https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-408-The-Reincarnation-of-the-Six-Paths-Sage-Chakra-/12558531/
Chapter 407: The Rise of the Ninja Sect
Chapter 407: The Rise of the Ninja Sect
Fire Dragon Riot was a fire-style jutsu Mu Yue had improved and developed based on her Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, and it could be considered a super-version of the latter.
The range, power, and flexibility of the fire-style jutsu were all enhanced, and aside from the excessive chakra consumption and demanding requirements, it had almost no other drawbacks.
The high-temperature flames that Mu Yue exhaled devoured the combination jutsu used by Kakuzu in an instant.
Feeling the wave of heat that washed over him, Kakuzu's pupils shook.
He had thought that the fire-style jutsu Mu Yue used before was already powerful, but he hadn't expected that she had shown mercy and hadn't used her full strength previously.
Kakuzu immediately wanted to recall the Earth Grudge Vengeful Heart, but the flames were too fast. Before it could return to Kakuzu's body, it was reduced to black ash under Mu Yue's flames.
Kakuzu clutched his chest in pain, feeling as if his life had been taken away twice over.
But Mu Yue's Fire Dragon Riot wasn't over yet.
Under Mu Yue's control, the fiery sea split into six fire dragons that surrounded and attacked Kakuzu from different directions, targeting him and his two remaining hearts.
Even if Kakuzu had decisively recalled all his hearts from the start, only the Lightning-attribute heart managed to return to his body in the face of such an offensive. The Water-attribute heart was destroyed by the fire dragon.
Kakuzu's main body also suffered an attack from the fire dragon, and the Earth-attribute heart couldn't withstand such a terrifying assault, shattering into pieces.
In almost an instant, Kakuzu, who had five lives, was left with only one, and the tide of the battle turned drastically.
"Amazing! As expected of Uncle Souzou!" Yahiko exclaimed in delight.
Even from a distance, Yahiko could feel the terrifying temperature of the flames, and he knew that this was the most powerful fire-style jutsu he had ever witnessed.
"So Teacher Souzou is this strong?" The ninja who recognized Kakuzu was shocked.
Kakuzu could definitely be considered a legendary ninja in the black market, and for such a formidable opponent to be nearly taken out by Mu Yue's single fire-style jutsu left him deeply shaken.
He even felt that Mu Yue's strength surpassed Danzo's, as he believed Danzo wouldn't be able to take out Kakuzu with a single water-style jutsu.
"Can Danzo really be compared to Teacher Souzou?" Chouzaya was convinced that he had underestimated Mu Yue's strength.
His imagination couldn't keep up with Mu Yue's true power.
In his impression, the strongest ninja was undoubtedly Danzo.
But from this moment on, Chouzaya declared that there was a new contender for the title of the strongest.
The strength Mu Yue displayed was too overwhelming, and some ninjas even felt that it was a bit surreal.
They pinched their arms to confirm that they weren't dreaming, and the slight pain assured them that this was indeed reality and not an illusion.
It wasn't that their psychological endurance was weak, but rather, the situation was so favorable that they felt like they were dreaming.
Without having to sacrifice anything, they were able to receive the dedicated teachings of a powerful figure like Mu Yue just by following her.
Although, in Mu Yue's perspective, the ninjas who chose to follow her had made a resolute decision to adventure, but for these vagrant ninjas, danger was an everyday occurrence. If they wanted to move forward, embracing danger was inevitable.
So, to them, being able to travel through the Land of Rain with Mu Yue was like a dream come true. Not only did they learn valuable skills, but they also lived more like true ninjas, satisfying both their desires for an exciting life and personal growth.
Mu Yue slowly walked towards the fallen Kakuzu, who lay motionless on the ground.
Although Kakuzu wasn't moving, Mu Yue knew he wasn't dead yet, as he still had one heart remaining.
If someone unfamiliar with the intelligence on the Earth Grudge Vengeful Heart saw Kakuzu's injuries, they would surely assume he was dead.
But Mu Yue was different. She was truly an intelligence expert, with the ability to appraise, transform, and knowledge of the original storyline.
"Are you going to keep pretending to be dead?" Mu Yue asked calmly as she approached Kakuzu.
Kakuzu's heart tightened at her words, but he still didn't move, thinking that Mu Yue might be trying to trick him.
After all, almost everyone who had seen him use the Earth Grudge Vengeful Heart was dead, so Mu Yue shouldn't have any way of knowing about it.
"Do you think I'm trying to trick you? What can you possibly do with only one heart left?" Mu Yue continued.
Kakuzu's forehead broke out in a cold sweat as he felt his secrets had been seen through. He could no longer maintain his composure and looked at Mu Yue with a confused expression.
Kakuzu was certain he had never met Mu Yue before, nor had they fought each other. He didn't understand how Mu Yue could know about his abilities.
"How do you know about my abilities?" Kakuzu stood up, no longer pretending, and asked coldly as he stared at Mu Yue.
At this point, Kakuzu was surprisingly calm, as the worst outcome he faced was death.
Did Kakuzu want to die? Of course not; he hadn't made enough money yet.
But was Kakuzu afraid of death? No, if he feared death, he wouldn't have attempted to assassinate Hashirama Senju.
Most of the area had turned into scorched earth due to Mu Yue's Fire Dragon Riot, and the fact that Kakuzu could still stand after enduring such a terrifying attack seemed absurd to them.
"This is the wisdom of ancient times," Mu Yue said with a mystical smile.
While she couldn't divulge details about her abilities, such as the storyline appraisal, transformation, and copying, she could offer vague hints.
"Is it that so-called Ninjutsu inheritance?" Kakuzu asked, curious about the mysterious Ninjutsu inheritance and why it warranted such a high bounty.
"You could say that," Mu Yue replied ambiguously, guiding Kakuzu's thoughts in the direction of his own assumptions.
Though her answer was vague, it was still an answer, and Kakuzu, accepting his fate, once again assumed a battle stance, ready to meet his end.
Even though the outcome of the fight was predetermined, Kakuzu wouldn't go down without a fight. He would struggle until his last breath.
With lightning speed, Kakuzu undid the stitches on his wrist and used the Earth Grudge Fear threads within his body to control his fists, launching them at Mu Yue.
While it looked simple, the attack actually packed a decent punch, and an average Jonin ninja might have been punched right through.
After releasing Fire Dragon Riot, Mu Yue had exited her Flame Breathing Chakra Mode and switched back to her most commonly used Stone Breathing Mode.
With the enhancement of the Stone Breathing Mode, Mu Yue's strength and skin toughness increased, easily neutralizing the incoming flying fists.
Whoosh!
Mu Yue's figure flashed, appearing at Kakuzu's side.
Kakuzu quickly used the Earth Grudge Fear threads for defense.
Bang!
Mu Yue's heavy blow shattered Kakuzu's defense, sending him flying like a broken kite and crashing to the ground.
Mu Yue's fierce body technique didn't even give Kakuzu a chance to use his Lightning Release technique for an attack.
At this point, Kakuzu felt like a punchbag unable to fight back, just taking the relentless blows of Mu Yue's body technique.
Kakuzu's consciousness gradually blurred.
"Dying at the hands of such a strong opponent isn't so bad," he thought as he fell to the ground again.
Mu Yue was indeed powerful. In Kakuzu's long ninja career, he had only encountered one opponent stronger than Mu Yue, and that was the ninja god, Hashirama Senju.
Thinking back, Kakuzu found his younger self somewhat laughable.
He had made extensive preparations to assassinate Hashirama Senju, only to be mysteriously and severely injured, returning to the village in a pitiful state and then being imprisoned and heavily punished.
Back then, Kakuzu hadn't been mature enough to understand the situation, only feeling resentment towards them. Now, however, he saw everything clearly.
There was no particular reason for what had happened; it was just the reality of the ninja world.
Hashirama Senju's strength and achievements had been too great, and the higher-ups, fearing a threat to their positions, had sent Kakuzu on a suicide mission.
They spoke of the village and its will, but in their hearts, they only cared about their own interests.
"I am Kakuzu," he said, using his last bit of strength to declare his name.
Kakuzu was at his lowest point. He was even more injured than when he had faced Hashirama Senju, and he didn't even have the strength to stand.
Just as Kakuzu thought he was about to die, that final blow never came.
Kakuzu opened his eyes to see Mu Yue standing quietly beside him, watching him.
Mu Yue was weighing the pros and cons.
Her actions would bring about a significant change in the Land of Rain, and she wanted that change to be for the better. But maintaining that change would require strength, and Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan alone wouldn't be enough. Nagato was still unable to use the Rinnegan at will, and Mu Yue couldn't stay in the Land of Rain forever. So, strengthening the power of the Ninjutsu Sect was necessary.
If she just left things as they were and ran away, she would become the very person she had once despised.
There was no doubt about Kakuzu's strength as a ninja. If he had a way to counter the salamander's poison, he could even give Jiraiya a run for his money.
Mu Yue thought for a moment and then placed her hand on Kakuzu's chest.
Kakuzu thought Mu Yue was going to finish him off, but nothing happened. After half a minute, a complicated sealing formula appeared on his chest.
"Why didn't you kill me? What do you want from me?" Kakuzu asked, puzzled by Mu Yue's actions.
"If you think I'm trying to leave something inside you to blackmail you into working for me, then you underestimate me."
Kakuzu had his pride, and he would rather die than live with such humiliation.
"Your imagination is quite something," Mu Yue said, offering her hand to Kakuzu.
All she had done was leave a seal in Kakuzu's body to disrupt his chakra, making it difficult for him to gather chakra and use ninjutsu.
"The Ninja Sect? You don't mean the ancient Ninja Sect whose duty was to safeguard the peace of the ninja world, do you?" Kakuzu scoffed, as if he had heard a ridiculous joke.
In truth, Kakuzu hadn't known about the Ninja Sect before, as it was a part of history from millennia ago. He had only learned about it during his investigation of Mu Yue, which was why he deemed her naive.
In Kakuzu's opinion, the type of ninja that Mu Yue envisioned only existed in fantasies. In reality, ninjas always put their interests first. Forget about safeguarding the peace of the entire ninja world; even protecting their own villages or countries involved calculating how to gain the most benefit.
"It's not just that, but you can understand it that way for now," Mu Yue replied with a smile.
How could he possibly establish a Ninja Sect like the one founded by the Sage of Six Paths? He was merely borrowing the name.
Even the Sage of Six Paths' Ninja Sect had failed; how could Mu Yue possibly create an identical one?
"In the ninja world, only profit is eternal. You will never succeed," Kakuzu stated flatly.
"How do you know it won't work if you don't try?" Mu Yue retorted, her relaxed smile unchanged despite Kakuzu's words.
"Can a single drop of water extinguish a blazing fire?" Kakuzu remained unconvinced by Mu Yue's ideals, certain that she was destined to fail. "Some things are impossible, and you don't need to try them to know that."
"Why not?"
Mu Yue entered the Water Breathing Chakra Mode and compressed a large amount of water-attribute chakra into a single droplet, which she then fired at the remaining flames, extinguishing them instantly.
Kakuzu fell silent. This level of control was a bit beyond his understanding.
"Teacher Souzou, I think you're wasting your time. This mercenary ninja, who only cares about profit, will never become a true ninja," Chouzaya said after a moment's thought, stepping forward.
Kakuzu glanced at Chouzaya indifferently. "Someone of your caliber isn't even worth my effort. No one would put a bounty on a weakling like you."
Kakuzu was already in his seventies, and if he could be provoked by such a simple tactic, he would have wasted his life up until now.
"You and the others will eventually meet your end along with his naivety if you continue to stay by his side," Kakuzu said mercilessly.
If he hadn't misjudged Mu Yue's strength and if he didn't have a policy against attacking those without bounties, Kakuzu was sure he could have inflicted casualties on this team.
Kakuzu didn't think that his death would cause Mu Yue's bounty to disappear. On the contrary, Mu Yue's bounty would definitely increase, and by a large amount.
At that time, perhaps it wouldn't just be individual bounty hunters coming after Mu Yue; ninja forces might also target Mu Yue's Ninja Sect inheritance.
"That's just your fantasy. The reality is that Teacher Souzou is on the path to success, while you and those who share your mindset are the ones who will fail," Chouzaya retorted.
"Everyone knows about danger. Teacher Souzou has already warned us, and it's human instinct to avoid danger. But there are things that surpass that instinct."
"Has naivety become contagious?" Kakuzu mocked, but his heart stirred with unusual thoughts.
This team was indeed a little different from what he had imagined.
Even though he had been recognized, they hadn't fled.
Kakuzu could tell that the vagrant ninjas following Mu Yue didn't know her true strength, as they had also looked shocked when she unleashed her fire-style jutsu.
Kakuzu was curious about what gave them the courage to stay. Not only did these weaklings not run away, but they also dared to attack him.
"You keep spouting your self-righteous nonsense. Since you think we will fail, why don't you stick around and see if we do?" Yahiko joined the verbal sparring.
"Join us on our journey through the Land of Rain. Whether you join the Ninja Sect or continue trying to capture me for the bounty will be up to you after that," Mu Yue said in conclusion.
"However, I won't release the sealing technique on you during the trip for everyone's safety."
A hint of hesitation flashed across Kakuzu's face.
"I want to see if you have anything else up your sleeve besides your naivety," Kakuzu agreed after a moment's thought.
He figured that refusing or agreeing would only delay the time of his death. His naivety had died long ago, on the day he returned to the village with severe injuries.
(End of Chapter)
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