Chapter 404: The Tempting Shinobi Sect Heritage
"I can teach ninjutsu," Mugetsu said with a smile as he looked over the crowd, "but first, can you answer me this? What is a ninja?"
The ninja in the crowd exchanged glances.
There were too many ways to answer. A ninja could be someone who graduated from the Academy, a profession, an identity, or simply someone who used ninjutsu.
But this question was coming from a powerhouse like Mugetsu. They instinctively felt there had to be deeper meaning. It could not be that simple.
When no one spoke, Yahiko stepped forward first.
"A ninja is someone who can endure everything."
Mugetsu smiled and nodded, but he did not comment.
"A ninja is someone who can use chakra to perform ninjutsu," Ikechou followed up quickly.
He could not think of anything profound, so he chose to speak early, hoping to leave an impression.
The others immediately caught on and started throwing out answers, one after another.
"A ninja is a profession, an identity."
"Anyone who learns ninjutsu is a ninja."
"A ninja is someone who fights with chakra."
With hundreds of ninja speaking at once, the scene turned into a storm of voices.
Mugetsu lifted a hand and pressed his palm downward slightly.
In less than a minute, the crowd quieted again.
It was not because Mugetsu had somehow become a peerless master of crowd control after teaching for so long. It was because the damage from his earlier ninjutsu was still visible nearby. Everyone had suddenly become very polite.
"Broadly speaking, none of you are wrong," Mugetsu said, using Earth Release to clean up the traces of the battle as he spoke. "A ninja can be a profession, or it can refer to someone who can use ninjutsu."
He paused, then asked again.
"But do you know what the first ninja were like? How the word ninja came about? And what the responsibilities of a ninja truly are?"
"The Six Paths Sage created the Shinobi Sect, and then there were ninja!" Ikechou blurted out immediately.
On the day he arrived, Mugetsu had been lecturing about the Six Paths Sage founding the Shinobi Sect. Ikechou remembered it clearly.
"The Six Paths Sage?" someone asked from the crowd, confused. "Isn't that a myth?"
Not everyone believed the Six Paths Sage was real. To many, it was just legend.
"The Six Paths Sage is real," Mugetsu said first, affirming it without hesitation.
"The real Six Paths Sage did not have the world creating power described in the stories. He was the ancestor of ninja and the founder of the Shinobi Sect."
Many myths about the Six Paths Sage circulated across the shinobi world. One of the most widespread was the creation myth, claiming the Six Paths Sage created the entire world.
That was also why some people dismissed him as fiction. No matter how strong ninjutsu became, creating a world was impossible.
But Mugetsu, who knew the truth behind many of those stories, also understood that the myth was not completely baseless.
Back then, Kaguya's planting of the Divine Tree had brought catastrophic destruction to the world. It was the Six Paths Sage who traveled across the lands, repairing what had been broken. That was how the world gradually became what it was today.
"The first ninja referred to the people of the Shinobi Sect," Mugetsu continued. "During the Shinobi Sect era, a ninja's primary responsibility was to maintain peace and create a peaceful world."
Yahiko's eyes widened.
He had never attended school. He had never known ninja had an origin like this.
In that moment, joy surged in his chest, because they were doing what the first ninja did. They were walking the same path.
"If the responsibility of a ninja is to maintain peace," Nagato asked, unable to hold it in, "then why are there so many ninja wars now?"
At first, he had not wanted to speak. Yahiko liked Mugetsu and wanted to recruit him.
But Nagato truly felt that the modern ninja world had no right to claim the word peace.
His parents had died at the hands of ninja. Yahiko and Konan were war orphans too. All of them had lost their families because of ninja wars.
"That's why I said the Shinobi Sect era," Mugetsu replied calmly. "After the Shinobi Sect collapsed, ninja changed. Now, ninja are what you first said, people who can use ninjutsu, a profession."
As he spoke, his expression became solemn.
"Modern ninja have strayed too far from their original intent. As a recipient of sage art inheritance, I cannot bear to watch those who were once peacekeepers become today's creators of war. So I have decided to restore the Shinobi Sect and learn from the original ninja."
The surrounding ninja stared at him, stunned.
They had come to learn ninjutsu. They had not expected news like this, that he intended to rebuild the Shinobi Sect.
Most of them did not even know what the Shinobi Sect truly was. But after Mugetsu's explanation, and the Six Paths Sage being named as its first leader, its prestige instantly skyrocketed in their minds.
The Amegakure jonin in the group focused on a different point entirely.
Sage art inheritance.
"Could it be," he thought, "that his power comes from an ancient inheritance he stumbled upon?"
With Mugetsu's strength, he would be considered a major figure anywhere in the shinobi world, let alone in a small country like the Land of Rain. He should not have been unknown for so long.
So the jonin concluded that Mugetsu must have acquired the inheritance and trained in seclusion, only recently emerging.
Nagato did not speak again. He was satisfied with the answer.
Modern ninja truly were unworthy of being tied to peace.
"Ninja Master Sosuke, what you said makes perfect sense," Yahiko said, face full of agreement. "We ninja should learn from the Shinobi Sect's predecessors and build a peaceful world without war."
Then he immediately pushed forward, eyes bright.
"So, Ninja Master Sosuke, please join our Akatsuki. Let's pursue peace together!"
The surrounding ninja looked at Yahiko as if he had grown an extra head.
The Akatsuki had some reputation in the Land of Rain, but no one believed an organization at that level could recruit someone like Mugetsu.
With the strength Mugetsu had displayed, he could create an even stronger organization with a single call.
"The current Akatsuki is not enough," Mugetsu said, shaking his head in refusal.
Now was not the time to join the Akatsuki, unless he intended to take Yahiko as his disciple.
Yahiko's expression dimmed, but he did not give up inside. He believed that if he worked hard enough, Mugetsu, who shared the same goal, would eventually acknowledge him and the Akatsuki.
"The Six Paths Sage once traveled the shinobi world and created the Shinobi Sect," Mugetsu said, sweeping his gaze across the crowd. "As a successor to the Shinobi Sect, I will first travel the Land of Rain. If you agree with my ideals, come with me. I will impart the ninja knowledge I possess to those who truly acknowledge it."
There were nearly two hundred ninja present.
Mugetsu would be satisfied if seventy remained in the end.
Seventy was not a random number. He had already screened them once before.
"We're willing to follow!" Ikechou immediately dragged Kuroda forward and spoke loudly.
To Ikechou, this was pure opportunity. If he let a teacher like this slip away, he would never find another.
Other rogue ninja also declared their willingness to restore the Shinobi Sect alongside Mugetsu.
Most of them were not truly chasing peace. They wanted powerful ninjutsu.
But aside from a few like the Rain ninja who needed to investigate Mugetsu's background, almost everyone who had rushed to Oz Village chose to follow him on his journey.
Yahiko decided to join as well. He wanted to show Mugetsu his determination.
"What about the Akatsuki?" Konan asked helplessly.
"Bring them all," Yahiko said after thinking for a moment. "Maybe they can learn some ninjutsu from Ninja Master Sosuke too."
Konan had nothing else to say. Yahiko had made up his mind.
And so, Mugetsu began traveling through the Land of Rain with a team of nearly two hundred.
Because of their numbers, the chaotic Land of Rain suddenly felt orderly. No bandits dared appear in front of Mugetsu's group.
On the first day, Mugetsu did not teach anything about ninja knowledge. He told the story of the Six Paths Sage traveling the shinobi world.
No one left.
On the second day, he still did not teach ninja knowledge. He spoke about the Shinobi Sect's ninja maintaining peace.
On the third day, he still did not teach ninjutsu, and the first departures began.
Those who left believed Mugetsu had no intention of teaching. They refused to keep wasting time.
From the fourth day onward, more and more ninja began to leave.
Mugetsu's legend continued to spread, so new ninja occasionally joined the group, but not many.
On the fifth day, they passed a village where a bridge had collapsed. Mugetsu used Earth Release to build a sturdy, wide stone bridge for the villagers. The villagers were deeply grateful and gave the group food.
A full week passed.
Mugetsu still had not taught ninjutsu.
More ninja left, and the pace of departures only increased.
"Ninja Master Sosuke," Ikechou finally said, unable to hold it in, "even if you don't teach ninjutsu, you could at least talk about other ninja knowledge. Otherwise, even more people will leave."
He felt Mugetsu could share small tips to stabilize morale. There was no hope of ninjutsu right now.
To Ikechou, Mugetsu had always carried an unfathomable aura. He clearly would have thought of this already.
"It is their freedom to leave," Mugetsu replied with a smile, politely rejecting Ikechou's suggestion.
Ikechou could not understand what Mugetsu was doing. He had gathered so many people only to let them walk away.
In the end, Ikechou stopped trying to figure it out. He was not leaving anyway.
He believed Mugetsu would definitely teach ninjutsu.
That was not blind faith. It was a conclusion Ikechou had reached after staying at Mugetsu's side.
Mugetsu truly lived what he preached. He mediated conflicts inside the group, helped villagers in need, and treated the responsibility of a Shinobi Sect ninja as something real.
So Ikechou believed Mugetsu would fulfill his promise eventually.
Some regretted wasting a week listening to history. Others were glad they had joined.
Yahiko was firmly in the second group.
After following Mugetsu for more than a week, Yahiko began to see clearly that the Akatsuki truly had too many shortcomings.
They only helped villages chase away rogue ninja. Mugetsu used his own strength to solve problems for villagers directly.
And he did not rely only on power. If a problem could be solved with knowledge, Mugetsu chose knowledge. He also taught that knowledge to the villagers.
Mugetsu never left his personal name behind. He only said he was a ninja of the Shinobi Sect.
Because of his actions, the name Shinobi Sect was left in every place they visited. The term began to spread throughout the Land of Rain.
Mugetsu traveled the Land of Rain for half a month.
Most of the ninja who were only chasing excitement had already left. The ones who remained either truly agreed with Mugetsu's ideals, or could not bring themselves to quit after investing so much time.
Those who agreed acted alongside Mugetsu, and even the others listened carefully when he lectured.
Realizing how serious the Akatsuki's flaws were, Yahiko often asked Mugetsu all kinds of questions.
To Yahiko's surprise, Mugetsu could answer almost all of them, and his answers were logical and supported.
Nagato developed some goodwill toward Mugetsu as well. Mugetsu was not just speaking. He was acting.
Konan also began to like him. Mugetsu's smile was warm, and when he noticed her fondness for origami, he even folded a paper crane for her.
By the twentieth day of Mugetsu's journey, only seventy two ninja remained.
A small portion were the ninja Mugetsu had screened earlier. Another portion were Akatsuki members led by Yahiko. The rest were those who had been screened later after hearing the ninja master legend.
After a final check to ensure there were no issues, Mugetsu officially began teaching.
The seventy two varied greatly in strength. The weakest were ordinary genin.
So Mugetsu started with the foundation.
Chakra control.
Tree climbing.
Water walking.
Those who mastered the basics were allowed to train freely, and Mugetsu would give further guidance when he had time.
The most students Mugetsu had ever tutored in Konoha was nearly seven hundred. Teaching seventy two was effortless for him, and he made sure everyone received attention.
Many of the ninja were nearly trembling with excitement. After enduring for so long, they had finally reached the end.
These twenty days had not been sightseeing.
It had been rigorous cultivation.
[Lecture Completed]
[Evaluation: S]
[Reward: Chakra Control +24, Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation +1...]
Chakra control alone was already enough to make them grateful.
But when Mugetsu began teaching chakra nature transformation and ninjutsu, the remaining ninja felt even more certain they had made the right choice.
Mugetsu's performance was astonishing.
He demonstrated every chakra nature transformation with ease, and even Nagato was shocked.
With the Rinnegan, Nagato could tell Mugetsu's chakra was extraordinary. But he had not expected Mugetsu to be proficient in seven chakra nature transformations.
Nagato himself had only mastered six, not including Yin Release.
They thought Mugetsu was already abnormal enough.
Then they discovered he was also a master of sealing techniques, teaching knowledge they had never encountered.
This was the advantage of teaching outside a village. Mugetsu could teach whatever he wanted and receive whatever rewards he desired.
Out of respect, many began calling him Teacher Sosuke.
When Mugetsu's group arrived at a village near Amegakure, a team of Rain ninja blocked their path.
"Ninja Master Sosuke," a Rain jonin said respectfully, "Hanzo wishes to see you. Please come with us to Amegakure."
He was the same jonin who had investigated Mugetsu in Oz Village and witnessed Mugetsu's strength.
Now, with Mugetsu's growing reputation and his recent actions, the jonin admired him as someone from the Land of Rain.
"Only you can come," the Rain jonin added.
Mugetsu had a large group with him. Including him, there were seventy three. Hanzo would never allow so many unaffiliated ninja to enter Amegakure.
"I'll discuss it with my companions," Mugetsu said, not giving an immediate answer.
Personally, he believed it was worth going.
Kurosaki Ichigo had already become a chunin in Amegakure, and Mugetsu had gained intelligence about the village through him.
And with Mugetsu's strength, if he wanted to leave, no one in Amegakure could truly stop him.
But Mugetsu understood his own strength. His followers did not.
So he considered their feelings and chose to discuss it.
"I don't think you should go, Teacher Sosuke," Ikechou warned. "Hanzo might be targeting the sage art inheritance you possess."
Although Ikechou was from the Land of Rain, his impression of Hanzo was neutral at best.
Several ninja nodded. Wandering ninja understood the rule of the world. If you carried something valuable, someone would eventually reach for it.
"I don't think Hanzo is that kind of person," Yahiko argued. "Even if someone is from an enemy village, if they are a junior he admires, he still gives them a way out. Someone like that would never be a villain scheming for your inheritance, Big Brother Sosuke."
Compared to Ikechou, Yahiko had a very good impression of Hanzo. To him, Hanzo was a true powerhouse.
"What if you're wrong?" Ikechou pressed. "Teacher Sosuke would be in danger. And even if you're right, he gains nothing. It's a bad trade either way."
Yahiko fell silent.
Ikechou was right. Going to Amegakure alone did not offer a reward proportional to the risk.
"Thank you for your concern," Mugetsu said with a chuckle. "But you can trust me a little more. It will be fine."
Seeing Mugetsu had decided, Ikechou stopped arguing.
He chose to trust him.
If Mugetsu said it would be fine, then he believed Mugetsu had the ability to handle whatever came.
Mugetsu then followed the Rain ninja to Amegakure.
The village's architecture was very different from Konoha.
Amegakure's buildings were mostly steel, with stone used second. Steel pipes of all sizes ran across the entire village, likely tied to the constant rain.
Hanzo did not meet Mugetsu in the leader's office.
He chose one of Amegakure's training grounds instead.
"Lord Hanzo," the Rain jonin reported respectfully, "this is Sosuke, known as the ninja master."
Hanzo studied Mugetsu.
Mugetsu wore black clothing beneath a white long robe, looking refined and gentle.
Mugetsu also observed Hanzo.
Hanzo wore a mask and Amegakure's distinctive combat uniform.
The moment their eyes met, Hanzo suddenly released his aura.
A mountain like pressure slammed down on Mugetsu. Even the air seemed to grow heavier, as if the world itself had gained weight.
The Rain jonin beside Mugetsu was instantly immobilized by that terrifying presence.
Yet Mugetsu still wore a faint smile.
In the next moment, the Rain jonin felt his scalp go cold.
A pressure just as terrifying surged from beside him.
Mugetsu answered Hanzo's provocation with his own aura.
The Rain jonin's vision blurred. Sweat ran into his eyes, but he could not wipe it away.
Caught between two monstrous pressures, he felt like a small boat trapped in a violent storm, ready to capsize at any moment.
"You may leave," Hanzo said calmly, suddenly withdrawing his aura.
The Rain jonin nearly collapsed from relief. He nodded quickly and hurried away.
He had thought this would be an easy mission.
Now he was certain he would have nightmares tonight.
A faint curve appeared at the corner of Hanzo's mouth.
"You are very impressive."
He had not used his full power, but Mugetsu's performance was already worthy of being called a powerhouse.
"You are also very impressive," Mugetsu replied with a gentle smile.
Hanzo paused.
Since becoming Amegakure's leader, Mugetsu was the first person who dared speak to him like that.
But Hanzo did not dwell on it. Mugetsu looked around twenty seven, and Hanzo was tolerant of young people he acknowledged.
"Some say you became strong because you obtained the sage art inheritance," Hanzo said, recalling the rumors spreading recently. "Before meeting you, I could not be sure. Now I can confirm that even without the so called inheritance, you would still be strong."
After clashing auras with Mugetsu, Hanzo could feel it clearly.
Mugetsu possessed his own conviction.
A person like that could never be mediocre.
"Perhaps," Mugetsu answered. "But I think that hypothesis is meaningless. The reality is that I obtained the sage art inheritance, and I also possess a certain level of strength."
"Indeed. Meaningless," Hanzo said, finding Mugetsu unexpectedly interesting.
Then Hanzo's tone sharpened slightly.
"I can give you advice. Most people believe only what they want to believe. Many are interested in the sage art inheritance you possess. Your bounty on the black market has already reached 3.5 million ryo."
Because Mugetsu's persona was too legendary, the story of Ninja Master Sosuke had already spread beyond the Land of Rain and into the wider shinobi world.
When Mugetsu and his shadow clone staged their battle, nearly two hundred ninja witnessed it. They became powerful proof that the legend was real.
Mugetsu had openly stated he possessed the inheritance.
And he had demonstrated the strength of a top tier shinobi.
"Thank you for the information, senior," Mugetsu said, expression unchanged.
3.5 million ryo could fund three S Rank missions and one A Rank mission in Konoha.
But compared to sage art inheritance, it was still too low.
Mugetsu estimated the truth had not spread widely yet. Not enough people truly believed it. Otherwise, his bounty would surpass Asuma's by a huge margin.
Hanzo admired Mugetsu's calm. To Hanzo, the most important thing for the strong was conviction.
If a person lost conviction, they were no different from dead.
They did not speak much more after that.
As Amegakure's leader, Hanzo had responsibilities to attend to.
If Mugetsu had joined Amegakure as one of its shinobi, they could have spoken longer. But as it was, Hanzo had already done enough for a promising junior.
Before leaving, Mugetsu used the Appraisal Technique on Hanzo once more, making sure the information recorded in his mind was correct.
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