Chapter 415: Nagato Explodes Gold Coins
[System: Disciple Nagato's trust level increased. Current trust level: 3.]
Just as Mugetsu expected, the trust level rose.
His earlier confession to Nagato had already built trust, and now he had protected Nagato while risking his own life. It would have been strange if trust did not increase.
If Mugetsu had spent two years with Nagato instead of two months, he felt he might have jumped straight to trust level four.
In the end, time was still too short, but Mugetsu was satisfied with the result.
He had not only completed his disciple recruitment plan, he had also done what he could for the shinobi world, just as he intended.
He established the Shinobi Sect in the Land of Rain to spread the idea of peace. If the Shinobi Sect continued developing at this pace, it would undoubtedly change the chaotic situation in the Land of Rain, even if it could not maintain world peace.
"Let me heal everyone first," Mugetsu said.
He split off a shadow clone to treat the Shinobi Sect members, then used the Mystical Palm Technique to heal himself.
Seeing that Mugetsu seemed fine, Nagato, who had been stretched tight the entire battle, finally relaxed. His face turned pale as he breathed heavily.
His berserk state had made him fearless, but it had also burned through a massive amount of chakra and energy.
The others collapsed onto the ground as well, letting the tension drain out of their bodies. Not much time had passed, yet a life or death battle like that was exhausting in a way that made minutes feel like days.
"We actually won…" Ikechou muttered, slumped on the ground in disbelief.
He had thought the best possible outcome would be Mugetsu leading them in a clean escape.
After all, their opponent was Hanzo, the strongest in the Land of Rain, the so called Demigod, the pinnacle of shinobi in the current world. And Hanzo had brought so many elite Rain ninja.
Yet this ended as a complete victory for them. No one died. Only some were injured.
Ikechou also knew the truth, though. Even if he had been present, this victory had little to do with him. It was Mugetsu, Kakuzu, and Nagato who carried it.
The most valuable person in the battle was undeniably Mugetsu. He held Hanzo back, then intervened when their side was under the greatest pressure.
Kakuzu's contribution was just as critical. If he had not held off so many Rain ninja alone, the weaker Shinobi Sect members would never have endured that kind of storm.
As for Nagato, before his outburst, he fought like a relentless ninjutsu cannon. After his outburst, he erased enemies rapidly, becoming the final blow that shattered the Rain ninja's momentum.
Even with victory in hand, the valley remained strangely quiet. Almost no one spoke. Even Yahiko, usually the loudest among them, said nothing.
Their reasons were different.
Nagato and Ikechou were too drained to talk.
Yahiko was too shaken to find words.
Even if Yahiko hated Hanzo now, his admiration before today had been real. He truly respected Hanzo, and he had genuinely wanted to become someone like him.
Meeting Mugetsu and joining the Shinobi Sect had already pushed him forward on the road to peace.
Then he had been invited by his idol, Hanzo, to work together for peace in the Land of Rain.
Those two things should have created a dreamlike happiness.
Instead, the invitation had been bait. Hanzo had intended to wipe out the Shinobi Sect.
"Why did it turn out like this?" Yahiko could not understand. "Were all those rumors false? Were they deliberately spread by Hanzo?"
The one who finally broke the silence was Kakuzu.
"Sosuke, you really are a strange person," Kakuzu said while stitching his body back together, his eyes fixed on Mugetsu.
For once, Kakuzu was not sure how to judge him.
If Mugetsu was naive, then why did it feel like the entire incident had unfolded within his grasp? It was as if Mugetsu had deliberately walked into Hanzo's trap so the Shinobi Sect could witness how cruel reality truly was.
Could someone who acted and thought like that be called naive?
In Kakuzu's view, truly naive people did not play with stakes like this. One mistake could have gotten the weaker Shinobi Sect members killed.
But if Mugetsu was not naive, then Kakuzu struggled even more, because Mugetsu's goals and ideals felt impossible, like a beautiful fantasy that could never survive the real world.
The more Kakuzu interacted with Mugetsu, the more confused he became about what kind of person he was.
Still, Kakuzu was not without gains.
He had learned one thing with absolute certainty.
Mugetsu was terrifyingly strong, and his depth was hard to measure.
"Just strange?" Mugetsu smiled easily. "That's not too bad. I thought you'd pick something sharper."
Kakuzu's expression darkened slightly. He still respected strength, even when he disliked the person wielding it.
Then he glanced at Yahiko.
"Crying after we won," Kakuzu said bluntly. "Anyone watching would think we lost, and comrades died."
"I…" Yahiko started, then closed his mouth again.
He felt the Shinobi Sect falling into Hanzo's trap had a lot to do with him. Being blamed felt deserved.
Kakuzu snorted, as if he could see through Yahiko's thoughts.
"What, you think it's all your fault? Don't flatter yourself. You're not that important."
"Because…" Yahiko tried to explain, then realized Kakuzu had cornered him with the way he phrased it.
Konan frowned, ready to speak up for Yahiko.
Kakuzu did not care about age or gender. He shot back at Konan and Yahiko without hesitation.
And since that was his mood, he did not stop there. He swung his sharp tongue at everyone.
Mugetsu ended the argument with a single sentence.
"Setbacks are not frightening," he said calmly. "What's frightening is letting them break your spirit. Learn from this, then use it as fuel to grow stronger."
Kakuzu had to admit it. Mugetsu had a talent for turning harsh truths into clean, convincing words.
Kakuzu understood the idea.
He just could not phrase it that well if his life depended on it.
Then Kakuzu spoke again, his tone suddenly different.
"You didn't kill me. And I saved your people. Our grudges are settled."
"You helped a lot today," Mugetsu said, nodding with a sincere smile. "Thank you."
Without Kakuzu, the battle would not have gone this smoothly.
"No need for thanks," Kakuzu replied, completely unceremonious. "If you're really grateful, give me money."
"I can't do that," Mugetsu said, refusing without hesitation. "The money I brought was meant to treat everyone to a meal after the meeting. But I can invite you to eat with us."
Kakuzu paused.
"Do you want to eat?" Mugetsu asked.
"Eat," Kakuzu answered immediately.
He was going to make Mugetsu treat him to a proper meal.
Kakuzu believed Mugetsu had no money overall. Mugetsu was strong, but he did not take missions, steal, or rob, so he naturally would not be rich.
Before they left the valley, Mugetsu found the kunai Hanzo had thrown earlier, the one meant to force him to commit suicide. It had been worn down and damaged by the explosions.
Mugetsu handed the battered kunai to Yahiko.
"If you really can't let it go," Mugetsu said, "then make sure you learn even more from it."
Yahiko nodded solemnly and put the kunai away with care.
He would probably never forget what happened today.
Mugetsu had promised to treat them to a meal, but after an event like this, they had to return to the Shinobi Sect stronghold first. They needed to announce Hanzo's actions and stabilize the situation.
Some also feared Hanzo might send assassins after the Shinobi Sect members who had not attended the meeting.
When they returned and saw the village still peaceful, Yahiko and Ikechou finally felt their hearts loosen.
Kakuzu was not too worried. He suspected Mugetsu had prepared contingencies.
Mugetsu gathered the Shinobi Sect and revealed Hanzo's scheme.
The Shinobi Sect members stared in disbelief.
If Mugetsu had not said it himself, they would never have believed Hanzo could do something like that.
Some had never liked Hanzo, but no one had considered him a treacherous, calculating villain. To the shinobi of the Land of Rain, Hanzo had always been a broad minded powerhouse.
"I didn't think Hanzo was like that," Kyusuke said at once, believing Mugetsu immediately. Then he looked at Yahiko with concern. "Are you alright, Boss?"
Kyusuke usually joked with Yahiko, but he knew Yahiko's mood would not be good after something like this.
"I'm fine," Yahiko said, shaking his head. "Uncle Sosuke is strong. This time, Hanzo brought it on himself."
After being pulled back by Kakuzu and Mugetsu on the way home, Yahiko had already come to terms with many things.
What mattered now was not what kind of person Hanzo truly was.
What mattered was what he would do next.
When the Shinobi Sect finished hearing the full story of the meeting, their shock only deepened.
It was not because they were easily startled. The content was simply too heavy for the Land of Rain.
They respected Mugetsu, but in their hearts, the strongest in the Land of Rain had always been Hanzo. That impression had been built over decades. It did not vanish in a day.
Mugetsu forcing Hanzo to retreat was like shattering the entire world view they had grown up with.
Mugetsu understood the impact, so he gave them time to process it. He did not assign tasks.
After a short rest, Nagato could not help himself.
He asked Mugetsu for guidance on Fire Release.
After this battle, Nagato realized that even though he was proficient in many techniques, he still had enormous room to improve, whether with basic jutsu or powerful ones.
While answering Nagato's questions, Mugetsu also taught him a Fire Release technique.
[System: You taught your disciple Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. Due to your disciple's immense gratitude, you received a great critical reward: Lightning Release chakra nature transformation, mastery level.]
Mugetsu nodded inwardly.
This reward was solid.
He had already obtained mastery level Lightning Release chakra nature transformation through practice, but his proficiency was not high. Receiving the same reward repeatedly would raise it further.
Still, the best reward from Nagato was the consistent disciple feedback that increased Mugetsu's chakra every day.
[System: Disciple Nagato diligently trained chakra. Chakra increased. Disciple feedback: chakra +240.]
Two hundred forty chakra.
If Mugetsu wanted to earn that through grinding practice alone, he would need to sit through twelve small sessions.
Yet this was simply what Nagato produced in one day under trust level two.
Mugetsu could already see the future.
Chakra freedom.
Maybe in a few years, once he entered Breathing Technique Chakra Mode, he would not need to shut it off in a rush. Armament Haki could be used freely alongside other ninjutsu without worrying about consumption.
Since the teaching content was not particularly secret, Mugetsu did not take Nagato to the barrier hut. The other Shinobi Sect members drifted over instinctively to listen.
Later, Mugetsu simply turned it into a Fire Release class.
Even Kakuzu listened with unusual focus.
After all, Mugetsu had just defeated the strongest Water Release user in the current shinobi world using Fire Release. The value of his understanding was enormous.
Mugetsu taught until evening. With time short, they ate at the stronghold.
That night, Kakuzu lay in his room, replaying Mugetsu's lecture again and again.
"If this guy charged for his classes, he might earn more than me," Kakuzu muttered, sincerely impressed.
Mastering something and teaching it well were two different skills. Teaching itself was a talent.
When Kakuzu closed his eyes, a thought jolted him.
He had forgotten something.
"Wasn't I planning to leave?" Kakuzu sat up. "How did I end up sleeping here?"
Only then did he remember. He had declared their grudges settled because he planned to run.
But then another thought hit him.
"I still haven't eaten Sosuke's meal…"
Kakuzu stood, then sat back down, staring at the wall in silence.
He realized that whether he left or stayed, it might not change much.
He had no home to return to.
Once, his home had been the Hidden Waterfall Village. After the betrayal by its higher ups, he had wandered the shinobi world, going wherever there was a high bounty.
"Someone like Sosuke, and an organization like the Shinobi Sect, will clash with strong people in the future," Kakuzu thought. "That means it'll be easy to run into bounties."
He remembered his first fight with Mugetsu. Even then, he thought Mugetsu was strong.
But judging by the battle against Hanzo, Mugetsu had been holding back.
Kakuzu also remembered being sealed inside the Shinobi Sect by Mugetsu. To reject Mugetsu and the Shinobi Sect's ideology, he had spent that confinement watching everything they did, mostly because he had nothing else to do.
In the end, Kakuzu lay back down.
Following the Shinobi Sect meant he could hunt bounties.
It also meant he could sit in Mugetsu's classes.
It did not seem so bad.
And Mugetsu had promised to treat them to a meal.
Kakuzu still had not eaten it.
He would eat it before leaving.
Otherwise, would that not be a loss?
…
"Sosuke knows about the Rinnegan, but he doesn't seem interested in it," Black Zetsu reported. "His strength is extremely high. He suppressed Hanzo's Water Release with Fire Release, even in the rain."
Black Zetsu relayed everything that happened in the Land of Rain to Madara.
"It shouldn't affect my plan in the short term," Madara said, giving only a slight nod. He did not pay much attention to Black Zetsu's later words.
To the shinobi of the Land of Rain, Hanzo was the strongest, carved into their minds.
To Madara, Hanzo was just an unfamiliar junior.
How strong could he really be?
Madara looked down on everyone except Hashirama.
"Keep an eye on him," Madara said after a moment. "Gather information."
Nagato held an important position in Madara's resurrection plan. His successor would guide Nagato.
If Mugetsu was still by Nagato's side at that time, then Mugetsu would become an obstacle that had to be removed.
Watching Madara's lack of concern, Black Zetsu felt disappointed.
He had hoped Madara would propose a solution to deal with Mugetsu.
Black Zetsu valued Mugetsu highly.
After the battle with Hanzo, the Fire Release Mugetsu displayed made his so called sage inheritance feel even more credible.
How could an ordinary person train Fire Release to that extent?
Black Zetsu had lived for thousands of years. He knew the limits of ordinary shinobi.
"Madara is only capable of this much," Black Zetsu thought coldly. "That's fine. Once the Eye of the Moon Plan is completed, the final step will be simple."
With that, Black Zetsu began preparing to find a way to deal with the shinobi named Sosuke himself.
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