I just returned to Konoha and found that my entire clan was gone.

Chapter 41 New Weapons

After obtaining the Thor's Sword, Ye Lan returned to his room and examined the legendary sword closely. He discovered a tiny crack on it, barely noticeable without close inspection. However, even this flaw was fatal to a master. Ye Lan shook his head; this sword was not suitable for him.

Ye Lan's use of Lightning Release wasn't very good, and it's unclear why the Second Hokage, who was skilled in Water Release, would use this sword.

I really need to consider getting a new weapon. My old ninja sword is nearing the end of its lifespan after several intense battles, and it will probably break after a couple more.

Just as dawn was breaking the next day, Sasuke finally returned to the shrine with Naruto and Sakura. Even though Sasuke disliked Ito-ten, he continued to carry out the mission.

Sasuke and the others were on high alert, guarding against Green Aoi's attack, but this guy seemed to have vanished. He didn't appear from beginning to end, and without his influence, Yi Tuotian seemed to have suffered some kind of blow, leaving his opponent far behind and directly winning the match.

"Is the mission over already? I wanted to teach that green-haired guy a lesson!" The match was over, which meant the mission was successfully completed, but Naruto felt something was missing.

"Alright, the mission is complete, let's hurry back to the village and not waste any more time." At this moment, Ye Lan, who hadn't appeared until now, walked up to the group, carrying their backpacks in her hand.

After Sasuke and Sakura took the backpacks, they exchanged a glance as if they realized something: that Amegakure Jonin, Green Aoi, was definitely dealt with by Ye Lan.

Nothing further happened on the return journey. Ye Lan, as the Jonin leading the team, directly submitted the mission report and the Thunder God Sword to Tsunade.

Ye Lan originally wanted to keep it, since it was an item obtained outside of the mission. It wouldn't have been a problem if Ye Lan didn't hand it over. However, the Thor's Sword was already damaged and had significant symbolic meaning, so Ye Lan chose to hand it over.

"Is this the weapon that my great-grandfather used back then?" Tsunade murmured as she picked up the Thunder God Sword. The power of the Thunder God Sword mainly depends on the user. The stronger the user, the greater the power of the sword. The method of using it, such as just swinging it around randomly or using it as a shield, cannot unleash its power at all.

"Keep this sword for yourself, consider it my compensation to the Uchiha clan." Tsunade handed it back to Ye Lan. She could see that the sword was slightly damaged, and there weren't many people in Konoha who could use it. Ye Lan was considered the best swordsman in Konoha.

"Lady Tsunade, I understand very well that the Uchiha clan's affairs have nothing to do with you, you don't need to..." Ye Lan still respected Tsunade. In his opinion, Tsunade was the one among the Sannin who had contributed the most and was the most responsible to Konoha. The Uchiha clan's affairs were related to some of Konoha's high-ranking officials, but had nothing to do with Tsunade, even though her surname was Senju.

"What's with all this fuss? I seriously doubt if you're even from the Uchiha clan. This sword is useless to me anyway, so I might as well let it serve its purpose. It's already broken, so I won't ask whether you go back to repair it or forge a new one." Tsunade waved her hand magnanimously, and the matter was settled just like that.

Ye Lan no longer refused and accepted the sword.

"If you want it reforged, I recommend the biggest ninja tool shop in the village. Their craftsmanship is quite good," Tsunade said before Ye Lan left.

...

The largest ninja tool shop in Konoha was located on the busiest street in the village after Ye Lan left the Hokage's office.

"Welcome." As soon as Ye Lan entered the room, a girl's voice rang out. The voice sounded somewhat familiar to him, and when he turned around, he saw it was Kai's student, Tian Tian.

"Eh? Senior Yelan?" Tenten was also a little surprised when she saw Yelan. She had never spoken to Yelan before, only met him twice during the Chunin Exams, and knew that this ninja, who was only two years older than her, was already a Jonin of Konoha.

"So the shop that Lady Tsunade was talking about is your family's." Ye Lan thought of Tenten's fighting style, which was indeed not something an ordinary person could do. Her family must be quite wealthy.

"Did Lady Tsunade recommend it to you? I didn't expect our shop to be so famous." Tenten was a little embarrassed. Her idol was Tsunade, and she had always aspired to be a female ninja like Tsunade.

"Yes, I want to forge a ninja sword, so I've come to ask your family for help." Ye Lan stated his purpose directly.

Tian Tian felt it wasn't appropriate to talk in the lobby, so she asked Ye Lan to come to the second floor and called over an old master craftsman, saying, "If you're looking to forge ninja swords, my uncle is extremely skilled."

Ye Lan looked at the newcomer and saw that he was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties with dark skin and thick calluses on his fingers. He knew that this man was a blacksmith who had been working for many years.

"Esteemed guest, what kind of ninja sword would you like to have made? Have you prepared the materials yourself, or do you need us to provide them?" Tenten's uncle asked. He had already heard from Tenten that this seemingly unremarkable young man was actually a Jonin in the village, so he naturally dared not neglect him.

With a bang, Ye Lan opened the sealing scroll, and the Thunder God Sword and the ninja sword he used before appeared in front of everyone. He pointed and said, "My previous ninja sword is damaged. Now I need a new one. The requirements are that it can transmit different types of chakra well and that it is sharp."

The uncle picked up the broken ninja sword and examined it for a few moments, then shook his head. He could tell it wasn't an ordinary sword; he wondered what kind of battle had caused it to be in such a state, and how difficult it would be to repair. He put the sword down and picked up the Thunder God Sword instead. The Thunder God Sword required the infusion of chakra to reveal its edge. The uncle had also been a ninja, but was now retired.

He could see how to use the Thunder God Sword. With a little chakra injected, the Thunder God Sword emitted a dazzling light. His uncle's eyes lit up. This sword was very rare. Upon closer inspection, he found that the sword was already damaged.

"Guest, do you want to use this sword to repair your original weapon?" the uncle asked tentatively, and continued when Ye Lan nodded.

"Actually, I don't recommend you do this." Seeing that Ye Lan had some doubts, the uncle quickly said. He was afraid that Ye Lan would be dissatisfied. He knew that even among the Jonin of Konoha, there were not many who could take out such a weapon.

“While the material of your previous weapon was good, it wasn’t uncommon. If you use your original weapon as the base, even if you remelt it with this sword I have, it won’t improve it much. In fact, it will lower the quality of the sword. I suggest you use this sword I have as the base.” The uncle didn’t know the name of the Thor’s Sword, so he pointed to the Thor’s Sword in his hand and said.

"To be honest, although I am proficient in some Fire Release, Water Release, and Wind Release techniques, I don't use Lightning Release very often," Ye Lan said, expressing his concerns.

“In that case, I can extract the lightning-elemental properties of this sword, so you can use it,” the uncle said after thinking for a moment.

Upon hearing that his uncle was able to extract the lightning release from the Thunder God Sword, Ye Lan's eyes lit up. He couldn't help but ask, "Could you use the extracted lightning release properties to make another ninja sword?"

When the uncle heard Ye Lan's request, he hesitated, unsure how to explain it to Ye Lan.

Ye Lan: "It's alright, just tell me if you have any difficulties."

"It is possible, but since you only have the materials for one ninja sword, if you want to make another ninja sword of similar quality, the price will be a bit expensive..." Seeing that Ye Lan said this, the uncle could no longer hide the truth.

"How much money?" Ye Lan thought it was something serious. He had carried out many missions since returning to the village, and money was nothing to him.

"Including material costs and processing fees, it'll be thirty million taels." The uncle, seeing Ye Lan's words, assumed he was a wealthy man and directly quoted the price with his hands clasped together.

Chapter 42 Making Money

Hearing the price of thirty million taels, Ye Lan couldn't believe his ears. He didn't expect that making two ninja swords would cost so much. In the end, he left the ninja tool shop with an embarrassed look on his face. He finally understood why Tenten's fighting style was so extravagant. It was all about money!

Unexpectedly, he was once again struggling with money. It wasn't that Ye Lan lacked ways to make money, but implementing those ideas was a lengthy process. The only way to make money quickly was to keep taking on high-difficulty tasks. Thinking of this, Ye Lan couldn't help but look up at the Hokage Building and smile bitterly. "Just as you predicted, it seems there's really no time for leisure now."

...

"I have an A-rank protection mission, do you want to do it?" A few days later, Tsunade looked at Ye Lan in front of her and smiled amusedly. She knew that this kid was short of money lately.

"Do it!" Ye Lan didn't hesitate; now was not the time to be picky.

"That's right. This time, we're protecting the daughter of a nobleman from the Land of Fire. She's going to visit relatives in the Land of Hot Water, so she entrusted us with this mission. The reward is very generous, and it will increase if we encounter enemies. It's quite suitable for you." Tsunade told Ye Lan directly about the mission. Ye Lan didn't listen to much else, only knowing that this mission would bring in a lot of money.

Ye Lan's eyes lit up when he heard about the substantial reward. Just as he was about to take his leave to prepare, Tsunade said, "Don't rush off. This time, pick a few genin to go with you. You can also give them some training while you're at it."

Tsunade felt that this mission wasn't actually that difficult; it was only classified as an A-rank mission because of the other party's status and the generous reward. Letting Ye Lan lead the other genin was a good idea, as it would also help him develop his leadership skills.

"Then let's go with Sasuke's class." Ye Lan didn't really want to bring extra people, as that would only affect his efficiency, but since Tsunade had said so, he could only choose Sasuke and the others he was familiar with.

“Sasuke and the others have already gone to carry out other missions, so choose someone else.” Tsunade rejected the idea outright.

"They went to carry out other missions?" Ye Lan was a little surprised. If he remembered correctly, Kakashi should be on another mission right now and didn't have time to take Sasuke and the others with him. Tsunade just let them go out alone like that.

Seeing that Tsunade didn't explain further, Ye Lan had no choice but to say, "Then, Lady Tsunade, could you recommend any outstanding genin?"

Tsunade smiled slightly, as if she had expected this: "Then I'll recommend a few to you. They've been taking a break lately..."

Ye Lan looked at Tsunade with some confusion, wondering who she would recommend.

...

The next day, at the gates of Konoha, Ye Lan looked at the group of people who had arrived. His curiosity had been completely extinguished; he never expected it to be these people. Looking at them, he couldn't help but say, "Shikamaru, you're already a Chunin, right? I heard you were interning in the Cipher Department? And Asuma too?"

Shikamaru, already wearing his Chunin vest, rolled his dead fish eyes and said, "I was originally interning in the Cipher Department, but then Lady Tsunade asked me to come out and carry out a mission. I heard Asuma went to carry out other missions."

Shikamaru was also quite annoyed. He used to be quite relaxed in the Cipher Department, completing his work very quickly with his intelligence. He usually spent his free time happily slacking off. This time, Tsunade suddenly called him over, and Shikamaru couldn't help but wonder if he had been caught slacking off. It seems he'll have to pretend to be working hard more often in the future.

"Brother Yelan, please guide me this time as well!" Unlike Shikamaru's listlessness, Ino was overjoyed to hear that she would be going on a mission with Yelan. She greeted Yelan as soon as they met. Choji was still eating his potato chips on the side. Seeing that he was carrying a big bag, Yelan wondered if it was full of potato chips.

Shikamaru looked at Ino with a puzzled expression, wondering how she had become so familiar with Ye Lan. However, Ino's infatuation with Ye Lan hadn't changed at all.

Ye Lan nodded to Ino. In his opinion, Ino was the only one of the three who was somewhat obedient. As for strength, Mind Transfer Technique was quite a unique move. As for Shikamaru, he figured he wouldn't touch him with him around. And Choji, besides eating, was not expected to do anything else.

Pig, Deer, Butterfly... Ye Lan certainly knew their backgrounds, but he hadn't expected Tsunade to recommend them to him. He couldn't quite figure out what the deeper meaning was. But the Jonin of Konoha are all very busy; Kakashi and the others don't even have time to teach their own students. He couldn't help but wonder if he would have to teach all these Genin himself.

"You all understand the mission this time, right?" Ye Lan first made sure that they all understood the mission's objective.

"I understand, it means protecting a noble lady on her way to visit relatives in the Land of Hot Springs!" Ino, the most energetic, answered first. Actually, if she hadn't answered first, Shikamaru and Choji wouldn't have argued with her.

Ye Lan nodded. "However, since the other party issued the mission some time ago and is still in the Land of Fire, we need to visit the person's residence in the Land of Fire before we can start the mission."

Those daimyo and nobles wouldn't stay in a place like Konoha! They usually choose to live in bustling metropolises, enjoying endless wealth and luxury. These cities are filled with all sorts of entertainment facilities, upscale restaurants, and luxurious residences, satisfying their pursuit of pleasure. In comparison, while Konoha has a unique culture and history, it falls far short of those big cities in terms of material comforts. Therefore, those noble lords are the ones who truly know how to enjoy life.

"I've always heard about the prosperity of the Land of Fire, but I never thought we'd get to experience it for ourselves!" The lively Ino continued Ye Lan's words, while Shikamaru and Choji didn't seem interested at all.

Ino was also a little angry when she saw the two of them looking listless. They had finally managed to carry out a mission together with Ye Lan, but the two of them were acting like this. Ino didn't want Ye Lan to have a bad impression of them. Then she remembered something and said to Choji.

"Choji, I've heard that there are far more barbecue restaurants in the Land of Fire than in Konoha, and the food tastes much better. Would you like to try some?"

Upon hearing this, Choji immediately stopped eating potato chips, his small eyes practically blazing with excitement, and exclaimed, "I want to go to the Land of Fire! I want to eat barbecue!"

Shikamaru was surprised that Choji was persuaded so easily, and sighed, rubbing his forehead. The target of this mission was again a noblewoman's daughter, and he hated dealing with women.

Seeing Choji's emotions already stirred up by Ino, Ye Lan couldn't help but chuckle, wondering what kind of funny things this group of clowns would get up to on the road. After saying goodbye to Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu at the gate, he led the group on their journey.

Chapter 43 Nobles

"Who can help me with this mission! I'm willing to give up all my wealth!" A man dressed in black robes shouted as he entered an underground bounty site.

All eyes were on him. There was no shortage of madmen in the bounty agency, but it was very rare to see someone willing to risk everything to post a mission.

An interested bounty hunter walked up to him, glanced at the mission details, shook his head, and left. These people weren't stupid; the bounty was substantial, but the risk was too great, and few would be interested in the mission.

Hidden in his black robe, An remained silent. He knew that this mission was not only extremely difficult but would also offend some noble lords. Although the bounty agency was an underground organization, there were quite a few nobles secretly involved.

"Only 800 million taels?" Kakuzu glanced at the mission posted by An. "The mission reward isn't particularly high."

This was all the assets An Neng had taken out, some of which were even borrowed at high interest rates. He only wanted that woman dead. He had put all the money in the bounty agency. As long as someone completed the mission, the bounty agency would automatically give the money to the person who completed the mission.

"Lord Kakuzu, I am willing to give my life if you complete this mission..." An's voice was hoarse, as if his throat had been slashed by a knife, which was in stark contrast to his appearance.

An knew that Kakuzu was a famous bounty hunter with a hobby of collecting corpses. If anyone could complete this task, it would have to be Kakuzu.

"Kid, do you believe in Jashin-sama?" Hidan, who was with Kakuzu, greeted An. His purpose in joining Akatsuki was to spread Jashin-sama's ideas.

"What does it matter if I believe in an evil god if I can kill that woman?" Anman said indifferently.

"Hidan, don't disturb my business. Your heart doesn't look worth much; it's only good as a spare..." Kakuzu scolded Hidan, then thought about the organization's recent objective and said, "I'll take this mission. Once it's completed, your life will be mine."

An's lifeless gaze finally came to life. "Dad, I, Cheng, will definitely avenge you..."

...

"Wow, this is delicious! This is good too! This smells so good!" Upon entering the famous city of the Land of Fire, Choji acted like a country boy visiting a big city, buying a huge pile of snacks from the dazzling array of food available on the roadside, his hands already overflowing with them.

Ino and Shikamaru were also somewhat blinded by the hustle and bustle of the big city. They never expected that there were such bustling places in the world. Only Ye Lan, who had seen far more lively scenes in his previous life, was somewhat immune to this.

"Choji, stop eating! We still need to report to the family that issued the mission!" Ino exclaimed after her initial surprise, then twisted Choji's ear and said.

"Ino, didn't you say we were going to eat barbecue? I'm still not full." Choji rubbed his stomach, feeling a little aggrieved. What he had just eaten was just an appetizer for him.

"Alright, I'll treat you to a meal here after we finish the mission. Now, let's go find the person who issued the mission," Ye Lan said reassuringly.

Choji immediately became obedient after hearing this. Asuma had only done this kind of thing a few times, and Shikamaru couldn't help but look at Yelan with some concern, worried that Yelan's wallet couldn't handle it.

The person who issued the mission was Itō from Kanagawa. Kanagawa is a famous noble family in the Land of Fire. After asking around, the group found the Kanagawa mansion.

Looking at the extravagantly large mansion, Ino and the others gaped in astonishment. The main gate alone was two stories high, and the entire area stretched as far as the eye could see.

Ye Lan stepped forward and knocked on the door. After a while, an old man opened the door and glanced at Ye Lan and the others. When he saw that they were wearing Konoha headbands, his originally cold face immediately broke into a smile, and he quickly said something.