Chapter 409: Nagato's Rampage
During the journey that followed, Kakuzu kept a close eye on Mugetsu.
To him, Mugetsu's ideals were impossible. Too unrealistic. Too detached from how the shinobi world truly worked.
If Mugetsu could not live up to his own words, then everything he preached was nothing but empty talk.
Yet the longer Kakuzu observed him, the more he was forced to admit an uncomfortable truth.
Mugetsu was genuinely a good person.
If every single thing Mugetsu did was an act, then Kakuzu could only conclude that Mugetsu possessed the strongest disguise ability in the entire shinobi world.
Because Mugetsu's actions showed no trace of performance. They felt natural, as if they came straight from the heart.
When teaching ninjutsu, he treated everyone equally. Even those with poor talent were not abandoned or mocked.
"You are so perfect that you do not feel like someone from this world," Kakuzu said one day, eyes narrowed. "But being too perfect is also a flaw. What exactly is your objective?"
Mugetsu blinked, genuinely surprised.
"You are thinking too highly of me," he said, a faint smile forming. "I am definitely not perfect."
He had not expected Kakuzu to praise him like that, even if the praise carried suspicion.
In truth, Mugetsu was not putting on a special show at all. Most of what he did simply followed his nature.
If anything, he acted far more often back in Konoha. Outside of his time with his disciples or at the Academy, he had to wear a mask almost constantly.
Mugetsu knew his own shortcomings.
His followers believed he was knowledgeable, but much of that knowledge was surface level. In his previous life, he was not some great expert. He was just an ordinary student who learned a little of many things.
All he could do was localize what he knew, adapt it to this world, then test it through practice and results.
Directly copying ideas over was unrealistic. Not only were the worlds different in development, the shinobi world also ran on supernatural power.
For example, Mugetsu had said the Six Paths Sage's Shinobi Sect should not have used a hereditary system. But even if it had not, the people chosen in that era would still have ended up being the Sage's descendants.
Because leadership in that time would always trend toward the strongest, or at least the top tier, and the Sage's bloodline naturally produced extraordinary talent far beyond ordinary people.
Still, Mugetsu felt there was a real difference between becoming a leader through ability and being placed there because of blood.
"As for my objective," Mugetsu said after thinking for a moment, "it is probably just to make the world a better place."
He had always been willing to do good within his ability. He wanted to take Nagato as his disciple to strengthen his own power, and he also wanted to improve the Land of Rain along the way.
"What good does making the world better do for you?" Kakuzu pressed. "With your strength, if you created a shinobi organization purely to earn money, you could make enough to live in luxury for several lifetimes within a few years. Would that not be happier?"
Mugetsu chuckled.
"Then why do you keep earning money?" he asked. "Is it because what you have is not enough to spend?"
Kakuzu froze.
For a moment, he could not answer.
Of course he had enough. The bounty from each high paying mission was enough for an ordinary person to live lavishly for generations.
Kakuzu's mind drifted back through his years in the black market.
Each time he completed a mission and his assets increased, he felt a strange sense of accomplishment.
Villages could betray you.
Comrades could betray you.
But money would not.
"You feel happy when your money grows," Mugetsu said calmly, as if reading his thoughts. "I feel happy when I see people living better, and when the world is peaceful. Different pursuits."
The disciples listening nearby all wore thoughtful expressions. Some of the shinobi even wrote the exchange down.
Since Kakuzu joined the group, scenes like this had become a daily routine for their traveling squad in the Land of Rain.
At first, some of the followers were unhappy. They felt Kakuzu was being disrespectful.
But Mugetsu never scolded him. He even said Kakuzu's questions were good.
So the others kept quiet.
Then they gradually realized something else.
Kakuzu watched carefully, and his questions were sharp. Many of them were doubts the others also carried but never dared to voice.
So whenever Kakuzu spoke up, the rest of the group silently understood.
It was time for another mini lesson.
They listened closely.
Before they knew it, Mugetsu's group had already traversed most of the Land of Rain. Only the northwest region bordering the Land of Earth remained. Once that was done, their tour of the Land of Rain would be complete.
At that point, Mugetsu stopped lecturing alone.
Instead, he had his followers summarize what they had learned and share their insights.
"I want to go first!" Yahiko said, practically bouncing with energy.
He had a lot to say, not only to his Akatsuki comrades, but also to Mugetsu and the shinobi who had traveled with them.
"I have truly gained so much by traveling with Ninja Master Sosuke," Yahiko said passionately. "Before, I only thought about making the Land of Rain peaceful, and making the shinobi world peaceful. But I never deeply considered how to achieve that goal…"
He poured out everything he had learned, his words overflowing with emotion.
"So, boss," Kyusuke asked with a grin, "have you figured it out now?"
Yahiko immediately stumbled. Then he scratched his head, looking sheepish.
"How could something like that be easy to figure out?" he said. "But I believe that if we all work together, we will definitely find the right answer."
"Oh, we are back to working together again," Kyusuke shot back. "Boss, your public speaking is still as terrible as ever."
Akatsuki members burst into laughter.
Even Nagato could not help but smile.
Yahiko's speeches had never been polished. He relied on pure passion, and in the beginning, Akatsuki teased him endlessly for it.
"Ahem." Yahiko coughed twice. "Let us not focus on that. Anyway, learning is necessary, and practicing what we learn is just as important. This journey through the Land of Rain has given me more confidence in the peace we are chasing."
Then Yahiko's expression dimmed.
"I used to dislike the Land of Rain. I even hated it," he said quietly. "Because I was a war orphan."
His voice steadied as he continued.
"I lost both my parents as soon as I could remember. I wandered ever since. The Land of Rain never gave me warmth. The only things it gave me were war, cold, and hunger."
The crowd fell silent.
Many of them understood that pain too well. The Land of Rain had been a battlefield for too long, and it had created too many orphans.
Yahiko spoke about how his hatred changed. He stopped hating the Land of Rain, and started hating war itself. He began chasing peace with everything he had.
"I have lived the hardship of war orphans," he said, eyes burning. "I do not want to see more war orphans like me, in the Land of Rain or anywhere in the shinobi world."
Then he lifted his voice again, throwing it into the crowd like a challenge.
"Ninja Master Sosuke, everyone, join Akatsuki! Let us achieve our dream of peace together!"
He believed shinobi who recognized the Shinobi Sect would also recognize Akatsuki, because both pursued peace. They could fight toward the same goal.
Kyusuke gave Yahiko a thumbs up. The timing was perfect, and it was a chance for Akatsuki to grow stronger.
"You really know how to pick your moment," Mugetsu said, smiling as he began to applaud.
The others quickly followed, giving Yahiko warm applause.
Whatever else could be said, Yahiko had clearly poured his heart into it.
After that, the speeches remained voluntary. If no one stepped up, Mugetsu would call on someone at random.
Nagato prayed it would not be his turn.
He was terrible at this.
But the activity was for everyone.
No matter how hard Nagato silently wished, his name was called after more than half the people had already spoken.
Nagato walked up onto the earthen platform they had built, feeling as if his feet weighed a thousand jin.
He looked at the dozens of shinobi below him, opened his mouth, tried to speak, then found his mind completely blank.
Usually, Nagato listened carefully to Mugetsu's lessons. Mugetsu's lectures were interesting enough that even if you treated them like stories, they would not be boring.
But now, everything he had learned vanished as if he had never known it.
Nagato could not help but envy Yahiko.
Even when Yahiko was teased for his terrible public speaking, his words were always filled with passion.
"Just speak about your own thoughts," Mugetsu said gently, sensing the awkward tension. "There is no requirement."
Then Mugetsu added, smiling slightly, "If you feel nervous, imagine everyone below you as radishes."
Nagato's shoulders loosened a little.
His thoughts began to settle.
Then Yahiko suddenly shouted, "Nagato, look at me, look at me!"
Nagato's eyes turned toward him.
And saw a big, thick, white radish.
Yahiko had used the Transformation Technique.
Nagato froze.
Then he burst into laughter.
Yahiko's radish body was absurdly convincing, and the sight was so ridiculous that it punched straight through Nagato's nerves.
"Go, Nagato!" Yahiko cheered.
Other Akatsuki members who loved messing around joined in, transforming into radishes too.
Soon, the crowd contained a whole patch of radishes.
Some of the non Akatsuki shinobi found it hilarious and joined as well.
Nagato looked down at the field of radishes, tried to hold in his laughter, then finally began.
He spoke about his thoughts.
It was not especially eloquent, but he finished. He said what he wanted to say. He shared his view.
That alone was a victory.
When everyone had spoken, Mugetsu turned his gaze to Kakuzu.
Kakuzu crossed his arms, expression cold.
"Why are you looking at me?" he said. "I am not your student."
"It will not take much time," Mugetsu replied, smiling. "And you have nothing else to do right now anyway."
Kakuzu's face darkened.
If he had not come to the Land of Rain, and if he had not met Mugetsu, he would either be earning money right now, or on his way to earn money.
He snorted, clearly displeased, and stepped onto the earthen platform.
Then he launched a verbal assault on everyone.
Within Mugetsu's team, besides helping a bit during meals, Kakuzu was basically idle. He had watched everything.
And now he judged everything.
In Kakuzu's words, Yahiko was a hot blooded fool who would be played to death in the shinobi world, then help the enemy count their money.
Nagato bottled everything up and barely spoke, unable to even understand his own comrades, let alone make the world understand each other.
Ikechou was so cautious that Kakuzu said he looked like the type who would sell out his teammates out of habit.
One by one, Kakuzu publicly executed them all with terrifying precision, citing daily incidents as proof.
Everyone except Mugetsu was criticized until they wanted to bury themselves.
As for Mugetsu, Kakuzu wanted to criticize him most of all.
But he truly could not find a single solid point.
Kakuzu's pride would not let him fabricate nonsense.
"You should thank Kakuzu," Mugetsu said, amused. "Not everyone is meticulous enough to help you correct your flaws like this."
The group burst into laughter.
At first, those targeted had been mortified. It was basically an execution.
But as Kakuzu kept going and everyone was executed, the embarrassment faded.
When everyone was roasted, it started to feel like no one was.
That evening at dinner, the group was still teasing each other using Kakuzu's evaluations.
"Ninja Master Sosuke," Yahiko said, bright eyed, "I think we can split up for a while. Each group can go to different villages, give speeches, and spread the ideals of the Shinobi Sect."
He leaned forward, excited.
"This would speed up progress and train everyone's abilities better."
Spreading the Shinobi Sect's ideals was something Mugetsu had only begun recently. Before that, their travels had focused on spreading the name of the Shinobi Sect and practicing as they went.
After all, the Land of Rain was Amegakure's territory. They had needed to be restrained at first.
"Let us see what everyone thinks," Mugetsu said. "Vote."
In the end, most agreed with Yahiko.
The speeches they gave earlier had given everyone something to gain.
With the decision made, Mugetsu formed a specific plan.
For safety, each team would have at least seven people.
The teams could not be too far apart.
Every three days, they had to report back to Mugetsu and attend class.
After Mugetsu gave them emergency training for a few days, the group split into seven squads and moved out.
Yahiko refused invitations from other Akatsuki members.
Instead, he took Nagato and Konan, and invited several shinobi he had a good impression of.
He wanted to use this chance to help the others understand Akatsuki better.
At first, everything went smoothly.
They spread the ideals of the Shinobi Sect. They helped their teammates learn more about Akatsuki.
Then, as always, accidents arrived without warning.
In a village located near the border of the Land of Rain, Yahiko's group was attacked by Iwagakure shinobi.
"We are shinobi from the Land of Rain," Yahiko shouted while blocking an attack. "The Land of Earth and the Land of Rain are not at war. Did you mistake us for someone else?"
The Iwagakure shinobi did not answer.
They ignored his words and attacked even more fiercely, focusing on Yahiko as if he were the leader that had to be cut down first.
Only then did Yahiko realize these were not ordinary enemies.
This might be an elite squad.
"Do not hurt them," Yahiko shouted. "Subdue them first!"
He especially meant Nagato.
If Nagato lost control and unleashed the Rinnegan's power, he might kill them all instantly.
Nagato nodded.
Killing Iwagakure shinobi here would bring trouble to the Land of Rain.
But while Yahiko's group held back, the enemies did not.
Every strike was aimed at vital points.
The pressure climbed fast.
In the chaos, Yahiko's arm was cut, and blood spilled.
Nagato froze when he saw it.
Yahiko was one of the people Nagato cared about most, perhaps the most important of all.
When Nagato lost his parents and wandered the shinobi world, it was Yahiko who pulled him forward, guiding him out of grief and into a new life.
Konan was also precious to him, but Yahiko held a special place.
If Nagato had to describe it, Yahiko was the first ray of light he saw after falling into darkness.
"Die!" The Iwagakure shinobi fighting Nagato seized the opening and thrust a blade toward him.
Bang!
Nagato's Rinnegan trembled.
A terrifying aura erupted from his body.
The attacker was blasted away instantly, slammed into the ground, and left a trail of blood behind.
The other Iwagakure shinobi were shaken.
But before they could react, Nagato moved.
His speed became absurd. His methods became strange and overwhelming.
In moments, every enemy fell.
By the time Nagato came back to himself, the ground was covered in corpses.
His four Shinobi Sect teammates stood frozen, eyes wide with shock.
They had not expected there was another powerhouse in the team besides Mugetsu.
And one so young.
"Yahiko… I am sorry," Nagato said, lowering his head. "I…"
He did not need to say more.
He knew he had messed up.
Yahiko looked at Nagato's pale face, sighed, then forced a gentle smile.
"Did Ninja Master Sosuke not tell us?" Yahiko said. "If someone wants to kill us, we can retaliate in kind."
"That was natural," he added. "You did nothing wrong."
Nagato had erupted to protect him. Yahiko had no reason to blame him.
"Nagato," Konan asked quietly, "do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
"I am fine," Nagato said, shaking his head. "I just used a bit too much chakra."
Yahiko thought for a moment, then spoke decisively.
"Given what happened, we need to report to Ninja Master Sosuke. Let us head back early this time."
No one objected.
The seven immediately rushed back to the village where Mugetsu was staying.
After Yahiko's group left, several shinobi wearing Konoha Root uniforms appeared at the scene.
"The Rinnegan," Danzo said, staring at the aftermath with surprise. "I did not expect such power to exist in the Land of Rain."
The Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki were all descendants of the Six Paths Sage. That meant Konoha possessed extensive records related to the Sage.
Danzo knew the Six Paths Sage was not just a legend.
He was real.
Yet Danzo had not expected the Sage's Rinnegan to appear in the Land of Rain.
"The Demigod Hanzo, Ninja Master Sosuke, and the Rinnegan," Danzo muttered, eyes sharp. "These three forces must absolutely not converge."
In his view, the Land of Rain's overall strength was already too great, enough to threaten Konoha.
"Luckily I discovered this in time," Danzo thought, silently mocking Hiruzen's incompetence. "Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Now Sosuke and the Rinnegan were on the same side.
If left unchecked, the fusion of these powers could produce something comparable to a great village.
Danzo had wanted Hanzo and Mugetsu to clash directly, but his investigation showed they were not enemies.
They had even met amicably once.
So after learning Mugetsu's final destination was the border near the Land of Earth, Danzo personally brought subordinates to stir trouble, hoping to provoke conflict between Mugetsu and Iwagakure.
Now Danzo felt that was not enough.
He wanted to crush any possibility of Hanzo and Mugetsu cooperating.
Danzo ordered his subordinates to collect the bodies of the fallen Root members.
Then, using the Transformation Technique, he altered his appearance into Yahiko and his group.
He hunted down an Iwagakure squad.
After cleaning up the scene, Danzo took the bodies of the Iwagakure shinobi and brought them to Amegakure.
When Amegakure learned Danzo had arrived, Hanzo received him personally.
In the eyes of other villages, Danzo was Konoha's second in command, a man who could represent Konoha.
"Hanzo," Danzo said suddenly, wearing an expression of righteous indignation, as if Hanzo had suffered an unbearable injustice. "I truly feel indignant for you."
Hanzo stared at him.
"Why do you say that?" Hanzo asked.
In status and strength, they were comparable. Hanzo did not mind Danzo addressing him by name.
"You appreciate the young talents of the Land of Rain," Danzo said, voice heavy, "and you actively help them build renown. Yet they did not inherit your ambition for peace."
"Instead, they have dragged conflict into the Land of Rain themselves."
Hanzo's expression sharpened.
He gestured for Danzo to continue.
"Hanzo, as you know, Konoha is currently at war with Iwagakure," Danzo said, beginning his carefully crafted speech. "Besides that, we also face Kumogakure and Kirigakure."
"Though Konoha does not fear challenges, a chaotic war among four great villages will bring massive destruction to the shinobi world."
"We in Konoha cannot bear to see the world suffer such devastation," Danzo continued, calmly speaking serious nonsense. "So we hoped you, Hanzo, could mediate and facilitate peace talks between Konoha and Iwagakure."
In truth, Konoha had no intention of peace talks. They held the advantage.
Hanzo nodded anyway.
He did not believe Konoha was unwilling to see devastation. He simply assumed Konoha felt pressure and wanted fewer opponents.
Still, seeking mediation from him made sense. Hanzo was the only leader of a small village to stand at the apex of the shinobi world, his name known everywhere.
"But my shinobi discovered something unfortunate," Danzo said, his face twisting as if in pain. "Those shinobi from the Land of Rain, who call themselves the Shinobi Sect, attacked and killed Iwagakure shinobi."
"Because they wore Amegakure headbands, my subordinates initially thought they were Amegakure shinobi. But after investigating, we realized they were not."
A hint of awkwardness passed over Hanzo's face.
This was a measure Amegakure had taken after the Second Shinobi World War.
During that war, Amegakure's forces suffered devastating losses. Many died, and some defected. Their shinobi numbers became too low to complete missions, let alone maintain internal security.
To help Amegakure recover, Hanzo implemented a regulation.
Shinobi from the Land of Rain could take an exam and receive an Amegakure headband to complete delegated missions for Amegakure, but only missions below A rank. Their commission cut was also higher than regular village shinobi. Those who performed well could later become true Amegakure shinobi.
That meant a Land of Rain shinobi wearing an Amegakure headband was not necessarily an Amegakure shinobi.
Only those wearing both the headband and the Amegakure uniform were unquestionably Amegakure.
"Even if they are not Amegakure shinobi," Danzo sighed, "they are still shinobi of the Land of Rain. And they wear Amegakure headbands. Iwagakure will likely blame the entire Land of Rain."
Danzo's expression made it seem as if he was truly saddened, as if he regretted the peace talks collapsing.
Then Danzo had his subordinates present the bodies.
Hanzo inspected them carefully.
They were Iwagakure shinobi.
Most Iwagakure shinobi trained in Earth Release. The traces left on their bodies made it obvious.
At this point, Hanzo was mostly convinced.
Someone of Danzo's caliber would not slander unknown youngsters for no reason.
"In my opinion," Danzo said, voice turning cold, "this Ninja Master Sosuke is no benevolent man."
"His ideology does not look like rebuilding the Shinobi Sect. It looks like he is trying to ignite an unprecedented war in the shinobi world."
Danzo's poisoning continued.
"Among the Shinobi Sect, someone even spoke of abolishing nobles," Danzo added. "How treasonous."
Danzo's preparations were extremely thorough.
The corpses were real.
And most of what he told Hanzo was also true, gathered through careful investigation.
"My teacher, the Second Hokage, deeply respected the Six Paths Sage," Danzo said, sighing. "If he were alive, he would never tolerate someone who tarnishes the Sage's reputation, and slanders the Shinobi Sect, the origin of shinobi."
Danzo then lifted his chin, righteous and calm.
"Even if peace talks with Iwagakure cannot proceed, if you wish to deal with Sosuke, or if you need help resisting Iwagakure, Konoha can be your ally."
"Thank you for your intelligence, Danzo," Hanzo said, voice deep. "But this is significant. It is also an internal matter of the Land of Rain. I need to dispatch shinobi to investigate further."
Danzo's words were highly credible, but Hanzo would not fully trust them without verification.
Danzo's expression did not change.
This was expected.
Hanzo had led a village too long to swallow a story whole on the spot.
If Hanzo had believed him immediately, Danzo would have only despised him internally and used him as a free pawn.
Danzo was not worried about Hanzo investigating.
He had left no flaws.
Even Nagato and Yahiko believed they had killed Iwagakure shinobi.
…
"Ninja Master Sosuke," Yahiko said as soon as they found Mugetsu, "we ran into a small accident."
He quickly reported everything.
"We encountered a squad of Iwagakure shinobi. They attacked us for no reason. During the counterattack, we accidentally killed them all."
As he spoke, Yahiko scratched his head awkwardly.
Even he felt his words sounded strange.
Accidentally killed them all.
But it was the truth.
"Are you sure they were Iwagakure?" Mugetsu asked after listening.
"I think so," Yahiko replied without hesitation. "They wore Iwagakure uniforms and used Earth Release."
Yahiko had never doubted it. The village was on the border of the Land of Rain and the Land of Earth, so the appearance of Iwagakure shinobi did not seem strange.
Mugetsu shook his head.
"Uniforms and headbands are easy to imitate," he said. "Earth Release is not exclusive to Iwagakure. Did you examine the bodies carefully?"
All seven shook their heads.
They had not even considered that.
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were inexperienced. The other four had been so shocked by Nagato's power that their minds went blank.
"Since they attacked first, your counterattack was justified," Mugetsu said, not blaming them. "Their deaths were deserved."
"However, we still need to confirm who they were. Take me there."
Yahiko led Mugetsu to the battlefield.
When they arrived, Yahiko's group froze.
The corpses were gone.
They stood there dumbfounded.
"Maybe the villagers handled them," Konan suggested, trying to find a reasonable explanation.
"That is possible," Mugetsu replied, "but it is more likely their comrades retrieved them. Recovering bodies is also part of a shinobi's job."
Mugetsu did not let them hold much hope.
As expected, after questioning nearby villages, they found no trace of the bodies.
Nagato's expression turned self reproachful.
If he had not lost control, things would not have turned out like this.
"Even though Jiraiya sensei taught me so many techniques," Nagato said quietly, "I still cannot control my power properly."
He was deeply disappointed in himself.
Jiraiya had said he might be the reincarnation of the Six Paths Sage, the savior of the shinobi world.
But Nagato felt there could not be such a terrible savior.
"Ninja Master Sosuke," Yahiko asked, weary now, "what should we do?"
Mugetsu thought for a moment.
"Since the clues are gone, we focus on what we are doing now," he said. "If they truly were Iwagakure, then Iwagakure will come looking for us again."
In truth, Mugetsu knew exactly what had happened.
He had sent a Shadow Clone to follow Yahiko's group.
So he knew those so called Iwagakure shinobi were actually Root.
Mugetsu could easily guess Danzo's goal.
Stir conflict between them and Iwagakure.
Possibly also poison Hanzo against them.
But Danzo had schemes, and Mugetsu had plans of his own.
The ideals of Mugetsu's Shinobi Sect were destined to clash with the shinobi of this era. Conflict was inevitable.
Instead of exposing Danzo's discord, Mugetsu decided it was better to play along.
He would use this crisis to temper the Shinobi Sect and Akatsuki, and sharpen them through pressure.
After all, Mugetsu was still in the Land of Rain. He could back them up.
He also had a selfish motive.
True bonds showed themselves in adversity.
A crisis would be even better for raising Nagato's favorability.
"This is all we can do for now," Yahiko said, feeling Mugetsu's decision made sense.
Nagato looked even more down.
He returned in silence.
Yahiko and Konan both noticed and tried to comfort him.
Nagato forced himself to act normal so they would not worry.
Only once he returned to his room did his emotions spill out.
He curled up, arms wrapped around his legs, alone with his thoughts.
Thump. Thump.
A knock sounded at his door.
Nagato quickly adjusted his expression and opened it.
He thought it would be Yahiko or Konan.
But it was Mugetsu.
Mugetsu was holding a bowl of ramen.
Nagato stared, confused.
Mugetsu walked inside and placed the ramen on the table.
"Eat," Mugetsu said. "When you feel bad, eating something good can make you feel much better."
Then he chuckled and added, "Although it is a little narcissistic to call my own cooking delicious. Good thing Kakuzu is not here."
Since cooking skill was one of Mugetsu's signature traits, he rarely cooked while in the Land of Rain.
"What?" Mugetsu asked, seeing Nagato stand still. "Do you not like ramen?"
"No," Nagato replied, shaking his head.
Years of wandering had cured him of any picky habits.
He was simply overwhelmed.
He had not expected Mugetsu to notice his mood, much less cook for him.
"Eat while it is hot," Mugetsu said, smiling. "Cold noodles are sad noodles."
The steaming ramen gave off a rich aroma.
Nagato's stomach tightened.
He was hungry.
Using the Rinnegan burned through energy.
Nagato thanked Mugetsu, then said softly, "Itadakimasu," and began to eat.
The first bite stunned him.
His eyes widened.
This was the most delicious ramen he had ever tasted.
No.
The most delicious food he had ever tasted.
Nagato was not good with words. He could not describe what he felt.
After a bite of noodles and a sip of broth, warmth spread through his body as if something inside him had been washed clean.
The moment only ended when his chopsticks lifted nothing.
Nagato realized he had finished the entire bowl without even noticing.
"Ninja Master Sosuke… thank you," Nagato said again, voice low.
If two simple thanks could earn a bowl of ramen like that, Nagato felt the line of people who wanted to thank Mugetsu could stretch from Amegakure all the way to the border of the Land of Rain.
Mugetsu sat down cross legged.
"If you trust me," he said gently, "tell me what is on your mind. Keeping it inside only makes it heavier."
Nagato fell silent.
In his mind, he saw Mugetsu traveling through the Land of Rain.
He saw the care Mugetsu showed his followers day after day.
He remembered the warmth of that ramen.
His throat tightened.
He could not speak for a long moment.
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