Land of Fire.
Konoha Village Gate.
The Third Squad of the Guard stood on alert.
Brother Cong, with a stern face, glared coldly at the airborne ninja forces ahead.
"You're the first foreign enemy to dare lead a team to challenge us since Captain Bai Ye took command of the Guard!"
"This is nothing short of madness!"
At the village entrance, a crowd had gathered—Konoha's ninjas and curious villagers alike.
Under the command of Yuhi Mahong and Hatake Sakumo, the Anbu had arrived on-site.
The two sides had already exchanged a few probing blows.
But the real annoyance of the Sky Ninja was their ability to fight while airborne, constantly harassing Konoha's forces from above.
An irritating tactic.
"If you take one more step forward, you'll die here!"
A roar echoed across the battlefield.
Brother Cong stood at the vanguard.
"Who the hell are you?"
Above them, a sneering Sky Ninja responded, obviously mocking him.
The Sky Ninja hadn't launched a full assault on Konoha yet.
In fact, they'd faced fierce resistance the moment they stepped into the Fire Country.
And now this kid dares raise his voice?
"If you knew my name, you wouldn't have dared step foot here!"
Brother Cong declared proudly, ignoring the jeer.
A brief silence followed.
Nawaki, who had just returned, blinked in confusion before scratching his head and looking toward Brother Cong.
Did the Sky Ninja truly not know who Brother Cong was?
What's with the bravado?
Nawaki shook his head. He didn't dwell on it.
As the second-in-command of the Guard, Brother Cong often showed up unpredictably during battles, so it wasn't surprising that the enemy was clueless.
"Brother Cong, Captain Bai Ye has given the order—none of them are to be left alive."
"Oh?"
A grin stretched across Brother Cong's face as his Mangekyō Sharingan ignited.
Though the Guard's main task was usually village-internal security, today was different—an unprecedented military assault.
Usually, Brother Cong would analyze the threat first and report to the captain.
But this time, the captain's orders were clear—no mercy.
"Grant me power, O God..."
"Divine Mandate!"
Hum!
His ocular power surged as Brother Cong raised his middle finger toward the sky.
"Begone!"
Boom!
A tremendous gravitational pull crashed down.
In an instant, the aircraft used by the Sky Ninja lost control and fell like stones to the earth.
It was difficult to gauge just how far Uchiha Satoshi (Brother Cong) had developed the ocular abilities that were his lifeline.
But one thing was certain—his strategy was airtight.
In Brother Cong's heart, God is omnipotent.
And if divinity is omnipotent, why fear a bunch of flying nuisances?
"Guard unit—attack!"
With the Sky Ninja grounded, the outcome was inevitable.
The Guard, joined by Konoha's ninjas, bared their fangs and advanced.
No one defied the Guard and lived.
Not even a flock of birds.
As Brother Cong sliced through the Sky Ninja leader, he stood triumphantly over the corpse.
"The enemy is so disgraceful, I'll strip him of his honor—literally!"
—
The Sky Ninja assault—
To Bai Ye, and even Konoha, it was a trivial matter.
Tsunade didn't even leave her office; she continued working on village documents.
Bai Ye, having completed his morning training, casually strolled back to the Guard HQ lounge, leading a shy Uchiha Izumi by the hand.
Life continued.
No one took the Sky Ninja seriously.
Shennong? Their hidden fortress? Whatever.
The true buzz came from the Guard's earlier arrest of Uchiha Madara.
When his identity was revealed, the entire village fell into an uproar.
The legendary rival of Senju Hashirama?
Alive?
And now imprisoned and sentenced to forced labor?
It defied logic.
But the people marveled, humbled.
The Guard had once again protected the village behind the scenes.
The news spread quickly.
Within days, word of Uchiha Madara's resurrection reached the entire ninja world.
Bai Ye initially dismissed it.
Until the seventh day, when a visitor arrived in Konoha.
—
Inside the Hokage Office.
Bai Ye lounged on the sofa while Tsunade, seated at the desk, worked through files.
Before them stood a man clad in a black cloak, face grave.
He hailed from Ghost Lantern Castle—the most secure prison in the ninja world.
Built on an isolated island near Grass Ninja Village, it housed only the most heinous criminals.
"So you're saying," Tsunade began, setting her pen down, "that like Madara, Konoha criminals must be handed over to Ghost Lantern Castle?"
The man nodded.
He was Wuwei, the warden of Ghost Lantern Castle, and wielder of the Fire Style: Heavenly Prison, a jutsu that seals chakra.
"Yes. To prevent him from wreaking further havoc. The Five Villages signed an accord regarding this."
"We even detained Kakuzu, who once fought the First Hokage."
Tsunade exchanged a look with Bai Ye.
"I don't care," she said coolly. "Uchiha Madara was captured by the Guard and is now part of our labor reform corps. Losing him would be a huge loss of... productivity."
Bai Ye smirked.
God-tier labor force, huh?
Wuwei flinched under Bai Ye's gaze.
They were really treating Uchiha Madara like a common prisoner?
That's insane.
He was from the Warring States era—he belonged in Ghost Lantern Castle!
"I beg Captain Bai Ye to cooperate," Wuwei pleaded. "Ghost Lantern Castle was created through the collective effort of all five nations—"
Crack.
Thud!
Before he could finish, Wuwei's body jolted violently—he slapped himself and dropped to his knees, trembling in fear.
What power was this?
He hadn't even seen Bai Ye move.
But Bai Ye wasn't pleased.
Instead, he frowned thoughtfully.
"Blood Prison... Ghost Lantern Castle…"
"They want Madara's chakra. Most likely to feed it to the Box of Bliss, and release someone... probably his son."
"That makes sense… But…"
He squinted, piecing it all together.
"Even if Wuwei didn't want to fight me, he still came."
"Why?"
"The Box of Bliss."
"The only object in this world beyond the standard system—said to be the Sage of Six Paths' ultimate legacy."
"They say the Box of Bliss grants a wish. Grass Ninja almost used it to conquer the world once, right?"
"Must be a lie."
"Box of Bliss. Sage of Six Paths. Madara…"
His analysis complete, Bai Ye's eyes gleamed with clarity.
He reached out and rested his hand on Wuwei's head.
"So the old man used the Box of Bliss to send you a message?"
"I figured as much. He's running out of time."
"But that old Sage really thought I'd obey a five-village treaty?"
"Still so obsessed with rules..."
Bai Ye withdrew his hand.
Wuwei collapsed, utterly drained.
Bai Ye now understood.
The Box of Bliss didn't grant wishes.
It was a trap, a contingency laid by the Sage of Six Paths.
The "wish" story was bait to lure in greedy people—and have them offer chakra willingly.
The chakra had only one destination.
If enough was gathered, the Sage could materialize again without possessing someone else.
And Madara?
He was a reincarnation of Indra—his chakra contained a trace of Indra's soul.
Apparently, Bai Ye killing Indra and Asura reincarnations had upset the Sage's plan.
He now wanted to revive Indra and stabilize his narrative—a world with Bai Ye not as its center.
"So this was your backhand?"
Bai Ye laughed.
He thought Hagoromo might give him something entertaining.
But this?
Child's play.
If he destroyed the Box of Bliss now, that ancient ghost would probably throw a fit.
"I've got an errand to run," he said casually.
Winking at Tsunade, Bai Ye punched open a rift in space, activating the Master of Time and Space.
Then he kicked Wuwei in.
"Be back soon."
Tsunade didn't even blink.
Ghost Lantern Castle?
A five-nation pact?
If it upset her man, it had to go.
Maybe she'd ask the Raikage and Mizukage to help raze it.
But five minutes later—
Bai Ye returned.
Tsunade looked up, ready to welcome him home—
—and froze.
She sighed, rubbing her temple.
"Really? You like lolis now? Isn't Izumi enough? Though I can't imagine you doing anything to her, but…"
"Did you have to pick up someone this tiny?"
Standing next to Bai Ye was a little girl, around seven or eight years old.
With crimson hair like flowing blood, glasses perched on her nose—she looked nervous, holding tightly onto Bai Ye's hand.
"Don't be ridiculous," Bai Ye said with a wry smile, patting the girl's head.
Her hair felt just like Kushina's.
"I found her on the road."
"Her surname is Uzumaki. But from today forward…"
"Her name is Uchiha."
The Duel doesn't end here… it only gets more intense.
30+ chapters ahead are already waiting.
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