glow, dressed in the robes of the Hyuga Main Family, their eyes shining with the distinctive pale glow of the Byakugan.
"The Byakugan Trial has three stages. They'll test your perception, speed, and defense," Hyuga Haiichi called from the edge of the training ground. "For the first stage, read the trajectory of the figures' Gentle Fist strikes before they attack."
As soon as he finished speaking, the figure on the left leaped up, white chakra gathering in its palm as it struck toward the chakra point in Naruto's abdomen. Naruto was about to use his Nine-Tails Chakra to defend himself when Su Ye called out, "The third point beneath your left ribs is a feint. It's really aiming for the Fengmen point on your back!" Naruto immediately turned aside. The figure's palm skimmed past his back and struck the platform, cracking the stone.
Sasuke activated his nascent Rinnegan, intricate patterns appearing in his eyes. "The figures' chakra flows in the opposite direction from a human's. They reverse their chakra to disguise their targets." As soon as he finished speaking, the figure on the right launched an attack, its palm aimed at the chakra point over Su Ye's heart. Su Ye channeled his Rinne power, forming a pale purple chakra barrier around himself. At the same time, he saw through the figure's true target: the Yunmen point on his left shoulder. He shifted slightly aside. The attack missed, and the chakra rebounded off his barrier, knocking the figure back several steps.
In just half an hour, the three passed the first stage, relying on the Rinne Sharingan, Sasuke's nascent Rinnegan, and Naruto's ability to sense chakra with his Nine-Tails Chakra. The second stage tested speed. The figures suddenly moved several times faster, leaving streaks of white chakra across the platform. Naruto activated Nine-Tails Mode, gathering a current of air beneath his feet with golden chakra. He became a streak of golden light as he moved around the figures. "Only one of these afterimages contains real chakra. The rest are distractions!"
Su Ye channeled Rinne power into his eyes, tracking the faint chakra fluctuations among the figures' afterimages. "The third afterimage on the left is the real one!" Sasuke immediately unleashed Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame, sending crimson-gold flames sweeping toward the afterimage. The figure was forced to reveal itself and driven back to the edge of the platform. The third stage tested defense. All three figures attacked at once, sending countless white Chakra Threads toward them in a downpour.
"Use the power of all three colors to form a barrier!" Su Ye channeled Rinne power, forming a pale purple shield in front of them. Sasuke infused it with the power of the Flame Shadow Tracking Mirror, setting red flames alight across its surface. Naruto added his Nine-Tails Chakra. Golden, pale purple, and red chakra intertwined to form a tricolored barrier. The figures' attack struck it, and the white Chakra Threads were burned away in an instant.
When the last figure vanished, a white stone pedestal rose from the center of the platform. A completely transparent bead hovered above it, white chakra swirling inside: the Byakugan Glazed Bead. Hyuga Haiichi stepped onto the platform and handed the bead to Su Ye. "You've passed the trial and proven yourselves worthy of protecting the Glazed Bead. But remember, if you can't stop the Shadow of the Ancient God, the Hyuga Clan will take the treasure back."
Just as Su Ye took the Glazed Bead, a violent explosion rang out from the western side of the Hyuga Clan Compound. A Hyuga clan member came running in a panic. "Elder, this is bad! A large group of rogue ninja are attacking the compound. They're carrying the black chains of the Shadow of the Ancient God!" Hyuga Haiichi's expression changed. He immediately led the clan members to defend the western side. Su Ye and the others followed at once. When they reached the area, the sight before them made their eyes widen.
Dozens of rogue ninja wielding black chains were attacking the Hyuga clan members. Black mist swirling around the chains corroded the clan's white chakra. At their head stood a rogue ninja leader in a black cloak, holding a long sword formed from black mist. He was one of the remnants of the Shadow of the Ancient God who had previously attacked the Uchiha stronghold and the Senju ruins.
"I didn't expect you to pass the Byakugan Trial," the leader sneered, sending a black chain toward the Glazed Bead in Su Ye's hand. "But the Byakugan Glazed Bead is mine today." Su Ye handed the bead to Naruto. "Take it and fall back. Sasuke and I will deal with them." Naruto nodded. Golden chakra gathered into a shield around him as he quickly retreated behind the Hyuga clan members.
Sasuke released the Power of the Fire Seed. The Heaven-Burning Ancient Sword formed in his hand, and crimson-gold flames swept toward the rogue ninja. They used their black chains to block the flames. Fire and black mist collided with a sizzling hiss. Su Ye channeled Rinne power, forming a pale purple sword in his hand. He leaped toward the leader and slashed. The leader dodged to the side, swinging his black sword at Su Ye's throat. Su Ye used Space-Time Ninjutsu to appear behind him and thrust his sword toward the leader's back.
The leader turned at once and coiled a black chain around the sword. At the same time, he released black mist that swept toward Su Ye's face. "Watch out! That mist can corrode chakra!" Sasuke shouted, scorching the mist with crimson-gold flames. Su Ye seized the chance to pull back his sword and formed a pale purple chakra barrier around himself, keeping the remaining mist out.
Hyuga Haiichi led his clan in a counterattack, sending countless Gentle Fist strikes made of white chakra toward the rogue ninja. But the black chains absorbed Gentle Fist chakra. The clan members' attacks did no damage; instead, their chakra rebounded off the chains, injuring several of them. "This won't work!" Hyuga Haiichi said anxiously. "The black chains counter our Gentle Fist chakra."
Su Ye suddenly recalled a passage in the Six Paths Secret Record: the Bloodline Treasures could resonate with each other and create light that countered dark power. He shouted to Sasuke, "Infuse my sword with the power of the Flame Shadow Tracking Mirror!" Sasuke immediately condensed the Power of the Fire Seed into a beam of red light and sent it toward Su Ye's sword. Su Ye channeled both his Rinne power and the white chakra of the Byakugan Glazed Bead into the blade. Three colors intertwined along its length, forming a dazzling beam of light.
"This is...the resonant power of the Bloodline Treasures!" Hyuga Haiichi exclaimed. Su Ye leaped into the air and slashed at the rogue ninja leader. The beam struck him, instantly dispersing the black mist and shattering the black sword in his hand. The leader let out a scream as his body began to turn transparent. "The master of the Shadow of the Ancient God won't spare you!" With that, he dissolved into black mist.
The remaining rogue ninja tried to flee when they saw their leader defeated. Naruto activated Nine-Tails Mode and formed countless Tailed Beast Bombs from his golden chakra, sending them after the rogues. The Hyuga clan members attacked with Gentle Fist at the same time, their white chakra striking the rogue ninja and dispelling the black mist inside them. In just half an hour, every rogue ninja had been eliminated, and the crisis facing the Hyuga Clan Compound had passed.
Hyuga Haiichi walked up to Su Ye, admiration in his eyes. "Thank you for protecting the Hyuga Clan Compound. From now on, the Hyuga Clan is willing to give you our full support in gathering the remaining Bloodline Treasures." Su Ye nodded and handed the Byakugan Glazed Bead to Hyuga Haiichi. "Keep the Glazed Bead safe for now. We need to go to the ruins of the Uzumaki Clan and find the third Bloodline Treasure—the Uzumaki Sealing Stone. We'll come back for the Glazed Bead once we've gathered all the treasures."
Hyuga Haiichi took the Glazed Bead and handed Su Ye a white jade pendant. "This is a pass from the Hyuga Clan. With it, you can travel freely throughout the Land of Fire without being stopped." Su Ye accepted the pendant and left the Hyuga Clan Compound with Sasuke and Naruto. On the way, Sasuke opened the Six Paths Secret Record and carefully studied the information about the Uzumaki Clan ruins.
"The ruins of the Uzumaki Clan are hidden on an island near the border of the Land of Water," Sasuke said. "According to the record, they're surrounded by the sealing chakra of the Uzumaki Clan. Only someone with Uzumaki blood can enter the inner area." Naruto scratched the back of his head and grinned. "I have Kushina Uzumaki's blood in me, so I should come in handy."
Su Ye nodded. A pale purple glint flashed in his Rinne Sharingan. "The Uzumaki Sealing Stone can strengthen sealing power. The remnants of the Shadow of the Ancient God will definitely be after it too. We have to hurry and get the stone before they do." The three immediately changed course and headed for the border of the Land of Water. When they reached the coast, a huge ship was waiting by the shore. It bore the crest of the Hyuga Clan—the vessel Hyuga Haiichi had arranged for them.
The ship sailed across the sea. Su Ye stood at the bow, gazing at the distant horizon. He could clearly sense the Rinne power within him growing stronger as they gathered more Bloodline Treasures. But he also had a vague feeling that the presence of the Shadow of the Ancient God was spreading throughout the Shinobi World. An even greater crisis was quietly drawing near.
Sasuke came to stand beside Su Ye and took out the Flame Shadow Tracking Mirror. The bronze mirror shimmered with a faint red light. "According to the Six Paths Secret Record, after gathering all five Bloodline Treasures, we'll still need to find four Six Paths Sacred Relics to seal the Shadow of the Ancient God completely. So far, we've found only one of the Six Paths Sacred Relics—the Golden Scroll." Naruto came over too, a ball of golden chakra forming in his palm. "No matter how many challenges we face, we'll face them together. We'll protect peace in the Shinobi World."
Su Ye looked at the two of them, determination in his eyes. He clenched his fist, Rinne power surging within him, and silently swore: No matter how powerful the Shadow of the Ancient God is, no matter how dangerous the road ahead, I'll lead Sasuke, Naruto, and the clans of the Shinobi World in facing this crisis together. He knew that he was more than just a wielder of the Rinne Sharingan. He was also the protector of the Shinobi World.
The ship continued across the sea toward the ruins of the Uzumaki Clan. A new adventure was about to unfold on an island near the border of the Land of Water. Su Ye and his companions were about to face challenges unlike any they had encountered before—the sealing barriers of the Uzumaki Clan and a new attack from the remnants of the Shadow of the Ancient God.
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