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Chapter 405: Fame Throughout the Ninja World
Chapter 405: Fame Throughout the Ninja World
【Name: Hanzo】
【Chakra: 130,500】
【Skills: Water Chakra Nature Transformation (Proficiency: 6,100/15,000), Fire Chakra Nature Transformation (Proficiency: 2,000/15,000), Water Body Flicker Technique (Proficiency), Fire Style: Exploding Flame Formation (Proficiency)...】
Among the Kage-level shinobi that Mu Yue had appraised, Hanzo was one of the few with fewer skills. He only had proficiency in two nature transformations and mostly relied on Water Style jutsu.
Despite his limited skillset, Hanzo was by no means weak. His proficiency in Water Chakra Nature Transformation was notable, and he also possessed several advanced-level Water Style jutsu.
Mu Yue, being well-versed in the story's plot, was also aware of Hanzo's unlisted abilities involving poisons.
Hanzo possessed a salamander summoning beast that could spew out vast clouds of highly toxic gas. Additionally, Hanzo himself had implanted a poison sac from a salamander, which was the reason he always wore a mask.
Without the mask, the toxic gases exhaled by Hanzo were enough to paralyze those around him.
Mu Yue had to admit that Hanzo's use of poisons was a bit of a counter to breathing techniques. If one were to use breathing techniques in a toxic environment, the poisons would invade their body even faster.
Mu Yue had been aware of this weakness with breathing techniques from the start, so he had been planning to improve them. However, such improvements were even more challenging than developing a new breathing technique, hence the slow progress.
Mu Yue had two ideas: mitigation and eradication.
Mitigation involved adding a detoxification or poison resistance effect to the breathing technique, while eradication entailed changing how the technique operated, no longer relying on conventional breathing patterns.
The former was much simpler, and Mu Yue intended to make incremental changes in that direction.
Alternatively, he could rely on equipment, such as wearing a gas mask or oxygen mask.
The advantage of equipment was its simplicity, but the downside was the likelihood of damage during combat.
Given the intensity of a ninja's battles, a single brush with a jutsu would likely damage the equipment.
Seeing Mu Yue return safely, the ninjas finally relaxed.
Regardless of their personal opinions about Hanzo, any ninja from the Land of Rain would immediately think of the demigod Hanzo when discussing powerful individuals.
"According to the information Hanzo provided, I now have a bounty on my head. The reward in the black market has reached three million and fifty thousand ryo, and there may be some bounty hunters coming after me soon."
Upon returning to the group, Mu Yue immediately shared the intelligence he had gained from Hanzo.
"There might be some strong ninjas among them, so our journey ahead won't be safe and will entail some risks," Mu Yue warned.
While Mu Yue was confident in his ability to protect a small group, he couldn't guarantee the safety of all seventy-two individuals. After all, bounty hunters like Kakuzu were ruthless and formidable.
If Kakuzu were to show up, and if he didn't solely focus on Mu Yue but also attacked the team members to distract him, Mu Yue wouldn't be able to protect everyone. At most, he could kill Kakuzu and help them take revenge.
"Three million and fifty thousand ryo..." Choza's pupils dilated in shock.
As a wandering ninja, he had never seen such a substantial sum, so he understood the allure it would hold for others.
"If any of you want to leave the team, you can do so now, and no one will blame you," Mu Yue offered.
The ninjas exchanged glances, their faces reflecting their inner turmoil.
It was indeed a challenging decision to make.
Many of them had average abilities, which was why they had sought to learn ninjutsu from Mu Yue to become stronger.
"Don't underestimate the strength of our Akatsuki organization! We can protect ourselves and you, Sosuke-san," Yahiko said with a laugh.
Aside from the exceptional case of Nagato, both he and Konan were also powerful ninjas. Yahiko wasn't going to leave for such a reason.
In fact, he wanted to stay by Mu Yue's side even more, concerned about his safety.
"My abilities are average, but I'll try my best not to hold you back," one of the ninjas resolved to stay.
Leaving would indeed be safer, but it would also be uneventful.
Staying, on the other hand, presented opportunities. Aside from learning ninjutsu from Mu Yue, simply witnessing his journey across the Land of Rain made them feel like they were part of creating a new history. Compared to their previous lives, they felt they had been living in a daze.
After some internal struggle, Choza made a decision that his past self would never have considered—he, too, would stay.
Even he found his choice surprising, as the usually cautious Choza was now willingly facing danger.
Choza's thoughts went deeper than those of the others. A bounty of three million and fifty thousand ryo might not immediately attract a powerhouse like Mu Yue, but as Mu Yue continued to kill the bounty hunters drawn by the reward, his bounty would increase, and the threats would become more significant.
Yet, he, too, ultimately decided to stay, driven by reasons he couldn't quite explain.
In the end, no one chose to leave. They all opted to continue following Mu Yue.
This outcome took Mu Yue by surprise. He had expected at least a few to depart, given that they hadn't been traveling with him for very long.
The bounty in the black market didn't deter Mu Yue from his plans. He continued his journey across the Land of Rain at his own pace.
They eradicated bandit groups they encountered, took on quests from villagers when they lacked food, and adjusted their stay in each location based on the difficulty of the quests. As a result, they ventured into more and more areas.
"I guess I didn't know the Land of Rain as well as I thought," Yahiko mused.
He had once believed he understood the Land of Rain intimately, but as he traveled with Mu Yue on foot to every village, Yahiko realized he had only seen a fraction of it.
Each village and town faced unique challenges and conflicts, and his desire to bring peace to the Land of Rain now seemed more daunting as he encountered problems he couldn't easily solve.
"But aren't you learning more about it now?" Mu Yue smiled and ruffled Yahiko's hair.
Mu Yue's primary objective was to make Nagato one of the system's disciples, and in the process, he didn't mind fostering a revolutionary spirit in Yahiko.
In the afternoon, Mu Yue and his group arrived at another new village. At the entrance, two children were engaged in a heated debate.
"The sun is closer to people when it rises than at noon."
"No, no, no! The sun is farther away when it rises than at noon."
"When the sun first comes up, it looks as big as a wheel, but at noon, it's like a plate. Isn't that the principle of objects looking smaller when they're farther and bigger when they're closer?"
"It's cooler when the sun rises, but it gets really hot at noon. Isn't that the principle of things getting hotter when they're closer and cooler when they're farther?"
The children argued passionately, neither willing to concede.
"White-robed uncle, you look smart. Who do you think is right?" One of the children turned to Mu Yue for his opinion.
Suddenly, the two children lunged, drawing out kunai knives and stabbing at the seemingly defenseless Mu Yue.
"Teacher Sosuke, watch out!" cried one of the ninjas, who had noticed their movement.
They wanted to lend a hand to Mu Yue, but it was already too late.
Bang! Bang!
Two dull thuds reverberated as Mu Yue swiftly punched the attacking ninjas, knocking them to the ground.
Due to the force of the impact, their transformation jutsu instantly dissipated, revealing their true appearances.
"How is this possible? He's so fast!" exclaimed the bounty ninjas, staring at Mu Yue in disbelief.
At such close range, Mu Yue shouldn't have been able to react in time.
Seeing Mu Yue successfully thwart the ambush, the accompanying ninjas heaved a sigh of relief and immediately surrounded the two captured bounty ninjas.
Mu Yue smiled faintly, saying nothing. With his mastery of the Transparent World, his perception jutsu, and the Byakugan, it was impossible for even the most skilled transformation jutsu users to deceive him.
After interrogating the two ninjas and obtaining the information he needed, Mu Yue killed them without hesitation.
This surprised his followers, as it was the first time they had witnessed Mu Yue taking a life. They had assumed he would be the type to try to reform his enemies with love.
"When faced with enemies who want to kill us, we have every right to strike back with equal force," Mu Yue said calmly.
Mu Yue was not one to take lives indiscriminately, but he would show no mercy to those who sought to end his life.
The ninjas nodded in understanding, feeling like they had gained a deeper insight into Mu Yue's character.
As Mu Yue continued his journey, the number of ambushes increased, and the strength of the attacking ninjas grew more formidable.
However, thanks to the combined efforts of Mu Yue, Yahiko, and the others, their group managed to avoid any casualties.
But Mu Yue received some unsettling news from the bounty ninjas he defeated—his bounty was increasing rapidly and had already skyrocketed to one thousand million ryo.
This turn of events was within Mu Yue's expectations. The more ninjas he defeated, the more credible the Ninja Sect's lineage would appear, naturally leading to a higher bounty.
To enhance the combat capabilities of his followers, Mu Yue assigned them to deal with bounty ninjas of lesser strength, allowing them to hone their skills in real battles.
With the frequency of the attacks, Mu Yue's battles became well-known, and the reputation of the Ninja Master Sosuke spread throughout the Land of Rain and the entire ninja world. The Ninja Sect also re-entered the radar of many ninjas.
Even Tobirama, far away in Konoha, caught wind of this name.
"Ninja Master Sosuke? Who does he think he is? That title suits Mu Yue better," Tobirama scoffed. In his opinion, Mu Yue deserved the title of Ninja Master for both the exceptional quality of his teaching—having produced several acknowledged child prodigies—and the sheer number of students he had instructed, once leading a special training session for nearly seven hundred people.
"Don't underestimate him. Rumor has it that his strength rivals that of Hanzo," Kakashi countered, possessing slightly more knowledge on the matter than Tobirama.
Although it was just a rumor, Kakashi believed that Sosuke's abilities were indeed remarkable. Otherwise, Hanzo himself wouldn't have taken action, and Hanzo's followers would not have caused Sosuke so much trouble.
"Regardless of his strength, his ambition is undoubtedly immense to dare to proclaim the revival of the Ninja Sect," Kakashi added, his mind filled with information about the Ninja Sect.
Ever since he first met Mu Yue, the latter had shared some knowledge about ninjas affiliated with the Ninja Sect. And recently, while researching the Sage of the Six Paths, Kakashi had stumbled upon a wealth of historical information related to the Ninja Sect.
The Ninja Sect could be considered the origin of ninjas, and establishing a faction by that name in the ninja world was almost like a declaration of war against all other ninja forces.
Danzo Shimura felt personally provoked by this, and he immediately sought out Hiruzen Sarutobi, intending to send an elite team of Konoha ninjas into the Land of Rain.
"This Sosuke is definitely not to be underestimated. To prevent potential problems, we must strengthen Konoha's presence in the Land of Rain," Danzo asserted in a grave tone.
"This way, whether it's a scheme by the Land of Rain or some plot by Sosuke, we won't be caught off guard."
The Land of Rain shared a border with Konoha, and Danzo believed that Konoha's current strength in the region was insufficient to handle the chaotic situation there.
"The Land of Rain is a complicated place, and Konoha is already entangled in numerous conflicts. It's best not to involve ourselves further," Hiruzen refused Danzo's proposal outright.
Hiruzen had no interest in the so-called Ninja Sect lineage. After all, older jutsu wasn't necessarily more powerful, and modern-era ninjas often improved upon the existing jutsu, making them more practical.
Additionally, Hiruzen had another concern—he worried that increasing Konoha's power in the Land of Rain might arouse suspicion and jealousy from Sunagakure.
Currently, the Land of Rain was primarily a battleground between Sunagakure and Kumogakure, with Iwagakure occasionally stirring up trouble.
If Konoha sent more ninjas to the Land of Rain, it might give Sunagakure the impression that Konoha intended to become their enemy.
"Hiruzen, you're being indecisive! This could be our chance to break the stalemate!" Danzo retorted, his face darkening.
Although Danzo couldn't pinpoint how they could turn the situation to their advantage, that didn't stop him from voicing his opinion.
Hiruzen's direct refusal annoyed him, as it felt like Hiruzen hadn't taken his suggestion seriously.
"I'm the Hokage," Hiruzen reminded him calmly.
As the Hokage, his authority was absolute. He might discuss matters with Danzo when he was in a good mood, but when it came to crucial decisions, Hiruzen trusted his own judgment.
Danzo's face darkened even further, and without another word, he turned and strode toward the door of the Hokage's office.
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!" With a loud bang, Danzo slammed the door shut and stormed out of the Hokage building.
As Danzo made his way back to Root, his anger only intensified.
He was furious with Hashirama for passing on the title of Hokage to Hiruzen instead of him, and now, he was frustrated that Hiruzen didn't give him, his old classmate, any face.
Most people would have calmed down after a fit of anger, but Danzo was not one to let things go so easily. Since Hiruzen refused to give him face, Danzo decided to take matters into his own hands. His Root organization wasn't just for show.
Danzo immediately issued orders, dispatching a portion of Root ninjas to the Land of Rain. He then mobilized Root forces outside of Konoha to head in the same direction.
If he hadn't been concerned about Hiruzen discovering his actions, Danzo would have gone to the Land of Rain himself, as he was extremely curious about the Ninja Sect's lineage.
...
A ninja with stitches on his body exchanged a corpse for a bag of money at the Exchange Gold House. He lowered his head and flipped through the bounty booklet.
"Sosuke, also known as Ninja Master, capable of utilizing five chakra attributes in battle. Bounty: 13 million ryo. An additional 5 million ryo will be rewarded for capturing him alive."
The stitched ninja closed the booklet and nodded in satisfaction.
"A perfect capture will net me 18 million ryo. Not bad at all."
(End of Chapter)
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