Chapter 377: Akatsuki
Chapter 377: Akatsuki
"Let's take on this mission in the River Country." Mu Yue picked up the scroll and said to the registration ninja.
There was a possibility of encountering Cloud or Sand ninjas in the River Country, and there were no ninjas on the battlefield that were too strong for Mu Yue to handle. Even if she was extremely unlucky and encountered the strongest ninja in the River Country, Mu Yue was confident that she could ensure the safe retreat of her disciples, including Toki.
The criteria Mu Yue used for selecting missions were high safety with a chance to train her disciples.
Of course, it was only a chance, as C-rank missions usually did not involve encounters with ninjas.
After completing the registration, Mu Yue showed the mission scroll to her disciples.
"Our target is the River Country. Let's go!" Anko Mitarashi, excited as this was her first time leaving Konoha, exclaimed.
Granted special permission by the Hokage to undertake this C-rank mission, Anko had already planned how she would brag about it to her good friends afterward.
She imagined their curious reactions as she casually mentioned completing a C-rank mission, and then she would reveal how the Third Hokage had granted her this privilege.
"Anko, although you're eager, don't rush ahead. We still need to bring the client with us," Shizu Reminder cautioned.
Although she followed a different path from ordinary ninjas, Shizu, at the very least, was a normal ninja who understood the basics.
"Oh, right! We have a client," Anko said, her steps faltering as she had been about to stride toward the gate of Konoha.
"Don't be so impetuous when on a mission. You almost forgot about the client," Mu Yue chided, tapping Anko's head with her finger. Then, she led the three of them to meet the client.
The client was a middle-aged man who appeared ordinary but carried himself with a sense of steadiness.
"We appreciate your help with this task," the middle-aged client said, not underestimating them despite Anko and Toki's youthful appearances.
After all, Konoha was one of the five great ninja villages and would not tarnish its reputation.
Mu Yue nodded without wasting words and asked, "Do you have any other business here? We can depart at any time."
"I'm ready to go now. There's nothing else on my end," the middle-aged client replied with a nod.
Soon after, Mu Yue led Toki and the others toward the River Country at a swift pace.
To increase the chances of encountering training opportunities for her disciples, Mu Yue hurried through the Fire Country and only slowed down upon entering the River Country.
She explained to her disciples that they could move faster in the Fire Country due to its better security, but the current situation in the River Country was chaotic, so a slower pace would better protect the client.
Hearing the reasoning behind their travel speed, Anko wore an expression that suggested she was learning something new.
Perhaps Toki and the others were lucky, as they encountered no mishaps along the way. Soon, they arrived at Mount Iwaki, located in the northernmost part of the River Country.
"These bandits are extremely vicious. According to rumors, they not only plunder here but have also ventured into the Rain Country to commit their crimes," the middle-aged client warned before their departure.
While he trusted the members of Konoha, the youthful appearances of Toki and Anko were indeed misleading, so he felt it necessary to offer an extra reminder.
"The Rain Country... Is it close to here?" Toki asked, his expression thoughtful.
It had been a while since Toki had seen his uncle, so during their last meeting, he had a long conversation with Uzumaki Shinobu. Shinobu had mentioned the Rain Country briefly while discussing his own missions.
If Toki recalled correctly, the Rain Country was currently in a state of turmoil. It had started when Rock ninjas appeared there for unknown reasons, prompting Sand ninjas to enter the country out of concern for a potential Rock ninja invasion. The Cloud ninjas then sent their own forces, not wanting to be left out.
Although the number of ninjas might not be significant, the Rain Country now hosted ninjas from the three great ninja villages.
Toki surmised that the bandits must include rogue ninjas among them, as ordinary mountain bandits would likely not dare to operate in such a volatile situation.
"It's just on the other side of the mountain," the middle-aged client explained.
Soon, Mu Yue bid farewell to the client and set off with her disciples to search for the mountain bandits, as per the mission details. Along the way, Toki shared his speculation.
"That's a great analysis. It seems you've been paying attention to what I've been teaching you," Mu Yue praised generously.
Although she felt that there was still room for improvement, considering Toki's age of seven, it was already impressive that he thought so deeply about these matters.
Where did Toki fall short, then? Mu Yue realized that he had not considered the potential reaction of their own ninja village, Konoha.
The Rain Ninja Village was strategically important as the only ninja village among the five great countries that shared borders with three of them. With so many ninjas from major villages gathering there, Mu Yue guessed that Danzo had already dispatched Root members into the Rain Country.
"Mhm, let's all be careful," Mu Yue nodded slightly.
Hearing the conversation between the three, Shizune felt a little nervous as she had never truly fought against other ninjas before.
Under Mu Yue's leadership, they successfully found the mountain bandits' hiding place. However, when they arrived, there were only two ordinary mountain bandits inside.
It was clear that these two ordinary bandits couldn't have caused such a big disturbance, and Mu Yue deduced that the main group of bandits must have gone out to raid.
Next, Mu Yue employed the same tactic and separated the two bandits to teach her disciples another lesson on the prisoner's dilemma.
Upon thoughtful consideration, Kisame had to admit that this was an effective interrogation technique.
The method would only fail if both captives could absolutely trust each other and would never betray each other, but these two ordinary bandits were far from capable of such loyalty.
Under Mu Yue's interrogation, the two bandits spilled everything they knew.
As Mu Yue had suspected, the main group of bandits had left a week ago, leaving these two behind to watch over their base.
Additionally, Kisame's speculation was confirmed—the leader of this band of bandits was a rogue ninja from the Rain Country.
"Move faster, don't try any funny business."
Just then, Kisame, who had been searching the bandits' hideout, suddenly sensed movement outside.
He went out to investigate and found several more people.
Swish!
As soon as Kisame stepped out, a shuriken flew at him with incredible speed.
However, Kisame was not unprepared, and he dodged the incoming ninja tool with a slight sidestep before pulling out a kunai from his tool pouch.
He had suspected that the person wasn't a typical mountain bandit due to his appearance, so he hadn't acted immediately. But now that the enemy had made their move, he responded in kind.
"Hayate, don't interfere. There's no way a mountain bandit could be this small," Yahiko said, shaking his head at Hayate Gekko.
Hayate looked at the mountain bandit leader who was tied up at the front of their group.
"Kid, don't underestimate people. Even a ten-year-old brat can stab someone to death with a knife," the bandit leader sneered.
Although he didn't recognize Kisame, he hoped that Kisame would cause trouble for Yahiko and his group.
The bandit leader seethed with hatred for Yahiko and his companions, who had ruined their peaceful robbery of the village.
"Leader Yahiko, this kid's skills are no ordinary. Perhaps he's their specially trained successor," the bandit leader hinted, causing Hayate to suspect that Kisame, who had appeared in the bandits' lair, was no ordinary child.
At that moment, Tenten and Anko sensed the disturbance and quickly rushed to Kisame's side.
"So, it's the Leaf Ninja," Yahiko said, realizing the situation as he noticed Tenten's forehead protector.
Kisame was an intern ninja and didn't have the Leaf Village's forehead protector, so his identity was clear to Yahiko as soon as he saw Tenten's.
Upon hearing the words "Leaf Ninja," Nagato, who had been quietly following behind Yahiko, twitched his fingers unconsciously before quickly calming himself.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Kisame asked in a low voice, his hand tightening around the kunai.
Although the newcomers appeared to be older and more experienced ninjas, Kisame remained unfazed. After all, he was with Teacher Mu Yue.
"I'm Yahiko, the leader of the Akatsuki organization in the Rain Country. Apologies for the earlier misunderstanding. My companion mistook you for a mountain bandit and attacked," Yahiko introduced himself and then apologized for the previous mishap.
"We encountered a group of bandits raiding a village in the Rain Country and took care of them. But we were concerned that there might be remnants who would seek revenge on the villagers, so we came here to ensure their safety."
"A ninja organization's leader?" Kisame felt something was amiss.
He knew of the existence of ninja organizations in the ninja world, but Yahiko looked too young, appearing to be only in his early thirties, not much older than they were.
"You must have taken on a mission related to this group of bandits. We've helped you take care of them, so let's not worry about what happened earlier," Yahiko said with a smile.
Kisame remained silent, waiting for Teacher Mu Yue's decision.
Although Mu Yue hadn't appeared yet, he knew that she had already arrived, as both Anko and Kisame had sensed the disturbance, and there was no way Mu Yue could have missed it.
As Kisame had thought, Mu Yue had indeed arrived and had even discovered Yahiko and his group earlier than he had, thanks to her Byakugan.
Potential: S-
Skills: Water-Style Chakra Nature Transformation (Proficiency: 100/15000), Water Style: Wild Water Wave (Skilled), Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet (Skilled)...
At Yahiko's current age, this panel could be considered that of a genius ninja. Mu Yue estimates that if Yahiko hadn't died young, he would have likely reached the level of a Kage.
Konan
Chakra: 8000
Potential: S
Skills: Paper Secret Technique (Skilled: 2000/3000), Paper Shuriken (Skilled)...
Konan's potential is slightly higher than Yahiko's, but for now, their strengths are fairly evenly matched.
Mu Yue finally turned to Nagato, sensing that his potential might surpass that of anyone she had ever encountered before—a combination of the Rinnegan and the Uzumaki clan lineage.
Nagato
Chakra: 605,000
Potential: SS+ (Six Paths Bloodline + Rinnegan + Natural Talent)
Skills: Fire-Style Chakra Nature Transformation (Proficiency: 1000/15000), Wind-Style Chakra Nature Transformation (Proficiency: 750/15000), Yang-Style Chakra Nature Transformation (Proficiency), Water-Style Chakra Nature Transformation (Proficiency)...
Mu Yue could only describe Nagato's panel as astounding. His potential reached SS+, beyond even SS, and he had mastered all chakra nature transformations except for the Yin attribute. Although his proficiency wasn't exceptionally high, mastering all six nature transformations was a terrifying feat. Additionally, Nagato possessed hundreds of skilled-level ninjutsu, giving him a diverse repertoire of techniques.
Of course, what truly caught Mu Yue's attention was Nagato's staggering amount of chakra.
Mu Yue was truly tempted. At Nagato's current age, he still had immense room for growth. If he were to become Mu Yue's disciple and undergo the Reverse Teaching, the amount of chakra he could provide would be several times more than what she could get from her other disciples combined.
As much as Mu Yue wanted this, she knew it wouldn't be easy and that there were numerous challenges ahead.
Firstly, becoming Nagato's teacher would be difficult in itself. Nagato had already been taught by Jiraiya for three years and considered him an excellent teacher. Additionally, Nagato had mastered all six chakra attributes and possessed a wide array of ninjutsu, so he didn't have a significant need for a teacher in terms of strength.
Another issue was that Nagato might not view Konoha ninjas favorably, as his parents had died at their hands.
If Mu Yue wanted to become Nagato's teacher, aside from Nagato himself, there were two other individuals she had to be cautious of—Black Zetsu and Uchiha Madara.
The Rinnegan in Nagato's possession had been transplanted by Uchiha Madara, and Madara wouldn't simply ignore it after giving it away. He would definitely keep a close eye on Nagato, and the same went for Black Zetsu, who had plotted for that pair of Rinnegan for millennia. Black Zetsu valued the Rinnegan even more than Madara, as they were a necessary condition for Kaguya's resurrection.
"They don't seem to have any ill intentions," Mu Yue said as she appeared beside Genma.
Becoming Nagato's teacher would require a meticulous plan, and Mu Yue wasn't in a rush.
In the original story, Nagato's descent into darkness was the result of multiple influences, one of which was Obito, who was currently only ten years old. Mu Yue still had time.
"So fast!" Yahiko exclaimed, a little surprised that he hadn't noticed when Mu Yue had arrived.
Despite his young age, Yahiko had become the leader of a ninja organization, indicating that he possessed substantial strength and the ability to lead.
Now that he knew of Mu Yue's impressive abilities, Yahiko was even more reluctant to engage in conflict with this group of Konoha ninjas, not wanting to cause trouble for the Rain Country.
With Mu Yue's intervention, the two sides quickly reached an understanding, realizing it had all been a misunderstanding.
"Teacher Mu Yue, how strong were those people just now?" Genma asked, watching Yahiko and the others leave.
"Strong. There are two among them whom you might not be able to defeat, and one who could possibly defeat you in an instant," Mu Yue replied after a moment's thought.
PS: Nagato isn't the same age as Minato. Nagato died at 35, when Naruto was 16. Minato died at 24 after giving birth to Naruto. Minato is quite a bit older than Nagato.
Also, Nagato's mastery of all six chakra attributes and extensive knowledge of ninjutsu were mentioned in the manga by Jiraiya, not something I made up.
End of the month, a small request for monthly votes.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
