Naruto: Mikoto and Tsunade, don't let either of them go.

Uchiha Kakuzan had returned to Shikkotsu Forest. Smiling, he greeted the enormous slug sage before him, saying:

"Slug Immortal, I'll be in trouble with you these days."

Upon hearing Uchiha Kakuyama's words, the Slug Sage replied in a rather cheerful tone:

"I warmly welcome Lord Uchiha Kakuyama's arrival, and Lady Tsunade also told me in advance..."

She also said she wanted to give Lord Qiu a surprise!

Upon hearing the Slug Sage's words, Uchiha Kakuzan raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Because outsiders cannot enter this Shikkotsu Forest, how could the surprise that Tsunade mentioned be realized?

However, this thought only flashed through Uchiha Kakuzan's mind for a moment before he said to the Slug Sage:

"Slug Sage, I'm all ready. I'll have to trouble you from now on."

"It's alright. This little bit of sour leaves is just a drop in the ocean for me. What Lord Qiu Shan consumed is not even as fast as I recover."

As soon as the Slug Sage finished speaking, it spat out a thick, misty liquid that landed in the pool in front of Uchiha Kakuyama, making a sizzling sound.

Seeing this, Uchiha Kakuyama casually picked up a wooden stick from the side and poked at the liquid in the pool.

Unexpectedly, the moment the stick touched the liquid, it was corroded away with a hissing sound.

"Hiss, Slug Sage, the liquid you spewed this time seems to be much more corrosive than when I was practicing Sage Mode, right?"

"Of course. When Lord Qiushan was cultivating Immortal Mode, I said that the liquid he spat out was only diluted, and this is the liquid I normally spat out."

"Don't worry, Lord Qiushan, with your current physical strength, you'll definitely be able to withstand it."

After hearing what the Slug Sage said, Uchiha Kakuzan hesitated for a moment, then took off his clothes, gritted his teeth, and slowly stepped into the liquid.

As Uchiha Kakuyama entered, the liquid seemed to boil, making a sizzling sound, as if it were constantly corroding his body.

Furthermore, the hair on Uchiha Kakuyama's body was completely corroded away after coming into contact with the liquid, leaving it looking very smooth.

Uchiha Kagawa did this not out of self-torture, but because the liquid spewed by the Slug Sage contained abundant natural energy.

However, this natural energy can only be rapidly absorbed when he enters a liquid.

That is why Uchiha Kakuyama asked the Slug Sage for help.

Inhale~ Exhale~ Exhale

At this point, Uchiha Kakuyama's physical strength was already extremely powerful, coupled with his almost freakish regenerative abilities.

So after entering the corrosive liquid, Uchiha Kakuyama first felt a stinging pain, but then gradually got used to it and began to close his eyes and mobilize his chakra, trying to absorb the natural energy inside as quickly as possible.

After a while, when Uchiha Kakuyama sensed that the natural energy in the liquid was almost gone, he opened his eyes, stood up, and in a few steps, he was naked on the ground.

"Hey, Mr. Qiushan!!"

However, to Uchiha Kakuzan's surprise, just as he stepped onto the ground, a cry of surprise came from not far away. The cry was clear and melodious, mixed with a sense of embarrassment and panic.

Upon hearing this voice, Akio Uchiha looked over in surprise and spotted Hinata not far away.

Hinata was blushing and covering her eyes, her body trembling slightly, looking very shy.

Uchiha Kakuzan was startled by this, and quickly put on his clothes at a wave of his hand.

While getting dressed, he asked some questions:

"Hinata, what are you doing in this Shikkotsu Forest?"

Hinata had already turned her back, and after hearing Uchiha Kakuyama's words, she replied shyly in a low voice:

"Tsunade told me that Lord Qiushan is training in the Forest of Corpses, and asked me to come here and keep him company when I have free time."

Upon hearing Hinata's explanation, Uchiha Kagakuyama realized that this must be the surprise Tsunade had mentioned.

After all, Hinata is her disciple, so it's only natural that she could form a contract with Shikkotsu Forest, which is why Hinata can freely come and go from there.

Uchiha Kakuyama glanced at Hinata, who was still somewhat shy, and finally scratched his head, saying with a hint of helplessness:

"Hinata, I'm going to be training hard in Shikkotsu Forest recently, and there's no fun in it, so you don't need to come."

Chapter 538 The Art Duo

However, to Uchiha Kazuyama's surprise, the moment he finished speaking, Hinata immediately turned around, forgetting to cover her eyes, and stared intently at Uchiha Kazuyama, saying in a flustered manner:

"I came to Shikkotsu Forest entirely of my own volition. I enjoy spending time with Qiu Shan-kun, and it has nothing to do with Tsunade-sensei."

By the end, Hinata's eyes were slightly red, and tears were welling up in her eyes, as if they were about to fall at any moment.

Upon hearing Hinata's words, Uchiha Kakuzan was slightly taken aback, then nodded with a smile and said:

"Since Hinata is willing, then of course I'm happy. Let me find a suitable place for her to live."

After speaking, Uchiha Kakuyama formed several hand seals under Hinata's puzzled gaze, and finally pressed them onto the ground.

"Wood Release - The Technique of the Pillar Clan"

As Uchiha Kakuyama unleashed his Wood Release technique, a two-story wooden building rapidly rose from the ground in front of him.

After using Wood Release, Uchiha Kakuyama nodded in satisfaction and said to Hinata beside him:

"Alright, since you want to come and keep me company when you have time, you can rest here at other times."

Hinata was initially stunned, but after hearing what Uchiha Kakuyama said, she immediately reacted, a blush spreading across her face as she shyly nodded.

Upon seeing this, Uchiha Kakuyama seemed to suddenly realize something, slapped his forehead, and then explained:

"Hinata, don't get the wrong idea. I'm telling you to rest inside when you're tired. I'm busy training and don't have time to spend with you."

Hinata nodded immediately after hearing what Uchiha Kakuyama said, and said:

"Don't worry, Mr. Qiushan, I won't bother you. I'll be happy just watching from the side."

Seeing this, Uchiha Kakuyama could only nod and say nothing more. After settling Hinata in, he once again entered a state of cultivation.

……

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, more than two years have passed.

In a dark cave, several illusory figures made of light and shadow stood on a giant finger, looking quite divine.

Just as these lights and shadows gathered, one of the phantoms spoke:

"Alright, I've called you all here because the time is ripe. Now it's time for us to collect the Tailed Beasts."

At this point, the phantom looked at one of the phantoms that appeared to be very young and another phantom lying prone beside him, and continued:

"Scorpion, I remember you were born in Sunagakure, right? In that case, the responsibility of the One-Tailed Jinchuriki in Sunagakure rests with you and Deidara."

I remember the current Kazekage of Sunagakure is someone who possesses the Scorch Release technique; she must be quite strong. You need to be careful.

Upon hearing the phantom's words, before Sasori could speak, Deidara spoke up:

"Don't worry, Chief, I have some new research going on recently, and I'll let that Kazekage have a good experience with it."

Deidara, who was fearless to begin with, was filled with excitement upon hearing the mission assigned by Pain, and immediately agreed without hesitation.

After hearing what they said, Scorpion remained silent for a while before nodding in agreement.

Although Sasori was born in Sunagakure, that place is filled with painful memories for him.

Especially later, after Sasori, who had been keeping an eye on news from Sunagakure, learned that his grandmother had also passed away, his belief in Sunagakure completely disappeared.

That's why he felt so conflicted when he heard the news about Sunagakure, and he didn't even hear Pain assigning tasks to others later.

After Pain issued the mission that day, he canceled the ninjutsu, allowing Sasori and Deidara to return to reality.

When Deidara returned, he immediately brought his face close to Sasori's and asked excitedly:

"Uncle Sasori, so Sunagakure was your village before. Our mission this time is to capture the One-Tailed Jinchuriki. When do we go there?"

Upon hearing Deidara's words, Sasori merely glanced at him and said in a flat tone:

“No rush. I have my own informants in Sunagakure. I’m currently developing a type of venom. We’ll go together after I’ve finished developing it.”

Upon hearing Sasori's words, Deidara was slightly taken aback, then immediately wilted like a plant exposed to the sun, and said weakly:

"Alright, alright, Uncle Scorpion, you need to hurry."

However, Sasori did not respond to Deidara's words, but instead looked in the direction of Sunagakure, seemingly lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Amegakure

After dispelling the Illusionary Body Technique, Nagato turned to Yahiko and Konan beside him and said:

"Alright, I've already sent out the mission to capture the Jinchuriki of the Tailed Beasts, just as that guy wanted. Konan, you should also tell Okayama-kun quickly, so that they can make preparations on their side."

Upon hearing Nagato's words, a look of affection flashed in Konan's eyes, and she nodded, saying:

"Don't worry, Qiu Shanjun has already made preparations. I will talk to him again."

At this point, Konan gave Nagato another look and continued:

"But you, don't you know how much effort Qiu Shanjun put into treating you? Why don't you take care of your own body? You just used the Illusionary Body Technique for quite a while."

Upon hearing Konan's words, Nagato immediately stood up from his chair, patted his chest, and said:

"Konan, you should have heard what Qiushan-kun said. No matter what, I possess the Uzumaki bloodline, so using these everyday ninjutsu shouldn't be a problem for me."

As long as I'm careful when using the Rinnegan, my body won't have any more problems.

Nagato's body had already been healed by Uchiha Kakuzan, and even his injured feet had recovered, so he looked very spirited now.

Upon hearing Nagato's words, Yahiko, who was standing nearby, spoke up:

"Nagato, even so, you must take care of your health. And you must be especially careful of Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu."

"Kikuyama-kun already told us that they've been eyeing your Rinnegan covetously, and if anything happens to your body, they might take advantage of the situation."

Chapter 539 Ino's Request

After giving Nagato his instructions, Yahiko took a few steps outside, looked at the gloomy sky, and said with some emotion:

"The Akatsuki organization is not the same as when it was first established. In order to complete the mission of capturing the Tailed Beasts, the members we recruited only cared about their strength and did not pay attention to their ideals."

"This is a good opportunity to get rid of those selfish and dangerous individuals. Otherwise, they will not only be a threat to our Rain Village, but also damage our reputation."

Upon hearing Yahiko's words, a look of guilt appeared on Nagato's face, and he continued:

"I'm sorry, Yahiko-nii. During the time you were gone, I strayed from our original ideals and failed to organize things as well as the Akatsuki had planned."

Even these guys, most of them were coerced by me.

Upon hearing Nagato's words, Yahiko broke into a bright smile, reached out and ruffled Nagato's hair haphazardly, then said:

"Nagato, you and Konan have done more than enough. In this chaotic world, it's already quite remarkable that we've managed to protect ourselves."

Compared to your safety, the Akatsuki organization is nothing.

Upon hearing Yahiko's words, Nagato couldn't help but smile with emotion, nodding firmly before finally breaking into a smile himself.

Not far away, Konan, witnessing their interaction, couldn't help but think of Uchiha Okayama deep in her mind.

Konan knew very well that the biggest contributor to the scene she had always dreamed of was Uchiha Okayama.

"Ah!"

Uchiha Kakuzan suddenly felt a tickle in his nose and sneezed.

After sneezing, Uchiha Kakuyama glanced around with some confusion, and finding no one around him acting strangely, muttered to himself:

"Strange, I have a feeling that someone is talking badly about me."

Just then, a figure suddenly darted out from behind, pounced on his back, and wrapped its arms around him.

"Teacher, we've returned from our mission."

After sensing Ino's little actions, Uchiha Kakuzan shook his head helplessly. With a thought, a gentle repulsive force appeared on his body, gently pushing Ino away.

"Ino, you're a grown woman now, don't keep throwing yourself at me like that."

"If your dad sees this, he'll come after me with a kitchen knife."

Ino, who had been gently pushed away by Uchiha Kakuzan, didn't give up. She ran back and hugged one of her arms, acting all cute.

"Teacher, we did a really great job on this task! I put in a lot of effort, can't you give me some praise?"

At this point, Ino's eyes darted around mischievously twice, and she continued:

"As for my dad, he and my mom have been planning to create a new account for a long time, so he basically doesn't care about me anymore."

Ever since Uchiha Kakuyama became the teacher of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Ino has shown an unusual obsession with him, as if she would marry no one but him.