The Reverse Summoning brought them to the rooftop platform of Konoha Hospital. The moment they appeared, the medical team already waiting there rushed forward.
"Quick, treat them!" Tsunade personally directed the team. She had stepped back from the front lines to serve as head of the Medical Department, but she was still dependable when it mattered.
The wound in Lin Ye's shoulder was deep, and black markings were spreading around it-a temporary Kāma mark. Though it would not corrupt his consciousness, it could track his location. Tsunade used the Strength of a Hundred Technique to force out the black blood, but the markings only faded; they did not disappear.
"This is an Otsutsuki tracking mark. Conventional Medical Ninjutsu won't work." Tsunade frowned. "It needs a special purification method."
"Use the Eye of Prophecy." Karin took out the Crystal Ball and poured chakra into it. The orb glowed, shining onto Lin Ye's shoulder, and the black markings slowly receded in its light. But Karin's face grew increasingly pale. The drain on her was clearly immense.
"That's enough, Karin." Lin Ye took her hand. "I'll handle the rest myself."
He summoned the power of his Jōgan, sending silvery-white chakra into his shoulder to fight the black markings. Ten minutes later, the markings vanished completely, but Lin Ye was utterly drained as well.
"We have to get stronger as soon as possible," Sasuke said. His new eyes-silvery-white eyes known as the White Jōgan-could see through space and perceive the flow of chakra. "If Momoshiki's advance force is already this strong, we won't stand a chance when he arrives in person."
"But the Eye of Prophecy showed that we have allies," Naruto said. "Those People of the Stars-where are they?"
"At Star Map Marker A-7, there's a hidden island in the waters three thousand li east of the Land of Water." Lin Ye brought up the star map from the "Legacy" system. "But a powerful barrier surrounds it. We can't get in through conventional means."
"Then how do we get there?"
"We wait." Lin Ye looked out the window. "They'll come to us."
Three days later, at the border of the Land of Water.
A strangely shaped ship docked at the shore. It was made of wood, but glowing runes covered its surface, and its sails were translucent, as though woven from starlight. A group disembarked, dressed in silver-blue robes, with pale purple skin and star-like marks on their foreheads. Leading them was an old man holding a star staff, wisdom in his eyes.
"We are the People of the Stars. By the prophet's command, we have come to seek the 'heir to the Unfulfilled Wish.'" The old man's voice sounded directly in everyone's mind. It was telepathy.
"That's me." Lin Ye stepped forward. His shoulder had healed, but he had yet to fully recover his strength.
"You carry the aura of Lord Isshiki's 'Legacy,' as well as... Lady Zhixue's Eye of Prophecy." The old man looked at Lin Ye, then turned to Karin. "You are Lady Zhixue's descendant, with a pure bloodline. We have waited here for a thousand years. At last, you have come."
"What have you been waiting for us to do?"
"Fight the Otsutsuki and save our home," the old man said. "The People of the Stars were once slaves of the Otsutsuki. A thousand years ago, we escaped with Lady Zhixue's help and went into hiding here. But the Otsutsuki never stopped hunting us. Recently, their scout ships discovered our location. We need allies, and you need power. Cooperation is our only way forward."
"How can we trust you?" Sasuke asked. His White Jōgan saw through the old man's chakra-it was pure stellar energy, without malice.
"Let this serve as proof." The old man took a fragment from inside his robe. It was part of the Eye of Prophecy. "This is the token Lady Zhixue left us. She said that when the heir to the Eye of Prophecy appeared, we were to return it, and they would receive the legacy of the People of the Stars."
Karin accepted the fragment, and it resonated with the Eye of Prophecy in her hand. The fragment merged into the Crystal Ball. The orb flared with brilliant light and projected a recording:
Uzumaki Oriyuki stood beneath a starry sky, with the ancestors of the People of the Stars beside her. She said, "To those who come after me: if you are seeing this recording, the Otsutsuki threat is drawing near. The People of the Stars possess 'star-celestial power,' which can counter the Otsutsuki, but only a pure heart can wield it. Seek them out and learn their power, but remember: power is a tool, not a goal. Never forget why you began."
The recording faded.
"We're willing to cooperate," Lin Ye said. "But time is short. Momoshiki Otsutsuki will arrive in three days. We have to gain enough power before then."
"Three days?" The old man frowned. "Passing on star-celestial power takes time. Even at its fastest, it takes seven days."
"Then we'll use a time-sealing jutsu," Karin said. "The Uzumaki Clan has 'Time Sealing,' which can create a barrier where time flows at a different rate. We can train inside it for seven days while only one day passes outside. But it requires an enormous amount of chakra."
"Use the People of the Stars' Starwell," the old man said. "That's where we store stellar energy. It has enough to sustain the seal."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Naruto could hardly wait.
They boarded the People of the Stars' ship. It sailed out to sea, and after they passed through a bank of thick fog, the sight before them left everyone stunned.
An island floated in the sky, surrounded by nine glowing stars. Its ground was clear crystal, and its buildings were formed from condensed starlight. At the center of the island stood an enormous well, filled with flowing silver light-that was the Starwell.
"Welcome to the home of the People of the Stars, Star-Celestial Island," the old man said.
The island's residents came out one after another, all with pale purple skin and star marks on their foreheads. Some looked at Lin Ye and the others with curiosity, others with wariness, but most were friendly.
"Let's begin," Lin Ye said.
Karin, Lin Ye, Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and the three strongest members chosen by the People of the Stars-the elder Stardust, the warrior Starfall, and the priest Starlight-entered the Sealing Formation beside the Starwell. Karin activated Time Sealing. The barrier spread out, and the flow of time inside slowed.
One day outside, seven days within the barrier.
They had three days-twenty-one days inside the barrier.
Before you continue