I just returned to Konoha and found that all my clan members were gone.

Shikamaru laughed to himself, a bitter smile on his face.

"Senior Ye Lan, not everyone has your ability to flip the table. I can't do it."

"So, you're pretending to be confused like your father? But now he can't even pretend anymore, he's already deeply involved in it."

The last time he met Tsunade, Shikaku's position was second only to two advisors. Now he can't just slack off like he did when the Sandaime was in power.

"Even if you have such thoughts, I am only a member of the Nara clan, not an Uchiha."

Shikamaru looked up at the dark sky. A person's origin almost determines his upper limit. The Uchiha clan has many strong people, but I have never heard that the people of the Nara clan have strong strength. What they are famous for is their brains and the trinity of Ino, Shika and Chou.

There was a hint of struggle in Shikamaru's eyes, and then he spoke in a firm tone.

"Besides, I am from Konoha anyway. I cannot leave here just because it has become worse. I will find a way to change the current situation of Konoha."

"Isn't it not abandonment but choosing to change?"

Ye Lan looked at Shikamaru in surprise. He didn't expect him to have such thoughts. "The path you chose is more difficult than mine. Your enemies here are not only the high-level officials, but also yourself."

Many passionate young people will be slapped in the face by the reality of society. If they want to reach a high position, they have to go with the flow. No one knows whether they will be corrupted by power and desire in the process, even if they eventually reach the highest position.

Will the dragon slayer become a dragon?

Take the Sandaime's students for example, when they were appointed to the position of Hokage, they were a group of passionate young people, but when they grew old, they became what they are now.

What is even more frightening is that they always think they are right, and even if they occasionally reflect and feel distressed, they will be forgotten by the immediate interests.

Shikamaru was silent. He began to understand why his father would rather stay at home than be scolded. What should he do when his father, who was smarter and more powerful than him, couldn't do it?

"Although I don't want to say this, if the time comes when it becomes absolutely necessary, let me know and I will take you away."

The conversation was almost over and Ye Lan stood up.

Shikamaru looked at the other person, only to see a pitch-black ninja cat jumping onto his shoulder.

Shikamaru thought of the stray cats that he had not noticed before, and suddenly he realized something. Seeing that Ye Lan was about to leave, he hurried to follow him.

"Senior, what about you? Danzo is dead, Itachi was dealt with by Sasuke, what is your purpose now? Why did you join Akatsuki?"

Shikamaru is very curious now. Logically speaking, with Ye Lan and Sasuke's strength, they can live well even if they don't join the rebel ninja organization Akatsuki. After leaving the village, they joined Akatsuki very decisively.

Moreover, he also learned one thing from the visitors from Yuyin this time, that Yuyin is now under the control of Akatsuki, and what is the purpose of this organization.

"Want to know?"

Ye Lan turned his head to look at Shikamaru's renewed nervous gaze.

"I'll tell you when you come."

Shikamaru's vision became blurry and Ye Lan's figure disappeared in an instant.

Shikamaru finally sighed, the gap was still too big.

"Ye Lan, that kid is likely to die."

Naraku, who was lying on Ye Lan's shoulder, licked his paw and said.

Even though he didn't understand the complex emotions of humans, Naraku could feel that Shikamaru had a faint determination to die in his heart. In his opinion, Shikamaru might not live long.

"Keep an eye on his movements in Konoha from now on, and report to me immediately if anything happens."

Ye Lan said after careful consideration.

"He won't expose me, will he? From the sound of his voice, he is still thinking about Konoha."

Naraku leaned his body towards Ye Lan, and his soft hair made Ye Lan feel a little itchy.

Ye Lan rubbed his neck and said, "He came here alone today. He won't expose you before Sasuke and I are against Konoha. Don't worry about contacting him, but be careful with Shikaku."

The only thing Ye Lan was worried about was Shikaku. In fact, given Shikamaru's condition, Shikaku was the most likely to discover something. But they were father and son after all, and no matter what, Shikaku would not watch Shikamaru die. It was just that Ye Lan might lose a capable general.

"What a hassle! It looks like I have more tasks to do."

Naraku said he was in trouble, but the cat's face, which was tilted up, had an expression that said, "It's all up to me."

"Isn't staying in Konoha what you most look forward to? Look, you've gained weight again."

Ye Lan shrugged, weighed it, and the sudden action almost made Naraku fall.

Having gained weight, Naraku barely managed to maintain his balance. He looked at Ye Lan with some dissatisfaction, and after stabilizing his body, he changed the subject.

"I just didn't expect that Granny Cat would agree to your request. There are a lot of ninja cats lurking in Konoha this time, and my companions are in almost every corner. We may not be able to know the confidential information at the first time, but we can grasp some bits and pieces."

"Thank you for your hard work. I will teach you the method of learning natural energy to the Ninja Cat Clan. As for how much you can learn, it depends on you."

Ye Lan thought about it for a while. Since he had already learned the immortal arts, he could teach others the basic knowledge of natural energy. This was what Po Jun told him. Everyone who learned the immortal arts should pass this thing on when the time is right.

Just as the Thunder Falcon clan chose him, he is now qualified to teach it to others.

The reason why he taught Sasuke before was because he had signed a contract with the Thunder Falcon clan. Otherwise, Ye Lan, who had not yet learned the fairy arts, would need the consent of the Thunder Falcon clan if he wanted to impart this knowledge.

"Really? Can we also learn the magic arts of the three holy places?"

Naraku didn't expect to receive this good news. It seems that Grandma Cat did make a wise decision.

"The three holy places? They should be stronger than them."

Ye Lan had never seen anyone else use natural energy, but he could roughly guess how Jiraiya felt.

"Let me make it clear first, I don't have time to teach you right now, you can only rely on yourselves."

Ye Lan gave a warning. He is still very busy now. He will start practicing immortal arts again when he returns.

"Don't worry, I'm sure I'll learn it with my intelligence. I guarantee you'll be surprised when the time comes."

Naraku continued to wag his tail and spoke confidently.

After hearing this, Ye Lan looked at Naraku with some horror, staring at it until it felt a little uncomfortable, and finally uttered something.

"Are you a female?"

Until now, Ye Lan really doesn’t know Naraku’s gender, and its somewhat neutral voice makes Ye Lan always think that Naraku is a male.

"What do you mean by female? I'm a girl, okay!"

Naraku suddenly got angry and jumped directly from Ye Lan's shoulder. It felt very hurt by Ye Lan's words. This master was too unreliable.