Chapter 595: Shearing the Sheep
Chapter 595: Shearing the Sheep
"I will see him," Mu Yue replied after taking a sip of the hot tea on the table and giving it some thought.
The unusual behavior exhibited by the Rock Ninja Village, as described by Nagato, was enough for Mu Yue to conclude that the ninja Longzi, the jinchuriki of the Four-Tails, was the one Nagato had encountered.
Furthermore, it was highly likely that Longzi had just fled from the Rock Village.
If Mu Yue's memory served correctly, Longzi had also run away in the original story.
However, due to the limited narrative involving Longzi in the original work, Mu Yue was unaware of the specifics of Longzi's escape, including the timing and reasons behind it.
While Mu Yue lacked knowledge about the circumstances of Longzi's departure in the original story, he could speculate on the reasons for this Longzi's flight from the Rock Village.
After all, Longzi was the key contributor to the crushing defeat of the Rock Village's two-thousand-strong ninja force.
Mu Yue had personally witnessed the complete transformation into a tailed beast, as well as the indiscriminate bombardment of the Tailed Beast Ball by Longzi under the command of the Rock Village.
However, Mu Yue was aware that these actions were ordered by the Rock Village and not a result of Longzi's impulsive decision-making, as he had been close enough to kill the nearby ninjas, preventing the truth from spreading.
The treatment Longzi would have faced upon returning to the Rock Village was, therefore, predictable.
In such a situation, not just the Rock Village, but even the Leaf Village, if placed in the same position, would not have treated Longzi favorably.
Mu Yue could not speak for others, but he was certain that Danzo Shimura would have something harsh in store for Longzi, either by employing means to gain complete control over them or simply replacing them with a new jinchuriki.
"However, tell him that I have some matters to attend to, and I will only be able to meet him after I finish dealing with them," Mu Yue added, setting down his tea cup.
He didn't have any pressing matters to attend to in the Rain Country recently, but with Longzi's arrival, that had changed.
"I plan to hold another unrestricted lecture."
After the previous unrestricted lecture had concluded, Mu Yue had begun preparing for the next one.
The rewards for the advanced class were enticing, and holding unrestricted lectures also helped to increase the influence of the Ninja Sect, benefiting its development.
Although he had planned for this beforehand, this particular lecture was not originally part of his schedule. His initial plan was to space out the lectures by approximately a year, yet only half a year had passed since the last one.
Plans often paled in comparison to the twists and turns of reality, and Mu Yue hadn't anticipated that Longzi would flee the Rock Village during this period and end up in the Rain Country.
Mu Yue was unaware of Longzi's reasons for coming to the Rain Country, but since they were here, he saw no reason not to take advantage of the opportunity.
According to the system's mechanics, the presence of a jinchuriki in his class would earn him significant bonus points.
Mu Yue wasn't one to pass up on such an opportunity, especially if Longzi had indeed escaped from the Rock Village.
By holding an unrestricted lecture, he could attract the attention of a large number of ninjas to the Rain Country, forcing the Rock Village to either carry out their operations with greater secrecy or temporarily abandon their search for Longzi in the Rain Country.
On the other hand, if Longzi hadn't escaped from the Rock Village, their presence in the Rain Country must be for some other reason.
Even in that case, Mu Yue's unrestricted lecture could still serve to gather attention and deter the Rock Village from acting recklessly.
Since it would benefit both him and the Ninja Sect regardless, he was determined to hold this lecture.
"Understood," Nagato nodded.
Mu Yue then summoned Kakuzu and instructed him to begin the publicity campaign.
"So soon after the last lecture, have you come up with another way to make money, I mean, develop the Ninja Sect?" Kakuzu asked with interest.
With Sou Yuukai's current reputation and influence in the ninja world, publicity was relatively straightforward. All they needed to do was spread the word as far and wide as possible, without any need for additional gimmicks.
The battle with Hanzou had proven Sou Yuukai's strength, the first unrestricted lecture had showcased his knowledge and teaching abilities, and now, very few ninjas in the ninja world remained unfamiliar with the name Ninja Master Sou Yuukai.
"This time, we won't focus on advertisements or additional events," Mu Yue shook his head. "The main purpose is to increase the influence of the Ninja Sect, promote some of our goals, and recruit ninjas."
While he did have ideas for making money, some of them were not suitable for the present.
Mu Yue's primary goal for this grand lecture was to earn rewards and recruit ninjas to strengthen the Ninja Sect.
"That's a good idea too," Kakuzu agreed, nodding. "The number of ninjas in the Ninja Sect is indeed too small."
Making a profit was important, but recruitment was equally crucial.
As a ninja organization, especially one striving to establish peace in the ninja world, they needed a substantial number of ninjas.
After discussing the matter with Kakuzu, Mu Yue summoned some of the elder members of the Ninja Sect and assigned them tasks.
During the previous grand lecture, the Ninja Sect had recruited a small number of ninjas, but their efforts were limited due to insufficient funds at the time.
This time, Mu Yue intended to recruit more ninjas by slowing down the pace of the lecture—he planned to lecture for two days and then take a day off.
During the day of rest, Ninja Sect ninjas would be stationed in the City of Six Paths to propagate some of the Ninja Sect's ideals and recruit interested ninjas.
After finalizing everything, Mu Yue dismissed his shadow clone, allowing the memories to flow back to his main body. Most of the time, his main body remained in the Leaf Village, while his presence in the Ninja Sect was less frequent.
Although Nagato was marked by Uchiha Madara, it did not pose an immediate threat to him.
Nagato's role in Madara's plan was to use the Rinne Rebirth technique to resurrect him.
Obito, on the other hand, was intended to be Madara's heir, tasked with collecting the tailed beasts after his death and using Nagato's Rinne Rebirth to revive him.
As long as Mu Yue was alive, it would be difficult for Uchiha Madara to manipulate Obito into turning to the dark side.
With Sou Yuukai still alive, it would also be more challenging for Uchiha Madara to control Nagato and make him his heir.
However, Mu Yue currently had many tricks up his sleeve, and he rather welcomed Uchiha Madara's pursuit.
At this moment, Mu Yue's true body was still reading a book. After his shadow clone's memories flowed back, he put down the book and furrowed his brows in thought.
"Let the shadow clone handle the teaching of the Observation Teaching for now. The matters regarding the Ninja Sect are more important," Mu Yue decided, sending his shadow clone to teach the Observation Teaching.
The Observation Teaching class only lasted for three hours a day, and since the students in that class learned slowly, it wouldn't have much of an impact.
...
In the Land of Earth, within the confines of Iwagakure.
Knock knock.
Ohnoki stared at the two documents on his desk, his brow furrowed as he gently tapped his fingers on the table.
One of these documents originated from Amegakure in the Land of Earth, while the other came from the Ninja Sect.
He had read them both, and in Ohnoki's opinion, they shared a significant overlap: the actions of Iwagakure ninjas in the Land of Earth.
Ohnoki never expected the Ninja Sect to be so sensitive and bold.
He hadn't ordered the Iwagakure ninjas to kill or rob in the Land of Earth; they were merely searching for someone discreetly. Yet, the Ninja Sect still chose to interfere.
This was something Ohnoki hadn't anticipated.
His original plan was to deploy a large number of ninjas to look for Lao Zi, as keeping them all in one place would make their mission too conspicuous. Hence, he decided to mobilize those Iwagakure ninjas who were already in the Land of Earth.
However, this decision led to a problem: the Ninja Sect would undoubtedly realize that Iwagakure was operating within their borders.
The Ninja Sect members weren't fools; they would easily deduce that something was amiss when Iwagakure ninjas, who were supposed to be in training, suddenly stopped their exercises and started roaming around the Land of Earth.
Ohnoki had considered this possibility, but he never expected the Ninja Sect to involve themselves in the matter.
After all, they were Iwagakure, one of the five great ninja villages. They weren't invading the Land of Earth, so what right did the Ninja Sect have to interfere?
"A bunch of idealistic know-it-alls," Ohnoki muttered, rubbing his temples in frustration.
His original plan was to nurture the Ninja Sect to create conflict with Konoha. However, before the Ninja Sect could even clash with Konoha, they had already butted heads with Iwagakure, much to Ohnoki's dismay.
If they could capture Lao Zi, then so be it—let the conflict with the Ninja Sect escalate. Ohnoki wasn't afraid of a ninja organization with less than 200 members, no matter how strong their leader was.
The crucial issue was that the Iwagakure ninjas searching for Lao Zi hadn't found any trace of him, which meant they couldn't even confirm if he was in the Land of Earth.
If Lao Zi wasn't in the Land of Earth, then there was no point in provoking a conflict with the Ninja Sect.
According to the feedback from the Iwagakure ninjas who had undergone training, the Ninja Sect's training was highly effective.
Ohnoki even entertained the idea of sending ninja school teachers to learn from the Ninja Sect. If Iwagakure's relationship with the Ninja Sect soured, where else could they send their ninjas for training?
"But for Sou Yuukai to choose this particular time to hold another lecture... Could he have found out something?" Ohnoki wondered, recalling the invitation mentioned in the Ninja Sect's document.
The Ninja Sect had expressed their intention to hold another large-scale lecture soon, and they had invited interested Iwagakure ninjas to attend.
During their previous large-scale lecture, over a thousand ninjas from all over the ninja world had gathered in the Land of Earth.
With the momentum from the previous event, the number of attendees this time would likely be even higher, making the Land of Earth a melting pot of various ninjas. This situation would be highly unfavorable for Ohnoki's covert search for Lao Zi.
"It's probably just a coincidence," Ohnoki concluded, shaking his head.
He had kept the matter under tight wraps, and even the other great ninja villages were unaware of what had transpired. There was no way the Ninja Sect could have found out.
Moreover, upon further reflection, Ohnoki realized that the timing was actually quite opportune, especially for the Land of Earth, which was surrounded by the three great nations.
Currently, there was no large-scale conflict between Iwagakure, Konoha, and Sunagakure, and the Land of Earth, along with its surrounding areas, enjoyed a period of peace.
"Let's temporarily abandon the search in the Land of Earth and focus our efforts on the Land of Grass and the Land of Birds," Ohnoki decided, changing his strategy.
Aside from the Land of Earth, there was a high possibility that Lao Zi had fled to either the Land of Grass or the Land of Birds, as these small nations shared borders with both the Land of Earth and the Land of Water.
If Iwagakure continued their operations in the Land of Earth, they might end up gaining nothing, which was not the outcome Ohnoki desired.
"The Ninja Sect, Amegakure, and Konoha..." Ohnoki narrowed his eyes.
He had acted as a mediator to foster cooperation between the Ninja Sect and Amegakure, intending to create trouble for Konoha. Now, with the Ninja Sect's rapid development, they were almost ready to play their part.
To incite hostility between the Ninja Sect and Konoha, Ohnoki had devised numerous schemes.
However, it seemed that his plans might be redundant, as the Ninja Sect was already stubbornly set in their ways.
Even when they were in a cooperative relationship with Iwagakure, they remained resolute. How could they possibly soften their stance towards Konoha, a village that had once invaded the Land of Earth?
(End of Chapter)
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