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

"It's so good to be young..." Kakashi sighed, seeing that Ye Lan and the others seemed to be alright.

"Don't act like you've been there, Kakashi. You still have 'Make-Out Paradise' in your hand..." Ye Lan silently approached Kakashi's side, having already seen through Kakashi's repressed and lecherous nature.

"Cough cough cough..." Kakashi's old back almost snapped from Ye Lan's words. He calmly put away his cherished Icha Icha Paradise, looking like a serious person.

"Kakashi-senpai..." In stark contrast to the lively scene, the antelope's aloof aura appeared before Kakashi.

"It's all my fault, Antelope. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have encountered such a dangerous situation..." Kakashi rarely showed a melancholy expression. He really felt guilty about the deaths of the Shadows.

"There was nothing we could do; we were lucky to even be alive back then." After leaving Kirigakure, Asuma finally managed to pull out a cigarette, lit it, and began puffing away.

"Are the Akatsuki members really that terrifying?" asked Yamashiro Aoba, who had never encountered Akatsuki before. He was a special Jonin who was quite skilled in combat.

"That's not just a terrible problem... Even now, thinking about it feels unbelievable, it's simply something no human could do." Asuma's eyes showed fear; Pain's strength had exceeded his comprehension.

"This is too exaggerated..." Yamashiro Aoba adjusted his sunglasses with his index finger. He knew a bit about Asuma's strength and had never seen this man show such an expression before.

"So it really is the Rinnegan mentioned in the intelligence report?" Tsunade had already explained the general situation to Kakashi before he arrived. When he heard that this legendary eye really existed, he couldn't believe it, let alone that it belonged to the Akatsuki organization.

"The power of those eyes only manifested as a repulsive force and an attractive force, as well as a wide-range sealing technique." This description alone would certainly leave people confused, so Ye Lan went on to describe in detail his battle with the Heavenly Dao.

Having realized that the Heavenly Path's attack method was almost entirely arbitrary, making it impossible for ordinary ninjas to get close, Kakashi's expression changed upon hearing that Ye Lan's Susanoo had been sealed by the opponent. Throughout the entire exchange, Ye Lan had barely gained the upper hand.

"Isn't there any weakness?" Kakashi believed that every ninja had a weakness; it was just a matter of whether you had the ability to exploit it.

"Yes... but it's hard to control." After thinking for a moment, Ye Lan decided to reveal the five-second vacuum period of the Heavenly Dao.

This was something Asuma didn't know; at that time, he had already boarded the Breaking Army and flown towards the Hidden Mist Village.

"Don't think you can defeat him just like that. His physique is very strong, and I feel he hasn't even used his full strength yet..." At that time, the Heavenly Dao's target was not me, and later it even extended an invitation to me without intending to make a move again.

“There’s one more thing…” Ye Lan said, looking at the silent group, “That guy might be the leader of Akatsuki.”

"Ye Lan, how did you figure that out?" Asma asked directly, somewhat puzzled.

"Have you ever seen that guy who calls himself a god become someone else's subordinate?" Ye Lan's answer dispelled Asma's doubts. He had been thinking about the other party's strength and hadn't considered anything else. Only after Ye Lan said this did he remember that the other party had always called himself a god.

"Not only is he incredibly strong, but he's also quite arrogant." Kakashi's eyes turned serious, then he asked another question, "So what exactly was his purpose in stopping you back then?"

"Asuma, you answer this question." Ye Lan felt that he had talked too much and his mouth was getting dry, so he handed the matter over to Asuma and found a place to rest for a while.

Just as Ye Lan sat down on the ground, a shadow appeared in front of her. Looking up, she saw Jing Ye, who had just been arguing with Hong Dou. Jing Ye smiled and handed Ye Lan a water bottle.

Seeing the other person's smile, Ye Lan couldn't bear to refuse and took the water bottle, not forgetting to say thank you.

Aside from the Jonin who were discussing, everyone else found shady spots to rest. Sasuke was also sitting alone on a tree, gesturing with his hands. Only Ye Lan knew that the kid had begun training in natural energy and was probably struggling with how to sense it.

Ye Lan withdrew her gaze and put down the kettle. She found Jing Ye still sitting beside her, smiling. She felt a little awkward. Could this little girl really be interested in her? Having lived two lives, she really had no interest in this kind of girl. Moreover, in her situation, she was most afraid of being burdened. No matter what the reason, she didn't want to be exploited in terms of her personal feelings.

"I'll go ask Kakashi. We'll set off once he's ready," Ye Lan said casually, standing up and no longer staying with Ino.

"Oh..." Ino looked a little disappointed. Actually, she liked both Ye Lan and Sasuke. This liking was more like a girl's admiration. Compared to Sasuke's coldness, Ye Lan was more like an older brother who could take care of her. She did call him that, just like Sakura.

Ye Lan seemed very easygoing to everyone, showing no signs of arrogance typical of geniuses. Despite his young age, he appeared mature, and with the good looks expected of someone from the Uchiha clan, Ino naturally fell for him and enjoyed spending time with him. However, the moment Ye Lan stood up, she felt as if she had lost something.

Chapter 75 Goodbye (Part 3)

The group set off without lingering and, after several days of travel, left the land of water. They encountered no further troubles along the way and safely crossed the sea.

"We're almost at the Land of Whirlpools. Shall we go somewhere to rest?" Yamashiro Aoba said, somewhat bored. He had rushed over here for this mission, but nothing had happened. Although that was a good thing, he was still feeling very uncomfortable on the boat because he was prone to seasickness.

"Alright, what do you guys think?" Kakashi closed his copy of Icha Icha Paradise, which he had read countless times, and asked Asuma and the others.

Asuma wanted to return to the village as soon as possible, as he hadn't seen Kurenai for a while. However, seeing Aoba Yamashiro's expression, he agreed to rest in the town of Uzushiogakure.

A group of people arrived in the town, and the lively atmosphere was infectious. The proximity to Konoha Village made them feel very welcome. This was normal life; staying in a village like Kirigakure, where there were hardly any people on the streets, would feel very uncomfortable after a while.

"Wow! There's a hot spring here!" Ino pointed to a bustling shop with a large "hot spring" sign above the store. White mist was faintly visible behind the shop, indicating that it was quite large.

"Shall we go to a hot spring?" Asuma was tempted, as she hadn't had a proper bath in all this time.

"I'm fine with anything," Ye Lan said nonchalantly. Asuma looked around; seeing no one objecting, he said, "Then it's my treat! Let's all go to the hot springs!"

Don't worry, the hot spring here is definitely not mixed with water. After putting away their clothes, Ye Lan and the others entered the bath. The slightly hot spring water enveloped their entire bodies, making them feel relaxed and releasing their fatigue little by little.

"I'm telling you two..." In this kind of environment, you're bound to start chatting, and Asuma, as the one who's hosting, is the first to speak.

"You're soaking in a hot spring, why are you still wearing a mask and sunglasses!" Asuma complained. At this moment, his entire upper body was completely clean, revealing his bronze skin, and there was still a large tuft of chest hair on his chest.

"Well, the appearance of a ninja is also a kind of information, and I'm used to it." Kakashi said without feeling embarrassed, keeping his left eye closed.

Yamashiro Aoba nodded in agreement, wondering what use his sunglasses were in such fog.

Ye Lan looked at Kakashi's closed eyes and suddenly realized something. Left eye, right eye?

"Kakashi." Ye Lan sat up straight. Ye Lan had been wearing long sleeves and hadn't paid much attention before. His entire body was not only smooth as jade, but also had a very good figure, and there wasn't a single scar on his body.

"What is it?" Kakashi only had his head above water, staring at Ye Lan with dead fish eyes.

"Do you remember what Asuma told you about the man with the whirlpool mask who controlled the Fourth Mizukage?"

Asuma later told them about Akatsuki's control of the Mizukage, and that he was one of the people who attacked them, especially since that mysterious man also had a Sharingan.

"Now that I think about it, the masked man who attacked us had only revealed his right eye, while Kakashi, your eye is your left eye..." Ye Lan wasn't sure either. The mysterious man's Sharingan was the Mangekyou Sharingan, while Kakashi's eye only had three tomoe. She had never heard of someone only having one Mangekyou Sharingan activated.

"His right eye..." Kakashi's eyes were thoughtful as he recalled the past. "I saw Obito die with my own eyes. Maybe it was just a coincidence..."

Coincidence? Ye Lan pondered. He knew a bit about Obito, after all, he was once known as a war hero of Konoha. He knew about the deeds of the two Sharingan heroes. However, he also knew that when the Uchiha clan wanted to retrieve Obito's body, Obito's body had disappeared.

Another possibility is that someone took that eye and evolved it into a kaleidoscope. What puzzled Ye Lan was that the mysterious man used the kaleidoscope ability very casually, using it whenever he wanted without caring about the side effects.

Unfortunately, there were no cells containing the Earth element. If there were, we would know the answer after the Impure World Reincarnation was successfully completed.

Did the Akatsuki organization, which wanted to collect all nine tailed beasts, really only want to achieve peace in the ninja world? The mysterious man's attitude towards Pain shows that the Akatsuki organization was not a monolithic entity.

"Pervert! Do you want to die?!"

While Ye Lan was still pondering, Hong Dou's voice came from the women's bath next door. Before Kakashi and the others knew what was happening, they saw a large-scale fire jutsu appear in the women's bath next door.

"An enemy?!"

It's true that Hongdou is easily agitated, but she would never act rashly. Ye Lan and the others immediately stood up from the hot spring.

"Aoba, Sasuke, you two go keep watch. Asuma, Choji, guard the main gate. Yelan, Shikamaru, and I will go to the women's bathhouse entrance." Kakashi made the decision directly, and after assigning tasks, everyone nodded and began to put on their clothes and equipment.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the women's bathhouse, the group exchanged awkward glances, none of them taking another step forward. They sensed the commotion inside growing louder and louder, and soon a group of raggedly dressed girls rushed out, screaming. Kakashi, standing at the front, raised his hands in bewilderment as the surging girls swept past him.

Women are truly terrifying. Kakashi sighed helplessly as he looked at the two people standing behind him. He knew he would have to do it himself.

He carefully lifted the curtain and peeked inside.

"Kakashi, don't make us look like perverts..." Ye Lan sighed, Kakashi's cautious manner was exactly like that of a peeping pervert. If someone saw them like this, they would be considered perverts even if they weren't.

With his hands in his pockets, Shikamaru felt as if he were experiencing a farce.

"Why don't you do it?" Kakashi turned his head and said irritably. Ye Lan only knew how to make sarcastic remarks, but he had a lot more to consider.

"abnormal!"

Before Kakashi could finish speaking to Ye Lan, a bathtub came hurtling towards him, and he was caught off guard and hit on the head.

Kakashi feigned composure, glancing at the scene before him. It was Antelope and Ino, the two of them simply wearing bathrobes and leaning against each other.

"I heard some noise here and came to check." As if nothing had happened, Kakashi stood up straight, looking completely unconcerned.

"Kakashi-sensei, I'm sorry, I thought..." Ino looked at Kakashi apologetically.

Kakashi, not wanting to continue the topic, went straight to the point: "What exactly happened? Where's Anko?"

Kakashi glanced back and saw that Yelan and Shikamaru had already disappeared; those two kids were faster than anyone else.

"Senior Yelan, it wouldn't be right for us to just leave like this..." Shikamaru said, still feeling a little guilty, as he followed Yelan.

“That was Ino’s voice just now, I didn’t mishear. Even if Kakashi were to handle this alone, we shouldn’t interfere.” Ye Lan looked at Shikamaru and said leisurely, “What, you still want to help him?”

"No, no, no." Even Shikamaru, who is somewhat asexual, blushed at the scene just now. Asking him to go back would be the death of him.

The two walked straight out of the store and found that Sasuke, Aoba, Asuma, and the others who had been on guard were all gathered at the entrance.

"What happened?" Ye Lan asked, puzzled, when she saw a group of people gathered together.

Asuma pointed upwards, and Ye Lan noticed that everyone was looking up at the sky. Ye Lan turned around and saw a rather large toad in the bath. At this moment, the purplish-red toad was holding a shield that looked like a pot lid to block the fire jutsu attack.

At this moment, it was Anko who was using Fire Release, and the sky was filled with Fire Release, making the entire night bright.

How did this guy's fire jutsu become so strong? And that toad, could it be... Ye Lan felt that this giant toad looked familiar.

"You lecherous immortal! It's all your fault!" A blond-haired boy in an orange jacket flew down from the sky.

Chapter 76 Immortals

"Naruto, it really is you." Shikamaru stepped forward and helped Naruto up from the ground.

Naruto looked at the Konoha people, somewhat confused. "Huh? Why is everyone here?"

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted as soon as he spotted Sasuke hiding in the corner.

"Shut up, you loser!" Sasuke picked at his ear. After becoming an Anbu member, he had learned about Naruto's identity in the village: the container that sealed the Nine-Tails, and the village's Jinchuriki.

"What? I've been training diligently all along!" Naruto retorted, refusing to accept the label of "underdog." Jiraiya had recently been pushing him to learn the basics of ninja, and while his strength hadn't increased much, his knowledge had certainly broadened considerably.

"So that means the pervert in the bathhouse is..." Asuma stroked his beard with two fingers; he already knew who it was.

"That perverted sage!" Naruto was utterly blunt with Jiraiya. "He promised to teach me ninjutsu, but he came to peek instead!"

Ye Lan saw that the giant toad in the bathhouse had disappeared, and Ino and Antelope had already dressed and walked out of the store. Ino looked at Naruto with annoyance.

"Naruto, you really are something!"

Naruto Ino just gave an awkward smile. After all, they were classmates, but it was a little embarrassing to run into each other again in the bathhouse.

"Naruto!" Kakashi finally came out as well.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto ran towards Kakashi. He had always been very kind to Kakashi, and only then did he notice Ye Lan. "Why is Brother Ye Lan here too?"

"Just passing by on a mission." Ye Lan greeted Naruto.

"Hahaha~ What a coincidence!" Jiraiya's loud voice attracted attention, but the bright red slap on his face instantly deflated his momentum.

"Tch~" Anko appeared, straightened her coat, and looked at Jiraiya with disgust. As a former disciple of Orochimaru, Anko didn't have a very good impression of Jiraiya, and this directly angered her.

Not only that, Ino and the antelope distanced themselves from Jiraiya after he appeared and went straight to Anko's side.

"Lord Jiraiya, this isn't the place to talk. Let's find somewhere else," Kakashi said, giving the grinning Jiraiya a way out.