Chapter 611: Assassination
Chapter 611: Assassination
The request from Amegakure for Souzoukei to observe the Chunin Exams did not create much of a stir within the Ninja Sect. Compared to the Sect's large-scale lectures or the Youth Martial Arts Tournament that gathered many young geniuses from the ninja world, Amegakure's Chunin Exams were rather ordinary.
This wasn't even a joint Chunin Exam but rather an exam solely hosted by Amegakure.
However, this didn't matter much, as even if Amegakure invited the Ninja Sect to join the exams, the Sect didn't have many ninjas who could participate.
The Ninja Sect was still newly established, and the ninjas' abilities were more suited to their current ninja ranks.
The night before the Amegakure Chunin Exams, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato sat in a small pavilion at the Ninja Sect's headquarters, chatting leisurely.
"I've been so tired lately," Yahiko said, stretching his arms above his head.
"Things should get better from now on. We're mostly done with the work," Konan said gently.
Recently, everyone in the Ninja Sect had been busy trying to restore peace to the other regions of the Rain Country.
"Yes, the overall situation is improving," Yahiko said with a smile.
The tasks were indeed exhausting, but seeing their country gradually getting better because of their efforts made Yahiko feel that it was all worth it.
"Nagato, are you going to Amegakure with Teacher Souzoukei tomorrow?" Yahiko suddenly remembered something and turned to Nagato.
Nagato nodded.
In fact, Nagato was the only one from the Ninja Sect who would be accompanying Mu Yue to Amegakure.
Knowing that it was a trap, Mu Yue had no reason to bring other Ninja Sect members into danger.
Nagato was chosen because of his strong abilities, and even if something unexpected happened, Mu Yue was confident in her ability to ensure Nagato's safe escape.
"Oh no, I actually wanted to go too, but I've been so busy lately that I forgot to mention it to Teacher Souzoukei," Yahiko said with a rueful expression.
He wanted to go to Amegakure with Souzoukei, but not because of the Chunin Exams. Yahiko wanted to meet Danzo and ask him some questions.
Danzo had attended both the Youth Martial Arts Tournament and the second lecture event, but Yahiko had been too busy with various matters to find the time.
Yahiko was curious about Danzo's true intentions regarding the Rain Country. He wanted to know if Danzo genuinely desired peace.
When Iwagakure facilitated the cooperation between Amegakure and the Ninja Sect, they claimed that Danzo's previous actions were due to a misunderstanding.
However, the real reason the Ninja Sect agreed to the cooperation wasn't because most of them believed this explanation but because the partnership offered better development opportunities and a chance to restore peace to the Rain Country.
Yahiko hadn't forgotten Danzo's icy expression or the kunai he had held to Souzoukei's neck.
Based on the currently available intelligence, Yahiko suspected that the previous incident was more than just a misunderstanding.
Yet, Yahiko also felt that Danzo shouldn't be as simple as an untrustworthy and cunning ninja.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be those tales circulating in the ninja world, and Danzo wouldn't have so many followers in the Rain Country.
As he couldn't figure out the true nature of Danzo on his own, Yahiko wanted to meet the man in person to understand him better.
"Nagato, do you think it would be inappropriate for me to go find Teacher Souzoukei now?" Yahiko asked.
"Yes, very inappropriate," Nagato nodded in agreement.
As the only accompanying person, Mu Yue had informed Nagato of the potential dangers on this trip.
Even though Danzo had exposed their plans, he still intended to challenge Mu Yue, and there was also the threat of Danzo's partner, Torune Aburame.
Given this situation, Nagato certainly didn't want Yahiko to join them, as it would be too dangerous.
"Indeed, then I'll wait for the next opportunity," Yahiko said, scratching his head.
With their departure scheduled for tomorrow, it wouldn't be proper for him to go looking for Souzoukei at this hour.
...
The next day, Mu Yue and Nagato set off for Amegakure to attend the Chunin Exams.
"When a fight breaks out, don't think about anything else. Your top priority is to protect yourself," Mu Yue reminded Nagato along the way.
Uchiha Madara wouldn't make a move against Nagato for the time being, but Torune Aburame would undoubtedly target Nagato's Rinnegan.
"Mmm," Nagato nodded seriously.
He was aware of Mu Yue's formidable strength, so Nagato's goal was to take care of himself and not cause any trouble for her.
Of course, if Mu Yue were truly in danger, Nagato would use any ability at his disposal to help.
Amegakure was located in the central region of the Rain Country, not far from the Ninja Sect in the southern region. Around eleven o'clock, Mu Yue and Nagato arrived near Amegakure.
Mu Yue didn't bother to conceal their presence but instead walked openly with Nagato and two of his shadow clones, who had transformed using the Transformation Technique. Soon, they were spotted by the Amegakure ninjas.
Upon receiving the news, Danzo quickly led a group of Amegakure ninjas to greet Souzoukei at the village entrance.
As Mu Yue and Nagato approached the gates of Amegakure, they immediately spotted Danzo standing at the forefront.
"Souzoukei, you've arrived," Danzo greeted them calmly, glancing at the ninja beside Souzoukei with his peripheral vision.
Mu Yue followed Danzo's gaze and noticed that the Amegakure ninja wore the standard Amegakure uniform, but his mask was peculiar. The eye holes were extremely small, so much so that one might question if they served any purpose at all.
"Danzo, I'm here," Mu Yue replied with a smile, and then used her appraisal ability on the masked ninja.
【Name: Torune Aburame】
Seeing the familiar panel, Mu Yue nodded inwardly.
This time, Torune Aburame had taken the initiative to present an opportunity, and it would be impolite if she didn't take action.
Torune Aburame didn't pay attention to their meaningless conversation. Instead, he focused on the ninjas that Souzoukei had brought along.
"He only brought three ninjas. Should I say he's confident or that he doesn't have many people under him?" Torune Aburame thought gleefully, noticing that besides Souzoukei and Nagato, only two other Ninja Sect members had come.
The fewer people Souzoukei had with him, the easier it would be for Torune Aburame to carry out his assassination.
He might not even need to engage in prolonged combat. A sudden close-range attack could be enough to eliminate this ninja master.
"The eyes of the Sage of the Six Paths." As Torune Aburame gazed at Nagato's Rinnegan up close, he suddenly felt that his own three-tomoe Sharingan paled in comparison.
Nagato, sensing Torune Aburame's gaze, turned to look at him.
"A powerful chakra. Is he one of today's enemies?" Nagato thought, having seen Torune Aburame's chakra with his Rinnegan.
As they drew closer to Amegakure, Nagato had entered a state of alertness, preparing for any potential ambush.
Torune Aburame shifted his gaze to Nagato's shadow clone, as if inspecting all the Ninja Sect members.
"The third match hasn't started yet. Let me take you to your resting place first," Danzo said and then turned towards the Amegakure village gates.
In an instant, the Amegakure ninjas behind Danzo stepped aside, clearing a wide path.
Danzo deliberately slowed his pace as he walked alongside Souzoukei, and together, they entered Amegakure.
"The time to make our move is drawing near, yet Mu Yue hasn't arrived yet.
Danzo was growing anxious, feeling the urge to reprimand Muyue. However, he couldn't do anything at the moment because Muyue was not by his side, and thus, he couldn't scold him.
The only thing he could do now was to wait for Muyue to arrive at Amegakure, and then after the matter was concluded, he could find an excuse to rebuke him.
Suppressing his impatience, Danzo followed Hanzo, entering Amegakure.
Hanzo and Muyue walking side by side on the streets of Amegakure attracted numerous gazes.
Some unaware villagers of Amegakure were curious as to who Muyue was, as he walked alongside Hanzo.
Although Muyue's alias was well-known, and many ordinary people had heard of the legend of Souzoukei, they couldn't recognize his face.
Unlike the ordinary villagers, all the Amegakure ninjas could identify the person walking next to Hanzo as none other than the leader of the Ninja Sect, Souzoukei.
"Could it be that the village and the Ninja Sect are truly going to reconcile?" wondered an Amegakure ninja.
Whether they were ninjas of Amegakure or the Ninja Sect, they all knew that the agreement was a result of mutual compromise, not a sincere collaboration between the two powers of the Rain Country.
Souzoukei's formidable personal strength was enough to threaten Amegakure, and the large number of ninjas in Amegakure would make it difficult for the Ninja Sect to operate in the Rain Country.
Currently, a significant portion of the Amegakure ninjas were displeased with this situation because they recognized and even admired Souzoukei, believing that this internal strife was a waste of the Rain Country's strength.
Even before the establishment of the Ninja Sect, there were quite a few Amegakure ninjas who held favorable views of Souzoukei due to his actions and conduct.
Later, as Hanzo spread negative information about Souzoukei, this group's numbers decreased.
However, after Souzoukei defeated Hanzo, established the Ninja Sect, and began his teaching activities, the number of Amegakure ninjas who recognized him skyrocketed.
Some Amegakure ninjas even risked punishment to secretly attend Souzoukei's lectures.
The reasons were quite simple. Firstly, Souzoukei was undeniably strong, having defeated Hanzo despite the attribute disadvantage.
Secondly, Souzoukei was the leader of the ninja forces in the Rain Country, and people naturally felt a sense of identification with a strong compatriot.
Thirdly, Souzoukei possessed charisma and exceptional abilities, and his teachings were genuine and valuable.
And lastly, it had something to do with Hanzo.
Previously, most Amegakure ninjas idolized Hanzo, but after he lost to Souzoukei and repeatedly suffered setbacks at the hands of this junior, the ninjas found it hard not to see Souzoukei as the Rain Country's hope.
Facing the curious gazes of the Amegakure ninjas and villagers, Muyue responded with a gentle smile.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd, perhaps overcome with excitement, shouted out, "Teacher Souzoukei!"
"Teacher Souzoukei!" Some Amegakure ninjas unconsciously joined in the exclamation.
Seeing someone take the lead, more ninjas followed suit, and the voices quickly grew louder.
Hanzo watched this scene, his emotions complicated.
Souzoukei was being sincerely addressed as "teacher" in Amegakure, but would anyone in the Ninja Sect genuinely refer to him as "Leader Hanzo"? Hanzo didn't think so, especially considering that the Ninja Sect had almost been destroyed by his own hands.
Perhaps only Souzoukei, with his overly magnanimous nature that was uncharacteristic of a ninja, would lightly tease him with the title of "Senior Hanzo."
Danzo observed this scene, his expression thoughtful.
He recalled that Muyue also seemed to be well-loved by his students, and even the Root ninjas whom Muyue had taught held him in high regard.
"I'll have Muyue cultivate some teachers to conduct special training, but he won't be teaching them himself," Danzo thought to himself.
Otherwise, if a bunch of jonin and special jonin started calling Muyue "Teacher Muyue," his position as the Hokage might become unstable.
Nagato was surprised to see how popular Muyue was in Amegakure, and here he was, walking alongside Muyue, and people dared to call him "teacher."
"Silence! Leader Hanzo is here!"
One of the Amegakure ninjas standing behind Hanzo stepped forward, his face stern as he rebuked the crowd.
Souzoukei had risen to fame by defeating Hanzo, but Hanzo wouldn't allow him to flaunt his prowess within Amegakure.
The voices immediately quieted down as the crowd recognized the speaker, an Amegakure jonin and one of the village's high-ranking officials.
Just as the Amegakure official was about to say something else, Hanzo spoke up.
"There's no need for such solemnity here," Hanzo interrupted calmly.
By doing this, it seemed as though he was deliberately putting Souzoukei in his place, giving himself the upper hand.
The Amegakure official froze, unable to believe what he was hearing.
Had he said something wrong? He had been trying to support Hanzo, yet here Hanzo was, chastising him.
Although he felt wronged, the Amegakure official didn't argue and silently retreated back behind Hanzo.
The situation in Amegakure was different from that of a typical ninja village. Hanzo held absolute power, and these so-called Amegakure high-ranking officials were not much different from ordinary ninjas in his presence.
The surrounding Amegakure ninjas stirred, feeling that this time, Amegakure and the Ninja Sect were truly on the path to reconciliation.
After walking a certain distance, Hanzo spoke up, "This wasn't my doing."
"I didn't think it was your doing," Muyue replied with a smile.
Of course, he didn't think Hanzo would stoop to such tasteless actions, especially since Hanzo had already revealed Danzo's plan to kill him. There was no need for Hanzo to go out of his way to do something like this.
Hanzo remained silent and continued walking forward.
As they ventured deeper, Muyue noticed that the buildings became sparser, and pedestrians were scarce.
However, Muyue wasn't worried. His Byakugan and Clairvoyance were already activated, making it impossible for anyone to launch a sneak attack on him, be it Hanzo by his side or Danzo trailing behind.
When they reached a desolate and remote area, Muyue spotted a well-built two-story house.
The house seemed out of place due to the emptiness of its surroundings, giving it a somewhat eerie appearance.
"Is this considering my training needs? Not bad," Muyue commented as he surveyed the area with a smile.
"You can think of it that way," Hanzo replied expressionlessly.
Taking advantage of the moment while the two were talking, Danzo, who was standing behind Souzoukei, tightened his grip on the kunai hidden in his sleeve, quietly closing the distance between them.
He focused his chakra into his arm and suddenly lunged, aiming a deadly strike at Souzoukei's heart.
"I've succeeded!"
Seeing Souzoukei still chatting and smiling with Hanzo, Danzo's heart rejoiced, feeling as though the legacy of the Ninja Sect and the Rinnegan were both within his grasp.
(End of Chapter)
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