Chapter 407: Strengthening the Ninja Clan

Fire Dragon Dance is a Fire Release Ninjutsu that Muzuki improved and developed based on Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, which can be considered a Super Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.

The range, power, and flexibility of the Fire Release are comprehensively enhanced, and apart from consuming too much Chakra and having excessively high usage requirements, it has almost no other drawbacks.

The high-temperature flames spat out by Muzuki swallowed the Combination Ninjutsu used by Kakuzu at an extremely fast speed.

Feeling the heat wave rushing towards him, Kakuzu’s pupils constricted.

He had thought that the Fire Release Ninjutsu Muzuki used before was already strong enough, but he didn’t expect that Muzuki had held back against him and hadn’t used his full power earlier.

Kakuzu immediately wanted to make the Earth Grudge Fear heart retreat, but the flames were too fast, and the Earth Grudge Fear heart turned into black ashes under Muzuki’s flames before it could return to Kakuzu’s body.

Kakuzu clutched his chest with a pained expression; this had cost him two lives at once.

But Muzuki’s Fire Dragon Dance was not over yet.

Under Muzuki’s control, the scorching sea of fire split into six fire dragons, encircling Kakuzu and his other two hearts from different directions.

Even though Kakuzu had decisively chosen to recall all his hearts at the very beginning, facing such an offensive, only the Lightning Release heart successfully returned to Kakuzu’s body, while the Water Release heart was destroyed by the fire dragon.

And Kakuzu’s main body also suffered from the fire dragon’s attack; the Earth Release heart could not withstand such a terrifying assault and was burned to pieces.

Almost instantly, the five-lived Kakuzu was beaten down to only one life remaining, a complete reversal of the battle situation.

“So amazing, as expected of Uncle Sōsuke!” Yahiko exclaimed with delight.

Even at a certain distance from the flames, Yahiko could feel the terrifying temperature; this was the most powerful Fire Release Ninjutsu he had ever seen.

“Is Teacher Sōsuke really that strong?” The Ninja who knew Kakuzu was stunned.

Kakuzu could definitely be called a legendary Ninja of the black market, and such a strong individual was almost instantly killed by one of Muzuki’s Fire Release, which truly shocked him.

He even felt that Muzuki’s strength surpassed Hanzo, because he didn’t think Hanzo could instantly kill Kakuzu with a Water Release.

“Can Hanzo really be on par with a Teacher Sōsuke like this?” Ikechou was convinced he had underestimated Muzuki’s strength.

His imagination couldn’t keep up with Muzuki’s power.

In his impression, if a Ninja was strong, it was definitely Hanzo.

But from this moment on, Ikechou declared that there was a new candidate for the strongest person.

The strength displayed by Muzuki was too immense; some Ninja even felt it was a bit unreal.

They pinched their arms, and the slight pain confirmed that this was not an illusion, but reality.

It wasn’t that their psychological endurance was too weak, but that it was so wonderful it felt like a dream.

They had given nothing, yet simply by following, they could receive careful guidance from a powerhouse like Muzuki.

Although from Muzuki’s perspective, the Ninja who followed him had made adventurous decisions, for these rogue Ninja, danger was commonplace, and to advance, danger was indispensable.

So, in their view, traveling through the Land of Rain with Muzuki was a dreamlike journey; they not only learned skills but also lived more like Ninja, fulfilling both their physical and spiritual needs.

Looking at the fallen Kakuzu, Muzuki slowly walked over to him.

Although Kakuzu lay motionless on the ground, Muzuki knew he was not dead, because Kakuzu still had one last heart.

If it were someone unfamiliar with Earth Grudge Fear’s information, seeing Kakuzu suffer such injuries would certainly lead them to believe he was dead.

But Muzuki was different; he was truly knowledgeable Muzuki, with appraisal, transformation, and knowledge of the original plot.

“Do you still want to continue playing dead?” Muzuki said lightly as he approached Kakuzu.

Kakuzu, who was playing dead on the ground, instantly felt his heart tighten, but he still didn’t move, believing Muzuki might be bluffing him.

Because most people who had seen him use Earth Grudge Fear had died, there was no reason for Muzuki to know his information.

“Do you think I’m bluffing you? What can you do with only one heart left?” Muzuki continued.

Kakuzu’s forehead broke out in fine beads of sweat; he felt as if his deepest secrets had been seen through by Muzuki, and he could no longer maintain his composure, looking at Muzuki with a bewildered expression.

Kakuzu was certain he had never met Muzuki, nor had he ever fought him; he couldn’t understand why Muzuki would know his information.

“Why do you know my information?” The exposed Kakuzu stopped pretending, stood up directly, and stared coldly at Muzuki.

At this point, Kakuzu was no longer flustered; after all, the worst outcome was merely death.

Did Kakuzu want to die? Of course not, he hadn’t made enough money yet.

But was Kakuzu afraid of death? Of course not; if he were afraid of death, he wouldn’t have gone to assassinate Senju Hashirama.

Dying in battle as a Ninja, in Kakuzu’s view, wasn’t such a bad ending, certainly better than being betrayed by comrades and dying in a prison cell.

“He’s not dead yet.” The other Ninja were surprised by Kakuzu’s vitality.

Muzuki’s previous Fire Release Ninjutsu had scorched most of the area, and for Kakuzu to be able to stand up after enduring such a terrifying attack, his vitality seemed incredibly absurd to them.

“This is ancient wisdom.” Muzuki showed a mystical smile.

Neither the plot, nor appraisal, nor transformation could be spoken of, so he could only be a riddle-man.

“Is it that so-called sage art inheritance?” Kakuzu continued to ask.

Kakuzu was a bit curious about what that so-called sage art inheritance actually was, as it was so mysterious, no wonder those people would offer such a large bounty.

“You can think of it that way.” Muzuki guided Kakuzu towards his own speculation.

Although Muzuki’s answer was vague, he did answer eventually, and Kakuzu once again adopted a fighting stance, preparing to meet his death.

Although the outcome of the battle was already decided, Kakuzu would not lie down and wait for death; he would fight until the last moment.

Kakuzu quickly unraveled the stitches on his wrists, then used the Earth Grudge Fear black threads within his body to control two fists, shooting them towards Muzuki.

Although it looked simple and unadorned, it actually possessed considerable power; an ordinary Jonin might be instantly killed by his fists piercing their body.

After unleashing Fire Dragon Dance, Muzuki exited Flame Breathing Chakra Mode and switched to Rock Breathing, which he used most frequently in daily life.

Under the enhancement of Rock Breathing, Muzuki’s strength increased, and his skin became tougher, easily deflecting the incoming flying fists.

Whoosh!

Muzuki’s figure flickered, appearing at Kakuzu’s side.

Kakuzu quickly used Earth Grudge Fear black threads for defense.

Bang!

Muzuki’s heavy power directly shattered Kakuzu’s defense, sending Kakuzu flying backward like a broken kite, crashing heavily onto the ground.

Muzuki’s incredibly sharp Taijutsu prevented Kakuzu from even using Lightning Release Ninjutsu to attack.

Kakuzu now felt like a punching bag that couldn’t fight back, only able to madly endure Muzuki’s Taijutsu strikes.

Kakuzu’s consciousness gradually blurred.

“Dying at the hands of such a strong opponent isn’t bad either.” After collapsing again, this thought appeared in Kakuzu’s mind.

Muzuki’s strength was immense; in Kakuzu’s long Ninja career, he had only encountered one opponent stronger than Muzuki, and that was the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama.

Thinking back now, Kakuzu still felt a bit ridiculous about his past self.

He had made great psychological preparations to assassinate Senju Hashirama, only to be inexplicably gravely wounded, returning to the Village in a pathetic state and being imprisoned and heavily punished.

At that time, Kakuzu was not mature enough and only felt they were despicable; now, Kakuzu understood everything.

There was no special reason, it was just reality, this was the Ninja World.

He was too strong and had too many merits, so the higher-ups, fearing their position would be threatened, sent him to his death.

Their mouths spoke of the Village and its will, but their hearts were entirely filled with their own interests.

“I am Kakuzu.” Kakuzu used his last strength to utter his name.

At this moment, his condition was at its worst, even more severely injured than when he fought Senju Hashirama, and he didn’t even have the strength to stand up.

Just as Kakuzu thought he was about to die, that final attack never came.

Kakuzu opened his eyes; Muzuki stood beside him, quietly watching him.

Muzuki was weighing the pros and cons.

His actions would bring an unprecedented great change to the Land of Rain. Muzuki wanted the Land of Rain to change for the better, but maintaining it required strength. Relying solely on Yahiko and the two others was not enough; Nagato was currently unable to use the Rinnegan at will, and Muzuki couldn’t stay in the Land of Rain forever. Therefore, strengthening the Shinobi Sect was very necessary.

If he started something and then ran away without caring, Muzuki would become the person he once disliked.

Kakuzu’s strength as a Ninja was unquestionable; the ‘Little Third Generation’ was still a Third Generation. If there were means to prevent Salamander’s poison mist, Kakuzu could fight Hanzo.

Muzuki thought for a moment and finally placed his hand on Kakuzu’s chest.

Kakuzu thought Muzuki was going to kill him completely, but nothing happened. Thirty seconds later, intricate Sealing Technique formulas appeared on Kakuzu’s chest.

“Why aren’t you killing me? What do you want to do?” Kakuzu looked at Muzuki, puzzled.

“If you’re leaving something in my body to threaten me into working for you, then you’re underestimating me.”

Kakuzu had his pride; he would rather die than live so humiliatingly.

“Your imagination is quite rich.” Muzuki extended his hand to Kakuzu.

He had merely left a Sealing Technique in Kakuzu’s body to interfere with Chakra; with this Sealing Technique, it was extremely difficult for Kakuzu to gather Chakra, making him unable to use Ninjutsu.

He planned to travel through the Land of Rain with Kakuzu. If Kakuzu could accept and sincerely join the Shinobi Sect, then everyone would be happy. Otherwise, Muzuki would let Kakuzu die painlessly.

Muzuki disliked using threats the most because it was prone to accidents. If the means were broken or the opponent wanted to go down fighting, it would be difficult to resolve in the end.

Kakuzu looked at Muzuki, puzzled; he didn’t understand what Muzuki was thinking.

“How about joining us? After we complete our journey through the Land of Rain, I will establish the Shinobi Sect.” Muzuki extended an invitation.

“Shinobi Sect? You’re not referring to that Shinobi Sect where the Ninja’s duty is to protect peace, are you?” Kakuzu sounded as if he had heard a very funny joke.

Actually, Kakuzu didn’t know about the Shinobi Sect before, as it was history from thousands of years ago.

He learned about it when he was investigating Muzuki’s information, which is why Kakuzu called Muzuki naive.

In Kakuzu’s view, the Ninja Muzuki proposed would only appear in fantasies; real Ninja prioritize profit. Let alone protecting the peace of the entire Ninja World, even protecting their own Village and country requires calculating how to gain profit.

“Not just that, but you can understand it that way for now.” Muzuki replied with a smile.

He was going to establish the Shinobi Sect; how could he truly establish a Shinobi Sect identical to the Six Paths Sage’s? He was just borrowing prestige.

The Six Paths Sage’s Shinobi Sect itself failed, so how could Muzuki possibly create an identical one?

“In the Ninja World, only profit is eternal; you will never succeed.” Kakuzu dismissed.

“How will you know if it’s possible without trying?” Muzuki’s face still held a relaxed smile, unchanged by Kakuzu’s words.

“Can a single drop of water extinguish a patch of fire? Some things are known to be impossible without even trying.” Kakuzu still didn’t agree with Muzuki’s idea, believing he was bound to fail.

“Why not?”

Muzuki entered Water Breathing Chakra Mode, compressing a large amount of Water Release Chakra into a single drop of water and shooting it towards the still burning flames, directly extinguishing all of them.

Kakuzu fell silent; this level of control was somewhat beyond his comprehension.

“Teacher Sōsuke, you shouldn’t waste any more effort. A Ninja of Fortune like him, who is only interested in profit, can’t become a true Ninja.” Ikechou thought for a moment, then stepped forward and said.

Kakuzu glanced at Ikechou indifferently, “A Ninja of your strength usually isn’t even worth my time. No one would put a bounty on a weakling like you.”

Kakuzu was over seventy years old; if he could fall for such a simple provocation, he would truly have lived in vain for so long.

“You, and all of you, if you stay by his side, you will sooner or later die along with his naivety.” Kakuzu said mercilessly.

If it weren’t for misjudging Muzuki’s strength, and not dealing with people outside of bounties, Kakuzu would definitely have caused casualties to this group.

Kakuzu didn’t think his death would make Muzuki’s bounty disappear; on the contrary, Muzuki’s bounty would definitely increase, and significantly so.

At that time, it might not just be individual bounty hunters attacking Muzuki; Ninja factions might even target Muzuki’s sage art inheritance.

“That’s just your fantasy. The reality is that Teacher Sōsuke is heading towards success, and those who fail are you and those who share your goal.” Ikechou retorted.

“Everyone knows about danger. Teacher Sōsuke warned us long ago. Avoiding danger is human instinct, but there’s something that can surpass this instinct.”

“So, naivety is contagious?” Kakuzu scoffed, yet strange thoughts began to stir within him.

This group was indeed a bit different from what he had imagined.

Even though someone recognized him, they didn’t run away.

Kakuzu could tell that the rogue Ninja following Muzuki also didn’t know Muzuki’s strength; they too looked shocked when Muzuki released his Fire Release.

Kakuzu was curious what gave them the courage; despite being so weak, they not only didn’t flee but dared to attack him.

“What are you constantly saying so presumptuously? Since you think we’ll fail, then come and see if we will.” Yahiko also joined the verbal battle.

“Let’s complete the journey through the Land of Rain together. By then, whether you join us or continue to try and trade me for a bounty will be entirely up to your will.” Muzuki said finally.

“However, I will not lift the Sealing Technique on you during the journey, for everyone’s safety.”

A hint of hesitation flashed across Kakuzu’s face.

“I’d like to see what other tricks you have besides naivety.” Kakuzu thought for a moment and agreed to Muzuki.

Because he felt that refusing or agreeing was just the difference between dying sooner or later. His naive self had already died, on the day he returned to the Village gravely wounded.