"I need to discuss it with my companions before I can give an answer." Mutsuki did not immediately state his position.
The Rain Ninja Village ninja expressed understanding and stepped back some distance.
"Uncle Sosuke, I think this is a great opportunity. We can quickly spread our Ninja Sect's philosophy throughout the Land of Rain, and it will also help us achieve our goal of peace sooner," Yahiko said excitedly, sharing his thoughts.
He wasn't saying this because he admired Hanzo or wanted to cooperate with him. Yahiko genuinely believed this was an excellent opportunity.
Rain Ninja Village is the strongest ninja force in the Land of Rain, and even within the ninja world it is considered one of the strongest groups beneath the Five Great Ninja Villages. Its leader, Hanzo, is one of the top-tier powerhouses in the ninja world. If they could cooperate as Hanzo described in the scroll, the influence of the Ninja Sect would undergo a qualitative leap.
After all, Rain Ninja Village is the official force of the Land of Rain. Deep cooperation between the Ninja Sect and Rain Ninja Village would essentially make them semi-official, practically acknowledged by the Land of Rain.
If Hanzo had invited Yahiko's Akatsuki instead of the Ninja Sect, Yahiko would probably have agreed immediately.
"Indeed, we're talking about Demigod Hanzo," a Ninja Sect ninja beside Yahiko agreed.
Yahiko's words gained the approval of most people. They all believed this was a great opportunity for both the Ninja Sect and for themselves.
Nearby, Kakuzu looked at the excited Ninja Sect members with a mocking expression.
With his vast experience, he immediately sensed something was wrong. This so-called cooperation definitely hid some sort of conspiracy.
"Although this is a good thing, I feel something is off," Ike Masaya thought for a moment and voiced his doubts.
"If our Ninja Sect is like a child with talents far beyond ordinary people, then Rain Ninja Village is already a well-known powerhouse. No matter how optimistic a powerhouse is about a child, they wouldn't directly place him on an equal footing and propose cooperation, right?"
If Rain Ninja Village offered some support to the Ninja Sect, Ike Masaya wouldn't find it strange. At most, he would simply think Hanzo had good vision and recognized the great potential of the Ninja Sect.
But what Hanzo suggested in the scroll was to treat the Ninja Sect as an equal, hoping they could work together with Rain Ninja Village to maintain peace across the entire Land of Rain. This was far too much credit for the current Ninja Sect.
Right now, the Ninja Sect doesn't even have one hundred ninjas. Their internal strength varies widely, and without strong individuals like Mutsuki, the Ninja Sect is merely something with potential for the future.
After listening to Ike Masaya, many Ninja Sect ninjas were stunned.
There was no other reason-his explanation was clear, logical, and convincing.
"It does make sense. This cooperation seems a bit too good for us," some Ninja Sect members who came from wandering-ninja backgrounds also began to feel something wasn't right after being reminded.
Usually, when something falls from the sky, the 'pie' is only a disguise-what's real is the trap.
"I think this comparison underestimates both our Ninja Sect and Hanzo's magnanimity. Maybe Hanzo wants to use this method to help us grow faster so the Land of Rain can achieve peace sooner," Yahiko argued.
Yahiko wasn't someone who could be easily persuaded; he had his own convictions.
He actually knew Ike Masaya made valid points, but Yahiko believed that being too cautious would cause them to miss opportunities, and moving forward boldly could bring unexpected rewards.
Back then, when the Sannin fought Hanzo, everyone else avoided the battlefield, afraid of being caught in the clash of powerful ninjas. Yet Yahiko chose to search for the Sannin together with Nagato and Konan.
In the end, they learned all their skills from Jiraiya and gained the power to pursue their dreams.
After Yahiko finished recounting his experience, the atmosphere at the scene shifted again.
"Boss, you actually managed to pull that off," Kyusuke gave Yahiko a thumbs-up.
Yahiko's speech had fired him up so much that he almost wanted to agree to Hanzo's proposal on the spot and rush straight toward the dream of peace for the Land of Rain.
"Even if they're ninjas from enemy villages, as long as they show excellent character, Hanzo not only lets them go but even helps them gain fame in the ninja world."
"We might not be ninjas of Rain Ninja Village, but we are still ninjas of the Land of Rain. Hanzo is a ninja of our country too. Would he treat us more harshly than enemy-country ninjas?" Yahiko's eyes sparkled as he raised his head and spoke with genuine sincerity.
Although he had never met Hanzo, Hanzo's deeds alone were enough for Yahiko to know he was a ninja worthy of respect. That's why Yahiko was willing to believe this was an opportunity Hanzo was giving them.
"Though I don't admire Hanzo, his conduct is indeed impeccable," a Ninja Sect ninja agreed.
Hanzo's reputation throughout the ninja world came partly from his strength and achievements, and partly from his character.
Ike Masaya opened his mouth but couldn't speak. He had no way to refute Yahiko.
Because Yahiko acknowledged his point-this situation was indeed unusual-but insisted Hanzo was trustworthy.
The only way Ike Masaya could overturn Yahiko's argument was to prove Hanzo wasn't trustworthy.
But that was something Ike Masaya couldn't do. At present, there was only one possible flaw people could criticize Hanzo for: losing the war, which caused chaos in the Land of Rain.
However, Hanzo had performed well during the war. It was the Rain Ninja Village ninjas besides Hanzo who were defeated. So even that last flaw no longer held any real weight.
Kakuzu's face showed an undisguised mocking smile. Yahiko was far too naive-so naive that Kakuzu found it laughable.
"Nagato, what do you think?" Mutsuki suddenly looked at Nagato and asked.
The other Ninja Sect ninjas also instinctively turned to look at Nagato.
Suddenly going from silent observer to the center of attention, Nagato was momentarily overwhelmed.
"I think... it should be fine," Nagato said after steadying himself and hesitating for a moment.
His agreement wasn't because of Yahiko's opinion-it was the result of Nagato's own reasoning.
To feel pain doesn't mean to inflict unbearable pain on others or to take revenge so they feel pain. It means communication-letting both sides experience each other's pain so they can understand one another.
He believed that through this opportunity, the Ninja Sect and Rain Ninja Village could come to understand each other, which would be a major step toward peace in the Land of Rain.
"Nagato, I knew we thought the same!" Yahiko wrapped an arm around Nagato's shoulder excitedly and laughed.
He had just been worried that he might influence Nagato's judgment, so he kept silent when Nagato was asked.
"Since everyone has different opinions, let's hold an anonymous vote. We'll let the result decide whether we accept Hanzo's proposal," Mutsuki said after thinking it over.
The Ninja Sect ninjas all nodded.
Everyone wrote their thoughts on slips of paper and placed them into a simple wooden box crudely handmade by Mutsuki. In the end, Mutsuki organized and announced the results.
"The number of people supporting cooperation with Hanzo is forty-five, and the number opposing it is twenty-nine," Mutsuki announced after checking the votes.
Yahiko smiled, Ike Masaya let out a light sigh, and Kakuzu's face was full of mockery.
In fact, they could all guess the result before the count. After Yahiko's speech, many people had clearly been persuaded by him.
Mutsuki walked up to the Rain Ninja Village ninja. "Our Ninja Sect is willing to work together with Rain Ninja Village to protect the peace of the Land of Rain."
"That's wonderful. I'll report to Hanzo-sama right away." The Rain Ninja Village ninja didn't linger and quickly departed.
Ike Masaya walked over to Mutsuki. Even though it had already been decided that they would cooperate with Rain Ninja Village, he still felt something was wrong.
"Sosuke-sensei, call me overly cautious if you want, but I really feel there may be a conspiracy behind this cooperation," Ike Masaya said quietly.
Mutsuki didn't refute him. Smiling, he said, "Being cautious isn't a bad thing. Even if we cooperate, we still need to stay alert."
Ike Masaya felt slightly relieved. As long as Mutsuki wasn't blinded by optimism, things wouldn't get out of hand-after all, Mutsuki was the core and soul of the Ninja Sect.
"You can't even see through such an obvious scheme? Looks like you were right-I really did overestimate you," Kakuzu said bluntly as he walked up beside Mutsuki.
No matter how good Hanzo's reputation was, Kakuzu was convinced Hanzo definitely had bad intentions.
"Are you finally starting to care about the Ninja Sect's safety?" Mutsuki asked with a cheerful smile, ignoring Kakuzu's tone.
"The life or death of the Ninja Sect has nothing to do with me. But if you die, who's going to undo the Sealing Jutsu on me?" Kakuzu said darkly.
He had tried countless ways to undo the Sealing Jutsu on his body, all without success.
Kakuzu had no choice but to admit that while Mutsuki was naive, his strength was anything but simple. Even in sealing techniques, he was a top-tier sealing ninja.
"You don't need me to undo it. If you wait until the jutsu's power is completely exhausted, the seal will automatically release," Mutsuki said, revealing one of the technique's weaknesses.
"How long will that take?" Kakuzu asked directly.
"About fifteen years, I think," Mutsuki replied with a squinting smile.
Kakuzu's expression darkened further. Being sealed for fifteen whole years-forget making money, survival itself would be a problem.
Feeling like Mutsuki was messing with him, Kakuzu snorted and walked aside to brood on his own.
But Kakuzu soon had no choice but to return to Mutsuki's side, because Mutsuki had started teaching Sealing Jutsu again that day.
Kakuzu wanted to learn Mutsuki's sealing techniques to try to find some inspiration for breaking the seal placed on him.
That night, Nagato was called by Mutsuki to a room filled with various types of jutsu formulas.
Nagato looked around curiously at the unusual room.
"This is a barrier set up to prevent accidents," Mutsuki briefly explained.
Nagato nodded, not paying too much attention to it.
"Eat first. You need a full stomach to train properly," Mutsuki said, pointing at the bowls of ramen on the table.
Nagato originally wanted to say that he had already eaten grilled fish with Yahiko and the others and wasn't hungry anymore.
But then he remembered the indescribably delicious taste of the ramen last time, so he swallowed his words, sat down, and quickly finished the noodles.
Nagato found it amazing. Normally, no matter how delicious the food was, if he was full, he would have no desire to eat more, and even if he did, it wouldn't taste good.
But Mutsuki's ramen was different-he wanted to eat it even when he wasn't hungry, and it still tasted just as good.
"Actually, my name isn't Sosuke," Mutsuki said suddenly as he took away Nagato's empty bowl.
Nagato froze for a moment and looked at Mutsuki in confusion.
To him, this wasn't a big deal. A name was just a label-what mattered was the person.
"My name is Mutsuki Yumi. I'm a ninja of Konoha," Mutsuki said, releasing his Transformation and revealing his true appearance.
Trust gained through deception wasn't real trust. If not for various complications, Mutsuki wouldn't have wanted to use a disguise to take disciples in the first place.
So from the beginning, he had planned to reveal his true identity to Nagato after confirming him as a disciple.
Mutsuki believed that the more Nagato trusted him, the more painful the truth would be. Being deceived by a stranger might make someone angry for a moment, but being deceived by someone you trust the most-someone more fragile could completely break down.
Nagato's expression turned confused. Mutsuki had revealed too much information in a short time.
The Ninja Sect sensei suddenly became a Konoha ninja-and even his face had been fake.
"Why?" Nagato had many things he wanted to say, but in the end all of it condensed into a single simple question.
"I know you have a lot of questions right now. I can answer them all one by one," Mutsuki began telling his story.
"First of all, my actions have nothing to do with Konoha. Everything I've done-traveling across the Land of Rain or founding the Ninja Sect-was my own independent decision."
"I came to the Land of Rain for the reason I said before-to pursue peace. In Konoha, it's very difficult for me to push forward the peace plan I want to carry out."
"This doesn't mean Konoha or the Land of Fire is bad. Both are very peaceful places. But Konoha is far too powerful. If I tried to promote the Ninja Sect within the Land of Fire, the Konoha ninja would crush me instantly."
Mutsuki wasn't exaggerating. Even with his current strength, it would be difficult to stir up anything significant in the Land of Fire.
The Land of Fire was too strong-not just Konoha, but other ninja powers as well.
"If I acted openly in the Land of Rain as a Konoha ninja, not only would Konoha take action against me, Rain Ninja Village would also think I was provoking them. That's why I hid my identity and created the Ninja Sect as Sosuke. I didn't want to deceive everyone with a false identity, but my true identity is simply too troublesome," Mutsuki sighed.
He didn't mention anything about Uchiha Madara. For Nagato right now, knowing that would accomplish nothing except worsen his mood-and showing abnormal behavior would only make Madara more suspicious.
"Nagato, I hope you can help me keep this secret for now. I really want to interact with everyone in the Ninja Sect with my true identity, but the time hasn't arrived yet."
Mutsuki looked straight into Nagato's eyes, his gaze full of sincerity.
Nagato's expression kept changing; his feelings were truly complicated now.
He didn't mind that Mutsuki used a false name, but when Mutsuki canceled his Transformation, Nagato began to feel anger and suspicion toward him. This meant that everything about Sosuke could have been fabricated.
However, when Mutsuki explained everything clearly and asked him to keep it a secret, Nagato felt that Mutsuki Yumi and Sosuke were no different. Although his appearance had changed, the feeling Mutsuki gave Nagato was still that of the gentle and amiable Sosuke sensei.
Mutsuki revealing this secret to him privately made Nagato feel a deep sense of trust toward him.
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