Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 571 Konoha's Plan to Steal Sage Techniques

In a VIP ward in Konoha Village, Tsunade lay on her sickbed, her face crisscrossed with wrinkles.

Her breathing gradually weakened, as if she would disappear completely at any moment.

A portion of the slug sage's body covered her, emitting a faint healing light, but that light was gradually dimming.

The Slug Sage's voice echoed in the room, calm yet tinged with worry, "My healing abilities have had little effect on Lady Tsunade. The only way to prolong her life is to cultivate the Sage Art of Shikkotsu Forest. But given her current physical condition, she simply cannot withstand my Sage Art. Therefore, the best solution is to obtain other inheritances to improve the Sage Art."

Naruto stood beside the hospital bed, with Sasuke, Gaara, and Kakashi behind him. Hinata followed not far from the doorway, holding her younger sister's hand.

Ino Yamanaka was placed in the next ward, and Sakura Haruno was by her side.

Ino would sometimes giggle foolishly, and sometimes stare wide-eyed in terror, muttering words like "god," "nothingness," and "meaninglessness" over and over again, as if a part of her soul had been snatched away by some indescribable being.

In the hospital corridor, Choji was holding a bag of potato chips, but unusually, he didn't eat any. He just stared blankly at the ground.

Shikamaru stood with his hands in his pockets, looking up at the night sky outside the window, his brows furrowed in a deep frown.

Kiba Inuzuka crouched beside Akamaru, whose ears were drooping and who occasionally let out a low whimper.

Mighty lay on another hospital bed, his whole body wrapped in bandages, the burns left by Amaterasu Black Fire still oozing blood.

Lee Rock knelt by the bed, his eyes red and swollen, but he bit his lip hard to stop himself from crying out loud.

"Little Lee." Might Guy gave a weak thumbs-up, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Youth... is always accompanied by pain."

"Teacher!" Rock Lee's tears finally broke free.

The room was only occupied by the master and apprentice, along with the head nurse who had just left, making it feel rather empty compared to the other crowded rooms.

Outside Konoha Hospital, Neji leaned against a tree with his eyes closed, the caged bird mark on his forehead faintly visible in the false moonlight.

She sat beside him every day, stroking a kunai in her hand, on which was engraved the Flying Thunder God technique.

Sai squatted to the side expressionlessly, painting an unknown ink painting.

The atmosphere was extremely oppressive; everyone was silent or trapped in their own worlds.

Only Yakumo Kurama stood at the farthest point, using a sheet of paper to draw everyone into it, and as he finished the last stroke...

She saw Sai drawing on the ground and went over to ask, "What are you trying to draw?"

Sai was taciturn and rarely spoke to anyone. He was not offended by Kurama Yakumo's arrival. He put away his paintbrush and wiped away the rough marks on the ground.

"I was studying that member of the Shell organization, trying to find inspiration in his paintings."

"You can't do what he does." Yakumo Kurama shook his head directly, shattering his illusions. "His paintings are not just paintings; they have incorporated divine magic that rewrites reality."

There are limits to the art of super-beast imitation. Removing the "super-beast" from the painting and mastering true imitation is a hurdle. After that, there's no further path; your limit is someone else's starting point.

Sai didn't find Yakumo's words hurtful. It's highly likely that he was born with a deficiency in emotions, a sequela that comes from the root of his being and is almost impossible to resolve.

After a long while, Naruto took a deep breath, stepped out of the ward, and stood on the balcony on the second floor of Konoha Hospital. Everyone looked at him.

At this moment, his fighting spirit was rekindled, his gaze terrifyingly determined. He said to his master, "I'm going to steal Sage Mode. To prolong Tsunade's life. I also need to find a way to cure Ino, a ninjutsu related to the soul. Orochimaru must have it."

Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his temples. "I knew he would say that."

"I'll go with you." Sasuke Uchiha's voice came from behind Naruto. He crossed his arms and slowly walked to Naruto's side.

Gaara followed closely behind, stepping forward. Though he didn't speak, his stance was clear.

Kakashi closed "Piccolo Daimaō Falls in Love with Gender-Swapped Son Goku," put it in his pocket, and said slowly, "Although I really want to say 'Naruto, calm down,' I can't find a reason to argue this time. Lady Tsunade can't wait, and neither can Ino."

Most importantly, flowers in a greenhouse cannot withstand the challenges. If they want to grow quickly, they must take risks. Moreover, he had already heard that Orochimaru and Shisei Aburame were not currently alive, so this was a rare opportunity for them to gain experience.

Everyone was shocked by Kakashi's words.

After discussion, it was decided that Lee would stay to take care of his master, Sakura Haruno would stay to take care of Ino Yamanaka, and Hinata Hyuga originally wanted to go as well, but Neji Hyuga stopped her.

She and Hanabi are from the main branch of the Hyuga clan, and they cannot be lost. Moreover, Neji doesn't quite trust the current Konoha ninjas, although most of them are normal.

However, it must be admitted that some people have already become psychologically distorted and abnormal. Keeping young fireworks at home is irresponsible.

Hinata Hyuga nodded, offering no further rebuttal, but reminded them, "Rankings, and everyone must be careful."

In the end, Tenten, Neji, and Sai formed a temporary three-person team, with Kiba Inuzuka replacing Ino Yamanaka and joining the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

As for Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara, they naturally won't be separated.

Kakashi looked at the nine children in front of him and finally shouted, "Let's go!"

As a vortex appeared in the sky, the group of ten left Konoha and appeared in the outside world.

Kakashi chose a primeval forest. Although there were few people there, there were still insects. However, the insects were not very intelligent and mostly acted on instinct. They were not very focused, but sometimes you still had to be careful.

He set up a protective barrier and distributed ten pills to several people: "These are pills that can remove the odor from your bodies. Take them now, and then we will be divided into groups."

"According to the information I've gathered recently, the Wind Palace is the strongest among the other celestial palaces, and it has a Heavenly King who is skilled in soul-snatching magic residing there. The Ice and Fire Palace has the most celestial pets, making it equally difficult to deal with, and it's too far from here. The Thunder Palace doesn't raise insects among its celestial pets and currently doesn't have any celestial magic. The Water Palace is more complicated; the Ghostly Maru there is skilled in insect control magic, it's near the sea, and it also has the Three-Tailed Fox that has just been resurrected."

"The first target I've set for you is the Earth Immortal Palace. It's poorly defended, not very strong, and doesn't have many experts. The only thing to be wary of is the High Priestess of the Witch. We need to be careful of her soul ninjutsu and sealing techniques."