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

The weather in the Rain Country is still as bad as ever, with a drizzle falling from the gloomy sky.

As soon as Ye Lan returned to the village entrance, he saw a large group of Rain Ninjas ready to go, and various types of chariots speeding back and forth on the muddy road.

A Rain Ninja, no, it should be said that he is a member of the Rain Country Military.

When he noticed Ye Lan, he was alert at first, but when he saw the Xiao robe on Ye Lan, he became very respectful.

"It must be Lord Ye Lan, Lord Angel has been waiting for a long time."

The military man obviously recognized Ye Lan and walked up to him and spoke respectfully.

"Are we heading to the front line? Have the others returned?"

Ye Lan said as he walked that originally only the high-ranking military officials of the Rain Country knew some members of Akatsuki, but now it seems that Pain may have revealed them all.

"Yes, we are the troops heading to the border for patrol. Other countries have already deployed heavy troops on the border of the Rain Country, and we must go to support them. As for the other adults, they have already returned."

Following the guidance of the soldier, Ye Lan arrived at the high tower of the Hidden Rain Village, where Xiaonan had been waiting for him for a long time.

Ye Lan observed Xiaonan's expression. At the moment, she did not look happy at all, but instead had a hint of sadness.

The soldier retreated tactfully, and Ye Lan asked.

"Jiraiya is dead?"

There is only one possibility for the sadness on Konan's face. It is impossible for Tendo to lose in a home battle, and the relationship between them and Jiraiya has been accurately described in the information left by Danzo.

Xiaonan nodded slightly and turned around and said.

"That's right, but he passed on some information before he died. I'm not sure what it was."

Ye Lan was silent. In fact, he still wanted to learn something about natural energy from Jiraiya, but now that he was dead, he gave up this plan.

Konan paused, "Nagato wants to see you, come with me."

It's not Tendo Pain, nor is it the title of leader, but his real name.

Ye Lan understood that this time he would see Nagato’s true form, which also meant that Nagato had completely trusted him.

Coming to a secret room in the tower, Xiaonan opened the door himself. There was no light at all in the dark room.

Ye Lan walked in slowly, and when he saw the other person's appearance, his brows couldn't help but frown.

Nagato's skinny body was curled up in a huge wheelchair, which was densely packed with various instruments. His naked upper body was completely exposed, but there was not a single healthy muscle line to be seen.

His skin adhered tightly to the protruding bones on his body, like a layer of thin paper covering the skeleton, making people worry that this fragile barrier would break at any time.

The red hair of the Uzumaki clan also became dull at this moment, hanging lifelessly on his shoulders. No matter how you look at him, he looks like a dying man. It is impossible to imagine that Nagato is the same age as Konan.

"Ye Lan, you're back? According to Xiu and the others' report, we should have officially declared war."

Nagato's voice completely matched his appearance at the moment, like a dying old man.

Ye Lan nodded. He finally understood why the leader was so anxious. He didn’t know how long he could last like this.

"I originally wanted to kill more people, but I didn't expect to encounter the reincarnation of the Senju Hashirama. I only killed the Raikage and let the others run away."

"Ahem, I heard that your battle almost flattened a city in the Iron Country. It seems that you have surpassed me a long time ago. As for the others, there is no need to worry."

Nagato coughed violently twice, and Konan became even more worried about Nagato's health.

Ye Lan did not give a direct answer to Nagato's statement. To be honest, the pressure that Hashirama Senju put on him was indeed greater than that of Nagato.

Sometimes he couldn't help but wonder if the legendary Rinnegan would be so weak.

Nagato obviously didn't want to continue asking questions on this topic, so he changed his topic.

"You should have discovered long ago that Tiandao is not my real body. Tiandao's original identity was my best friend. He was also the one who founded the Akatsuki organization..."

At this moment, Nagato seemed to be explaining his last wishes, and he talked a lot about Akatsuki.

This is not a good sign, Ye Lan interrupted the other party and said.

"Chief, you should know that we are still one step away from capturing the Nine-Tailed Fox. We have not yet achieved our goal. You have not yet seen that ideal world."

Nagato was stunned for a moment, then looked at Ye Lan's determined expression again and said self-deprecatingly.

"It seems that after killing my teacher, I still have some effects. Yes, things have just begun."

Ye Lan could understand a little bit of Nagato's feelings at the moment. Compared to his confrontation with Jiraiya, it was not only in the battle, the verbal confrontation was no weaker at all.

"The Raikage is dead. The only one who can take on the role of Raikage in Kumogakure right now is Killer Bee, who lost the Eight-Tails. But because of his status as a Jinchūriki, Kumogakure may be in chaos for a while. According to intelligence, Konoha's current situation is not good either. Gaara of Sunagakure is not someone who likes to take the initiative."

"Our current goal is to conquer the Land of Earth with all our strength."

"Isn't the goal now to capture the Nine-Tailed Fox first?"

Xiao Nan asked aloud.

Ye Lan shook his head. "Naruto will definitely be well protected now. We have already put a lot of cards on the table. As long as other villages are not stupid, they will help protect the Nine-Tails. And if we want to take over the territories of other countries, this is the only time."

Once other countries have recovered, the Rain Country will no longer have a chance.

"Mobilize the military with all its might. Not only that, let the members of Akatsuki participate in the war against the Land of Earth. Also, harass and spread propaganda to other fronts!"

Ye Lan thought about his next move on the way back.

"publicity?"

Nagato whispered that he could understand the harassment of other countries, but what was the point of propaganda.

"Chief, you must understand that our ideal is to create a world without war, tragedy, peace and justice. This should not only be understood by our own people, but also by everyone in the world. We do not wage war for our own personal interests, but for ordinary people who are oppressed and exploited."

"We need to make them understand that if we win, they will have land to farm, jobs to do, and they won't starve! This way, it won't be a war between the Rain Country and other villages, but a battle between ordinary people like us and the aristocracy! Those ninjas from the big countries will not only be dealing with us, but also the oppressed people!"

Nagato's originally dead eyes seemed to brighten a lot. He stopped Konan from asking any more questions and opened his dry lips again.

"Everything from now on will be handled by Ye Lan. As for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, I will take care of it later!"