https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-398-Mu-Yue-vs-The-Hero-of-Sunagakure/12558521/
Chapter 399: The Sage of the Six Paths' Eyes
Chapter 399: The Sage of the Six Paths' Eyes
After their encounter with Ye Cang, Mu Yue and his group did not encounter any more unforeseen circumstances and successfully escorted their client to their destination.
"You are truly reliable. If I ever post another mission in Konoha, I will specifically request you, Mu Yue," the middle-aged client praised Mu Yue's capabilities.
As an ordinary person, he didn't have a deep understanding of ninjas, but it was clear to see that Mu Yue was exceptionally powerful and dependable.
To express his gratitude, the middle-aged client wanted to treat Mu Yue and his team to a meal at a renowned local restaurant.
Mu Yue consulted with her students and politely declined the client's offer.
Usually, Obito would have gladly accepted the invitation, but he was concerned about the Akatsuki organization in the Rain Country.
The four of them decided to investigate Akatsuki on their way back, but as the information they had about Akatsuki came from Uzumaki Naruto and Yamato, they had to keep it from Mu Yue.
"We can request some degree of freedom from Teacher Mu Yue, without straying too far so that she can support us with her Flying Thunder God technique if needed. That way, we'll avoid any potential dangers," Kakashi suggested.
Kakashi felt that the investigation was feasible, but given the chaos in the Rain Country, they shouldn't venture too far.
Otherwise, if they encountered strong ninjas from the Cloud or Rock villages, it could spell trouble.
"Obito can bring it up, saying that he wants to take some photos of the Rain Country scenery," Shisui suggested.
"I do want to take pictures of the scenery here," Obito nodded, "But Rin, you should stay with Teacher Mu Yue."
Nohara Rin was the weakest among them, and more than half of her abilities were focused on healing, making her less capable of dealing with dangerous situations compared to the others.
"I'll stay with Teacher Mu Yue and provide cover for you guys," Noihara Rin agreed with a soft smile.
She was self-aware and wanted to minimize the burden on Obito and the others.
Without further ado, the group split up. Obito, with his camera in hand, hesitantly spoke to Mu Yue, "Teacher Mu Yue, now that the mission is complete, can I find a place to take some photos? I won't go too far, and I'll make sure to have Kakashi and the others with me."
"Go ahead," Mu Yue readily agreed.
Mu Yue also wanted to gather more intelligence about the Rain Country, and slowing their return journey was part of his plan.
"Hehe, Teacher Mu Yue, you're the best!" Obito exclaimed with a giggle, delighted by Mu Yue's immediate approval.
"Be careful and don't go too far," Mu Yue smiled and ruffled Obito's hair gently as a reminder.
While he was confident that he would send his shadow clones to protect his students, Mu Yue still wanted them to be extra vigilant.
Obito nodded eagerly like a chick pecking at rice and slapped his chest vigorously to assure Mu Yue that he would be fine.
With their goal accomplished, the Mu Yue team began to act separately. Mu Yue and Noihara Rin stayed together, while Kakashi, Obito, and Shisui formed a group of three to investigate Akatsuki.
Obito and his group inquired about Akatsuki in several villages and towns, but the residents either didn't know anything or spoke positively of the organization.
"The Akatsuki are all good ninjas. They even helped our village drive away rogue ninjas before," said one villager.
"Akatsuki? I've heard it's a decent ninja organization. It's more cost-effective to hire them to fight bandits than to go to a ninja village," said another.
The more they inquired about Akatsuki, the more confused Obito's group became.
"Could it be that we're dealing with a case of mistaken identity? Maybe there are two different Akatsuki organizations?" Obito wondered, as the more he listened, the more he felt that Akatsuki was a benevolent ninja group rather than a feared one.
"It's hard to say," Kakashi shook his head.
Initially, he had believed it to be the same Akatsuki based on Shisui's intelligence, but now he wasn't so sure.
If their sole purpose was to accumulate power, Akatsuki wouldn't need to go to such lengths or have their members go around doing good deeds.
It was a meaningless endeavor. As a ninja organization, even if they performed a hundred good deeds, a single misstep would tarnish their reputation.
The correct approach to building strength would be to accept commissions and earn money.
"Perhaps the two Akatsuki organizations are one and the same," Shisui mused. "The current Akatsuki may indeed be a benevolent ninja group, but the future Akatsuki could very well be the feared organization we know."
People can change. Being virtuous now doesn't guarantee virtue in the future, and vice versa.
Shisui drew a parallel with Uchiha Itachi. Although Itachi would eventually annihilate the Uchiha clan, the current Itachi was just a naive child who struggled to speak clearly.
Despite his young age of ten, Kakashi had experienced much, and he knew that certain events could drastically change a person's character.
"So, is it or isn't it?" Obito was confused by Itachi's words.
Neither Itachi nor Kakashi answered Obito's question; they had too little information and could only speculate.
"It's frustrating. It would be great if we could ask him face to face." Obito sighed.
Perhaps it was Obito's lucky mouth, or their good fortune, but as they were gathering information, they happened to stumble upon Yahiko and his group, who were out maintaining peace and order. They even witnessed Yahiko in action.
"The orange-haired man using Water Style jutsu is Yahiko, the leader of the Akatsuki," Itachi whispered.
Since Yahiko had introduced himself before, Itachi recognized him.
"He's probably not the guy Master Mu Yue mentioned who could take you out in an instant." Obito stroked his chin as he spoke.
While Yahiko displayed considerable skill, claiming that he could defeat Itachi in an instant was a stretch.
Obito didn't sense the aura of a powerful ninja from Yahiko; even the Sand Hidden Village's hero, Ye Cang, felt more formidable.
"That red-haired guy next to him is strong!" Kakashi entered his Mangekyo Sharingan and saw the massive amount of chakra within Nagato, causing his pupils to contract sharply.
This was undoubtedly the most terrifying chakra Kakashi had ever seen, even surpassing Mu Yue's.
However, Kakashi soon stopped paying attention to the chakra within Nagato, as he discovered something even more astonishing. Just by using his Mangekyo Sharingan to observe, he felt an extreme threat emanating from Nagato's eyes.
Sensing something, Nagato looked in Kakashi's direction and noticed the Konoha symbol on their flak jackets and forehead protectors. Nagato's brow furrowed.
"Yahiko, there are a few Konoha ninjas over there." Nagato reported this information to Yahiko.
While he didn't hold any particular fondness for Konoha ninjas, he also wouldn't attack them without reason.
"Konoha ninjas over there, we've spotted you." Yahiko shouted in the direction Nagato had indicated.
Yahiko didn't bear any significant ill will towards Konoha ninjas, and since Konoha ninjas had rescued Akatsuki members recently, he didn't mind being spied on.
"What should we do? Should we go out or just leave?" Obito looked at Kakashi and asked.
Kakashi took out the Flying Thunder God Kunai from his ninja pouch, inspected it, and put it back. Then, he created a shadow clone that sprinted towards Mu Yue's location with full force.
Kakashi was not one to court danger unnecessarily, and if it weren't for Mu Yue's proximity, he would have left without hesitation.
"Let's go take a look, but be sure to maintain a safe distance, especially from that red-haired guy." Kakashi replied.
The three of them then emerged from their hiding spot and looked at Yahiko and Nagato.
"They're the Konoha ninjas who helped me before." The tall and thin ninja immediately recognized Kakashi and the others.
"What a coincidence." Yahiko was a little surprised.
"We're truly grateful for your help last time. This is Yahiko, the leader of our Akatsuki organization." The tall and thin ninja introduced Yahiko.
Yahiko sized up Kakashi's group and felt that Itachi looked vaguely familiar. After a moment's thought, he recalled meeting him once before when they had gone to eliminate bandits in the River Country, and there had been a minor misunderstanding.
"It's you, the ninja world is indeed small. We met once before in the River Country, do you remember?" Yahiko smiled and greeted Itachi.
Itachi nodded in acknowledgment.
"I've heard that your organization strives for peace and stability in the ninja world." Kakashi chose his words carefully before speaking.
Since Yahiko seemed so friendly, Kakashi thought it was worth trying to probe for some information.
"That's right. Akatsuki was established to bring peace to the Rain Country and the entire ninja world." Yahiko replied happily.
He believed that the more people who knew about Akatsuki's dream, the closer they would be to making it a reality.
"Although we still have a long way to go, I believe that as long as we keep working hard, we will succeed." Yahiko thought of a man named Sou Yuukei.
These days, Yahiko had been diligently protecting villages, hoping to spread the name of Akatsuki and encounter Sou Yuukei again.
However, Sou Yuukei was like a ghost, appearing and disappearing without a trace. Yahiko hadn't seen him, nor had he heard any news of him.
As Yahiko spoke of Akatsuki's dreams and future, all the members' faces lit up with aspiration. This level of enthusiasm would be challenging to feign without prior rehearsal.
Although Kakashi didn't know what would transpire, he guessed that it would be a devastating tragedy.
"War should not exist," Obito agreed with Yahiko's words.
Like Yahiko, Obito also wished to end the wars and bring peace to Konoha and the Fire Country, ensuring that no more ninjas perished in battle.
"Do you think so, too?" Yahiko asked, his eyes shining as he looked at Obito.
If not for Obito's identity as a Konoha ninja, Yahiko would have invited him to join Akatsuki on the spot.
While Yahiko's ideals had inspired some ninjas to join Akatsuki, more often than not, he faced skepticism and ridicule for his dreams and goals.
"My dream is to end the wars and become the Hokage," Obito said, puffing out his chest.
Although Kakashi often told him that he wasn't cut out to be Hokage, Obito believed in himself.
"If you work hard, you will succeed. Then we can work together to bring peace to the ninja world even faster," Yahiko laughed heartily.
At that moment, Obito found Yahiko incredibly agreeable, thinking that he was a great person to get along with.
As long as you believe that I can become the Hokage, then you are my good partner.
Yahiko and his team had to depart as they still needed to check on other places, much to Yahiko's dismay as he wanted to chat with Obito further.
"Goodbye, and let's hope that the next time we hear of each other, our names will be renowned throughout the ninja world," Yahiko bid farewell.
He sincerely hoped that Obito, a like-minded individual, would become the Hokage. The five great ninja villages held significant influence in the ninja world.
"Definitely! Just wait, and the name Uchiha Obito will soon resound throughout the ninja world!" Obito proclaimed as they parted ways.
The trio watched as the Akatsuki ninjas left, and then they, too, ceased their investigation of the organization.
After this encounter, Kakashi was almost certain that the current Akatsuki and the future Akatsuki were entirely different entities, making their investigation futile.
Regardless of what they would become in the future, for now, they were a group of ninjas striving for peace.
However, Kakashi still couldn't help but feel a headache coming on when he thought about Akatsuki.
In the case of Uchiha Itachi, they could guide him from a young age and hopefully change his future.
But Akatsuki was a different story. The ninjas in that organization were much older than them, and there was also the red-haired ninja whose strength was unknown.
Obito didn't overthink things. His most significant desires at the moment were for Mu Yue and Nohara Rin to survive the Third Great Ninja War, for Minato to avoid dying during the Nine-Tails' rampage, and for the Uchiha clan to escape their tragic fate.
Upon returning to the team, Kakashi couldn't get the image of those threatening eyes out of his mind. He drew the unique eyes on a piece of paper and then cautiously asked Mu Yue about them.
"Teacher Mu Yue, I saw this in a mural somewhere in the Rain Country, and it piqued my curiosity. Is this some kind of special cultural symbol?" Kakashi inquired, trying to keep his tone casual.
Obito looked at Kakashi with a puzzled expression. When had Kakashi sneaked off to look at murals? Weren't they supposed to be gathering information about Akatsuki?
Mu Yue took the paper from Kakashi and thought for a moment before replying, "It has many names: Sage of the Six Paths' Eyes, Eyes that Control Life and Death, Rinnegan."
Kakashi's expression turned to one of shock. He had suspected that it might be a powerful bloodline limit, but he hadn't expected it to be connected to the Sage of the Six Paths.
While most people revered the Sage of the Six Paths as a deity, he was not a fictional character from mythology. The Sage was a real person, considered the founder of ninjutsu and thus revered as the progenitor of all ninjas.
"Huh? The eyes of the Sage of the Six Paths?" Obito asked, intrigued, as he moved closer to get a better look.
Kakashi didn't give Obito the chance to examine the drawing further, as he pulled him away to the side for a combat practice session, not wanting to risk exposing sensitive information.
Even Gengetsu couldn't remain calm upon hearing about the Sage of the Six Paths, as the figure held a very special significance for ninjas.
(End of Chapter)
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