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

Just as the group was preparing for a big meal the next day, Ino, who had been on guard, spoke up.

"Two streams of chakra are approaching us, and the amount of chakra... is enormous!"

As a member of the Yamanaka clan, Ino not only has a deeper understanding of the clan's secret techniques, but she has also learned sensory ninjutsu, and Team 10's vigilance relies on her.

"Very big? Who is it?"

Asuma started to get nervous. He wasn't in good shape right now; if Ino said that, she was at least a Jonin.

Why would a Jonin-level ninja be interested in this kind of cargo? He wasn't worried about failing the mission, but rather that he was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop the other party, since his students were still here.

"Yes...yes..."

Ino opened her eyes, stammering slightly, her gaze revealing surprise.

She didn't need to say anything more; Shikamaru and the others had already spotted the newcomer.

Two figures appeared in their line of sight at a leisurely pace. One of them was slightly taller and carried a long sword wrapped in bandages. Asuma recognized him at a glance as Kisame Hoshigaki, who had injured him before.

The other person surprised them all.

With his familiar center-parted spiky hairstyle and unchangingly cold eyes, it was none other than their former classmate, Uchiha Sasuke.

Chapter 148 Testing

When Sasuke saw the members of Team 10 ahead, a look of surprise flashed across his face, but he quickly regained his indifferent expression.

"Sasuke-san, it seems you were one of your former comrades."

Kisame gripped the Samehada sword on his back, looking eager to try it out.

"Sasuke, you've actually joined Akatsuki? What's your purpose here? Where is Ye Lan?"

Asuma had already drawn and equipped his fist blades, and looked seriously at the two people opposite him. They were wearing familiar black robes with red clouds, and there was Kisame, whom he had fought before.

It has been confirmed that Sasuke has joined this organization.

Sasuke ignored Asuma's barrage of questions and looked at Kisame, who was about to attack, before speaking.

"Kisame, don't forget, we didn't come out here to fight."

Upon hearing this, Kisame lowered his hand from the hilt of his sword with a displeased expression. Having not slashed anyone in a long time, he was eager to do something, and this defeated opponent in front of him was the perfect choice.

"Asuma, is everyone still on the mission?"

Sasuke glanced at the cargo accompanying Team 10 and made a judgment.

"Our purpose here has nothing to do with you; we're just passing through."

"Just passing by?"

Asuma was surprised by Sasuke's answer. Seeing Kisame relax, he slowly lowered his hand from his weapon.

"What a coincidence! I didn't expect to run into you here."

Shikamaru stepped forward first. Through the conversation just now, he understood that a fight was no longer possible, and he took the initiative to show goodwill to Sasuke.

Looking at Sasuke in front of him, Shikamaru wondered if he was having a misconception. It had only been a few months since he last saw Sasuke, but Sasuke seemed to have changed a lot.

"I'm a rogue ninja, is it really appropriate to talk to me like this?"

Sasuke looked at Shikamaru with some surprise. Shikamaru and Sasuke had a fairly good relationship in the village, so Sasuke wondered what Shikamaru's purpose was in reaching out to him so readily.

Kisame understood that a fight was unlikely, so he obediently found an open space to sit down and take a nap, showing no interest in Sasuke's conversation with his "old friends".

"Do you really care about being a rogue ninja?"

Shikamaru gestured to Sasuke's smooth forehead, which wasn't even wearing a Konoha headband. If he were a rogue ninja, he would at least have a mark on it, like Kisame.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was too lazy to even draw, just as Ye Lan said, he wanted to abandon his identity as a ninja.

Originally, when Ye Lan and Sasuke left, the Jonin took the lead in holding back, and there was even less need to fight after leaving the village.

"Have you eaten? We've just prepared dinner."

Shikamaru abruptly changed the subject, as if Sasuke had never left the village.

Sasuke shook his head.

"No need, we have other things to do, we'll leave after resting for a while."

"Is it a mission about the Tailed Beasts?"

Shikamaru, who is in the Cipher Department, knows some of Akatsuki's goals. According to current intelligence, they are collecting Tailed Beasts. Since Sasuke has joined this organization, it is very likely that he is carrying out this kind of mission.

"No comment."

Sasuke deliberately distanced himself from Shikamaru. He had witnessed Shikamaru's intelligence before, and Sasuke dared not take the risk.

If they say something they didn't intend to say, and Shikamaru analyzes it and extracts information, it would be very disadvantageous for Akatsuki.

"How heartless."

Shikamaru rubbed his head.

Sasuke returned to Kisame's side and sat down to rest with him, but Shikamaru seemed not to have given up and continued to follow.

Not only that, Ino, Choji, and Asuma also ran up to Sasuke.

Sasuke, feeling helpless, said he wouldn't intervene, but did the other party become even more reckless?

"Sasuke-san is really popular."

Kisame made a rare joke, saying that his impression of Sasuke had gradually changed over the past period of time, and that he was at least a reliable teammate.

Shikamaru glanced at Kisame and continued speaking.

"I remember that man was Kisame's former teammate. Why is Sasuke with Kisame? No wonder Senior Yoruichi..."

Shikamaru really wanted to ask if Itachi had been dealt with by Yelan, but he hesitated and spoke somewhat hesitantly.

"Itachi? I've already killed him."

Sasuke wasn't wrong. Although he didn't end Itachi's life with his own hands, Itachi had already been hit by Sasuke's Heavenly Punishment. Itachi's survival was just a delaying tactic, and he died not long after Sasuke left.

Since Itachi's death, Sasuke's obsession with his brother has dissipated, and there's no need for him to get entangled with a lunatic.

Instead of dwelling on this, we should think about how to make the Uchiha clan prosper again.

Shikamaru was startled. Looking at Sasuke's calm expression, he understood what Sasuke meant, having some knowledge of him.

Itachi was dealt with by Sasuke himself; Ye Lan probably didn't interfere much.

"Where is Ye Lan? Where is he?"

Asuma glanced warily at Kisame beside him, never imagining he would one day sit down and talk with a rogue ninja.

"You need to understand one thing: I am no longer a Konoha ninja, so I have no need to tell you these things."

What Sasuke didn't know was that Konoha had issued a kill order against Ye Lan, but their attitude towards Sasuke was still somewhat ambiguous.

Tsunade only issued an A-rank wanted order, and also instructed a group of Jonin in charge to try to win over Sasuke if the opportunity arose.

What happened that day could be entirely blamed on Danzo, since he used Kotoamatsukami to control Sasuke in the first place.

If Sasuke were to return to Konoha now, they would absolutely welcome him with open arms.

Despite Konoha's fear of the Uchiha, the village's strength actually diminished after the Uchiha left.

"Well, don't be so heartless, I was just curious."

Shikamaru came to Asuma's rescue.

"Sasuke..."

Ino, who was standing to the side, wanted to say something, but didn't know where to begin.

"Did you do the thing I asked you to do?"

Sasuke changed the subject, referring to the task he had entrusted to Shikamaru to collect the antelope's body before leaving.

"Heh, the scroll was taken away by the Dark Division on the spot. What could I do?"

Shikamaru gave a bitter laugh. He felt powerless whenever he thought about this. This was not something that could be done by intelligence alone.

Asuma was quite dissatisfied with Shikamaru's statement. Regardless of whether the village had any intention of recruiting Sasuke, Sasuke was currently outside of Konoha, and Shikamaru's statement undoubtedly revealed information about Konoha.

Asuma sensed something was amiss when he wondered why Shikamaru, who was usually so clever, would say something like that.

"so..."

Sasuke thought about it for a moment and understood. That place exposed the dark side of the village, and no matter what Ye Lan had mentioned in the meeting, it was all just talk.

Once they get there, it becomes a fact, and if it gets out, the village will definitely descend into chaos.

Both fell silent. Shikamaru wanted information about Akatsuki, but Sasuke wouldn't speak up, as Sasuke had no interest in Konoha.

"It's been a long time since I've seen Naruto, so he probably doesn't know about your situation."

Shikamaru glanced at Sasuke subtly, wanting to know his reaction.

Sasuke's lips curled up slightly. "That's just an innocent guy. He doesn't know anything and all he does is yell and shout."

“But Naruto is a Jinchuriki, as you know Sasuke.”

"Don't try to test me, Shikamaru. When Yoru and I joined Akatsuki, we said that unless you actively become our enemies, we will not take action against the people from Konoha."

Sasuke glanced at Shikamaru. He knew what his friend was thinking. Shikamaru was no longer the genin who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy. He had even been promoted to jonin before leaving Konoha.

Chapter 149 Clash of Ideas

This was the first time Kisame had heard this news, and he never expected that the powerful leader would agree to Ye Lan's request.

Instead of attacking the Nine-Tails, Kisame glanced at his new ally, Sasuke.

Although she looks very similar to her brother, they have completely different personalities.

"So Akatsuki's goal is still to collect the Tailed Beasts, right?"

Shikamaru was not surprised by Sasuke's answer. He knew from Ye Lan's calm demeanor that he was not someone who would actively cause trouble, so it was not surprising that Sasuke would have such thoughts.

Sasuke gave Shikamaru a disapproving look; Shikamaru had still managed to gather this information so accurately.

"But that doesn't make sense. What are you doing in the Land of Iron? We haven't heard of any Jinchuriki coming to this country."