Chapter 512: Master of the Ninja World

Land of Rain.

Day three of the unrestricted lecture.

Due to the fermentation of the previous two days, more Ninja flocked to the Land of Rain, wanting to witness whether Ninja Master Sōsuke’s teaching ability was as powerful as rumored, so the number of attendees further increased.

Of course, the arrival of more people also increased the difficulty of the Shinobi Sect’s management.

After all, the Shinobi Sect currently only has a little over a hundred Ninja, and managing over a thousand Ninja is still very challenging.

However, the Ninja who had attended two days of lectures were afraid of offending the Shinobi Sect and not being able to continue attending, so they were all very well-behaved, and no chaotic situations occurred; they were basically stopped as soon as they started.

“Ninjutsu is a combination of Chakra Nature Transformation, Chakra Shape Transformation, and Chakra Control!” Muzuki concluded.

“Whether it’s Fire Release, Water Release, Yin Release Ninjutsu, or Yang Release Ninjutsu, the essence is the same.”

This is also why different people using the same Ninjutsu have such great differences.

Some people need to complete all hand seals to use Ninjutsu, some can simplify hand seals, and some only need one hand seal or even no hand seals to use Ninjutsu.

Because there are differences in their Nature Transformation abilities, Chakra control abilities, understanding of Ninjutsu itself, and so on.

Muzuki’s words made many people fall into contemplation.

Most Ninja do not have such a realization.

Because Ninja primarily come into contact with Ninjutsu in three main situations: first, Ninja Academy; second, the cultivation system within Ninja clans; and third, instruction from elders in Ninja families.

In these three categories, no matter which one, the educators are at most ordinary Jonin, and in most cases, Chunin.

And what level is a Chunin? A Chunin who has learned Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation and knows Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique and Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique is already quite excellent. What kind of broad insights could they have?

“It’s a pity I didn’t come the first two days.” A Ninja who only arrived on the third day to attend the lecture in the Land of Rain said with regret.

Just Muzuki’s first sentence made him realize he hadn’t come for nothing.

“Of course, this doesn’t mean we can just combine things randomly to develop Ninjutsu.” Muzuki continued.

“Different Chakra Nature Transformation have different characteristics: fire’s high temperature and combustion, wind’s cutting, water’s variability. In terms of Chakra Nature Transformation, we can develop techniques based on the characteristics of different Chakra Nature Transformation.”

“For example, with Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation, we can use Chakra Shape Transformation to make it sharper to increase its penetrative power, or turn it into a mist to obstruct vision.”

Muzuki’s experience with various Ninjutsu was truly too rich. Although he had only cultivated Ninjutsu for over a decade, including the original owner, if you count the cultivation memories instilled by the system, it’s exaggerated.

Every time he gained a new master-level Ninjutsu, Muzuki felt as if he had cultivated that Ninjutsu for several years or even more than a decade.

Although it was just an illusion, in reality, only a second had passed, but Muzuki’s cultivation experience in his mind was real.

So, no matter what Ninjutsu it was, Muzuki could speak eloquently, with solid content, and he had summarized new insights from it.

“This is a true Ninjutsu professor.” Lord Hanzo thought with emotion.

At this moment, he no longer felt bothered by his defeat to Sōsuke. The lecture had only gone halfway, but Lord Hanzo could already feel Sōsuke’s terrifying power through the tip of the iceberg he had revealed.

When a Ninja is proficient in seven Chakra Nature Transformation and also has deep research into all Ninjutsu, it is almost impossible for him to be countered in battle, and he can always use abilities that counter the opponent.

Lord Hanzo once thought that Sōsuke was only good at Fire Release, which was why he used Fire Release, which was countered, to fight him.

Now it seems that Sōsuke was just confident at the time, believing that Fire Release Chakra was enough to defeat him, and there was no need to use other abilities.

Lord Hanzo showed a hint of loneliness. Understanding this was very difficult for him.

He had attached so much importance to Sōsuke, viewing him as a great enemy, and after being defeated, he had struggled with himself countless times internally, only to find that Sōsuke hadn’t taken him seriously at all and hadn’t fought with full strength.

Lord Hanzo suppressed the extra emotions in his heart and continued to listen to the lecture. He could think about things later, but if he got distracted in class, Sōsuke wouldn’t re-explain it to him.

When the lecture ended, Lord Hanzo prepared to return to Amegakure. He had been away from Amegakure for three days, and it was time to go back.

“Tomorrow morning’s lecture will still be on Ninjutsu, but it will focus more on Chakra control. The afternoon will be on Taijutsu.” Muzuki announced as usual.

Lord Hanzo fell into thought. He knew he felt something was missing; it turned out it wasn’t finished yet.

“Since I’ve stayed for three days, I might as well stay for another half a day.” Lord Hanzo decided to leave tomorrow afternoon, at least after listening to the Ninjutsu part.

This was like a novel with three volumes: upper, middle, and lower. If he only missed reading the lower one, even if there was no great loss, he would feel uncomfortable.

The next afternoon, Lord Hanzo was curious about Muzuki’s Taijutsu level and planned to listen for a few minutes before leaving. However, as soon as he listened, he was instantly amazed, and by the time he came to his senses, the afternoon lecture had already ended.

“Lord Hanzo, you are the leader of Amegakure. How can you neglect Village affairs for Sōsuke’s lecture? Have you forgotten the great wish for the rise of the Land of Rain?” Lord Hanzo reminded himself, determined to leave immediately after listening for the entire morning tomorrow.

On the fifth day, he listened to lectures all day.

On the sixth day, he listened to lectures all day, and more and more people came, so he couldn’t get a front-row seat.

On the morning of the seventh day, Lord Hanzo stood in front of the mirror in his hotel room, looking at himself in disbelief. For seven whole days, he hadn’t returned to Amegakure once.

And it wasn’t for any important mission; it was just to listen to Sōsuke’s lectures.

“Since things have come to this, let’s listen to the lecture first.” After finishing breakfast, Lord Hanzo used Body Flicker Technique to rush to the lecture ground.

Over these six days, every single one of Muzuki’s lessons was incredibly high quality. The condensed key points that Muzuki spoke about during his lectures were recorded and spread, causing more and more Ninja to come, drawn by his reputation. One had to arrive early to get a good position near the front.

Lord Hanzo’s strength allowed him to get a good spot even if he arrived late, but he didn’t want to expose his identity, so he also arrived early to wait for the lecture to begin.

On this day, Muzuki also stood on the podium at the lecture ground much earlier, but he did not start the lecture prematurely.

Starting early would accommodate those who arrived early, but it would cause those who liked to arrive on time to miss some content.

“Teacher Sōsuke, will there be opportunities like this to attend lectures in the future?” A Ninja, seeing that Muzuki had been silent, mustered his courage and asked.

“There will be, but the time has not yet been determined.” Muzuki thought for a moment and replied.

The evaluation rewards for advanced classes were very good. If conditions allowed, Muzuki would choose to farm more of them.

The current situation was that even if there were enough people, it would be difficult for Muzuki to continuously farm for three months like he did with intermediate classes.

Firstly, there was the limitation of the lecture content. It had to be very brilliant content, and it had to be rewarding for the attendees to get an S-rank evaluation.

If he taught advanced skills like Breathing Technique or Armament Haki Secret Technique, the evaluation would definitely easily pass S-rank, but those skills obviously could not be spread so casually.

So, the content of the lectures was actually very limited. Muzuki’s choice was to summarize his knowledge and speak about it from a macroscopic perspective.

The unrestricted lecture achieving this result was thanks to Muzuki’s early preparation, not something he just decided on a whim.

Many Ninja showed joyful expressions after hearing Muzuki’s reply, whether they were rogue Ninja or Ninja Village Ninja.

After all, no matter what their status, guidance from a Ninja of Muzuki’s caliber was a rare opportunity.

Of course, Shinobi Sect Ninja were an exception.

Within the current Shinobi Sect, the possibility of receiving guidance from Muzuki was very high, though it might not necessarily be from his main body.

“More Ninja should want to join the Shinobi Sect. At this rate, the Land of Rain will soon return to stability.” Yahiko felt one step closer to his dream.

Ever since joining the Shinobi Sect, he had always been moving forward, and although he would encounter setbacks, it did not affect his progress.

“It’s truly wonderful that Teacher Sōsuke established the Shinobi Sect in the Land of Rain.” Yahiko sighed, knowing full well who brought all of this about.

“Mm.” Nagato nodded in agreement, looking at Muzuki.

As the only person who knew Muzuki’s true identity, Nagato understood Muzuki’s greatness even more clearly.

Muzuki wasn’t even from the Land of Rain; he was from the Land of Fire, a Ninja of Konoha, yet he came to the Land of Rain for peace, living anonymously and striving anew.

As a top-tier expert, and a top-tier expert from one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Muzuki could clearly live a much easier and happier life.

Muzuki noticed Nagato’s gaze and returned a smile.

When the time reached nine o’clock, Muzuki began the lecture promptly.

Although it was the last day, Muzuki did not hold any special ceremony, lecturing as usual.

The attending Ninja quickly immersed themselves in Muzuki’s class, forgetting about it being the last lesson.

When the lecture ended, some people smiled and made plans with friends to wake up early tomorrow to grab a good spot.

“All lectures have concluded. I hope everyone has gained something.”

It wasn’t until Muzuki smiled and announced the successful conclusion of the unrestricted lecture that the Ninja remembered it was the seventh day of the advertised period, which was the final day.

“Ah, I only listened for two days.” Some late-arriving Ninja were filled with regret.

“I wonder when the next lecture will be, and what exciting content it will have then. I’m really looking forward to it.” Some Ninja also looked forward to Muzuki’s future lectures.

A large number of Ninja bowed earnestly to Muzuki, solemnly thanking him: “Teacher Sōsuke, thank you for your guidance.”

Although Muzuki had only taught them for seven days, and some of them for even less than seven days, they all felt that they were students of the Ninja Master.

Because Muzuki’s lectures truly made them feel the value of the title “Ninja Master.”

Before attending the lectures, many people thought that the content of this unrestricted lecture would be very ordinary.

A secret technique was enough to establish a Ninja clan. Would any force selflessly and unconditionally spread advanced Ninja knowledge without restriction?

But the facts proved that they had underestimated the Ninja Master. Although Muzuki did not teach any specific Ninjutsu or secret techniques, the content he taught made many people feel that these contents surpassed so-called powerful Ninjutsu and secret techniques.

Not only did the Ninja feel they were students of the Ninja Master, they were also proud of it.

This even included Ninja from Amegakure.

In the past, Lord Hanzo would choose to spare a young opponent’s life due to their excellence, a magnanimity that earned him respect and admiration from many Ninja.

Compared to Lord Hanzo, the Ninja Master’s actions were undoubtedly a step above, how could one not feel respect for him?

The Ninja influenced each other, and more and more Ninja bowed to Muzuki. Even Pakura and Kitsuchi bowed slightly to show their respect.

Lord Hanzo looked at Muzuki, his expression complex, and bowed slightly, but no sound came from his mouth.

Muzuki’s lecture had benefited him; Lord Hanzo had to admit that, but to call him ‘teacher,’ he couldn’t do it.

“I remember your name is Hattori, right? Teacher Sōsuke even interacted with you. Why aren’t you speaking?” A Rain Ninja next to him noticed that Lord Hanzo not only merely bent his waist slightly but also didn’t call him ‘teacher,’ and couldn’t help but be a little surprised.

Lord Hanzo:…

He really wanted to know what expression this Rain Ninja would show if he canceled his disguise.

However, Lord Hanzo had no interest in competing with his subordinate, and it wasn’t worth exposing himself.

“Recently, the Shinobi Sect will establish a formal headquarters in the eastern part of the Land of Rain. At that time, a Youth Martial Arts Tournament will be held. Ninja aged eighteen and below can sign up to participate. Those who rank high will receive rewards. The first-place reward will be Fire Dragon Dance. Other subsequent rewards will be announced together when the tournament is about to begin.” Muzuki announced.

The Ninja below looked at each other, all with expressions of disbelief.

Over a thousand people here had seen Muzuki perform Fire Dragon Dance and knew how powerful that Fire Release was.

“The Fire Release that defeated Lord Hanzo will be given away for first place.” A Rain Ninja gasped in cold air.

“Damn it, I’m exactly nineteen this year.” Some Ninja were pleasantly surprised, only to realize they had exceeded the age limit for participation, which left them feeling depressed.

“Sōsuke is actually preparing to give Fire Dragon Dance as a reward. I must report this to Father.” Kitsuchi was also secretly surprised.

He had personally witnessed Muzuki use Fire Dragon Dance to beat Lord Hanzo, and he never expected Muzuki to give away such a powerful Ninjutsu so easily.

“When we return to the Village, let’s publicize this. Although there aren’t many Ninja in the Village who practice Fire Release, it’s still a good thing to be able to get it,” Pakura thought.

If she hadn’t been overage, Pakura would have wanted to participate herself.

Lord Hanzo’s face darkened in surprise. He had a premonition that the story of him being defeated by Sōsuke might spread throughout the entire Ninja World with the start of the Youth Martial Arts Tournament.

Lord Hanzo truly regretted it now. By opposing the Shinobi Sect, he gained nothing, only causing the Amegakure’s strength to decline and his own reputation to worsen.

Perhaps in another ten years, he would no longer be known as the Demigod of the Ninja World, but rather as Sōsuke’s backdrop.

“Sōsuke is indeed good at making money. This time, he’s going to make a fortune.” Kakuzu observed the expressions of the Ninja present and couldn’t help but smile.

Now these Ninja were not simply people who could be exploited for money; it was as if they were begging the Shinobi Sect to exploit them and earn their money.

At this moment, in Kakuzu’s eyes, the Ninja were all stacks of moving banknotes, which made Kakuzu’s slightly fierce gaze instinctively soften a little.

After the advertisement, this seven-day unrestricted lecture finally ended. The Ninja who came to listen dispersed, and the Shinobi Sect Ninja also began to pack their things and head to the eastern part of the Land of Rain.

Muzuki knew that exploiting the Daimyo for money was difficult. On one hand, the Land of Rain was not very wealthy, and on the other hand, the Daimyo also had to provide funds for the Amegakure.

So Muzuki proposed another request: to allocate a piece of land for the Shinobi Sect to be stationed, with the land having a nature similar to a Ninja Village, and everything in the area being managed by the Shinobi Sect.

The Rain Country Daimyo directly waved his hand and approved three hundred and fifty square kilometers of land for the Shinobi Sect.

It seemed very good, but in reality, it wasn’t that large; it was only slightly larger than Konoha’s Death Forest.

Moreover, the most fatal thing was that most of it was barren land, and the only two or three Villages there were so poor they couldn’t even pay taxes.

Although there were many shortcomings, in Muzuki’s view, none of them were unsolvable problems.

If there was a lot of barren land, then they would build. Ninja’s infrastructure capabilities were not weak. If they lacked money, they would use their alias’s reputation to find ways to develop the economy. If they lacked population, they just happened to encounter a Shinobi World War. As long as they showed their strength, people would voluntarily move to the Shinobi Sect’s base, and accepting refugees was also an option.

Before moving to the east, the Shinobi Sect Ninja had already built some simple habitable houses at the base. Upon arriving at the base, the Shinobi Sect Ninja began to brainstorm names for the base.

This was a formal settlement, different from the previous temporary bases.

“How about Shinobi Sect Village?” Yahiko thought they could just call it Shinobi Sect Village, similar to other Ninja Villages.

“It doesn’t sound very good,” Konan honestly said.

Shinobi Sect Village sounded strange to her; Akatsuki Ninja Village sounded more natural than Shinobi Sect Village.

“Haha, it seems so.” Yahiko repeated it a few times in his mind and found that it indeed didn’t sound very good.

“How about Peace City?” Nagato thought for a moment and said.

Whether it was the former Akatsuki Organization or the current Shinobi Sect, their goal was peace, and with the Shinobi Sect establishing itself in the eastern Land of Rain, it was bound to reorganize the east and then radiate throughout the entire Land of Rain.

So Nagato felt that naming it after peace was excellent, embodying the dream of all their Shinobi Sect Ninja.

“That’s very good!” Yahiko instantly understood Nagato’s idea and praised him.

“Why not call it Ninja Master City? That way, everyone will know it’s Sōsuke’s territory,” Kakuzu thought this would attract more Ninja who admired him, making it easier to earn money.

Many Ninja expressed their opinions. Some felt that their Shinobi Sect was a ray of light in troubled times and could be called Light City, while others liked Kakuzu’s simple and direct Ninja Master City.

For this, Muzuki used his old method: a vote. Since all the Shinobi Sect Ninja wanted Muzuki to also suggest a name, Muzuki suggested Six Paths City and included it in the naming vote.

The final vote result was Six Paths City winning by a significant margin. Nagato’s Peace City and Kakuzu’s Ninja Master City had nearly identical votes, while other names received almost no votes.

After the name was decided, the Shinobi Sect Ninja began their enthusiastic construction, and the impact of Muzuki’s unrestricted lecture also spread rapidly.

Various concise golden phrases spoken by Muzuki during his lecture, the feat of Fire Dragon Dance instantly defeating Pakura, and thousands of Ninja bowing in respect as his students, all spread throughout the Ninja World.

A large number of Ninja vouched for Sōsuke, proving the value of the title Ninja Master.

Perhaps out of an attempt to overpraise, or perhaps truly out of extreme admiration, some even said that Sōsuke was the contemporary Six Paths Sage, the second Six Paths Sage.

Iwagakure.

Tsuchikage Building, Tsuchikage Office.

After listening to Kitsuchi’s report, Ōnoki showed a surprised expression.

“Is that Sōsuke really that strong at teaching? In just seven days, even you gained something.”

Ōnoki felt that at Kitsuchi’s level, it was basically impossible to teach him; he could only rely on himself.

He had tried hard with Kitsuchi, but Kitsuchi just couldn’t learn Dust Release and Light-Weight Rock Technique. These abilities couldn’t be learned through effort alone.

“There is no exaggeration at all. On the last day of the lecture, all the Ninja sincerely thanked Sōsuke with bows. He truly has such strong teaching ability,” Kitsuchi said seriously.

“I think we can try to commission him to help the Village train Ninja. With his teaching ability, I think we can look forward to the final results.”

Ōnoki fell into deep thought.

A Ninja Village is essentially a military organization, and outsourcing the training of its members would be somewhat abstract; being subverted could lead to very serious consequences.

“First, let’s contact them and see the Shinobi Sect’s willingness.” After carefully considering the pros and cons, Ōnoki felt it was worth a try.

Firstly, according to existing intelligence, the Shinobi Sect mostly consisted of idealists, especially Sōsuke, their Ninja leader. Therefore, it was highly unlikely they would help other Ninja Villages subvert their Iwagakure Ninja.

Secondly, Ōnoki did not plan to send excellent Ninja from the Village at first. He would first send Ninja with the Will of Stone to test them.

Mainly, Kitsuchi had spoken so highly of Muzuki that Ōnoki felt that if it really worked, it would be worth it, even if it was a bit troublesome.

After Kitsuchi left, Ōnoki began to review Iwagakure Ninja files, searching for powerful young Ninja under eighteen years old.

Although very few people in Iwagakure practiced Fire Release, preventing other opponents from obtaining powerful Ninjutsu was a gain, and Iwagakure could not afford to not compete in the Youth Martial Arts Tournament.

One of Iwagakure’s current combat opponents, Konoha, had many Fire Release Ninja. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was even a master of Fire Release, and Ōnoki did not want Konoha to obtain Fire Dragon Dance.

…

Sunagakure.

Kazekage Building, Kazekage Office.

“Pakura, instead of going and making a fool of yourself, why don’t you go to the battlefield more often to find enemy teams? You’ve completely disgraced Sunagakure!” Rasa reprimanded her unceremoniously.

He originally had a competitive relationship with Pakura, and Pakura was not very convinced after Rasa became Kazekage, so their relationship was very strained. Rasa disliked Pakura intensely.

With such an opportunity to attack, Rasa naturally wouldn’t let it go, directly scolding Pakura, who had come to report intelligence, to no end.

“As a hero of Sunagakure, you were instantly defeated by a Ninja from a small country. How will the other Four Great Shinobi Villages view our Sunagakure?” Rasa pressed on.

“What’s wrong with that? Senior Sōsuke is incredibly strong. Isn’t it natural for me to lose to him?” Pakura retorted.

If it were a real battle, Pakura certainly wouldn’t have been instantly defeated, but she had said she wanted to experience Muzuki’s Fire Release, so of course, she had to face it head-on.

“If you’re so capable, go challenge Senior Sōsuke. If you can win, come back and tell me to die, and I’ll immediately commit suicide with a Kunai!”

Pakura implied, “If you can do it, you go.” She didn’t believe Rasa could defeat Muzuki.

“As Kazekage, I’m busy with countless affairs every day. I don’t have as much free time as you,” Rasa scoffed.

He wasn’t foolish enough to really challenge Sōsuke.

Even an old veteran of the Ninja World like the Demigod Lord Hanzo had fallen to Sōsuke, so he certainly wouldn’t fare much better.

He was just looking for an excuse to scold Pakura; he wouldn’t truly underestimate the world-renowned Sōsuke just because of his status as a Ninja from a small country.

Pakura clenched her fists, wishing she could punch Rasa’s hateful face until it swelled up.

Her remaining sanity made Pakura release her fists and turn to walk towards the door.

“I don’t care what you say about me, but the Youth Martial Arts Tournament hosted by Senior Sōsuke has excellent rewards. Remember to select outstanding Ninja from the Village to participate, or you’ll regret it.” Pakura stopped at the door and reminded him.

Although she disliked Rasa, he was the Kazekage now, and Pakura had no right to summon the Village’s geniuses to participate.

“You don’t need to worry about that. I am the Kazekage,” Rasa said indifferently.

Bang!

The door of the Kazekage Office was slammed shut.

Seeing Pakura leave, Rasa began to seriously study the intelligence on the Shinobi Sect and Sōsuke.

He found that the Shinobi Sect was actually a significant threat because Sōsuke was too unique.

He possessed not only great personal strength but also extraordinary teaching ability and charisma.

In just seven days, he made thousands of Ninja willingly consider themselves his students. If this happened a few more times, what would become of it? He truly was a teacher of the Ninja World.

If Sōsuke were just one person, that would be one thing, but the key was that Sōsuke also had the Shinobi Sect, a force that was flourishing under Sōsuke’s influence.

Now, Sōsuke and the Shinobi Sect gave Rasa the feeling of a super version of Lord Hanzo and the Amegakure.

If Sōsuke developed ambitions like Lord Hanzo, then the Land of Wind, which bordered the Land of Rain, could very likely become the Shinobi Sect’s target for attack.

…

Konoha.

Due to the Rinnegan and the sage art inheritance, Danzo Shimura was very concerned about intelligence from the Land of Rain.

He checked the intelligence sent back by Root members every day.

“This Sōsuke’s mastery of seven Chakra Nature Transformations and Ninjutsu must be related to the sage art inheritance.” Danzo Shimura didn’t believe Sōsuke had his current strength from self-training.

No matter how talented, one still needed time to train.

Danzo Shimura’s old classmate, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was Konoha’s super Ninjutsu genius, with talent in Ninjutsu that even the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, admitted inferiority to.

But even Hiruzen Sarutobi, at the same age, was far inferior to the current Sōsuke. Danzo Shimura didn’t believe anyone in the Ninja World could be this talented. If he were that amazing, Sōsuke wouldn’t have remained obscure until now to become famous.

“We can’t let this Sōsuke and the Shinobi Sect continue to grow.” The more Danzo Shimura thought about it, the more he felt the Shinobi Sect was a threat, so he immediately ordered the Root Ninja in the Land of Rain to take action and contact Lord Hanzo again to discuss eliminating the Shinobi Sect.

Although Lord Hanzo had already signed a peace treaty with the Shinobi Sect.

But Danzo Shimura thought Lord Hanzo would cooperate because the Shinobi Sect’s threat to the Amegakure was clearly visible. If he were Lord Hanzo, he would have already started planning how to assassinate Sōsuke.

Danzo Shimura felt this wasn’t enough, so he went to find Hiruzen Sarutobi, wanting to explain the threat posed by Sōsuke.

PS: This chapter is 7k, slightly less than the usual two-in-one. I’m a bit too tired.