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

Rather than making the long journey back to Konoha, it would be better to seek help from Kirigakure, which is closer. If something like this happens in the Land of Water, Kirigakure will not be able to ignore it once they find out.

"But, the Shadows!" Sasuke was extremely unwilling. All his companions were lying on the ground, their lives hanging in the balance. How could he leave like this? Besides, the Shadows were from the same organization as Itachi, and they might have some useful information. He wanted to stay.

"Sasuke!" Ye Lan looked at Sasuke with a serious expression. Sasuke lowered his head when he saw Ye Lan's expression, clenching his teeth tightly. It was like this again. Why was he still so weak? He didn't know how many times this had happened. A strong sense of unwillingness filled his heart. The tomoe in his eyes slowly rotated, and finally changed from two tomoe to three tomoe.

Sasuke took a deep breath, closed his eyes (unaware of the change in his eyes), and said to Shikamaru, Ino, and the others, "Let's go!"

Just as Sasuke and the others were about to leave, Pain raised a hand towards them. When Nagato mobilized Pain, he wouldn't let anyone leave; he wanted to conceal his information as much as possible.

All Things Guide

A powerful suction force appeared beside Sasuke and the others, and they could no longer take a step. They felt as if their bodies were flying uncontrollably towards the Heavenly Path.

Without any warning, with just a raised hand, and without any visible threat like flames or lightning, before Ye Lan and Asuma could figure out the principle, Sasuke and the others were pulled back by the suction force.

Ye Lan sensed something was wrong, and the Sharingan in his eyes instantly transformed into a cross shape, Kotoamatsukami.

His entire body was enveloped in wind magic, and he rushed towards the Heavenly Dao like a bolt of lightning. The Heavenly Dao had been watching Ye Lan's movements closely and calmly raised his other hand.

The once invincible speed seemed to have become useless. Ye Lan's ninja sword was already raised, only a few dozen centimeters away from Tian Dao's body, but at this moment he could not move at all, and his whole body was just floating in mid-air.

"Oh, that speed is indeed very fast." The seemingly complimentary words from Tiandao carried a hint of sarcasm.

Wind Release: Emerald Mist Gale

Upon seeing this, Asuma threw out his chakra blade, which was imbued with a powerful wind release technique and possessed an extremely strong cutting ability.

"Your opponent is me." Konan, who had been silent all along, spoke for the first time. A whirlwind of paper enveloped Asuma's ninja sword. Even the Wind Release, which had powerful cutting ability, was exhausted by the layers of paper.

"Shinra Tensei!"

Ye Lan and Sasuke, who were floating in mid-air, instantly felt a huge repulsive force pushing against their bodies, as if they had been hit by a dump truck, and they were sent flying.

Ino and the others, who were already in poor physical condition, immediately fainted. Sasuke tried to stand up with difficulty but found that he had no strength left and felt intense pain all over his body, not knowing how many bones he had broken.

Ye Lan regained his balance. His body had been repaired by natural energy, and his physical abilities were comparable to those of some Jonin who specialized in taijutsu. The Mangekyou Sharingan in his eyes had not yet disappeared. He glanced at Sasuke lying on the ground and was relieved to find that he was still breathing.

"Not bad, as expected of someone who has fought against our Akatsuki." Tendou was like a puppet, his face devoid of any emotion.

"Gravity and repulsion? Is this the power of the Rinnegan?" Naokiji saw through the principle of the Heavenly Dao technique directly, but it was very difficult to break this technique. It was too difficult for Yelan to get close to the Heavenly Dao in a one-on-one situation.

"You saw through my moves? Or is it the power of your Sharingan?" Tiandao also noticed Yelan's difference. It's not easy to see through such an invisible ninjutsu. He had only used it twice, and the other party understood the principle of the technique after activating the Mangekyou Sharingan. This is not something that can be done with high combat intelligence.

"If I remember correctly, your organization's goal is the Tailed Beasts, right? What's the purpose this time? Our team doesn't have any Jinchuriki." Ye Lan wanted to extract as much information as possible, so she asked directly, "And this time you surprisingly sent three people. If I'm not mistaken, Akatsuki usually operates in pairs, right?"

Ye Lan's words sounded like a question, but the tone of the last few words already showed certainty, and Tian Dao finally showed an expression on his face after hearing it.

After a slight, disdainful smile, he said, "You are indeed very clever, but you are doomed to die today."

The Heavenly Dao had no intention of wasting any more words with Ye Lan. It stretched out a hand and enveloped Ye Lan's body with the same suction force. This time, the suction force was stronger than before, and Ye Lan was unable to stabilize his body at all.

The cross-shaped kaleidoscope spun wildly, and Ye Lan's aura began to rise, with a black chakra constantly gathering around his body.

Susanoh

At this point, no conventional ninjutsu would work, so Ye Lan had no choice but to reveal his trump cards one by one. After Susanoo appeared, he pulled out the greatsword from his back and planted it directly into the ground.

With a deafening roar, the entire earth seemed to tremble. The long-neglected dirt road kicked up a cloud of dust. Nagato, who had lost sight, also stopped using the Universal Pull technique and clasped his hands together. Now that his opponent had used Susanoo, he had to start taking things seriously.

"Oh, it's already started over there?" Obito narrowed his eyes as he looked at the black Susanoo not far away. This level of Susanoo was almost the limit of Ye Lan's Mangekyou Sharingan abilities, but without Wood Release cells, he probably wouldn't be able to use it many more times.

Obito withdrew his gaze and looked at the panting Frost. Frost's close combat skills were too strong, and he wielded that large sword with impenetrable precision. Even when he used intangibility to get close, the ninja sword was always positioned at a vital point on his body, indicating that his opponent had clearly figured out his abilities.

If he forcibly grabbed the other party, he wouldn't die, but he would suffer serious injuries, which Obito wouldn't allow. He had to maintain Madara's image at all times and couldn't afford to get hurt.

What we need to do now is to deplete the opponent's chakra and stamina as much as possible. Under such intense combat, the opponent will eventually reveal a weakness.

"Chojuro!" Shuang knew he might be doomed here today, so he called out to Chojuro, whom he had always looked down upon.

"Go to the village and request reinforcements. Make sure Mei Terumi comes in person!"

Chojuro was by his side the whole time but couldn't help much. Luckily, Obito's target wasn't him, otherwise his current situation wouldn't be much better than the Kage's. He didn't have time to correct Shimotsuri's way of addressing Mei. After receiving the order, he left without hesitation.

Obito didn't bother with Chojuro. He looked down on this timid kid. Even if Mei Terumi came, he believed that he would have already dealt with Shimo by then.

"Shuang, as the captain of the Dark Army whom I personally promoted, your betrayal has truly disappointed me!" Without the interference of others, Obito also lowered his guard considerably.

"Ha, my loyalty is to Lord Yagura, not to you, you imposter Mizukage!"

“But you still killed Yagura in the end, didn’t you?” Obito said casually.

Frost recalled that scene and a pained expression appeared on her face. Before Yagura became the Mizukage, he had taken good care of her, but she had personally taken Yagura's life. However, given the circumstances at the time, Mei Terumi did not want to do it, and Ao did not have the guts. Only she, the captain of the Dark Guard who did not care about her reputation, did it.

Once Yagura fully transforms into a tailed beast, the Hidden Mist Village will suffer unimaginable losses. This would be even more terrifying than the Nine-Tails' rampage in Konoha. At that time, Yagura was in the Mizukage Building, and after losing control, he was right in the center of the village. Such losses would be unimaginable, and the Land of Water could very well be crippled as a result.

Looking back on everything, the conflict between the Bloodstained Clan and the common people was a common problem in almost all villages. At first, Yagura was very excited when he ordered the extermination of the Bloodstained Clan. But as he saw more and more blood staining his sword, he suddenly realized something one day.

Did doing this really make Kirigakure stronger? Is this still the same strong and gentle Yagura? Once doubts arise, one can't help but pry into Yagura's secrets. When he learns that he, as a perfect Jinchuriki, is completely controlled by an unknown Uchiha, his world collapses.

At first, he didn't believe what he was seeing was true. The more he disbelieved it, the more he wanted to find out. Until he heard that the other party's target was the Three-Tails inside Yagura, not just one Three-Tails but all the Tailed Beasts. He vaguely heard that the other party would seal the Tailed Beasts into something. He couldn't imagine what could have such great power to seal all the Tailed Beasts.

He didn't know how destructive the thing after sealing these tailed beasts would be. He already knew that Yagura couldn't be saved. Even if he regained his senses, he would blame himself to death. After thinking for a long time, he finally told Mei Terumi about it, and the group worked together to expose Obito's conspiracy.

Frost recalled Yagura's smile before he died, that look of satisfaction in his eyes, and knew he must have felt his choice was right. Thinking this, Frost gripped her greatsword tighter and looked at Obito.

"You selfish bastard, you have no idea what the village means to us!" Shuang's chakra was running low, and her aura surged once again.

"Ha, foolish! Ridiculous!" Obito remained unmoved. How could someone with such limited understanding comprehend his grand plan? Everything he did was for the sake of achieving true peace in the entire ninja world.

"Then let's fight!" Trying to persuade someone with differing opinions is the most ridiculous thing an adult can do. The two have different purposes and different ideals, and they're going to fight to the death in this very moment.

Frost concentrated all his chakra into his ninja sword. Whether for the sake of Kirigakure or for Yagura's admiration, he had to defeat the man before him. He stopped thinking about the past, stopped considering the future, and poured all his chakra into the sword—this was a move he would risk his life for.

Chapter 65 Pain

地爆天星

Tiandao slowly opened his hands, and a black sphere of highly condensed chakra appeared in his palms. This seemingly small black sphere flew directly toward Ye Lan, who had not yet recovered.

Just as Ye Lan was about to move inside Susanoo, he discovered that the black sphere was attached to Susanoo and was simultaneously attracting all objects in the surrounding area. Ye Lan began to swing Susanoo's long sword continuously, clearing away all the objects that were attracted.

This was destined to be futile. Yelan, who was using Susanoo, could no longer rely on his speed. His enormous size, while enhancing his defense and strength, also made him a sitting duck. At first, it was just trees and rubble, but eventually the surrounding earth was lifted up by the suction force, and huge rocks directly surrounded Susanoo, forming a sphere of rock.

"Is this... something a human can do?" Asuma, who had been smoking, had moved aside, carrying Ino and the others who had just fainted on his back. His mouth was wide open, and the cigarette fell directly out of his mouth.

“Nagato, using this technique is bad for you…” Konan returned to Pain’s side. She knew that Nagato’s health was not good and that overuse of the Rinnegan would affect his body, so she couldn’t help but worry.

"It's alright. I've reduced the use of the Rinnegan, and its power is much weaker. It won't affect me much." Tendou's expression remained completely calm, as if he hadn't been affected at all.

Click—

Several pieces of the huge rock formed by the Earth Explosion Star above slid down. The Heavenly Dao, which had been expressionless, finally showed a slight ripple. Its eyes were filled with doubt as it looked up at the boulder. The rocks on it loosened even faster, and large pieces fell down.

A blinding white light shone through the rocks, as if it had become a miniature sun.

With a loud bang, a giant falcon with a pale blue body emerged. It turned out that Ye Lan had summoned Po Jun at the last moment and was now lying on Po Jun's body in a sorry state. The move "Earth Explosion Star" had almost crushed the entire Susanoo. Even with the support of natural energy, his physical condition was still very poor.

Moreover, after using the abilities of both eyes and Susanoo consecutively, his eyes are now starting to hurt a little.

"He was saved by a strange summoning beast?" Tiandao didn't care. In his opinion, Ye Lan had almost revealed all his trump cards. Unless he relied on Po Jun to escape directly, Tiandao would have no way to catch him. Not only could he not catch up, but more importantly, Tiandao could not get too far away from Nagato, otherwise Nagato would be difficult to control.

Seeing that Ye Lan neither came down nor attacked, Tian Dao reached out to Ying and the others lying on the ground not far away. The group was groaning in pain as they were being pulled, clearly still clinging to life.

The Heavenly Dao wouldn't naively say things like "If you don't come down, I'll kill these people." He came here with no intention of letting them leave alive. A black rod appeared in his hand and pierced the Shadow's heart. The Shadow, who was originally unconscious, opened his eyes wide. He was a special Jonin with considerable strength and was skilled in assassination, yet he died so easily.

"Ah!" Sasuke lay on the ground, making a beast-like sound. Asuma held him down tightly, preventing him from moving. Although they hadn't known each other for long, Asuma was still Sasuke's comrade. Asuma seemed to have a sharp tongue and had even given him a hard time when they joined the Anbu. After two missions, Asuma realized that this squad leader wasn't actually that bad.

Especially when they saw Ye Lan arguing with Danzo in the Konoha surveillance room last time, the Kage directly gave him the videotape and asked him to give it to Tsunade. From that moment on, Sasuke recognized this teammate. When he wanted to learn more about this team, he left forever.

The roar seemed to wake Shikamaru. He groggily opened his eyes and saw Sasuke staring intently ahead, while Asuma was holding him down to prevent him from moving. He couldn't help but look in the direction Sasuke was looking.

The scene before him widened his eyes. The mountain rat's burly body was thrown aside by Tiandao, and his originally small eyes showed disbelief. Then, Tiandao grabbed the antelope by the hair and lifted her up. Her once shiny golden hair had become somewhat dull, and she made a painful sound.

"Isn't Ye Lan ready yet?" Po Jun, who possessed human emotions, couldn't stand it any longer and kept urging Ye Lan on.

Sitting on Po Jun's back, Ye Lan, who had kept his eyes tightly closed, finally opened them again. There was an eerie blue in the corners of his eyes, and the Sharingan in his eyes was no longer so deep, but seemed to have become somewhat brighter.

This was the first time he had completely controlled natural energy within his body and used it in actual combat. If it weren't for Po Jun, he wouldn't know how long it would have taken him to complete it.

Upon seeing this, Ye Lan jumped off Po Jun's back. His body, enhanced by natural energy, was several times heavier than before. He leaped directly to the ground from the sky, kicking up layers of dust. Ye Lan looked at the Heavenly Dao, his expression revealing no joy.

The Heavenly Dao, which was about to plunge the black rod into the antelope, stopped and looked at the expressionless Ye Lan in front of him, saying, "Do you feel the pain?"

Ye Lan was stunned for a moment by Tian Dao's inexplicable words. Tian Dao didn't take it seriously and simply threw the antelope aside. Killing women was a bit troublesome for him, and he didn't want to do it unless absolutely necessary.

"It seems your level of suffering isn't high enough!" Tiandao continued speaking in words that Ye Lan couldn't understand.

"Who exactly are you?" Ye Lan really couldn't understand what this neurotic guy wanted to do. He wasn't afraid of a lunatic, but he was afraid of a lunatic with great power. In his eyes, Tiandao was now a powerful lunatic.

"I am a god!" Without relying on anything, the body of the Deva Path slowly floated in the air, and the chakra in his body burst forth continuously.

"God?" Ye Lan smiled knowingly. "Only those who lack confidence in their own strength would call themselves that."

Ye Lan drew his ninja sword and pointed it at the Heavenly Path. The blade of the ninja sword instantly burst into flames. The color of the flames changed from crimson to dark blue and finally turned white. This was the result of Ye Lan adding natural energy, and the temperature had been raised to an extreme.

"Ridiculous!" Heavenly Dao was dissatisfied with Ye Lan's reply. "So you people from great nations are born arrogant and don't care about the suffering of others at all. Well then, let me let you experience real suffering!"

All Things Guide

Pain stretched out a hand toward Ye Lan, and an unparalleled suction force came directly from the direction of the Heavenly Path. Ye Lan's eyes were spinning wildly at this moment. Ignoring the aftereffects of the Mangekyou Sharingan, he activated Kotoamatsukuni and left his original position the instant Pain raised his hand.

A whooshing sound flashed by, and Ye Lan's figure appeared from all directions, his ninja swords emitting white flames as they all attacked Tiandao.

Shinra Tianzheng

It's somewhat similar to the Reversal of Heaven, but much larger in scope. Moreover, it doesn't require rotating one's own body. The immense repulsive force completely obliterates Ye Lan's clones, while the original Ye Lan remains hidden somewhere.

My Style: Rising Dragon Flame

Ye Lan, who had been waiting all along, broke through the ground. He had been hiding underground, and now the fire dragon on his ninja sword roared, pointing straight at the throat of the Heavenly Dao.

Tiandao reacted swiftly, disregarding the temperature of the flames, and directly clamped his hands together to catch Yelan's attacking ninja sword. Yelan, already possessed by natural energy, possessed immense strength, directly overwhelming Tiandao in terms of power.

Before Ye Lan could exert her advantage again, a repulsive force appeared around Tian Dao once more, sending Ye Lan's entire body flying into the distance.

After rolling over a few times to dissipate the force, Ye Lan looked at Tian Dao with a somewhat unusual expression.

Tiandao's hands had turned to black charcoal. Most people would have fainted by now, but he was only slightly out of breath.

“Pain…” Konan quickly stepped forward to check on the condition of the Deva Path. She was not worried about the body itself, as the Hell Path could repair itself no matter how damaged it was. However, Nagato’s body could not hold on.

A scream startled the two. Looking up, they saw Ye Lan's summoning beast, which was now carrying Asuma and the others on its back. Even the antelope that had just been thrown aside had been helped onto it by Shikamaru. They were now preparing to set off.

"Don't even think about it..." Ye Lan interrupted him as soon as Tiandao made a move.

"God? Your technique has a 5-second cooldown period, right?" Ye Lan's kaleidoscope eyes emitted an eerie red light, and Zhi Bi Huo Jin had already seen the weakness of the Heavenly Dao.