https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-403-A-Ninja-Master-on-Par-with-Hanzo/12558526/
Chapter 402: The Legendary Teacher of the Land of Rain
Chapter 402: The Legendary Teacher of the Land of Rain
After dinner, Itachi and Obito paid a visit to Fugaku Uchiha, Itachi's father, to invite him on a walk. Kakashi Hatake joined them, aiming to prevent young Itachi from veering towards extremism and the eventual destruction of his clan. Knowing that strangers might only have a limited influence, Kakashi was determined to forge a friendship with Itachi.
Fugaku, who had just finished dinner with his family, trusted these two geniuses of the clan and did not stand in their way.
"Itachi, do you know about Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara?" Kakashi asked with a smile.
Itachi thought for a moment before shaking his head.
At his young age, he had not yet received a formal Uchiha education.
"Hashirama Senju was one of the founders of Konoha and our first Hokage. Madara Uchiha used to be our clan leader and was also a founder of Konoha," Kakashi explained briefly to the two boys.
"During the Warring States period, the Senju and Uchiha clans were once bitter rivals..." Kakashi continued, narrating the history of Hashirama Senju's establishment of Konoha as they strolled.
Before this visit, Kakashi had a word with Obito, asking him to step back and let him take the lead in reaching out to Itachi.
Itachi listened intently, although he didn't fully understand, he found the story fascinating. Considering Itachi's young age, Kakashi kept the details vague, only outlining the challenges and efforts that Hashirama faced in creating Konoha.
"Itachi, do you have any thoughts after hearing this story?" Kakashi asked, turning to Itachi after finishing his tale. "Don't you think the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha were extraordinary, achieving peace to such an extent?"
Obito, who had been lost in thought about his exam questions, also turned to Itachi, curious about his response.
"I didn't really understand most of it, so I don't have any particular thoughts, but you told the story very well, Kakashi-niisan," Itachi replied honestly.
He was just a one-year-old child; he knew it was wrong to snatch candy from an elderly lady, but expecting him to comprehend the complexities of war and peace was asking too much.
"You're still very young, it's normal not to understand. But you can remember what I said, and if you have any thoughts later on, feel free to share them with me," Kakashi said, smiling as he ruffled Itachi's hair.
He didn't expect Itachi to fully grasp the story, but he wanted to introduce him to figures like Hashirama Senju and the ideals they embodied. By sharing these historical narratives, Kakashi aimed to inspire Itachi to admire and emulate the qualities of these legendary figures.
"Let me tell you a story, too," Obito said, a spark of inspiration flashing in his eyes.
"Material One: In the early days of the ninja villages, Konoha captured the tailed beasts in the ninja world..."
"Itachi, why do you think Konoha sold the tailed beasts to other ninja villages, and what impact did it have?"
Itachi looked at Obito with a blank expression, confused. Was this a story? He couldn't understand most of it.
Kakashi gave Obito a look that spoke volumes—asking a one-year-old Itachi to grasp ninja history was a tall order.
Perhaps sensing that he had been a bit too ambitious, Obito bought some three-colored dumplings from a stall in Konoha's commercial district and offered a skewer to Itachi.
This small gesture improved Itachi's impression of Obito slightly. In his eyes, Obito went from being a big brother who liked to bully old grannies and spoke incomprehensible words, to a big brother who still did those things but at least offered tasty treats.
Watching Itachi devour the dumplings with relish, Obito smiled to himself, feeling pleased at how easily children could be appeased.
...
Land of Rain:
Two ninjas dashed through the land, their chakra surging as they hurried at top speed.
"Do we really have a chance to learn ninjutsu? What if it's a trap of some sort?" one of the ninjas, Kuroda, said worriedly.
"You're overthinking this, Kuroda. Who cares if it's a trap? They're not even charging us anything. If we can't learn the ninjutsu, we can just leave," said the other, Ikehata, with a nonchalant shrug.
They were vagrant ninjas who had heard about a ninja teaching a class and offering ninjutsu lessons in the small village of Ozu. Initially, they suspected a scheme, as charitable acts like this were uncommon. But when one of Ikehata's acquaintances actually acquired ninjutsu from the teacher, his curiosity was piqued.
Kuroda thought about it and agreed that it made sense to at least give it a shot. After all, they had already come this far, and if they could truly learn ninjutsu, it would be a valuable opportunity. To turn back now would be a missed chance.
There were various types of vagrant ninjas—some were missing ninjas from ninja villages, while others were ordinary people who had stumbled upon ninja traditions by chance. Kuroda and Ikehata fell into the latter category, and even a decent C-rank ninjutsu would be a precious skill for them.
Upon entering Ozu Village, the pair quickly located their target—he was hard to miss.
In an open space, a man with brown hair and a white robe stood on a makeshift low platform. Below him sat dozens of listeners, a diverse group seated on the ground, all captivated by the speaker.
Ikehata now realized that among the dozens of listeners, there were ordinary people with no chakra presence, and the speaker, with his farmer-like appearance, didn't seem like a ninja either.
"I thought we could learn ninjutsu here. How can we acquire it?" Ikehata interrupted, his question filled with anticipation.
He hadn't come to listen to mythical tales; if he couldn't learn any ninjutsu, he'd have to continue figuring out other ways to earn money for cultivation resources and ninjutsu training.
The next moment, Ikehata regretted his impulsiveness as all eyes turned to him, some with hints of displeasure.
Mu Yue, the speaker, didn't seem bothered by the interruption and smiled as she answered Ikehata's question. "Ninjutsu will be rewarded to those who demonstrate excellence in their understanding of the lessons and submit thoughtful reflections."
Although the intense gazes made Ikehata's scalp tingle, he had asked the question and so he boldly continued, "Are there ninjutsu of different attributes? If I can't learn the type I need, it won't be of much use."
Ninjutsu itself was a valuable resource; even if he couldn't use it, he could sell it. However, Ikehata felt that selling ninjutsu acquired through this method might offend people unless he had their permission.
"Then you can rest assured and focus on the lecture. I have a basic understanding of ninjutsu from all attributes." Mu Yue replied with a faint smile.
For this plan, she had specifically developed quite a few C-rank and B-rank ninjutsu.
However, it wasn't exactly development but rather imitation, as these ninjutsu didn't possess any unique characteristics of their own.
Ikehata subconsciously felt that Mu Yue was boasting. How could anyone possibly know ninjutsu from all attributes? Even the incredibly powerful jonin from the Five Great Shinobi Countries usually specialized in just two types.
"Then, what constitutes an excellent performance?" Ikehata didn't immediately refute her claim but instead asked one last question.
He didn't believe that she knew that many ninjutsu, but he felt that she must have something special to offer, or she wouldn't have attracted so many ninjas.
Ikehata decided to give it a try. If he could obtain water-style ninjutsu, it would be a great gain; if not, he would simply leave.
"After the lecture, write down your thoughts and reflections. I will select the outstanding ones," Mu Yue replied. With that, she resumed her lecture, narrating the history of the Sage of the Six Paths' pursuit of peace.
Ikehata and Kuroda, driven by their desire for ninjutsu, listened attentively to Mu Yue's words.
Mu Yue didn't mind using this opportunity to benefit herself while also bringing about positive changes to the people of the Land of Rain.
However, change required a foundation, and the current state of the Land of Rain lacked that foundation. Simply transplanting knowledge from her previous life would be idealistic and meaningless without considering the context.
Thus, Mu Yue chose to share the existing history of the ninja world and their pursuit of peace, encouraging her listeners to reflect on these historical events.
This was the content she had decided on after thoroughly analyzing the intelligence she had gathered on the Land of Rain—a country plagued by constant warfare and a populace that yearned for peace and stability more than anything.
As the lecture came to an end, Ikehata wanted to discuss writing reflections with Kuroda, but he noticed a crowd of listeners huddled together.
Ikehata immediately pulled Kuroda over to join the group, but when they couldn't squeeze in, he asked someone nearby what was going on.
Because of Ikehata's interruption earlier, the person wasn't inclined to answer, but Ikehata's persistent questioning eventually wore them down.
"His name is Nan Yu. Back when So Yokusai first started teaching, no one believed he would actually give out ninjutsu. Only Nan Yu listened to the lecture, wrote a reflection, and submitted it. He was the only one who received a fire-style ninjutsu."
"He's also the only ninja to have learned three ninjutsu from So Yokusai."
"He actually acquired three ninjutsu so easily!" Kuroda exclaimed, a mixture of shock and envy in his voice.
How long would it take for someone to earn enough to buy three ninjutsu?
"No wonder so many people are asking about it. So, he's been chosen as outstanding three times," Ikehata said, his expression clearing as he understood.
Ikehata noticed a detail—the person had used the word 'learned' instead of 'acquired,' implying that So Yokusai even provided instruction on how to use the ninjutsu.
Ikehata felt that this was a rare opportunity, so he patiently waited and listened to their discussion. Later that night, he wrote a glowing reflection praising the Sage of the Six Paths.
Unfortunately, his reflection wasn't chosen as outstanding the next day, but Ikehata wasn't too discouraged because no one had been selected this time.
This meant that the problem didn't lie with him alone; everyone's reflections needed improvement.
"Although I'm teaching you about history, you should also reflect on the current state of the Land of Rain," Mu Yue offered a hint to her students.
Her time here was limited, so she couldn't afford to take a slow and gradual approach to her teachings.
At that moment, Ikehata regretted his impulsiveness as all eyes turned to him, some with hints of displeasure.
Mu Yue, however, didn't seem bothered by the interruption and smiled as she answered his question. "Ninjutsu will be rewarded to those who demonstrate excellence in their understanding of the lessons and submit thoughtful reflections."
Although the intense gazes made Ikehata's scalp tingle, he continued boldly, "Are there ninjutsu of different attributes? If I can't learn the type I need, it won't be of much use."
Ninjutsu was a valuable resource, and even if he couldn't use it himself, he could sell it. However, Ikehata felt that selling ninjutsu acquired in this manner might offend people unless he had their permission.
"Then rest assured and focus on the lecture," Mu Yue replied with a faint smile. "I have a basic understanding of ninjutsu from all attributes."
For this plan, she had specifically developed several C-rank and B-rank ninjutsu. However, it wasn't exactly development but rather imitation, as these techniques lacked unique characteristics.
Ikehata subconsciously felt that Mu Yue was boasting. How could anyone possibly know ninjutsu from all attributes? Even the incredibly powerful jonin from the Five Great Shinobi Countries usually specialized in just two types.
"Then, what constitutes an excellent performance?" Ikehata asked, not immediately refuting her claim. He didn't believe that she knew that many ninjutsu, but he sensed that she had something special to offer, which was why so many ninjas had gathered.
Ikehata decided to give it a try. If he could obtain water-style ninjutsu, it would be a great gain; otherwise, he would simply leave.
"After the lecture, write down your thoughts and reflections," Mu Yue replied. "I will select the outstanding ones." With that, she resumed her lecture, narrating the history of the Sage of the Six Paths' pursuit of peace.
Driven by their desire to learn ninjutsu, Ikehata and Kuroda listened attentively to Mu Yue's words.
Mu Yue saw this as an opportunity to benefit herself while also bringing about positive changes to the people of the Land of Rain.
However, change required a solid foundation, and the current state of the Land of Rain lacked that foundation. Simply transplanting knowledge from her previous life would be idealistic and meaningless without considering the context.
Thus, Mu Yue chose to share the existing history of the ninja world and their pursuit of peace, encouraging her listeners to reflect on these historical events.
This was the content she had decided on after thoroughly analyzing the intelligence she had gathered on the Land of Rain—a country plagued by constant warfare, where the populace yearned for peace and stability above all else.
As the lecture came to an end, Ikehata wanted to discuss writing reflections with Kuroda, but he noticed a crowd of listeners huddled together.
Ikehata immediately pulled Kuroda over to join the group. However, when they couldn't squeeze in, he asked someone nearby what was happening.
Due to Ikehata's interruption earlier, the person wasn't inclined to answer. But Ikehata's persistent questioning eventually wore them down.
"His name is Nan Yu," they replied. "Back when So Yokusai first started teaching, no one believed he would actually give out ninjutsu. Only Nan Yu listened to the lecture, wrote a reflection, and submitted it. He was the only one who received a fire-style ninjutsu."
"He's also the only ninja to have learned three ninjutsu from So Yokusai," someone else added.
"He actually acquired three ninjutsu so easily!" Kuroda exclaimed, a mixture of shock and envy in his voice. It would take a long time for someone to earn enough to buy three ninjutsu.
"No wonder so many people are asking about it," Ikehata said, his expression clearing as he understood. "So, he's been chosen as outstanding three times."
Ikehata noticed a detail—the person had used the word 'learned' instead of 'acquired,' implying that So Yokusai even provided instruction on how to use the ninjutsu.
Ikehata felt that this was a rare opportunity, so he patiently waited and listened to their discussion. Later that night, he wrote a glowing reflection praising the Sage of the Six Paths.
Unfortunately, his reflection wasn't chosen as outstanding the next day, but Ikehata wasn't too discouraged because no one had been selected this time.
This meant that the problem didn't lie with him alone; everyone's reflections needed improvement.
"Although I'm teaching you about history, you should also reflect on the current state of the Land of Rain," Mu Yue offered a hint to her students.
Her time in the Land of Rain was limited, so she couldn't afford to take a slow and gradual approach to her teachings.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
