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

"You gentlemen are ninjas from Konoha, aren't you? The master has been waiting at home for a long time. Please come with me."

Ye Lan and the others didn't notice anything amiss and followed the old man into the mansion. They walked through a winding corridor lined with many rare plants and flowers, which made Jing Ye, who knew about flowers, exclaim in amazement. She knew that these things were not cheap, and the servants who took care of the plants also tried to curry favor with the group.

Before long, the group arrived at a large hall. The old man, who seemed to be the steward, instructed several servants to bring out many exquisite dishes and said, "It seems that none of the ninja masters have eaten yet. Please eat here first, and I will go and call the master."

Shikamaru and the others glanced at Ye Lan, who nodded before they started eating. It wasn't that Ye Lan was careless; as the one who issued the mission, Kanagawa knew that Ye Lan and his group were there to carry it out, and the probability of them being framed by Kanagawa seemed extremely low.

With Ye Lan's permission, Ding Ci could no longer resist his appetite. He picked up the exquisite food in front of him and stuffed it into his mouth. It was the first time he had ever tasted such delicious food. No matter how dangerous the mission was, Ding Ci felt it was all worth it.

Seeing Choji wolfing down his food, Shikamaru and Ino lowered their heads in embarrassment. Ye Lan looked at the servants who were serving them and none of them showed any disdain. They were all smiling at them and even added more food for Choji when they saw that he didn't have enough.

Regardless of what these people are thinking, at least on the surface, Ye Lan can't find anything wrong with them.

"Haha, a distinguished guest from Konoha has arrived!" A hearty voice rang out in the hall. The newcomer was a middle-aged man, somewhat overweight, dressed in a magnificent golden robe, with a very amiable face. Upon seeing him, Ye Lan immediately stood up. He knew that this middle-aged man was the one who had issued this mission, the famous nobleman from the Land of Fire, Kanagawa Ito.

"No need for formalities, Jonin Yelan. I'll have to ask you to take good care of me on this mission." Ito waved his hand with a smile and sat down in the main seat. Ino and the others saw that Ito was easy to talk to, so they didn't say anything more and continued to sit down.

"Mr. Kanagawa has heard of me?" Ye Lan asked curiously. He wasn't surprised that a ninja had heard of him, but why would a nobleman inquire about him?

"As the one who issued this mission, I definitely consulted the Hokage. She spoke highly of you, and I have complete faith in your ability to complete this mission." Ito chuckled. No matter what Tsunade said to him, he would say the same thing to Ye Lan.

The two then discussed some trivial matters and the situation in Konoha. Ito showed them considerable respect throughout, and expressed his willingness to provide substantial financial support to Konoha in light of its current difficulties. (Konoha had just suffered attacks from Sunagakure and Orochimaru; the village was badly damaged and many people had died, so there were bound to be many expenses.)

Seeing that the conversation was almost over, Ito said, "The most important thing about this mission is to protect my daughter's safety. Her mother passed away early, and her family misses her dearly, which is why I came to Konoha to protect her. In theory, there shouldn't be any danger, but I'm afraid she might encounter some unreasonable people. I just hope that Jonin Yelan can protect her well."

As he spoke, Ito gestured for his daughter to come inside.

At this moment, everyone's eyes were on the door. Apart from being a little overweight due to middle age, Ito looked quite good. The group couldn't help but have some expectations for this young lady.

"Father..." Her voice was heard before anyone was seen, as sweet as a nightingale's song, and as swift as a silver bell. A young woman in her early twenties dressed in plain clothes walked into the hall.

Although she wore no pearls or jewels, her captivating eyes made all the exotic flowers in the mansion pale in comparison. With her snow-white skin and tall figure, she was a beauty capable of bringing ruin to a country.

Ito's daughter is named Kanagawa Moko. She nodded slightly to Ye Lan and the others as she walked to her father's side. Only then did Ye Lan notice that a man in his late twenties was following Moko not far away. He had a effeminate face and walked silently, clearly a skilled fighter.

Ino and the others were seeing such a beautiful young lady for the first time, and felt that only someone like her could be worthy of such a wealthy family. Ito was secretly pleased with their reaction and continued to point to the man following Moko.

"This is Sakata Masuke, an orphan I took in. His name is Sakata Masuke. Although he is not my biological son, he is my family. This child is quite talented and can use several ninjutsu. He will protect Moko with you."

Ino and Choji didn't find anything wrong with it, but Shikamaru and Yoru frowned. Before Yoru could say anything, the effeminate man named Sakata Masuke stepped forward and spoke.

"Is Konoha playing a ninja game? Lord Ito paid so much money and all he sent were a few kids?"

Chapter 44 War

"What kind of behavior is this!" Before Ye Lan could speak, Kanagawa Itō shouted loudly. Itō, who was originally just an ordinary person without even chakra, suddenly exuded the aura of a superior.

Before Sakata Masuke could say anything more, Ito said directly, "Apologize to Jonin Yoran!"

Ma Jie glanced at the serious Ito, then at Moko who was staring straight ahead, and without offering any further explanation, he bowed deeply to Ye Lan and loudly said, "I'm sorry."

Ye Lan, who was initially somewhat unpleasant, no longer felt uncomfortable but rather a little embarrassed. The other party seemed to think that he was indeed young and it was normal for his abilities to be questioned. He quickly waved his hand and said there was no need for that.

After apologizing, Ma Jie didn't show any displeasure. Instead, he silently sat down next to Mo Zi.

After this incident, the group lost their appetite. After exchanging a few more words, Ito asked the old man to take Ye Lan and the others to rest.

Ma Jie's expression turned grim again only after Ye Lan and the others had completely left. He couldn't help but say, "Lord Ito, Konoha is clearly not taking this seriously by sending just these few children."

"Masuke, you're still so impatient!" Ito glared at him, realizing that Masuke was indeed not his biological son. Moko, who was standing to the side, had not said a word from the beginning.

"Do you know what Ye Lan's surname is?" It was only after Ito's question that Masuke started to think. The surnames of Konoha are very particular. Could it be that the child just now was from a ninja clan in Konoha?

“His surname is Uchiha…” Ito finally said, and Moko, who had been silent all along, paused briefly in her tea-serving hand.

"Isn't the Uchiha clan just one orphan left? I don't remember him being that old..." Masuke hadn't registered as a ninja in any village, but his strength was comparable to that of a Jonin, and he had some knowledge of the ninja world.

"You don't need to worry about how he got back. I heard he successfully repelled Orochimaru once. You should know the name of the Legendary Sannin, right?" Ito said slowly.

Masuke's eyes widened in surprise. Orochimaru's name was known to everyone in the ninja world. He had just killed his teacher, the Third Hokage, not long ago. How old was Ye Lan to be able to defeat Orochimaru?

"Father, what is Lady Tsunade's intention in sending him here?" Mozi's pleasant voice rang out. In her opinion, every move of the Hokage had a profound meaning. Although an A-rank mission was not simple, sending someone like him to carry it out was a waste of his talents.

“He probably isn’t in the mood for it. You all know what’s going on in Konoha right now, and besides, he’s brought two genin and a chunin with him, right? He’s probably just showing them around.” Ito knew Konoha better. “But with them here, we should be fine for this mission. If you run into them, remember to eliminate them completely.”

The two nodded and stopped talking.

The next day, Mozi didn't bring many servants, just a carriage, a personal servant, a coachman, and Ma Jie, making a total of four people, and set off with Ye Lan and the others. Before getting into the carriage, Mozi greeted Ye Lan and then climbed into the carriage, while Ma Jie acted as a guard and sat in front of the carriage with the coachman.

Ye Lan and the others did not ride in a carriage, as running was much faster for them than a carriage; they simply kept watch around the carriage.

The journey to the Land of Hot Water was not short; at the speed of a horse-drawn carriage, it would take about ten days round trip, and they would also have to transfer to a boat along the way. After leaving the bustling city, the group gradually left the border of the Land of Fire.

Next to the Land of Fire is the Land of Iron, where ninjas are extremely rare. The majority of those who rule the Land of Iron are samurai, who fight using katana and do not learn ninjutsu.

Upon arriving in other countries, Ye Lan discovered that most of the residents were pale and thin, clearly suffering from famine. Not far away, a mother was holding her child and wailing.

Ino and the others had never seen such a scene before and dared not watch. At this moment, Moko's personal servant, Xiaona, came out of the carriage, handed a small bag to the driver, and whispered a few instructions in his ear. Upon hearing this, the driver immediately stopped the carriage. Ino and the others were somewhat puzzled, only to see the driver hand the bag directly to the weeping mother. From the opening of the bag, one could clearly see the glint of money.

"Brother Ye Lan, I didn't expect Miss Mozi to be such a kind young lady from a wealthy family!" Ino whispered to Ye Lan upon seeing this.

Ye Lan remained silent. Did he know whether giving money directly could be considered a form of kindness? The villagers, who had been listless and lifeless not far away, seemed to be staring at the mother with the eyes of wild beasts.

Ye Lan sighed. He couldn't interrupt someone's goodwill now, especially since they still had to continue their journey. He shook his head, deciding not to dwell on those useless details. The Uchiha clan's affairs weren't resolved yet; why should he concern himself with others'?

At first, Moko continued to ask for alms when she saw people who were very pitiful. But in the end, there were just too many people like this. Ino and the others' eyes changed from sympathy to numbness. They really couldn't understand why there were still people in this world who couldn't eat, or why such a scene could exist in this world. Even Shikamaru, who always seemed indifferent, became serious.

"Don't overthink it. There are many reasons why these people have become like this. These are not things that one or two people can change. When war comes, the horrors will be ten times worse than this." Seeing the three of them looking somewhat depressed, Ye Lan couldn't help but comfort them. Otherwise, if Tsunade saw them like this when they got back, she would definitely cut his pay.

"Senior Yelan..." Shikamaru wanted to say something, but Yelan interrupted him.

"These national affairs are none of your concern. Even if we Jonin are here, what can we do? If the Hokage can't solve these problems, who do you think can? All you need to know is to make sure the Land of Fire never becomes like this, and to protect your homeland."

"The three previous Shinobi World Wars were mostly aimed at Konoha. Why? Hatred? That only fueled the flames. The most important thing was that the Land of Fire had the richest land and the lowest food prices. All the wars were fought for resources."

After listening to Ye Lan's account, they gained a new understanding of war for the first time. These things were never taught in school. Witnessing the devastation in other countries firsthand gave them a new perspective on what Ye Lan had said.

Masuke listened to Ye Lan's story the whole time. He didn't expect that this young man would have such insights into war. Many ninjas who have been ninjas all their lives may not have such understanding.

"Boy! Do you believe in the evil god?" A commotion arose from the direction the carriage was heading, and a young man with slicked-back hair was seen pulling at a boy who was as thin as skin and bones, shouting at him.

"Hidan, stop yelling, that guy is already dead." Kakuzu couldn't help but say, looking at Hidan who kept making a fuss along the way. If it weren't for Hidan's special nature, he would have chopped Hidan into eight pieces.

"Tch, how boring. Believing in an evil god won't kill you." Hidan casually tossed the boy aside and looked at Yelan and his group, who were not far away, wielding their scythes. "Is this the objective of this mission?"

Angle glanced at the ornately decorated carriage, which bore the crest of the Kanagawa family, and nodded, just as the mission had instructed, saying, "That's right!"

Chapter 45 Immortal

Ye Lan stared warily at Kakuzu and the other man blocking the road. Pain had specifically instructed others not to wear Akatsuki uniforms on missions, so Ye Lan was unaware that the two men were also from Akatsuki.

"The guards seem to be just a few Konoha ninjas. They don't look very strong. I'll go first!" Kakuzu didn't stop him. Usually, in their group, Hidan would go first to test the opponent's strength, while Kakuzu would be responsible for covering for him.

“Brother Yelan…” Ino felt a sense of unease as she looked at the somewhat sickly Hidan.

"Leave it to me." Ye Lan placed his fingers on his wrist guard, summoning lightning to transform into a sword. A ninja sword appeared in his hand. It was just an ordinary ninja sword, not as good as the previous ones. Ye Lan, who was having some financial difficulties, could only make do with it for now.

Seeing Ye Lan abandon his protected target and charge directly at him, wanting to engage in close combat, Hidan couldn't help but grin. No matter how strong the opponent, he only needed a drop of blood...

Before he could finish his thought, Ye Lan's figure vanished before him like a ghost, the scythe he swung down missing its target.

"Is that all you've got?" Ye Lan's voice rang out from behind Hidan. Hidan remained unfazed, gripping his scythe in an exaggerated gesture and swinging it at Ye Lan. Ye Lan's movements were even faster; the ninja sword absorbed wind release energy, severing Hidan's right hand, the one wielding the scythe, as easily as cutting tofu. Blood gushed from Hidan's right hand like a fountain.

"Ah!" Hidan let out a heart-wrenching scream and collapsed to the ground, unable to support himself.

That mark. Kakuzu saw the Uchiha clan crest on Ye Lan's back, and his expression turned slightly grim. He didn't look at Hidan's miserable state but tentatively asked, "Uchiha Ye Lan?"

Ye Lan turned to look at Kakuzu, surprised that this guy knew her. Had her reputation already spread to the Land of Hot Springs? She didn't respond to Kakuzu; the Sharingan in Ye Lan's pupils was the best proof.

"As expected, your reputation is something to boast about no matter where you are now." Kakuzu wasn't lying. Ye Lan's reputation was spread by some people in Sunagakure, and Ye Lan was unaware of this. Sunagakure publicized all his deeds in dealing with Orochimaru and Itachi Uchiha, calling Uchiha Ye Lan the last glory of the Uchiha clan.

I really don't know what their purpose is in elevating Ye Lan to a level of fame comparable to the Three Ninjas.

Kakuzu didn't care much about these titles. After all, he was a man who had assassinated the First Hokage and was known as the God of Shinobi. He had lived for an unknown amount of time. The reason he cared about Ye Lan was more because Ye Lan had ruined Akatsuki's plans twice.

Both Itachi and Deidara were outmatched in their battles against Ye Lan, with Deidara even being captured once. Kakuzu, who always mocked Hidan during their meetings, also felt the pressure when facing Ye Lan for the first time.

Based on this alone, Kakuzu wouldn't back down. How could he leave without testing him first? Kakuzu instantly raised one hand, and the fist separated directly from his body, connected by black tentacles like rubber bands, which pushed Kakuzu's fist backward.

Ye Lan had never seen this kind of ninjutsu before, but she could still react to its speed. She originally wanted to dodge to the side, but then she remembered that Shikamaru and the others were right behind her, so she could only pick up her ninja sword to block.

Clang—

It felt as if a bullet, rather than a fist, struck the ninja sword, producing a metallic clang. Ye Lan didn't retreat but instead faced Kakuzu head-on. Kakuzu ignored Ye Lan; he wasn't surprised the tentacle punch failed, and simply bypassed Ye Lan, his target being Kanagawa Moko.

Ye Lan realized that Kakuzu's target wasn't him and wanted to catch up with Kakuzu, but then he found his ankle being grabbed by a hand. Looking down, he saw that it was Hidan, whom he had just knocked down.

Hidan, showing no sign of pain, roared, "Trust the Jashin! The Jashin will grant you eternal life!"

Ye Lan was surprised by Hidan's vitality, but he didn't have time to worry about Hidan right now. He knew that the real powerhouse between the two was Kakuzu.

Shadow Imitation

As Kakuzu rapidly approached, Shikamaru finally seized the opportunity and used his clan's secret technique to subdue him. Before he could even rejoice, he discovered that Kakuzu's strength was astonishing, and he couldn't control him for a moment. He couldn't help but shout, "Ino!"

"Understood! Mind Transfer Technique!" Ino formed the hand seals according to the angle; the perfect coordination among the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was beyond question.

Now it's Choji's turn; this was a perfect team effort. Unexpectedly, Ino used Mind Transfer, and less than a second later, her main body coughed up blood and returned to its original form, a look of fear in her eyes.

Sakata Masuke, thinking that Shikamaru and the others had succeeded, picked up his katana and charged forward. A faint chakra emanated from the katana, indicating that he was not weak. He rushed towards Kakuzu and said, "I'll do it!"

"No!" Before Shikamaru could finish speaking, Kakuzu had already broken free of the Shadow Imitation Technique, calmly raised one hand, and black patterns appeared on his palm. He directly grasped the opponent's katana. Masuke's attack had no effect at all, and he could not pull out the sword.

"Get out of my way!" Kakuzu had no interest in people or mission targets without bounties. He casually punched Masuke, sending him flying. Masuke spun around in the air a few times before crashing to the ground, seemingly lifeless.

Ye Lan was a little anxious. He didn't care about the life or death of his target; he was worried about the safety of Shikamaru and the others. Seeing that Hidan wouldn't let go no matter what, he had no choice but to cut off Hidan's other arm. Strangely, Hidan didn't seem to feel any pain at all. He was yelling and screaming and crawling towards Ye Lan like a worm.

What's wrong with this guy? Ye Lan suppressed his doubts and returned to his previous position.

Fire Release: Head Carving

Kakuzu's gray robe was torn open, and a strange black unidentified object emerged from his body. The masked black object unleashed a large burst of flames from its mouth, attacking Shikamaru and the others.

Water escape, big water blast

Ye Lan finally arrived, slamming his hands on the ground. The towering waves instantly submerged the parched land, and the endless seawater directly blocked the opponent's fire escape technique.

Composite Ninja Art: Flame Wind Chaos

Another black object appeared inside Kakuzu's body. This time, the mask it wore was a different color. It released a high-pressure wind ball from its mouth, which melted directly into the flames. The flames, which were originally somewhat weak, instantly gained momentum and turned into a huge sea of ​​fire that collided with the waves. The white mist produced by the extinguishing of the flames enveloped everyone. Ye Lan dared not leave the vicinity of the carriage and could only stay there to keep watch. When the smoke dissipated, there was no trace of the two people from before.

"Why didn't Kakuzu kill those guys?!" Hidan roared as Kakuzu carried him, his arm also wrapped around Hidan's arm. "If you had just hurt that guy even once, we would have won!"

"Shut up! Uchiha Yelan isn't so easy to deal with! You were chopped into a human stick and you didn't even manage to hurt him," Kakuzu said, dissatisfied.