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

The humans who resemble Ye Lan utilize natural energy. Their moves are often simple and brutal, relying on pure speed and power, combined with flames and lightning that can be unleashed without any hand seals, creating a strange tapestry across the starry sky.

Those creatures who call themselves the Otsutsuki clan possess unpredictable abilities. They can teleport from time to time, swap positions with each other, absorb attacks from the other party and return them, and even become intangible.

One of the Otsutsuki even used Gentle Fist, which resembled the Hyuga clan of Konoha. Both the stance and the form of the movements were exactly the same, only the power was vastly different.

Looking at these moves, Ye Lan already felt something was wrong. Why did these Otsutsuki moves look so much like some bloodline limits in the ninja world?

No, in other words, it should be that their bloodstains resemble those of these Otsutsuki.

The battle was fierce and evenly matched, with neither side able to gain the upper hand. Just as Ye Lan wanted to observe the situation more closely, he suddenly felt time begin to accelerate.

The battle before them seemed to be fast-forwarded a hundred times, and before Ye Lan could even react, it was already over.

The entire battlefield was littered with corpses—human, other creatures, and even some Otsutsuki.

Like a kite with a broken string, it floats aimlessly in this starry sky.

Only a familiar swift falcon and the young man with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes remained on the entire battlefield.

He was in very bad shape at the moment; his face was ashen, and blood was seeping from his empty sleeves from time to time.

The Thunder Falcon, which was about the same size as Po Jun, had half of its body charred, indicating that it was also seriously injured.

The Otsutsuki clan members who had been there earlier were no longer in front of them, indicating that the invasion of outsiders had been successfully stopped.

Another moment of disorientation, a sudden sense of loss caught Ye Lan off guard as she continued to ponder.

Unlike when she was standing on flat ground, Ye Lan felt as if she had suddenly fallen from such a high cosmic sky, as if she had been captured by the gravity of a planet and was falling downwards at an extremely fast speed.

Ye Lan opened her mouth weakly, unable to make a sound, and couldn't even move a single finger.

The moment felt incredibly long. Ye Lan had lost control of his body, as if his soul had left his body. The rapid sound of the wind in his ears told him that this was not an illusion.

Gradually, I can see the oceans, land, and islands of this planet more clearly...

Ye Lan brushed past an eagle without reacting, until she crashed onto a familiar island.

That was the sacrificial site that Po Jun had led him to. Ye Lan, who hadn't yet reacted to seeing his own body, suddenly woke up with a start.

When Ye Lan opened her eyes again, she found Po Jun staring intently at her from right in front of her.

Ye Lan opened her arms in disbelief, looking around at her body, unable to comprehend what she had just experienced.

"It seems you have seen memories of the past."

When Po Jun first saw Ye Lan, who seemed somewhat shaken, he said in a teasing tone.

"Memories of the past?"

Ye Lan recalled the dark-colored swift falcon in the scene just now and had a guess.

"That's right, the swift falcon you saw was the Great Ancestor."

"How many years ago was this? And what exactly is the Otsutsuki clan?"

Ye Lan already had the answer in his heart, but he was still somewhat surprised to hear Po Jun's reply. What puzzled him even more was the Otsutsuki clan, why their abilities were so similar to bloodline limits.

There seems to be some kind of relationship between ninjas and the Otsutsuki clan.

"In this war, the Great Ancestor told me that almost all the strong people on this planet died in battle, leaving only the Great Ancestor and his close friend. In contrast, very few people from the so-called Otsutsuki clan died."

Indeed, in Ye Lan's memory, there were very few corpses of the Otsutsuki.

"Unfortunately, in the end, they couldn't stop the Otsutsuki invasion, and now the world has become like this."

Po Jun was unusually disheartened.

"So the Sage of Six Paths was also a member of the Otsutsuki clan?"

Although Ye Lan had never met the Six Paths Immortal, Po Jun's account should be fairly accurate.

"No, Rokudo is just a child of the Otsutsuki clan. His identity is somewhat strange. It is said that he was born from the union of an Otsutsuki and a human. His mother was from the Otsutsuki clan, but she disappeared for some unknown reason."

"The Six Paths passed down the method of using chakra and founded Ninjutsu, which led to the existence of you ninjas."

Ye Lan didn't ask why the Otsutsuki had descended again, and Tian Tong and his friends didn't attack again. From their memories, it was clear that they had probably suffered very serious injuries and had to lie low.

Moreover, there may be many more Otsutsuki from outside, and a direct confrontation is no longer possible, so they can only live in seclusion here.

If Ye Lan's ship hadn't encountered a storm, no one would have known that such a group of people once existed.

"So what do you want me to do?"

Ye Lan looked up and suddenly understood the deeper meaning in Tian Tong's gaze after learning that he had given up his identity as a ninja.

"I cannot fathom the meaning behind what the Great Ancestor did. Since you have been instructed to learn immortal arts, calm down and study slowly. When the time is right, the outcome will naturally follow."

Ye Lan recalled that thrilling battle, and the blood in his body began to boil. Could learning immortal techniques really lead to that level?

"You're still a long way from reaching that level. The one who participated in that battle had cultivated for hundreds of years. It will be much more difficult for you to learn immortal techniques compared to them."

Po Jun poured cold water on Ye Lan, making him much more sober.

"why?"

"Because you've always been using chakra."

Po Jun stretched out his wings, pointed at Ye Lan, and said.

"Are these two highly incompatible?"

“It’s very large. You can only use a tiny bit of the natural energy. The so-called use is just mixing a little bit into a large amount of chakra. The first step you need to take now is to change this fighting style.”

"In your human terms, the natural energy component must be greater than the chakra component; only then will you be qualified to barely use Sage Art."

Po Jun's words are actually easy to understand. If Ye Lan's chakra percentage when releasing ninjutsu was nine, then the percentage of natural energy was one.

Now, he needs to increase the proportion of natural energy, even to the point where it exceeds the proportion of chakra, so that he can step into the threshold of learning Sage Mode.

"That's quite difficult."

This would completely change Ye Lan's fighting style over the past ten years, transforming it into a new combat system, which is definitely not something that can be accomplished overnight.

Chapter 146 The Dirty Game

Leaving aside Ye Lan, who has already entered the realm of Sage Mode training, let's take a look at the changes in Konoha.

The three members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio took a special leave of absence to come to the hospital. Their purpose was to visit Asuma, who was already injured.

"How could he be injured like this? Are the enemies who came to Konoha very powerful?"

Shikamaru, who was still unaware of what had happened, asked.

Asuma, now wrapped up like a mummy, opened his mouth and spoke with a bitter expression.

"This is beyond impressive; it's downright bizarre."

"An Uchiha like Senior Ye Lan?"

Shikamaru's seemingly casual question actually triggered a jolt of tension in everyone in the room.

Ino's flower arranging movements slowed down slightly; the name was now considered taboo in Konoha.

"Tsk."

Asuma had a bit of a toothache. Dealing with smart people was just a bit unpleasant. But to put it another way, Shikamaru was absolutely right. Wasn't Obito a member of the Uchiha clan?

"This is not something a Chunin like you can get involved in. Focus on becoming a Jonin first."

"Even someone like Kakashi went straight to training after recovering from his illness, so it seems I can't fall too far behind."

Asuma could no longer understand this world. Originally, his strength was not much different from that of Guy and Kakashi, who were famous throughout the ninja world.

He should know that his bounty was 3500 million taels, which was more than most Jonin. How did he end up in such a miserable state?

"Is Kakashi-sensei injured too? An enemy that even two Jonin couldn't handle."

Ino's blue eyes showed some worry, but there was nothing she could do to help. Recently, in addition to practicing her clan's secret techniques, she had also consulted Tsunade to learn medical ninjutsu.

"That's why you all need to work even harder; the village will be in your hands from now on."

Asuma said that he didn't dwell too much on being defeated by Obito.

"Do you try your best...?"

Shikamaru sighed. After witnessing Ye Lan's antics in Konoha, he realized that such power was not something that could be achieved through mere effort.

"Don't be so unmotivated. Everyone has things they are good at and things they are not good at. Shikamaru, your best quality is your brain."

Asuma pointed at Shikamaru; he didn't want his student to lose confidence like that.

"I know without you telling me."

Shikamaru waved his hand, preparing to take his leave. It seemed that Asuma was out of danger, so there was no need for him to stay.

"Then, teacher, we'll be going now."

As usual, Choji was always eating a bag of potato chips wherever he was, and he didn't say goodbye until he left.

On his way out, Shikamaru said goodbye to Choji and Ino. Unless they were on a mission together, they all had their own things to do now, and after being promoted to Chunin, they had less time to spend together.

When I got home, I was somewhat surprised to see my dad's shoes.

They're off work so early.

As I slowly entered the room, I found that there were already people in the guest room. I glanced at them out of the corner of my eye as I passed by.

He discovered that his father and two former advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, were in the reception room.

Shikamaru was somewhat surprised. Weren't these two people imprisoned? It was Tsunade who personally gave the order. How come they were released?

However, the clever Shikamaru did not directly interrupt his father and the two men's conversation, but instead hid behind the door to eavesdrop.

Inside the room, Shikaku seemed to sense something, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Seeing Shikaku's somewhat absent-minded expression, Koharu Utatane tapped the table and said impatiently.

"Nara family, haven't you made up your mind yet?"

Interestingly, both Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado sat in the main seats when they came here, while Shikaku looked like a guest.

"This is a matter that needs to be decided by the Hokage. As for me..."

Before Shikaku could even kick the ball, Mitokado interrupted him.

"That's why I'm worried about you guys. As advisors, you shouldn't just listen to the Hokage on everything; you should have your own opinions. Jonin Shirokumo is a very good candidate; he's already agreed to our request."