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

"What a coincidence, you're here for a get-together too?" Asuma walked over with Hong without any hesitation.

“This is the feeling of youth! Everyone wants to get together before the New Year! Let’s all go!” Kai extended an invitation to Asuma directly, and Ye Lan had no objection. They then moved to a larger table.

What was originally just a small gathering of Ye Lan and his group has now grown to more than a dozen people. Almost all the Jonin he knows in the village have arrived. Could this barbecue restaurant be their designated meeting place?

"If Naruto were here, then everyone would be here..." Hinata and Sakura, along with a few other girls, sat together, looking around as she thought of Naruto, whom she had always secretly admired.

"That guy? I ran into him once during a previous mission." Mentioning Naruto, Ino recounted the battle between Sasuke and Naruto during the last mission. Although there was some exaggeration involved, hearing that Sasuke defeated Naruto without much effort made her admire Sasuke's strength.

"That guy is probably training hard right now," Sasuke said, recalling their previous encounter, as he knew Naruto quite well.

"As expected of an elite who has already entered the Anbu, Sasuke's strength has improved so quickly." Even Shino, who had no presence, gave his opinion.

"Are the Anbu that powerful? I want to join the Anbu after I become a Chunin." Kiba, who was equally impulsive, said, while Akamaru barked twice above his head.

"I don't mean to discourage you, Kiba, but the Anbu are much more dangerous than you think." Shikamaru sighed. Two Anbu members died in their last mission, and he hadn't seen Antelope since then, wondering how she was doing.

“That’s right, Kiba. I heard my dad say that the Anbu has the highest mortality rate among Konoha ninjas.” Choji echoed Shikamaru’s opinion, even eating barbecue couldn’t shut him up.

"So dangerous..." Tian Tian, ​​a wealthy young woman, never imagined that the death toll in the seemingly glamorous underworld would be so high.

Neji, who had reconciled with the Hyuga main clan, looked at Sasuke. Naruto had defeated him back then, but Sasuke could now easily defeat Naruto. Neji, who also had the title of genius, might feel a little resentful, but complaining wasn't his style. He needed to train even harder from now on.

"Sasuke..." Seeing Sakura's worried look, Sasuke comforted her, "It's not as scary as Choji made it out to be. Kakashi-sensei used to be a member of the Anbu too."

The students who had been discussing the matter turned their attention to Kakashi, surprised that he had such an experience.

"Oh dear, that was a long time ago," Kakashi said, scratching his head as everyone looked at him.

"Yeah, he used to be known as the cold-blooded Kakashi when he was in the Anbu," Ye Lan interjected, mentioning Kakashi's former nickname.

"Cold-blooded Kakashi?" Sakura couldn't see how such a title was appropriate for her teacher.

"That's because Kakashi was very efficient when he was in the Anbu, right, Kakashi!" Guy said directly at this moment, as Kakashi's condition at that time really made his close friend feel sorry for him.

"Is that really true?" Ino felt something was off and said uncertainly.

"Alright, alright, let's not dwell on those past events." Asma chimed in, giving Ye Lan a disapproving look. Why bring that up?

However, aside from feeling a little embarrassed, Kakashi wasn't too bothered. His previous aimless days seemed like a nightmare, and he knew he had to keep moving forward no matter what.

Fortunately, the students didn't dwell on it too much and were easily fooled by a few Jonin.

Kakashi then approached Ye Lan, looking at him with some displeasure, and whispered, "When have you ever heard of my involvement in the Anbu?"

"My brother used to be a member of the Anbu, you haven't forgotten, have you? He was the former captain of the Anbu?" Ye Lan had heard some things about Kakashi from Shisui, and he also knew that Kakashi was a student of the Fourth Hokage.

"Hmm..." Kakashi actually wanted to say that Shisui hadn't really joined the Anbu; it was just the public perception. At the time, he was directly under the command of the Hokage's higher-ups, but he didn't say these things aloud.

"However, speaking of which, there's someone who still owes me ten million taels..." Kakashi didn't care about the ten million taels, but he was a little embarrassed by Ye Lan's words and wanted to get revenge.

"Kakashi..." Ye Lan was immediately embarrassed. The experimental equipment for the Edo Tensei alone had emptied his wallet, and he really didn't know when he would be able to repay Kakashi.

"Wow, fireworks are going off outside!" Ino sat by the window, watching the colorful fireworks bloom in the sky above the village.

"They set off fireworks every year around this time," Hong said, smiling as she looked out the window. "Tonight will be the start of the new year."

"Let's all work even harder in the new year!" Asuma raised his glass, gesturing for everyone to toast together.

At this moment, everyone stood up, raised their glasses together, and said, "Happy New Year."

Chapter 81 Experimental Subjects

"According to intelligence, the target is just ahead."

A group of ANBU members moved quickly through the jungle. The ANBU member who was speaking wore a mask with some complicated patterns, making him look different from the other ANBU members.

"A, go scout around and see if there's any danger." A familiar voice rang out, and an ANBU member wearing a mask with an eagle-patterned design spoke up; it was Sasuke.

There's never much free time. After the New Year, the village was busy again. Sasuke was also carrying out ANBU missions. This ANBU squad was reorganized after the death of two teammates, and Sasuke had become the squad leader.

In addition to veteran member Antelope, two more members joined the team, codenamed A and Gray Wolf. Gray Wolf is a Chunin proficient in taijutsu and his strength is passable. A's origins are more mysterious, and his abilities are also quite special. He can use what he draws to fight, which is very useful for both reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.

Sasuke heard from Tsunade that it was a training organization from the Anbu, but Tsunade's expression was somewhat displeased when she told him this.

"Squad leader, I understand." A was wearing a mask so his expression couldn't be seen, but he sounded happy.

Sasuke had been with his new companion for over a month and knew that this was Kakashi's style, so he didn't say much. The two almost got into a fight when they first met. This guy just doesn't have any emotional intelligence.

The mission Tsunade gave was issued by a village in the Land of Rice Fields. They said that an unknown monster had appeared in the mountains behind the village, and many farmers who entered the mountains were mysteriously disappearing. So they asked Konoha to come and investigate.

After receiving the mission, Sasuke and the others headed straight for the mission's destination, where they had already arrived at the foot of the mountain.

Ninja Technique, Super Beast Fake Painting

A unfolded a scroll and quickly drew many mice on it. After he finished drawing, the mice seemed to come alive and jumped out of the scroll, running straight into the mountains.

Regardless of A's character, this reconnaissance method greatly reduced the team's casualties, so even though Sasuke didn't like A's personality, he didn't ask him to leave.

Jia remained in a hand seal posture, sensing the ink rat's every move. Sasuke and the others waited for Jia's information and stood guard around them.

After a while, Jia stopped forming hand seals. Sasuke, seeing this, asked, "How is it? What's going on?"

"Are there some strong people in the mountains? They just destroyed one of my rats. These people seem a bit strange." A's description was somewhat vague. Sasuke thought for a moment and guessed that this was the reason why people from the village kept disappearing into the mountains.

Their mission this time is to investigate and solve the problem. In any case, they need to find out what the enemy is. Since A said they are some strange people, they should take a look first.

"In that direction?" Sasuke asked.

"That direction is about two kilometers away," A said, pointing to his right front.

"Let's go, try to keep your movements as quiet as possible," Sasuke, as the class leader, gave the order.

Several people followed, and the group quietly moved in the direction A had just pointed out. Before long, they found the strange person A had mentioned.

Sasuke and the others observed from the trees and saw some humanoid monsters with grayish-white skin wandering around in the jungle. They were called monsters because most of them maintained a human shape, but some had animal-like limbs.

A group of monsters, like lost children, wandered aimlessly through the mountains and forests. Nearby lay the remains of villagers, apparently the ones who had disappeared earlier, murdered by these delirious experimental subjects.

Some kind of experimental subject? After joining the Anbu, Sasuke learned about the darkness of human nature. There are always a few crazy people in this world who conduct all sorts of experiments, and the group below are clearly abandoned experimental subjects.

"Shall we make a move?" the antelope asked quietly from the side.

Sasuke's Sharingan, hidden beneath his mask, quietly opened. One, two... a total of thirteen test subjects, neither too many nor too few, they should be manageable.

"A, stay here and provide support with your ninjutsu at any time. The rest of you, take care of the ones below us first, then prioritize the closest ones. Don't scatter." Sasuke gave the order and began the operation.

Upon hearing this, both the antelope and the gray wolf drew their weapons. The antelope had a standard ninja sword, while the gray wolf had a pair of brass knuckles.

Sasuke jumped down from the tree, a flash of lightning in his hand, and the ninja sword that Ye Lan had given him reappeared in his hand, imbued with lightning chakra, and pierced through the nearest experimental subject in one move.

The experimental subject, still alive despite being stabbed in the heart, began to roar. The other experimental subjects, who had been confused, immediately reacted and rushed towards Sasuke and the others.

Sasuke remained calm upon seeing this. He reversed his grip on his ninja sword and used it to lift the sword, which was still inside the subject's body, upwards, severing half of the test subject's body.

"Aim for the head as much as possible; these test subjects are too resilient," Sasuke reminded his teammates after the fight began.

Antelope nodded, and decisively slashed at the neck of a test subject with her ninja sword. The test subject, who only knew how to attack, had no intention of defending and was beheaded in one blow.

Gray Wolf is even more violent. Wearing brass knuckles, his fists are imbued with chakra. Like a boxer, he dodges the experimental subjects' attacks while constantly striking their heads. Often, just a few punches are enough to shatter their skulls.

Several more test subjects approached from a distance. A picked up a scroll from a tree and quickly drew several snakes on it. These snakes coiled rapidly and wrapped around the test subjects who were moving forward.

These mentally challenged test subjects wouldn't bend down to untie the snakes wrapped around them; they would only use brute force and were soon completely bound.

Lightning Release: Chidori Blade

Sasuke's ninja sword flashed with lightning as he swiftly slashed at the necks of the struggling test subjects.

With the cooperation of this secret unit, not long afterward, not a single test subject was still standing.

Sasuke sheathed his ninja sword and breathed a sigh of relief. Becoming the class leader had taught him the true meaning of responsibility. This time, no one was injured; it seemed the mission was complete. However, he remained cautious.

"Check the surroundings to see if we've missed anything. We'll rest for a while and then we'll leave."

"Hehe, the class monitor's strength is getting stronger and stronger, but in my opinion, he hasn't done a perfect job yet." Jia chuckled as he approached Sasuke.

This guy's mouth is still so annoying. If you keep asking him why, he'll probably talk for ages. So Sasuke said impatiently, "Stop your fake smile, A."

"Hehe, as you command, squad leader." A didn't seem to care at all. He seemed to have no idea what it felt like to be embarrassed. He silently left Sasuke's side and became vigilant around the area.

The antelope and the gray wolf exchanged a glance. They were also somewhat helpless about Jia, and really didn't know where this oddball came from.

"Class monitor." A moment later, A started calling Sasuke again, as if his mouth never stopped.

"What is it?" Even with Sasuke's somewhat aloof personality, he asked helplessly and irritably.

"It seems there's a remnant experimental base here." A spoke without a smile, which was unusual for him this time.

Upon hearing this, Sasuke immediately ordered the two antelopes to follow him to where A had spoken.

Not far from A, there was a cave, and at the entrance of the cave were some broken experimental equipment.

Sasuke's eyes turned serious. The group of test subjects from earlier had most likely escaped from this place, but he wondered if they were in any danger.

"How about we report to the Hokage before continuing our investigation? Our mission is already over," Antelope calmly analyzed.

Gray Wolf remained silent, rarely offering any opinions except during battles.

"Hehe, Antelope, you're wrong. Those experimental subjects might only be one of the reasons why the villagers disappeared. There might be another reason in this cave." A's voice returned to its original laughter.

Sasuke thought for a moment and said, "Antelope, Gray Wolf, you two keep watch at the cave entrance. Jia and I will go in and investigate. If we don't come out in two hours, you two immediately return to the village and report to the Hokage."

Seeing that the class monitor had made a decision, no one else objected. Jia then entered the cave first, as if there was no danger at all. Sasuke's pupils turned into Sharingan eyes, and he followed Jia into the unknown cave.

Chapter 82 The Sound Four

The only sense of security in the dark cave came from the torches in their hands. Sasuke and Kaname walked around, stopping and starting. There were a lot of experimental equipment in the cave, but most of them had been destroyed and covered with a thick layer of dust, indicating that they had been abandoned for a long time.

"Squad leader, it seems there's no danger." A's cheerful tone eased the tense atmosphere considerably.

"Let's be careful..." Sasuke raised his torch and walked to a laboratory table. He picked up a piece of paper, carefully shook off the dust, and began to read it by the light of the torch.

The words "On the grafting technique between humans and animals..." sent a chill down Sasuke's spine. As he read on, he saw a detailed account of the difficulties encountered in the experiment and the results obtained.

Experiment Seven: After grafting limbs directly from a bear, the experimental subject exhibited savage behavior, unable to distinguish friend from foe, rendering the experiment pointless...

Experiment Fourteen used fish cells to give the experimental subjects the ability to move quickly in water, but this also resulted in the fish's weakness: their abilities would weaken if they were out of water for extended periods, rendering the experiment unworthy of further study...

Experiment 26: Overly aggressive cells can affect the consciousness of the experimental subjects, while overly weak cells can cause the subjects to have the same weakness. This experiment used insect cells, but the results were also unsatisfactory. Insect cells worked well, but the lifespan of the experimental subjects was significantly reduced. This experiment failed. Perhaps I should add some other energy sources to mix the cells...

The rows of experimental data sent chills down Sasuke's spine. Even though he was mentally prepared, seeing this for the first time still made Sasuke feel insane about this person's ideas. No, this guy couldn't even be called human.

Turning to the last page, Sasuke saw the signature on the experiment report: Orochimaru, and his pupils contracted.