Chapter 415: Nagato's Golden Coin Explosion
Chapter 415: Nagato's Golden Coin Explosion
[Disciple Nagato's trust level increased. Current trust level: 3]
As Mu Yue expected, the trust level had upgraded.
His honesty with Nagato about his identity had already increased their trust to some extent, and now that they had fought side by side, it was only natural that their trust level had risen.
Mu Yue felt that if he had spent two years with Nagato instead of two months, he might have been able to surge straight to trust level four.
Ultimately, their time together had been too short, but Mu Yue was still satisfied with the current outcome.
In addition to successfully taking on an apprentice, Mu Yue had also done what he could to help the ninja world, as he had planned.
He had founded the Ninja Sect in the Land of Rain to spread the idea of peace, and with its current momentum, the sect would be able to bring stability to the chaotic Land of Rain, if not maintain world peace.
"Let me heal you first," Mu Yue said as he created a shadow clone to tend to the injured Ninja Sect ninjas. He then used the Palm Sage Technique to heal himself.
Seeing that Mu Yue seemed to be unharmed, Nagato, who had been tense the entire time, finally relaxed, his face pale as he breathed heavily.
While Nagato had been fearless in his berserk state, it had also drained a lot of his chakra and stamina.
The other Ninja Sect ninjas also slumped to the ground in relief. Although not much time had passed, the intense life-and-death battle had been exhausting.
"We actually won..." Even Chi Chang, who was sitting on the ground from exhaustion, couldn't believe it.
He had thought that the best outcome would be for Mu Yue to lead them to escape successfully, after all, their opponent was the strongest in the Land of Rain and known as the pinnacle of ninjas—the demi-god, Hanzo. Not to mention, Hanzo had also brought along many elite Rain Ninjas.
This was a resounding victory for them, with not a single death and only a few injuries.
Of course, Chi Chang was also aware that while he had been a participant, this victory had little to do with him. It was mostly due to the efforts of Mu Yue, Kakuzu, and Nagato.
Undoubtedly, Mu Yue was the MVP for holding off the mighty Hanzo and coming to their rescue in their most desperate moment.
Kakuzu also made a significant contribution by single-handedly holding off the numerous Rain Ninjas, lessening the pressure on the weaker Ninja Sect ninjas.
Before Nagato's outburst, he had been their artillery, dealing damage with his ninjutsu, and after his transformation, he swiftly took out several enemies, becoming the straw that broke the camel's back.
Although they had achieved a rare victory, the atmosphere was quiet, with no one speaking a word. Even Yahiko, usually the chattiest, remained silent.
However, their reasons for silence were different. Nagato and Chi Chang were simply too exhausted to speak, while Yahiko had suffered a huge blow and was still processing what had happened.
Even though Yahiko might hate Hanzo now, his admiration for him before today had been genuine. He had truly idolized and aspired to be like Hanzo.
Then he met Mu Yue and became a member of the Ninja Sect, taking steps towards achieving peace.
Being invited by his idol, Hanzo, to maintain peace in the Land of Rain should have been a joyous occasion.
But the reality was that the invitation had been a trap, and Hanzo's true intention was to eliminate the Ninja Sect.
"Why did it turn out this way? Were the rumors all false? Were they spread by Hanzo on purpose?" Yahiko couldn't wrap his head around it.
It was Kakuzu who eventually broke the silence.
"Sou Yuuke, you're a strange one," Kakuzu said, having sewn his body back together, as he turned to Mu Yue.
Kakuzu didn't know how to evaluate Mu Yue anymore.
On one hand, calling Mu Yue naive seemed inappropriate, as it seemed that Mu Yue had anticipated the entire development of events and had willingly walked into Hanzo's trap to expose the harsh reality to the Ninja Sect ninjas.
Could someone who made such calculated decisions and had such thoughts be considered naive? Kakuzu didn't think so. A slight misstep could have resulted in the deaths of some of the weaker Ninja Sect ninjas.
On the other hand, calling Mu Yue not naive would imply that his goals and ideals were realistic, which, to Kakuzu, seemed like naive fantasies.
The more Kakuzu interacted with Mu Yue, the more confused he became. However, he had gained one certainty: Mu Yue was incredibly strong, with a depth that was difficult to fathom.
"Just strange? That's not too bad, then," Mu Yue said with a light laugh. He had expected Kakuzu to come up with more scathing words.
Kakuzu's face darkened slightly. He still respected strength.
"You won, and you're moping around. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you lost the battle and your companions died," Kakuzu said, his tone harsh as he turned to Yahiko.
"I..." Yahiko wanted to say something but closed his mouth again.
He felt that the Ninja Sect falling into Hanzo's trap had a lot to do with him, and he deserved the blame.
Konan, seeing that Yahiko was being scolded too harshly, wanted to speak up for him.
But Kakuzu was not one to hold back because of gender or age, and he proceeded to attack both Konan and Yahiko.
However, under normal circumstances, Kakuzu wouldn't target people specifically, so he also took the opportunity to attack everyone else.
"Encountering setbacks is not scary. What's scary is being disheartened by them. We must learn from our mistakes and use them as nourishment for our growth to become stronger," Mu Yue said, putting an end to the dispute with a single sentence.
Kakuzu had to admit that Mu Yue had a way with words. He understood the logic, but to phrase it so pleasantly was something Kakuzu couldn't do.
"You didn't kill me, and I saved your subordinate. Let's call it even between us," Kakuzu said suddenly.
"You've been a great help this time. Thank you," Mu Yue smiled and nodded in gratitude.
Without Kakuzu's assistance, the battle would not have gone so smoothly.
"Don't mention it," Kakuzu said brusquely. "If you're truly grateful, give me money."
"That's not possible. The money I have is for treating everyone to a meal after the meeting, but I can invite you to join us," Mu Yue refused to give him money.
"Are you going to eat?"
"Yes!" Kakuzu agreed without hesitation. He had to make sure to eat Mu Yue's food.
Mu Yue's lack of money was believable to Kakuzu because although Mu Yue was very strong, he didn't take on missions, nor did he steal or rob, so it was likely that he had no money.
Before leaving, Mu Yue retrieved the kunai that Hanzo had initially thrown at him, asking him to commit suicide. The kunai was now old and battered due to the explosion.
Mu Yue gave the old kunai to Yahiko, "If you still find it hard to let go, then you must learn from this experience."
Yahiko nodded solemnly and carefully kept the old kunai. The events of today were something he would probably never forget for the rest of his life.
Although Mu Yue had mentioned treating them to a meal, after such a major incident, they still had to return to the Ninja Sect's base first and announce what had happened with Hanzo.
There were also concerns that Hanzo might send ninjas to assassinate the Ninja Sect members who hadn't attended the meeting.
Upon returning to the Ninja Sect's base and seeing the peaceful village, Yahiko and Chi Chang finally felt relieved.
Kakuzu, on the other hand, wasn't too worried because he believed that Mu Yue must have had some precautions in place and left some backup.
Mu Yue gathered the Ninja Sect ninjas and revealed Hanzo's plot to them.
The Ninja Sect ninjas were all incredulous. If it hadn't been Mu Yue speaking, they never would have believed that Hanzo was capable of such a thing.
Some of them didn't particularly like Hanzo, but no one thought he was a treacherous and cunning person. In the eyes of the Rain Country ninjas, Hanzo had always been known as a magnanimous and powerful figure.
"I never thought Hanzo would be such a person. Are you all right, Leader?" Muta immediately believed Mu Yue's words and looked at Yahiko with concern.
Although Muta usually liked to tease Yahiko, he knew that Yahiko's mood wouldn't be good at a time like this.
"I'm fine. Sou Yuuke is very strong, and this time, Hanzo brought it upon himself," Yahiko shook his head.
Along the way, with Kakuzu and Mu Yue mediating, Yahiko had already come to terms with many things.
It no longer mattered what kind of person Hanzo was. What was important was what Yahiko would do next.
After listening to Mu Yue's account of what had happened at the meeting, many of the Ninja Sect ninjas once again wore shocked expressions.
It wasn't that they were easily surprised, but the content was just too impactful for the Rain Country ninjas.
The Ninja Sect ninjas highly respected Mu Yue, but in their hearts, Hanzo was still the strongest in the Rain Country. This had been their impression for decades, and it was difficult to change it immediately.
For Mu Yue to repel Hanzo was like shattering the Rain Country ninjas' fundamental beliefs, and it was hard for them not to be astonished.
Mu Yue also understood the impact that this incident would have on the Rain Country ninjas, so he gave them ample time to process it and didn't arrange any tasks for them.
After a brief rest, Nagato couldn't help but ask Mu Yue for guidance on fire-style jutsu.
After the battle, Nagato realized that while he could use various jutsu skillfully, there was still room for improvement, whether it was with basic or powerful jutsu.
As Mu Yue clarified Nagato's doubts, he also taught Nagato a fire-style jutsu.
[You taught your disciple Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. Your disciple is extremely grateful and rewards you with a Critical Hit! You gain the reward - Lightning Attribute Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery Level)]
However, the best reward Long Mon could give Mu Yue was the daily Chakra return from his diligent solo cultivation.
[Disciple Long Mon's diligent Chakra cultivation increased. Solo Cultivation Chakra Return +240]
These 240 Chakra points would require Mu Yue to teach twelve basic classes to accumulate. Yet, it was just a daily reward from Long Mon due to their Trust Level.
In Long Mon, Mu Yue saw the potential for freedom in Chakra control. Perhaps in a few more years, after entering the Breathing Chakra Mode, he wouldn't need to rush to turn it off, and he could freely use the Armed Color Chakra with other ninjutsu without worrying about consumption.
As the content of this lesson wasn't particularly unique, Mu Yue didn't specifically bring Long Mon to the sealed hut. Other Ninjutsu Sect ninjas who overheard the lesson subconsciously gathered to listen, and Mu Yue ended up teaching a class on Fire Style Jutsu, with Kakuzu listening intently as well.
To defeat the strongest Water Style user in the current Ninja World with Fire Style, Mu Yue's Fire Style Jutsu was incredibly valuable.
Mu Yue lectured until the evening, and due to time constraints, they had a simple dinner at the base.
That night, Kakuzu lay in his room, ruminating over Mu Yue's lecture.
"This guy might earn more than me if he charged for his lessons," Kakuzu thought admiringly of Mu Yue's teaching ability.
Being skilled and being able to teach others were two different things. Teaching was a talent in itself.
As Kakuzu closed his eyes, he suddenly felt like he had forgotten something.
"Wasn't I about to leave? Why am I still sleeping here?" Kakuzu then recalled that he had told Mu Yue about calling it even and planned to leave.
"But I haven't eaten Sou Yuuke's food yet..." Kakuzu got up, then sat back down on the bed, deep in thought.
He realized that whether he left or stayed didn't make much difference, as he had no home to return to anyway.
Kakuzu's home used to be Takigakure, but after being betrayed by the higher-ups, he had become a drifter in the Ninja World, going wherever there were high-reward ninjas to hunt.
"A person like Sou Yuuke, and a force like the Ninjutsu Sect, will likely come into conflict with many strong opponents in the future, and they're bound to encounter wanted individuals."
Kakuzu thought deeply, recalling his initial battle with Mu Yue, where he had already sensed Mu Yue's strength. However, based on Mu Yue's fight with Hanzo, it was clear that he had been holding back.
Kakuzu also remembered his time being sealed within the Ninjutsu Sect by Mu Yue. To disprove Mu Yue and the Ninjutsu Sect's ideology, Kakuzu had kept a close eye on the entire sect during his travels, as he had nothing better to do.
Finally, he thought about the day's battle and lay back down on the bed.
Sticking with the Ninjutsu Sect meant he could encounter wanted ninjas and continue to mooch off Mu Yue's lessons. It didn't seem like a bad deal, and he hadn't even gotten to eat the meal Mu Yue had offered. It would be a shame to leave before that, as he would be missing out.
…………
"Juexi knows about the Rinnegan, but he doesn't seem interested in it. Juexi is very strong. He was able to suppress Hanzo's Water Style with his Fire Style even in the rain," Hei Jue told Uchiha Madara everything that had happened in the Land of Rain.
"It shouldn't affect my plans in the short term," Uchiha Madara nodded slightly, not paying much attention to Hei Jue's latter statements.
To the ninjas of the Rain Country, Hanzo was the strongest there was. But to Uchiha Madara, Hanzo was just a not-so-familiar junior whose strength couldn't amount to much.
Uchiha Madara looked down on everyone except Hashirama Senju.
"Keep an eye on him and gather information," Uchiha Madara said after some thought.
Long Mon played an important role in Uchiha Madara's resurrection plan, and his heir would guide Long Mon. If Mu Yue was still by Long Mon's side at that time, Mu Yue would become an obstacle that needed to be eliminated.
Seeing that Uchiha Madara didn't seem particularly concerned about Mu Yue, Hei Jue felt a bit disappointed. He had expected Uchiha Madara to come up with a solution to deal with Mu Yue.
Hei Jue highly valued Mu Yue. After the battle with Hanzo, Mu Yue's display of Fire Style Jutsu made his so-called Ninjutsu Sect heritage seem more credible. How could an ordinary person cultivate Fire Style Ninjutsu to such a high level? Had he not lived for thousands of years, would he not know the limits of ordinary ninjas?
"So this is the extent of Madara's abilities. It's fine this way. Once the Moon's Eye Plan is complete, the final step will be simple," Hei Jue prepared to come up with his solution to deal with this ninja named Sou Yuuke.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
