https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-412-Hanzo-s-Conspiracy-Mu-Yue-s-Suicide-Part-2-/12558537/
Chapter 412: Hanzo's Conspiracy, Mu Yue's Suicide? (Part 1)
Chapter 412: Hanzo's Conspiracy, Mu Yue's Suicide? (Part 1)
"Not even Yahiko and the others?" Longmen asked after a moment of silence.
He could sense Yahiko's admiration and respect for Mu Yue, seeing her as a guiding figure.
"Not yet," Mu Yue shook her head. "The fewer people who know about this, the better. If word gets out, it could bring disaster to the Ninja Sect."
While Yahiko's character was trustworthy, Pein's intelligence-gathering capabilities were too strong. Mu Yue had to first set up a barrier before revealing her true identity, and to prevent exposure, she only intended to let Longmen in on her secret for now.
"Then why tell me? If you hadn't said anything, no one would have been able to find out." Longmen looked into Mu Yue's eyes, his fingers unconsciously fiddling with the chair.
Mu Yue was adept at transformation techniques, and Longmen couldn't spot any flaws. He believed she had the capability to keep this hidden.
Longmen didn't understand why Mu Yue had chosen to confide in him alone. He didn't feel he was any more special than Yahiko, aside from his Sharingan eyes.
"As I said before, I don't want to interact with everyone under a false identity. It's a necessity due to the current situation. So, I believe there must be at least one person who knows my true identity, and to avoid exposure, that person can only be the one I trust the most within the Ninja Sect," Mu Yue explained.
"I believe that you, Longmen, will definitely be able to keep my secret, just as you were willing to trust me and share your experiences."
Looking at Mu Yue's gentle smile, Longmen once again felt a sense of trust.
This trust wasn't empty or based on his Sharingan; it was because he trusted Mu Yue, and she trusted him in return.
"I will do my best," Longmen assured gravely.
Since Mu Yue believed in him so much, he couldn't let her down. Moreover, he felt she was right—her true identity would likely cause trouble for the current Ninja Sect.
Mu Yue then began teaching Longmen the basic breathing technique.
As Longmen already possessed the ability to manipulate six types of chakra nature and none of them were particularly prominent, Mu Yue hadn't decided which breathing technique he should learn yet. So, for the time being, she taught him the fundamental breathing technique.
Teaching the breathing technique was an excellent choice. On the one hand, Longmen already knew many ninjutsu techniques, so he didn't have a significant need for more.
On the other hand, the practice and application of breathing techniques were subtle and suited the current teaching situation. Moreover, breathing techniques had a lot of potential.
[You have taught your disciple the basic breathing technique. Your disciple is extremely grateful and rewards you with a critical hit. Reward received—Four Symbols Seal (Proficient Level)]
Seeing the message from the panel, Mu Yue nodded inwardly.
By taking the initiative to reveal her identity early on, she could not only avoid Longmen suffering a significant blow but also promote trust. This little secret shared between just the two of them would foster a stronger relationship.
When Mu Yue first exposed her identity, Longmen's trust level had dropped to one, but after her explanation, it rose back up to two, and with the teaching reward, their overall trust was increasing.
…………
Upon Mu Yue's agreement to cooperate, Hanzo immediately selected a location where she and her companions could rest in peace—a valley. His plan was to lure them into the valley and then spring a trap, with his Rain Ninjas attacking from above.
Hanzo now considered the Ninja Sect as enemies and would use every means at his disposal to crush them while minimizing losses for the Rain Ninjas.
"This is how we deal with those ninjas who preach peace but harbor sinister intentions," Danzo Shimura said, satisfied with Hanzo's plan.
Initially, Danzo had thought Hanzo would scorn the use of traps, but he was pleasantly surprised to find that Hanzo understood their necessity. This gave Danzo a sense of regret that they hadn't become acquainted sooner.
Hanzo nodded indifferently. When it came to enemies, he wasn't obstinate.
Just then, there was a knock on the Rain Ninja leader's office door.
"Come in," Hanzo said.
A Rain Ninja pushed the door open and quickly entered, reporting, "Leader Hanzo, there's a Rock Ninja Village ninja who wants to see you, and he looks angry."
Hanzo frowned slightly. The only reason for a visit at this time would be regarding the Ninja Sect ninja who had killed a Rock Ninja.
Danzo Shimura made a guilty expression and sighed, as if apologizing for his subordinate's negligence.
"It seems my subordinate has overlooked something," Danzo said apologetically, looking at Hanzo.
While Danzo's expression was feigned, he wasn't lying. This wasn't his arrangement, and the sudden involvement of the Rock Ninjas could potentially disrupt his plans.
"It's not your fault. I misjudged someone," Hanzo said in a low voice.
The Rain Country had no friendly alliance with Konoha, so Danzo wasn't obligated to help. The fact that he had gone this far already demonstrated his goodwill, and Hanzo couldn't very well blame him for the actions of others.
Hanzo then turned to the Rain Ninja who had brought the message, "Bring them here."
Hanzo had intended to deal with Mu Yue and her companions first and then explain the situation to the Rock Ninja Village. However, since the Rock Ninjas had come to him, he had no choice but to clarify things now.
"The Rock Ninjas are still at war with Konoha. I'll take my leave for now," Danzo said, standing up to depart.
His desire to sign a peace treaty with the Rock Ninjas was merely an excuse, so he had no intention of meeting with them.
Hanzo nodded in understanding.
Even if Danzo didn't leave, Hanzo would have asked him to. If the Rock Ninjas saw the second-in-command of Konoha chatting with Hanzo in his office and connected it to the recent killing of a Rock Ninja by a Rain Country ninja, the Rain Ninjas would be implicated no matter what.
Soon, the Rain Ninja returned, leading three Rock Ninjas into Hanzo's office.
Hanzo calmly appraised the three Rock Ninjas who had entered.
The leader of the group wore a red tight-fitting combat outfit with brown upper-ninja body armor. His body was robust, his features ordinary, but his nose was large.
"They sent Kaji, the son of the Third Tsuchikage, Ohnoki. It seems the Rock Ninja Village is taking this incident seriously," Hanzo recognized the leader as Kaji, the son of the current Tsuchikage and a renowned young talent in the ninja world, though not as famous as the Fourth Raikage, Ay.
"Recently, we discovered that ninjas bearing the Rain Country forehead protector have killed our Rock Ninjas. We demand a reasonable explanation from the Rain Ninja Village," Kaji said bluntly.
Although Hanzo was renowned as one of the pinnacle ninjas, Kaji stood backed by the entire Rock Ninja Village, so he showed no fear.
The Second Great Ninja War had already proven that having a top-tier ninja didn't guarantee victory in war.
Hanzo revealed the entire cause and effect of the incident to Ohnoki, but due to the ongoing war between Konoha and Iwagakure, he changed it to the Root Ninjas discovering the incident instead.
"Although they are not Rain Ninjas, they are still ninjas of the Rain Country, and I feel deeply grieved that such an incident has occurred. I will kill all these ninjas who intend to incite war between our villages," Hanzo stated his solution.
"They were all brave warriors of Iwagakure, carrying out important missions for our village. Hanzo-sama, as a top-tier ninja renowned throughout the shinobi world, I believe you are reasonable and understand that this matter cannot be resolved by simply offering lives in exchange," Ohnoki expressed his disapproval of Hanzo's proposal.
Based on the information from the Rain Country, Ohnoki knew that eighty percent of what Hanzo said was likely true. After all, with the current state of the Rain Ninjas, how could they dare to provoke the Great Ninja Villages?
However, this did not stop Ohnoki from seeking greater benefits for Iwagakure.
Hanzo understood Ohnoki's implication—a demand for more compensation.
"This unfortunate incident is indeed a failure on our part, and we are willing to provide some form of compensation for the loss of your brave warriors," Hanzo said expressionlessly.
Hanzo was feeling very displeased and frustrated, but he could only offer monetary compensation to Iwagakure as the current Rain Ninjas lacked the strength to engage in a war with one of the Great Ninja Villages.
Hanzo grew to detest the Ninjutsu Sect even more, as all of this was caused by them.
Hanzo quickly set a date for the meeting and dispatched a messenger to notify the Ninjutsu Sect. Immediately after, he gathered the elite Rain Ninjas and assigned them a mission.
The matter was sudden, and many Rain Ninjas were still unaware of Hanzo's plan to eliminate the Ninjutsu Sect.
Hanzo assembled over a hundred elite Rain Ninjas in a conference room. First, his deputy explained the evil deeds of the Ninjutsu Sect, including the actions of Sosuke Mugen and the sect itself.
The deeds of Sosuke Mugen and the Ninjutsu Sect had recently spread widely throughout the Rain Country, and Hanzo feared that some Rain Ninjas might believe in Mugen, so he wanted them to know the true nature of the sect first.
"The Ninjutsu Sect outwardly preaches peace but kills Iwagakure ninjas to incite conflict between the Rain and Earth Countries. Their actions are truly detestable..." Hanzo's deputy explained with a look of indignation.
Hearing that the Ninjutsu Sect had committed such deeds, the Rain Ninjas below were all surprised, as the sect had gained a positive reputation in the Rain Country, receiving recognition from both ninjas and civilians.
"I never expected Sosuke Mugen to be so heinous. I once thought that he could bring about positive change to the Rain Country," said a Rain Ninja Jonin, who had been tasked with investigating Mu Yue.
Mu Yue had displayed exceptional strength, and during her lectures, she expressed a peaceful inclination. This gave the Rain Ninja Jonin the impression that Mu Yue could bring about change in the Rain Country.
"Ichigo, you must be feeling very unsatisfied, having been defeated by such a person," the Rain Ninja Jonin said to Kurosaki Ichigo, who was sitting next to him.
Normally, Kurosaki Ichigo would not have been assigned to such a high-level mission, given the short time he had been with the Rain Ninjas. However, Hanzo valued Ichigo's strength and his previous encounter with Mu Yue, so he made an exception.
"Yes, next time I will definitely win," Mu Yue's shadow clone nodded and smiled.
It was quite interesting to sit in a meeting where others plotted against her.
After the meeting, Mu Yue's shadow clone returned to her temporary residence in the Rain Ninja Village, dismissed the clone, and allowed the memories to flow back to her original body.
It was evening by then, and Mu Yue was in her room, studying sealing techniques by herself.
After organizing the memories of the shadow clone, Mu Yue quietly made her way to the Rain Ninja Village. Upon reaching the outskirts of her sensory range, she directly used Flying Thunder God to teleport to her temporary residence in the village. She then created another shadow clone and left using Flying Thunder God again.
The effectiveness of the shadow clone technique slightly exceeded Mu Yue's expectations.
Her original intention was to have the shadow clone act as a decoy, but the Rain Ninjas valued the clone's strength and invited it to join their village.
Due to its recent induction, the shadow clone could only perform a limited number of low-level tasks, which helped avoid issues of excessive chakra consumption and injuries.
Mu Yue went with the flow and successfully planted an insider in the Rain Ninja Village.
With the shadow clone as an insider, it was as if Mu Yue herself had infiltrated their plot. She was aware of every trap's location and type.
Three days later, the day arrived for the meeting with Hanzo to discuss the peace treaty. Many Ninjutsu Sect ninjas were excited about this development.
If Hanzo was not deceiving them, this cooperation would indeed be a milestone for the Ninjutsu Sect, and it would be a significant step forward, all at once.
"Uncle Mugen, do you think we should all go together? I'm just wondering if that might not be a good idea," Yahiko thought for a moment and asked.
He felt that bringing too many ninjas might give Hanzo a bad impression, as if they were suspicious and worried about Hanzo's intentions.
Mu Yue nodded and replied, "Indeed, we don't need too many people for the meeting."
After all, their opponent was a top-tier powerhouse like Hanzo, and Mu Yue couldn't guarantee the safety of everyone if they brought too many people.
The Ninjutsu Sect ninjas looked at Mu Yue with eager anticipation. No one wanted to miss out on such a significant event.
"Nagato, Yahiko, Konan, Kakuzu, Chouzaya, Kuroda..." Mu Yue called out the names of eight ninjas.
These were the ones she favored and considered to have exceptional strength and self-preservation skills.
"Why do I have to go? I'm not even a ninja of your Ninjutsu Sect," Kakuzu said, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. He really didn't want to get involved in this mess.
"What I mean is, if you want to come, you're welcome to join. If you really don't want to come, then you don't have to," Mu Yue replied with a faint smile.
Kakuzu made a thoughtful expression.
Upon hearing his name, Yahiko's face lit up with uncontrollable joy.
Yahiko, who strongly identified with the Ninjutsu Sect, was thrilled to be able to participate in such a milestone meeting. Another reason for his happiness was his desire to talk to Hanzo about his views on peace.
Nagato, on the other hand, remained unaffected. As long as the Ninjutsu Sect could cooperate with the Rain Ninjas, he was satisfied and didn't feel the need to witness it personally.
Chouzaya's face flickered with a hint of worry. He had a bad feeling about this meeting and suspected that Hanzo had ulterior motives.
"Boss, good luck! This is your chance to meet your idol," Ukitsu teased, knowing Yahiko's admiration for Hanzo.
Yahiko scratched his head and smiled, not taking the comment to heart.
With the send-off wishes of the other Ninjutsu Sect ninjas, Mu Yue and her group set out for the agreed-upon valley.
But since Mu Yue was going, Kakuzu had no choice but to follow. Should anything happen to Mu Yue, he would have to wait fifteen years for the seal to be automatically released.
(End of Chapter)
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